History:
St Peter鈥檚 Primary School was opened in 1979 in Sunshine South West. The students who lived within the St Peter鈥檚 school boundary began their schooling at St Paul鈥檚 School, Sunshine West, and moved to St Peter鈥檚 School at the beginning of May 1979 when the buildings were completed.
St Peter鈥檚 is the second Catholic primary school in St Paul鈥檚 Parish, West Sunshine, and is administered by the Marist Fathers. St Peter鈥檚 is located in the south west corner of the parish.
St Peter's School is in a low socio-economic area among Ministry of Housing homes that are gradually being purchased privately. RAAF and Navy personnel were housed in this area and were a great support to the school. When their numbers decreased in 1994 at Laverton, Tottenham and Point Cook, enrolments dropped dramatically.
The area did not grow as anticipated due to re-zoning of land in the area from 鈥楻esidential鈥� to 鈥楲ight Industry鈥�. Part of the school land was sold in 1990.
Description:
The enrolments at St Peter鈥檚 School have remained steady at approximately 165 students. The students from St Peter鈥檚 School come from a range of cultures, with the majority being from a Vietnamese background.
There are many families, where languages other than English are spoken are spoken at home.
Religious Education is central to St Peter's. The teaching of Religious Education is based on the resources of the 'To Know, Worship and Love' texts and teaching companions. All Religious Education is planned using the teaching process outlined in this resource.
While the school teaches students about the sacraments, the celebrations of these sacraments occur within the parish community. In acknowledgment of the importance of the family at this sacred time, the preparation program includes evenings for the parents of children preparing to celebrate the sacraments.
Students at St. Peter鈥檚 currently receive the Sacraments at the following times:
Year 3 鈥� First Reconciliation, First Communion
Year 5/ 6 鈥� Confirmation
St Peter鈥檚 welcomes the participation of all members of the school and parish community to support the faith development and teaching and learning of all in the school.
Features:
The principal and staff of St Peter鈥檚 School seek to create a learning environment in which the children are encouraged to realise their own potential and accept responsibility for their own learning.
The following subjects are offered at all year levels in accordance with the Religious Education texts and the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS):
Religious Education, English, Mathematics, Health and Physical Education, Information and Communications Technology, Science, Civics and Citizenship, The Arts, The Humanities, Italian.
Recent refurbishments to the school buildings have seen the addition of a Learning Centre and Sports Stadium. The staff are committed to assisting children to live and work in the 21st century.
In 2012, there are 23 members of staff, including three school officers, nine full-time and nine part-time teachers.
St Peter鈥檚 employs a Student Wellbeing Coordinator, who coordinates the additional support some students require in the teaching and learning process for giftedness and learning difficulties. This may entail referrals for further assessment, the implementation of support programs, liaising with other professionals and the organisation of Program Support Group meetings.
Student Welfare Support Group and Parent Support Groups (PSG meetings) are well established within the school to assist students with special needs or medical issues.
The school participates in the Sunshine District Primary Schools Sports Association. We take pride in providing teams in all fixtured sports, sports carnivals and championships. Students in all year levels participate in a swimming program each year.
Parents, family and friends are always welcome at St Peter鈥檚 School. They form an integral part of our school community. Parents assist in the classroom and are encouraged to be part of school-based activities.
The Parents and Friends鈥� Association meets once a term. Its main function is to organise fundraising activities. Parents are encouraged to attend working bees to help with the maintenance of the school.
St Peter鈥檚 is strongly committed to supporting outside agencies and charities such as CatholicCare, Caritas Australia, Catholic Missions, the St Vincent de Paul Society and the Lions Club.