St Peters Lutheran School Newsletter

Term 2 Issue 3 - 2 July 2020

From the Principal - Bronwyn Wilson

One of my favourite worship songs currently is "Who you say I am". The lyrics are a powerful reminder of the promise from God that we are his children.

Who the Son sets free
Oh is free indeed
I'm a child of God
Yes I am
In my Father's house
There's a place for me
I'm a child of God
Yes I am

(Hillsong, 2018, Reuben Morgan & Ben Fielding)

Ben Feilding shares: "The theme, "Who You Say I Am", is from John 8, which is, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. Jesus says, 'who the son sets free, is free indeed.' It's a real declaration of identity.  John 8 talks about how a slave has no place in the family. But, once we've been brought into the family, then we have this identity as part of God's family and an identity of freedom. Our identity resides in knowing ourselves in Christ and living within the stability of knowing we are who God says we are."

I first heard this song when I was visiting my nephew and he was running around the house singing the above words totally unprompted and full of joy. It warmed my heart that, at such a young age, his thoughts and words were declaring this special relationship between God and his children. This is a regular song on our chapel song rotation. When we sing the song, it is amazing to hear the voices of the children at our school declaring that they are indeed children of God. Hearing and singing the promises of God is a powerful and life-giving reminder to us of who we are and who we belong to.

1 John 3:1 
"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God and that is what we are!"

So, what does it mean to be someone’s child?  It means that there is a commitment on the part of the parent.  The parent has taken responsibility for the proper raising of the child.  The parent is to care for and nourish the child.  The parent is to teach the child and lead the child.  The parent is to discipline the child to keep him/her on the right path.  That is what God is doing with us.  He is raising us.  Who better to raise us than the one who formed us?

As we head into the Term 2 holiday break, it is my prayer that you will be able to come into an even greater understanding of our relationship with our Heavenly Father, as his children.

Many blessings,

Bronwyn Wilson, Principal

From the Chaplain - Alex Heberle

Last Friday we surprised the St Peters staff with a special day to say ‘Thank you’ for all they do! Our staff go above and beyond all year, every year. But in what has been a particularly unsettled, uncertain and changing time, our staff have risen to the occasion and continued to offer excellent teaching, support and care for our students and each other.

We had a special chapel service to honour our staff and say thank you for all they do, whilst also reflecting on Jesus – the ultimate teacher, and our hero who gives us strength for every season of life. With the help of our wonderful Class Support Coordinators we put on a big morning tea with an abundance of coffee and chocolate. Thank you to all the parents who contributed with food or a message of thanks – your generosity and kind words were much appreciated.

Thankfulness and gratitude are not just heart attitudes that will breed a more positive and humble outlook, they are gifts. 48 times the bible contains the phrase ‘give thanks’ and each time the thanks is attributed to the LORD. Our thanks is a gift of our hearts to the LORD; a recognition of who He is and all He has done for us. An offering that says ‘You are God, and you are good, and I am blessed to call you Father’.

Likewise, when we say ‘thank you’ to someone it does not just need to be a case of good manners, it can be a gift – an acknowledgment of them, the work they have done, the blessing they have been, the ministry that God has given them. Because God blesses us – and how often do those blessings become real to us through the people around us!

Thank you families of St Peters, for the important part each of you play in this special community. What a joy it will be to be able to meet together again in the chapel this Friday for our weekly worship time together. I look forward to seeing lots of you there, and anticipate even more of this wonderful fellowship in the weeks and months to come.

1 Chronicles 16:34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Alex Heberle, Chaplain

Chapel Friday 3 July (Mid-Year ELC Graduation Ceremony)

We are delighted to be celebrating our mid-year Early Learning Centre Graduation Ceremony during tomorrow's Chapel service.  Everyone is invited to join us, in the Chapel, for this very special occasion....from 8.45am.

From the PYP Coordinator - Nicolle Jakube

Inquiry and Transdisciplinary Learning

At St Peters learning is not confined by traditional subjects but is supported and enriched using a transdisciplinary approach. It is displayed well using the diagram from IB World Colegio Internacional de Educación Integral school in Colombia, South America.

Each one of the transdisciplinary themes of the Primary Years Program (PYP) encompasses shared understandings common to all people using this approach.

The six transdisciplinary themes are:

  • Who we are
  • Where we are in place and time
  • How the world works
  • How we organise ourselves
  • How we express ourselves
  • Sharing the planet


Each transdisciplinary theme is open enough to embrace a variety of perspectives and content areas.

So, how does learning at St Peters work in a transdisciplinary way?

During a ‘How we express ourselves’ unit of inquiry, students may, for example, explore ways in which we discover and express ideas, our feelings, nature, different cultures, beliefs and values, creativity and our appreciation of aesthetics. This theme is deeply explored by asking students conceptual questions such as:

  • How are beliefs connected to the way we express ourselves?
  • Do all cultures express their nature and feelings in the same way?
  • Why is it like this? How is it connected to other things?
  • What is our responsibility in expressing feelings and ideas?
  • Why has the concept of aesthetic changed through time?
  • Where does creativity come from?

Through different ways of exploration, students develop a deep understanding of themselves and the connections they have with others.

The students may learn about beliefs and values around the world (HASS) or might compare and contrast characteristics of religions (Christian Studies). With that information, they could be working using tally marks and graphs to analyse information (Mathematics).

They may explore new vocabulary that will help them create poems or narratives (English) and explore their creativity by learning new techniques to paint a self-portrait (Visual Arts). Students might analyse and explore beliefs and values expressed through creating and composing using instruments (Music).

Ultimately, transdisciplinary learning goes further, helping students grow and learn at a deeper level, and we are delighted to offer this opportunity for learning to our students across St Peters.

Nicolle Jakube, PYP Coordinator

From Pastor Kevin

The world is certainly changing and has changed but God is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

At St Peters we have recommenced worshipping together on Sunday mornings but of course have to still adhere to social distancing requirements, hand hygiene and the recording of everyone who attends. We started back by inviting 20 people on 7th June and live streamed using zoom to the rest of the congregation. It was the same for 14th June but for these last two Sundays we were allowed 75 worshippers. Now, as of Monday (29/6), the number is unlimited but the social distancing, hand hygiene and the recording of everyone who attends is still of course needed.

It has been great to worship together again and celebrate Holy Communion.

Our services vary from formal with organ (Weeks 1 & 3 of the month) to semi-formal with bands (Weeks 2 & 4). Holy Communion is celebrated on 2nd, 3rd and 4th Sundays. For the 5th Sundays of the month we are looking at holding a very informal family gathering that is inclusive of all who attend.

Everyone is most welcome to join us at any of the services at 10am. It would be great to see you.

Every blessing,

Pastor Kevin
(0401 248 544)

Congratulations




We congratulate Henry (ELC) and his mum Molly, dad Jean-Pierre,
and brother Luca, on the exciting arrival of their beautiful little baby sister and daughter, Rosie, born Friday 26 June.  

Entertainment Membership 2020

Entertainment Memberships are now 100% digital. 

Printed entertainment books will no longer be produced and memberships will now be accessed via an app on your mobile phone. Digital memberships can start at anytime and are valid for 12 months from when activated. You can still share your membership with others, such as family, by having it on multiple devices. You can purchase online at http://www.entbook.com.au/161p031

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact Alex L at ajlauterbach@icloud.com or 0408 848 933.

St Peters Lutheran School