REFLECTION
How often do we simply enjoy the present moment?
There is the old saying of do not fret about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself.
Tackle problems one day at a time!
Gracious God ,
Help me to recognise each day as your gift, to be received with gratitude and lived to the full.
Teach me to welcome every moment as a new beginning; the past put behind me,
the future waiting to be grasped and the present to be celebrated.
Amen

Dear Parents

DADEMBER – September is DADember! At St Peter’s, we rename September as DADember and provide
opportunities for the dads or significant male figures in the lives of the children to be involved in a range of school activities. I encourage the dads and father figures to make a special effort to support the Dadember events that are being held in each year level. This initiative has been inspired by the Fathering Project that was set up by Professor Bruce Robinson, and has been championed by a group of St Peter’s dads to provide opportunities for dads in the school context to engage with their children.
As the ‘Father’ of the Fathering Project says, there is a need for dads to live richly at the front end, so that down the track we don’t wish things could have been different. It is important for dads not to have regrets about the priorities they have and to make the investment to have a significant, consistent and positive presence in their child’s life. The statistics still show that fathers generally are not as involved in their children’s lives as they could be and that with greater connection, there is the potential for a stronger positive influence. I recommend the thefatheringproject.org website to you for articles on this subject and tips for busy fathers and those who want to be better fathers.
I thank the champion dads who are part of organising the Dad events throughout the year. I remind the dads, granddads and father figures of the St Peter’s children of the Father’s Day breakfast next Friday 31 August commencing at 7am.

BOOKWEEK – There have been a number of activities held as part of Book Week. The library displays are showcasing some of the work produced by the students under the theme of ‘Find Your Treasure.’ Through the initiative of Alison Rawson, in partnership with Year 3B, one of the activities held today was the ‘Great Book Swap’ to support the provision of books for indigenous students in remote communities. I thank 3B for promoting and organising this exchange and the community for supporting the event. The amount raised will be announced in a future newsletter.

PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL – We were treated to outstanding performances from our students in the Years 3&4 Choir, Years 5&6 Choir and the Concert Band last week in their sections of the Performing Arts Festival last week. I congratulate the students for the dedication and practice that resulted in them being well prepared for their performances. I thank Marina Powell and our music tutors for the exceptional work that has been done to develop the gifts of our students to reach such a high standard. Tonight, we look forward to the performance of the Dance Club at the Perth Convention Centre. They have been practising hard for this event with the help of teachers Holly Allen and Kym Zagar.

STAFF CHANGES – Next week we will be saying farewell to our Social Worker, Daniel Moylan, who is taking up a full time position at Prendiville College. I express a great gratitude to Daniel for the very valuable work he has done in our community to support students and parents. We will be welcoming Jenny Biancotti to our staff community as Daniel’s replacement.
Cassandra Visser will be taking Parental Leave at the end of term. We wish Cassie all the best for the exciting and happy event ahead and thank her for her work with our PPW students. Paula Christensen will be the teacher of PPW in Term 4.
Jo-Ann Scanlan is finishing her time as a co-manager of the canteen. I thank Jo-Ann for efficiently and capably looking after us through the canteen services.

God Bless

Greg Ward

Principal