St Peters Lutheran College
Encyclopedia
St Peters Lutheran College is an independent
, co-educational, Lutheran
, day
and boarding school
, situated on a 21 hectares (52 acre) campus
in Indooroopilly
, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
, Australia
.
Established in 1945, St Peters currently caters for approximately 2,000 students from Prep to Year 12, including 150 boarders from Years 6 to 12. In January 2008, a Springfield campus opened with up almost 100 students from Prep to Year 8 in multi-age classes.
There are certain symbolic icons present in the college emblem, including Martin Luther
's iconic white rose
from his seal, and an inverted cross
for St Peter, leader of the Apostles in the early Christian Church
, who was crucified upside-down
.
The School's motto
, Plus Ultra
, which is Latin
for "Ever Higher", is said to emphasise the College's desire for the students to reach their goals in their learning.
From the farmhouse "Ross Roy", bought and used as the first building of St Peters in 1945, the College campus has seen significant growth and change over the years.
Theile house, a four storey building comprising computer labs, classrooms, Year 11/12 lockers, and the Theile study centre, was recently renovated and extended. The facilities in the new building include a study centre for students in years 11 and 12, with three private study/meeting rooms and numerous computers and laptops available to students. The girls' boarding house
s have also been renovated, now featuring air conditioning, and a multi-purpose court.
There are three libraries on campus. The Senior School library
is a three-storey facility where students and staff can access a collection of fiction and non-fiction. There are approximately 80 computers and students have access to a number of databases to which the school subscribes.
Ironbark is the outdoor campus of St Peters Lutheran College. Located near the town of Crows Nest
, some 50 km north of Toowoomba
and 150 km north-west of Brisbane, the property consists of 600 hectares (1,483 acre) of heavily timbered, undulating granite country. The donation of land in 1971, provided the College with an opportunity to develop and implement an outdoor education program. After several years of discussion and planning, a pilot program was run in 1974. Following the success of the pilot program, Ironbark has been part of the College curriculum since 1976. Ironbark was named for the Eucalyptus
Crebra, the narrow leaf Ironbark
, which grows across the property.
Students from the College spend five weeks at Ironbark in Year 9. During their stay, students experience community living, help to run the farm and maintain the property, and undertake a range of outdoor adventure activities. The students have no formal academic lessons during their stay. Facilities on site include two dormitories, staff accommodation, a well-equipped workshop, a garden, and a mixed farm. Much of the food consumed by the students is produced on the property.
In 2004, a group of Year 9 students faced Ironbark's first ever bushfire evacuation. The fires scorched much of the property, and students were evacuated to a church hall in Crows Nest, and eventually sent home.
Appointed in 2003, the current Head of College, Mr Stephen Rudolph, has had 25 years of experience in administering Lutheran schools (including a position as principal of Luther College, Melbourne, Australia). He has initiated change and overseen several projects throughout the college, including the refurbishment of Theile House and the Refectory. The most notable changes the current Head of College has made include, significant changes to the Ironbark program (including making it open to Year 9 only), and the establishment of a "Junior High" for students in Years 8 and 9.
1. Acting head of college in 2011.
2. Stephen Rudolph left after Term 1 2011 to become the head of Lutheran Schools Australia.
, USA, Europe
, China
, Japan
and Tasmania
.
regarded by some as one of Australia's leading youth vocal groups. Composed of students from grades 10 to 12, it frequently performs pieces of music from various composers, especially supporting Australian artists. The choir has commissioned many important works like Stephen Leek
's Great Southern Spirits
. The chorale, which has toured overseas numerous times in the past, toured through Europe in 2007. In 2009, the Chorale toured domestically through Toowoomba and Boonah.
The St Peters Chorale is recognised world wide as one of the finest Australian youth choirs.
, woodwind and percussion students from Years 9 to 12. At the end of 2008, the Symphonic Winds and Senior Stage Band went on a three week tour of Europe visiting Austria, Poland, Czech Republic and Switzerland. In December 2011, the Symphonic Winds and Senior Stage Band will tour the north-west of the United States of America for three weeks.
Singing groups
Bands and instrumental ensembles
The college offers a variety of sports from primary to senior, including:
Students in Years 4 to 7 compete in The Associated Schools Junior (JTAS), while boys in Years 8 to 12 compete in the Associated Independent Colleges (AIC) competition and girls in Years 8 to 12 compete in the Queensland Girls' Secondary Schools Sports Association
(QGSSSA).
. The club has been operating since 2005 and its public speakers have won several notable awards during that time.
is designed to provide a continuum of experience and knowledge acquisition from Prep
to Year 12. To this end, St Peters offers programs within four separate sub-schools; the Junior School (P–4), Middle School (5–7), Junior High (8–9) and Senior School (10–12). Each sub-school operates semi-autonomously with its own Head of Sub-School and administration. The Senior School offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program
.
Since 2004, the school has also been running an exchange program in conjunction with sister school, Immanuel college
, in Adelaide
, South Australia
. The focus of the exchange program, or "Mind Change" as it is known, is to allow gifted students from both schools a chance to meet students their age who they can relate their interests to.
Alumni of St. Peters Lutheran College are known as Old Scholars, and may elect to join the school's alumni association
, the St Peters Old Scholars Association (SPOSA). Notable St. Peter's Old Scholars include North Queensland indigenous leader, Noel Pearson, Olympic athletes Maxine Seear
, Chris Noffke
and Shane Gould
, and musicians and actors Sigrid Thornton
, Lisa Gasteen
, Craig Horner
, James Cuddeford, Anna Starr and Sam Atwell
.
Other well-known past students include Brisbane author Rebecca Sparrow; ex-Brisbane Lions
(now Essendon) Australian football player Mal Michael
; 1986 Commonwealth Games 1500m Freestyle Gold Medalist Jason Plummer; 2002 Commonwealth Games Women's Marathon Bronze Medalist Jacqui Gallagher; Director of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music Professor Peter Roennfeldt; Federal MHRs Steven Ciobo
and Michael Johnson
; one-term Queensland State MLA Ted Radke; TV sports reporter Stephanie Brantz
; Australian Financial Review journalist (and Walkley Award winner) Tom Iggulden; criminologist Tim Prenzler; historian Dr Dirk Moses; Larvatus Prodeo blog
ger Brian Bahnisch; romance novelist and former Brisbane Broncos
cheerleader Ally Blake
; co-founder of clothing label Sass & Bide, Heidi Middleton; Channel 9 weather reporter Joseph May
; 2007 Rhodes Scholar, Anna Jane Kloeden (University of Queensland
); and current Brisbane Lions
rookie listed Australian football player Adam Spackman. 2010 Commonwealth Games
champion swimmer Yolane Kukla
is a current pupil. Recently traded to Collingwood Football Club is ex-student Peter Yagmoor who finished in 2010 on the Michael Voss AFL scholarship.
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
, co-educational, Lutheran
Lutheran Church of Australia
The Lutheran Church of Australia is the major Lutheran denomination in Australia, it also has a presence in New Zealand. It has 320 parishes, 540 congregations, 70,000 baptized members in Australia, 1,130 baptized members in New Zealand, 52,463 communicant members and 450 active pastors. Its...
, day
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
and boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
, situated on a 21 hectares (52 acre) campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
in Indooroopilly
Indooroopilly, Queensland
Indooroopilly is a suburb of Brisbane, Australia which is located 7 km west of the Brisbane central business district.- Name derivation and history :...
, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Established in 1945, St Peters currently caters for approximately 2,000 students from Prep to Year 12, including 150 boarders from Years 6 to 12. In January 2008, a Springfield campus opened with up almost 100 students from Prep to Year 8 in multi-age classes.
Symbolism
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
's iconic white rose
White Rose
The White Rose was a non-violent/intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany, consisting of students from the University of Munich and their philosophy professor...
from his seal, and an inverted cross
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...
for St Peter, leader of the Apostles in the early Christian Church
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
, who was crucified upside-down
Cross of St. Peter
The Cross of St. Peter or Petrine Cross is an inverted Latin cross traditionally used as a Christian symbol, but in recent times also used widely as an anti-Christ symbol .-In Christianity:The origin of this symbol comes from the Catholic tradition that Simon Peter was crucified upside...
.
The School's motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
, Plus Ultra
Plus Ultra (motto)
Plus ultra is the national motto of Spain adopted from the personal motto of Charles I of Spain. Earl Rosenthal, author of The Palace of Charles V in Granada , has researched the origin of the motto...
, which is Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for "Ever Higher", is said to emphasise the College's desire for the students to reach their goals in their learning.
Campus
Theile house, a four storey building comprising computer labs, classrooms, Year 11/12 lockers, and the Theile study centre, was recently renovated and extended. The facilities in the new building include a study centre for students in years 11 and 12, with three private study/meeting rooms and numerous computers and laptops available to students. The girls' boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
s have also been renovated, now featuring air conditioning, and a multi-purpose court.
There are three libraries on campus. The Senior School library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
is a three-storey facility where students and staff can access a collection of fiction and non-fiction. There are approximately 80 computers and students have access to a number of databases to which the school subscribes.
Ironbark
Crows Nest, Queensland
Crows Nest is a town in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The town is located on the New England Highway from the state capital, Brisbane and from the nearby city of Toowoomba within the Toowoomba Region local government area...
, some 50 km north of Toowoomba
Toowoomba, Queensland
Toowoomba is a city in Southern Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital city, Brisbane. With an estimated district population of 128,600, Toowoomba is Australia's second largest inland city and its largest non-capital inland city...
and 150 km north-west of Brisbane, the property consists of 600 hectares (1,483 acre) of heavily timbered, undulating granite country. The donation of land in 1971, provided the College with an opportunity to develop and implement an outdoor education program. After several years of discussion and planning, a pilot program was run in 1974. Following the success of the pilot program, Ironbark has been part of the College curriculum since 1976. Ironbark was named for the Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
Crebra, the narrow leaf Ironbark
Ironbark
Ironbark is a common name of a number of species in three taxonomic groups within the genus Eucalyptus that have dark, deeply furrowed bark....
, which grows across the property.
In 2004, a group of Year 9 students faced Ironbark's first ever bushfire evacuation. The fires scorched much of the property, and students were evacuated to a church hall in Crows Nest, and eventually sent home.
Heads of College
| Period | Details |
|---|---|
| 1945–1954 | Mr W C Schneider |
| 1955–1970 | Mr H W A Lohe |
| 1971–1993 | Dr C Dron |
| 1994–2002, 2011 | Mrs Sally Chandler^1 |
| 2003–2011 | Stephen Rudolph^2 |
| 2012– | Adrian Wiles |
Appointed in 2003, the current Head of College, Mr Stephen Rudolph, has had 25 years of experience in administering Lutheran schools (including a position as principal of Luther College, Melbourne, Australia). He has initiated change and overseen several projects throughout the college, including the refurbishment of Theile House and the Refectory. The most notable changes the current Head of College has made include, significant changes to the Ironbark program (including making it open to Year 9 only), and the establishment of a "Junior High" for students in Years 8 and 9.
1. Acting head of college in 2011.
2. Stephen Rudolph left after Term 1 2011 to become the head of Lutheran Schools Australia.
Music
Tuition is available through the school on most instruments, as well as vocal lessons and musical theory (AMEB or Trinity). Music is an elective course in Years 8 to 12, while music is compulsory for students in Year 7 or below. Touring forms a significant part of the College's music program. Student ensembles have toured throughout the Asia-Pacific region, RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, USA, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
.
Chorale
St Peters Chorale is a youth choir formerly directed by Graeme MortonGraeme Morton
Graeme Morton is an Australian composer and conductor, currently directing the St Peters Chorale and Brisbane Chamber Choir. With these choirs, he has produced numerous recordings. In 1993 he and Stephen Leek created The Australian Voices.-References:...
regarded by some as one of Australia's leading youth vocal groups. Composed of students from grades 10 to 12, it frequently performs pieces of music from various composers, especially supporting Australian artists. The choir has commissioned many important works like Stephen Leek
Stephen Leek
Stephen Leek is an Australian composer, conductor, educator, and publisher.-Early life:Leek was born in Sydney, Australia in 1959, lived in Brisbane from 1964 through 1969, and then spent the rest of his childhood in Canberra...
's Great Southern Spirits
Great Southern Spirits
Great Southern Spirits is a composition by Australian composer Stephen Leek. It is in four movements: Wirindji, Mulga, Kondalilla and Uluru. It was first recorded by The Australian Voices, under the direction of Graeme Morton, on their album of the same name in 1993....
. The chorale, which has toured overseas numerous times in the past, toured through Europe in 2007. In 2009, the Chorale toured domestically through Toowoomba and Boonah.
The St Peters Chorale is recognised world wide as one of the finest Australian youth choirs.
Orchestra
The St Peters Youth Orchestra is an orchestral group open to all brass, strings, woodwind and percussion students from Years 8 to 12. The ensemble has performed a number of concerts, including a tour to New Zealand in 2006, and a Japan tour in 2009.Symphonic winds
The St Peters' Symphonic Winds is the College's highest level concert band. It has an integral part of the bands program since its inception, integrating many brassBrass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
, woodwind and percussion students from Years 9 to 12. At the end of 2008, the Symphonic Winds and Senior Stage Band went on a three week tour of Europe visiting Austria, Poland, Czech Republic and Switzerland. In December 2011, the Symphonic Winds and Senior Stage Band will tour the north-west of the United States of America for three weeks.
Other ensembles
In addition, St Peters offers other ensembles, including:Singing groups
- The Year 4 choir
- The Year 5 choir
- The Year 6 and 7 Girls choir
- The Year 6 and 7 Boys choir
- Junior High Choir (St Peters Singers)
- Cantique
- Saints and Singers
- Chorale
Bands and instrumental ensembles
- The Middle School Concert Band
- Junior Stage Band
- Intermediate Stage Band
- Senior Stage Band
- The Middle School Strings
- The Senior Strings
- The Wind Ensemble
- The Percussion Ensemble
- Grainger Strings
- Symphony Orchestra
- Super Stings
Sport
The co-curricular sporting program provides opportunities for students to participate in a variety of sports and physical pursuits. The school's sporting facilities include an indoor sports hall and weights room, a 50-metre and a 25-metre heated pool, six tennis-specific courts, eight additional multi-purpose outdoor courts and three ovals, two of which have turf cricket wickets.The college offers a variety of sports from primary to senior, including:
- Athletics (track and field)Athletics (track and field)Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
- Australian rules footballAustralian rules footballAustralian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
- BadmintonBadmintonBadminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
- BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
- ChessChessChess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
- CricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
- Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- Debating
- EquestrianEquestrianismEquestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
- FootballFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
(Soccer) - GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- GymnasticsGymnasticsGymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
(Rhythmmic and Artistic) - HockeyHockeyHockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
- Mooting
- NetballNetballNetball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
- RowingRowing (sport)Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
- Rugby UnionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
- SailingSailingSailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
- SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
- SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
- TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- Touch FootballTouch football (rugby league)Touch is a field sport also known as Touch Football, or in some countries as Touch Rugby. Touch is overseen worldwide by the Federation of International Touch . Touch has traditionally been played in Australia and New Zealand but the sport has expanded internationally and features many regional and...
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
- Water PoloWater poloWater polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
Students in Years 4 to 7 compete in The Associated Schools Junior (JTAS), while boys in Years 8 to 12 compete in the Associated Independent Colleges (AIC) competition and girls in Years 8 to 12 compete in the Queensland Girls' Secondary Schools Sports Association
Queensland Girls' Secondary Schools Sports Association
The Queensland Girls' Secondary Schools Sports Association Inc is a sporting association for girls from eight private girls' schools, one co-educational private school, and one co-educational public school, based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia....
(QGSSSA).
St Peters Combobularity club
St Peters Combobularity Club is a Gavel Club, which is a program for under 18s organised through Toastmasters InternationalToastmasters International
Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping members improve their communication, public speaking and leadership skills...
. The club has been operating since 2005 and its public speakers have won several notable awards during that time.
Other activities
St Peters students participate in a range of other co-curricular activities, including Opti-MINDS, Debating, Mooting, Public Speaking, Robocup, Theatre Sports, Drama Access, Future Problem Solving, Bee Keeping, the Year 8 Production and various outside competitions.Curriculum
The St Peters curriculumCurriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
is designed to provide a continuum of experience and knowledge acquisition from Prep
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
to Year 12. To this end, St Peters offers programs within four separate sub-schools; the Junior School (P–4), Middle School (5–7), Junior High (8–9) and Senior School (10–12). Each sub-school operates semi-autonomously with its own Head of Sub-School and administration. The Senior School offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program
IB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...
.
Gifted education
In 2005, St Peters introduced a program for gifted and talented Middle School students. The program takes the three years of Middle School and condenses them into two whilst recognising and addressing that gifted children have special intellectual and emotional needs that cannot be addressed in a normal classroom setting. The name Infinity is an acronym for Integrating Needs with Feelings by Igniting, Nurturing and Inspiring Talented Youth.Since 2004, the school has also been running an exchange program in conjunction with sister school, Immanuel college
Immanuel College, Adelaide
Immanuel College, is a Lutheran school in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the only Lutheran college in Adelaide that has boarders. Its sister schools include Concordia College in Adelaide and Kyushu Lutheran College in Kumamoto, Japan.- History :...
, in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. The focus of the exchange program, or "Mind Change" as it is known, is to allow gifted students from both schools a chance to meet students their age who they can relate their interests to.
Publications
The school has a number of publications that are made available to the school community, including:- The Rock, the school's weekly newsletter
- Pebbles, a publication for the Junior School
- Plus Ultra, a magazine printed three times a year
- The Review, an annual publication reviewing the previous year
- Maroon and White, a publication circulated to boarding families
Alumni
Alumni association
An alumni association is an association of graduates or, more broadly, of former students. In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, schools , fraternities, and sororities often form groups with alumni from the same organisation...
, the St Peters Old Scholars Association (SPOSA). Notable St. Peter's Old Scholars include North Queensland indigenous leader, Noel Pearson, Olympic athletes Maxine Seear
Maxine Seear
Maxine Seear is an athlete from Australia, who competes in triathlons. Seear competed at the second Olympic triathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics. She did not finish the competition....
, Chris Noffke
Chris Noffke
Chris Noffke is an Australian long jumper.He was born in Ipswich. He Attended St Peter's Lutheran College, Brisbane, Queensland....
and Shane Gould
Shane Gould
Shane Elizabeth Gould, MBE is an Australian former swimmer who won three gold medals, a silver and bronze in 1972 Summer Olympics. It was the greatest performance by an Australian at a single Olympics.-Biography:...
, and musicians and actors Sigrid Thornton
Sigrid Thornton
Sigrid Thornton is an Australian multi-award winning actress.-Early years:Thornton was born in Canberra, the daughter of Merle, a teacher of women's studies and writer, and Neil Thornton, an academic. She spent most of her formative years growing up and attending school at St. Peter's Lutheran...
, Lisa Gasteen
Lisa Gasteen
Lisa Kinkead Gasteen AO , is an internationally acclaimed Australian operatic soprano, renowned for her performances of the works of Wagner. She won the Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 1991...
, Craig Horner
Craig Horner
Craig Horner is an Australian actor who first appeared in the Australian television program Cybergirl. He is best known for his role as Richard Cypher on the television series Legend of the Seeker.-Biography:...
, James Cuddeford, Anna Starr and Sam Atwell
Sam Atwell
Samuel Atwell is an Australian television and movie actor perhaps best known for his role as Kane Phillips in the soap opera Home and Away. Born in Nambour, Queensland, he and his family lived in Indonesia for 6 years before returning to Queensland where he grew up in Brisbane...
.
Other well-known past students include Brisbane author Rebecca Sparrow; ex-Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
(now Essendon) Australian football player Mal Michael
Mal Michael
Malcolm Roberto "Mal" Michael is a former Australian rules footballer. He is notable for his successful professional Australian Football League career. Following a career spanned 238 games and three clubs in two Australian states he is best known as a triple premiership full-back with the...
; 1986 Commonwealth Games 1500m Freestyle Gold Medalist Jason Plummer; 2002 Commonwealth Games Women's Marathon Bronze Medalist Jacqui Gallagher; Director of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music Professor Peter Roennfeldt; Federal MHRs Steven Ciobo
Steven Ciobo
Steven Ciobo , Australian politician, has been a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives since November 2001 representing the Division of Moncrieff, Queensland....
and Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson (politician)
Michael Andrew Johnson , an Australian federal politician, was a member of the Australian House of Representatives for the seat of Ryan, Queensland, from 2001 to 2010, representing the Liberal Party from November 2001 to May 2010 and then as an independent from May 2010 until he was defeated at the...
; one-term Queensland State MLA Ted Radke; TV sports reporter Stephanie Brantz
Stephanie Brantz
Stephanie Brantz is an Australian sports presenter. She began her television career in 2000 on SBS , and has since worked on the Nine Network and Fox Sports...
; Australian Financial Review journalist (and Walkley Award winner) Tom Iggulden; criminologist Tim Prenzler; historian Dr Dirk Moses; Larvatus Prodeo blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger Brian Bahnisch; romance novelist and former Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
cheerleader Ally Blake
Ally Blake
-Biography:Blake was born in a small town in Outback Queensland, Australia. She graduated from St Peters Lutheran College in Brisbane, duxing Theatre. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Queensland, with a double English major....
; co-founder of clothing label Sass & Bide, Heidi Middleton; Channel 9 weather reporter Joseph May
Joseph May
Joseph May is a British-born actor who has appeared in television and film on both sides of the Atlantic...
; 2007 Rhodes Scholar, Anna Jane Kloeden (University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
); and current Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
rookie listed Australian football player Adam Spackman. 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
champion swimmer Yolane Kukla
Yolane Kukla
Yolane Nicole Kukla is an Australian butterfly and freestyle swimmer.-Career:At the 2010 Telstra Australian Swimming Championships in Sydney at just 14, Kukla earned selection for the Commonwealth Games team for Delhi, where she won the gold medal in the 50m freestyle, and Australian team for the...
is a current pupil. Recently traded to Collingwood Football Club is ex-student Peter Yagmoor who finished in 2010 on the Michael Voss AFL scholarship.