MAITLAND All Saints College, St Peter's Campus (2012) - Catholic ...

Retreats and Faith Development Programs
The development of spirituality is seen as a priority in nurturing the whole person. Once a fortnight St Peter’s Ministry Coordinator
engages many interested staff in a voluntary Sabbath Moments, a common time of reflective prayer. This opportunity is well
received and helps to nurture staff spirituality.
Prayer is recognised as an integral part of our daily activities and this is supported by prayers being placed on Student Daily
notices. This enables all to begin their day with a time of stillness and reflection.
St Peter’s has an optional Year 10 retreat each year which is very well attended. In 2012, 190 students attended four venues along
with 12 staff and 12 young people who volunteer their time to be involved in this program. This year parents were involved
indirectly in the retreat by writing a letter to their child which they were given whilst at retreat. This experience was very well
received by all, especially parents who felt privileged to be able to share this time (indirectly). All involved with retreat spoke highly
of their journey in faith and the experience they shared.
In continuing our journey of embracing the Marist charism we are able to utilise the gifts and talents of the Marist Brothers who ran
an RE Day for Year 7, called Brothers and Sisters, and a Year 10 Day on Vocations. We were also able to utilise the wonderful
skills of Br Tony Leon as we prepared our Year 9 for the role of Leadership for 2013. These days were extremely well received by
staff and students involved, and complemented the Religious Studies Program for each year. Karis Ministries were involved in the
further development of our students in their faith in both Year 7 and Year 9. These days had our students engaged and positively
involved and were also well received by the staff.
For our staff, as we continue to connect with our Marist traditions, our Leadership team has been involved in the Footsteps
program run by Marist Ministries and Life Formation at Mittagong. This has inspired staff to incorporate the Marist charism into all
areas of school life.
In 2012 we were able to celebrate the Eucharist with our entire school community, thanks to the generosity of our Chisholm region
clergy. We also had two major Eucharistic celebrations - St Peter’s Day in June with the whole school community, and in
December we were privileged to have Bishop Bill celebrate our Year 10 Graduation Mass. This allowed us to share the Eucharist
with staff, students and parents. We thank our Chisholm region clergy and Bishop Bill for sharing these events with our community.
Values (including Social Justice Initiatives)
Students are constantly reminded of the foundational basis of Jesus’ commandment “love one another”, and how to apply this
when dealing with each other and staff. This philosophy also promotes respect of all and taking responsibility for one’s actions. St
Peter’s uses Restorative Justice Practices, along with the aid of community and Religious Education days to support the
development of the values in all our students. There is a strong Social Justice committee which is passionate about raising funds
for disadvantaged communities, and presents an awareness of local and universal issues. With our deep Marist connections we
work with Marist Asia Pacific Solidarity (MAPS) to also reach and provide relief where possible. Our yearly Lenten commitment of
Project Compassion allows both students and staff to help raise funds and with the help of Caritas Australia, makes life giving
differences.
Policies
Enrolment Policy
St Peter’s follows the guidelines provided by the Catholic Schools Office Policy Enrolment (Amended 2008). The Policy has been
devised to accommodate, as far as is possible, the needs of families seeking a Catholic education. In situations where enrolments
have to be restricted because of limitations on capacity, preference may need to be given to children of Catholic families, as
defined in the Policy. Implementation of the Policy is via our local school Enrolment Committee which has discretionary authority in
keeping with Diocesan guidelines. Copies of the Policy are available from the school, or from the Catholic Schools Office website
(cf end of Report). Parents concerned about school fees should ensure they make contact with the school. Diocesan provisions
(including standard discounts for those with a Health Card) exist to help in this area, and the Principal can also exercise discretion
where genuine need exists.
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