Friday 26 July

Last day for subject changes;
Years 7-12 Interhouse Athletics Carnival;
Year 4 First Contact excursion | Moreton Bay Environmental Education Centre, 8:15 - 3:00pm;
Years 5 & 6 AIC Basketball.

Saturday 27 July

Years 7 - 12 AUSTA Concerto Competition;
Years 2 - 6 Primary Girls Netball;
Years 7 -12 QGSSSA Hockey, Netball, Tennis and Volleyball;
Years 7 - 12 AIC Basketball and Tennis;
Years 8 - 12 South QLD Rowing Regatta (St Peters hosting) | Wyaralong Dam.

Sunday 28 July

Years 1 - 6 AUSTA Junior Strings Festival;
All schools boarding touch football game;
VAPar Rehearsal | PAC, 12:00 - 5:00pm.

Monday 29 July

Year 11 Art workshop | GOMA and St Peters, 8:00am - 3:10pm;
Year 11 (2020) ATAR Pathway Information Evening | 6:30 - 7:15pm;
Year 11 (2020) IB Pathway Information Evening | 7:30 - 8:30pm.

Tuesday 30 July

Parade of Nations whole school assembly | Chapel Forecourt, 8:05 - 9:15am;
Year 11 Let's Chat sessions.

Wednesday 31 July

Year 10 PARTY Program | RBWH, 8:00am - 3:10pm;
Multicultural Gala Evening | PAC, 6:00 - 8:00pm.

Thursday 1 August

Years 4 - 12 Australian Maths Competition (AMC);
Years 9 - 12 Chorale Concert with King College | QPAC, all day;
Year 10 Immunisation day;
Prep - Year 3 Interhouse Athletics Carnival.

A key element of our Strategic Vision 2016-2020, under the Strategic Pillar of Organisational Capability, has the College working 'to ensure that current and future students have flexible and creative learning and teaching spaces which inspire and enhance learning outcomes'. 

As part of realising this strategic intent, during the semester break, all the classrooms from Years 3-6 were outfitted with new furniture. This furniture is of a design that it helps to create a learning environment that is flexible and agile in nature. This flexible architecture enables the learning spaces to change and adapt to different uses, dependent on the nature of the learning and the needs of the students. The agility the furniture provides is a positive feature as it enables the class to move seamlessly between the different modes of teaching and learning. A number of new desks have writeable surfaces enabling the students to make thinking visible, helping their teacher and their peers to give feedback quicker. The tables and chairs are of varying heights, recognising that students come in different shapes and sizes and that it is not a one size fits all approach. Many of the chairs enable a small amount of movement, reflecting the research that movement aids in enhancing concentration and focus, and also stimulates creativity and thinking. At appropriate times students have a choice in selecting where within the room they will work, increasing student agency of their learning.

Another benefit of a learning environment with flexible architecture is that enables different zones to be created within the classroom, facilitating different types of learning to be occurring simultaneously, meaning that learning when appropriate can be more tailored and personalised. Teachers had to research and reflect upon the type of contemporary furniture they wished to have in their classrooms and had to develop a justification about how they would use it to enhance student learning. This approach means the creation of flexible agile learning environments was much more than merely putting shiny new desks and chairs in rooms for students to sit at.

Visiting the various classrooms over the past week, observing the students and their learning, and asking them questions about how they were using the furniture and the space was enlightening. High levels of student engagement in their learning were evident, and the thoughtfulness with which students answered questions about what this new flexible learning environment meant for their learning was impressive. The creation of more flexible, agile learning environments is part of a bigger picture of the College’s new Campus Masterplan, which is firmly focused on realising our Mission of Excellence in Christian Co-education. 

Tim Kotzur
Head of College

It’s old fashioned, but vital: self-control, self-regulation. It’s so easy to flood with emotions and thoughts and get washed away. When our children are surrounded by people who simply back the feelings, and fuel the outrage or hurt (‘Yeah, that teacher is so unfair’), then there will be no change in behaviour and nothing will improve or get sorted. It is so easy to let our children go for short time pleasure or avoidance, but that may make things much bigger to deal with in the future. Your child, from two years on, is a master of emotional blackmail. They will do whatever it takes to get what they want. They can be very skilled manipulators of their parents, ruthlessly exploiting any parental anxiety or uncertainty. Your job is to help them learn self-control, and that they can’t always get their own way.

The Bible talks about self-control as a fruit grown in us by the Holy Spirit. ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law’, Galatians 5:22-23. Like all fruit, it takes time to develop and grow. It might mean pruning (teaching that we can’t always get what we want the instant we want it). It requires patient parenting work.

The Holy Spirit connects us to God’s grace – the forgiveness and unconditional love of God for each one of us, shown in Jesus. Forgiveness and unconditional love are vital for parents, and vital for children.

For parents, you need to trust that love.

1. Trust you are forgiven. You don’t have to be a perfect parent. You are not your child’s best friend, you are their parent.
2. Work as a team wherever possible. “We have decided….” Agree beforehand, look at each other, smile and then stand together. The waves of child frustration may actually increase as they see that they will not get their own way, but they will settle. In separated families, at least work on supporting each other as parents of your children.
3. Set the boundaries in place. It is ok to say ‘No – not after 8pm’. Disciplines and routines are very important to having a family work well. Children who always get their own way will never cope with any setback.
4. Build in rewards for jobs well done, and routines completed. Helping your child to delay gratification until later is a vital life skill.
5.  Don’t protect them from all the consequences of wrong choices. There are times when hard lessons must be learnt, and you support them through that, rather than blaming everyone else. 
6. If you are not a confident parent, get support from someone who is. There are plenty of great parents around.

Pastor Michael Mayer

We’d like to acknowledge and thank two resourceful students in Year 5 who took time during the holidays to set up a bake sale in their neighbourhood to raise money for the school in South Sudan. Rosabella E (5D) and Maya A(5E) made a delicious selection of muffins, brownies and cookies and offered them for sale at Hawken Drive, St Lucia. Not only did they help raise awareness in their local community for the situation of students in South Sudan, but they also raised $89.50 to put towards building a school. Fantastic work girls, and many thanks.

Pictured: Maya & Rosa: “We realised how blessed we are to have such a good education in our lives”

Please click here for the route map and other information.

Sibling, Year 12 Prefects & 9A/9B Class & Portrait Photos

The following photos will be taken in Café 45 on Tuesday 6 August:

• 7.15am – 8.00am | Make-up Sibling Photos
• 8.00am | Year 12 Prefect Photos
• 8.10am | 9A Class & Portrait Photos
• 8.20am | 9B Class & Portrait Photos

Sibling photos

If you missed out on a sibling photos in May, we are offering a make-up sibling photo time-slot of 7.15- 8.00am. Blank sibling form attached for your use.

Music photos

Music photos will be taken from 8.20am till lunchtime in front of Theile House – please refer to the schedule under Music.

It was wonderful to see so many families at the Subject Selection evenings held last week and this week. Thank you for taking the time to come in and talk through the options for 2020 for your child. If you missed the presentation, they are available on Firefly under Academic Operations.

This week we had the great pleasure is presenting some of our Academic Personal Best (PB) Awards to students at Year Level Meetings. These are awarded to students who have achieved their highest GPA semester to date. Congratulations to these students aligning their academic goals with our school motto ‘Plus Ultra’ – ever higher. Continue to strive for your own personal best, in all that you do.

REMINDER: 2019 Semester 2 Subject Changes close TOMORROW, Friday 26 July. Please ensure you submit your Change of Subject form to the Academic Hub before the close of business Friday.

REMINDER: Year 11 2020 Information Evening #2 MONDAY 29 July in the PAC Dron Auditorium.

• 6.30pm New QCE/QCAA/VET pathway session PAC Dron Auditorium
• 7.30pm IB Pathway session PAC Theatrette

Please don’t forget to view the Course Planning Guides (CPG) available now on Firefly:
https://stpeters.fireflycloud.net.au/academic-operations/course-planning-guides

Rachael Turnbull
Head of 7-12 Curriculum - students

Year 11 IB Biology students recently visited Hastings Point. They did a transect of plant life on the dunes and a transect of the rock pools at low tide for marine creatures. At the Education Centre students learnt how ocean communities form and how tube worms and sea squirts are the temperate water equivalents of coral that attract other marine life.

Year 10 students are currently undertaking subject selections. There are many careers to choose from. How do you know what to choose? A career that students may not have thought about could be in the neuroscience field. Researchers from the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) want to share their career and research stories with you to inspire the next generation to be solvers and investigators. This event is only for Year 10 students at Brigidine College on Tuesday 6 August, 4:30 – 6:00pm. Any Year 10 students wanting to attend should email Miss Holt: l.holt@stpeters.qld.edu.au by tomorrow, Friday 26 July. 

From the P-2 Coordinator

Towards the end of last term, I attended a Restorative Practices three-day workshop facilitated by Margaret Thorsborne. Margaret has a long history in education, guidance and counselling. Her passion has been finding better ways to rebuild relationships between teachers, students and other members of the school community, to enhance teaching and learning outcomes. 

At St Peters, re-establishing relationships and building trust is at the forefront of our behaviour management approach. I would like to share some handy hints for a ‘restorative chat’ that can be used in the home environment as much as in the school setting.

To the person responsible:

• What happened?
• What were you thinking at the time?
• What have you thought about since?
• Who do you think has been affected by what you did and in what way?
• What do you need to do to make things right?
• How can we make sure this doesn’t happen again?
• What can I do to help you?

It is very important to understand that a restorative conversation also contains consequences for the person responsible that are appropriate to their age and severity of their actions.

To the person harmed:

• What did you think when it happened?
• What have you thought about since?
• How has this affected you/make you feel?
• What’s been the worst of it for you?
• What’s needed to make things right?
• What can I do to help you? 

Whether poor behaviour choices are minor or more serious, occur at home or school, addressing the actions, thoughts and feelings of all stakeholders can begin to restore respect within relationships.

"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life". Richard Bach

For more information, please visit https://www.thorsbourne.com.au/

Michelle Cartwright
Prep-2 Coordinator

Year 8 Camp

Our Year 8 students and staff have recently returned from an intensive and rewarding Camp week at Mapleton.  Chilly nights were followed by glorious days of sunshine, adding to the positive experience. Students were challenged, stimulated and educated in a variety of ways during their time on Camp. Abseiling, canoeing and leaping off a vertical telegraph pole in a ‘leap of faith’; camping overnight in the open; and swinging on the giant swings as well as speeding down the flying fox zipline, were just part of the fun. These physical challenges were complemented by other activities that included team initiatives and an ‘etiquette relay’ – where students learnt practical skills such as how to make a bed with hospital corners; the finer points of silver service dining; how to sew on a button; and the art of tying a Windsor Knot. Our students’ social skills were also put to the test at times – living with hundreds of other teenagers for almost a week has invariably helped develop their ability to interact, to co-operate and to consider others in a different and more relaxed setting than usually experienced at school. I would particularly like to acknowledge the efforts of those students who are new to the College this term and bravely arrived ready to attend camp and make new friends in their first week at St Peters. 

Sincere thanks must go to the wonderful College staff and the new gap students from our Boarding Houses who accompanied our students over the course of the week. Some were on camp with the students for the whole week, effectively on duty/on-call twenty-four hours a day during this time. Other staff members were able to stay for several days, while others went up to Mapleton overnight. We are grateful for the assistance provided by these staff members in supporting the students and helping to supervise their activities. Special thanks, appreciation and acknowledgement is extended to Mrs Belinda Byrne, our fabulous Year 8 Coordinator, who organised the entire Camp. Her meticulous attention to detail undoubtedly helped ensure the success of the Camp and made it a memorable event for both students and staff alike.

Leadership and Team Work Sessions at Year 8 Camp

A new addition to the Camp program this year was a session on ‘Leadership & Team Work’. Students examined definitions of leadership and identified the leaders and role models that they have in their lives.   This was followed by analysing the attributes and skills of a successful leader with each group selecting their top 10 requirements of a good leader. Common choices included Teamwork, Fairness, Judgement, Social Intelligence, Bravery, Perseverance, Hope, Honesty, Kindness and Humility. Time was given for personal reflection on how their groups were functioning and how they as individuals were contributing to their group. Students were encouraged to reflect on their camp groups, social groups and cohort. At the end of the session each student identified and wrote down five areas they feel they could work on improving this year. We hope this new addition to the Camp program will assist students to seek out and recognise opportunities for leadership, personal growth and development.

Interhouse Athletics Carnival – Friday 26 July (Tomorrow)

This is a compulsory school day and all students are expected to attend and support their house. If, for some reason, your child is unable to participate they should still attend but please send a note to their House Patron or Junior High Attendance giving the reason for their non participation. A great day is generally had by all, with Junior High students usually leading the way with participation and enthusiasm. There are plenty of fun activities, so all students have the opportunity to join in and earn points for their house. 

A small canteen runs on the day, but students need to bring their morning tea, lunch and water bottle. The entire day is spent on the oval, so they should bring a small bag to take their lunch etc down to the oval with them. Non attendance will be followed-up, so we ask that students who are ill on the day to obtain a medical certificate.

St Peters 2019 You’ve Got Talent (SPYGT) – Junior High Success

Congratulations are extended to three Junior High students whose talented performances earned them the top three places in the College’s recent SPYGT Years 7-12 finale. First place went to Joe I (Year 8) for his rendition of ‘Piano Man’; second place to Gabbie E (Year 8) for her stirring performance of ‘Imagine’; while third place was awarded to Connor C (Year 8) for his heart stopping juggling ability using his Diablo. We’d also like to acknowledge Micah C (Year 7) for his incredibly entertaining magic performance on the night. We are very proud of these talented students and wish them all the best as they continue to develop and showcase their abilities in the performing arts.

Thank you to our Senior Leaders, Ella, Imogen, Ben, Rupert and their team, for their hard work behind the scenes in putting together this opportunity for our students. 

Parent Information Sessions: 2020 Subject Selection and Ironbark

Thank you to all those who attended the various information sessions last night regarding the Subject Selection process for 2020 and the placement of Year 9 2020 students into their Ironbark classes.  

The Ironbark PowerPoint presentation can also be found under the Junior High Parent Information Year 8 tab on Firefly.  For those parents who were unable to attend, their student’s Preference Form is also on Firefly. If you have any questions or are seeking clarification, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Tetley-Jones, Year 9 Coordinator, as she is coordinating all Ironbark placements for 2020.

Year 7 Assembly ‘Study Skills Sessions’

Over the course of Term 3 & 4, as part of their Year 7 assembly we will be running mini lectures to assist students will topics being covered in class as well as helpful strategies for studying.  Topics planned for Term 3 include:

We hope these will assist the students as they continue to develop strong study habits and organisational skills.

Patricia Aishford
Head of Junior High

Mondo Rock return to the live scene with Kerry Jacobson on drums in a rare run of theatre shows on their 2019 ‘Hits! Baby! Hits!’ Tour.

The band will tour through August, with special guests Boom Crash Opera, Taxiride and Dragon. In a career spanning five decades, few come close to delivering the catalogue of Australian classics that Mondo Rock boast. From ‘Come Said The Boy’, ‘Cool World’, ‘State Of The Heart’ to ‘Chemistry’, ‘No Time’, ‘The Queen And Me’, ‘Summer Of ‘81’ and more, Mondo Rock have delivered some of the most recognisable Australian classic hits of all time.

For those interested they are performing at the Tivoli Theatre, Brisbane, on Friday 23rd August, but if you miss this show Kerry has also secured them for our first Signature Series concert of 2020.

MONDO ROCK is – Ross Wilson, Eric McCusker, James Black, Paul Christie (a St Peters old scholar) and Kerry Jacobson.

Past Drama student, Ella Dyer (2018) is performing in in a new musical, ‘What we leave behind’ on Thursday 1 August 7pm in the Mary McKillop Centre at St Columban’s College, 100 Mc Kean Street, Caboolture. More information here.

Theatresports: Come and support St Peters Theatresports team competing in the quarter Finals at St Joseph’s College at Gregory Terrace, Spring Hill, City at 7pm on Monday 29 July. It promises to be an exciting and fun filled event. 

VAPAR Drama 'Away' rehearsals are going very well. Students are excited as we are starting to put the play together and work on the larger ensemble scenes combining the fairies and the cast together. 

Commencing Week 4, Students in Years 7-12 will have the opportunity to explore a range of darkroom and digital photographic processes. Thursday afternoons, Weeks 4 - 8 from 3.30pm to 5.00pm. We will meet in the foyer of the Chandler Visual Art Centre.

If you’re interested please record your name on the Google Doc at https://stpeters.fireflycloud.net.au/clubs-groups-and-societies/access-arts/photography-lens-studio. Any questions can be e-mailed to Mr Higgins (b.higgins@stpeters.qld.edu.au).

Kind regards,

Ben Higgins
Film, Media & Art Teacher

Students at St Peters are fortunate to have the opportunity this term to take part in music masterclasses held in the PAC on Friday afternoons 3:30–5:30pm. These masterclasses are open lessons in which an expert musician works with a number of selected students in front of an audience. The intention is to provide a learning experience for the performers and audience members. Those in the audience benefit and learn from watching the performances and hearing the suggestions given to the performers by the expert teacher. 

In 2019, we will welcome – 

All students and members of the St Peters community are invited to be part of the audience for these masterclasses.

Christine Taylor
Co-Director of Cocurricular Music

Please click here for the Music photo schedule. Photos are held on Tuesday 6 August.

At the end of Term 2, members of Symphonic Winds and Senior Stage Band embarked on a regional tour of New South Wales and Queensland. The group set off on Sunday morning at 5:00am headed along the New South Wales coastline. After a stop at Coffs Harbour performing at Coffs Central followed by lunch the ensemble then headed to Port Macquarie where we met up with our new friends at St Columba Anglican School. We were treated to dinner before a combined performance with the students in their awesome auditorium. Thank you to Charlotte B (past student from St Columba) and her family who assisted with the home stay.

After an evening of watching New South Wales flog Queensland in the State of Origin, we left Port Macquarie headed for Sydney. The bus trip down to Sydney was long and wet, but we arrived at Barker College in good spirits. We had a fantastic afternoon of workshops and rehearsals with the talented and busy staff at Barker College. It was great to spend time with the staff and students in a school with such a rich history. Barker College were great hosts and we were delighted to perform with them in their Atrium for an appreciative audience of students and families. We then headed off to our accommodation, the YHA on the Rocks in the heart of Sydney.

The evening drizzled on, and my hopes for a fine day on the Harbour were diminishing by the hour. The next morning, we were all pleasantly surprised to wake to a glorious fine day. Our day off in Sydney started with a short walk to Circular Quay where we boarded the ferry to Taronga Zoo. Students spent a few hours exploring Taronga Zoo before we headed to the Sydney Opera House for an open rehearsal with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. We felt very privileged to be the only group allowed to observe the final rehearsal before their evening concert. The orchestra sounded amazing and it was a wonderful experience to soak up the acoustics and atmosphere of such an iconic concert venue. After an afternoon exploring Circular Quay we headed back to our accommodation to prepare for dinner. Pancakes on the Rocks. Delicious! 

Wednesday morning, we headed out of Sydney bound for Tamworth where we performed at Carinya Christian College for an enthusiast group of staff and students. We then arrived at our accommodation, 'The Rex' an old homestead that was built in 1915 and celebrated Claire G’s 16th birthday with pizza, cake and games. The following morning, we set off on an eight-hour bus ride inland, back to the Gold Coast where we performed at the Pacific Fair Shopping Centre. It was great to see some of our parents and families there to support us. This was a great performance and students showed great resilience performing in a variety of acoustic setting whilst dealing with the changing weather conditions and performance environments. After a brief dinner break and shop, we headed to the YHA in Surfers Paradise for the evening. 

Friday morning, our final tour day saw the group rising early to get to Dreamworld before opening time. The group had become incredibly proficient in unpacking the truck, setting up, performing, packing down and packing the truck. The band performed to a small but appreciative audience as the gates opened and guests entered the park. After lunch the students then spent the next few hours exploring Dreamworld and enjoying the rides, attractions and ice cream.

Arriving back at St Peters late Friday afternoon this weary band of musicians helped unpack the truck one final time, said their farewells and all headed home for a well-earned holiday. A huge thank you to an amazing bunch of young musicians, who proudly represented St Peters through their performance. Also, a big thank you to our staff Ms Saffery, Ms Hill, Mr Pradella and Mr Jacobson for helping make the tour a huge success.

Grantley Sutch
Co-Director of Cocurricular Music (Head of Bands)

This Thursday 25 July, St Peters Symphonic Winds and Senior Stage Band will be performing in the Brisbane City Bands Festival at the top of the Mall. Our performances start at 1:00pm, so if you are in the city, please come along and support the bands. The Brisbane City Bands Festival is a long running festival run by Music Express and hosted in the Queen Street Mall. The event is a great opportunity for our musicians to perform for a large crowd and display what St Peters Music has to offer.

Grantley Sutch
Co-Director of Cocurricular Music
Head of Bands

Boarders enjoy a night out at their annual brother/sister dinner. Finger and Ludke/Mutze went to Lord of the Wings. Cameron/Herse and Schilling went to Kai Kai Chicken.

“Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.” Soren Kierkegaard

Years 4-6 Inter House Athletics Carnival

The Years 4-6 Inter House Athletics Carnival was held on Wednesday 24 July. A full wrap of the Carnival will feature in next week’s Rock.

Primary Co-Curricular Sport Term 3

The following sports are on offer in Term 2.

• Girls Club (WDNA) Netball
• Years 4-6 Athletics Training – selected students only
• Years 4-6 AIC Boys Basketball
• Years 4-6 AIC Boys Tennis

Girls Club Netball

WDNA Training will continue throughout Term 2 on St Peters Harts Road Courts; Wednesday afternoon (3:30pm – 5:00pm) and Friday afternoon (3:30pm-4:30pm).

Please check game times and court allocations using the following pathway. To access the court allocations for weekly games, please follow the steps below.

1. Western District Netball Association Website
2. Go to the COMPETITIONS tab at the top of the page
3. FIXTURES AND RESULTS
4. Selecting the correct age and division from the GRADE drop down menu

Years 4-6 Athletics Training

Years 4-6 Athletics Training will be offered twice a week on Monday and Wednesday afternoons commencing on Monday 29 July. The sessions will be run by St Peters Athletics Coaches. Students will be selected in the Primary Athletics DRAFT Team following the Years 4-6 Inter House Athletics Carnival in Week 2. Training will only be open to selected students. 

Members of the Primary Athletics DRAFT Team are to meet at the Lower Primary Undercroft at 3:20pm on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. Training will conclude at 4:30pm on both days and students will be bought back to the Lower Primary Undercroft where they are to be picked up by parents. Students in the DRAFT team will be training for the Inter Lutheran Athletics Carnival that will be held on Wednesday 28 August. 

Years 4-6 AIC Boys Basketball Season 

The AIC Basketball Season will be played throughout Term 3. Years 4-6 boys are all invited to participate in the upcoming season. Training will be at the St Peters Outside Gym Courts on Wednesday afternoon 3:30pm – 5:00pm. Friday afternoon AIC games will start on Friday 26 July. Team selections will take place in Week 1 of Term 3.

Years 4-6 AIC Boys Tennis Season

The AIC Tennis Season is coming up in Term 3. Years 4-6 boys are invited to participate in the AIC Season. Training throughout Term 3 will be on Lohe Street Courts on Friday afternoon 1:50pm – 3:10pm during Sport for Life time. Term 3 training will begin on Friday 29 July with team selections taking place in Week 1 of Term 3.

Training Times

Primary Girls WDNA Netball        

• Wednesday afternoon 3:30pm – 5:00pm | Harts Road Netball Courts
• Friday afternoon 3:30pm – 4:30pm | Harts Road Netball Courts

Term 3 AIC Basketball Training

• Wednesday afternoon 3:30pm – 5:00pm | Outside Gym Courts

Term 3 AIC Tennis Training

• Friday afternoon 1:50pm – 3:10pm | Lohe Street Courts

Primary Years HPE

• Athletics: Monday 15 July – Friday 26 July
• Court Games: Monday 29 July – Friday 16 August
• Hip Hop Dance: Monday 19 August – Wednesday 18 September

Save the Date:

Hip Hop Dance SPECTACULAR for Years 4-6 HPE Classes

Date: Wednesday 18 September
Time: 2:15pm – 3:00pm
Venue:PAC

Thank you to all the St Peters families who supported their daughters’ involvement in sport over the weekend. It was pleasing to see girls involved in a wide range of activities from the South Queensland School Rowing Regatta to the QGSSSA Round 1 of Winter Fixtures to the QSS Cross Country Championships. None of this is possible without the support of their families. We appreciate the efforts you go to in supporting your daughter and the Girls Sport program at St Peters.

Well done to all the girls who ran in the QSS Cross Country Championships on Sunday 21 and Monday 22 July. It was great to see so many of our St Peters runners representing the Met West region at this event. Congratulations to those who made it through to the next level of competition. Please see full report below. 

Queensland Schools Cross Country Championships

On Sunday and Monday (21 and 22 July) a considerable group of our top Cross Country girls competed in the QLD Championships. Sunday was the individual events with the 12 and 13 years competing in a 3km event and the 14 years to Opens, in 4 km. The course was very different to the districts carnival at Ipswich. These were held at the Maroochydore Cricket Club on the Sunshine Coast. Runners came from as far as the Peninsula to compete and it was a perfect day for runners with a cool and non-windy atmosphere. Our girls were amazing and all ran to their potential

• 13 Years – Gabby S, April F, Paige G
• 15 Years – Brianna F, Emily G
• 16 Years –Ella H
• 17 Years – Zoe M, Evie S, Tyla L

Congratulations to all these girls as QLD is well known for their high standard of competitors nationally. An example of this is evident in the 13-year-old girls race which included competitors on Sunday who had placed in the top 6 places at the National Championships last year. A special mention to Gabby (13 years) who placed second in her race with a ‘catch me if you can' attitude and Tyla L and Zoe M who had a photo finish for 3rd with Tyla placing 3rd in her first podium result for states XC and with incredible improvements over the past 12 months in her running pursuits. These three girls have all been selected to compete in the National Championships next month. An outstanding achievement. Met West also placed third overall in the state relays for the 13 years and the 17 years groups held the next day after the XC.

Rowing

Coordinator: Mr Peter Hicks

Last weekend saw the St Peters Rowing program took to the water in the South East Queensland School Regatta which was held over two days. There were some fantastic results across both boys and girls programs - highlights below:

• Year 8 Boys Quad Scull Winning the Gold Medal : Thomas B, Hugo B, Dominic B, Archie C & Joe F
• Year Nine Sculler Giselle G. Winning the Gold Medal
• Year Eight Boys Doubles Winning Silver: Thomas B and Archie C
• Year Eight Boys Double Winning Bronze: Dominic B and Adam S
• Year Ten Girls Quad Sculling Winning Bronze: Gabby K, Lucy H, Bella F, Ella H & Milena C

Over the next month the program moves back to Wyaralong for the Brisbane Schoolgirls Rowing Season.  Good luck to the over 60 girls racing at these regattas!  A handful of the boys are also back into training for the school state titles being held in September, these boys are continuing to train out of Toowong Rowing Club.

Rhythmic Gymnastics

Coordinator: Miss Samantha Cummings

With the QGSSSA Rhythmic Gymnastics Competition fast approaching on Friday 9 August, girls competing in the event will receive a letter with all information soon.

Please be prepared to attend all training sessions as we move towards the competition.

Winter Fixtures

Congratulations to all girls on the way in which they represented St Peters on Saturday morning in the first round of QGSSSA Winter Fixtures. It’s always great to get the first game played, so that teams & coaches can move forward with their training sessions & really focus on game based play. Many a team tasted success against opponents Brisbane which was a pleasing start to the season.

Hockey

Coordinator: Mr Cameron Glass

Despite three losses on the weekend, it was a positive start to the season for girl’s Hockey. Up against a traditional powerhouse in Grammar, past experiences haven’t been so enjoyable, so for all games to be competitive was a super improvement. Opens lost 2-1 and with a bit more training attendance, communication and cohesion it could have certainly been a victory. Seniors lost a real nail biter 1-0 and all who watched were on the edge of their seat. Juniors fought hard for a 6-1 loss and will learn a lot from their first game together.

Looking forward to seeing more numbers at training this week as we look to register some wins against Somerville House.

Netball

Coordinator: Mrs Anne-Marie Champion

What a way to start the QGSSSA Netball season! Round 1 saw us venture to the QSNC to take on Netball powerhouse Brisbane Girls Grammar School. St Peters Mentor Coach Tracey Bruce was very pleased to see the improvement on the court across our teams. Congratulations to our Opens Team, Senior A2, 10B & 9A on great wins and both our 7A & 7B teams finished with a draw. There were many positive signs in other games that we will continue to work on. Special mention to our Sen A2 girls who travelled to the Gold Coast to play St Hilda’s and came away with a win.

Please find below the draw for this weekend’s Round 2 fixtures v Somerville House.

THIS IS A SOMERVILLE HOUSE HOME GAME BEING PLAY AT OUR HARTS ROAD COURTS. 

Our 9C & 10C teams have a bye and the Senior A2 team will play IGGS at the St Aidan’s Netball Courts at 10.00am – good luck girls!

Girls this week our ‘Player of the Game’ will be awarded the ‘Star of the Court’ award, thanks Tracey for organising these awards.

Please Note:
Girls please arrive a minimum of 30 mins prior to start time to allow plenty of time to find your team and commence warm up.

Please also ensure your nails are cut, all jewellery is removed and you wear your full St Peters Netball uniform, this includes St Peters bike pants.

Morning Tea - THIS Saturday 27 July

To continue the QGSSSA tradition of supplying morning tea to the opposition teams, can we please ask our Year 8 teams to bring a small plate to share.

Please place on the table which will be located in the spectator’s area at the back of the courts.

Thank you in advance. 

Tennis

Coordinator: Mrs Deborah Wilson

Our first round games were against Brisbane Girls Grammar School. While the Opens were the only winners on paper this week, all teams played well. There were many lengthy rallies in all teams and the scores really didn’t show the effort that the girls were putting into their matches. A highlight for everyone was seeing Ash Barty training at the courts this week. They could see the effort she was putting in to her training session and I think that encouraged the girls to get out on court and give it their best shot as well.

Volleyball

Coordinator: Mr Joshua Singh

Round 1 saw the volleyballers come up against a very strong Brisbane Girls Grammar School unit. It was clear to see that Grammar had put a lot of focus on their serving, with the intention of Grammar to just get the ball over and make the opposition make a mistake. A big congratulations goes to our Year 7 team who played their first official game of Volleyball. It was great to see so many girls with smiling faces. The hard work at training certainly has paid off for those girls. The 7A and 10B managed to secure a win for this weekend, with the 8A, 9B, Snr A all going to a nail biting finish with Grammar just passing us within the last few points. A special mention goes to Hailey (Snr A) who kept the backline together and giving lots of opportunities to attack, Kate (10B) for great cover in the back court and serving, Hilal (10A) for her attitude and keeping the team motivated, Helana (8A) for consistently pushing the girls to be better, Daisy (7A) for  her encouraging words and her consistent skills, Juliette (8B) being eager, vocal and going for every ball and Brienna (7B) for her serving. 

For this week’s games, we will be versing Somerville - it will be a tough round. Good luck to all the teams. This year we have many teams in other schools draws which is a fine indicator of the volume of participation in this sport. It also means that parents need to carefully check the draws each week which are posted on the school app by no later than Tuesday evening. A reminder that the girls can only wear the St Peters jacket and track-pants to and from the venue or their St Peters Volleyball shirt. Please no other clothing.

Finally, a very important reminder that a commitment to Volleyball also means a commitment to doing duty for a game before or after yours. This is an important part of being a team player and allows students to gain a greater understanding of the game. Being able to uphold our duty requirements is a good reflection on the College and the commitment we make to be part of the QGSSSA competition.

2019 QGSSSA Track & Field

Coordinator: Mr Shaun Nodwell

By now all students should have a good understanding of the training schedule and because Track & Field has so many disciplines we aim to spread these across the week to make good use of our facilities. The girls competition will take place in Term 3 so please plan accordingly.

RUN CLUB

...IS STILL ON and operates every Friday morning leaving the bus shelter from 6.30am to 7.30am. This is run by Intraining our running gurus and family of our community. Take advantage of this great opportunity. All members family/friends staff and students of our community are most welcome.

We hope you have a great week in sport,

Kelli Rodman and Kerry Schreiber

After a busy week of Tennis and Basketball training and trial matches, this weekend will see the commencement of the AIC Basketball and Tennis seasons with Round 1 fixtures against Marist College.

Please carefully review the draws posted on the St Peters App to confirm details fixtures and commitments this weekend. It is important that our boys know exactly when and where they play and what time they are expected to be at their venue.

Uniform

I would like to re-iterate that it is an expectation for boys to wear only their St Peters playing kit or their St Peters uniform and jacket. The only acceptable jacket to wear on Saturdays is our St Peters PE jacket or a boarders’ hoodie for boarders. Too many of our boys were wearing non-St Peters uniform jackets, tracksuit pants and slides/thongs to and from their games on Saturday. It is not acceptable and looks unsightly. On the point of safety, when boys are wearing their St Peters PE uniforms, it is a lot easier to supervise and keep track of our boys.

Punctuality

Our boys must be at their venue standing next to their court no less than 30 minutes prior to their game this weekend. It is very worrying for coaches when they don’t have all of their players present and they are about to go and warm up. Also, getting to a venue early allows enough time to mentally prepare for the game which is a very easy way to relieve anxiety and stress and optimise focus – performance enhancing!

Track & Field

Coordinators: Mr Jeremy Lohe - m.bradforde@stpeters.qld.edu.au | Mr Shaun Nodwell – s.nodwell@stpeters.qld.edu.au | Mr Darren Grose – d.grose@stpeters.qld.edu.au

The 2019 Interhouse Athletics season is well-and-truly underway. This week also saw our Interhouse Carnivals for both campuses and the spirit and level of competition was superb as always. I look forward to reporting on the outcomes of our students’ performances in next weeks Rock Newsletter.

Our AIC training began last week and many boys are taking advantage of these sessions to not only prepare for their Track & Field season, but also to help them getting faster and stronger for their other sports.  See the schedule below or on look for the full detailed schedule on the St Peters App.

• Throws – Discus, Javelin, Shot Put: Monday & Wednesday afternoon @ Mayer Oval
• Middle Distance – 400m, 800m, 1500m: Wednesday & Thursday afternoon @ Mayer Oval and Tuesday afternoon at UQ
• Sprints, Hurdles and Jumps: Tuesday (UQ), Wednesday and Thursday afternoons @ Mayer Oval

Note: Transport to and from the UQ track on Tuesday afternoons will be provided.

SAVE THE DATES 

• Thursday 29 August – AIC T&F Meet 1
• Friday 6 August – AIC T&F Meet 2
• Friday 13 September – AIC T&F Meet 3
• Friday 11 October – AIC T&F Meet 4
• Thursday 17 October – AIC T&F Meet 5

Cross Country

The final Cross Country Event that our boys have been involved in, happened over the weekend. The Darling Downs region played host for the Queensland School Sport Cross Country Championships. Two of our St Peters men competed in this event; Benji W finishing 12th in the State and Thomas F crossing the line in 11th place. Well done to those boys! 

AIC Basketball 

Coordinator: Mr Grant Carlson - g.carlson@stpeters.qld.edu.au

Over the Weekend, our Basketball cohort trialled against St Edmunds College. SEC have a strong Basketball pedigree and were a tough warm up for the season. Well done boys - make sure you have a firm grasp of your team’s fast transition offensive and defensive systems and use them during your games. Also, most of your improvement will happen at home when you do your own practice… are you practicing your shooting, dribbling and catch moves at home?

AIC Tennis

Coordinator: Mr Stuart Delaney - s.delaney@stpeters.qld.edu.au

Our Tennis cohort too had a trial against St Edmunds College over the weekend. We are currently looking very good and the preparation is starting to take shape at the right time for this weekend’s first round of the season. We have had a lot of success in our Tennis program over the past seven years and will have to continue to work hard at training each week to keep our reputation as the school to beat in the AIC competition.

As mentioned earlier, pay particularly close attention to the Tennis draw on the St Peters App.

Rowing

Coordinator: Mr Peter Hicks - p.hicks@stpeters.qld.edu.au

Last weekend saw the St Peters Rowing program take to the water in the South East Queensland School Regatta which was held over two days.  There were some fantastic results across both boys and girls programs and it is great to see Boys Rowing growing over the past eighteen months. Please see the highlights below:

• Year 8 Boys Quad Scull Winning the Gold Medal : Thomas B, Hugo B, Dominic B, Archie C & Joe F
• Year Eight Boys Doubles Winning Silver: Thomas B and Archie C
• Year Eight Boys Double Winning Bronze: Dominic B and Adam S

A handful of the boys are also back into training for the school state titles being held in September, these boys are continuing to train out of Toowong Rowing Club – good luck to those boys for their coming weeks of preparation for their competition.

Term Three Sport Clashes

Students and parents should note there is a strong chance of extra-curricular ‘clashes’ at the beginning of this term, and that occasionally commitments may overlap. It is therefore very important that your son communicates with the coordinators of their selected sports so that arrangements can be made to best accommodate all students. Unfortunately, such busy schedules are common for this time of the year, but with clear communication and planning ahead of time most situations can be managed.  If there are any major issues, please come to Sports House and see Mr Grose or Mr Nodwell.

I would like to wish all of our athletes the best of luck for Round 1 of the Term 3 AIC competitions as well as all of the other College sporting commitments. 

Yours in sport,

Darren Grose
Boys Sport Coordinator

The Music Department are very excited to welcome KillerQueen Experience – Australia’s longest running Queen tribute show - to St Peters. 

“KillerQueen is a Brisbane-based band paying homage to Britain's regal rock quartet QUEEN. Fine-tuning the show since 2003 with their fully-costumed, superb musicianship coupled with accurate instruments and with all the cast resembling the original members of Queen…... You will be forgiven to think you're in the presence of the real band.”

All proceeds from this fundraising concert will assist the St Peters Chorale on their 2019/20 International Tour to the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium and Denmark. We are very excited to be able to offer reduced St Peters Community pricing of $40.00 per ticket for this all ages concert. To access this pricing, use Google Chrome to visit https://killerqueenatsplc.eventbrite.com.au then click the green 'Ticket’ button. Next click the 'Enter Promotional Code' link, and enter the Student ID number of your youngest child currently at St Peters. 

For more information, please contact the Music Department on music@stpeters.qld.edu.au or 3377 6279.