Issue no. 24
In this edition
Sensational weather as House spirit shines at Winter Interhouse
Last Saturday, Winter Interhouse was held for Years 7 – 12 students. It was a beautiful morning and fantastic to see so many parents and families around the School grounds supporting their Houses. The Saints Sport Support Group ran a barbecue and organised Wicked Coffee to be in attendance, which many players and supporters made good use of. House Captains organised teams for the morning and the standard of play across Netball, Badminton, Hockey and Soccer was strong.
Congratulations to the winning Houses:
Badminton – Kilburn
Netball – Kilburn
Hockey – Patteson
Soccer – Patteson
These teams were given the shields on the day but it was also announced again at Monday’s assembly. It is always such a positive morning to be a part of and the community spirit was obvious and commented on by many observers. Seeing younger girls playing in the same team as Year 12s encourages these girls and gives them confidence in the level they can reach.
The next couple of weeks will see the conclusion of Winter Sport and the last round is our inaugural Winter Sport Intercol clash against Walford. We currently hold this trophy from summer and would love to keep it in our hands after the winter season.
Dan Searle
Head of PE, Health & Outdoor Education
From the Head of Junior School
Today our Junior School students heralded in Book Week (19 – 26 August) with our traditional Book Week assembly and parade. For many, the yearly book character dress-up day may just seem a ‘bit of fun’, or a chance to wear something other than school uniform for a day. However, it also symbolises the importance we place on developing a strong foundation in literacy and numeracy during the Junior School years.
One of our core aims as a high-performing School is to continually evaluate and improve our teaching and learning programs using evidence-based approaches. Our current focus for improvement centres around quality teaching and learning in Mathematics.
We have introduced additional teachers during three Mathematics lessons per week at Years 4, 5 and 6, and our Reception to Year 3 students are increasing their numeracy skills as they engage in hands-on game playing through the Mind Lab program. We have enhanced opportunities for all students to engage in computational thinking in relation to coding, with the implementation of 1:1 iPads in R – 6, plus banks of laptops. And this year, our teachers have focused on providing more opportunities for students not just to learn the skills associated with Mathematics, but to help them contextualise these as they apply them to situations outside the classroom.
Over the next few months, Junior School teachers will be undertaking significant training in developing the thinking strategies, skills and attitudes that our students bring to mathematical situations. They will commit time to their own professional development outside of school hours, as well as welcome our visiting specialist into their classrooms to work with them side-by-side.
Education is a partnership, and I would like to emphasise the important role that parent attitudes play in contributing towards their children’s achievement. There is a significant body of evidence around the positive effects on both attitude towards the subject and overall achievement when parents display positive attitudes themselves. So, I encourage you to find opportunities to highlight or discuss with your daughter, situations where mathematical thinking is used in your everyday experiences.
We are excited to be taking this journey and we look forward to sharing more through year level newsletters and updates.
Suzanne Haddy
Head of Junior School
Book Week meets Mind Lab
Book Week 2017
Super heroes, princesses, colourful critters – today’s Book Week Parade had it all!
Our Junior School students and their parents went to great lengths as our girls dressed up as their favourite book character for the day.
It is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the importance of reading and one which continues to grow our girls’ love of books.
The parade marked our official launch of Book Week 2017 which carries the theme, ‘Escape to Everywhere’.
The girls had a fantastic time today, as did many of their teachers!
Selwyn House Dinner 2017
Last Friday night, the Arts Centre was transformed into a tropical paradise for Selwyn’s Hawaiian-themed House Dinner. It was full to the max and decorated with surfboards, leis, pineapples, balloons, beach toys and even a grass hut! The night kicked off at 6:30pm as the Year 7 – 12 girls and Selwyn staff arrived, dressed in an amazing array of colourful costumes ranging from Hula girls and surfers to coconuts and pineapples. We tucked into a delicious menu of guacamole and corn chips for entrée, burgers for main and ice-cream with an assortment of toppings for dessert, all served by a wonderful group of parent helpers.
Along with much laughter and plenty of dancing, there was also time for the House to play a few games. We started with a ‘guess the Year 12 baby pic quiz’, won by the Year 10s, followed by ‘guess the TV theme song’, won by the Year 11s. We then had a very impressive game of limbo which definitely highlighted Selwyn’s flexible dancers and gymnasts.
The Year 11 girls spent several weeks organising and planning the evening, and I cannot thank them enough for their efforts! The night was loads of fun and a memorable last House Dinner for all the Year 12s.
Emma Mockridge
Selwyn House Captain
High Drama in the Arts Centre
Well done to the Year 11 and 12 Drama students on their major group performance, ‘Between These Lines’.
Audiences have been impressed by the high calibre of acting and production displayed during the original play, which follows a range of complex characters through the course of a day.
If you haven’t seen it yet, there’s still time! The final performance is tonight at 7pm. You can purchase your tickets at the door.
Kirby Shaw On Song at Saints Girls
Thanks to everyone involved in Kirby Shaw’s workshops and concert at St Peter’s Girls last weekend.
Our Concert Choir learnt so much from the world-renowned American choral expert, as did many singers from other local schools and community choirs.
Kirby’s visit was a great success and yet another reason why our Music program is one of the best going around.
If you didn’t catch it last Friday, here’s a snippet from one of the workshops:
Volleyball Knockout Competition
The Saints Open Squad took part in Open Knockout on 15 August. The girls competed against Reynella East, which ended up in a hard-fought draw. Ankita and her excellent sets, in addition to Charlotte Carney’s great reception sadly couldn’t finish off with a win. The girls then came out firing to beat Loreto 2 sets to 0. Mikaela Georgiadis’ excellent defensive play as well as Brooke Elliott’s fabulous setting helped pull the girls across the line for the great win. Woodcroft followed and our girls also played a strong game, winning 2 sets to 0 again. Ava’s great blocking and Tahlia’s exceptional movement on the court made the win convincing and held the girls in high spirits. The final match was against Seaford High, where the girls finished on an absolutely sensational note, winning 2 sets to 1. Charlotte White’s incredible spikes and Emily Murdock’s wonderful setting proved what an amazing team the girls make and they look forward to the challenge of State Finals that lie ahead.
Abbey Goodwin
Volleyball Captain
Students put St Peter’s Girls on the Map
In May, students from Year 7 and all Year 9 Geography students participated in the Australian Geography Competition. This is a highly-recognised multiple-choice challenge, based largely on data interpretation skills and the Australian Curriculum. Our School has a long tradition of participation and success, and this year was no exception.
The following students achieved Distinctions (top 10% nationally) or High Distinctions (top 2% nationally):
High Distinctions
Year 7
Azaan Singh (equal-highest in the State)
Charlotte Adams
Rune Chi Zhao
Year 9
Ella Byrne
Distinctions
Year 7
Georgia Barclay
Ruby Thorp
Mia Nicholls
Letitia Page-Thomson
Lara Slape
Year 9
Ellen Zhang
Natacha Zisos Troupakis
Year 7 student Azaan Singh not only achieved a High Distinction, but was also equal-highest for her year level in South Australia. Along with her certificate, Azaan was awarded an atlas to acknowledge her outstanding achievement.
Congratulations to all students involved!
Gregor Dingwall
Head of Humanities
Year 7 Transition Information Evening for current Year 6 parents
This year we will be holding a Transition Information Evening for parents to provide them with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the Curriculum, philosophy, practices and expectations of the Middle School at St Peter’s Girls.
The evening will also provide an opportunity to meet key members of the Year 7 and Year 8 teaching team, and for parents of new students joining us in 2018 to meet current parents and other new families.
2018 Transition Parent Information Evening
Wednesday 23 August, 7 – 8pm
St Peter’s Girls’ School Arts Centre
Tickets for the event can be reserved at www.trybooking.com/RMJC.
If you would like further information, please contact Richard Lisle, Deputy Principal/Head of Middle School.
Careers Networking Breakfast 2017 is a great success!
On Wednesday, St Peter’s Girls hosted the Careers Networking Breakfast. The aim was to assist students to make informed choices about their career paths so that they can select appropriate school subjects and tertiary courses. By partnering our students with an Old Scholar who can speak to their areas of interest, we hoped to provide students with access to real-world insights into vocational fields.
Years 10 – 12 students attended the breakfast and were joined by 16 Old Scholars who generously gave up their time to mentor our girls. Students were allocated to tables covering Health Sciences, Medicine, Psychology, Science, Engineering, Law, Commerce, Accounting, Public Relations, Event Management, Tourism and Hospitality. The girls were encouraged to speak to as many of the mentors as possible.
Feedback from our Old Scholars and students has been outstanding; the Old Scholars in particular were pleased to have the opportunity to return to their School and they were impressed by the confidence of our girls. Many of the students have the contact details of the mentors and are hoping to develop these bonds in the future.
I would like to thank Megan McCormack (Old Scholar Officer) and Fiona McGregor (Events Officer) for their help organising the event, and also to the staff who attended. Finally, the event would not have been possible without the generous support of our Old Scholars and I look forward to forging new and lifelong associations for our students with this network, which they will also be a part of in the future.
Karen Alderson
Careers Advisor
Rowing Information Night and Term 4 sport nominations
A Rowing Information Night will be held on Thursday 31 August at 6.30pm in the new Middle School, for interested Years 6 – 11 students and their parents.
The Term 4 sports nomination survey has been emailed to Years 5 – 12 students, and parents of Years R – 4 students. Please complete the survey by 4pm Sunday 27 August 2017.
Code Camp Early Bird Discount
St Peter’s Girls is now hosting Code Camp Spark AND Code Camp Ignite!
St Peter’s Girls’ School will be hosting Code Camp Spark and Code Camp Ignite for students in Years 2 – 6. Code Camp runs 4 – 6 October from 9am – 3.30pm. Cost for Code Camp Spark is $350 for three days. If you book by Sunday 20 August, you are eligible for a $20 early bird discount, using the code ‘EARLYBIRD’.
Code Camp Information Flyer
Visit the Code Camp website for more information
Visit the St Peter’s Girls’ School booking page
Wellbeing in Young Children
Support the Year 11 Cambodia Trip
Buy a raffle ticket for your chance to win four tickets, in a private suite with award-winning food and beverages, at the Entertainment Centre to your choice of one of the following events:
THE WEEKND
STARBOY WORLD TOUR
11 DECEMBER 2017
Queen + Adam Lambert
27 FEBRUARY 2018
The Chainsmokers
17 OCTOBER 2017
GREASE
7 OCTOBER 2017
The prize is valued at up to $2500. Tickets now on sale! Only 100 raffle tickets available via www.trybooking.com/RKUH. Raffle will be drawn at lunchtime Thursday 31 August 2017. All money raised will go towards the Year 11 Cambodia Trip.
Bus Driver Vacancy
We’re seeking a new Bus Driver!
St Peter’s Girls’ School provides five personalised bus routes (Tea Tree Gully, Golden Grove, West Lakes, Southern and Hills) to collect students in the morning (from their designated location) and drop them off after school. The Bus Driver reports to the Bus Coordinator on all of the daily operations of the bus service. As a driver, it is your responsibility to check the oil, water and tyres on a daily basis. It is also your responsibility to fuel your bus. Each bus is supplied with a mobile telephone for parents to contact you should any changes occur. During school terms you will be rostered to work a morning and afternoon shift.
This is a casual position commencing as soon as possible. For more information and details on how to apply, please visit http://www.stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au/about-us/employment/.
The Long Lunch – featuring MC George Kapiniaris!
Join us on a Greek Odyssey at the St Peter’s Girls’ Foundation Long Lunch
Sunday 24 September 12 noon – 5pm
Held at a secret location on the St Peter’s Girls’ School grounds
Tickets $120
Book at trybooking.com/PMZS
Auction Items needed
The St Peter’s Girls’ Foundation is also seeking donations for our silent auction to be held at The Long Lunch. If you or a family member have any products or services you are able to donate, we are happy to promote your business. Every item counts and any donations will be greatly appreciated. Without the generosity of our community and our amazing volunteers, these events would not be possible. Thank you in advance for your kind and generous consideration.
Please contact Melissa Westgate on 8334 2244 or mwestgate@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au if you have any queries. Items can be dropped off to Melissa in the Community Relations Office.
Golden Ticket Lottery – would you like to win $15,000 off your School fees?
Visit www.trybooking.com/PMZS to purchase your ticket in the Golden Ticket Lottery!
Does your family have a connection to Woodlands Girls’ Grammar School?
Year 11 Scholarship information
The Elaine Balfour Ogilvy Scholarship is for girls who are planning to enter Year 12 next year, who attend an Anglican School and whose mother or grandmother attended Woodlands Girls’ Grammar School. It was created by the Woodlands Old Scholars in honour of a graduate, an Australian Army nurse who died in a massacre in World War Two after the fall of Singapore. The Scholarship is paid to the school to assist with the recipient’s Year 12 school fees.
Applications should include an introductory letter plus three copies of a CV, mailed to:
The President,
St Peter’s Woodlands Old Scholars’ Association
39 Partridge Street
GLENELG SA 5045
Closing Date for applications is 30 August 2017.
Interviews will be conducted at St Peter’s Woodlands during October/November as an informal chat. The panel will be assessing attributes such as presentation, enthusiasm and personal initiatives, and we will take this opportunity to view certificates and awards which substantiate the applicant’s CV.
Louise Sorrell
Treasurer
For inquiries, please contact Louise Sorrell via sorrell.lou@gmail.com
Sports News
Team Lists Now Available on myLink
Parents can now access their daughter’s sports team lists on our new parent portal, myLink.
Team lists will be published as soon as they are known; in most cases, this will be the day after a team’s last training session of the week.
How to find team lists
Once you’re in myLink, follow these simple steps:
>Select the ‘Sports Fixtures’ tab on the top menu
>Select the Sub-School
>Select the sport
>Click ‘Find out more’ on the team list you wish to view
>Click the team name towards the bottom of the page (e.g. ‘Hockey Open A Team’)
Or you can use this method:
>Select the ‘Sports Fixtures’ tab on the top menu
>Select the Sub-School
>Select the sport
>Click on the ‘Team’ tab
>Select the drop-down menu for the list you wish to view
Watch a demonstration here
*Please note, if no team list is displayed, it is either not ready to be published or there is no team for that week due to Interhouse, internal games, bye, etc.
We hope you enjoy using this helpful new tool in myLink.
NETBALL – OPEN KNOCKOUT
Friday 11 August
Last Friday, the Open A Netball team travelled to Mercedes College to compete in their second round of the State Knockout competition. The girls played two games, against Cabra and Mercedes, facing some strong competition and tough outdoor conditions. The game against Cabra was a very strong effort from all the girls. Excellent defensive pressure provided plenty of opportunities for shooting goals. Sivi Sivasuthan and Fiona Dawson’s accuracy within the goal ring assisted the girls to a 7-goal win. In our second game against Mercedes, the girls played well considering tough wind conditions. Our mid-courters Holly Cunningham, Abbey Goodwin and Tahlia Towers worked hard to continue driving the ball down the court, assisting some excellent passages of play. Despite a loss against Mercedes, the girls should be very proud of their efforts.
– Sophie Freeman and Abbey Goodwin (Captains)
JUNIOR BASKETBALL
Wednesday 9 August
Year 6 Blue – Saints 14 defeated by Seymour Blue 30
St Peter’s Blue had another fast-paced game against some very experienced Seymour players. Well done to Willow Stewart-Rattray (2) and Matilda Thomas (4) who ran and ran, popping up in defence and offence. Good work by Hannah Williams who showed great improvement in her defensive work and positioning. Zoe Pool and Georgia Parsons made some great intercepts, with Zoe working hard to bring the ball out of defence and Georgia positioning herself well in offence. Emma Pool (2) showed her determination again, stealing the ball from the opposition. Helen Zhang, Sophie Dansie and Bridgette Leach (6) worked hard to get the ball and did some great dribbling to outsmart their players and drive for the basket. – Sharon Leach (Coach)
Year 6 White – Saints 34 defeated Pembroke Blue 11
The girls played an excellent game last week, with a great start against Pembroke! They were very enthusiastic and played well as a team. Special mention to Chloe Porter and Ellie Humphrey for playing with great intensity throughout the game; Chloe playing excellent in defence in the middle of the zone and Ellie attacking the ball down the entire court in attack. The girls should be congratulated on a much deserved win! – Chelsea Marchetti (Student Coach)
Year 5 – Saints 20 drew with Seymour 20
This week’s game was a tough one that could have gone to either team but ended in a draw. The girls were able to defend their players well and keep the pressure on. A special mention to Charlotte Norman for her great defending. – Josephine Dal Pra (Coach)
JUNIOR NETBALL
Wednesday 9 August
Year 4 – Saints 14 defeated Wilderness 0
An awesome game from Saints, with great teamwork to work the ball around and down the court to great effect. Our defenders were amazing, with many turnovers, keeping the 3-feet space and hands over the pass. All midfield players moved to space and led very well and the shooters were able to capitalise from the excellent build-up play. – Karen Braun (Coach)
SOCCER
Wednesday 9 August
Open A – Saints 2 defeated Seymour 1
After showing great improvement following their Knockout game on Tuesday, the girls turned up to this game with a hunger to win. Starting the game with only 9 players, the girls worked well and managed to score an early goal. They worked hard defensively and blocked many of Seymour’s shots. The girls were able to go into the second half with a 2-goal lead, thanks to a goal by Chloe Deieso. Unfortunately, the girls conceded a goal in the second half. However, they all should be very proud of their efforts as the game was definitely a stand-out for the season. – Dominique Rigby (Captain)
Open B – Saints 0 defeated by Seymour 4
We started the game with no subs and only 10 girls. However, the girls didn’t go down without a fight, narrowly missing 2 shots in the first half. Nevertheless, the numbers and lack of subs got the better of us and we conceded 3 in the first half. As the second half started, the girls seemed to lift again, putting immense pressure on and hitting the post with a great shot inside the box; however, we were unable to find the back of the net. – Peter Krantis (Coach)
Middle A – Saints 0 drew with Seymour 0
A good result for a tough game, with the girls battling out a nil-all draw. Both teams had chances to go ahead but defending was above par and no goals went through for either side. We missed a few good chances which could have put us in front and a penalty saved by our goalkeeper denied the opposition a goal, so all up a fair result for both sides. – Vincent Talladira (Coach)
Middle B – Saints 3 defeated Seymour 0
The girls played their best game of the season, dominating the match from start to finish. The highlight of the game was Emanuelle Russell scoring her first goal of the season. Overall, it was a terrific team performance. – Manni Katopodis (Coach)
Year 7 – Saints 1 drew with Wilderness 1
With only 10 players, the girls put in a solid performance against a strong Wilderness side. Each week the girls have improved and it really showed in this match, with some great defensive work to come away with a draw against a good opponent. Mia Dodd had a great game, scoring the goal and unlucky not to have a couple more. Annie Bradshaw was great in defence and Flossie Wilson, Georgia Barclay and Bridget Healey all showed significant signs of improvement. Keep up the good work. – Kosta Bakopanos (Coach)
JUNIOR SOCCER
Friday 11 August
Year 6 – Saints 3 defeated by Pulteney 4
After starting the game with one player down and only getting a full side mid-way through the first half, the girls went down due to being outnumbered but still fought their way back into the game and almost got the victory. We were chasing the game but the girls never gave up and came so close to scoring a goal to equalise. Overall, a great performance by everyone and a great start to the term. Well done to all the girls. – Vincent Talladira (Coach)
Year 5 – Saints 3 drew with Pembroke Yellow 3
The Year 5 team fought well early on, bagging 2 goals in the first half and conceding 1 in the second half. A few changes were made and we scored another, making it 3-1. However, the girls began to tire and we conceded 2, making it an even 3-3. With only a few minutes to go, we started pushing to get that winning goal, missing a lot of chances only narrowly. Unfortunately, we didn’t find the winning goal. It was a great effort and each player performed extremely well. – Charlie Caprogreco (Coach)
Year 3-4 – Saints 2 defeated by Walford 4
After a successful opening game to the season, the girls were keen to impress yet again. The first half against Walford showed excellent promise. Grace Richardson-Stevens was instrumental again as goalkeeper. She saved everything thrown her way in the first half. Her clearing kicks sailed over the Walford players and allowed for easy entries up forward. The ball spent the majority of time in our forward line, with Anna Venning having plenty of shots on goal. She converted two of these attempts successfully and we went in at half-time with a 2–0 lead. Levanya De Silva played another strong game, continuing to teach the new players how to play defence. However, in the second half the tide changed and Walford scored four goals. Sienna Dellapace and Elizabeth McKernan enjoyed their first games for the season. When the referee blew his whistle to complete the game, the final score left Walford ahead by two goals. – Mark Routley (Coach)
BADMINTON
Saturday 12 August
No matches due to Interhouse
HOCKEY
Saturday 12 August
No matches due to Interhouse
LACROSSE
Under 11 – Saints Blue 4 defeated by Wilderness Gold 6
It was another cold morning but all of the girls were ready for the tough match ahead. Everyone began well by running forward into attack and spreading out. Jenna Maione (Year 5) and Lara Maione (Year 4) successfully got goals as they threw the ball hard into the corners of the goal. Elysia Scarr (Year 4) also did well in attack by quickly passing the ball. All of the girls did a great job in defence as they stayed with one of the opposition players; Sophie Lively (Year 3) and Matilda Wilkin (Year 2) did this especially well. At half-time the girls were down by only one goal and could still win the match. Hayley Webb (Year 3) did a great job at picking up ground balls and running with the ball. Madison Dornbusch (Year 3) also ran well with the ball up and down the field. Serae Stolcman (Year 3) was in goals and did a fantastic job. Goal scorers were Jenna and Lara. Although we did not win, the girls did a great job and we have improved immensely since the last time we played them.
Under 11 – Saints White 7 defeated St Aloysius 3
Congratulations to the team on a well-deserved win after being defeated last time the teams met. The girls again showed improvement on the skills learned at training, including moving to free space, fighting for ground balls and connecting passes down field. Elizabeth McKernan (Year 4) was again outstanding in goal. – Courtney Tasker (Coach)