In the past few weeks I have had the joy of gathering my three sons together to celebrate achievements in their lives. They are now 27, 25 and 23 years old and each on very different pathways.

My eldest recently successfully navigated a five-round process interviewing for a global tech company and will commence as Senior Software Engineer in the new year.  He completed three technical coding tasks for three different managers, having to verbalise his thinking throughout and adjust to the problems thrown at him.  Two further interviews followed.  I was impressed by how well he achieved in the coding tasks.  He said that is how he works all the time, constantly talking ideas out with colleagues whilst doing the coding.  Not something assessed in Year 12 external assessments. He will be able to work anywhere in the world and be remunerated very well for his skills and capabilities.

My middle son has a head for business and recently changed industry.  He was a regional restaurant manager with a work car and significant flexibility.  While life was very comfortable, he also realised there was limited prospect for further advancement.  When approached by the owner of a prominent retirement living company to come on board as a Junior Construction Manager, he was concerned that he hadn’t been working in the industry.  The owner told him success is 80% hard work and 20% knowledge – if he had the focus and was prepared to do the work, he would learn the industry.  He stepped out of his comfort zone, embraced the challenge and is rapidly learning.

These experiences inform and reinforce my appreciation for the essential skills and qualities that lead our young people to success and accomplishment both at school and beyond.  The capacity to collaborate, communicate, create, ideate, problem solve, adapt and work well with others – all vitally important.  In both cases, ongoing learning and acquisition of technical knowledge and skill demand sustained focus and diligence. 

Daniel Goleman, in his book Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence, notes that a child’s level of self-control is every bit a predictor of their adult financial success and health as IQ, and that willpower  has proved a stronger predictor of success than IQ.  In school, high self-control predicts not just better grades, but also a good emotional adjustment, better interpersonal skills, a sense of security and adaptability.  Executive function (cognitive control), as signified by self-discipline, attention control and the ability to resist temptations have been shown to lead to better mathematics and reading scores more so than their IQ.  The power to direct our focus onto one thing and ignore others is central to success.

As parents, then, anything we can do to help our children to develop focus, self-control, willpower will be helping them toward greater academic and life success. 

Stixrud & Johnson in their book The Self-Driven Child, echo Goleman stating that self-regulation and executive function are more powerful predictors of academic success than IQ at all grade levels, including university.  They also note that technology, for all its benefits, has the capacity to diminish executive function.  I won’t list the many concerns here but setting healthy boundaries for young people regarding use of technology is an important part of parenting.

As parents we can also be very quick to give our children whatever they want, whenever they want it.  There is little waiting that needs to be done or few conditions that need to be met.  In so doing, however, or in failing to hold to expectations of good behaviour, manners and respect, we can be diminishing their capacity for self-control and focus, the very things that are required for their academic and future success.  When I see these qualities in my three sons, and recently I have seen them well rewarded, it brings me joy, makes me proud and gives me reason to celebrate.

At St Peters we are mindful and intentional of developing these qualities and capabilities in our students and it requires our perpetual and persistent effort delivered through the curricular and cocurricular programs and opportunities of the College, through the maintenance of expectations, standards and accountabilities and through our relationships, care and mentoring.

May God bless us with the wisdom we need as parents and as educators so that our children, our young people, might grow into exceptional young adults well equipped for and flourishing in life. 

Craig Schmidt
Principal

Thursday 11 November

Year 6 Camp (finishes Friday 12 November)

Monday 15 November

Music Education Showcase

Tuesday 16 November

Year 12 External Assessment Concludes

Thursday 18 November

Secondary Presentation Night 7pm

Friday 19 November

Year 12 Valedictory Breakfast
Year 12 Valedictory Worship Service

Opportunity arose before the sun did, one sublime Spring morning, for a Hot Air Balloon ride. My wife and I were muttering things like “Whose idea was this?” and “This seemed like a good idea at the time” as we stumbled around the house after the 3.00am wakeup. The pre-dawn lift-off launched us into a euphoria at once calm and thrilling. Huddled in a basket 400 meters up, suspended by nothing but thin fabric and a bit of hot air, we pondered some of the big questions of life, like “What happens if I have to go to the toilet?” and “If I drop my phone, will I ever get it back?”

Once aloft, we soaked in the splendour of the scenery. Fields green after rain, mountains framing fertile valleys, animals moseying about looking for the tastiest portions of paddocks, we delighted in this alternate view of a familiar reality. The new perspective was illuminating. 

From above, some properties looked immaculate, others ramshackle. From the ground, you might never know if a property hid neat rows of fruit trees and orderly arrangements of animal enclosures, or whether it was littered with rusted out car-bodies and hoarded junk. From the air, this is immediately obvious. 

I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Psalmists observation:

“The Lord looks down from heaven on all humankind

to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.”  (Psalm 14:2)

Our lives are open to God.  God sees all and knows all. Nothing is hidden. God sees and knows our thoughts, our actions, our motives, our desires, our spending habits, our camera rolls and our browser histories.  It’s a bit confronting if when you think about it. 

Before boarding the balloon, we were required to give our weight. The pilot needed to know precisely how much weight was on board so he could calculate how much gas and ballast was required.  Any variation in weight meant adjustments would be necessary.  There was no room for self-consciousness. The only thing that mattered was accurate information or we would be at risk of running out of gas. False information could imperil us all. Moreover, we were all a critical part of the flight – if one person couldn’t fly, that weight had to be accounted for. 

When we stand before God, there is little point in pretending. While we sometimes believe our own lies, we can’t deceive God.  God sees and knows. The sooner we learn to be honest with God, the better for us and for everyone around us. God longs for us to be honest with ourselves and with him, to confess our sin and let him set us free by his forgiveness. 

The good news is God sees us as we are and still loves us. When he sees us, he looks through the lens of his Son Jesus. He sees and knows the righteousness of Christ which covers all who trust in him. In Christ we are free to enjoy the fullness of life! In Christ we are free to fly! 

Pastor Matt Wilksch
Springfield Chaplain

Arise is a Christian Community where people gather each Sunday morning at 9am in the St Peter’s Hub, to meet Jesus the Light of the World. "Arise, shine, your light has come!" Isaiah 60:1

All are welcome.

The video on Facebook is of the complete worship service.

View video of worship service

Year 3 students are learning about Australia’s neighbouring countries. Our Inquiry question was: ‘What would it be like to live in a neighbouring country?’ As we knew that Mrs Whytcross had lived in three of Australia’s neighbouring countries, we asked her to come and share what it was like and how it compared to life in Australia. Mrs. Whytcross went ‘above and beyond’ with her presentation. She asked some of her teacher friends in Fiji to also contribute to the discussion. They all sent in videos and PowerPoints to say what it was like to grow up in Fiji.  Additionally, we had our very own artifact museum in our class with everything that Mrs Whytcross brought in. Having never visited some of these countries, or lived in them, it gave the teachers the opportunity to share an authentic learning experience with our students.  

We were so thankful for Mrs. Whytcross’s presentation and thought she deserved the Principal’s Award.

Primary Assembly Performances

After successful performances at the recent Private Tuition Recitals, Gus F and Miandri K were invited to perform for their peers at Primary Assembly last week.  Both performers gave outstanding renditions of their pieces and drew great applause from their audience.  Congratulations Gus and Miandri.

Lower Primary Chapel

During Friday’s Lower Primary Chapel, Piccolo Voce led the singing with a rendition of “Get Ready”, a song very appropriate for this time of year as we prepare for Christmas and the birth of Jesus.  Hope M, together with her father also performed, singing “Lead Me to the Cross”.  Both performances were enjoyed by Lower Primary students.

Music Education Showcase

As the semester’s learning draws to a close, Yr 3 Music Education Through Strings and Music Education Through Recorder and Yr 5 Music Education Through Band will be showcasing their new instrumental skills in a recital on Monday 15 November, commencing at 8.30am. The recital will be 20-30 minutes duration.  Parents and friends are welcome. Showcase will be held on the Concourse.

Girls Sport Coordinator – Anne-Marie Champion

“Confidence isn’t walking into a room and thinking you are better than everyone; it’s walking in not having to compare yourself to anyone at all.” Anon

This week we have welcomed our 2022 Year 7 girls for two ‘Introduction to St Peters Sport Information’ sessions. It was wonderful to meet some of our new families, meet some of our student’s siblings and great to see the girls making some new friends to help with the transition to St Peters.

More amazing achievements

Our girls continue to do amazing things in their chosen sports, CONGRATULATIONS to

• Sammi N (Year 10) – QLD U18 HOCKEY SQUAD (both indoor & outdoor)
• Steph B (Year 11) – QLD U18 SOFTBALL SQUAD
• Sophie S – 2nd Place – U15 Pole-vault at the QLD Track & Field All Schools

TERM 4 SPORTS

AFL

All enquiries - Mrs Anne-Marie Champion – a.champion@stpeters.qld.edu.au

What an amazing afternoon it was last Friday at the first of the QGSSSA AFL Gala Days at the Springfield Central Sporting Complex. The girls were put in teams and played the nine-a-side modified game against both Ipswich Girls Grammar and St Hilda’s and WOW, the coaches and I were so impressed! The improvement from the first skills sessions to the games on Friday was really pleasing and we can’t wait for next year! Well done to all the girls, QGSSSA AFL 2021 has been a huge success with amazing participation 😊 

Final 2021 Gala Day

This Friday afternoon/evening 12 November: 4.30pm – 6.30pm

BWPI WATER POLO

Coordinator: Mrs Tracey Bruce – waterpolo@stpeters.qld.edu.au

Round 5 Water Polo Wrap up

Getting around the pools in Round 5, I couldn’t help but feel proud of the improvements by many of our players and teams.  A huge shout out to our Coaches and Managers for all their hard work thus far!  We are now in the back half of the first part of the season, the part where we have lots of events to attend and the girls will start to get very tired. I would really appreciate it if you could keep coming to training where possible so we can finish our last three games off strong. This week the award was for 'The Life Saver' for the player who provided crucial help to the team and it seems our Goalie’s dominated 😊

18B (Open) LOST 8 - 3 v Mermaid White.  A slow start saw us 0-2 down early but at the back end of the first quarter we levelled the score to 2-2.  At half time the score was 3-4 down.  This game was tough, you could see every one of our players was feeling the pressure with a little panic passing and decision making. Coach Millsy gave clear instructions that she wanted the girls to shoot.  They followed her instructions, but the Mermaid goalie was excellent, and it was hard to get past her. Milly T’s work rate defensively was impressive. Our goalie the AMAZING Remaya B was outstanding and to say she provided the team with crucial help was an understatement, she saved 2 x 5 metres and at least seven other attempts!  Last year we lost to this team by 15 so it was great to see us in the contest and the end margin getting smaller.

17C WON 7 – 2 v MSM.  Easy win today!  In an unusual turn of events too many players turned up to play, 14 in fact!  You can only put 13 on the card so in the most unselfish act Liv H sat out the game and was awarded 'The Big Boss Award' for being an amazing team member. Grace P was awarded 'The Life Saver Award' for her efforts throughout the game. The score at half time was 5-0 and we continued in the second half to defensively shut down the opposition, Mr Kotzur and Mrs Champion were impressed watching these girls in action.  Special mention to Coach Lorena for her great feedback and coaching throughout the game.

16B BYE

15B WON 4 – 2 v BGGS White.  Super pleasing to see us get the win this week.  Coach Jane turns up with so much energy for training and games and the team is full of talent, it was only a matter of time before the rewards started coming.  Elspeth A was awarded 'The Life Saver Award' for her goal keeping skills. A massively strong shot from Eva H hit the crossbar and bounced into the fourth row of the grandstand, we needed the radar gun to check how fast that ball was moving, from the sounds of it the crossbar saved the opposition goalie some pain. At game end the scorecard said Elsie had scored a goal from goalie position, unsure whose goal it really was but it’s on print and bragging material!!

15C WON 9-2 v St Margaret’s Blue.  It was an absolute pleasure watching this team play today, the communication between the girls was fantastic. It was noted that Alex W called a switch for which the coaching duo of Holly and Claudia were super pumped over. The passing combination between our boarders Charlotte Mc and Chloe E was pretty to watch, Anni H’s defense was magic. Sad to say that Ava S left for Ironbark on Tuesday, her game play is strong and on Saturday she finished her first half of the season which is sad for our team. Zoe T’s defense was great, she was set up goal side defensively providing lots of steals and putting us on the counterattack. Rose in goals was the team award winner for saving multiple five metre attempts.

14B LOST 3 - 8 v Mermaid Blue. This was a super tough game and the score line doesn’t really show how well we played. There were long periods of play where there were no attempts of goal, we just didn’t capitalise on our opportunities.  You can’t afford to lose concentration against a team like Mermaids as they are quick on the counterattack.  Amelia S was awarded 'The Life Saver Award' for her performance.

14C WON 14 - 1 v St Margaret’s.  The goalie Emily T took the award for her amazing saves in front of the cage, the big score line shows we dominated all over the pool. This team every week is showing huge amounts of smarts in the way they swing the ball around.  It is really satisfying to watch this team play; they are combining exceptionally well together.

13B WON 11 - 1 v Somerville. The half time score was 6-1 and the girls rallied in the second half to win the half 5-0. The big margin was a direct result of our pressing defense and our fast counterattacks. Charlie M was outstanding and took home the packet of Life Savers for her performance.

13C WON 20 - 1 v BGSS White.  Another big win! Great passing and shooting saw a dominant performance from Team U13C. Emma W was finding space and defending well so she took 'The Life Saver Award'.  Georgia P was protecting the ball and showing great skills. Mackenzie B showed her swimming fitness and was too fast for the opposition. This U13C team and Coach Nacole are to be congratulated on the way they are playing.

12B LOST 3 - 9 v Somerville.  The U12’s showed patches of brilliance and then fell back into bunch mode in front of goals, with bunching came a little chaotic decision making. Somerville had a couple of great shooters which we found hard to contain when they went on the counterattack. We had lots of attempts at goal which is pleasing. At training this week, I feel they will be working on moving into space, setting up with more width in attack and shooting to the corners of the goals. This team is on a big learning curve with a lot of new to Water Polo players and you can see lots of improvements from them all.  Congrats to Charlotte W for being 'The Life Saver of the day'!

2022 QGSSSA OPEN TEAM TRIALS

OPEN BASKETBALL

Coordinator: Mrs Anne-Marie Champion – a.champion@stpeters.qld.edu.au

Trials for the 2022 Open Basketball team are underway with three of the four sessions completed, it is great to see the girls arriving keen to get training in preparation for the 2022 season.

The final session for 2021 will continue in the Indoor Gym, 3.30pm – 5.00pm next Monday 15 November.

OPEN TOUCH

Coordinator: Ms Annie George – a.george@stpeters.qld.edu.au

Trials for the 2022 Open touch team began last week. Please note these trials are ONLY for girls who wish to make the Open team. All Senior and Year level trials will commence in Term 1 next year.

Trials for our Open Team will take place on Harts Road Oval, 3.30pm - 5.00pm on Thursday 11 November.

2022 OPEN / SENIOR SOFTBALL TRIALS (Girls in Year 9 – 11 in 2021)

Coordinator: Ms Natalie Holman – n.holman@stpeters.qld.edu.au

Trials for our 2022 Open/Senior Softball teams are now complete, well done to all girls involved, numbers are certainly down due to the introduction of AFL at the same time.

Our coaches are working hard to finalise the teams which will be named early next year.

Training will commence in the first week of Term 1 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, please watch the St Peters App for further details.

Games Days for the 2022 Senior Softball season are:

• Round 1 - Saturday 5 February
• Round 2 - Saturday 12 February
• Round 3 - Saturday 19 February
• Round 4 - Saturday 26 February
• Round 5 - Saturday 5 March

It is important to note, AFL will be offered for Years 10-12 girls in Term 1 next year, The GIRLS WILL  NOT BE ABLE TO PLAY SOFTBALL & AFL, they will have to choose one.

ROWING

Coordinator: Mr Peter Hicks

St Peters is excited to offer the 2021 Term 4 Learn-to-Row Program. St Peters has a rich history in Rowing with a number of highly successful rowers graduating.  St Peters prides itself on ensuring that students who participate in Rowing throughout their College life are encouraged and supported to find balance between their academic and Rowing pursuits.  Rowing is a unique sport within the College and if you would like to be part of something very special with a rich history, Rowing is certainly the sport for you.

Following the Learn-to-Row Program, the Rowing seasons are as follows. 

Girls

• Term 2 (Pre-Season) – Playing another QGSSSA sport is highly encouraged. 
• Term 3 – Regatta’s are held weekly throughout Term 3.  Girls cannot play Volleyball, Hockey, Tennis or Netball and row. 

The cost for the Term 4 Learn-to-Row program will be $120.   Athletes are expected to wear their St Peters sports uniform to each session with closed in shoes. Learn to Row athletes are not expected to purchase a zootie for this program. 

This program will run weekly throughout this term on a Tuesday afternoon (Indooroopilly Students) and Thursday afternoon (Springfield Students)

To sign up or if you have any questions in regards to Rowing, please contact Peter Hicks (Head of Rowing) - p.hicks@stpeters.qld.edu.au

SWIMMING FOR FITNESS

Coordinator: Mr Peter Dawson

Swimming sessions are offered at the 50m pool for any girl playing Water Polo or wishing to  do pre-season QGSSSA swim training. These sessions will be held on:

• Monday afternoon 50m pool: 3:30pm – 4:15pm
• Thursday afternoon 50m pool: 3:30pm – 4:15pm

There is no need for girls to sign on for these sessions, simply turn up to the pool for the sessions  you can make.

ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT

Coordinator: Mr Trent Hacking – t.hacking@stpeters.qld.edu.au

All girls interested in Athletic development in the Gym with Mr Hacking, please contact him to arrange a meeting.

Have a great week in Sport!

Visiting our various sporting venues over the past week, it’s been a hive of activity with boys 2022 pre-season training and games in full swing at St Peters. It is great to witness the large number of Boys participating with high levels of energy and enthusiasm at Cricket, Volleyball, AFL, Swimming, Rugby and also in the College Gym.

All of this could not occur without the hard work of our coordinators and coaches who have put these programs together so that our students be well prepared for the 2022 AIC sporting year.   

2022 Term 1 Pre-Season Training

All St Peters age groups and year levels are now underway with their training in readiness for their respective 2022 seasons.

All Boys Sporting training times /schedules are posted up on the St Peters App. We request that students in Years 6-11 and their parents please check the St Peters App for days and times of their respective sport training.

We also request boys to keep checking their emails for more important information pertaining to 2021 pre-season as well as 2022 Term 1 sporting information.

For further information about what is happening with regards to 2022 Term 1 Boys Sports, please contact one of the below St Peters Coordinators:

• AIC Cricket – Mr Gary Munday               g.munday@Stpeters.qld.edu.au   
• AIC AFL – Mr Mark Holman                    m.holman@stpetes.qld.edu.au
• AIC Volleyball – Mr Russel Hansen          r.hansen@stpeters.qld.edu.au
• AIC Swimming – Mr Peter Dawson          p.dawson@stpeters.qld.edu.au

Wet Weather and Cancellations

With regards to wet weather and any unforeseen or potential cancellations of AIC sports, please ensure that you keep an eye out for notifications and alerts via the St Peters App.

Information regarding the St Peters Lutheran College Springfield Sport program will be communicated through a range of modes including email, St Peters App and Cornerstone. Students and parents will primarily receive information from the Head of Sport at Springfield but at times may also receive information from the Girls and Boys Sport Coordinators or individual Sport Coordinators. Parents and students are encouraged to download and use the St Peters App for information regarding the Sport program. 

Please download the St Peters ‘app’ today!! 

All information regarding the St Peters Lutheran College Sport program including sport training times and venues, draws, coordinator details and wet weather arrangements can be found on the St Peters App. 

*Please ensure that you update your preferences in the Settings> Subscriptions section of the app so that you only receive information from your appointed Campus or area of interest that are relevant to your family e.g. Springfield or Sports.

The app can be downloaded free through iTunes or Google Play, please search for St Peters: