Co-Curricular
St. Peter’s College has a strong tradition of Social Justice.
‘Walking in the footsteps of St. Peter, we will celebrate our Catholic faith founded on Christ’s message of love, justice and service’
“We have raised money, donated goods and walked alongside some of those living on the fringes of our society”
Programs have included Ozanam House in North Melbourne and volunteering at Vinnies Cranbourne, partnerships between our Youth Ministry Students with local aged care facilities, such as Willow Wood Aged Care, all the while getting first hand experience in all that these organisations, and others like them, achieve every day.
As well as these activities the St. Peter’s College Student Body, as a whole, undertakes many fundraising activities throughout their year.
Students and Staff have raised funds to support the annual Caritas Project Compassion Appeal, The Winter Blanket Appeal for St. Vincent de Paul, Harmony Day and several other ventures raise money for the Bishop of Sale, Charitable Fund.
A ‘Very Special Thank You’ to all St. Peter’s College students and staff who work throughout the year to further develop our program of Social Justice, not only within our College Community but to our community at large.
Work Experience
St. Peter’s College provides valuable ‘Real Life’ learning for our students through our Work Experience Program.
Year 10 students are required to undertake a mandatory one week placement with an employer that relates to their course and career interests. This is conducted in June each year.
Students are provided with another opportunity to undertake a second week of work experience, though this will need to be conducted during the first week of the mid-year June/July holiday period. In certain circumstances, students may be allowed to undertake additional work experience outside of this time frame, with approval of the Deputy Principal, Head of Campus and the student’s House Leader.
Completing the Work Experience Program provides our students with an opportunity to explore possible course and career options, and gain industry insight that they may not from other forms of research. Work experience allows students to confirm or adjust their potential career choice and gain valuable skills and confidence. This can also assist with future subject selections, VCE/VCAL decisions and a more focused educational pathway.
Our students are expected to make their own arrangements with employers. We do not encourage parents to undertake this task on behalf of their child.
Students are introduced to our Work Experience Program approximately nine months before it occurs, and are strongly advised to plan ahead and make enquiries with prospective employers well in advance. Some industry placements are already filled up to twelve months in advance.
We appreciate students may already have part-time employment and they are developing these skills. However, we believe students need to explore beyond these realms and into future possibilities. For this reason, students are not permitted to undertake the mandatory Work Experience placement with their current employers, as this contradicts the aims of the Work Experience Program.
To further assist our students to gain the maximum benefit from this program, students are not permitted to undertake the mandatory Work Experience placement with parent-run businesses. The June placement is to consider their own future course and career plans. If this is a strong desire of the student and the parent, the College position is that this is completed as an additional placement during the first week of the mid-year or other appropriate school holiday periods.
All requests for students to deviate from this policy are to be made to the College Careers Advisor and will be considered in consultation with the student Management Team.
We at St. Peter’s College believe that our students benefit enormously from the interaction, competition and exposure of participating in a wide range of programs across many schools within SIS. Students are given opportunities to shine, excel and to achieve a sense of pride in both their personal achievements and the achievements of their school.
St. Peter’s College is a fully participating member of the Southern Independent Schools Sports Association. We participate in major carnivals in Athletics, Cross Country, Swimming, Golf and Lawn Bowls.
In addition to the major Carnivals our students complete in weekly competition between the Member Schools in Netball, Softball, Basketball, Soccer, Football, Cricket, Tennis, Handball, Table Tennis, Volleyball and Touch Rugby.
The Southern Independent School (SIS) competition is undertaken between its twelve member schools being, Balcombe Grammar, Berwick Grammar, Cornish College, Flinders Christian Community College, John Paul College, Nazareth College, Padua College, St Francis Xavier College, St James College, St John’s Regional College, St. Peter’s College and Woodleigh School.
Inbound
St. Peter’s College welcomes students from our Japanese and New Caledonian sister schools each year. Students stay for between 1-3 weeks and up to 3 months and are hosted by the families of St. Peter’s College students.
Outbound
Annual Study Tour to Japan
Students have the opportunity to visit: Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Tokyo and Yokohama. They also attend our sister school located in the capital city of Hokkaido, Sapporo, where they are hosted by Japanese families and experience the everyday life of a Japanese High school student. Students are given the option of both a short (1 week) or a long term stay (2 months) at our sister school.
Bi-Annual Study Tour to France or New Caledonia
In France, St. Peter’s College students will have the opportunity to visit: Brussels, Marseilles, Aix-en-Provence, the Loire Valley and Nice. They also attend our sister school located in Paris where they are hosted by French families and experience the everyday life of a French high school student.
New Caledonia French Study Tour was added to our Language Exchange Program in 2015. Students spend time at a local school undertaking language lessons each day, with some sightseeing activities later in the afternoon. Students are then hosted by a local student and their family in home-stay each night.
The purpose of Camps & Retreats is to support and supplement other aspects of the curriculum and is vital for the enhancement of our students’ social, physical and spiritual needs.
Compulsory Student Attendance
During your students time at St. Peter’s College the following compulsory College Camps and Retreats are held.
Year 7 Orientation Camp
The essential aim of this camp is to help the Year 7’s settle in, make new friends and feel the sense of connection and belonging to the College.
Year 9 Outdoor Education Camp
This is a personally/physically challenging camp that takes the students out of their comfort zone and has them working in teams to overcome challenges/obstacles/hurdles, as well as enjoy the outdoor activities on offer at the beachside camp. All activities are coordinated by trained professionals.
Year 12 Retreat
Religious Education Retreat. This is a retreat designed to help students reflect on where they are in the world and where they want to go. We hope to explore their inner spirituality particularly in relation to how that impacts on their plans and motivations for the year ahead. It has a strong emphasis on the Catholic Faith and challenges the students to explore their own faith journey.
Invitational Opportunities
Students may also be invited to apply for Invitational Camps/Trips which includes:
Japanese Exchange
French Exchange – France or New Caledonia
Central Australia
and the Solomon Islands Immersion and Cultural Program
