A blessing on the man who puts his trust in Yahweh, with Yahweh for his hope.
He is like a tree by the water side that trusts its roots to the stream:
When the first heat comes it feels no alarm, its foliage stays green:
It has no worries in a year of drought, and never ceases to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
The design of the St Peter Chanel School crest was chosen by a committee and adopted by the school community in 1984. As well as the school name and the motto, you will find on the school badge a eucalypt tree superimposed on a cross. Stands of eucalyptus form a significant part of the natural vegetation of The Gap area and the tree represented stands in the school grounds. A tree, any tree, is symbolic of much in our lives. We climb a tree for a wider view, to learn, to experience, to be educated. We cling to it in flood and storm – a support when we are worried or concerned. We shelter under it from the heat, to rest, to be restored. We reach up to pick the fruit – to eat, to be nourished, to grow. The branches of a tree reach across fences for neighbours to share, to love. Each year the leaves fall to the ground, return to the soil and become part of the tree again. We tend it and cherish it and so it flourishes and bears much fruit. The cross on the badge signifies that St Peter Chanel School is a Catholic place of learning and this immediately implies certain beliefs and values, a common thread for all in the community. It reminds us of the suffering of Jesus in His death on the Cross, the joy of His Resurrection and the strength of His Spirit at Pentecost and now, in our lives.
© Brisbane Catholic Education, St Peter Chanel Primary School (2010)