Comments from the Principal 11.6.21

Kia ora e te whanau,

The wellbeing of all students is at the heart of every Catholic School. We enable a learning environment which promotes and provides for the spiritual, physical, cognitive, social and emotional growth of the entire school community. We do this in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, our greatest model. There is safety and peace in spending time with him in our hearts and minds and this is a gift only schools like ours can offer. For us, it is not about one aspect of a student’s life, where we use the young persons talents and gifts for what they can give to us. We care deeply about providing a learning environment that cares and grows all aspects of the person. We may not have the top-rated sports teams in the country year in and year out, but we do nurture well rounded, caring and kind young adults who will be successful in any endeavour or career path they choose.

Wellbeing is best promoted in a safe and supportive school environment, and at St Peter’s College wellbeing is characterised by positive relationships, resilience, the opportunity to maximise strengths and high levels of satisfaction, and connectedness with learning. The links between learning and wellbeing are well researched and are clear. The responsibility for enhancing and promoting student wellbeing is shared by the community. We want our students to thrive in all that they do.

In the areas of behaviour, emotions, thoughts, learning and social relationships, a thriving student may do the following and much more:

• Be resilient and manage stress and challenges in a productive way
• Be interested, curious and absorbed in learning and pursue learning goals with determination
• Maintain positive and supportive peer relationships

I am pleased to be welcoming back to our school John Parsons, who will be spending time with each split gender year level to raise awareness of and provide strategies for our young people navigating a 21st century technological age that they are sometimes not emotionally or mentally equipped for. More information and dates are in this newsletter, and I strongly encourage all parents and caregivers who can make the evening session to attend.

Yesterday we had an absolutely fantastic day in Dunedin at the Junior Quad Sports Tournament. All of my day was spent on the rugby side-line watching some excellent examples of sportsmanship, heart and courage. It was also great to catch up with ex-principal, Mrs Kate Nicholson, and share in the comradery between our Catholic schools, with Kavanagh College hosting an outstanding event for our young sports people. A big thank you also goes out to the many parents and other relatives who came and supported and coached our teams. I was particularly proud of our senior students who give up their time to coach our junior students. Congratulations to Verdon College for taking home the Bishop Boyle trophy for being overall winners of the competition.

We offer many sporting opportunities here at St Peter’s College, whether they be season length or one-off tournaments. All of these occasions cost money to register, run and transport. Please understand that going forward, once a student has had their permission slip signed by a caregiver or parent to attend, they are then liable for the fees associated with that event. If a student pulls out because they can’t be bothered going anymore or they have accidentally double booked themselves, they will still need to pay for what they have signed up for. Only a medical certificate will allow non-payment or a refund.

Charity fulfils the Law


Tara Quinney
Principal