Monthly Archives: October 2021

eNews – Week 4, Term 4 2021

Issue no. 34Enews-banner

From Our Director of Teaching and Learning

Adelaide Schools

As I have mentioned in previous editions of eNews, teachers at Saints Girls are always thinking about ways to tweak their practice to improve outcomes for the students. All teachers participate in our Growth and Learning Review program (GLR), which is now into its fourth year. Personal learning goals are set in Term 1, and now in Term 4, we are into the time of year when they are reviewed and reflected upon. The GLR process also requires teachers to be observed in the classroom at least once by their line manager. This year, teachers have been guided to use data as part of their end-of-year GLR reflections so that the validity and successes of the 2021 goals can be measured in some way.

In 2020, we launched our own bespoke student feedback survey system. These surveys enable students to provide teachers with some feedback on their teaching and the students’ learning. The statements in the surveys have been tweaked this year following discussion with the Student Representative Council, and the latest cycle of surveys commenced this week, with further surveys planned for Term 1 next year. This system is another way in which teachers can reflect upon their practice and keep their customers satisfied! It should be noted that the student feedback in the survey cycles thus far has been overwhelmingly positive, reflecting the high quality of teaching in our School and the solid relationships that develop in our learning spaces.

It feels like a very long time ago now, but in January, the teaching staff attended a thought-provoking presentation by Dr Brendan Bentley on the subject of Cognitive Load Theory (CLT). To put it simply, CLT focuses on the limitations of the working memory and the need for teachers to be mindful of this and to know the ‘work arounds’. Since then, some of our teachers have attended the ‘Science of Understanding Learning’ professional training organised via the Association of Independent Schools of South Australia, which has helped consolidate our understanding of CLT and other implications of scientific research for student learning. We aim to share many of these insights with the rest of the teaching staff early in 2022.

Nigel Scoggins
Director of Teaching and Learning

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ELC FUNdamentals Sport Program

Our School’s Director of Sport Tommy Peak has been running a FUNdamentals Sport Program for our ELC friends. The aim is to develop core motor skills through high energy, mass movement and imagination.

The power of sport is in focus at Stonyfell as we raise funds hoping to give Saints Girls a new Gym sooner.

Check out some of our rising sport stars in action:

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From Our 2022 Sport Prefect

The physical, psychological and social benefits of physical activity are widely known, but these are not the only advantages. Our School community also reaps the rewards. Girls can apply the courage, resilience, accountability, respect, patience, leadership and teamwork skills experienced in sporting endeavours to all areas of learning and other co-curricular activities. This enhances wellbeing. Additionally, spending time with people passionate about the same things builds close and meaningful friendships with girls across different year levels. Friendships made outside the classroom enhance our School pride as girls feel like they are part of something bigger than just themselves. Our high participation rates in Senior School beyond the compulsory Middle School years are testimony to our School pride and how much we as Saints Girls value our sporting pursuits. We are so fortunate at Saints to have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of sports, setting us up well for a healthy and active lifestyle into the future.

Next week, girls in all year levels will have the opportunity to participate in PE Week. On Monday, we’ll kick off with Junior School girls challenging themselves on our ninja warrior obstacle course in the Gym. Tuesday will see a rock, paper, scissors game for Reception to Year 3 in the Gym, while staff take on our talented Middle and Senior School students in Touch Football on the Oval. On Wednesday, the tennis ball machine will fire balls in the air for all of us to take classic catches on the Oval. An epic ‘capture the flag’ contest will take place on the Oval for Years 4 to 6, while our awesome middle and senior volleyballers show the staff what they’re made of in the Gym on Thursday. Finally on Friday, there will be dodgeball competitions for Years 4 to 6, Middle and Senior School girls in the Gym.

Activities are being organised by the Year 6 Athletics and T-ball Captains, Year 9 Sport Captains, and the Captains of individual sports, which also highlights the teamwork, leadership and organisational skills that girls build through participating in sport within the School community.

Next year, I hope to encourage girls to participate in a range of sporting activities and to apply themselves to do their best.

Charlie Fishlock
2022 Sport Prefect

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Generous Soles from Athlete’s Foot Burnside

At Assembly on Monday, Director of The Athlete’s Foot Burnside Byron Davis presented 2022 Sport Prefect Charlie Fishlock with a cheque of $1110 for the School. We warmly thank Byron for his ongoing support. As part of a fantastic community initiative, his store will donate over $13,000 back to local schools this year.

We encourage our community members to participate in this ongoing promotion. $5 from every pair of shoes purchased at The Athlete’s Foot Burnside by anyone connected to our community will be donated to St Peter’s Girls’ School. Please let the staff know that you would like your donation to come to Saints Girls when you make a purchase. Thank you to everyone who has been involved; we appreciate all the support.

Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager

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Sports Lunch 2021 – Next Friday

St Peter’s Girls’ Foundation is delighted to present the 2021 Sports Lunch next Friday 12 November from 12 – 4pm at the Alma Tavern, Norwood.

Enjoy an exclusive afternoon of sporting insights and a sports panel discussion with football icon Mark Ricciuto, Olympic and World Champion Rower Olympia Aldersey (Kennion 2011), and Executive Director of Events SA Hitaf Rasheed (Selwyn 1986).

The afternoon includes a delicious 3-course meal and drinks package, and funds raised will go towards our new Gym!

Be quick to secure your tickets via TryBooking.

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Out of the Blue Arts Journal 2021 – Order Your Copy Now!

Ms Burton-Howard and the Student Committee are excited to launch the 2021 edition of the Out of the Blue Arts Journal. Students, Old Scholars and staff have contributed incredible work such as photographs, art, poetry and song lyrics.

The Arts Journal is now available for purchase on TryBooking. Also via the same link, secure your spot for the launch which will be held in the School Chapel next Wednesday 10 November.

Well done to Ms Burton-Howard and the Out of the Blue Arts Journal committee for putting together yet another fantastic edition. We hope to see you at the launch!

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Results Add Up for Young Mathematicians

Congratulations to our Junior School Mathematicians who achieved great success in the 2021 Primary Mathematics Challenge!

Girls from Reception to Year 3 scored State Winning Entries and a Highly Commended Entry across various disciplines including how to make a mathematician, maths about the human body, and the mathematics of making pasta.

A special guest from the Primary Mathematics Association will be presenting prizes to our girls at this term’s last Junior School Assembly, which will take place on Friday 3 December.

Special thanks to Ms Burton-Howard and Mrs Liddy for leading the girls in their investigations.

Cath Kelly
Learning Strategies Teacher

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Selwyn’s Special Chapter in Service Learning

Several Selwyn students have been supporting their House Charity by participating in The Smith Family’s Student2Student reading program. Up to 60 minutes per week over four months, we read with and gave feedback to a younger student through the Chatty Kids website.

We all had a very positive experience. There were readers eager to read and grateful that they could improve their reading skills outside of the classroom. They did a really good job. We noticed their growth in confidence as they became less nervous about trying to read longer books with bigger words. We helped build self-assurance in a child struggling to read confidently on their own and improve their reading skills.

Through this process, we have also increased our skills in patience, persistence and encouragement. It has truly been a rewarding experience. The program has further opened our eyes to other people’s struggles and their differentiating strengths. We have learned how lucky we are to have the resources and support at home and school. We hope that our buddies found the experience as rewarding and useful as we did.

Grace Beaumont, Emily Hodgkinson, Genevieve Leong
Students

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Kilburn’s Tight-Knit Charity Challenge

In Terms 2 and 3, the Year 10 Kilburn Home Group learned how to crochet beanies as a part of their Service Learning. In addition to teaching us a fun new skill, this initiative allowed us to dig deeper into the work of our House Charity, giving us a more comprehensive understanding of how the Cancer Council helps those in need.

We have had the opportunity to help the wider community and have further developed our sense of civic responsibility. Although it did require resilience at times, we were very eager to help and learned that even a small action, such as crocheting a beanie, can have a significant impact.

The beanies have been sent to the Cancer Council Lodge where they will be sold to raise additional funds. We had a wonderful time developing this new skill whilst volunteering for the Cancer Council, and formed tight-knit (pun intended) bonds within our Home Group.

Bronwyn Gautier and Lauren Parker
Students

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Year 1 Girls Celebrate Diwali

Yesterday afternoon, we were fortunate to have Ash Khosa, Anya’s mum, and May Sahgal, Eva’s mum, visit our classroom to share Diwali with us. After hearing some of the history of the five-day ‘Festival of Lights’, Diwali being the first day, the girls were involved in activities associated with the customs and traditions of this celebration from India.

Each girl made a rangoli using coloured sand to create a beautiful flower-like pattern, and a diya – a clay pot they painted that holds a candle. As part of the celebrations, the girls were able to wear a colourful bindi. Anya’s grandmother who lives in Malaysia also sent each girl a present as this is part of the tradition.

It was a wonderful and fun learning experience for the girls, and we are grateful to the generous mums for providing all we needed and sharing an important part of their culture with us.

Liz Sandercock
Year 1 Teacher

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Food for Thought on Japanese Excursion

This week, the Year 9 Japanese class went on an excursion to the Adelaide Central Market. Our first stop was a Japanese store called Kawaii (かわいい). It had lots of Japanese foods and products that are usually seen at convenience stores in Japan. Everyone was amazed at the wide variety of treats on offer!

We then stopped at Sushi Train for lunch, where we all had to order our food in Japanese. Finally, we did a scavenger hunt around the Central Market. This involved finding multiple stores and answering questions in Japanese. We also had an opportunity to purchase treats throughout the day. It was really enjoyable and a great bonding experience for our class!

Jenna Maione
Student

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Taste of the Orient for Chinese Language Learners

On Tuesday, the Year 9 Chinese students visited the Confucius Institute at the University of Adelaide and Chinatown. This was a great excursion because we were able to try different Chinese foods such as wontons, noodles and fried rice. Additionally, it was extremely fun to practise Chinese calligraphy, which was very educational. For instance, we discovered that each Chinese painting is unique, as regardless of whether the artists are painting the same object, they will interpret and thus portray it in their own way. – Abigail Papps and Labrini Psaltis

Whilst at the Confucius Institute, we learnt about traditional Chinese painting, or 国画. We were taught how to hold the brush, or 毛笔. We also learnt how to control the width of the stroke by the angle or exposure of the brush, and the darkness by using a combination of ink and water. We put our learning into practice by painting a scene with prawns, seagrass and rocks. Afterwards, we went to Chinatown and had lunch. There were a variety of meals including fried rice, spicy wontons and noodles. We then explored Chinatown, getting some bubble tea and visiting a Hong Kong supermarket. We concluded the trip by going to the Central Market. The excursion was very educational and we all had a great time! – Alvie Ivey

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Smart Partnership with Industry Mentor

Ashleigh Green from Chamonix IT Consulting has been working with Year 10 Business, Innovation and Technology students to extend their thinking about the business opportunities related to creating smart cities and connected spaces.

By understanding the value of data generated by smart technologies, councils can decide what services are in demand and what adjustments should be made to improve the lives of citizens and make/save money.

Students have been asked to design their own connected spaces which highlight a community area with key amenities. They received feedback and mentorship from Ashleigh who shared his own experiences working in the industry.

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Monique Green
Digital Tech Teacher & STEM Coordinator

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Community at Saints Girls

Parents are a vibrant and integral 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 Rowing Meeting

Tuesday 16 November
6.30pm
Senior Art Room

Contact: Ed Parker – edontheroadagain@hotmail.com

Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager

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Adelaide Wind Orchestra’s Blue Shades Tomorrow Night

Saints Girls’ students are invited to attend the Adelaide Wind Orchestra’s (AWO) Blue Shades. Students can receive a free ticket to the event using the promo code ‘STPETERSGIRLS’.

From melancholic to joyous, AWO’s Blue Shades is a symphonic homage to the blues and the various shades of blue to reflect and celebrate the end of our 2021 concert series.

Guest conducted by David Polain (South Australian Police Band).

7.30pm Saturday 6 November
St Peter’s Girls’ School Arts Centre
Tickets via TryBooking

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Entertainment Membership

To support Saints Girls and secure your Entertainment Membership, click here.

Adelaide Schools

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

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Health Notices

The School has been notified of several suspected cases of viral gastroenteritis.

Symptoms usually last one or two days and include:

  • mild fever
  • nausea and vomiting
  • stomach cramps
  • diarrhoea

Viral gastroenteritis is spread through contamination of hands, objects or food with infected faeces or vomit. The virus is then taken in by the mouth. It can also be spread through coughing and sneezing.

People should be excluded from childcare, pre-school, school and work until there has been no diarrhoea or vomiting for at least 24 hours. If the gastroenteritis is known or suspected to be caused by norovirus, the exclusion period is 48 hours.

For further information on symptoms, treatment and prevention, click here. Please note the recommendations regarding hand washing in particular. The School applies strict hygiene protocols for the safety of our community, and we ask families for their cooperation and vigilance.

If your child will not be attending school/ELC, please notify the School via one of the methods listed in the following absences article.

If you have any queries, please contact the Health Centre via 8155 5762 or healthcentre@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.

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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.

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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Sports News

BASKETBALL

Open A: Saints 38 v Walford 14
Middle B: Bye

CRICKET

Saints 35/3 v Seymour 38/7

JUNIOR SPORT

Touch Football Update

A hard-working group of Year 5 students has been embracing learning a new sport, Touch Football (NRL). After three weeks of training and playing, the girls went out onto the field this week, confident in their core skills. It was amazing to see a tight defence that prevented the opposition from scoring on numerous occasions, and it was also great to watch the players work together to get points on the scoreboard with some great break-away tries. The girls were confident in their positioning and have quickly learnt the terminology and rules of the game. They are a determined and resilient group who have pushed themselves hard against much more experienced teams, many of whom are older and have boys, as this is a co-ed U13 competition. I am looking forward to seeing them continue to develop their skills and grow in confidence over the remainder of the season. We hope that through this experience, we will continue to grow the Touch pathways in the School, equipping our girls to face the challenges of the Middle School competition in the future. – Becca Burton-Howard (Coach)

TENNIS

Open A: Saints 5 (35) v Pembroke 1 (21)
Open B: Saints 4 (26) v Immanuel 2 (26)
Div 1: Saints Yellow 1 (18) v St Ignatius 5 (31)
Div 2: Saints 4 (34) v St Ignatius 2 (19)
Div 3: Bye
Saints White: Saints 2 (23) v St Ignatius 4 (29)
Saints Blue: Bye

TOUCH FOOTBALL

Open A: Saints 1 v Pembroke 5
Open B: Saints 4 v St Ignatius 1
Middle A: Saints 5 v Wilderness 1
Middle B: Saints 2 v Seymour 1

VOLLEYBALL

Open A: Saints 1 v Immanuel 2
Open B: Saints 1 v Immanuel 2
Middle A: Saints 1 v Immanuel 2
Middle C: Saints 3 v Woodcroft 0

WATER POLO

Open A: Bye
Open B: Saints 12 v Seymour 1
Middle A: Saints 11 v St Dominic’s 7

Open B: Saints 12 v Seymour 1
The team played an excellent game against Seymour, demonstrating leadership and teamwork throughout. The girls have improved their gameplay during weekly trainings and it showed. Alice Braithwaite (Year 9) was the best player, showing Seymour how it’s done! Her fantastic swimming skills and counter-attacks wowed the spectators and her teammates. The entire team left nothing in the pool. Well done girls!

The Open Cs had a forfeit win against Mercedes College. However, this did not detract from the spirit of the team! The girls played a scratch match against Mercedes, giving them a chance to show off their shooting, defence and counter-attack skills. The girls worked fantastically together, demonstrating their enthusiasm and sportsmanship throughout. A special mention goes to Claudia Pearce (Year 9) for her amazing shooting skills and eagerness in the pool. – Emily Baldwinson (Water Polo Captain)

STUDENT SUCCESS

KARATE

At the SA Open Championships on 30 November, Siobhan Tsang achieved Bronze in kata in the 13 – 17YO division, in which she was the youngest competitor. This is on top of the Gold she achieved in the 11 – 13YO division, also in kata, in the State Championships in September.

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eNews – Week 3, Term 4 2021

Issue no. 33Enews-banner

From Our Deputy Principal / Head of Senior School

Adelaide Schools

Farewell to Year 12

Last week, we farewelled the Year 12 cohort, and it is timely to sincerely thank them for their enthusiastic, inclusive and distinctive leadership of the School. Over the past year, despite an increased academic workload, they continued to participate broadly in co-curricular activities. They demonstrated to all that a balanced and sensible approach to Year 12 is manageable. They also maintained their perspective and showed us that while every day can’t be fun, there is something fun in every day. Their teachers appreciated their ability to find joy in the little things and their wonderful sense of humour.

Our Year 12s were organised and diligent when needed. As such, it was their energy, communication skills and vision that ensured events including Choral Night, Swimming Carnival and Sports Day were successful and enjoyed by all younger girls. Their ability to tune in to the feelings of others and to take action to make someone else feel better is what I will remember most fondly.

Good luck girls, you will be missed.

I would also like to extend my thanks to the Year 12 teachers on behalf of the girls. We have an extraordinarily hard-working staff who make themselves available to the girls well outside of their regular teaching hours. Their willingness to meet individually with girls and provide robust feedback has been appreciated.

Career.Ready

Girls in Years 7 – 9 are spending the first five weeks of this term completing Career.Ready sessions.

National research identified that a common weakness of school career programs was failing to address career education in the early years of high school. Subsequently, our girls will complete investigations into their interests, likes and values this term, exploring how these lead to possible career options. They will then complete career ‘deep dives’ that provide them with a working knowledge of professions they are interested in. Finally, with the assistance and guidance of their Home Group teachers, they will complete a Career Action Plan. These plans will be stored electronically and updated each year. Excitingly, we will also be offering ‘JobChat’ sessions to these girls in early 2022.

Kate Mortimer
Deputy Principal/Head of Senior School

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From Our 2022 Head Prefect

Leadership for me is about making a positive impact as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence. A good leader understands the importance of always putting others first, the power of listening and the trust we place in each other. Because of the nature of school where you are going from youngest to eldest, being a good leader must include setting an example for the younger students and demonstrating our three values of courage, creativity and compassion. The 2022 Prefect Team hopes to set ambition and direction for the girls and lead the student cohort through their calendar of activities.

It is important to my beliefs that everyone has the potential to be a great student and achieve anything they put their mind to. I always intend to promote the idea that success isn’t determined through comparison with other students or achieving the highest grades; it is about finding what you are good at, what you are passionate about and using your gifts to their full potential. For me, inclusion and feeling that you belong are very important parts of enjoying life at school. Our Prefect Team understands the importance of creating a strong environment where girls feel accepted, happy and loved. Through our initiatives, we aim to ensure all girls feel a strong sense of belonging and make the most of this incredible opportunity they have been provided.

Our Prefect Team just had the privilege of working with Ms Mortimer for a weekend workshop based on leadership. Here, we discussed and finalised our leadership brand for 2022. The brand we want to be recognised for is being seen as confident, engaged and inclusive. We hope to enhance the healthy environment at Saints Girls, where everyone is actively encouraged to be their authentic self and where girls can reach their full potential.

Sophie Norman
2022 Head Prefect

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2021 Staff Dance Dazzles

Our annual Staff Dance has become a much-hyped tradition in farewelling our Year 12 girls, and this year’s performance certainly wowed the crowds!

Check out some of the magical moves:

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Philosothon Girls Take State by Storm

Congratulations to the Saints Girls who came 1st at the South Australian State Philosothon. Special shoutouts to Emily Teague who secured 1st place in Year 11, Alix Douglas for 1st in Year 8, Alvie Iley for 2nd in Year 9 and Madison Liddy who came 3rd in Year 10.

Emily provides a recap of the event:

‘On Thursday of Week 2, members of our Philosophy Club competed in the South Australian State Philosothon over Zoom. Our team of five girls – Madison Liddy, Ellie Humphrey, Alvie Iley, Alix Douglas and myself –  trained throughout the holidays, with a total of just three weeks of training for the competition.

The Philosothon went until 9pm, with our girls discussing four philosophical stimulus cases: the morality of civil disobedience, whether or not robots could achieve consciousness, ethics within COVID messaging, and the right of states to exclude individuals from citizenship.

Our team’s efforts paid off as we placed within the top three philosophers in each age group, with the great results as mentioned above. We also came 1st in the State overall. A special mention must go to Ellie Humphrey, who competed as a reserve for the team at the last minute and contributed to our win, and Alix who outperformed all other philosophers in her age group in her first-ever Philosothon. The girls should be very proud for achieving one of our best results in the Philosothon and we look forward to the next national competition next year.

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Gold for Goldsmith – Annie’s Amazing Race!

I competed in the VIVA SA All Schools Athletics Carnival for St Peter’s Girls in the U14 Frame Running and won Gold. I was proud to wear the School Athletics top because it was the first-ever competitive sporting event I have done for school.

I improved my personal best time and won my first-ever event. I was really pleased because I only started training last term. I can’t wait for my next chance to represent my school.

Annie Goldsmith
Year 7 student

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Saints Girl’s Lofty Achievement

Congratulations to Lois Burton-Howard who placed 3rd in the Youth C 11/12 year old category at the SA Boulder Titles on Saturday.

Lois mastered different climbing problems and tackled more difficult climbs with higher values to improve her overall score. This was Lois’s first formal competition, and we are very proud of her fantastic achievement!

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Friends of Rowing Season Opening Picnic

On Sunday, the Friends of Rowing hosted their Season Opening Picnic on Chiverton Lawns. It was a wonderful evening, well-received by all who attended, and an opportunity to welcome new and returning families for the 2021/22 Rowing season. The event was also a chance to christen our newest boats (two coxed quad/fours) delivered earlier this year.

We were fortunate to have Old Scholars Olympia Aldersey (Kennion 2011 – World Champion and Olympian, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020) and Peta White (Selwyn 2009 – Junior World Champion and Senior World Championships Silver Medallist) in attendance, after whom these two new boats have been named.

Our girls had the opportunity to hear Olympia and Peta reflect on their experiences at Saints Girls, their rowing journeys and advice for the season ahead. Olympia and Peta have achieved outstanding sporting success and have modelled courage, creativity and compassion in representing Australia. It was a pleasure to recognise their successes through the naming of these boats!

Thank you to the Friends of Rowing for their organisation of the picnic and to all of the parents who volunteered to prepare for the event and assist on the evening. It was a fabulous night enjoyed by all, and it would not have been possible without these contributions.

Brynley Millward
Director of Rowing

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Sports Lunch 2021 – Book Now

St Peter’s Girls’ Foundation is delighted to present the 2021 Sports Lunch on Friday 12 November from 12 – 4pm at the Alma Tavern, Norwood.

Enjoy an exclusive afternoon of sporting insights and a sports panel discussion with football icon Mark Ricciuto, Olympic and World Champion Rower Olympia Aldersey (Kennion 2011), and Executive Director of Events SA Hitaf Rasheed (Selwyn 1986).

The afternoon includes a delicious 3-course meal and drinks package, and funds raised will go towards our new Gym!

Be quick to secure your tickets via TryBooking.

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Year 3s Venture to Victor Harbor

This term, the Year 3 cohort ventured to Victor Harbor for three full days of activities. After a ride on the Cockle Train, the girls explored the Goolwa Riverboat Museum and learned about the historic steamboat PS Oscar W.

In their House teams, the girls developed their collaboration skills, supporting one another through a range of activities. They rode the Big Duck Boat, observing sea lions and cubs and a pod of dolphins. They finished the day watching the sunset over a round of mini-golf.

On our final day, the girls went to Urimbirra Wildlife Park where they were fortunate to feed the animals and pat a koala.

The girls can be proud of how they embraced unfamiliar situations, demonstrating great resilience and support for one another.

Jane Angove
Year 3 Teacher

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Saints’ Musos Rock Lunch Hour

The Saints’ Rock Band and Guitar Ensemble put on a fantastic concert for the students during lunchtime on Wednesday. It began with the Guitar Ensemble, consisting of eight girls from Years 8 – 11, performing pieces in three parts including popular tunes ‘1000 Years’ and ‘Ho Hey’.

The Rock Band’s set began with free cookies handed out to the enthusiastic audience. They performed four songs, including the well-known hit ‘Scar’ by Australian musician Missy Higgins which featured an intricate piano solo. This was followed by ‘Fallin’ by Alicia Keys with some very impressive vocals. The set finished with the rousing ‘Stand by Me’ where the audience tapped and clapped along.

As Rock Band missed out on a few gigs due to COVID restrictions, this final concert was a great way to end to the year for both Rock Band and Guitar Ensemble!

Robyn Habel
Music Teacher

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Year 10s Explore Smarter Cities

In Year 10 Business, Innovation and Technology, we are learning about the business of local councils and their role in designing cities that are smarter, more sustainable and connected.

This week, we welcomed Burnside Mayor, Old Scholar and former staff member Anne Monceaux (nee Harrington, Kennion 1966), Matthew and Kelly from the City of Burnside to talk about why data is important to the council and what smart city projects they are currently working on.

Throughout the project, we were fortunate to also partner with Chamonix IT Consulting who provided mentorship in big data and the Internet of Things, and cyber security. We look forward to welcoming the City of Burnside and Chamonix IT Consulting back throughout the term to see our finished projects, which will involve students reimagining key spaces to make them smarter and more sustainable.

Monique Green
Digital Tech Teacher & STEM Coordinator

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Engineering a Brighter Future

Ingenuity 2021

On Tuesday, the Year 10A Maths class, Year 11IB Chemistry class, Year 11 SACE Physics and the Year 11 STEM team were invited to engage with final year Engineering students from Adelaide University at the annual ‘Ingenuity’ event, held at the Adelaide Convention Centre.

University students displayed their final year projects, which were organised under six themes: Transforming Technologies, Securing our Future, Our Built and Natural Environments, Healthy Society, Future Energy and Resources, and Space. Each of these themes represent how projects could be used in everyday life to help improve how we live and work.

There were around 300 projects and information displays for students to enquire about, including many interactive displays such as making perfume, using robotics and virtual reality. The event began with two university student guest speakers, Old Scholar Megan Jenssen (Patteson 2016) who studied a Bachelor of Science (Advanced), and Fiona Dawson (Kennion 2017) who is completing a double degree in Mechatronic Engineering with Computer and Mathematical Science.

Our students spoke highly of the event and came away knowing more broadly how Engineering is utilised to improve such a broad range of facets in our lives. If you would like to explore Ingenuity for yourselves online, you can visit bit.ly/ingenuity21-VR.

Thank you to Craig Byrne and Emily Gough for their assistance on the day.

Rebecca Scott-Toms
Mathematics Teacher

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IB Students Put Theories to the Test

‘Theory of Knowledge’ is a core subject of the IB Diploma Programme that essentially asks students to reflect on the central question, ‘How do we know that?’ Examining the credibility of claims, the methods of knowledge production, and the differences between facts and opinions, it aims to help students make sense of the world and question their own assumptions, beliefs and perspectives.

Through primarily discussion-based learning, students reflect on their knowledge from both their studies and their lives outside the classroom. The Theory of Knowledge Exhibition is one of two assessments in the subject, allowing students to show how Theory of Knowledge manifests in the world around us.

The task requires students to choose three objects which explore aspects of a question about knowledge selected from a set list. Some of the questions our students explored were, ‘Are some things unknowable?’, ‘What challenges are raised by the dissemination and communication of knowledge?’, ‘Does some knowledge only belong to particular communities of knowers?’, and ‘What is the role of imagination in the production of knowledge?’

The girls enjoyed thinking through different aspects of the questions and challenging themselves to find objects that clearly represented their ideas.

Helen MacLaren
Learning Strategies Teacher

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RAA’s Street Smart High

St Peter’s Girls joined over 70 schools in South Australia’s largest youth road safety event last week, RAA’s Street Smart High.

Year 10 students arrived at the Entertainment Centre to improve their road safety knowledge, skills and attitudes.

The four-hour program included:
– A simulated crash scene
– Real-life stories from people whose lives have been affected by road trauma
– A demonstration of the importance of ANCAP star ratings when choosing a car

RAA Community Engagement Senior Manager Ben Haythorpe said it was vitally important to educate novice drivers about the risks and dangers people can face when they get in a car or on a motorcycle.

He explained that people aged 16 to 24 years make up 13 per cent of the population but accounted for 21 per cent of all fatalities in SA over the past two years. He also said that young people need to be exposed to road safety education consistently and over many years to develop positive road safety attitudes and behaviours. Ben is confident that road safety education positively impacts students’ attitude to risk-taking on our streets and contributes to a long-term reduction in road trauma.

Over 60,000 Year 10 to 12 students from more than 80 schools across the State have attended Street Smart High since it began in 2009. We hope that our students gained some valuable experience about staying safe on our roads.

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Out of the Blue Arts Journal – Launching Soon!

Ms Burton-Howard and the Student Committee are excited to launch the 2021 edition of the Out of the Blue Arts Journal. Students, Old Scholars and staff have contributed incredible work such as photographs, art, poetry and song lyrics.

The Saints’ community will be able to purchase a copy of the Arts Journal in the coming weeks via TryBooking. More details to follow in eNews.

Well done to Ms Burton-Howard and the Out of the Blue Arts Journal committee for putting together yet another fantastic edition.

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Friends of The Arts Farewell Year 12 Parent Volunteers

Last week, Friends of The Arts members farewelled Year 12 parents Tania Tenten, Karin Kong and Deb Kingsbury. Over the years, these ladies have provided continued support to the girls at Music Camp with preparation and service of meals, working behind the bar at Performing Arts events, and assisting with purchasing supplies and ice for events. Karin has also been the Treasurer of our group for several years. Their contribution of time, dedication and friendship has been appreciated and they will all be missed.

We are also grateful to all volunteers who have worked and supported Arts events this year. We look forward to welcoming new members or volunteers in 2022. It is a great opportunity to meet and engage with other parents and have some fun while supporting the School.

If you are involved in The Arts at Saints Girls, please join our Facebook group.

If you are interested in being involved in the Friends of The Arts, please get in touch with me via dslparker@gmail.com.

Danielle Parker
Friends of The Arts’ President

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Community at Saints Girls

Parents are a vibrant and integral 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 Rowing Meeting

Tuesday 16 November
6.30pm
Senior Art Room

Contact: Ed Parker – edontheroadagain@hotmail.com

Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager

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Bright Lights for Blight in Right Royal Production

We are thrilled for Year 10 student Zara Blight who will be playing the role of Young Elizabeth in the upcoming play The Audience, written by Peter Morgan and Directed by Ben Todd. Morgan is a writer and producer known for the Netflix series, The Crown.

The play is an innovative and modern account, where Morgan imagines a series of conversations held behind closed doors. Between 1952 and 2016, it focuses on Queen Elizabeth II and her weekly private meets with the Prime Minister. The play offers glimpses of the woman behind the crown, including the powerful figures to hold office and the moments that shaped a nation. The play weaves through time, where the older Queen occasionally chats with her younger self, revealing her childhood dislike of the palace and her fears for the future. Be entertained by this humorous and revealing play, presented on the Australian stage for the first time.

We are incredibly proud of Zara for her casting in this role. Earlier this year, Zara delivered an outstanding performance in our School Musical, A Chorus Line – High School Edition, and we can’t wait to see her in action again!

Secure your tickets now via TryBooking.

Therry Theatre
Director: Ben Todd
Stage Manager: Lari Paynter

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Adelaide Wind Orchestra Presents: Blue Shades

Saints Girls’ students are invited to attend the Adelaide Wind Orchestra’s (AWO) Blue Shades. Students can receive a free ticket to the event using the promo code ‘STPETERSGIRLS’.

From melancholic to joyous, AWO’s Blue Shades is a symphonic homage to the blues and the various shades of blue to reflect and celebrate the end of our 2021 concert series.

Guest conducted by David Polain (South Australian Police Band).

7.30pm Saturday 6 November
St Peter’s Girls’ School Arts Centre
Tickets via TryBooking

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Entertainment Membership

To support Saints Girls and secure your Entertainment Membership, click here.

Adelaide Schools

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

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Health Notices

A message from the Eastern Health Authority: EHA provides the School Immunisation Program and offers a free immunisation catchup service for current students who may have missed any of these doses this year or during prior years at school, or who may have missed any early childhood vaccinations and be eligible for the adolescent free vaccine catchup program for those under 20 years. For more details, click here.

—–

A message regarding COVID-19 vaccinations from SA Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier: click here

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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.

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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Sports News

BASKETBALL

Open A: Saints 38 v Walford 14
Middle A: Saints 28 v Walford 28
Middle B: Bye

CRICKET

Saints 25 v Pembroke 99

Our Cricket teams have gotten underway with their first fixtures of the season. The girls bowled well to keep Pembroke down to 99, but batting against an experienced bowling attack proved difficult, with Pembroke restricting Saints to just 25. In an internal Saints v Saints fixture, we were able to analyse and take stock of the areas that need improvement. In this game, our bowling was noticeably the challenge, with wides being the biggest scorer on the day. This is something that we will focus on in upcoming training sessions to ensure the girls are increasing their accuracy and consistency.

JUNIOR SPORT

The first two weeks of term have been a pleasure watching students undertake a new sport. Our Junior Cricket team made up of Year 3s and 4s played their first game against Seymour, and were consistent enough in their bowling whilst taking advantage of free hits of the tee. Our Touch Football teams have faced the challenge of injuries and participating against older mixed teams to show significant improvement and increased game awareness. Volleyballers have been working hard during training and internal games, practising a sport which is notoriously challenging for younger players who are not used to the scanning, footwork and decision-making that come with a net sport, and our Badminton and Tennis players have committed to early morning training sessions which will have a positive impact on their skill development, but also time management and resilience. I hope that our juniors continue to enjoy their Term 4 sport and thrive over the coming weeks.

TENNIS

Open A: Saints 6 (36) v Wilderness 0 (5)
Open B: Saints 5 (32) v Wilderness 1 (21)
Div 1: Saints Yellow 4 (30) v Pembroke 2 (28)
Saints White 4 (31) v Scotch Navy 2 (19)
Saints Blue 6 (36) v Scotch Gold 0 (5)
Div 2: Saints 4 (28) v Westminster 2 (28)
Div 3: Saints 1 (15) v Pulteney 3 (33)

TOUCH FOOTBALL

Open A: Saints 2 v Wilderness 1
Open B: Saints 5 v Wilderness 1
Middle A: Saints 0 v Marryatville 6
Middle B: Saints 0 v Mercedes 5

VOLLEYBALL

Open A: Saints 3 v Wilderness 0
Open B: Saints 0 v Wilderness 3
Middle A: Saints 3 v Wilderness 0
Middle B: Saints 0 v Wilderness 3
Middle D: Saints 3 v Concordia 0

WATER POLO

Open A: Saints 7 v Seymour 6
Open B: Saints 10 v St Ignatius 8
Open C: Saints 9 v Loretto 2
Middle A: Bye

STUDENT SUCCESS

AUSSIE RULES

This week, I was lucky enough to play in the Eastern Districts SAPSASA team for girls’ footy. I was also thrilled to be voted as a Co-Captain for our team. The SAPSASA competition was held over three days from Monday to Wednesday. There were 4 divisions with 10 teams in each and 16 players per team. Teams came from all over the State which illustrates the massive growth in girls’ football with over 600 girls involved.

It was a great experience and our team finished 5th in our division with 5 wins and 4 losses. It was a wonderful experience and I had a great time. – Elodie de Wit (Year 7)

ATHLETICS ALL SCHOOLS

Congratulations to all our girls who participated and performed so well at the recent All School Athletics; there were some fantastic performances on the day with 13 podium finishes. A highlight was Annie Goldsmith competing in her first-ever outside of school race, the 100m Frame Run. Annie achieved Gold and a PB of 40.44 seconds, and is looking forward to competing again.

Daisy Braithwaite
3000M Walk
2nd

Elodie de Wit
1500m and 3000m
2nd

Isla Fahey
3000m
5th
2000m Steeple
2nd

Annie Goldsmith
100m Frame Running
1st

Carys Kinsella-White
400m
6th
High Jump
1st
Triple Jump
6th

Amelia Lucas
200m
4th

Charlotte McAuliffe
100m
2nd
200m and 400m
1st

Malaika McLeod
400m
2nd
800m and 1500m
1st

Chloe Richardson
400m
8th
800m
3rd

BOCCIA

On Wednesday, six girls from 7RAIR (Ruby Clark, Rose Downie, Annie Goldsmith, Maddie Oborn, Holly Robinson and Stella Spalvins) attended the SA School Sports Boccia Tournament. Boccia is a Paralympic sport similar to Bocce but played sitting down.

The girls played 5 rounds with wins in 4. They finished the minor rounds in 2nd place. A tough first final against a very strong team from Botanic High saw the girls play off for 3rd against Henley High. After trailing the whole game, the last round featured an epic comeback by Annie, Rose and Holly to take the win. After an exciting day, Saints finished 3rd overall and we look forward to playing some more Boccia.

BOULDERING

Lois Burton-Howard came 3rd in the State Bouldering titles in the Female C category (age band) on Saturday. It was a hectic two hours as she mastered different climbing problems and tried to tackle more difficult climbs with higher values to improve her overall score. Climbing in the lower age groups is taken by adding together the top 6 most difficult climbs they complete. She is very excited about her 3rd in the State in her age group as this was her first formal competition.

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eNews – Farewell Class of 2021

Issue no. 32Enews-banner

Farewell Class of 2021

Farewell to our amazing Class of 2021, what an epic last day of school!

We hope you enjoy more celebrations at tonight’s Valedictory Dinner, and we wish you all the best for your final exams and assessments. Always remember, you are and will forever be Saints Girls.

A send-off tradition is the Year 12 run through the School watched on by staff and younger students; take a look at the Class of 2021 in action:

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Congratulations 2022 Student Leaders

There were moving scenes on Wednesday as our 2022 Student Leaders were inducted in a Chapel Service where they received their badges of office from our outgoing Prefects.

Families, staff and fellow students watched on with pride as our new Prefects and other leaders pledged to serve St Peter’s Girls with distinction.

It was a touching occasion, and we can’t wait to see how the girls lead the School in 2022.

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ELC Garden Grand Opening

It was very special to have our ELC Hallett Garden transformation officially opened yesterday by The Honourable Rachel Sanderson MP, State Member for Adelaide, Minister for Child Protection, and Saints Girls’ Old Scholar (Selwyn 1986). When embarking on this project, we aimed to create a learning and play space that would both challenge and connect children.

We also wanted to create traces of our shared history and narratives of our learning with Kaurna elder Tamaru by making a garden linking our past, present and future. Underpinned by Kaurna culture and sustainability, our new landscape is reflective of the importance of what we hope for the future of childhood.

We have cleverly utilised each section of the space with the help of our experienced landscape architects Swanbury Penglase. The planning was collaborative and ensured all voices were included in each step of the design process. We were fortunate to be on site during its construction, as landscape designers Greenplay worked for several weeks with the children and educators looking on from our viewing window. This process strengthened the children’s connections and understandings as each phase was completed.

We are extremely appreciative of our School community for supporting this project, including the Friends of the ELC who purchased some of the artefacts that are pivotal in our design.

In the few weeks the garden has been available to the children, we have observed a new rigour in their play. They have created new games, further developed confidence in their gross motor skills and demonstrated to the educators even more ways the garden spaces can be interpreted. This excites us as to what might be possible and what outcomes may be achieved with this appealing and creative design. It is the garden of possibilities and we are proud not to have the end in mind as we launch this new play space.

Kate Mount
Director of Early Learning

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Sun Shines on Family Day

Thank you to the families who came to the School on Sunday for our annual Family Day. It was the perfect opportunity to relax and enjoy some great food and various activities with our Director of Sport Tommy Peak, while catching up with friends on Chiverton Lawns.

It was fantastic to have past parent Jeff Goehr from Wicked Coffee involved by serving up coffees on the day. In addition, it was wonderful to welcome Old Scholar Stephanie Hannah (Patteson 2010) back to the School in her new catering truck. Stephanie and her partner recently bought a food truck and have ventured into a business called ‘Snob Catering’. Our attending families really enjoyed the selection of menu items. We wish them every success with this new enterprise, and we look forward to inviting them back to the School and working with them in the future.

We’d also like to thank Junior School Art Teacher Sarah Casson who made some fantastic progress on the ‘Wall of Support’ mural on the exterior of the Gym. On Sunday, she painted in 4 of the 18 sporting silhouettes, signifying that we have raised $200K towards our $1M target to give Saints Girls a new Gym sooner. The children who attended had a fantastic time watching Sarah paint and asked her lots of interesting questions about her mural art.

Thank you so much to everyone who made this day possible and so enjoyable!

Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager

Last Sunday, the Saints Girls’ Family Day was held on Chiverton Lawns. Many families came to enjoy a sunny afternoon of soccer, picnics, delicious food and live mural painting by our Junior School Art Teacher Ms Casson. A food truck was run by an Old Scholar, serving internationally themed food such as Vietnamese noodle bowls and nachos. To match this theme, I baked nearly 100 internationally flavoured cupcakes to sell. With the help of Ayanna and Ishita from Year 9, we almost sold out of cupcakes featuring flavours of tiramisu, bubble tea, lamington, Belgium chocolate and fairy bread. The day was a huge success and it was a great experience running my own stall. I would highly encourage more students to get involved next year and if you have your own small business, maybe consider setting up a stall too!

Angelina Hii
Student

The SRC girls and Ms Westgate ran a super fun Family Day. Angelina, Ishita and I set up a cupcake stand, hoping to sell as many sweets as possible. Angelina baked four different flavours of cupcakes, all representing different nationalities. The main purpose of Family Day was to connect people with different cultures, and teach the younger children to love and respect their traditions and those of others. We were also aiming to raise money for our new Gym. It was a very successful day and I am so excited for the following events in the years to come! We ended up selling 88 cupcakes which was an amazing outcome, and I am very proud of all the girls who put in the effort to make this idea become a reality.

Ayanna Roy
Student

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The Power of Sport at Saints Girls

Last term, our Aussie Rules Captain Kellie Bested caught up with football icon and Saints Girls’ Coach Mark Ricciuto to talk all things sport including the game changing impacts it has on health, wellbeing and relationships.

Roo will be joined by Olympic rower Olympia Aldersey (Kennion 2011) and Events South Australia Executive Director Hitaf Rasheed (Selwyn 1986) during our exclusive Sports Lunch at the Alma on Friday 12 November. Book your tickets via www.trybooking.com/BTYKD

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Sports Lunch 2021 – Book Now

St Peter’s Girls’ Foundation is thrilled to present the 2021 Sports Lunch on Friday 12 November from 12 – 4pm at the Alma Tavern, Norwood.

Enjoy an exclusive afternoon of sporting insights and a sports panel discussion with football icon Mark Ricciuto, Olympic and World Champion Rower Olympia Aldersey (Kennion 2011), and Executive Director of Events SA Hitaf Rasheed (Selwyn 1986).

The afternoon includes a delicious 3-course meal and drinks package, and funds raised will go towards our new Gym!

Be quick to secure your tickets via TryBooking.

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Updated Mask Directions for Schools

The State Government has announced that from Monday, face masks will no longer be mandatory in schools for students and staff, and will instead be optional.

The Premier says the decision has been made due to the State’s encouraging COVID vaccination rate, but stresses to all South Australians that we must continue to be vigilant in the fight against the virus.

The School has been advised that the direction for parents and visitors to wear masks remains in place for now.

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True Blue at Junior Swimming Carnival

Congratulations to the girls in Kennion, who were the winners of the inaugural Years 2/3 Swimming Carnival! Well done also to Selwyn for taking home the Spirit Cup. The day was filled with high spirits and the girls enjoyed the friendly competition at the School Pool.

They began the afternoon with cheers in their House groups before taking part in the freestyle events. It was impressive to witness all girls’ confidence in the pool with some smooth and stylish strokes on display. Both Year 2s and Year 3s participated in a kickboard novelty race before the breaststroke and backstroke events to round out the carnival.

A number of Year 6 Leaders supported the swimmers by either being in the pool or assisting with marshalling and recording. It was a lovely atmosphere and it was excellent to see the girls have an opportunity to display their swimming skills.

Kennion: 166
Kilburn: 141
Selwyn: 139
Patteson: 113

Dan Searle
Head of PE, Health & Outdoor Education

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Year 7 Debaters the Talk of Town

Congratulations to our Year 7 Team 2 Debaters who were the winners of the South Australian Debating Association (SADA) Junior Grand Final. Well done also to Nethushi Ratnayake who won a medal for best speaker on the day.

The exciting occasion took place at the Law Courts in Victoria Square, an impressive venue for the girls, many of whom had never debated before this year. Thirty-eight schools were in the running for the coveted title, making the girls’ success even more impressive.

Our skilled debaters argued that children should not be allowed to compete in professional sports. With the help of their Year 10 coaches Zara Blight and Lucy Schirripa, the girls carefully constructed their arguments and possible rebuttals over the best part of a month. Most lunchtimes and recesses were taken up with research and rehearsal, pasting arguments onto cue cards and timing speeches. Great effort from all the girls!

Zara and Lucy share their recap of the event:

‘Last Sunday, our Year 7 Debating team won the SADA Junior Debating Grand Final against Rose Park Primary School. The team consisted of Mithi Sharma, Jiahui Zhang, Lexie Fishlock and Nethushi Ratnayake.

St Peter’s Girls hasn’t claimed this title since 2004, so it was an honour to coach these girls to such a fantastic victory. They competed phenomenally the entire season, winning two of the three rounds, as well as the Quarter and Semi-Finals. We couldn’t have done it without the support of Mrs English, Mrs Gough, Holly Wallman-Craddock and Sara Peak, who supported us throughout the season. It has been a wonderful experience to coach such a dedicated team who have shown a keen passion for debating. We’ve enjoyed every moment!’

Sarah English
English Teacher

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Spectacular Strings Concert

Our annual Strings Concert was a great success, with 65 girls from Years 2 to 12 participating in a very well received and highly engaging program.

The concert featured our five-string ensembles playing a wide variety of music, including Extension Strings with vocalist Emeshe Robson, Senior Strings, Intermediate Strings, Developmental Strings and Emily Strings. Several other performances showcasing the talent and hard work of students included a solo by Samantha Li, a piano trio combining performers Cheri Wong, Lauren Parker and Tammy Tang, a harp and voice solo by Abigail Papps, and a duet arranged by our very own violin teacher Emma Luker played by Caitlin Middelberg and Grace Dwyer.

For the first time, the concert also featured a staff quartet which included our guest artist for the evening, Adelaide-based violinist and composer Belinda Gehlert. Our Co-Director of Strings Hilary Kleinig and string tutors Emma Luker and Alison Rayner also played ‘Epilogue’ by Belinda. Needless to say, this was a very moving and touching performance that showcased the fine artistry of our local string staff.

We thanked and farewelled our Strings Captain Cheri Wong and Year 12 students Victoria Thorp, Hattie Xu and Stephanie Demmrich. They have all contributed to our Strings program in immeasurable ways over the past many years and will be sorely missed.

The finale and highlight of the concert was an orchestral piece called ‘Wild’, written and conducted by Hilary Kleinig. It involved all of the string students, and together with the string staff, they dazzled the audience with an array of catchy melodies, rhythms, techno beats and fluoro wristbands!

Congratulations to everyone who participated in this wonderful concert!

Natalie Maegraith and Hilary Kleinig
Co-Directors of Strings

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Year 6 Camp on Mighty Murray

The Year 6 girls were excited to participate in an Outdoor Education experience on the Murray River at Roonka during Week 1. The program offered opportunities to engage in canoeing, fishing, raft building, teamwork and leadership challenges, and setting up and sleeping in tents! Thankfully, the rain largely stayed away (until the second to last day), allowing exciting and worthwhile learning experiences in a unique natural environment.

Year 6 Teachers

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Former Staff Lunch

The vibe in the room was buzzing when almost 40 Former Staff of St Peter’s Girls met for a delicious lunch on Wednesday at The Republic. COVID forced us to reconvene the event, so there was great enthusiasm in the room as guests caught up on each other’s news. Staff from all departments joined the lunch group, and this added to the collegial atmosphere.

It was great to see former Principals Doug Stott and Di Nicholls, together with Sub-School leaders Janet Bowden and Robyn Page. Long-serving School Support Staff Chris O’Donnell, Jean Hudson, Malcom Heading, Siony Gardiner, Barbara Jeffries and Anne Sinclair reminded us of the fun of our working life and commitment to Saints. Teaching staff representing all year levels completed the picture.

Diary Note: The next lunch is scheduled for Wednesday 27 July 2022.

Judy Lovett on behalf of the Organising Committee

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Rowing Season Opening Picnic This Sunday

The Friends of Rowing invite you to attend the Season Opening Picnic this Sunday 24 October from 5 to 7pm on Chiverton Lawns. This event will be an opportunity to welcome our new and returning Rowing families for the 2021/22 season, as well as christen our newest boats!

As part of the event, we will be welcoming special guests and Old Scholars Olympia Aldersey (Kennion 2011 – World Champion and Olympian, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020) and Peta White (Selwyn 2009 – Junior World Champion and Senior World Championships Silver Medallist) who will be speaking at the event.

All rowers are expected to attend, and Rowing families are strongly encouraged. The event is open to the School community; Old Scholars and friends of the Rowing program are very welcome.

Tickets can be purchased via https://www.trybooking.com/BUECQ

$25 per adult
$20 per student/child

Tickets include nibbles, yiros and soft drinks. Refreshments will also be available for purchase.

Brynley Millward
Director of Rowing

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Community at Saints Girls

Parents are a vibrant and integral 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 Rowing Meeting

Tuesday 16 November
6.30pm
Senior Art Room

Contact: Ed Parker – edontheroadagain@hotmail.com

Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager

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Entertainment Membership

To support Saints Girls and secure your Entertainment Membership, click here.

Adelaide Schools

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

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Health Notices

A message from the Eastern Health Authority: EHA provides the School Immunisation Program and offers a free immunisation catchup service for current students who may have missed any of these doses this year or during prior years at school, or who may have missed any early childhood vaccinations and be eligible for the adolescent free vaccine catchup program for those under 20 years. For more details, click here.

—–

A message regarding COVID-19 vaccinations from SA Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier: click here

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Growth and Development Education Evening – Next Week

You are warmly invited to the Kidz Biz Growth and Development Education Evening next Tuesday 26 October in the Arts Centre.

Kidz Biz Growth and Development Education is for both students and their parents. The sessions are designed to be fun, informative and easy to understand. It is highly interactive, providing parents/guardians and students with an introduction to basic personal growth and social development education. Traditionally known as the ‘Birds and the Bees’, these sessions will be presented in a manner that is not awkward or threatening, where students can learn about the human body and the amazing things it can do. The evening will be broken into two sessions for the following year groups, and the cost will be covered by the School.

Years 2 – 4
Where Did We Come From? – 6 to 6.50pm
• Myths about where babies come from
• Conception
• Fertilisation
• The nine month foetal development
• The birth process

Years 5 & 6
What’s Happening To Me? – 7 to 7.50pm
• Puberty (physical and emotional)
• Body image and media influences
• Dealing with parents

We hope to see many parents and students attend these valuable sessions.

Suzanne Haddy
Head of Junior School

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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.

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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Sports News

BASKETBALL

Open A: Saints 32 v Pembroke 23
Middle A: Saints 14 v Seymour 52
Middle B: Saints 22 v Seymour 41

CRICKET

Saints 1: Wash Out
Saints 2: Wash Out

Our Cricket season was delayed by a week due to a washout; however, the girls have been enjoying training and are improving quickly. With this being the first time Cricket has been played at Saints Girls in 16 years, we are extremely grateful to SACA for providing us with amazing sets of new equipment that will ensure the girls are prepared and ready when games come around.

TENNIS

Open A: Saints 6 (36) v Westminster 0 (3)
Open B: Saints 5 (32) v Westminster 1 (15)
Div 1: Saints Yellow 4 (30) v Pembroke 2 (28)
Saints White: 0 (11) v Pembroke 6 (36)
Saints Blue: 5 (32) v Pembroke 1 (21)
Div 2: Saints 0 (9) v Immanuel 6 (36)
Div 3: Saints 1 (15) v Immanuel 3 (33)

TOUCH FOOTBALL

Open A: Saints 1 v Marryatville 7
Open B: Saints 3 v Mercedes 8
Middle A: Saints 0 v Pembroke 1
Middle B: Saints 1 v Mercedes 4

VOLLEYBALL

Open A: Saints 3 v Westminster 0
Open B: Saints 0 v Westminster 3
Middle A: Saints 2 v Westminster 1
Middle B: Saints 2 v Westminster 1
Middle C: Saints 0 v Westminster 3
Middle D: Saints 0 v Westminster 3

WATER POLO

Open A: Saints 16 v St Ignatius 0
Open B: Saints 12 v Wilderness 3
Open C: Bye
Middle A: Saints 9 v Pembroke 11

Our Middle and Open Water Polo teams all had a very strong start to the summer season. Our Middle team, although losing by just 2, played a good first game, especially with their defensive pressure. It was great to see the more experienced players helping those who were playing their first-ever game! Our Open B team dominated in the pool and kept Wilderness scoreless. A shoutout must go to Alice Braithwaite who scored 3 goals in the first quarter and 5 for the game. Best player was Claudia Pearce for her leadership in the pool and her aggression in defence. This success continued for our Open A team who had a convincing 9 goal win over St Ignatius. With a very consistent 3 goals per quarter, the team continued their undefeated streak from last season with determination in both attack and defence. It was amazing to see the teamwork and collaboration in all teams and I can’t wait for an amazing, and no doubt successful season! – Saskia Jonats (Water Polo Captain)

JUNIOR SPORT

Our Junior School has some fantastic sport options in Term 4, many that have been introduced into the program for the first time this year. It’s great to see the Year 3s and 4s starting to play cricket with Miss West, with their first official game next Wednesday. The Year 5s and 6s have started to compete in Touch Football for the first time, led by Ms Burton-Howard and Tracey Woods; they have played Round 1 and are working hard to improve each week. We have also introduced Badminton for the first time, led by Stu Rowlands, our Head Coach. The girls have had their first hit out this week and showed plenty of promise. We then also have returning sports such as Aussie Rules, Volleyball and Tennis. With the first games commencing this week, we look forward to seeing the students enjoy the challenge of competition and working hard to develop their skills and team play.

STUDENT SUCCESS

MOUNTAIN BIKE CHALLENGE

Last Friday, Stella, Lexi, Hannah and I were fortunate to compete in the 2021 Mountain Bike Relay Championship at O’Halloran Hill. The aim of the event was to see how many laps of a challenging course the team could complete in 2.5 hours. After the first gruelling lap, we were able to shake off our nerves and complete 16 laps in total to finish in 2nd place. We all had a great time and hope to see more teams competing in this event next year. A big thanks to Izzie and our parents for their support and encouragement on the day. – Elodie de Wit (Year 7 student)

EKIDEN RELAY

Last Thursday, a group of eight Year 8/9 girls competed at the Ekiden Relay. The event was held at Bonython Park with many schools attending. The following girls represented Saints Girls and ran these distances:

5.4km – Daisy Braithwaite
1.5km – Sophie Ricciuto
2.8km – Naomi Singh
2.8km – Zara Trim
1.5km – Jenna Maione
2.8km – Alice Braithwaite
2.8km – Dani Cox
1km – Charlotte McAuliffe

The girls ran very well in every distance and finished 3rd overall. This was an event that I’m sure the girls enjoyed and we can’t wait to see more new faces next year competing in all age groups! – Daisy Braithwaite (Year 9 student)

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eNews – Week 1, Term 4 2021

Issue no. 31Enews-banner


From Our Principal

Adelaide Schools

If you look closely at the exterior of the northern wall of the Gym, you’ll see that some silhouettes have magically appeared over the holidays. Our talented Junior School Art Teacher Sarah Casson is a practicing artist in her own right and has produced some wonderful street art during her career. Over the break, Sarah has drawn the silhouettes of 18 athletes, representing the sports currently played here at Saints Girls. A figure will be coloured in for every $50,000 raised for our new Gym, as demonstrated above. When all 18 athletes have been painted, we’ll be just $100,000 shy of our target. Once the slam dunk is filled in, you’ll know we’ve reached the $1M mark, allowing construction of the new facility to be brought forward to the end of next year. We are off and running; on the back of the tax appeal and The Long Lunch, we’re hoping to paint four of the figures at the Family Day this weekend.

Keep a lookout for the next edition of Saints Alive in your letterbox. In it, you will find an invitation to be a Saints Girls All Star. By donating to the fundraising campaign, you will be able to customise a star of your choice to appear inside the new Gym. You can even add your House colour as a trim. It will be interesting to see which colour dominates the wall. I’ll certainly be adding a touch of green!

Our final fundraising event for the year will be the Sports Lunch at the Alma on Friday 12 November, featuring exclusive sporting insights from SA footy icon Mark Ricciuto, Olympic rower Olympia Aldersey (Kennion 2011), and Executive Director of Events SA Hitaf Rasheed (Selwyn 1986). Tickets can be purchased via TryBooking. A Giving Day and Gala Ball will round out the campaign in the first half of 2022.

In light of the ongoing density restrictions, we have made changes to our traditional end of year events. The Carols Service will be held in the School Chapel on Monday 6 December, commencing at 7pm. Seats will be offered to Year 12 girls and their parents in the first instance, prior to determining which other year levels can be accommodated. The event will be live-streamed.

Presentation Night has been moved to the Influencers Church in Paradise, the site of the very successful Choral Night earlier in the year. Presentation Night is compulsory for all girls in Years 7 – 12 and will be held on Tuesday 7 December from 7pm. The performances will be exceptional, so please come and help farewell our 2021 Year 12s in true Saints Girls’ style.

Classes for all girls in Reception to Year 6 will finish on Friday 3 December. However, some Junior School girls will be required to perform at the Carols Service and Presentation Night and attend rehearsals on Monday 6 December and Tuesday 7 December. Classes for all girls in Years 7 – 11 will finish on Tuesday 7 December. Their school year officially concludes at the end of Presentation Night.

Have a great term!

Julia Shea
Principal

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Music Judges Single Out Saints’ Songwriter

A huge congratulations to Georgie Raftopoulos who last night won 1st place at the Songwriters, Composers and Lyricists Association (SCALA) Festival of Original Music (FOOM) for her song ‘No Erasing Us’. Georgie wrote this song for the Year 12 cohort, and we are incredibly proud of her achievements.

This song competition encourages the writing of new material, and is showcased live and through the release of SCALA CDs and online downloads. Entries came from Australia, the US, Canada, New Zealand and Europe.

Georgie is also a nominee in the South Australian Music Awards for People’s Choice and Best New Artist in the Pop Category. These awards celebrate the achievements of local musicians, venues and industry workers. The winners will be announced next month and we wish Georgie all the best!

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Perfect Prize for Budding Poet

Well done to Amy Dillon who has won the ‘Inspired by Trees’ Poetry Competition for Secondary School Students run by Burnside Council. The honour includes a $500 grant to go towards a nature-focused activity. This month, Amy’s poem is being exhibited in the Burnside Civic Centre Atrium Space as part of the council’s ‘Inspired by Trees’ exhibition. Have a read of Amy’s prize-winning poem here:

Rise and Fall and Rise

Slivers of sun peek through the canopy of green,
The songs of birds float through the air, joyful and serene.
The wind twirls lazily, the leaves rustle and dance,
From the sun’s glare I’m protected, by the leafy expanse.

Then green is replaced with splashes of red, orange and gold.
And the leaves all dry out. Withering. Turning old.
The wind becomes harsher. Leaves drift to the ground.
Soon the trees will be empty. Not a leaf to be found.

Exposed, skeletal, and seemingly frail.
They stay standing strong and proud, through wind, rain, and hail.
Water streams down their branches, gathering in beads at the end,
Where it waits in anticipation, before beginning to descend.

But then the air becomes warmer, the rain starts to go,
The days become brighter, flowers and trees start to grow.
Once barren branches display buds, pink and white,
The buzz of bees fills the air and baby birds take flight.

Like the seasons, the cycle of life rolls on by,
Sometimes all things must fall before they can fly.

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Linguistics Learners Crack the Code

Congratulations to our Year 10 ‘Mighty Multilinguals’ for achieving Gold at the inaugural South Australian Computational Linguistics Olympiad (SACLO). They were amongst 15 teams from seven schools, including fellow Saints Girls the ‘Lingo Fighters’ who also did our School proud, receiving a special mention for their excellent analysis of grammatical rules governing samples of the Basque language. The ‘Mighty Multilinguals’ consisted of Ellie Humphrey, Madison Liddy, Lady Murphy and Annabel Ryan, and the ‘Lingo Fighters’ were Saffron Chen, Kathy Chen, Amy Hu and Helen Zhang.

SACLO was designed as a South Australian version of a national competition held in Term 1 each year. The girls spent several lunchtimes practising linguistics problems and discussing the various ins and outs of obscure languages. This was their first foray into the world of linguistics.

The competition questions took a variety of forms. A common type involved the students being given a number of words and sentences in a minority language to which they would not have been previously exposed, together with their English translations. The task was to then make hypotheses about some of the vocabulary and the possible rules that govern that language. Next, they needed to translate some further sentences both from the language into English and vice versa. This was higher-order thinking at its finest, a great exercise in code-breaking and pattern-seeking, and one that the girls thoroughly enjoyed. They didn’t need to be language students as such, but the fact that most of these students are studying a language at Year 10 level meant they had a sound understanding of how at least one other language besides English was put together.

The state rounds for the Australian Computational and Linguistics Olympiad (OzCLO) will be held in March next year. We are looking forward to entering teams from a range of Middle and Senior School year levels and will be counting on our successful teams from the 2021 SACLO competition to mentor the girls. We look forward to hearing what linguistic hurdles are presented to them in the national competition.

Cindy Pitkin
Head of Languages

 

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Podium Finish for Young Philosophers

Terrific teamwork by our Saints Girls who came 3rd in the Australasian Philosothon. Competing against 14 schools, our students also recorded some remarkable individual results with Holly Wallman-Craddock placing 1st in Year 11/12 and 2nd overall, Alvie Iley achieving 3rd in Year 9, and Alison Francis 2nd in Year 7/8.

Jessica Zhang provides a recap of the event:

‘During the first week of school holidays, eight students represented Saints Girls at the Australasian Philosothon held online. It was a challenging competition that ran over two days. We took part in four ‘Communities of Inquiry’ involving philosophical discussions with students from across the country. We considered many questions regarding cultural appropriation, such as Descartes’ famous statement, ‘I think, therefore I am,’ and whether parents have an obligation to create the best child.

Since the purpose of the Philosothon is for students to engage in philosophical discussions collaboratively, we were required to think critically about each other’s points, come up with creative and original ideas, and work together by encouraging, developing and evaluating each other’s perspectives.

The judges commented that this year’s Philosothon was probably one of the toughest in recent years. At the end of the competition, we were all exhausted. However, we were delighted to hear about Holly, Alvie and Alison’s results. With these outstanding achievements under our belt, we were also thrilled to be rewarded with 3rd place overall. The Philosothon was an exceptionally worthwhile competition, and it gave us all a more profound knowledge and understanding of Philosophy.’

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Swimming Sensation’s Historic Haul

Saints’ swimmer Alyssa Tran broke two State records at the recent South Australian Short Course Championships. She collected Gold with a time of 1:10.70 in the 13 Years 100m Breaststroke and 33.60 in the 50m Breaststroke.

Well done Alyssa, we are very proud of your achievements!

Tommy Peak
Director of Sport

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Strings Concert Tonight – Don’t Miss this Free Performance!

Saints Girls’ Music students are excited to present the Strings Concert tonight.

This free performance will feature Junior, Intermediate and recent ABODA Gold Award winners Senior Strings, soloists and special guest composer/performer Belinda Gehlert.

Join us at 6pm tonight in the Arts Centre.

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Language Fun for Storytelling Saints

Some of our young EAL/D (English as an Additional Language/Dialect) students have been learning about THRASS phonemes.

In our exploration of native Australian animals, I have integrated puppetry as a gateway to extend imagination and language-rich vocabulary. Students have gained fabulous success through puppetry conversations where they have been storytellers and sharers of knowledge.

These delightful images highlight how our Reception EAL/D girls have thrived in their oral language development through participating and communicating in fun, interactive role-play learning experiences.

Trish Tynan
EAL/D Specialist

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Family Day Fun – This Sunday!

Join us this Sunday 17 October for the Saints Girls’ Family Day!

From 11am to 2pm, Chiverton Lawns will host a fun-filled gathering including a dodgeball competition, live mural painting, coffee van and food trucks.

Whilst this community event is free to attend, we ask families to please book tickets for our planning purposes via TryBooking.

Proudly brought to you by the St Peter’s Girls’ Foundation

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Sports Lunch 2021

St Peter’s Girls’ Foundation is thrilled to present the 2021 Sports Lunch on Friday 12 November from 12 – 4pm at the Alma Tavern, Norwood.

Enjoy an exclusive afternoon of sporting insights and a sports panel discussion with football icon Mark Ricciuto, Olympic and World Champion Rower Olympia Aldersey (Kennion 2011), and Executive Director of Events SA Hitaf Rasheed (Selwyn 1986).

The afternoon includes a delicious 3-course meal and drinks package, and funds raised will go towards our new Gym!

Be quick to secure your tickets via TryBooking.

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Friends of Rowing – Season Opening Picnic

The Friends of Rowing invite you to attend the Season Opening Picnic on Sunday 24 October from 5 to 7pm on Chiverton Lawns. This event will be an opportunity to welcome our new and returning Rowing families for the 2021/22 season, as well as christen our newest boats!

As part of the event, we will be welcoming special guests and Old Scholars Olympia Aldersey (Kennion 2011 – World Champion and Olympian, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020) and Peta White (Selwyn 2009 – Junior World Champion and Senior World Championships Silver Medallist) who will be speaking at the event.

All rowers are expected to attend, and Rowing families are strongly encouraged. The event is open to the School community; Old Scholars and friends of the Rowing program are very welcome.

Tickets can be purchased via https://www.trybooking.com/BUECQ

$25 per adult
$20 per student/child

Tickets include nibbles, yiros and soft drinks. Refreshments will also be available for purchase.

Brynley Millward
Director of Rowing

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Community at Saints Girls

Parents are a vibrant and integral 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 Meeting | Term 4
Wednesday 20 October
7pm
AGM
Senior Art Room

Contact: Danielle Parker – dslparker@gmail.com

Friends of Rowing Group Meetings | Term 4
Tuesday 19 October
6.30pm
Senior Art Room

Tuesday 16 November
6.30pm
Senior Art Room

Contact: Ed Parker – edontheroadagain@hotmail.com

Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager

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Entertainment Membership

To support Saints Girls and secure your Entertainment Membership, click here.

Adelaide Schools

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

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Health Notices

A message from the Eastern Health Authority: EHA provides the School Immunisation Program and offers a free immunisation catchup service for current students who may have missed any of these doses this year or during prior years at school, or who may have missed any early childhood vaccinations and be eligible for the adolescent free vaccine catchup program for those under 20 years. For more details, click here.

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A message regarding COVID-19 vaccinations from SA Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier: click here

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Growth and Development Education Evening

You are warmly invited to the Kidz Biz Growth and Development Education Evening on Tuesday 26 October in the Arts Centre.

Kidz Biz Growth and Development Education is for both students and their parents. The sessions are designed to be fun, informative and easy to understand. It is highly interactive, providing parents/guardians and students with an introduction to basic personal growth and social development education. Traditionally known as the ‘Birds and the Bees’, these sessions will be presented in a manner that is not awkward or threatening, where students can learn about the human body and the amazing things it can do. The evening will be broken into two sessions for the following year groups, and the cost will be covered by the School.

Years 2 – 4
Where Did We Come From? – 6 to 6.50pm
• Myths about where babies come from
• Conception
• Fertilisation
• The nine month foetal development
• The birth process

Years 5 & 6
What’s Happening To Me? – 7 to 7.50pm
• Puberty (physical and emotional)
• Body image and media influences
• Dealing with parents

We hope to see many parents and students attend these valuable sessions.

Suzanne Haddy
Head of Junior School

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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.

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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Sports News

TENNIS

Open A: Saints 5 (35) v Concordia 1 (14)
Open B: Saints 3 (31) v Concordia 3 (27)

Our Open Tennis teams have got off to a great start in Term 4 with both notching up wins against Concordia. The Open As had a particularly strong performance, netting a 5 – 1 victory, with Sienna Glazbrook, Ruby Deakin and Tahlia Cahill taking out 6 – 1, 6 – 2 and 6 – 2 wins.

STUDENT SUCCESS

Elodie de Wit and Lucy Lowry have been selected to represent East Adelaide in SAPSASA Aussie Rules and Cricket. We look forward to hearing more about their achievements.

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