Dear Parents and Carers

“We can recognize people who have had a second baptism in the Holy Spirit. They tend to be loving. They tend to be exciting. They want to serve others, and not just be served themselves. They forgive life itself for not being everything they once hoped for. They forgive their neighbours. They forgive themselves for not being as perfect as they would like to be.”

Fr Richard Rohr, ‘Baptism of Fire and Spirit’

On the weekend, students in Year 6 who are making their Confirmation were presented to the parish. It is a reminder that the stories of our lives are always part of a bigger story. Sts Peter and Paul is part of the Parish of the Transfiguration, which is a part of the Archdiocese of Canberra/Goulburn, which is in turn part of the universal Church. The feast of Pentecost, which we also celebrated on the weekend, and about which Richard Rohr writes so well in the paragraph above, is also an account of the lives of the disciples being taken up into something much larger than themselves – the gratuitous love of God. Pentecost is not just for Jesus’ disciples. It is for all of us. Rohr writes of people in our lives who have been open to the offer of the Holy Spirit. What he describes above could otherwise be named ‘the fruits of the Holy Spirit’. My thanks to the Year 6 students and their families for their step in faith; and my thanks as well to Steph Burns, Luke Gubler, Sarah Kennelly, and Monsignor John Woods, for all their support of our students.

South Weston Cross Country

Yesterday, Cathy Shepherd and I attended (in extremely warm clothes) the South Weston Cross Country Carnival, held at Criterion Track. Students from Sts Peter and Paul who qualified for the regional PSSA participated and I was very proud of all their achievements and sporting attitude. I will notify the parent community of any students who advance through to the ACT championships.

Student Achievement

Sts Peter and Paul is blessed to have students who excel in many and varied ways. On the weekend, Cameron de Jongh, one of our Year 6 students, learned that he was the winner of his local council's sustainability competition. The competition involved children designing a town and park for the Queanbeyan Council (using Minecraft) and explaining how their building would be sustainably built and managed for the future. 

Cameron was judged as the overall winner of the competition, receiving a $500 prize, and a trophy. He was also interviewed by the United Nations Council Environmental Program, which was aired live, worldwide. Well done, Cameron, I am very proud of you. An extraordinary achievement! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dfIAcW1d2A

Athletics Carnival

Today, we held our annual Athletics Carnival at Woden Park Athletics Track. My thanks to Sarah Kennelly for coordinating the carnival, and to the many staff who  assisted in many ways. It was a wonderful day.

Reports and Parent Teacher Interviews

Reports for all students will be made available to parents in Week 10. A teacher comment is included in this semester's report, as well as grades for all subject areas. If you would like to have a parent/teacher interview in Week 9 or 10, or at a time convenient to you and your child's teacher, please contact your child's teacher via email. Some parents may be contacted directly by teachers, should teachers see a particular need to discuss the learning progress of a student. Please contact me directly at school if you have any questions about the interviews, or any other aspect of your child's learning.

Have a wonderful week with your families

Best wishes

Cameron Johns

Principal