11 May 2018
The word “quiet” derives from the 14th century French, meaning “peaceable, at rest, tranquil”. It comes directly from the Latin “quietus”. In the way we live now it seems that we are surrounded by insistent white noise: the constant noise of the world in our own heads and on screens and at our fingertips. “Soon silence will have passed into legend”, sculptor and painter Jean Arp despaired. Day after day we invest in machines and devices that increase noise and distract humanity from the essence of life, contemplation and meditation.
And now we have the noise of the internet, social media and TV. Quietude speaks to some yearning deep within us; the need for repairing peace. It’s so hard to embed silence into our busy lives as all the quiet places around us are disappearing. “If we have not quiet in our minds,” John Bunyan declared, “outward comfort will do no more for us than a golden slipper on a gouty foot.”
How do we cultivate the quiet we seek at school? It is hard to imagine a school of 580 boys having that sense of quiet and calm during the busyness of a school day? But it does shine through with our boys and their approach and engagement in the learning process, the quietness of our learning environments, the peace and serenity at our Chapel services, and the respectful way our boys behave during assemblies and performances.
So many visitors to our Junior School comment upon the quietly respectful and well-mannered way our boys conduct themselves at Saints, and the attraction this is to prospective families in deciding on enrolling their son at St Peter’s College.
Excerpts reprinted with permission from Nikki Gemmell, ‘The Australian’Congratulations to Vincent Barone in Year 6, who had his book review of I Swapped my brother on the Internet, published in the Advertiser on 10 April.
Congratulations to James Lin in Year 5 who has been selected in the Australian Ice Skating Team, which will compete at the Oceania Interclub International Competition to be held in Melbourne from 16–18 May 2018.
Congratulations to the following boys who have been chosen as Year 2 Leaders for Term 2:
2C Adam Chen and William Harper
2I Zane Haseldine and Charles Paull
2T Alexander Ibrahim and Ewan Woodall
Dates to Remember
11 May 2:15 – 3:00pm Mother’s Day celebration in Reception – Year 2
4:00pm Friday Winter Sport commences
12 May 8:15am Saturday Winter Sport commences
14 May 7:30pm Junior School Friends of Saints meeting
15 May NAPLAN Testing in Years 3 and 5
16 May NAPLAN Testing in Years 3 and 5
17 May NAPLAN Testing in Years 3 and 5
12:15 – 1:00pm Chapel Service for Years 4 – 6
18 May 2:30 – 3:00pm Reception – Year 2 Assembly in the JS Hall
21 May Author in Residence: Jane Jolly
23 May 2:30 – 3:15pm Years 3 – 6 Assembly in Memorial Hall
24 May 12:15 – 1:00pm Chapel Service for Years 1 – 3
25 May 2:30 – 3:00pm Reception – Year 2 Assembly in the JS Hall
29 May ICAS Science Competition
31 May 12:15 – 1:00pm Chapel Service for Years 4 – 6
7:00 – 9:00pm Bands and Choral Concert in Memorial Hall
4 June 7:30 – 8:30pm Junior School Friends of Saints meeting
6 June 2:30 – 3:15pm Years 3 – 6 Assembly in Memorial Hall
7 June 12:15 – 1:00pm Chapel Service for Years 1 – 3
8 June 2:30 – 3:00pm Reception – Year 2 Assembly in the JS Hall
Staff News
Mr Adam Clutton and Mrs Em Wilson will be on Long Service Leave in Term 2. Mrs Amy Martin and Mrs Natalie Pearce will fill those roles during Adam and Em’s absence.
A Call for Junior School Volunteers
The Junior School runs a very successful Learning Assistance Program (LAP), which is supported by a regular group of Volunteers who provide an hour and a half (1.5 hours) of their time from 8.45 – 10.15am, once a week. This program is of significant benefit to a number of boys in Years 2 – 6 with their literacy development, and only operates with the generous support of our Volunteers. If you are interested in becoming a Volunteer at the school and would like more information about joining our friendly and supportive team in LAP, please contact:
Geraldine Waldron LAP Coordinator Tel: 8404 0415 or gwaldron@stpeters.sa.edu.au
Traffic Safety
St Peter’s College is situated in close proximity to the CBD of Adelaide, and adjacent to the Botanic Gardens. The School campus sits between two high-traffic roads in North Terrace and Hackney Road. The safety of our boys is of paramount importance, and caution must always be taken when walking, riding or driving in this vicinity.
Pedestrians
When boys are crossing North Terrace on their way to and from School, they must always cross at the pedestrian traffic lights situated near Trinity Street. Boys should not cross the road at any other place, even when traffic is stopped for the lights. Boys who need to cross Hackney Road must use the traffic lights on the corner of North Terrace or walk under the bridge (over the River Torrens) to the north of the School. Alternatively, boys should use the pedestrian island opposite the entrance to Plane Tree Drive. In the Junior School, parents should use either the North Terrace or Hackney Road car parks. Parents are asked to respect any designated spaces signed for Staff parking. The Junior School Avenue is open for parking until 9:30am. It is then closed for traffic throughout the day and reopens at 2:30pm.
Drop-offs
Parents may drop boys off inside the School grounds in the Hackney Road carpark, North Terrace carpark or in the Avenue. However, there is no parking in the Avenue.
Photographs on Social Media
Out of respect to other families within our School Community, St Peter’s College asks that photographs taken at any School event or function that contain images of other students not be published, distributed to others or placed on any form of social media, without the consent of the relevant student’s family.
Outside School Hours Care
The Before School Care program at St Peter’s College will operate from 7:00 am to 8:15am each school day. The After-School Care program runs from 3.00pm to 6.00pm school days. Unlike many childcare programs, the Camp Australia program at St Peters’ College OSHC is eligible for the Child Care Benefit and the Child Care Rebate, which can reduce the cost of the program by up to 50% or more. The Child Care rebate is not income tested. It pays up to 50% of your out of pocket expenses … up to $7,500 per child a year.
Service Hours and Fee Structure:
| Hours | Fee Structure | |
| Before School Care | 7:00am to 8:15am | $14.03 |
| After School Care | 3:00pm to 6:00pm | $29.95 |
| Early Finish (per hour) | $10.00 per hour | |
| Annual Enrolment Fee | $20.00 per family/per year |
After applying the Child Care Benefit and Child Care Rebate, the Out of Pocket expenses will be:
Before School Care $4.47 to $7.02
After School Care $9.89 to $14.98
To reduce your fortnightly out-of-pocket costs, choose to have your rebate paid direct to Camp Australia. To find out more about how you can save contact Camp Australia’s friendly Customer Service Team on 1300 105 343 or the Family Assistance Office 13 61 50.
Car Parking
I would like to remind parents of the regulations regarding use of the Junior School carpark. People using the carpark need to stick to the 10km/h speed limit and follow the arrows to assist us with the safety of our boys and their families. Could parents who are collecting boys in the area near the School Uniform Shop please ensure they do not park around the round-about at the end of the road and also do not park in front of cars that are parked in marked car parks, making it impossible for these cars to leave the car park. Could parents please respect and take note of the fact that there are disabled carparks in the Junior School. We currently have parents parking in these bays who do not have the appropriate permits. Parents have indicated that there are parents who are driving whilst on mobile phones in our school carparks, and potentially endangering the safety of our Junior School boys. Obviously we would ask that parents do not engage in this illegal practice.
Playground Supervision
Each morning teachers supervise the playground from 8:15 – 8:30am, before the boys go to class for the start of the school day. Boys who arrive at school before this time should go to Outside School Hours Care (OSHC). After school there is supervision of the exit points to 3.40pm. After this time, any boy not at a co-curricular activity or still waiting to be collected by a parent will be taken to OSHC by the teacher on duty. Parents are responsible for the supervision of their son on any playground equipment after school, as teachers are rostered on duty at various exit points in the Junior School. We do ask that boys do not play on the equipment outside the Years 3 and 4 classrooms until after 3:15pm.
Lost Property
For the information of parents, we have 4 lost property bins in the Junior School.
- One near the photocopy room outside 1G.
- Two in the Bickersteth Building opposite the 3N classroom (for all clothes).
- One outside the Art Room (for all lunch boxes and bags).
We would encourage boys to check these bins for any lost property, as all left-over items are donated to charity at the end of each term.
Term Dates for 2018
Term 1 30 January – 13 April
Term 2 1 May – 29 June
Term 3 24 July – 28 September
Term 4 16 October – 7 December
David Hine, Head of Junior School