Our All Saints Anglican School community came together for a very special whole-school Peace Chapel Service, celebrating a term-long journey of reflection, understanding and unity.

Throughout Term 2, our Chapel and RAVE focus centred on the theme of Peace. In a world where many of our students and families are affected by conflict and unrest through their cultural backgrounds, this theme provided an important opportunity for our community to explore what peace means within our own lives, faiths and relationships.

Each week, students courageously shared personal reflections on peace through the lens of their faith, culture and lived experience. These presentations enriched our understanding of one another and demonstrated the diversity and inclusiveness that make All Saints such a special community.

Inspired by the story of Sadako Sasaki and the Hiroshima Peace Cranes, students and staff embraced the challenge of folding paper cranes as symbols of hope, compassion and peace. What began as an ambitious goal of creating 5,000 cranes quickly became a movement across the school. I am delighted to announce that together our community created an extraordinary 18,200 paper cranes, far surpassing our original target and exceeding the local record of 16,500 cranes.

The enthusiasm and commitment shown by our students was remarkable. From classrooms to lunchtime gatherings, paper cranes became a visible reminder of the power of small actions working towards a greater purpose. The project sparked meaningful conversations about peace, respect and understanding, while bringing students of all ages together in a shared endeavour.

It was also wonderful to see our story recognised beyond the school community. Earlier this week, our Peace Crane project was featured in the Shepparton News and highlighted on WIN News, helping to share our message of hope and unity with the broader community.

A special highlight of yesterday's assembly was the presence of respected faith and community leaders from across the region. We were honoured to welcome Fr Saji Thomas MST, Chaplain to the Syro Malabar Catholic Church of Kerala; Fr Ruel Desamparados RCJ from St Brendan's Catholic Church; Fr John Paul Pasala from St Mel's Catholic Church; Sheikh Sayed Reza Hashemi; and representatives from the Sikh community, Jaspreet and Harpreet. Their participation reflected the spirit of mutual respect and understanding that has been at the heart of this initiative. Unfortunately, due to illness and overseas travel commitments, Anglican Church representatives were unable to join us on this occasion.

We would like to extend my sincere thanks to Mr Bill Boyer, Head of Anglican Identity, whose vision, passion and leadership brought this project to life. Mr Boyer has inspired our students to think deeply about peace and to recognise the positive impact they can have in the world. His leadership has been instrumental in creating an experience that our students will remember for years to come.

The Peace Assembly was a powerful reminder that while our community is made up of many different cultures, traditions and beliefs, we are united by our shared commitment to peace, respect and inclusion. It was a fitting celebration of our school values and a wonderful example of what can be achieved when a community comes together with a common purpose.