Issue no. 15
From the Deputy Principal / Head of Senior School
#EMPOWHER Update
At the heart of any successful wellbeing program are content and connections. If you don’t have the content, you will fail to illicit any change in the thoughts, values and behaviours of students. But connections and relationships are just as important.
Connections between the girls and the staff are obviously vital. Research shows that students who feel valued and have connections with staff are happier, more confident and achieve higher academically. So how do we ensure that connections are made? That not one girl falls through a gap? How can we ensure that our staff really know each girl? That they know her likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses and, importantly, her goals and aspirations. This was a priority in our planning last year and we took steps to ensure that such conversations could happen with each girl on a regular basis.
Last week saw the second round of our dedicated week of 1:1 meetings between each girl in Years 7 to 12 and their Home Group teacher. These meetings, held in Terms 1, 2 and 3, are structured in that the staff require a certain amount of information from the girls, and the girls themselves know they need to come prepared. Conversations last week included a review of academic, social and emotional goals that the girls had set in Term 1. These goals were recorded by the staff and this allows us to track them. Crucially, the conversations also included a discussion of plans and steps that need to be taken to reach each goal as well as a review of what to focus on next. In addition, these conversations led to other revelations such as who skips breakfast, who has a part-time job, how many hours are spent on social media, who procrastinates when doing homework, or why falling asleep each night is an issue. It is during these conversations, when the girls feel listened to and valued, that we have the opportunity to build strong connections. I took some interviews myself last week and it was fantastic to experience how honestly and thoughtfully the girls are responding.
In regards to the delivery of content, we have so far focused on areas indentified as targets in our comprehensive survey last year. We knew that three key areas were: stress management, time management and study skills. All girls in Years 7 to 12 have completed our programs on time management and stress. Years 7 to 10 are currently completing a study skills unit, and Year 11 are reviewing their skills in this area.
Therefore, it is important that we provide our parents with resources on what tools the girls have been given. You will find ones on the above topics by clicking here.
Please take the time to look over them. While we provide the girls with a range of tools and the opportunities to apply these in our #EMPOWHER sessions, they will not always follow through with utilsing them when needed. Parent support is vital and the benefits of wellbeing programs are more often attained when the School and parents work in partnership.
Tutor Program
A reminder that our Tutor Program runs in the Library each morning and afternoon, apart from Monday morning and Friday afternoon. This free service provides the girls with the opportunity to seek assistance and support from one of our Old Scholars. I encourage you to discuss this valuable program with your daughter and encourage her to sign up via CANVAS in an area of need.
Kate Mortimer
Deputy Principal / Head of Senior School
A Message From Our Deputy Head Prefect
Deputy Head Prefect Olivia Compare with Erica Reid, who spoke to students in assembly as part of the ‘Dare to be aware’ initiative.
With Term 1’s business done and dusted, it was time for the Prefect Team to brainstorm for the term ahead, to create a Term 2 focus that fostered Saints’ creative, analytical and collaborative culture, while aligning with this year’s theme, “Dare to be…”
Considering the success of the Term 1 bucket lists, won by Ms Sandercock’s Year 1 class and Ms Clark’s Year 2 class, we will be continuing the initiative having launched our Term 2 bucket list earlier this term. Aiming to collaborate with all areas of the School, we have also created a staff bucket list and ELC bucket list consisting of 10 challenging and fun tasks. I am excited to see which class or staff member rises to the occasion and claims the winnings this term.
Another part of our theme is embracing and celebrating student achievements within our Assembly segment, ‘Yeah the Girls!’ Similar to this, in Term 2 we have launched our newest Assembly segment, ‘Yeah the Staff!’, to recognise the achievements of our amazing, talented Saints’ staff.
Lastly, the Prefect Team has established a new initiative which we are calling “Dare to be aware.” We believe that change begins with awareness, so, within our assemblies this term we will be hearing personal stories from girls in our community about their backgrounds and experiences, aiming to show our pride for Saints as the global community that we are.
The Prefect Team is thrilled with this term’s initiatives, and we are excited to see the girls collaborate and challenge themselves over the coming weeks.
Olivia Compare
Deputy Head Prefect
Mooting Students Courting Success
St Peter’s Girls entered two teams in this year’s Bond University National High School Mooting Competition held on the Gold Coast in Bond’s Law Faculty court rooms.
The competition is designed to share Bond Law’s knowledge and skills in advocacy and oral presentation with students who are interested in a career in law and may wish to undertake further legal education at a tertiary level. Participation provides students with the opportunity to gain an insight into the workings of a legal environment. Students submit an argument to a bench of judges on behalf of their fictitious client.
This year, our teams represented Penelope Potter, a 17 year old kayaker who became lost and was severely injured when the police rescue processes broke down and she was left in the wild for a further 24 hours. Our client sued the Queensland Police Department. Both teams were successful in the suit, and one team has been selected to compete in the Finals next weekend. In addition, Sara Possingham has been shortlisted for the overall best speaker award.
Well done to Sara, Emma Bleby, Kiruthika Rajasekara, Brooke Oliver, Amy Steele, Alice Tyson and India Deere.
Lynne Spry
Mooting Coordinator
Warm “Reception” for Sensory Science
On Thursday 17 May, Tash and Jordan from SciWorld visited the Reception classes to present a workshop called ‘SEE! HEAR!’ as part of the girls’ Term 2 central idea, “We experience and learn about the world through our senses.”
The girls gained knowledge about different lenses, reflections and vibrations before participating in various hands-on exploration workstations. They thoroughly enjoyed working with Tash and Jordan, and interacting with the materials provided to broaden their understanding and appreciation of their sense of sight and hearing.
“I noticed the different ways I can use my sense of sight with the materials.” – Violet
“I like it when I could talk into a cup and then put it to my ear so I could hear the other person talking. I had to stretch the string so it was really straight otherwise it wouldn’t work.” – Charlotte S
“I really like the thunder one because it made a strange sound.” – Zara
Meg Karvonen and Michelle Liddy
Reception Teachers
Sports Uniform Reminder
Currently, a number of students are continuing to wear outdated PE/Sports uniform items including culottes and polo tops. This clothing has not been stocked in the School Shop for five years and is not part of our current uniform guidelines. Please ensure your daughter is not wearing these items at the commencement of Term 3. We thank you for your support in this matter.
Years 7 – 12 Casual Day
Next Friday 1 June the Year 10s of Patteson and Selwyn will be running a casual clothes day for Years 7 – 12 to support their House charities; The Little Heroes Foundation and The Smith Family, respectively. Middle and Senior School students who choose to wear casual clothes are asked to bring a gold coin donation. For Junior School students, Selwyn has organised an epic sausage sizzle on Chiverton Lawns and Patteson will be running a make-your-own cupcake stall at the Arts Centre for the whole school to enjoy!
We strongly encourage all Middle, Senior and Junior school students to please bring in a small donation for the purpose of supporting two remarkable charities and as much spare change as possible, so you have the privilege of purchasing a juicy sausage or a fun make-your-own cupcake for $2 on Friday 1 June.
Sun Rises on Japanese Language Learning
Japanese has three scripts (types of writing) – ‘kanji’ (characters that came from China, each of which has a meaning) and two phonetic alphabets – ‘hiragana’ and ‘katakana’. ‘Hiragana’ is used for regular Japanese words such as “sushi”, “tsunami” and “sayonara”.
This is the first script that our students learn, as everything can be written in ‘hiragana’ and be understood. ‘Kanji’ is taught gradually, as new words come up, across all the years of Japanese lessons. The second alphabet, ‘katakana’, is used for any words that come from another language such as foreign foods, place and people names not from Japan and recently invented technology. Most ‘katakana’ words come from English, so to decipher the meaning, students often need to sound the word aloud. The girls enjoy working together to do this because sometimes it is easier to understand a word if someone else has said it for you.
The photo above shows our Year 8 students with cards displaying newly learned ‘katakana’ characters.
Pitkin Sensei
Japanese Teacher
Meningococcal B Study
Members of the Eastern Health Authority will be visiting the School on Friday 1 June for the Meningococcal B Herd Immunity Study for current Year 11 and 12 students. The consent forms that were signed last year continue on for this year’s involvement. The study organisers will be sending an SMS reminder to parents next week. Students will complete a questionnaire, have a throat swab and the first Meningococcal B vaccination. The second vaccination will be carried out on Wednesday 8 August.
Health Centre
Twilight Concert Set to Sparkle
![shutterstock_141848320 [Converted]](https://enews.stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Twilight-Concert-Enews.jpg)
The Music Department is staging a free Twilight Concert on Thursday 7 June at 6pm in the Arts Centre.
It will feature our Senior and Intermediate Strings, Senior and Intermediate Percussion Ensemble, Rock Band and Guitar.
This concert is quite informal, providing a relaxed environment for each of these ensembles to practise their performance skills.
All are welcome for a wonderful evening of free entertainment!
Rotary Recognition for Music Duo
Congratulations to Emma Bleby (Year 12) and Clair Kao (Year 10) who performed at the Rotary Club of St Peters’ annual Music Awards Night last Tuesday.
They were nominated for this special award based on their high level of musical proficiency, their involvement in musical ensembles inside and/or outside of the School, and for their ongoing dedication and commitment to their art form.
Both girls performed admirably and were awarded $200 in prize money to further their musical development.
Sari Noble
Acting Head of Music
Junior School Book Fair – Next Week!
Next week, we will have our annual visit by Scholastic Book Fair in the Junior Library. This pop-up bookshop event is a wonderful opportunity for students to purchase books to take home. Students will browse books in their Library lesson and formulate their wish list. Books and stationery will be for sale at the following times:
Before School
8.10 – 8.30am
Lunch
1.15 – 1.45pm
After School
3.30 – 4pm
The fair will run from Monday lunchtime to Friday lunchtime. All purchases will benefit our Library as Scholastic will donate books to our collection. We look forward to seeing you at the fair!
Helen Smith and the Year 6 Library Leaders
Year 3 String and Year 4 Band Programs
The Year 3 String Program and the Year 4 Band Program are now in full swing! With all students eagerly taking to their instrument of choice, the sounds of music are alive and well in the hallways of the Music Department!
One of the highlights of the program is the Parent Information Evening where our students have the opportunity to teach their parents their chosen instrument. This is always a valuable experience which, in many cases, helps parents to realise it’s much harder than it looks!
Sari Noble
Acting Head of Music
Fashion in the House
Our Arts Centre was buzzing for our Ladies’ Night Out
Over 125 members of our St Peter’s Girls’ community came along to our annual Ladies’ Night Out in our Arts Centre last Friday 18 May.
It was such a fun evening of entertainment and music from our talented ‘Thursday Club’ students. The fashion parade featured clothes from The Ark and all of our models looked absolutely stunning. It was also fantastic to welcome back Hitaf Rasheed (Selwyn ’86), our wonderful MC and guest speaker for the night. Hitaf is a notable Old Scholar from Selwyn House who has headed up Events South Australia, the events arm of the South Australian Tourism Commission, since August 2008.
The St Peter’s Girls’ School Foundation would like to sincerely thank Year 7 parent Maria Lanzoni and all of our wonderful sponsors, volunteers and staff who helped make the event happen. Your amazing work and support is very much appreciated.
More than $8000 was raised, which will support our Next Challenge in the School’s Master Plan: our new SCIENCE Centre!
We’d like to thank everyone who bought a ticket for their involvement and incredible support, including those community members who were models on the night:
Lucy Brown (Selwyn ‘15)
Suzannah Bryce (nee Marshall, Selwyn ‘94)
Kate Burnett (nee Burnell, Selwyn ‘99)
Maria Caruso
Natalie Drake
Georgie Georgiou
Monique Holloway
Rosanne Marshall
Emilie Rasheed
Eliza Richards (nee Hall, Kilburn ‘91)
Aly Udall
We look forward to seeing you at the next event: our Totally 80s Trivia and Disco Night on Saturday 16 June – details below!
Thursday Club Wows Friday Crowd
The Thursday Club is an extension co-curricular opportunity which comprises many of our talented singers. During these sessions, students work with our highly-regarded guitar tutor and jazz guitarist Mike Bevan, focusing on advanced skills such as how to work with an accompanist, improvisation, microphone technique as well as performance and presentation.
Last Friday night, the girls entertained the masses at the Ladies’ Night Out, each performing their own set with the confidence and professionalism we have come to expect of these up-and-coming young musicians!
Sari Noble
Acting Head of Music
Totally 80s Trivia and Disco Night
Join us for our ‘Totally 80s Trivia and Disco Night’ on Saturday 16 June at 7pm in the St Peter’s Girls’ School Gym.
Tickets – $25 per person (includes welcome drink)
Paella • Raffle • Trivia • Games • Prizes
• DJ playing 80s Disco • BYO food only
Tickets via www.trybooking.com/VGUH
Order Your 2018 | 2019 Entertainment Membership
Order your NEW 2018 | 2019 Entertainment Membership and continue to support St Peter’s Girls’ Parents’ and Friends’ Association.
Your 2017 | 2018 Entertainment Membership is about to expire. If you haven’t already, please continue supporting our School by purchasing the 2018 | 2019 membership from us today. Hurry, they’re selling fast!
As a St Peter’s Girls’ School Parents’ and Friends’ Association fundraiser, part-proceeds from every book sold will go to a special element of our Master Plan which will be announced soon.
You can order via the form at the Front Office or pre-purchase online: Order your Entertainment Book here!
The Entertainment Book and new phone app offer our community members a great way to try out restaurants and activities around SA, save money and, at the same time, support our girls.
Thank you in advance for your kind support and consideration.
The Parents’ and Friends’ Association
Code Camp at St Peter’s Girls’ School
St Peter’s Girls’ School will be hosting Code Camp Spark and Code Camp Ignite for students in Years 2 – 6 from 10 – 12 July 2018 from 9am – 3.30pm. The cost is $349 for three days.
Visit the Code Camp website for more information
Visit the St Peter’s Girls’ School booking page
Sports News
AFL (Aussie Rules)
Congratulations to Thandi Murada (Year 12) who has been selected in the State Team competing in Darwin this week at the AFLW U18 National Championships.
ATHLETICS
St Peter’s Girls has a large number of students who represent local Little Athletics Club, Eastern Districts. Many of them have been recognised for their outstanding efforts during the Summer season.
Lauren Disney won the U7 Age Champion and Most Improved
Carla Massicci won the U10 Age Champion and Most Improved
Amelia Lucas was named U12 Age Champion, Most Improved and club record for Javelin
Molly Dwyer set a new U12 club record for the 400m
Portia Maerschel was U14 Age Champion and Most Improved
Matilda Braithwaite won the U15 awards and received the Pam Sarrs Club Champion for 15 to 17 year olds
Molly Lucas was the U16 Age Champion and Most Improved; she set a new club record for 300m hurdles
Nicolette Miller was second in U16 and set a new club record for Discus and Shot Put
CROSS COUNTRY
The weather again caused some delays in running the Interhouse Cross Country events. Fortunately, conditions provided just enough relief in the afternoon to allow the Year 7, 8 and 9 students to complete their races. Many of our younger year levels had their races this week. Due to scheduling and to minimise the impact on lessons, Years 3 and 6 are scheduled to compete early next week.
All students who took part have earned House points which will help determine the Shield winner, with the overall result to be announced next week.
RESULTS
Reception: 1st Milly Richardson (KEN), Gabriella Noskovic (KIL), 3rd Violet Tulloch (SEL)
Year 1: 1st Olivia Yang (KIL), 2nd Christine Zhang (KEN), 3rd Matilda Purvis (KIL)
Year 2: 1st Lauren Disney (KEN), 2nd Beatrice Tolley (SEL), 3rd Stella Fuidge (PAT)
Year 3: still to be run
Year 4: 1st Chloe Richardson (KEN), 2nd Jiahui Zhang (SEL), 3rd Alyssa Piantedosi (KIL)
Year 5: 1st Carla Massicci (KIL), 2nd Nellie Ion (KIL), 3rd Levanya De Silva (PAT)
Year 6: still to be run
Year 7: 1st Willow Stewart-Rattray (PAT), 2nd Georgina Wakeham (PAT), 3rd Lady Murphy (SEL)
Year 8: 1st Mia Dodd (KEN), 2nd Alexia Politis (PAT), 3rd Chi Chi Zhao (SEL)
Year 9: 1st Portia Maerschel (KEN), 2nd Ella Waltham (KEN), 3rd Edie McKellar (PAT)
LACROSSE
Under 18 – Saints 16 defeated Wilderness 10
The U18s played an excellent and highly competitive game against Wilderness on Saturday. Our teamwork and fantastic response to our Coach Tim’s feedback, brought the team from an initial disappointing score of 0-5 during the first quarter, to an eventual Saints Girls’ victory. Our strengths truly shone through the resilience of our defensive players. Our outstanding goalie Isabelle Norman saved numerous goals and ultimately contributed enormously to our win. Special mention to our scorers – Chelsea Walls (5), Millie Wilkin (4), Hattie Maerschel (3), Stephanie Smalls (2) and 1 each to Sophie Auricht and Portia Maerschel. Every player should be very proud of our game as everyone contributed to the success of the team. The win against Wilderness was even more rewarding given we lost to them in the U15 Grand Final last year. This week during training, we looked at strengthening our attacking skills by practising good goal shooting techniques and cutting. Good luck for this Saturday! – Sophie Auricht (Captain)
Under 13 – Saints 6 defeated by Wilderness 15
The girls played Wildy’s U13 division one team to avoid both teams having a bye. They faced a challenge and were asked to focus on their skills. Alannah Godfrey (Year 5) did a great job at keeping her defence busy in attack by constantly moving. The attackers also played well as they made sure to pass to players in a better position and caught the ball in their sticks; Emma Pool (Year 7) and Mathilda Thomas (Year 6) did this especially well. In centre, Ashlyn May (Year 6) used her stick skills to flick herself the ball and win the draw most of the time. The girls worked hard in the second half. Lauren Pearce (Year 5) impressed in goals and took the initiative to drop the ball in the circle when saving the shot. Girls in defence worked on standing close to their players. Goal scorers were Dani Cox, Emma and Mathilda. Best players were Emma, Ashlyn, Mathilda and Alannah. – Lucy Martin (Coach)
Under 11 – Saints 6 defeated St Aloysius College (SAC) Gold 1
Congratulations to the team for a convincing win! It was good to see the girls put into place some of the strategies they’d learnt at practice. Saints dominated the ground balls and had several nearly-completed passes, showing the whole team is continually improving. In attack, Emily Bates reliably backed up behind the nets to give the team a second chance at scoring and the older players consistently led the run down the field. Keep up the good work girls! We welcomed to this week’s match Lois Burton-Howard (Year 2), bringing her huge enthusiasm to the game. Our scorers were Savannah Walls (Year 4) with 3, Emily Bates and Sophie Lively (Year 4) with 1 each, and Claris Stolcman (Year 2) with her first goal of the season. Special mention goes to our goalkeepers Tillie Wilkin (Year 3) and Millie Lively (Year 2), who were an impenetrable wall of defence. – Courtney Tasker (Coach)
NETBALL
On Saturday 19 May, the School’s Years 7 to 12 netball coaches attended a workshop run by our Director of Netball Alice Johnswood. They were taken through rotation policies, skill development matrices and ‘The Saints Way’ which relates to how we want our coaches to coach at Saints. The two main roles of our coaches are to teach the girls to love the game and to develop their skills so they can have success.
The coaches then took part in a number of activities and drills including progressions that can be used for all of our teams. We want consistency with what they are coaching and to make sure the skills being taught are age and ability-appropriate.
We had a small but dedicated and hard-working group of students who also attended to assist with the activities. Thank you to all who came along, everyone worked well and found the morning very beneficial.
Year 6 Blue – Saints 28 defeated Pembroke Green 4
Our girls had a very impressive win against Pembroke. Their circle and defensive skills were proficient and their ability to work as a team was shown. Charlotte Norman and Ruby Adams were powerful and their ability to turn the ball over was fantastic. Amelia Lucas and Jasmine Segredos shot amazingly well, catching rebounds and working around the circle together. The whole team put 100% into the game and that was displayed through the end result. Incredible win girls, congratulations! – Eleanor Pyne
Year 6 Silver – Saints 4 defeated Wilderness Pink 1
The girls had a great game against Wilderness, defeating them in a low-scoring game. They applied skills learnt from training very well. Congratulations to Olivia Oakes and Heidi Gong; Olivia played a great game with amazing intercepts and excellent enthusiasm, while Heidi was very accurate with her shooting, missing rarely. Overall, the girls incorporated solid defence skills and pressure on the court, showing great improvement from the previous week. – Brooke Elliott
Year 6 White – Saints 3 defeated by Pembroke Red 15
All the girls played really well in their second game this season against Pembroke. They take onboard the feedback the coaches give and this demonstrates the improvement each girl is making each week. They were stronger in defending this week, however need to keep it consistent and stay on their opposition, and the defenders need to keep working on jumping for rebounds. Zoe Graves showed improvement in making solid leads towards the ball and sticking on her opponent. Misha Yagnik’s quick running helped her as a great centre player. Charlize Merenda improved her skills and was always aware of her landing and pivoting. Naomi Singh made strong leads and used her voice well. Rosanna Stone is growing in her confidence on court and tried her best to defend her player, especially in the goal ring. It was great to see Emilia Libri shooting goals and improving her confidence. Gloria Zou is constantly making leads and strong passes, helping her team to turn over the ball. Jenna Maione is always ready on court and prepared to intercept every ball she can. She shows good defending skills and is able to clear out and make really good turn overs. Naadiya Ishaq made sure she had her 3 feet and hands up defending the ball, and made strong leads and offers to her team when she was free. Ishita Chellaboina is aware of making space for her team to bring the ball down and making as many offers as she can. The girls should be proud of their game and we will work on the improvements needed so all players are ready to win. – Toni Christiansen
Year 5 – Saints 10 defeated by Walford 19
Although they lost, the team played an amazing game against a hard team. There were many intercepts across the court. The stepping was at a bare minimum as the girls are gaining more confidence in the game and as a team. They worked well together and played a good, fun, team game. They gave their all and kept on fighting to the end. All should be very proud of how they are coming together as a team and showing Saints’ spirit. – Chloe Venning
SOCCER
Open A – Saints 0 defeated by Pembroke 2
It was always going to be a battle taking on a talented Pembroke side which has been one of the leading teams in the past couple of years. The girls were encouraged to not be intimidated and take the game on. In the first half, we had the ball at their end as often as they had it at ours. At times, the opposition looked frustrated as they struggled to break down our strong defence, well led by Ellie Anderson. When they did get through, goalkeeper Talah Gobell was there to stop them. With some late additions to the team to cover missing players, it took 2 good goals from Pembroke to win them the game. Our girls should be proud of their effort and should look forward to future games with even more confidence. – Sergio Cesaro (Coach)
Open B – Saints 0 defeated by Pembroke 4
Saints were unfortunate to go behind when a Pembroke player scored from an off-side position. The girls tried to rally but found Pembroke’s pressure hard to contain, though Emma Matheson again provided great resistance in goal. 2 goals down at half-time, Saints did rally with Annabelle Langley and Hannah Keough winning many tackles, and Emily Downie making a number of threatening runs into the Pembroke defensive zone. It wasn’t to be and Pembroke secured the points. – Neil Fuller (Acting Coach)
Middle A – Saints 0 defeated by Pembroke 4
Middle B – Saints 2 defeated by Pembroke 4
The girls came up against a very physical side in Pembroke. They created numerous chances but could not finish which was the difference in this otherwise close match. Asha Krywanio and Bridget Healey were excellent in goals. Keep working hard girls. – Peter Krantis
Year 6/7 – Saints 0 defeated by Pembroke 3
Year 5 – Saints 0 defeated by Wilderness 7
The girls really tried hard until the final whistle, but they were defeated in a tough game. A great effort in the defence line with most of the team giving it a go. Best player would have to be Grace for her run in midfield and many great saves goalkeeping in the second half. – Siena Kulinski
Year 3/4 – Saints 7 defeated Wilderness 4
When the opposition turns up undermanned, you have two options: you can accept their forfeit or lend them some players to even up the situation. Given the choice, I was really pleased to see a number of our players offer to help out Wilderness. Emily played another excellent game for Saints, kicking 3 goals partnering up with Aurelia Pyne for 2, along with Lucy Tulloch and Chloe Richardson with 1 goal each. Everyone in the team contributed and everyone had fun. What impressed me the most was the team’s willingness to join Wilderness. Lucy Tulloch, Diya Bhinder, Jiahui Zhang, Lyra Cox and Chloe Richardson all volunteered and gave their best. It is difficult playing for the other team and even more so kicking goals against your own team but Chloe kicked 3 for the opposition and Lyra also managed to get the ball past Sophia on one occasion. – Mark Routley (Coach)
One of the most important areas of teaching and learning is the feedback that students receive from their teachers. Research evidence tells us that great teachers give great feedback. This can take many forms: it can be via a conversation in class, it could be an interim test result or it might be a written comment in our Learning Management System, Canvas. Feedback is most useful when it is in clear language, is focused on the task, and contains specific advice on how improvements could be made. We all like to be praised, but evidence tells us that the feedback students like more than praise is the feedback that will help them to do (even) better next time. This has been a focus of department meetings this term: teachers have reviewed and discussed different approaches and have critiqued real examples.
“I became interested in archery as my dad had done it when he was young and it seemed like a new activity that I could try. At first, I only shot at home as I was only about six. When I turned seven, I started a weekly junior program at Adelaide Archery Club. In 2012, I went to my first junior National event where I placed third against girls who were four or five years older than me.
One of the important aspects of our Year 6 program is the opportunity we provide our students to learn and practise the skills of leadership. Leadership skills are developed through our Year 6 students’ individual leadership roles such as Event, Activity and House Leaders, SRC, Library, Chapel and Music Leaders, and equally importantly, through their roles as Student Peer Support Leaders.
They were inspired by a social enterprise of Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) Women, called the Tjanpi Desert Weavers.
Welcome back to Term 2. During the break, I spent a couple of days visiting schools in Melbourne to look at their new Science centres. As we enter the detailed design process of our new building, it’s valuable to reflect on the journey that other schools have travelled and, in particular, to hear of the things that have worked really well, along with those they would change now they’ve seen their laboratories in action. Given the reality that 80% of funds for capital works in independent schools are sourced via donations or loans, it was also interesting to talk to the schools about their fundraising campaigns. Two of the schools ran incredibly successful campaigns, covering half the cost of their projects with donations. One of those schools raised a staggering $20m. Admittedly, both those schools were boys’ schools. Unfortunately, the culture of philanthropy is not as well established in girls’ schools. The generosity of our donors is pivotal to bringing the Master Plan to life, and we look forward to your continued support via the upcoming annual giving appeal and the Long Lunch in September.
SHANE DAVIDSON PRESENTS is holding auditions for their production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. which will be held in the Arts Centre in the first week of the October school holidays. Auditions are 10am – 3pm Saturday 12 May.