Monthly Archives: June 2021

eNews – Week 10, Term 2 2021

Issue no. 20Enews-banner


From Our Principal

Adelaide Schools

As Term 2 draws to a close, we reach the halfway point of our current Strategic Plan. The 3-year period is deliberately short. With technology constantly changing and millennials filling the workforce, the ‘5-year plan’ way of thinking is no longer relevant. Over such a long timeframe, there are too many grand initiatives that simply fade away. A strategic plan must balance the openness to new ideas with the insistence on establishing a consistent direction. The plan should be a living document by which the Board and Principal are held accountable, with progress open to examination and evaluation on a regular basis. With that in mind, I provide the following update on this year’s goals:

Academics

The School is committed to delivering a rigorous and innovative academic program. Accordingly, we review and adjust our curriculum offerings on a regular basis. This year, our girls have the opportunity to complete a Certificate III qualification in the High Performance and Screen and Media electives in Year 10, and our Scientist in Residence program continues to evolve.

The School will respond to the changes in the Australian Curriculum, but in a Saints Girls’ way! There is an increased focus on problem-solving within the revised Mathematics curriculum. Much research in the area of cognitive science suggests that problem-solving is best attempted once a solid foundation of procedural fluency has been established. Additionally, there is still reference to a whole-language approach to reading instruction within the revised curriculum documentation. This does not adequately reflect what we know about the science of reading and what we know constitutes best practice in reading instruction. As such, we will continue to refine our approach to phonics instruction. Similarly, the increased focus on problem-solving in mathematics will not change our intention to deliver high quality explicit instruction of mathematical concepts and procedures in our classes.

The School gathers a large amount of data as your daughter progresses through the years. Without meaningful analysis, the power of data to inform and implement effective, evidence-based classroom practice is wasted. This year, the School has designed, developed and delivered customised student dashboards that enable fast access and interpretation of student data, allowing teachers to not only track your daughter’s progress but to adapt their practice accordingly.

Wellbeing

A holistic wellbeing program should support our girls not only now but into the future. With that in mind, much time has been spent this year developing a future-focused and personalised careers program. Such a program needs to commence well before Year 12 and provide regular engagement with industry. We’ve been delighted to launch Career.Ready and the JobChat initiative. Once fully operational, the program will start in Year 7 and culminate in confident, informed choices in the later years of school and beyond. Content for this program will be delivered to girls during Home Group time, and the senior girls will complete one-on-one interviews with members of our Careers team. Enquiries can be forwarded to Karen Alderson or Carolyn Farr.

A review of the current leadership curriculum and opportunities for the girls within the School is about to commence.

Co-Curricular

Our new Director of Sport Tommy Peak has developed a vision for co-curricular sport after reviewing the current structure of coaching and team selection for each sport at all age levels. As a result, changes will be made to better equip girls and coaches to experience success whilst at school and encourage lifelong active participation. A particular focus will be to develop a tailored approach in each sport to match the needs of participants, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

By year’s end, involvement in all co-curricular pursuits will be easily compared across activities and longitudinally using a specially developed comparison tool. It’s anticipated that this data will help teaching staff monitor and support student wellbeing and holistic involvement in school life.

Community

The School continues to seek meaningful alliances with entities that will contribute to the girls’ education. A relationship has been established with Australian Green Clean which is working closely with the ELC and has supported the Year 11 Business and Enterprise students’ innovation of designing a receptacle for soft plastics. The Adelaide Wind Orchestra has made the Arts Centre their second home, and in exchange for after-hours access to our facilities, they will provide free workshops for our Music students and complimentary tickets to their concerts. Girls completing Certificate III in Screen and Media are being supported by Rising Sun Pictures. Collaborations with industries and professionals are a core component of our educational offering, and when done well, they can be a winning experience for both sides.

Service learning is rolling out across the School with girls of all ages actively involved in the program. Where possible, cross sub-school connections are being made. For example, both the ELC and Year 10 girls are working with The Smith Family. Please have a look at our Facebook or Instagram account to see some of the wonderful work undertaken by our girls this semester.

Spaces and Places

The School has undergone an amazing physical transformation in recent years, with the ELC, Middle School, Library and Science Centre developments all opening within a 6-year timeframe. The Gym is the next major project, and the start date will be dependent upon the success of our fundraising campaign. We have some exciting events ahead, commencing with The Long Lunch in September and a Sports Lunch with some notable sporting champions in November. We’re hoping to finish the campaign with a bang in June next year when we’ll hold a Giving Day and Celebration Ball. Your support, as always, is much appreciated, and the 2021 tax appeal is live for another week.

Staff

As a passionate supporter of single-sex education, I sit on the Board of the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia. Providing current research to our members is a strategic priority for the alliance. But conducting and not just reviewing research is extremely valuable. Action research can provide one of the highest levels of structured personal reflection for a teacher in terms of their own practice. Hence, I’m delighted that we have a number of staff groups involved in action research this year, ably assisted by external consultants. We are committed to maintaining our status as genuine experts in all girls’ education.

The IT staff structure has been reviewed and a re-structure completed, resulting in a blended staffing model covering teaching, data analytics and IT infrastructure.

Sustainable Organisation

It’s well documented that brands should strategically incorporate video into their online presence to assist millennials throughout the purchase cycle. Nearly two thirds of millennials, our future parent base, would rather watch a video from a brand than read text. Consequently, you would have seen an increase in video content across our digital media platforms in recent years. This year, a virtual School Tour has been filmed to assist future parents in their decision-making process. The imagery is amazing and we look forward to the tour going live on our website early next semester.

The School is an exceptionally busy place, and I’ve listed just a few of the initiatives that are underway. Management consultant Peter Drucker famously said: ‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast’. Without the right culture, no strategic plan has a chance of coming to life. Our culture is the ‘feel of the place’, the atmosphere that engulfs our girls each and every day. And in turn, their actions and their behaviours influence our culture. When asked to describe Saints Girls, there’s one word I always use – authentic. Saints Girls have a presence; they live in the moment with courage and conviction and stay true to themselves. We’re a School in which our young women exude a positive sense of agency and the confidence to challenge norms in the ambitious pursuit of their goals. Our Strategic Plan, underpinned by the School’s unique culture, is designed to ensure our girls continue to exhibit those attributes long after they leave school.

Have a wonderful break and I look forward to welcoming the girls back to school on Tuesday 20 July.

Julia Shea
Principal

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Saints Girl Going for Gold at Physics Olympiad

Congratulations to Chi Chi Zhao for winning a place at the UNESCO-sanctioned International Science Olympiads. She’s among just 5 talented young students who’ll represent Australia at the International Physics Olympiad next month, competing against more than 1000 others globally.

We’re very proud of Chi Chi, who will compete in some of the world’s toughest science competitions. She has spent lots of time preparing for the Olympiad and will compete against students from over 80 countries in online exams and supervised challenges.

This week, we celebrated with Chi Chi and we wish her all the best!

‘I’m very excited to be representing Australia as part of the team for the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO). The IPhO is a physics competition for high school students that consists of both a theoretical and experimental exam and includes topics such as mechanics, electromagnetism and quantum physics. This year, the competition is organised by Lithuania and will be held virtually due to the pandemic.

Last year, I took part in the Australian Physics Olympiad and was selected to go to the Australian Science Olympiads Summer School. It was a great experience and I learnt so much in those two weeks. I was later invited to participate in the April school for further training during the holidays. The training was quite intense and very challenging at times, but it was really rewarding to look back and see how much I’d improved. My favourite thing about the Olympiad is probably the creative problem-solving and I’ve loved meeting new people along the way. I’m very grateful to my teachers at school and the tutors from the Australian Physics Olympiad for all their support and encouragement.’

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Treasured Tradition – Our ELC Hat Ceremony

A treasured tradition for our girls transitioning to Mid-Year Reception at St Peter’s Girls’ School is the ELC Hat Ceremony. This event was founded some years ago now and is one that is looked forward to by many. The ELC children are formally welcomed into the ‘big school’ at a School Assembly where they are presented with their School hat and bag by Head of Junior School Suzanne Haddy.

We were thrilled to share this moment with our 2021 Mid-Year Receptions this week, and as you can see in the video, the children were beaming with pride. We wish them all a wonderful start to school next term and look forward to hearing more about their continued journey at St Peter’s Girls.

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Foundations for Success at Saints Girls

Our Mid-Year Reception Transition Program has set the foundations for success as our ELC graduates look forward to joining the ‘big school’ next term.

They are confident and enthusiastic for the next step in their learning journey and we can’t wait to see the amazing things they’ll achieve.

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Athletes’ Amazing Track Record

Well done to Charlotte McAuliffe who won the Barb Stevens Award for the Most Promising Multi Eventer at the Athletics SA Awards. Charlotte was also nominated for the U16 Track and Field Athlete of the Year along with Carys Kinsella White. Taking home the Di Burge Award for the Best Female Sprinter was Lakara Stallan, while Daisy Braithwaite was nominated for the U16 Road, Cross Country and Walks Athlete of the Year.

We also commend Old Scholars Christine Gayen (Patteson 2014) and Rose Pittman (Kilburn 2019) for being nominated for the Open Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

Here are some of the girls’ reflections of the season:

This season, I have competed in various races across Australia. Some of my highlights include the Sydney Race Walking Nationals where I finished 4th, and the VIVA All Schools where I competed in the 2km Steeplechase, 1500 run, and 1500 walk. I was very happy with my results and can’t wait for what next season brings. – Daisy Braithwaite

Winning Most Promising Multi Eventer was one of my main highlights this season. I also competed at the Australian Athletics Nationals in Sydney where I raced in the 200m and finished 2nd overall. – Charlotte McAuliffe

Over the season, I have competed in various events across both track and field. My main achievement this season was finishing 4th in the Multi Event at Nationals. – Carys Kinsella White

Winning the Open 100m and 200m at States and throughout the season were some of my main achievements, as well as running my 100m PB, breaking 12.00 and running 11.93 seconds. – Lakara Stallan

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Dazzling Young Dancers Light up the Stage

This week, the Reception and Year 1 students took to the stage to showcase their impressive dance moves and skills. RMK were cool cats that like to hide in boxes, RAL brought sunshine with their groovy beach dance, 1ML expressed their emotions playfully through colours and 1LS were toys that came to life!

Over the past semester, the girls have thoroughly enjoyed their weekly dance lessons with Kirsty Battersby. During these sessions, the girls have explored skills in drama and dance, which have helped develop their flexibility, coordination, spatial awareness and motor skills. An enormous thank you to Kirsty for her passion and creativity.

Meg Karvonen
Reception Teacher

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Forensic Investigators Crack the Case

 

This week, the Year 9 girls took part in ‘A Case of Identity’, a forensic science activity run in the Science Centre. They took on the role of a forensic investigator and had to work through 11 different stations of evidence to solve the case. They discovered how forensic evidence is gathered, how it is analysed and how the results of these analyses are compiled to provide a detailed picture of the events leading up to a crime and of the criminal even when eyewitness accounts are not available. It was an opportunity for the girls to see how the methods and experiments they are using each day in the laboratory are developed and applied in the real world.

Craig Byrne
Head of Science

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Last House Standing in Dodgeball Quest

At lunchtime on Wednesday in the Gym, the Year 9 Sports Leaders ran a Middle School Interhouse Dodgeball Competition. All Middle School students were welcome to play for their House, facing off in a 5-minute elimination.

The teams played with unbridled enthusiasm as they fought to complete the 5 minutes with more girls left standing on the court. At the end of the round robin competition, Kilburn was victorious. The Year 9 Sports Leaders have announced more of these Interhouse competitions will come throughout the year, with a perpetual trophy up for grabs at each event.

The girls have also initiated a rostered equipment container on the oval for all students to access at lunchtime, and spoke at the last Assembly about the challenges and advantages of being active in structured and unstructured environments.

Alice Braithwaite, Daisy Braithwaite, Amelia Lucas, Mathilda Thomas, Claudia Pearce
Year 9 Sports Leaders

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Student’s Inspiring Encounter with Our Lorna

This week, the Year 10 students have been completing work experience. For my placement, I was looking for something to do in the health care area. I thought of a family friend who’s a nurse at Bordertown Memorial Hospital who I love staying with and I undertook my placement at the hospital in aged care. I have been getting to know all of the residents through sing alongs, bingo, UNO games and more. One of the residents happens to be our oldest Old Scholar Lorna Henstridge (nee Paterson, Selwyn 1933) who recently celebrated her 107th birthday.

I have spent quite a lot of time with Lorna and we have talked about how St Peter’s Girls’ School has changed over time and what she did when she went to Saints Girls. Lorna’s dad rode with her on a horse every morning to the train station where she took the train to the original campus in North Adelaide.

Lorna lived on her own right up until she was 103. She enjoys going to the pub for a meal and watching the footy. She is a very proud Saints Girl and her room has many School photos, magazines and drawings that the younger girls did for her when she visited for the School’s 125th anniversary. Her daughters all attended Saints Girls and one of them, Jenny, is now the Director of Nursing at the hospital. Lorna is gorgeous, so lively and she has an amazing attitude and memory. I cannot believe she’s 107. She’s amazing!

She was very happy to have a Saints Girl at the hospital and I have loved getting to know her. Lorna and I will definitely keep in touch.

Grace Richards
Student

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Girls Sparkle at Twilight Music Concert

It was wonderful to hear from the Flute Ensemble, In-Ta Jazz and the Percussion Ensemble on Tuesday evening at our Twilight Concert. The audience was also treated to solo percussion performances from students across Years 5 – 10. Congratulations to all the girls who performed with such confidence and musicality.

A big thank you to Dr Nick Parnell, Samantha Hennessy, Kate Lewis and David Goodwin for their support in preparing our students for the concert.

Next term, we look forward to preparing for the ABODA Band Festival in Week 4, including our string, band and percussion groups. The SACE Concert will take place in Week 8 featuring our Year 12 Music Solo Performance students, and choirs, string and band groups that involve Year 12 students. We are also looking forward to special guests St Peter’s College who will be singing in a mass choir with our Chamber Choir in the SACE concert.

Sally Rounsevell
Director of Music

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String Sharing Evening

The girls from all the string ensembles have been rehearsing hard throughout this term, so it was great to finally showcase all our hard work to parents and the junior girls.

On Monday evening and Wednesday lunchtime, the string groups performed a range of repertoire, including a special piece composed by one of our Year 11 students, Caitlin Middelberg. Thank you to Natalie Maegraith and Hilary Kleinig, our String Coordinators, for organising these sharings and helping each ensemble reach its potential. Also, special mention and congratulation to the girls involved in Adelaide Youth Orchestra and Adelaide Symphonia Orchestra this semester.

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone back next term and ready to perform at the ABODA Band Festival and the SACE Concert.

Cheri Wong
Music Prefect

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Year 1s Check Out Supermarket Shopping

Year 1 excursion to Drakes Supermarket in Newton

This term, the Year 1 students have been learning that food can go through stages of production to meet people’s needs. The Drake family kindly welcomed us to their Newton store, providing an intensive shopping experience for the girls. The excursion was informative as the girls experienced all aspects of what takes place in a supermarket. The Drakes’ team also generously provided each girl with a sample bag of goods which they took to the checkout to scan.

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to JP, Natalie and their team for providing a valuable and enjoyable learning experience for the Year 1 students.

‘When we got there, we got to have a shopping bag. We went on a treasure hunt. We collected an apple, white bread, water, popcorn and eggs. We scanned the food by ourselves. There were customers there, but for us it was free. We got to decorate doughnuts, and we got a piece of watermelon. We wore a hairnet, and we got a name tag. They had a special machine to clean the trolleys. My favourite part was looking for food.’ – Olivia

‘We went into the freezer room. It was very cold. They keep ice cream and milk in it. After that, we went to the pasta room. The lady was making pasta. We got to feel the warm pasta. Then we went into the room with bakery food like doughnuts. The oven was very hot. We got to make our own doughnuts with icing and sprinkles. They were delicious.’ – Heidi

Liz Sandercock and Michelle Liddy
Year 1 Teachers

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Out of the Blue Arts Journal 2021 – Entries Now Open

‘Out of the Blue’ is our annual Arts Journal that celebrates the best of artistic endeavours at St Peter’s Girls’ School. We are looking for new entries to fill this year’s journal. The entries can take almost any art form such as photographs, art, poetry, cakes, song lyrics and tapestry. If you can think of others, please chat with Ms Burton-Howard.

We can take photos of people playing their instrument, as well as performing dance or drama. We can also attach a QR code to link to a performance video/recording. Any film that we include needs to be owned by the person submitting it, and it must include royalty-free music. It is also important that our Arts Journal reflects our whole community; therefore, we are also interested in poetry written in its original language along with a translation.

We accept entries from ELC to Old Scholars and staff. The closing date for entries is Friday 20 August (Week 5, Term 3). Successful artists will be notified, and a celebration with awards will be held in Term 4. Our journal was a huge success last year, featuring over 150 different art submissions and selling over 125 copies. We look forward to receiving more submissions this year. All work needs to have your name and year level written clearly, and the work must be original. Entries can be placed in the Out of the Blue boxes in classrooms or in the Library.

We will also be running a competition for the design of the front cover. All submissions must be black and white, a simple outline style and can be either digital or hand-drawn, clearly linking to the title and/or the concept of an Arts Journal. Entries for the cover close Friday 23 July (Week 1, Term 3). We are also looking for new committee members from the student body in Years 9 – 11. If you are interested, please contact Ms Burton-Howard via email.

Jessica Zhang and the Out of the Blue Arts Journal Committee

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Year 5 Production – Singin’ in the Rain JR.

Year 5 is abuzz with rehearsals underway in earnest for the Year 5 Production: Singin’ in the Rain JR.!

Our girls are excited to display their talent in what will be yet another show-stopping Saints Girls’ production in the last week of Term 3. Eloise will play the iconic tap-dancing role of Don Lockwood made famous by Gene Kelly, and Maisy will play the hilarious character of Cosmo Brown made famous by Donald O’Connor.

Tickets will go on sale in early Term 3. As always, they will sell fast, so make sure you get in quick to snap up the best seats in the house.

Shelley Hampton
Director

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Year 5s Dive into STEM Head First

Year 5 students were extremely fortunate to attend the STEM Innovation Lab by Lumination to align with our studies on space technology. It was a perfect opportunity to expand upon classroom teaching about technology and, in particular, Mars missions. The girls tried out VR headsets to view informational videos and pictorials about Mars, its surface and how spacewalks are done.

The girls then worked on their iPads, guided through a design process using Co Spaces and Tinker Cad to create their own designs to solve an issue with inhabiting Mars in the future. Many chose to look at the provision of a food or water supply or what forms of habitat units would need to be provided as dwellings. They soon learned to manipulate 3D shapes to build examples of their prototypes to solve their chosen issue.

An adjunct to this was the opportunity to don full VR gear to experience a space environment. The girls were extremely courageous in their use of this equipment as a disturbance to balance and spatial awareness can accompany such an experience. We were very impressed by how they immersed themselves in the entire day.

Shelley Hampton
Year 5 Teacher

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A Taste of Paris for French Students

Braving cold and windy weather, the Year 11 French class set out on their excursion to French brasserie ‘Hey Jupiter’ and the surrealist exhibition at the Art Gallery of South Australia. Despite its not particularly French sounding name, Hey Jupiter brings a little slice of Paris to Adelaide’s East End, with décor reminiscent of an authentic Parisian brasserie and its offer of some typical French dishes. Jupiter is closely associated with fine dining and wine.

For our late breakfast, we enjoyed authentic food, such as a croque monsieur and toast français. Inspired by the French atmosphere and the company of native speakers, the conversation was held entirely in French, which, along with the delicious food, was a highlight of the excursion.

‘I thought the French cuisine was really interesting and fun and that Hey Jupiter captures the French culture really well. I also enjoyed speaking in French with everyone.’ – Eva

After a short walk to the Art Gallery, we explored the recently opened surrealist exhibition, which gave us a glimpse into the oeuvres of two surrealist artists who worked in diverse media such as painting, film and sculpture. The visit also gave us a little background of this important 20th century movement, which rebelled against the constraints of reason and traditional conventions in favour of creativity. The movement encompassed visual arts, poetry and literature, originated in France and had a significant impact globally.

Everybody appreciated the extraordinary artistic prowess and some of us are planning to go back for another visit.

Dagmar Schmidt-Duncan
French Teacher

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Subject Expo – Year 9, 10 and 11 Parents Save the Date

 

On Thursday 22 July, St Peter’s Girls is holding its Subject Expo, taking place face-to-face this year in the Middle School between 4.30 and 7pm.

The Subject Expo incorporates information sessions about Years 10, 11 and 12 subjects and pathways in 2022, subject displays, SATAC and university entrance advice, and more.

Parents and students are encouraged to attend. Further details have been sent out via email. Hope to see you there!

Nigel Scoggins
Director of Teaching and Learning

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Woodworkers Nail the Task

This term, Year 9 eTECH students have been working with wood and using simple hand tools to create different types of joins. Our multi-purpose Maker Space was transformed into a woodwork hub so the girls could better understand different types of materials and how they are used to build products.

The main project for this term was to investigate, design and build a box to solve a problem. We explored how we could use different types of varnishes and oils to finish the box and how engraving an image or text on different types of woods produces different results. Our Property Services team worked around the clock to help cut our box panels to size and provide expert advice about the best way to construct them.

We then visited Makerspace Adelaide, a volunteer-run community fabrication workshop. The girls enjoyed learning about the difference between a circular and linear economy and the movement towards ‘lending libraries’. After a quick overview of various power tools, they were keen to get to work. With only a few finishes required to complete our boxes, the girls felt confident using different types of tools for different purposes.

Monique Green
Digital Tech Teacher and STEM Coordinator

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Junior School Vacation Care

Our next awesome instalment of Junior School Vacation Care is almost here. We have some great activities guaranteed to keep the children entertained through the break. With an array of excursions and on-site adventures, there is plenty of fun to be had.

June/July 2021 Vacation Care Program
Places are limited, so click here to secure your booking now!

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St Peter’s Girls’ Community Bingo Night

Thank you to everyone who came along to our Community Bingo Night in our School Gym last Saturday. Our guests enjoyed a fantastic night of lively competition, fun and catching up with other community members.

A big thank you to our Director of Sport Tommy Peak and bingo guru Anthony from Olympic Bingo Adelaide for their help on the night – as our bingo callers, they were given five stars (or as Tommy sang, five golden rings!).

A special thank you to our generous prize sponsors: Richard Powell from Plumbing and Pipeline Solutions, as well as Cimone and Stephen Lam, Ed Parker, Caroline and Jeff Owler, Bunnings Kent Town, John and Megan Mallick for the Windsor Meats vouchers, Euro Pizza, Olli and Amelia Porter and The Glynde Hotel.

In between five bingo rounds, our guests played other games, testing their skills by throwing a coin for accuracy and putting a hole-in-one on the golf green. Congratulations to the winners of each bingo game who won a range of fantastic prizes including a $250 voucher for the School Shop, $25 vouchers for Euro Pizza and three bottles of wine, meat trays from Windsor Meats and plants from Bunnings Kent Town.

Lorraine Scarr was the big winner on the night, taking home a wheelbarrow filled with gardening products and other goodies in the raffle. The second prize was a voucher for Plumbing and Pipeline Solutions, and the third prize was a beautiful vase won by Helen Jeffery, who also won a raffle prize at our recent Ladies’ Night Out.

Thanks to our staff for their help, including bartender extraordinaire, Principal Julia Shea. We appreciate all the assistance from Friends of Rowing who also organised volunteers for the night.

We are looking forward to finishing the financial year with an excellent fundraising result from our Annual Appeal supporting our new Gym. Let’s all work together and shoot for 100% participation at any level you are comfortable with! You can donate here. Also, we look forward to our next big community event, the Foundation Long Lunch in September. Be quick to purchase your tickets here as they are selling fast!

Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager

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The Long Lunch – Sunday 19 September

Join us for a tantalising Asian Fusion at The Long Lunch. Enjoy an afternoon among friends and colleagues with entertainment, auctions and delicious food paired with exceptional refreshments.

Sunday 19 September 2021
12 noon – 5pm

Tickets are $150
Only 200 available

Book now via www.trybooking.com/BQADN

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Songbird Society School Holiday Music Workshops

The Songbird Society is launching its first-ever School Holiday Music Workshops.
Located in Bowden, the Songbird Society is a new, community-minded recording studio and music education space whose intention is to inspire, empower, and elevate music artists of all backgrounds, experience and goals.

Be quick to enrol as slots will be occupied on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendance is capped at 10 participants per workshop session.

Years 1 – 7
A 3-day program that offers children an opportunity to explore the magic of music in a fun, engaging and encouraging environment. Participants can look forward to creative activities, educational games, hands-on activities, vocabulary lessons and more!

Session 1: 9am – 12pm, Monday 5 July – Wednesday 7 July
Session 2: 9am – 12pm, Monday 12 July – Wednesday 14 July

Enrol before 28 June.

Years 8 – 12

This 3-day program empowers teenagers with the knowledge of how to create their own song demos from scratch. By the end, the goal is for participants to have completed an original demo. They are led by instructors through interactive lectures, creative activities and more, while using the widely-available digital audio workstation GarageBand.

Session 1: 1pm – 5pm, Monday 5 July – Wednesday 7 July
Session 2: 1pm – 5pm, Monday 12 July – Wednesday 14 July

Enrol before 28 June.

Click here for more information about both opportunities.

You can also visit the Songbird Society website here.

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School Holiday Beam Camp

Adelaide Schools

Beam is the innovative holiday camp for bright sparks aged 7 – 12 run by the education team at Lumination made up of STEM educators, robotics experts and coding superstars. The program will run at St Peter’s Girls’ School from 30 June – 14 July.

At Beam Camp, soar past the boundaries of everyday life while exploring coding, immersive virtual reality, robotics and drones. Beam Campers will make new friends while building digital literacy, problem-solving and design thinking – skills that will be vital for their future.

At Red Planet Rescue drone coding camp, navigate your drone around the model Mars colony using block coding, and learn core concepts such as iteration, functions and variables while you’re at it!

At Beyond 2021 VR coding camp, use fully immersive virtual reality technology to explore our solar system and beyond, and discover what challenges will be facing the colonists in the Trappist-1 system.

At Countdown to Mars robotics camp, build your very own rover, customise it and then program it to perform essential tasks on Mars.

Visit beamcamp.com.au to register.

Use the code HOST-49 for $49 off your registration.

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IT Hub School Holiday Opening Hours

Adelaide Schools

The IT Hub is open these school holidays from 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
If you’re in need of any assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact or visit our team.
Our direct number is 8334 2227.

Tracey Guyers
IT Manager

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School Shop – Holiday Opening Hours

Adelaide Schools

The School Shop will be open on the following days:

Friday 16 July, 9am – 3pm
Monday 19 July, 9am – 4pm

Regular shop opening hours resume from Tuesday 20 July.

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Road Safety Alert

Adelaide Schools

The School is extremely concerned by reports of dangerous driver behaviour including speeding through the car park. All drivers must obey the 10kph speed limit.

Please also note the speed limit along Hallett Road has recently been reduced from 60 to 50kph.

Road safety and courtesy is everyone’s responsibility and is of the utmost importance in a school setting. We appeal to all of our families to take extra care in our car parks and on the roads for the safety of our students, parents, staff and the wider community.

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Parents and Year Level Representatives Meeting

At the start of Term 3, all parents are invited to attend an information/collaboration meeting in person or on Zoom with Principal Julia Shea and our Community Relations staff. Parents will be updated on upcoming community activities and will hear from Julia. This will give parents an opportunity to get involved in our community events, ask questions, offer advice and provide constructive feedback. For more information, please contact me via 0407 394 183 or mwestgate@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.

Term 3 Community Meeting
Monday 26 July, 6 – 7pm

Elizabeth Pike Art Centre (in person)

Or join our Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87061280575?pwd=NjNUeGhSL3dYaGtsRTVlVTMvc3pPZz09
Meeting ID: 870 6128 0575
Passcode: 411205

Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager

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Community at Saints Girls

Parents are a vibrant and important part of the St Peter’s Girls’ community.
Many opportunities are available to become involved with the School, connect with other community members and build strong and lasting friendships.

Friends of The Arts Community Group Meetings – Term 3
Wednesday 28 July, 7pm, Elizabeth Pike Art Centre
Wednesday 25 August, 7pm, Elizabeth Pike Art Centre

Contact: Danielle Parker  – dslparker@gmail.com

Saints Sport Support Group Meeting – Term 3
Tuesday 27 July, 6.30pm, Elizabeth Pike Art Centre

Friends of Rowing – Term 3
Tuesday 17 August, 6.30pm, Elizabeth Pike Art Centre – AGM
Tuesday 21 September, 6.30pm, Elizabeth Pike Art Centre

Contact: Ed Parker – edontheroadagain@hotmail.com

Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager

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Entertainment Membership

To support Saints Girls and purchase your Entertainment Membership, including a free upgrade, click here.

Adelaide Schools

Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.entertainment.com.au for more information.

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Absences from School

If your child is going to be absent, late to school or leave early, please use one of the following methods to notify the School providing student name, class/Home Group and reason:

Text: 0428 601 957

Email: attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au

Phone: 8334 2200

Feel free to include the class/Home Group teacher when emailing. It would be appreciated if notifications could be made prior to 9am.

Please note: it is absolutely imperative to keep unwell children at home until they have recovered, even if symptoms are mild. This is not only for their own health and safety, but for that of all students and staff.

We thank all of our families for their cooperation.

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COVID Measures

Please note the following information regarding our continued COVID response.

The School has a QR code tracing system to facilitate the safe return of parents on site, in line with wider government measures. Parents entering the campus to drop off or collect their children need to scan the QR code provided each time. This also applies to parents visiting the School for events such as parent information evenings, Arts productions or sports training/matches.

Parents and visitors with more formal appointments at the School, such as meeting a staff member, are still required to sign in/out at Front Office and also need to scan the QR code as well for SA Health tracing purposes.

Adults who do not have a device to scan the QR code need to write their details on the paper form provided in the Front Office.

Parents who remain in their vehicles in the main car park do not need to scan in, and students do not need to scan in as the School already tracks daily attendance.

Logistics around events will be shared in due course, dependent upon the latest advice. Attendance numbers, particularly for indoor events, will still need to be restricted to facilitate social distancing.

The following general requirements remain in place:

  • Ensure adults maintain a distance of 1.5m from each other.
  • Practise sound hand washing and other hygiene measures.
  • Students should remain at home if they are unwell; please notify the School of absences by texting 0428 601 957, emailing attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au, or calling 8334 2200.

We thank all of our families for your cooperation.

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Sports News

Adelaide Schools

COMMUNITY SPORT – BADMINTON FITNESS PROGRAM

Our new Gym will bring with it many opportunities, both for the student learning experience and community wellbeing. Moving forwards, we see community engagement in our Sports Program at Saints Girls as a key strategic target. We believe that if our girls see their families, teachers and adult community stepping outside of their comfort zones and living an active lifestyle, then they are more likely to adopt a fit-for-life approach themselves.

We are therefore excited to launch our Community Sport Badminton Program in Term 3. This is an adults only program for the Saints Girls’ community. Families, staff and Old Scholars are invited to come together to exercise and socialise in a fun and open setting. With all proceeds raised going towards our Gym campaign, and at only $50 for the 5 week program, what better way to get active and contribute to the new Gym? This is an all-abilities program, so regardless of your age, experience or fitness, you are welcome to attend! Places are limited and the program will run on a first-in basis.

Click here to book.

For more information, please email Director of Sport Tommy Peak via tpeak@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.

AFL

Open: Saints 21 v Concordia 27
Middle: Saints 8 v Concordia 16

Both teams came up against Concordia and were keen to finish the term strongly. The development in kicking skills amongst the Middle team has been immense and drop punts are becoming a much more regular feature in games. This has led to improved leading and marking as we are more aware of the direction of the ball. The Middles were unlucky to miss out on the win but they continue to build and will have some good opportunities next term.

The Opens played their best match of the year. The link-up handballing was a feature out of defence and through the middle of the ground. Anda Ceplite and Lily-Rose Spartalis played their best games with great attack on the ball, as did many of the girls. Saints led until late in the game when a quick transition resulted in an opposition goal and the siren went soon after. Little reward for the effort displayed but much to take away from this performance as the girls enter their term break. – Dan Searle (AFL Coordinator)

BADMINTON

Open A: Saints 6 v Seymour 0
Open B: Saints 6 v Immanuel 4
Open C: Saints 3 v Westminster 3
Open D: Saints 3 v Pembroke 3
Open E1: Saints 5 v Wilderness 4
Open E2: Saints 2 v Pembroke 7
Open F1: Saints 9 v Immanuel 0
Open F2: Saints 6 v Seymour 3

Once again, impressive and dominating plays from the Open A and B teams. The girls in the E and F teams were faced with strong players from the four opponent schools and displayed excellent skills on court. Over the course of this season, the new badminton players have shown great improvements in skills, tactics and confidence. It is amazing to see the girls’ enthusiasm and persistent efforts. It was an amazing half of a season and we look forward to continuing our hard work in Term 3. – Candy Feng (Badminton Captain)

CROSS COUNTRY

The SAAS Cross Country season ended on Wednesday night with the State Relay Championships at Waite Oval. Saints Girls competed with 2 teams in the Junior Secondary division, hoping to continue their development from across the season in the final relay race. Our highest-ranked team led the race from start to finish, building on their lead over Immanuel College in each 3km leg, winning the race in a time of 45:45. Our next team also participated with determination, eventually finishing 4th place overall, another great effort. Congratulations to all the girls and thank you to Mrs Cox and parents for their efforts on Wednesday and across the season.

1st place team:
Isla Fahey
Daisy Braithwaite
Alice Braithwaite
Malaika McLeod

4th place team:
Zara Trim
Charlotte McAuliffe
Dani Cox
Carys Kinsella-White

HOCKEY

Adelaide Schools

Open: Saints 0 v Pembroke 7
Year 5 /6: Saints 10 v Seymour 2
Year 3/4: Saints 2 v Walford 1

The Open A team started off strongly against Pembroke. It was great to see Amelia Lucas using her skill to dribble the ball down the field and passing in the circle, but unfortunately, we couldn’t convert. Well done to the defenders who stayed solid throughout and showed great skill when transferring the ball across the field. Well done girls for a great start of the season!

The 3/4 Minkey team played their last game of the season against Walford. The girls played well as a team, connecting many of their passes resulting in success. Well done to Ishana Roy for getting a goal caused by a turnover where she dribbled the ball down the field, showing great skill, dragging around players. Mathilda Begg got the 2nd goal after great persistence. Well done girls for an amazing season it’s great to see how much everyone has improved. – Poppie Goldsmith (Hockey Captain)

The 5/6 team had an awesome end to their season. After an indoor training session due to wet weather, we identified key characteristics of the ‘Dream Team Mate’ and our girls showed several of these characteristics come game day. Seymour only had 5 players, so 2 Saints Girls volunteered each half to play for their team. Special mention to Abbey, Yashika, Gabby and Maddy who offered to help them out. Seymour was very grateful that they volunteered and played their best for their team. It has been a pleasure coaching the girls this term, they are all very skilful players with lots of potential. – Liv Goldsmith (Year 5/6 Coach)

NETBALL

Adelaide Schools

On Monday, the Year 5/6 netballers played in their Netball Interhouse competition. It was their final netball session for the term and a chance to show off the skills they have learnt during the season.

Our Student Coaches took the reigns of each House group and our Head Coaches umpired and supervised. Cheers and chants filled the air as the girls took the court. Spirits were high and the girls’ competitiveness shone through. The race for the trophy was very close. No team went through undefeated, but Selwyn came out on top at the end of the day!

Thank you to all the coaches and umpires who have assisted throughout the season and to the parents who have supported the program. To the girls, well done on a great season! It is pleasing to see how their skills and team spirit have developed throughout the term. – Alice Johnswood

Open A: Saints 40 v Pembroke 36
Open B: Saints 38 v Pembroke 33
Open C: Saints 13 v Pembroke 43
Open D: Saints 5 v Pembroke 52

Intermediate A: Saints 23 v Pembroke 38
Intermediate B: Saints 14 v Pembroke 36

Year 10C: Saints 17 v Immanuel 38
Year 9A: Saints 42 v Pembroke 39
Year 9B: Saints 35 v Pembroke 17
Year 9C: Saints 14 v Wilderness 17
Year 8A: Saints 23 v Pembroke 26
Year 8B: Saints 41 v Pembroke 21
Year 8C: Saints 12 v Wilderness 12
Year 7A: Saints 20 v Pembroke 7
Year 7B: Saints 21 v Pembroke 12
Year 7C: Saints 1 v Immanuel 23

Year 7A
What a fantastic game! It started off tightly against Pembroke, but with strong defence and great ball movement, the girls took a 9 – 5 lead into quarter time. They started the 2nd quarter with confidence and determination, leading 16 – 6 by half-time. After suffering a few injuries, Emily Bates was able to fill in. Her tight defence and ball pressure limited Pembroke’s scoring opportunities. Down the other end, Savannah Walls and Mia Bennett worked well together to provide scoring opportunities with strong and confident leads. During the 3rd quarter break, the girls took advice from Coach Lisa Tulloch by focusing on strong passes and using our time on the ball well. The girls played an amazing game and scored a well-deserved win. – Alyssa Piantedosi (Year 7A)

SOCCER

In our final soccer training session of the term, we merged the middle and senior groups together to take part in a 7 v 7 tournament. Replicating the European Championships, the girls chose England, Norway, France and Ireland as their 4 teams competing, with points scored in a variety of ways including a last-minute American shootout. Ireland took home glory with 22 points, followed by France on 20, Norway on 19 and England on 16. After a fun end to the term, the girls are looking forward to being back on the field in Term 3.

TENNIS NEWS

School Holiday Tennis Coaching

Tennis coaching is available these school holidays. If your daughter would like to participate, private lessons or semi-private lessons can be arranged. All skill levels are encouraged! We coach from young beginner using the Hot Shots equipment, up to club competition level. If you would like to arrange a lesson, please contact me via 0412 855 073 or ford.matt@bigpond.com.

Reception to Year 4 Lunchtime Tennis Term 3

The lunchtime Hot Shots tennis program in Term 2 was fantastic. The girls from Reception to Year 4 enjoyed improving their skills and had lots of fun on court! I am happy to announce that we are continuing the lunchtime tennis coaching in Term 3. The program begins in Week 1, but your daughter can join anytime in the term. Group sizes are approximately 4 per group. If you would like to enrol your daughter, please contact me via 0412 855 073 or ford.matt@bigpond.com.

Matt Ford
St Peter’s Girls’ Tennis Coach

eNews – Week 9, Term 2 2021

Issue no. 19Enews-banner


Dream Becomes Reality for Saints Girls

Congratulations to Year 10 students Izzy, Mary and Georgia from team ‘Motiv8 @ Home’ who made the national top 10 and received a High Impact Award in the Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior Competition.

The Year 10 Business, Innovation and Technology class entered the challenge in Term 1. The ‘Motiv8 @ Home’ team identified the problem of people lacking the motivation to exercise during COVID-19 lockdowns. Their idea was to develop a hologrammatic AI training partner which harnesses augmented reality and artificial intelligence to scan the environment and design a workout using the furniture and spaces available. The hologram provides motivation and demonstrates exercises throughout the sessions.

The judging panel was impressed by the creative way the girls presented their idea, taking advantage of the School’s state-of-the-art Media Hub. They were also glad to see a team focus on a problem that is so relevant and far-reaching. The School enjoys ongoing success in this competition, with a team of Saints Girls taking out the National title in 2019 for their AI midwife ‘Naila’.

Monique Green
Digital Tech Teacher & STEM Coordinator

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Scientist in Residence Ignites STEM Spark

The School’s first Scientist in Residence has been doing a terrific job helping ignite and nurture the STEM spark in our girls.

Dr Nicole Foster has been assisting in Science lessons as well as running vibrant lunchtime activities.

We’re proud to have her on board, instilling scientific curiosity in girls and young women.

 

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From Our Deputy Principal / Head of Middle School

Adelaide Schools

One of the key skills that we aim to develop through our Middle School Framework is the ability to collaborate in a variety of scenarios. The new Middle School was designed to be a flexible space with an abundance of breakout spaces that encourage small group collaboration, with technology integrated in a way to support a variety of communication and collaboration modes. In the past week, we’ve been putting the finishing touches on the internal design elements of the Middle School extension, ensuring that we continue to provide interesting, functional and inspiring collaborative spaces for our students and staff.

There was much excitement today as our Year 8 girls spent a half day at St Peter’s College, involved in activities with their Year 8 boys as well as girls from Walford Anglican School for Girls. With the Year 7 day in 2020 postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions, teachers and students were keen to get fully engaged. The students were placed into 10 mixed groups before circulating through a variety of different workshops and activities. Quizzes, drama games, maths puzzles, team building, AFL 9s, lacrosse and philosophy were amongst the different classes on offer – all with one common theme. All tasks had been designed to engender positive and respectful interactions, with collaboration a necessity for success. Our girls worked positively and with creativity and determination, collaborating effectively on many of the challenges. Making contacts with students from a variety of backgrounds and having the opportunity to discuss the similarities and differences of their schooling experiences is always interesting. Appreciating that diverse opinions exist and that they can add to the success of a collaborative exercise is an important life lesson.

Finally, we wish our two da Vinci Decathlon teams the best of luck as they compete in the National event next week. Our State Champion Year 7 and 9 teams will compete ‘virtually’ against schools from all states and territories in what promises to be an exciting competition. As ever, when confronted with what will inevitably be taxing and complex tasks, simultaneously, effective communication and calm collaboration will be crucial to enabling our girls achieve to their potential.

Richard Lisle
Deputy Principal/Head of Middle School

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Plucky Pianists Revel in Recital

Saints Girls was proud to host our annual Piano Recital on Tuesday. We were fortunate to have Dr Gabriella Smart as a guest artist for the evening. Dr Smart is the Artistic Director of Soundstream, New Music Ensemble in Residence at the University of Adelaide. A renowned performer, she spoke of her musical journey and performed contemporary works to motivate and inspire our budding pianists. The recital also featured presentations from students across year levels and performance experiences who were selected from the Piano Eisteddfod.

Here are reflections from some of our students:

It was amazing to hear Dr Gabriella Smart play and learn about her experiences as a soloist. Also to hear her play something different that we probably would never have known of. It was great to be able to share music with my peers and to hear what they had been practising. Just before I was about to play, I was nervous, even though it was just our parents and peers watching. However, once I got up and starting playing, all of my nerves went away. – Chen Chen Han (Year 6 student)

When I was about to perform, I was stressing out, but I took in a deep breath and played. When I played, I didn’t feel that bad anymore and ended up making no mistakes. I never actually thought that I would be asked to play in the recital, but I was and it gave me more confidence to believe in myself. Having Dr Smart as our guest artist was an amazing experience for us. Her music was really unique and I have never heard something like that before. I think the graphic score she had on her iPad was really interesting too. – Jana Song (Year 6 student)

As Year 6 Music Captains, Scarlett Parker and I assisted Ms Rounsevell in running the Piano Eisteddfod last week. It was wonderful to listen to students younger and older than me perform their pieces. I realised there is such a diverse level of piano players and it was great to see so many students perform no matter their grade or years of playing experience. The Piano Recital was really great training for me to develop my performance skills once again as it has been some time since I performed to a live audience. I also really enjoyed hearing Dr Smart play and listen to what she had to say about being a confident and passionate performer. – Samantha Li (Year 6 Music Captain)

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Aerobics Stars Shoot for National Glory

After tasting success in the FISAF (Federation of International Sport Aerobics and Fitness) Super Series competition, our Aerobics girls have gone on to achieve more amazing results at the FISAF State Championships, with all four teams qualifying for the FISAF National Championships.

In the Secondary School Pre-Choreographed Teams (Years 7 – 12: Advanced) division, the Feisty Fives place 2nd and Glisten came 1st. The Pink Ladies and Golden Girls competed in the Secondary School Pre-Choreographed Teams (Years 7 – 9: Novice), placing 1st and 4th respectively.

In FISAF competitions, the top 3 teams in the division qualify for Nationals. This meant we had three out of four teams qualify on competition day. Although the Golden Girls did not place in the top 3, they received one of FISAF’s ‘wild cards’ for scoring well against other schools across Australia and have qualified for Nationals as well.

All teams are ecstatic about their qualification and are eagerly training for the National Championships to be held in Brisbane in August. The coaches and I are incredibly proud of all the efforts from these girls this year and are excited to see how they compete at Nationals.

Maddi Harmer
Student

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Inside Look at Local Government

Last Friday, both Year 4 classes experienced first-hand what it is like to be an elected member of Burnside Council. This excursion explored our central idea, ‘Societies have different systems for making decisions that influence the lives of citizens’, under the transdisciplinary theme of ‘How we organise ourselves.’

The students were fortunate to spend time with Mayor of Burnside, past staff member and Old Scholar Anne Monceaux (nee Harrington, Kennion 1966). They visited the Council Chambers where Mayor Monceaux explained how local governments function and how the services provided by the council support the community. She also discussed her role on council, her influences and the attributes one requires for a place in public service.

The girls also participated in a session on waste management with Sarah McConaghy-Beasley, Environmental Sustainability Officer. They enjoyed the ‘Which Bin’ relay and the mini bin sort activity where they were able to showcase their knowledge about what waste goes into which bin. This experience provided further insight into sustainability services that the City of Burnside offers their citizens.

Olivia Coulter & Zoe West
Year 4 Teachers

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Old Scholar’s Fitness Challenge

Old Scholar Eliza Richards-Hall (nee Hall, Kilburn 1991), current parent to triplets Ruby, Pearl and Grace in Year 10, recently visited Stonyfell to teach a Year 10 fitness session. She is a personal trainer who runs ‘The Studio Trainer’ in Royston Park. The session was engaging and fun, but most definitely challenging for the girls.

All Year 10 classes move through a number of short units in Physical Education that provide opportunities to explore activities they may continue with into adulthood. We all understand the issues of screen time, lack of unstructured physical activity and a sedentary lifestyle within the wider population. It is important our girls have the tools to increase their self-efficacy through a range of different fitness equipment and activities.

We appreciate Eliza taking the time out of her busy schedule to teach our girls some important lessons.

Dan Searle
Head of PE, Health & Outdoor Education

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Friends of The Arts On Song

As we reflect on the huge success of our School Musical, A Chorus Line – High School Edition, I would like to mention the efforts of the Friends of The Arts (FOA) community group. They are the lovely ladies serving snacks and drinks at our Arts events in order to support our program and students. Thanks to their contributions, we were able to buy six new, professional and quality hair microphones, which you can barely see from the audience! These were used in both the Senior Drama Production and School Musical this term. I really appreciate their positivity, ideas and support! If you would like to join FOA, please contact Melissa Westgate via mwestgate@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.

Kate Burnett
Head of The Arts

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Junior School Vacation Care

Our next awesome instalment of Junior School Vacation Care is almost here. We have some great activities guaranteed to keep the children entertained through the break. With an array of excursions and on-site adventures, there is plenty of fun to be had.

June/July 2021 Vacation Care Program
Places are limited, so click here to secure your booking now!

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Songbird Society School Holiday Music Workshops

The Songbird Society is launching its first-ever School Holiday Music Workshops.
Located in Bowden, the Songbird Society is a new, community-minded recording studio and music education space whose intention is to inspire, empower, and elevate music artists of all backgrounds, experience and goals.

Be quick to enrol as slots will be occupied on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendance is capped at 10 participants per workshop session.

Years 1 – 7
A 3-day program that offers children an opportunity to explore the magic of music in a fun, engaging and encouraging environment. Participants can look forward to creative activities, educational games, hands-on activities, vocabulary lessons and more!

Session 1: 9am – 12pm, Monday 5 July – Wednesday 7 July
Session 2: 9am – 12pm, Monday 12 July – Wednesday 14 July

Enrol before 28 June.

Years 8 – 12

This 3-day program empowers teenagers with the knowledge of how to create their own song demos from scratch. By the end, the goal is for participants to have completed an original demo. They are led by instructors through interactive lectures, creative activities and more, while using the widely-available digital audio workstation GarageBand.

Session 1: 1pm – 5pm, Monday 5 July – Wednesday 7 July
Session 2: 1pm – 5pm, Monday 12 July – Wednesday 14 July

Enrol before 28 June.

Click here for more information about both opportunities.

You can also visit the Songbird Society website here.

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School Holiday Beam Camp

Adelaide Schools

Beam is the innovative holiday camp for bright sparks aged 7 – 12 run by the education team at Lumination made up of STEM educators, robotics experts and coding superstars. The program will run at St Peter’s Girls’ School from 30 June – 14 July.

At Beam Camp, soar past the boundaries of everyday life while exploring coding, immersive virtual reality, robotics and drones. Beam Campers will make new friends while building digital literacy, problem-solving and design thinking – skills that will be vital for their future.

At Red Planet Rescue drone coding camp, navigate your drone around the model Mars colony using block coding, and learn core concepts such as iteration, functions and variables while you’re at it!

At Beyond 2021 VR coding camp, use fully immersive virtual reality technology to explore our solar system and beyond, and discover what challenges will be facing the colonists in the Trappist-1 system.

At Countdown to Mars robotics camp, build your very own rover, customise it and then program it to perform essential tasks on Mars.

Visit beamcamp.com.au to register.

Use the code HOST-49 for $49 off your registration.

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School Shop – Holiday Opening Hours

Adelaide Schools

The School Shop will be open on the following days:

Friday 16 July: 9am – 3pm
Monday 19 July: 9am – 4pm

Regular shop opening hours resume from Tuesday 20 July.

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Road Safety Alert

Adelaide Schools

The School is extremely concerned by reports of dangerous driver behaviour including speeding through the car park. All drivers must obey the 10kph speed limit.

Please also note the speed limit along Hallett Road has recently been reduced from 60 to 50kph.

Road safety and courtesy is everyone’s responsibility and is of the utmost importance in a school setting. We appeal to all of our families to take extra care in our car parks and on the roads for the safety of our students, parents, staff and the wider community.

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Parents and Year Level Representatives Meeting

At the start of Term 3, all parents are invited to attend an information/collaboration meeting in person or on Zoom with Principal Julia Shea and our Community Relations staff. Parents will be updated on upcoming community activities and will hear from Julia. This will give parents an opportunity to get involved in our community events, ask questions, offer advice and provide constructive feedback. For more information, please contact me via 0407 394 183 or mwestgate@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.

Term 3 Community Meeting
Monday 26 July, 6 – 7pm

Elizabeth Pike Art Centre (in person)

Or join our Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87061280575?pwd=NjNUeGhSL3dYaGtsRTVlVTMvc3pPZz09
Meeting ID: 870 6128 0575
Passcode: 411205

Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager

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Community at Saints Girls

Parents are a vibrant and important part of the St Peter’s Girls’ community.
Many opportunities are available to become involved with the School, connect with other community members and build strong and lasting friendships.

Friends of The Arts Community Group Meetings – Term 3
Wednesday 28 July, 7pm, Elizabeth Pike Art Centre
Wednesday 25 August, 7pm, Elizabeth Pike Art Centre

Contact: Danielle Parker  – dslparker@gmail.com

Saints Sport Support Group Meeting – Term 3
Tuesday 27 July, 6.30pm, Elizabeth Pike Art Centre

Friends of Rowing – Term 3
Tuesday 17 August, 6.30pm, Elizabeth Pike Art Centre – AGM
Tuesday 21 September, 6.30pm, Elizabeth Pike Art Centre

Contact: Ed Parker – edontheroadagain@hotmail.com

Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager

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Entertainment Membership

To support Saints Girls and purchase your Entertainment Membership, including a free upgrade, click here.

Adelaide Schools

Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.entertainment.com.au for more information.

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Absences from School

If your child is going to be absent, late to school or leave early, please use one of the following methods to notify the School providing student name, class/Home Group and reason:

Text: 0428 601 957

Email: attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au

Phone: 8334 2200

Feel free to include the class/Home Group teacher when emailing. It would be appreciated if notifications could be made prior to 9am.

Please note: it is absolutely imperative to keep unwell children at home until they have recovered, even if symptoms are mild. This is not only for their own health and safety, but for that of all students and staff.

We thank all of our families for their cooperation.

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COVID Measures

Please note the following information regarding our continued COVID response.

The School has a QR code tracing system to facilitate the safe return of parents on site, in line with wider government measures. Parents entering the campus to drop off or collect their children need to scan the QR code provided each time. This also applies to parents visiting the School for events such as parent information evenings, Arts productions or sports training/matches.

Parents and visitors with more formal appointments at the School, such as meeting a staff member, are still required to sign in/out at Front Office and also need to scan the QR code as well for SA Health tracing purposes.

Adults who do not have a device to scan the QR code need to write their details on the paper form provided in the Front Office.

Parents who remain in their vehicles in the main car park do not need to scan in, and students do not need to scan in as the School already tracks daily attendance.

Logistics around events will be shared in due course, dependent upon the latest advice. Attendance numbers, particularly for indoor events, will still need to be restricted to facilitate social distancing.

The following general requirements remain in place:

  • Ensure adults maintain a distance of 1.5m from each other.
  • Practise sound hand washing and other hygiene measures.
  • Students should remain at home if they are unwell; please notify the School of absences by texting 0428 601 957, emailing attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au, or calling 8334 2200.

We thank all of our families for your cooperation.

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Sports News

Adelaide Schools

COMMUNITY SPORT – BADMINTON FITNESS PROGRAM

Our new Gym will bring with it many opportunities, both for the student learning experience and community wellbeing. Moving forwards, we see community engagement in our Sports Program at Saints Girls as a key strategic target. We believe that if our girls see their families, teachers and adult community stepping outside of their comfort zones and living an active lifestyle, then they are more likely to adopt a fit-for-life approach themselves.

We are therefore excited to launch our Community Sport Badminton Program in Term 3. This is an adults only program for the Saints Girls’ community. Families, staff and Old Scholars are invited to come together to exercise and socialise in a fun and open setting. With all proceeds raised going towards our Gym campaign, and at only $50 for the 5 week program, what better way to get active and contribute to the new Gym? This is an all-abilities program, so regardless of your age, experience or fitness, you are welcome to attend! Places are limited and the program will run on a first-in basis.
Click here to book.
For more information, please email Director of Sport Tommy Peak via tpeak@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.

CROSS COUNTRY

SSSA

A correction to last week’s Cross Country results, with East Adelaide U13 finishing 1st overall, not 2nd as previously published. A fantastic achievement!

HOCKEY

Year 3/4: Saints 5 v Seymour 1

Last week, the Year 3/4 Minkey girls played Seymour’s Green team. The girls had a great game with all players showing determination. It was good to see Mathilda Begg and Emily Robinson as leaders, taking the frees coming out of defence and passing to players leading into space. Throughout the game, Ishana Roy showed much persistence which resulted in her achieving 5 goals. Well done girls on a fantastic game! – Poppie Goldsmith (Hockey Captain)

NETBALL

Year 6 White: Saints 9 v Pembroke 19
Year 6 Blue: Saints 36 v Seymour 12
Year 5 Blue: Saints 12 v Seymour Green 7

On Wednesday, the Year 6 White team played Pembroke. Unfortunately, they lost but they played a good game. It is great to see how much they have progressed over the season and their skills have really improved. We are really proud of you girls! – Zara Wallace (Year 6 White)

SOCCER

Middle: Saints 2 v Concordia 1

A gritty performance by our Middle As who fought hard throughout the game against Concordia. Some fantastic saves and defending from Saints kept the score close, and a late goal from Chloe Richardson saw us take the lead, finishing the game as 2 – 1 victors.

STUDENT SUCCESS

Adelaide Schools

Congratulations to Yashika Agarwal, Abbey Phillips and Phoebe Lucas whose U13 Adelaide Hockey team recently won the State Championships.

Adelaide Schools

Congratulations to Winnie Vartuli, Amelia Lucas, Zara Trim and Leah Huynh whose U15 Eastern Strikers Hockey team won the State Championships.

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eNews – Week 8, Term 2 2021

Issue no. 18Enews-banner

Round of Applause for Chorus Line Cast and Crew

Congratulations Saints Girls and staff for an outstanding School Musical: A Chorus Line – High School Edition. Four performances were held over two days, where our girls showcased their amazing talents in singing, dancing and acting.

This iconic production pulls back the curtain on the life of a Broadway performer, weaving personal stories together to create a breathtakingly moving event. We commend our girls and staff for putting together yet another spectacular performance which had the audience entertained from beginning to end!

I absolutely loved the musical experience this year and had so much fun rehearsing and performing. We began rehearsals in Term 1 and have been working extra hard at lunchtimes and Tuesday afternoons to put this amazing show together. My favourite part of this whole experience was creating so many new friendships with girls from all different year levels, and of course, performing. – Zoe Pool

It was great fun to take part in A Chorus Line – High School Edition as it was my third and final musical. I had the opportunity to help choreograph some of the dance numbers and it was extremely rewarding to see it all come to life on stage. The sense of community in The Arts Department is amazing, so being a part of that is very special, especially whilst in Year 12. – Louisa Reid

The School Musical was super fun for me, as I was playing percussion in the band. It was a great experience to play in a band full of students and teachers, improving my skills and trying something new. – Georgie Raftopoulos

The School Musical was an excellent opportunity for some girls to gain experience in musical theatre, and for others, to finally perform again after a long two years between School Musicals. I had a great time performing and working hard to perfect the amazing choreography and singing with girls from all different year levels. I have certainly made memories I will never forget and have picked up some life skills along the way! – Charlotte Norman

Being a part of the musical was a great experience. I had the opportunity to learn a new skill and play percussion, which was a highlight for me and very enriching musically. Two years ago, I was able to perform in the musical up on stage, so it was great to be a part of the team behind the scenes this time around. A Chorus Line – High School Edition was definitely a highlight this term. – Victoria Thorp

Tuesday afternoons were always eventful; though, each week, I loved learning new numbers with the girls. This was a fantastic opportunity for us to get to know girls from all year levels through our collective passion for performing. – Caitlin Middelberg

Conceived and Originally Directed and Choreographed by Michael Bennett; Book by James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante; Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Edward Kleban; Co Choreographed by Bob Avian
Original Broadway production produced by the New York
Shakespeare Festival, Joseph Papp, Producer, in association with Plum Productions, Inc.
Adaptation and support materials for the High School Edition
Developed by iTheatrics
Under the supervision of Timothy Allen McDonald
A CHORUS LINE High School Edition is presented by permission of ORiGiN™
Theatrical on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC

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From Our Deputy Principal / Head of Senior School
Adelaide High Schools

#EMPOWHER – Introducing Sarah Rowan

Sarah Rowan is a speed painter, artist, entrepreneur and keynote speaker who is passionate about empowering young people to engage with creativity. While Sarah is an artist, her view is that ‘creative thinking’ should not be limited to an artistic space. Rather, young people must be encouraged to be creative in all aspects of their lives.

Sarah’s perspective regarding ‘creativity’ certainly aligns with those of the School. Not only is creativity one of our values, but we actively encourage all of our girls to be creative in how they approach their academic learning, and in what tools and strategies they utilise to improve their overall wellbeing. Our girls have a variety of tools they can use to improve how they cope with stress, time management, sleep, mindset, confidence, study habits and resilience. We continually encourage the girls to have an open mind, and if one strategy does not work, to be creative in engaging with an alternate option.

We are very excited to announce that next term Sarah will be visiting Saints and delivering a series of workshops. She will not only spend time in various art classes, she will also present three keynote sessions and speed painting experiences. Students in Reception to Year 2 and in Years 3 to 5 will enjoy a 30-minute interactive speed painting presentation. Girls in Years 6 to 12 will engage with Sarah over a one hour keynote. Sarah will also spend time with our senior students as part of our Career.Ready / JobChat initiative. You can read more about Sarah here.

Collective of St Mary Magdalene, Moore Street Drop-In Centre

Service Learning is an important element of our #EMPOWHER program, and the past term has certainly been busy for the girls of Year 10 Patteson. Over the past seven weeks, they have collaborated to research, plan, cook and serve a three-course meal for over 80 patrons of the Moore Street Drop-In Centre. The level of detailed organisation behind this project should not be underestimated, and it was wonderful to see the girls not only rise to the challenge, but improve their communication, negotiation, planning and time management skills. My thanks to all of the girls and staff involved (and to the many parents who donated containers). I cooked with the girls on our two allocated evenings and certainly appreciated their good humour, camaraderie and positive approach.

Finally, Year 10 and 11 SACE exams take place next week and it is natural for these to contribute to a heightened level of stress. It is therefore important that we maintain perspective and recognise that some level of ‘exam stress’ is entirely normal. A healthy approach is one where our girls view their exams as learning experiences and focus on more than a final mark. For example, success in exams is achieved through consistent revision and study over a number of weeks, combined with positive self-talk. In essence, it is often the habits and behaviour behind the ‘exam mark’ that provide the greater lesson.

Kate Mortimer
Deputy Principal/Head of Senior School

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Saints Girls’ Service Learning Journey

The Year 10 Patteson Home Group’s Service Learning journey started midway through last term, with the introduction of the Moore Street Drop-In Centre. Our task was to cater for up to 80 disadvantaged people with a three-course meal, to be served at the Moore Street Drop-In Centre in the city.

Initially, we brainstormed ways to meet the challenge and quickly learnt the importance of teamwork, the need to allocate tasks, the importance of different roles and strong leadership. The girls in our Home Group collaborated to select the best recipes, write food orders, liaise with Tuck Shop staff and collect food storage containers. Several girls demonstrated strong leadership skills as we worked through the various requirements.

Through the mentorship of Ms Zacharoyannis, Ms Mortimer and Mr Bassett, all the necessary equipment and ingredients were obtained. The girls worked efficiently after school in the Food Technology Centre to prepare the three-course meal which included a hearty minestrone soup, a coconut chicken curry and delicious brownies. Each course was packaged by the girls and later transported to the Moore Street Drop-In Centre. Although there were challenges presented to our Home Group, solutions were always found through the excellent communication and creative problem-solving skills.’ – Lucy Schirripa

After the Year 10 Patteson girls worked hard cooking the meals, Olivia Downie, Eliza Monaghan, and myself volunteered to prepare and serve the food at the Moore Street Drop-In Centre last Saturday night.

In collaboration with the teachers and other volunteers at the centre, we successfully provided many underprivileged people with a delicious and satisfying meal. We had dutifully catered for a larger number of people than the amount who presented on Saturday, which allowed us to offer larger servings and seconds when requested. We had to work at a rapid pace as demand for the food was high, especially when dessert was offered!

Each course was very well received, and it was truly special to be given so much positive feedback for the food we had prepared. It was a positive experience and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to develop some new skills whilst helping other people.’ –Amelie Zacharia Henley

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ELC Backpack Appeal Warms Hearts

We are so proud of our community for supporting The Smith Family Backpack Appeal. This level of service learning is so important for our littlest citizens, helping them build an understanding of their role in supporting others in our wider community.

The ELC children participated in the packing of the backpacks and you’ll see in the video just how many we managed to fill.

Thank you so much for getting behind this valuable initiative!

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Rich Rewards from Junior Ethics Competition

On Wednesday, 10 girls from Year 5 competed in the inaugural Junior School Ethics Olympiad. Despite being two all-Year 5 teams in a Year 5/6 competition, the girls were successful throughout the day, and as a result, the Blue and Black teams placed 1st and 6th respectively – a fantastic result!

The girls performed to a high standard, using vocabulary and reasoning skills well beyond their years. The competition is very challenging, and requires extensive knowledge of ethics and philosophy including ethical theories in addition to skills of organisation, cooperation and creativity. The girls prepared for the competition for over a term, learning about six separate ethics cases and four complex ethical theories. The competition involves a five-minute presentation, as well as a response and reflection, and direct questions from judges.

As a coach, I am extremely proud of the girls, who were always keen to learn more and grew to be confident speakers throughout the competition. It was a great team effort. Thanks must go out to Ms Burton-Howard, who organised our teams and competition entry, and joined me in teaching the girls throughout the week.

Emily Teague
Student Coach

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Saints Girls Engineer Challenge Success

Congratulations to our Year 9 and 10 girls who were Runners Up in the annual Science and Engineering Challenge. A team of 27 of our students competed against a host of other schools in fun and engaging hands-on activities, such as designing an earthquake-proof tower, building a hovercraft or bridge, providing electricity to a city or creating a bionic hand that can grasp straws and hold a ball.

Eight schools of up to 32 students (256 students in total) competed in the Challenge Day and points were awarded based on their performance against strict criteria. Saints Girls performed fantastically, winning three of the eight activities: Grasping at Straws, Stringways and HoverFrenzy. There were only 40 points between 1st and 2nd place and we commend our girls on their outstanding achievement!

Craig Byrne
Head of Science

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FUNdamental Skill Development in ELC

Developing core motor skills in the early years has always been a passion of mine and in previous roles, both in America and Queensland, I was tasked with creating a soccer-based fundamental skills program for children aged 3 to 5, which I am currently running with our ELC friends on Wednesdays.

The basis of this program is in the word itself: FUNdamentals. When working with children of this age in sport, I’ve found that high-energy, high-movement and imagination are key to delivering an enjoyable program. But first and foremost, it must be fun! Each week, we use a different theme to encourage creativity and imagination. These include topics such as pirates, safari, dinosaurs, underwater and race cars.

At the start of each session, each player is given a ball. This is their ‘vehicle’ for movement and must stay at their feet for the entirety of the session. With the ball as their race car, rocket ship or boat, students move around the area to discover theme-related objects/beings and then complete set tasks. These tasks ensure that players develop confidence and take on challenges. For example, when faced with an angry pirate, players must fire their cannon (kick their soccer ball) and sink the pirate’s ship; or when an alien comes close, they should escape by dribbling their ball quickly to a different coloured planet.

By coaching the Football Federation Australia’s four core skills (striking the ball; first touch; 1 v 1s; running with the ball) through hidden learning – and at such a young age – we are putting the building blocks in place for quality skill development and long-term participation. I look forward to working more with our ELC friends and seeing how the skills and confidence of our youngest Saints’ students develop.

Tommy Peak
Director of Sport

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Community Joy at Family Yum Cha Lunch

Our ELC Yum Cha event last Sunday was another wonderful example of community. With nearly 100 people attending, there was laughter, cheer and pure joy as the children realised they were dining out with their friends and families.

An additional surprise was to see some of our lovely educators there as well. We filled the restaurant at Chef Dong and enjoyed delicious cuisine. Thank you to the Friends of the ELC for organising such a fantastic event and to all the families and staff who supported this special gathering.

ELC早茶时分!

感谢ELC之友的家长们,在六月六日早上,在位于圣彼得区的董家园餐厅,精心组织了早茶活动, 让家长们能够在一个轻松自在的环境里,享用源源不断上来的美食,跟老师,跟朋友们,随意聊天。 将近百名家长,老师,孩子参加这次活动,没有了早晚接送的匆忙,没有了工作的压力,一切轻松随意。ELC这个社区大家庭紧密团结,大家彼此自我介绍,孩子们充当小使者,給爸爸妈妈仔细介绍。周末早茶是中国广东习俗,很多当地老师和家长,乃至中国文化背景的一些家庭,都是第一次享用,大家直呼“美味”, 纷纷要求再次举行类似活动。

Ann Li
ELC parent and St Peter’s Girls’ School staff member

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Grand Performances at Piano Eisteddfod

Our Piano Eisteddfod this year had 70 girls from Reception to Year 9 perform on our baby grand piano which was partly purchased by the Friends of The Arts and partly donated by Old Scholar Fiona Hale (nee Burton, Patteson 1986).

The girls all performed beautifully to their peers, family and friends. It was a wonderful display of enthusiasm, creativity and passion for music.

We look forward to welcoming Dr Gabriella Smart, our guest pianist, who will perform next Tuesday 15 June for a select few of the girls who have been asked to play at the evening recital.

Sally Rounsevell
Director of Music

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Junior School Explores Culture and Creativity

The Junior School ran sessions focusing on Aboriginal survival technology as part of our learning in Reconciliation Week. Philip Green introduced students to an intensive 90-minutes of learning where they were immersed in topics such as medicine, clothing, cooking utensils, bush tucker, water and fire.

As part of their learning, the girls were able to investigate and handle Aboriginal artefacts, which made a strong impression. They gained rich understandings as they explored and hypothesised over the use of many of the artefacts.

Claire’s experience was reflected in her Learning Journal:

‘I learnt that the people had a nose bone; they also wore a ring on their head when they carried heavy objects…I learnt the difference between their summer clothes and winter clothes.’

Rena was impressed to hear that ‘it took 40 possum skins to make one coat.’ She also learnt that the First Nations People were the first people to live on Australian land and that Kaurna people are the original owners of the land our School is on.

Liz Sandercock
Year 1 Teacher

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Urban Planning – Not Just a Walk in the Park

Exploring the Liveability of the Local Area

This term, the Year 7 students have been learning about ‘What makes a place liveable?’ Ms Stefopoulos’ Year 7 Humanities classes visited the Kensington Gardens Reserve to witness the changes that are currently taking place at this park to enhance liveability. Students were fortunate to have guest speakers Aaron Schroeder (Strategic Projects and Planning Manager at City of Burnside) and Kelly Burns (Strategic Projects Officer at City of Burnside) meet the students at the park, where they outlined the process of planning and identified the stages of redevelopment. Students were also able to ask questions about the redevelopment. Once back at school, the students provided a debrief of what they learnt.

What did you learn from Mr Schroeder and Ms Burns?

‘I learnt that it takes a lot of work and effort into not even changing but planning an area. Many aspects need to be considered when planning.’

‘I learnt that the planning of the area being built needs to be done considerately and carefully since the council has to take the opinions of the community whilst doing what is best for the environment. I learnt that they take people’s opinions into consideration a lot since they want their community to be happy. They take lots of surveys, from not only their council area, but also from neighbouring areas.

‘I learnt that many hours go into planning the park. I also learnt that they take a lot of data, to help them consider the things they are going to put into the park.’

‘I learnt the challenges and process of designing parks and all the elements and work that goes into changing and rebuilding facilities. I also learnt that local citizens who live closest to the park have a powerful voice on decisions involving the park over people who don’t live in the area or live further away.

‘I learnt that planning and constructing a park is much harder than just sticking in a few trees and a playground.’

What are your thoughts about the process of planning a change in a park?

‘Changing a park is definitely difficult because you have to think of ideas that are unique and not the same as any other park. You also have to think about what type of people are most likely to come to the park, e.g. families or the elderly. Another reason why planning is difficult is because you have to think about the advantages and disadvantages of the things you are going to include; whether it is good for the people but bad for the environment, etc.’

‘I learnt that the process of planning changes is very complicated because you need to collect data, make and propose the new plan, and edit it to suit the stakeholders’ needs.’

‘I think that everyone’s ideas matter. I like that they had the ideas box in front of the community building.’

Students have been given a summative task to redesign the park, identifying what they think it should have whilst also considering the top 10 activities identified by the community surveys. They have been asked to list five stakeholders and include items in the park that these groups would want and to justify their choices. This opportunity has also exposed students to career pathways in the Humanities field.

Anna Stefopoulos
Year 7 Humanities Teacher

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New Networks at International Student Event

Last Friday, 17 Saints Girls from Years 7 to 12 participated in the International Student Event with St Peter’s College. Over three hours, students were able to use soft clay to shape and design their own mugs, bowls or plates before decorating them with various colours.

There were some brilliant collaborations and nice interactions between students of the two schools. The students also shared a delicious meal in the Da Costa (the dining hall at St Peter’s College), with butter chicken and sautéed vegetables. The students from both schools had a pleasant evening together, and a Year 12 international student from St Peter’s College shared that, ‘It was the best international event I have ever been to.’

Cynthia He
Student

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St Peter’s Girls’ Piano Recital – Next Tuesday

Introducing our guest artist for the Piano Recital next Tuesday 15 June: Dr Gabriella Smart.

From this week’s Piano Eisteddfod, a select number of students from across year levels and years of experience who demonstrated confidence and musicality have been selected to perform at the evening recital next Tuesday 15 June. Our guest artist Dr Smart will talk about her own musical journey as well as perform a mixture of classical and contemporary works to motivate and inspire our budding pianists.

Dr Smart has been acknowledged as one of the leading advocates of new music in Australia – through performance, education, composition, commissioning and curation. She is Artistic Director of Soundstream, New Music Ensemble in Residence at the University of Adelaide. As a performer, Dr Smart has received several international accolades. Before COVID-19, Dr Smart performed seven concerts in Europe in 2020, which included three solo world premieres, two preview showings of new works by Kasper T Toeplitz (FRA) and Constantine Koukias (AUS/NETH), and overall performing nine Australian premieres in Europe. She has premiered more than 40 new works for solo piano in Europe and China.

We are very honoured to have Dr Smart join our Piano Recital.

Sally Rounsevell
Director of Music

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Junior School Vacation Care

Our next awesome instalment of Junior School Vacation Care is almost here. We have some great activities guaranteed to keep the children entertained through the break. With an array of excursions and on-site adventures, there is plenty of fun to be had.

June/July 2021 Vacation Care Program
Places are limited, so click here to secure your booking now!

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Bingo Night – Saturday 19 June

The Saints Girls’ community proudly presents:

Bingo Night!
Saturday 19 June
St Peter’s Girls’ School Gym

5 rounds of Bingo + fun and games / bar available for drink purchases / adults only event

Tickets are limited, so organise your table now by visiting: TryBooking

Be quick! Bookings close 5pm, Monday 14 June.

Supported by Friends of Rowing

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Road Safety Alert

Adelaide Schools

The School is extremely concerned by reports of dangerous driver behaviour including speeding through the car park. All drivers must obey the 10kph speed limit.

Please also note the speed limit along Hallett Road has recently been reduced from 60 to 50kph.

Road safety and courtesy is everyone’s responsibility and is of the utmost importance in a school setting. We appeal to all of our families to take extra care in our car parks and on the roads for the safety of our students, parents, staff and the wider community.

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Join ‘Our Saints’ Community

Beyond parents and guardians, our girls also treasure connections with grandparents, aunts, uncles or friends of the family. We name these special people ‘Our Saints’.

In the first week of Term 2, students from Reception to Year 6 were given two forms each to take home to their grandparents. If you did not receive these forms from your daughter, please contact me via mwestgate@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au or 8334 2244.

Alternatively, there is a link to the form here.

Our Saints provides opportunities for those who have a connection with our girls to be more involved with the School community through various means, ranging from volunteering their time, to subscribing to our publications such as eNews and Saints Alive.

We encourage all interested grandparents, aunts, uncles or friends of the family to join this special group.

Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager

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Entertainment Membership

To support Saints Girls and purchase your Entertainment Membership, including a free upgrade, click here.

Adelaide Schools

Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.entertainment.com.au for more information.

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Absences from School

If your child is going to be absent, late to school or leave early, please use one of the following methods to notify the School providing student name, class/Home Group and reason:

Text: 0428 601 957

Email: attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au

Phone: 8334 2200

Feel free to include the class/Home Group teacher when emailing. It would be appreciated if notifications could be made prior to 9am.

Please note: it is absolutely imperative to keep unwell children at home until they have recovered, even if symptoms are mild. This is not only for their own health and safety, but for that of all students and staff.

We thank all of our families for their cooperation.

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COVID Measures

Please note the following information regarding our continued COVID response.

The School has a QR code tracing system to facilitate the safe return of parents on site, in line with wider government measures. Parents entering the campus to drop off or collect their children need to scan the QR code provided each time. This also applies to parents visiting the School for events such as parent information evenings, Arts productions or sports training/matches.

Parents and visitors with more formal appointments at the School, such as meeting a staff member, are still required to sign in/out at Front Office and also need to scan the QR code as well for SA Health tracing purposes.

Adults who do not have a device to scan the QR code need to write their details on the paper form provided in the Front Office.

Parents who remain in their vehicles in the main car park do not need to scan in, and students do not need to scan in as the School already tracks daily attendance.

Logistics around events will be shared in due course, dependent upon the latest advice. Attendance numbers, particularly for indoor events, will still need to be restricted to facilitate social distancing.

The following general requirements remain in place:

  • Ensure adults maintain a distance of 1.5m from each other.
  • Practise sound hand washing and other hygiene measures.
  • Students should remain at home if they are unwell; please notify the School of absences by texting 0428 601 957, emailing attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au, or calling 8334 2200.

We thank all of our families for your cooperation.

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Sports News

CROSS COUNTRY

SSSA State Cross Country

Congratulations to the Saints Girls who competed at Oakbank in the SSSA State Cross Country. On what was a cold day and on a challenging course, our girls performed admirably – some stand out results were:

U15 – 2nd Overall
U14 – 3rd Overall

East Adelaide U13 – 2nd Overall
East Adelaide U11 – 1st Overall
East Adelaide U10 – 2nd Overall

Isla Fahey – 1st
Elodie de Wit – 2nd
Malaika McLeod – 3rd

SAAS

Senior School
Lady Murphy – 1st
Middle School
Malaika McLeod – 1st
Isla Fahey – 2nd
Daisy Braithwaite – 3rd
Alice Braithwaite – 8th
Carys Kinsella-White – 14th
Zara Trim – 15th
Dani Cox – 16th
Charlotte McAuliffe – 20th

AEROBICS

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN STATE TITLES

Glisten – 1st
Pink Ladies – 1st
Feisty Fives – 2nd
Golden Girls – 4th

AFL

Open: Saints 0 v Scotch 92
Middle: Saints 1 v Scotch 66

BADMINTON

Open A: Saints 6 v Walford 0
Open B: Saints 2 v Wilderness 4
Open C: Saints 2 v Woodcroft 4
Open D: Saints 6 v Walford 0
Open E1: Saints 4 v Woodcroft 5
Open E2: Saints 6 v Walford 3
Open F1: Saints 7 v Pembroke 2
Open F2: Saints 8 v Woodcroft 1

Perseverance and hard work were shown through the matches last week with skills learnt during training sessions seen utilised on the court. Throughout the term, the A and B teams’ training mainly focused on movement around the court and the E and F teams consolidating on different foundation skills. Improvements can also be seen in doubles matches from the C and D teams as they are more familiar with their partner on court and using tactics taught by coaches. Excellent results coming from all teams in the past weeks. Keep up the good work girls! There won’t be any matches next week due to the long weekend. – Candy Feng (Badminton Captain)

HOCKEY

Open: Saints 1 v Scotch 3
Year 3/4: Saints 3 v Seymour 0
Year 5/6: Saints 5 v Pembroke 1

Last Saturday, the Open As played Scotch. The girls started off strongly in the first half by earning some short corners, but were unable to convert. Whilst Scotch scored the first 2 goals in the third quarter, it was great to see that the girls did not drop their heads and kept fighting, which resulted in a goal. Best player goes to Bridgette Leach in midfield for linking the ball between the defence and strikers.

Last Friday night, the Year 3/4 Minkey team played Wilderness at Saints. Having a bigger pitch than the week before gave the girls the ability to spread out and easily shift the ball from side-to-side. It was great to see the girls leading in front of the defence to receive the ball which created space to dribble onto. Well done to all the girls for the first win of the season and special mentions to Ishana Roy for her 2 goals and Emily Robinson for scoring 1. – Poppie Goldsmith (Hockey Captain)

LACROSSE

U11 White: Saints 18 v St Aloysius 1
U11 Blue: Saints 7 v Eagles 2

Our U11 Lacrosse teams are having a stellar season, with all girls improving their skills and confidence. This fantastic team play and shared success was on show in the U11 White team, who had 4 girls scoring hat-tricks (3+ goals)!

NETBALL

Open A: Saints 29 v Immanuel 59
Open B: Saints 44 v Immanuel 48
Open C: Saints 8 v Immanuel 68
Open D: Saints 1 v Immanuel 85
Open E: Bye

Intermediate A: Saints 38 v Immanuel 34
Intermediate B: Saints 27 v Immanuel 41

Year 10C: Saints 14 v Wilderness 50
Year 9A: Saints 57 v Immanuel 43
Year 9B: Saints 21 v Immanuel 42
Year 9C: Saints 15 v Pulteney 14
Year 8A: Saints 19 v Immanuel 24
Year 8B: Saints 47 v Immanuel 19
Year 8C: Saints 7 v Seymour 30
Year 7A: Saints 13 v Immanuel 57
Year 7B: Saints 15 v Immanuel 28
Year 7C: Saints 4 v Scotch 9
Year 6 White: Saints 5 v Seymour 7
Year 6 Blue: Saints 26 v Pembroke 3
Year 5 White: Saints 1 v Pembroke 17

KNOCKOUT NETBALL

Open:
Saints 89 v Adelaide 9
Saints 55 v St John’s 13
Year 8/9:
Saints 38 v Seymour 35
Saints 55 v Adelaide 13
Year 6/7:

Saints 29 v Mary Mackillop 15
Saints 22 v Gleeson 20

On Wednesday, our Open netballers were up against St John’s Grammar and Adelaide High School to fight their way through to the next round of the State Knockout 2021. Our first match was against St John’s. In the first quarter, we were able to show excellent ball placement, patience and transitions all the way down the court, and as a team, this allowed us to capitalise highly on turnovers. St John’s mounted a fightback in the second quarter, where we focused less on possession and transitions and more on defending our player. The defensive line of Gemma Schaedel, Ruby Deakin and Willow Stewart-Rattray worked extraordinarily well together with high defensive one-on-one pressure, forced turnovers and ultimately scoring opportunities for us. At half-time and up by 20 goals, we chose to reset; we needed to focus on our game and how we were going to improve. This was displayed all the way down the court but especially in the ring with Annie Warrick and Anna White. Both girls were able to continuously become free from their player and provide options, not to mention their exceptional scoring. In the last quarter, Lex Politis was able to exaggerate the talk on the court, which enabled our focus back to the game, evidentially finishing with a win.

In game 2 against Adelaide High, the mindset of our players was the same: ‘Go in playing our own game.’ The opening quarter was slower to start, yet once players warmed up, the match started to gain intensity. Standouts again in the defensive line, this time Willow Stewart-Rattray, Gemma Schaedel and Milly Brett. Millly was constantly gaining touches and tips all the way down the court, putting pressure on the opponents’ transitions. Gemma and Willow, talking in the circle and utilising switches where necessary, confused their opponents, leaving them unable to score in the first quarter. Our attacking strategy with both Amelia Pudney (WA) and Joss Forster (GS) allowed more options driving onto the circle from Amelia who then was able to pop the ball to Joss with an exceptional body stature in the circle. Joss allowed our mid-courts to see exactly where she wanted the ball, promoting excellent ball placement, and finally, shots on goal. It is obvious that with a final score of 89 – 8, our shooters Anna White, Annie Warrick and Joss Forster were exceptional. In the last quarter, Adelaide High started to become uneven with their play; however, this did not confuse or change our focus. With Anna White in defence, she was able to gain many touches and tips forcing turnovers.

Every single player was important in our results against both Adelaide High and St John’s. I am really proud of how each girls, whether on the bench or on the court, was able to step up and provide many crucial elements to our game. With two wins now, we are through to the next round, where we face Scotch College and Blackwood High School next term. – Olivia Kelly (Netball Captain)

SOCCER

Open: Saints 0 v Immanuel 6
Middle: Saints 2 v Scotch 3

Wednesday’s Middle game versus a strong Scotch side ended in a heartbreaking 3 – 2 loss with Scotch scoring in the last play of the game. The girls had a much-improved performance on their last week’s 4 – 1 loss to Pembroke, looking far more composed in defence and dominating through the midfield for patches of the game. Emily Tolladay was fantastic in midfield with her two-way running in both attack and defence, keeping us right in the game. Lovely through balls and classy finishes netted Grace Brockhouse and Lucy Lowry their goals. Our reluctant goalkeeper Jackie Balasis did a great job between the posts, showcasing her great hands with plenty of remarkable saves. – Mr Eglinton (Coach)

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