Monthly Archives: March 2022

eNews – Week 9, Term 1 2022

Issue no. 9Enews-banner

From Our Deputy Principal / Head of Middle School

Adelaide Schools

Next weekend, I will be travelling to Melbourne to attend the biennial conference of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia, themed ‘Leading, Learning and Caring’. It’s an amazing professional development opportunity where delegates have the chance to hear from internationally renowned speakers, visit a number of local schools, share ideas and areas of common interest in small group discussions, and hear about programs and research from independent schools around Australia.

Last year, Kate Mortimer (then Deputy Principal/Head of Senior School) and I submitted an abstract for the conference, which I’m proud to say was accepted. I am therefore excited to be presenting at the conference, with the support of Clare Gaskell, Head of Selwyn House.

We will be sharing the story of #EMPOWHER, our evidence-based wellbeing program and how it has changed the way our students think and act with regards to wellbeing issues. We’ll talk about the program’s research background, how it was implemented, reviewed, refined and renewed over the past four years, and how it has become part of the culture of the School.

The breadth and variety of #EMPOWHER is something we should be proud of as a school, and I’m delighted that this has been recognised on a national scale by being included in the program of this well-regarded conference.

Never a group to rest on their laurels, members of the wider wellbeing team have been hard at work over the past year researching and developing a bespoke Student Leadership program, as mentioned by Mr Jeremy Schultz, Chair of the Board, at last year’s Presentation Night. I am hoping Ms Gaskell and I will be able to have many fruitful discussions with regards to this whilst at the conference, and I look forward to sharing further details of this program with students and parents early in Term 2.

Richard Lisle
Deputy Principal/Head of Middle School

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Year 6 Ready to Lead the Way

Year 6 students proudly received their Leadership badges this week during a special ceremony in the Arts Centre. The girls were allocated a Junior School Leadership role following a nomination process. These vary from Art Leaders to SRC to House Quiz Captains.

Across the year, the students will collaborate in teams relevant to their leadership area. After setting goals, each team will work through a continuous cycle of planning activities, putting these into action and evaluating how they are progressing towards their leadership goals. They will aim to include direct, indirect and advocacy aspects in their service.

The ‘Who we are’ unit of inquiry, focusing on the central idea that ‘Leaders can demonstrate courage, compassion and creativity in many ways’, will run across the year, providing opportunities for the students to reflect upon and learn more about leadership throughout their time as Junior School Leaders.

Louisa Mitchell, Sarah Braithwaite and Mark Routley
Year 6 Teachers

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Saints Girl Makes History

Monumental congratulations are in order for our Deputy Head Prefect Chi Chi Zhao on recently being awarded the Annie Montgomerie Martin Prize for the most outstanding achievement by a student in SACE Stage 2 Modern History in 2021.

Annie Montgomerie Martin was committed to the education of languages and literature, opening a school of her own in Pulteney Street in 1869 named Miss Martin’s School. In 1923, medals for History and French were created to commemorate her work and perpetuate her memory as the first Headmistress of Miss Martin’s School. The prize is awarded annually in these two subjects to the student who gains the highest number of marks.

Chi Chi reflects upon this prestigious recognition:

‘I was really surprised but very honoured to receive the prize. When I chose the subject at the beginning of last year, I didn’t know what it would be like, but it soon became one of my favourite subjects. I was fascinated learning all about the Cold War, Nazi Germany and other significant events in modern history. History is a very important subject as it is so applicable to our current times, so I encourage everyone to study it if the opportunity arises. I’d like to thank my History Teacher Ms Spry – I’m so grateful for all her support and I couldn’t have done it without her.’

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Lunchtime Concert Wows Crowds

To celebrate World Piano Day (88th day of the year as there are 88 keys on a piano) and to feature our Musician in Residence David Goodwin, Saints Girls were this week treated to our first Lunchtime Music Concert for the year.

With David at the piano accompanied by bass player Dylan Paul and drummer Sam Millar, our girls enjoyed a feast of fantastic jazz and contemporary charts arranged by David for this ensemble. From ‘Valerie’ by Amy Winehouse, to fantastic improvised solos, to original compositions written by David in time signatures from 3 – 4 to 5 – 4 and everything in between, World Piano Day was celebrated in style!

David will be supporting the Music staff and students all year, working in classes, running an EDGE program on improvisation and performing throughout the year at various concerts. His next featured performance will be with his band ‘Eraser Description’ at our Music Day Camp next Thursday 7 April. David and his band will be running a workshop on how they create their unique sound and use technology in music, and then the girls will be treated to a dance party to finish off our Day Camp.

Sally Rounsevell
Director of Music

 

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Music Day Camp – Next Thursday

Music Day Camp will be held on Thursday 7 April for the following groups:

  • Developmental, Concert and Stage Bands
  • Intermediate, Senior and Extension Strings
  • Just Jazz, In-Ta Jazz, Enchante and Chamber Choir

This will be a fun-filled day of rehearsal sessions, group building activities and a guest performance from our Musician in Residence David Goodwin’s band ‘Eraser Description’. We will end the camp with a pizza dinner and dance party!

See timetable for rehearsal timings – click here

Sally Rounsevell
Director of Music

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‘Book’ Now for Roald Dahl Rules

We’re excited for Saints Girls who’ll be appearing in the production Roald Dahl Rules by Shane Davidson Presents. This is a wonderful show featuring many of the Dahl classics including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox, Matilda and even a revolting rhyme! With only four performances, this show will be a treat for all ages.

Venue: Holden Street Theatres, 34 Holden St, Hindmarsh
Dates: Friday 8 April (7.30pm) and Saturday 9 April (1pm, 4pm & 7.30pm)
Tickets: $30 via TryBooking – click here

Shane Davidson
Year 5 Teacher

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Reimagined Swimming Carnival – Next Tuesday

We have decided to host a reimagined Swimming Carnival next Tuesday 5 April which will now take place on site in a staggered format utilising the School’s refurbished pool.

This is due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases and the challenges of having such a large group of girls gathering across multiple year groups for an extended period indoors at the Adelaide Aquatic Centre.

The first session will involve students in Years 10 to 12 from approximately 8.30 to 10.30am, and in keeping with tradition, the Year 12 girls will be able to storm into the carnival donning their fantastic House costumes. Parents of Year 12 students will be able to attend this first session, with face masks and social distancing applied. Unfortunately, no other parent attendance is permitted at the carnival.

Sessions for Years 4 to 6 and 7 to 9 will be held later in the day, and we hope to reassemble the Year 12s for the overall House Shield presentation at the conclusion of the carnival. During their session, when girls are not competing, they will spectate from the oval under marquees to better facilitate social distancing.

The day will run to the normal school schedule (8.30am – 3.30pm). Outside of their swimming session, girls will attend classes as per the regular timetable and will therefore need to bring any relevant learning resources. Students in Years 4 to 11 are advised to wear their PE uniform on the day.

Finer details will be communicated to the girls in due course, and whilst we will be unable to complete the full schedule, we plan to run a series of competitive and novelty events. We look forward to sharing highlights on our Facebook and Instagram accounts throughout the day.

Despite not being the mass event that we usually enjoy, we hope that this revised format will give the girls the opportunity to showcase their amazing talents in the pool and embrace the House spirit that makes Swimming Carnival, and Saints Girls, so special.

Julia Shea
Principal

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Summer Interhouse Meal Deal

The Saints Sport Support Group (SSSG) will once again be cooking up a storm at Summer Interhouse, and our Giving Day, on Thursday 14 April, the last day before the Easter break.

We’re offering delicious cheeseburger Meal Deals and a sausage sizzle (vegetarian option available). SSSG volunteers will hand-deliver the Reception – Year 2 lunches to their classrooms, and Years 3 – 12 will collect theirs from the SSSG barbecue area. Parents, give yourself a day off from making the school lunches and let us do it for you!

Please note that whilst the Summer Interhouse sports carnival is for Years 7 – 12, and Junior School House Tee-Ball is for Years 3 – 6, the Summer Interhouse Meal Deal is available to all students from Reception – Year 12.

Pre-order your daughter’s cheeseburger Meal Deal before 5pm, Monday 11 April – click here

There will also be cash sales and EFTPOS sales on the day for the sausage sizzle.

To get you into the Summer Interhouse spirit, SSSG branded keyrings, supporter hats, House hats, water bottles and wristbands can also be pre-ordered, and purchased on the day. Please note that Kilburn hats have SOLD OUT – update on supply will be provided when stocks have been replenished.

All proceeds raised by the Saints Sport Support Group directly benefit our Saints Girls and their sporting endeavours.

Thank you so much for your kind support.

Saints Sport Support Group

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Choral Night – New Date

Friday 29 July (Week 1, Term 3)
Influencers Church, Paradise

Please save the date for our rescheduled Choral Night which we hope will be an electrifying way to start Semester 2.

Further details will be provided next term.

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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.

April 2022 Vacation Care Program

Places are limited, so secure your booking now – click here

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Ladies’ Night Out

The Saints Girls’ community presents: Ladies’ Night Out!

Join us on Friday 6 May from 7pm at the Feathers Hotel. Tickets are $50 each and include gourmet finger food and a drink on arrival.

Bookings close at 5pm, Monday 2 May. To book tickets – click here

A fundraising raffle will be drawn on the night; tickets can be purchased online or with cash at the event.

For more information, contact Fiona McGregor on 8334 2225 or fmcgregor@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au

Supported by the Friends of The Arts

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Starry Night Gala Ball – Secure Your Seats Now!

Saturday 18 June

Saints Girls is over the moon about our Starry Night Gala Ball to celebrate and support our fundraising efforts for a new Gym, including our ‘Saints Girls All-Stars’.

Don’t miss out on this amazing evening with our Saints Girls’ community.

7pm, Saturday 18 June
Adelaide Convention Centre

Tickets: $200 per person
Includes three-course meal, beverages and live entertainment

To book your tickets, click here

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Star Struck Major Lottery

As momentum builds for our Gym fundraising campaign featuring our ‘Saints Girls All-Stars’, we are thrilled to launch our Star Struck Major Lottery.

Ticket sales are now open, so get in quick!

First Prize: Toyota Yaris Ascent Sport from Northpoint Toyota (valued at $27,811)
+ a personalised car park at St Peter’s Girls’ School from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023.

This stunning new car could belong to you or someone in your family! Spread the word and feel free to share this opportunity with your friends and relatives.

To buy your tickets: CLICK HERE

Lottery Licence No: M14175

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COVID-19 Reminders

To help protect the health of our families, staff and the wider community, we must all work together to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Please be reminded of the following:

Should your child develop any symptoms, even mild ones, they must not attend school or ELC and should be tested for COVID-19. They require a PCR test with receipt of a negative result and resolution of symptoms before return to school/ELC can be considered. Students who have previously tested positive and have completed isolation in the past 12 weeks do not need to undertake testing.

If your child tests positive to COVID-19, notify us immediately. Please also advise the type of test (RAT/PCR), the date your child’s test was taken and the date symptoms started (if no symptoms, note ‘asymptomatic’).

Where possible, to help limit the amount of telephone traffic, please notify us via email or text:

Email:  attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Text:  0428 601 957 (save to phone contacts as SPGS)

If you do need to notify us over the phone, please call the Front Office on 8334 2200.

Please note that if your child is too sick to attend school, they are therefore also too sick to be working remotely from home.

QR CODE UPDATE

SA Health has advised that COVID-Safe QR code check-in is no longer required at children’s centres, preschools and schools. However, parent movements on campus are still limited at this time, and those with formal appointments at the School should continue to perform the routine visitor sign in/out at Front Office.

FRONT OFFICE DROP-OFFS

With current limitations on parents entering the School grounds and to assist our staff, please ensure your daughter has all of the items she needs for the day to reduce the amount of items being dropped off at the Front Office.

We thank all of our families for your continued support and cooperation.

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COVID-19 Vaccinations for Children Aged 5 – 11

The National COVID Vaccine Taskforce has requested assistance to circulate information encouraging COVID-19 vaccinations for 5 – 11 year old children:

Over 50 per cent of all children aged 5 to 11 have now received a first dose, with many now due for a second dose (eight weeks after the first). In particular as we approach school holidays and the weather cools down, it is important to take steps to minimise the impact of COVID-19. Vaccines are a safe and effective way to protect your child, and the community.

The Department of Health website provides a number of resources with further information about seeking COVID-19 vaccination. A fact sheet which you could use to have a conversation with your child can be found here. Further resources are also available here.

Vaccines are widely available across the country at general practices, state-run clinics and Aboriginal Health Services. You can find a participating clinic and make an appointment by visiting the Vaccine Clinic Finder here.

Thank you for your efforts to keep your child and the wider school community safe.

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School Medical Information Reminder

It is imperative that all medical information, including immunisations, is up to date on the School’s myLink parent portal.

Please follow this pathway to check and/or update details: myLink > Community Portal > My Details > select child name

If you have any questions, please email healthcentre@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au

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School Shop Holiday Hours and Notice for Year 4 Parents

Regular Opening Hours

Monday to Friday: 8am – 4pm
(closed for lunch 12 – 12.30pm)

School Holiday Hours

Closed except for:
Thursday 28 April: 9am – 4pm (closed for lunch 12 – 12.30pm)
Friday 29 April: 9am – 4pm (closed for lunch 12 – 12.30pm)

Winter Uniform Appointments

A reminder that we are commencing Winter Uniform Fittings, and to streamline the process, we have introduced a new online booking system. It shows our available time slots for April. Middle and Senior School students are welcome to visit during their recess or lunch breaks.

Click here to access the calendar and select the time that best suits you (please include your daughter’s name).

Appointment times are filling fast, so your prompt attention is appreciated.

Winter Uniform Requirements – Year 4 Students

If your daughter is in Year 4, there are a few different uniform requirements that you will need to arrange before Term 2.

With the winter uniform, the pinafore is replaced by a skirt of the same fabric, so if the pinafore still fits, the bib can simply be removed.

The grandpa shirt is replaced by a collared shirt and tie, and the junior blazer (cardigan) is no longer worn and is replaced by a navy blue jumper and a wool blazer.

Please make an appointment via our online booking system outlined above.

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Car Park Reminders

Unless special circumstances apply, parents of girls in Years 2 to 12 should not enter the car park to collect their daughters before 3.30pm. Parents of girls in Reception and Year 1 have exclusive use of the pick-up zone prior to this time for safety and traffic reasons.

Furthermore, if the car park is full and you are unable to enter, circle the block until it is clear to enter, find a park elsewhere or, where age-appropriate, meet your daughter in a surrounding street.

Please also adhere to the 10kmh speed limit and refrain from turning right into or out of the car park during peak times as this causes further congestion.

Thank you for your cooperation.

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Saints Sport Support Group New Merchandise


The Saints Sport Support Group is delighted to share our new merchandise range for the 2022 school year. In addition to our House merchandise, we now have the following items available for purchase:

  • White and navy supporter hats for parents and friends
  • ‘Play like a Saints Girl’ sport keyrings (Tennis, Swimming, Football, Volleyball, Hockey and Athletics designs available)

To get your hands on these fabulous new items, and to order House merchandise for Swimming Carnival, click here

Thank you so much for your support.

Katie Lucas
Saints Sport Support Group President

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Be Involved in ‘Our Saints’ Community

Would you like your daughter’s Grandmother, Grandfather, Aunts and/or Uncles to receive our biannual Saints Alive magazine and our weekly eNews updates? Sign up for the free ‘Our Saints’ membership for Grandparents, other treasured family members and friends.

For more information and to join this unique group, please click here and email the completed form to Foundation Manager Melissa Westgate via mwestgate@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.

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General 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 the 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.

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Sports News

ATHLETICS

Saints Girls had incredible success at the recent Australian Athletics Championships held at Sydney Olympic Park. Congratulations to all girls for their work and commitment leading up to this event. Whilst they all did themselves proud, Charlotte McAuliffe had a particularly impressive championship, finishing 1st in the 200m (U16), 2nd in the 400m (U16) and 3rd in the 4 x 100m Relay.

Chloe Richardson
20th – 800m (U15 / 2.30)

Elodie de Wit
5th – 1500m (U15 / 4.45)
5th – 3000m (U15 / 10.09)

Charlotte McAuliffe
4th – 100m (U16 / 12.11)
1st – 200m (U16 / 24.25)
2nd – 400m (U16 / 55.80)
3rd – 4 x 100m (U16)

Malaika McLeod
9th – 400m (U16 / 59.47)
6th – 800m (U16 / 2.12)
5th – 1500m (U16 / 4.30)

Carys Kinsella-White
16th – 400m (U16 / 63.25)
15th – High Jump (U16 / 1.45m)

BASKETBALL

Senior A: Saints (9) v Concordia (81)
Senior B: Saints (26) v Concordia (37)
Middle A: Saints (22) v Concordia (33)
Middle B: Saints (16) v Concordia (53)

CRICKET

Senior A: Saints (1/52) v Immanuel A (1/75)
Senior B1: Saints (6/34) v Scotch B (2/65)
Senior B2: Saints v Seymour B (Seymour forfeit)

SWIMMING

Congratulations to Meg Paul and Lauren Disney who have been selected to represent East Adelaide in SAPSASA Swimming. Meg will participate in the 50m and 100m Freestyle Relays (12yo) and Lauren will compete in the Backstroke (12yo).

TENNIS

Open A: Saints (6(41)) v Walford (6(48))

TOUCH FOOTBALL

Open A: Saints (3) v Pembroke (3)
Open B: Saints (3) v Wilderness (1)
Middle A: Saints (6) v Marryatville (2)
Middle B: Saints (5) v Seymour (3)

VOLLEYBALL

Senior A: Saints (1) v Immanuel (2)
Senior B: Saints (1) v Immanuel (2)
Senior C: Saints (1) v Immanuel (2)
Middle A: Saints (1) v Immanuel (2)
Middle B: Saints (1) v Immanuel (2)
Middle C1: Saints (1) v Immanuel (2)

WATER POLO

Open A: Saints (13) v Seymour (5)
Open B: Bye
Open C: Saints (6) v Saint Ignatius (8)
Middle A: Saints (1) v Saint Ignatius (12)
Middle B: Saints (1) v Loreto College (12)

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eNews – Week 8, Term 1 2022

Issue no. 8Enews-banner

From Our Principal

New COVID-19 Notification Protocols

Due to the high volume of classroom contact notifications across the education sector and recognition of this by SA Health, the School is transitioning to a more effective notification system.

From Monday, instead of regular individual classroom contact email notifications, parents will be able to access a dedicated page on the myLink parent portal providing the number of reported cases in 24 hours (weekdays only) of children who have recently attended the School and tested positive to COVID-19. The case numbers will be listed across year groups and ELC Learning Communities and will be updated each weekday in the early afternoon. Parents will be able to visit the page as frequently as they wish. The link to this page will be emailed to parents next week.

Students in year groups/Learning Communities with cases listed should be treated as classroom contacts. SA Health has advised that classroom contacts without symptoms can continue attending school/ELC.

Should your child develop any symptoms, even mild ones, they must not attend school or ELC and are required to be tested for COVID-19. Students with COVID-19 symptoms require a PCR test and receipt of a negative result before return to school can be considered.

If there are case clusters as deemed by SA Health, the relevant parents will be notified of this via email including any additional measures (e.g. PCR testing, targeted closures, etc.). As such, it is vital for parents to read emails sent by the School. In addition, we must all continue to be vigilant by exercising health precautions and closely monitoring for symptoms.

If your child tests positive to COVID-19, notify us immediately. Please also provide the date your child’s test was taken and the date symptoms started (if no symptoms, note ‘asymptomatic’).

Where possible, to help limit the amount of telephone traffic, please notify us via email or text:

Email:  attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au

Text:  0428 601 957 (save to phone contacts as SPGS)

If you do need to notify us over the phone, please call the Front Office on 8334 2200.

COVID-19 Close Contact Changes

This afternoon, the State Government announced a series of changes to South Australia’s COVID-19 policies. Of particular note for families is that:

  • Quarantine for household close contacts has been reduced from 14 days to 7 days, subject to a negative RAT result.
  • From midnight, the close contact definition rule will be extended from 15 minutes of exposure to 4 hours.
  • Also from midnight, the length of time a recovered COVID-positive person will not be considered a close contact will be extended from 8 weeks to 12 weeks.

For detailed health information about COVID-19, please visit the SA Health website: click here

We once again thank you for your ongoing cooperation in supporting the health and safety of our families, staff and the wider community.

Julia Shea
Principal

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From Our Head of Junior School

juliashea_web-200x300-200x300There is a widely held belief, backed by research, that investing in early learning, by both governments and families, promotes children’s development, lays strong foundations for future learning, develops positive wellbeing, and from a community perspective, reduces later expenditure on health, welfare and justice. What is not as widely communicated is that these benefits are often only realised if children are participating in learning opportunities that are of sufficiently high quality. Not all early learning experiences are created equal.

The evidence is clear that effective teaching by educators who can skilfully combine explicit teaching of skills and concepts, along with teacher-child interactions that are sensitive, kind and respectful, are central to quality early education.

Through carefully constructed learning opportunities, and sustained and reciprocal interactions, educators nurture children’s communication skills, extend their thinking, develop their ability to manage emotions and relationships and instil the skills and confidence to be effective learners. Designing the right learning opportunities at the right time requires skill and expertise. Educators require deep knowledge of the learning capabilities and processes of children through their different development stages.

We pride ourselves on the consistency and excellent quality of the learning environments, educator expertise, carefully constructed educational opportunities, and the genuine and warm relationships that children experience through our ELC and Reception programs. Children’s joy for learning, connection with their School and educators, social and emotional development, and their strong foundations in Literacy and Numeracy are tangible benefits for children fortunate to begin their educational journey through this route. These benefits are strengthened through the wonderful transition experiences the children enjoy in the months before they move seamlessly from the ELC, up the path, to the Junior School classrooms, and the ability for our teachers to regularly share knowledge about the children before, during and after they start school.

Quality in early education has many components, but ultimately, it’s the attributes of our educators, their depth of knowledge and our self-driven high expectations that see our children flourishing in those crucial early years and beyond.

Suzanne Haddy
Head of Junior School

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Warm Reception for Our ELC Graduates

One of the most treasured traditions in both the ELC and Junior School calendar is the ELC Reception Transition program. At the beginning of a new year, students, staff and families comment on just how quickly the newest Reception students have settled into school life. They are amazed at how comfortable and confident our youngest Junior School students are, whether they are walking up to school independently alongside the Prefects, participating in co-curricular activities or navigating their way past the older girls to collect Tuck Shop orders.

There are many reasons these ELC students are so ready for the next step in their schooling journey. The most important will always be the strong transition program which includes classroom sessions, visits to the Junior School throughout the year, established relationships between students and staff, and the cherished ELC Hat Ceremony. When the girls finally arrive for the first day, they are filled with the kind of excitement and confidence that comes from such a strong foundation developed over their years at the ELC.

This year’s Reception girls have continued to impress everyone as they have fully embraced school life and being Saints Girls. In class, they are already working independently during Literacy groups which focus on building their THRASS knowledge and phonological awareness. In Mathematics, the girls are continuing to develop their number sense through Number Talks concentrating on subitising and the concept of more and less. They have also started their inquiries into commemorations around the world and their own personal histories.

The Reception girls recently commenced their weekly dance lessons with Kirsty Battersby, which is always a highlight. Hopefully, they will be able to share their amazing dance moves with their ELC friends at a performance later in the year. It has been a very exciting start to 2022 and we are so proud of the girls’ confidence and sense of agency. We can’t wait to see what they achieve in their first year of school because it has been a remarkable first eight weeks!

Meg Jordan and Alana Lesiw
Reception Teachers

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Staffing News

After more than four years of valued service as Director of Teaching and Learning, Nigel Scoggins will leave Stonyfell at the end of next term as his family relocates to Mount Gambier.

In his time with us, Nigel has made a significant contribution to our teaching and learning platform across the Middle and Senior Schools, as well as providing expert advice for our Early Learners’ Centre and Junior School to enhance the ELC – 12 educational journey. Highlights include overseeing the introduction of Continuous Reporting to provide our parents with more up-to-date student assessment feedback, and the development of a sophisticated data dashboard that allows our teachers to better track the progress of each girl and constantly improve classroom practice.

The search for our next Director of Teaching and Learning is underway and we will share news on that front in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, we look forward to Nigel’s continued contribution to Saints Girls, and we wish him and his family all the best for their adventures to come in the State’s stunning South-East.

Julia Shea
Principal

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Saints Girls’ Rowers Represent with Pride

Last Saturday’s Head of the River event marked the culmination of an inspiring season for Saints Girls’ Rowing Program.

Our rowers displayed courage, determination and clean rowing on the day in a tremendous show of their hard work throughout the season. All our crews made A-Finals in their events, with our Year 7/8 C and D crews coming home with Bronze and Silver medals respectively.

Congratulations to the entire Saints Girls’ Rowing community!

 

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Oarsome Old Scholar Rowing Achievement

There was some exciting Old Scholar news from the Rowing SA State Team presentation on Sunday where the Queen’s Cup (QC) Crew was announced. The QC crew is the Open Women’s 8+ that will represent South Australia at the 2022 Australian Rowing Championships next week. Three Saints Girls’ Old Scholars are in the crew – that’s one third of the crew from a single school – what a phenomenal achievement!

These girls found their love of rowing at Saints Girls and continued on to be the best in the State. Congratulations to Carys Jones (Kennion 2017), Sophie Barr (Kilburn 2021) and Amy Carrodus (Selwyn 2019). In addition, Clare Romaniuk (Patteson 2021) was selected for the U21 Youth crew.

We are extremely proud of these Old Scholars as they promote a lifelong passion for sport.

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Old Scholars Take Plunge with Water Polo

This year, we have been excited to launch an Old Scholars’ Water Polo team. The season runs February to April and the team, which has a close association with SPOC Water Polo, plays every Sunday afternoon in the social competition for Water Polo SA with training on Mondays from 6.45 – 7.45pm at St Peter’s College.

Last Friday, the inaugural Lynne Spry Cup was held at St Peter’s College between our current Open A Water Polo team and the Old Scholars’ Water Polo team (SPGS V SPGOS). In a terrific contest, the Open As claimed victory 5 – 2. The cup is named after Old Scholar and current staff member Lynne Spry (Selwyn 1974) in recognition of her long-term commitment to the Water Polo program at Saints Girls.

If you are interested in joining the Old Scholars’ Water Polo team, please contact Community Relations Manager Megan McCormack via mmccormack@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au

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Caring for Our Planet in the ELC

At St Peter’s Girls’ ELC, we are committed to exploring and actioning sustainability every day, and we want to help the children develop a strong relationship and appreciation for the world they will soon inherit. We believe, through our commitment to sustainability in the ELC, we are helping the children to build a foundation of skills and knowledge they can use as they grow into environmentally responsible adults.

As part of our ongoing sustainability journey, we engage the children in many different activities including growing fresh produce in our ELC Community Garden, preparing and cooking our ELC-grown food, exploring our neighbouring Ferguson Conservation Park and the native flora and fauna it contains, and engaging children in games and discussions about waste and recycling.

As educators, we believe it’s important to teach our children about waste, landfill, and the lifecycle of our rubbish. Through our intentional learning experiences, our goal is to help children understand that after we throw something in the bin, it does not just disappear – this rubbish has a life and ends up somewhere on our planet.

By exploring this concept, we are educating our community to understand that, together, we can generate change by composting, recycling and reusing as much waste as possible. The children are empowered and feel proud when they can put their knowledge into practice by placing their leftover lunch or food waste into the right bin, or using something recycled when making their creations.

Watch our video to see how we have been exploring ways to sustainably manage waste.

Nell Tierney
ELC Teacher (Learning Community 2)

 

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Choral Night – New Date

Friday 29 July (Week 1, Term 3)
Influencers Church, Paradise

Please save the date for our rescheduled Choral Night which we hope will be an electrifying way to start Semester 2.

Further details will be provided next term.

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Stirring Strings Honour at Cathedral

It was an honour for the Emily Strings to play at the 30th anniversary of the Ordination of Women as Priests in the Anglican Church of Australia this week.

The group consists of our most extended players and is named after Mother Emily Ayckbowm, the founder of the Community of the Sisters of the Church which established our School.

The service was held in St Peter’s Cathedral, and church members expressed their deepest gratitude for our girls’ beautiful music.

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Senior Strings’ Brush with Visiting Virtuoso

On Monday, our Senior Strings ensemble girls were treated to an exceptional rehearsal session with gifted soloist and educator Elizabeth Layton. Elizabeth has performed at a variety of recitals and chamber music throughout the country and overseas. Appearing regularly as guest concertmaster with major symphony orchestras, she combines performance with her position as Head of Classical Performance at the University of Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium. The girls loved the experience, sharing:

‘Working with Elizabeth was so motivational. I loved soaking up all the new information I could then apply to the style we were playing. I am so grateful we could have a session with Elizabeth that really brought the best out of our Senior Strings ensemble.’ – Caitlin Middleberg (Music Prefect)

‘Elizabeth Layton is an inspiration. Our string group’s one-hour rehearsal was both stimulating and extraordinary. The improvement we made in this short time was amazing. I have been energised into expressing myself by playing my musical instrument.’ – Emily Kim (Year 6 Music Captain)

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Lunchtime Music Concert – Next Tuesday

Join us in the Arts Centre for our first Lunchtime Concert of 2022 on Tuesday 29 March. Our Musician in Residence David Goodwin will be showcasing his talent, providing guests with a mix of jazz, contemporary and classical piano music accompanied by rhythm section. The concert will be held from 1 to 1.40pm. All students are encouraged to attend, especially those who play piano.

Sally Rounsevell
Director of Music

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Global Mission for Linguistic Learners

Following Saints Girls’ recent success at the inaugural South Australian Computational and Linguistics Olympiad (SACLO), we entered two Year 10 teams in the official national version of the competition – the Australian Computational and Linguistics Olympiad (OzCLO). This is an exciting opportunity for students, involving languages, code-breaking skills and teamwork.

Despite having only two lunchtimes to practise and no prior linguistic experience, both teams (Emily, Kaylah, Jessica and Lily, and Angelina, Ruby, Alysa and Neya) made it through to the National Round, which was held on Wednesday afternoon. With our reserve Heidi stepping in at the last minute, the teams approached the problems with enthusiasm and a collaborative attitude.

The girls declared the experience to be challenging and lots of fun. The results will be announced in coming weeks.

Cindy Pitkin
Head of Languages

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Golden Opportunity on Exciting Excursion

Year 5 students recently visited Jupiter Creek Goldfields at Echunga, as part of their study of the Gold Rush in Australia. Jupiter Creek is a significant site in South Australian history, and the girls enjoyed exploring the remains of what was once a vibrant hub for mining from 1868 to 1930 and in its time produced up to 50,000 ounces of gold.

The students were asked to not only look at the historical remains but to also prepare a letter to the Department of Mines and Energy with suggestions on the site’s preservation and improvement.

To read some excerpts from the student letters, click here

Shelley Hampton
Year 5 Teacher

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National Nod for Social Strategist Old Scholar

We congratulate Old Scholar Natalie Paraskevopoulos (nee Koutsikas, Kilburn 2009) on being named in The Australian Business Journal’s Top 20 Australian social media managers to work with in 2022.

Natalie is the Director at Digitale AU Social Media and Creative and has a passion for crafting social media strategies that truly work. After studying social media trends for years, Natalie has leveraged her rich experiences to help brands send their powerful messages. It was her background in real estate where she harnessed her skills to implement effective content marketing and social media strategies that also saw her recognised as Adelaide’s most influential agent on social media for two years running.

Natalie has directed some of the largest influencer marketing campaigns nationally and has worked with some of the biggest influencers in the world. Her mission in creating the agency Digitale was to help business owners achieve online marketing success in this ever-changing industry.

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Starry Night Gala Ball – Secure Your Seats Now!

Saturday 18 June

Saints Girls is over the moon about our Starry Night Gala Ball to celebrate and support our fundraising efforts for a new Gym, including our ‘Saints Girls All-Stars’.

Don’t miss out on this amazing evening with our Saints Girls’ community.

7pm, Saturday 18 June
Adelaide Convention Centre

Tickets: $200 per person
Includes three-course meal, beverages and live entertainment

To book your tickets, click here

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Star Struck Major Lottery

As momentum builds for our Gym fundraising campaign featuring our ‘Saints Girls All-Stars’, we are thrilled to launch our Star Struck Major Lottery.

Ticket sales are now open, so get in quick!

First Prize: Toyota Yaris Ascent Sport from Northpoint Toyota (valued at $27,811)
+ a personalised car park at St Peter’s Girls’ School from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023.

This stunning new car could belong to you or someone in your family! Spread the word and feel free to share this opportunity with your friends and relatives.

To buy your tickets: CLICK HERE

Lottery Licence No: M14175

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COVID-19 Reminders

To help protect the health of our families, staff and the wider community, we must all work together to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Please be reminded of the following:

Children are to be kept home if they are unwell, even mildly. Students with COVID-19 symptoms require a PCR test and receipt of a negative result before return to school can be considered.

If your child tests positive to COVID-19, notify us immediately. Please also provide the date your child’s test was taken and the date symptoms started (if no symptoms, note ‘asymptomatic’).

Where possible, to help limit the amount of telephone traffic, please notify us via email or text:

Email:  attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Text:  0428 601 957 (save to phone contacts as SPGS)

If you do need to notify us over the phone, please call the Front Office on 8334 2200.

Please note that if your child is too sick to attend school, they are therefore also too sick to be working remotely from home.

QR CODE UPDATE

SA Health has advised that COVID-Safe QR code check-in is no longer required at children’s centres, preschools and schools. However, parent movements on campus are still limited at this time, and those with formal appointments at the School should continue to perform the routine visitor sign in/out at Front Office.

FRONT OFFICE DROP-OFFS

With current restrictions on parents entering the School grounds and to assist our staff, please ensure your daughter has all of the items she needs for the day to reduce the amount of items being dropped off at the Front Office.

We thank all of our families for your continued support and cooperation.

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2022 School Immunisation Program

1st Visit Reminder for Parents of Year 8 and 10 Students – Wednesday 30 March

The information below is provided by Eastern Health Authority

Year 8
• 1st dose human papillomavirus vaccine, Gardasil®9
• diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough vaccine, Boostrix®

Year 10
• 1st dose meningococcal B vaccine, Bexsero®
• meningococcal ACWY vaccine, Nimenrix®

Eastern Health Authority will soon be visiting the School to commence the above vaccinations for those students with parent/guardian consent.

Immunisation consent packs were given out at the beginning of the school year with information about the vaccines on offer. It is important that you have read the information supplied in the packs before you give consent for your child to be vaccinated at school. If you did not receive an Immunisation Consent Pack from your child, please ask at the school’s Front Office. All parents/legal guardians are to complete, sign and return the Consent Cards, even if you do not consent for the student to be vaccinated at school. Students aged 16 years and above can consent for themselves.

SA Health advises that students who may be receiving a COVID-19 vaccine have a minimum interval of 7 days between receiving a COVID-19 vaccine and any other vaccine. Therefore, if your child has either had a COVID-19 vaccination OR is booked for a COVID-19 vaccination 7 days prior or 7 days after our visit, school immunisations will need to be rescheduled.

Please notify EHA if:
• Your child has already started the above program with another provider
• You wish to withdraw your consent
• Your child’s medical condition has changed
• Your child is due to have or has had a COVID-19 vaccine in the previous/next 7 days from the date of scheduled school vaccinations

Tips for the day of immunisation:
• Encourage your child to have a good breakfast and recess on the morning of immunisations
• Wear sports uniforms to aid easy access to the upper arm and avoid unnecessarily exposing yourself if clothing needs to be removed/undone
• Encourage your child to keep their arms moving and drink plenty of water throughout the day

If you have any questions about the program, please directly contact Eastern Health Authority on 8132 3600 or email eha@eha.sa.gov.au

Remember: It is your responsibility to notify EHA of any changes or information, particularly in relation to your child’s medical condition, on the day of immunisation or prior. A signed and dated note in your child’s diary from a parent or guardian presented on the day is acceptable.

School Immunisation Program records may be required for future employment or travel.

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Car Park Reminders

Unless special circumstances apply, parents of girls in Years 2 to 12 should not enter the car park to collect their daughters before 3.30pm. Parents of girls in Reception and Year 1 have exclusive use of the pick-up zone prior to this time for safety and traffic reasons.

Furthermore, if the car park is full and you are unable to enter, circle the block until it is clear to enter, find a park elsewhere or, where age-appropriate, meet your daughter in a surrounding street.

Please also adhere to the 10kmh speed limit and refrain from turning right into or out of the car park during peak times as this causes further congestion.

Thank you for your cooperation.

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Saints Sport Support Group New Merchandise


The Saints Sport Support Group is delighted to announce our new merchandise range for the 2022 school year. In addition to our House merchandise, we now have the following items available for purchase:

  • White and navy supporter hats for parents and friends
  • ‘Play like a Saints Girl’ sport keyrings (Tennis, Swimming, Football, Volleyball, Hockey and Athletics designs available)

To get your hands on these fabulous new items, and to order House merchandise for Swimming Carnival, click here

Thank you so much for your support.

Katie Lucas
Saints Sport Support Group President

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Swimming Carnival – New Date

Swimming Carnival – New Date: Tuesday 5 April (Week 10), Adelaide Aquatic Centre

We are hoping that the new date may be met with reduced restrictions and a greater chance of parents being able to attend. As always, we will be guided by the latest SA Health advice and will communicate any further changes as well as logistical details closer to the date.

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Be Involved in ‘Our Saints’ Community

Would you like your daughter’s Grandmother, Grandfather, Aunts and/or Uncles to receive our biannual Saints Alive magazine and our weekly eNews updates? Sign up for the free ‘Our Saints’ membership for Grandparents, other treasured family members and friends.

For more information and to join this unique group, please click here and email the completed form to Foundation Manager Melissa Westgate via mwestgate@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.

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School Shop Notices

New Opening Hours

Monday to Friday: 8am – 4pm
(closed for lunch 12 – 12.30pm)

Winter Uniform Appointments

A reminder that we are commencing Winter Uniform Fittings, and to streamline the process, we have introduced a new online booking system. It shows our available time slots from March through to April. Middle and Senior School students are welcome to visit during their recess or lunch breaks.

Click here to access the calendar and select the time that best suits you (please include your daughter’s name).

Appointment times are filling fast, so your prompt attention is appreciated.

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General 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 the 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.

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Sports News

BASKETBALL

Senior A: Saints (36) v Pulteney (36)
Senior B: Saints (3) v Immanuel B2 (96)
Middle A: Saints (79) v Pulteney (11)
Middle B: Saints (40) v Immanuel (26)

CRICKET

Senior A: Saints (6/53) v Scotch A (1/74)
Senior B1: Saints (4/53) v Concordia B (2/64)
Senior B2: Saints (1/50) v Walford B (2/106)

SWIMMING

Congratulations to Meg Paul, Lauren Pearce and Ella Pearce who participated in the SA State Swimming Trials held from 10 to 14 March. The girls competed in several races, with Meg claiming personal bests in all her events.

Well done also to the girls who participated in SAPSASA Swimming. Our team consisted of Mimi Birmingham, Milly Richardson, Elise Fuller, Caitlyn Sam-Ling, Erin Liau, Sophie Wiggins, Sasha Connor, Bonnie Qu, Meg Paul, Lauren Disney, Chelsea Francis, Lucille Trengove and Gabby Davi. The girls listed below achieved top 4 finishes and we are hoping many will now go on to represent East Adelaide.

Caitlyn Sam-Ling
4th – 50m Butterfly (11yo)

Chelsea Francis
2nd – 50m Breaststroke (12yo)

Lauren Disney
1st – 50m Backstroke (12yo)

Meg Paul
2nd – 50m Backstroke (12yo)
3rd – 50m Butterfly (12yo)
4th – 50m Freestyle (12yo)

Sophie Wiggins
2nd – 50m Backstroke (11yo)
4th – 50m Breaststroke (11yo)

TENNIS

Open A: Saints (59) v Pulteney (30)
Division 1.1: Saints (7) v Seymour 1.2 (2)
Division 1.2: Saints (3) v Walford (6)
Division 2: Saints (2) v Walford (7)
Division 3: Saints (0) v Seymour (9)
Division 4: Saints (1) v Wilderness (3)

TOUCH FOOTBALL

Open A: Saints (3) v Wilderness (0)
Open B: Saints (3) v Pembroke (2)
Middle A: Saints (2) v Pembroke (0)
Middle B: Saints (4) v Pembroke (3)

Open A: Saints (3) v Wilderness (0)
The Open As have continued their strong start to the season with an excellent win against Wilderness. The team worked well together with solid defensive pressure and communication. Mathilda Thomas was a standout in attack, using her speed to break the Wilderness defence. We will continue to improve our attack in the coming trainings and look forward to trying out some new plays in future games. – Ellie Humphrey

Open B: Saints (3) v Pembroke (2)
The girls displayed a consistent effort throughout the match, and unfortunately just fell short towards the end. Charlie Piper and Dani Cox showed excellent rucking through the middle, incorporating other players into this. Improvement could be made by closing the gaps more efficiently in defence, and being deeper in attack, but overall, the girls fought hard until the end of the match. – Sophie Edwardes

Middle A: Saints (2) v Pembroke (0)
The team had a great game against Pembroke. Our defence was strong and allowed us to have the ball in our attacking end for most of the match. We did well to ruck the ball down the field while under pressure with Pembroke fiercely defending. Some things we could improve on is our communication, especially in attack when quickies are needing to be set up to create scoring opportunities. Well done to Chloe and Elodie for scoring and our whole team for putting effort in which contributed to the outcome. – Nellie Ion

VOLLEYBALL

Senior A: Saints (2) v Woodcroft A (1)
Senior B: Saints (0) v Woodcroft B (2)
Senior C: Saints (2) v Woodcroft C (1)
Middle A: Saints (3) v Woodcroft A (0)
Middle B: Saints v Immanuel (Immanuel forfeit)
Middle C1: Saints (1) v Woodcroft C (2)

WATER POLO

Open A: Saints (9) v St Michael’s (7)
Open B: Saints (3) v Pembroke (10)
Open C: Saints (1) v Immanuel (13)

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eNews – Week 7, Term 1 2022

Issue no. 7Enews-banner

From Our Deputy Principal /
Head of Senior School

juliashea_web-200x300-200x300There is a certain energy or buzz around the School at the moment. ‘What’s driving that?’, you might ask…Choral Night!

With rehearsals in full swing, there isn’t a day that goes by without some mention of the event. Houses are gathering, practising their songs and hymns. Bands are rehearsing throughout the School, it’s a common sight to see keyboards, drum kits and guitars in classrooms, the Gym or Chapel, ready for the girls as they work to perfect their craft.

It would be easy on the night to sit back and enjoy the performances without giving much thought to the journey it took to get there. In each House right now, students are working together, listening, compromising, leading and following. The skills our girls develop when preparing for events such as this are invaluable. To be able to work with a variety of people towards a common goal places them in great stead as they continue through their schooling journey preparing for life beyond Saints Girls.

Yet another example of teamwork in our School will be tomorrow as our rowers compete in Head of the River. The competition is the culmination of months of hard work, practice and training. It is the reason why the girls, their coaches (and families!) have woken early and made the trip to West Lakes each week. Rowing needs synergy – every girl in that boat must come together with her peers. To work as a team in rowing with complete synergy means to generate a larger total force; a force greater than any individual would be capable of producing if she were working on her own. This is the wonderful thing about teamwork – when our community comes together, we are capable of producing so much more than when just working on our own.

Lauren Sutton
Deputy Principal/Head of Senior School

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Head of the River – Go Saints Girls!

We take this opportunity to wish Saints Girls and their coaches all the very best for Head of the River tomorrow.

We know they will be excellent ambassadors for our School and look forward to celebrating their season with family and friends.

Videography: Bailey Lock

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Choral Night – Next Week!

There’s less than a week to go until Choral Night 2022!

To get into the groove, have a listen to song highlights from 2021, and secure your tickets now: CLICK HERE

One of the most anticipated events on the Saints Girls’ calendar, this year’s event carries the theme ‘Power Ballads’.

We look forward to the festivities at Influencers Church in Paradise from 7pm next Thursday 24 March, and can’t wait to see what our girls have in store!

 

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Community Unity at Drinks on the Lawns

It was a beautiful night last Thursday for our annual Drinks on the Lawns soirée. Despite this event being held a little later than usual this year, it was fantastic to be able to celebrate as a community.

Drinks on the Lawns is always a great time for our families to meet and catch up with other school families, and chat with our teachers in a relaxed setting.

We officially launched our 2022 Star Struck Major Lottery, with attendees given the opportunity to take a look at a sparkling new Toyota Yaris thanks to parent Ben Goldsmith and Northpoint Toyota.

Special shoutouts to our Property Services staff for serving beverages and to our Prefects who served delicious home-made pizzas to our guests.

Thank you to everyone who attended.

Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager

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Author Inspires New Chapter for Young Writers


This term, our Year 4 girls have enjoyed reading the Sebastian Sparrow series, written by Carol Griffiths. They were delighted to hear the news that Carol was coming to their Library lesson last Friday to run a very special author workshop.

Sebastian Sparrow was inspired by a clever sparrow Carol watched at a market while holidaying in Hong Kong. Her creativity was sparked and ideas started to form, but she didn’t created the series until many years later.

Carol’s stories are aimed to be educational and fun. The students enjoyed hearing readings from her and pinpointing the educational and fun parts. Carol spoke about the importance of finding your purpose as a writer, and the girls were able to share why they enjoy writing. The workshop finished with question time and the students were interested in finding out more about how and where Carol writes.

It was a wonderful way to finish the week and I think many of the students flew into the weekend with an inspiration to write! We all have our fingers crossed that Carol will release the next book in the series soon.

Zoe West
Year 4 Teacher

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Peak Performance for APEX Girls in 2022


My name is Lucy and I am a Year 11 student here at Saints Girls. I have been given the privilege of being our School’s very first Captain of APEX, which stands for Advanced Projects for Education eXcellence. SaintsTV is a well-known branch of APEX where episodes are produced that inform and entertain the School community. Head of SaintsTV Astrid Teague has most recently been organising the latest episode, with exciting new presenters and segments to follow.

Another exciting aspect of APEX is our engineering program led by Head of Engineering Georgina Wakeham and Vice Head of Engineering Eliza Monaghan who drive new design projects alongside many other members of APEX. There’s also the popular APEX offering eSports. Led by Mya Ng, this program includes The FUSE Cup – International School Esports Competition where students work in teams of four to play in and hopefully win an eSports tournament.

Furthermore, Space in Schools is organised by teacher Mr Irvine and is a program where critical thinking and resourcefulness is crucial to success and is a great way to start a future career in the space industry. Then there’s the photography work involved in APEX which allows the girls to learn and utilise their photography skills at different school functions, further developing their experience in this field.

This year, APEX has expanded to over 65 members, each able to move from one branch to another once a project is completed. Our teams are led by separate department heads who organise, create opportunities and budget alongside Communications Officer and Treasurer Mary Stavrou. The APEX girls and I are all passionate about creating a safe and educational environment for students who want to expand their horizons in advanced and futuristic projects.

Lucy Schirripa
APEX Captain

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Saints Café Full of Beans Once More


Saints Café is back in 2022! The team of Year 10 students are working on a rotating roster with the girls learning to pour and serve coffees as well as other beverages. This year, we will be open bright and early Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 7.30 to 8.15am on the Food Tech Deck, with coffees starting from $3.50.

Saints Café gives the girls a small taste of the hospitality industry and is a great opportunity for them to develop skills they can carry into casual or part-time work. Each shift, the girls are required to set up the café, manage the orders and finance, and most importantly, make coffees on our brand new coffee machine.

Please support the girls this term and get your morning coffee fix. We have a range of milks including dairy, soy, almond and lactose-free.

Clare Gaskell
Science Teacher/Head of Selwyn House

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Face the Waste on Global Recycling Day


Every year on 18 March, Global Recycling Day is held to raise awareness regarding the global issue of recycling. Launched in October 2018 by the Global Recycling Foundation, this event has a different theme each year. This year’s is ‘Recycling Fraternity’, focusing on those who put themselves on the front lines of garbage and recycling collection during various COVID-19 lockdowns.

Recycling is an important component of the circular economy as it helps to protect our natural resources. It saves about 700 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, with this figure expected to rise to 1 billion tonnes by 2030. Recycling is undoubtedly on the front lines of the battle to safeguard our planet and humanity’s future.

At home, everyone can make a difference on Global Recycling Day, and every day, by doing any of the following:

• Reusing and recycling your waste for art projects
• Recycling newspapers, plastic water bottles, soda cans, cereal boxes and milk cartons
• Enlightening others about their waste’s impacts and getting them involved

At school, we have the Dragon Bin recycling program to collect recyclables from students and staff. The House that collects the most recycled items at the end of the year wins the Environment Shield, and points are allocated towards the big prize which is winning the overall annual House Shield. This is a great opportunity for everyone to play their role in preserving the environment.

Jessica Zhang
Environment Club

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Outstanding Old Scholars Going Global

Sally CameronCongratulations to Old Scholar and former Deputy Head Prefect Thenu Herath (Patteson 2015) who, on International Women’s Day, was named as a finalist in the 2022 Young Women to Watch in International Affairs.

Thenu is the CEO of Oaktree, a non-profit that supports young people in the Asia-Pacific region to lead sustainable development initiatives in their communities. Recently, her team has pioneered a new approach to international development that focuses on solidarity, decolonisation and collaboration. In 2021, Thenu was invited to share this approach at the Australian Council for International Development’s Annual Conference, alongside representatives from DFAT and other leading development NGOs. She has previously worked with World Vision, Teach for Australia and was the first female host of the Australian Institute of International Affairs Dyason House Podcast.

Alongside her role at Oaktree, Thenu is also a Global Shaper at the World Economic Forum and a co-author of Australia’s first youth national security strategy. Thenu holds a Bachelor’s degree in Politics and International Studies and continues to inspire young women whilst completing her Juris Doctor at the University of Melbourne.

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Mixed Beats at Lunchtime Music Concert

Join us in the Arts Centre for our first Lunchtime Concert of 2022 on Tuesday 29 March. Our Musician in Residence David Goodwin will be showcasing his talent, providing guests with a mix of jazz, contemporary and classical piano music accompanied by rhythm section. The concert will be held from 1 to 1.40pm. All students are encouraged to attend, especially those who play piano.

Sally Rounsevell
Director of Music

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Starry Night Gala Ball – Secure Your Seats Now!

Saturday 18 June

Saints Girls is over the moon to announce the Starry Night Gala Ball to celebrate and support our fundraising efforts for a new Gym, including our ‘Saints Girls All-Stars’.

Don’t miss out on this amazing evening with our Saints Girls’ community.

7pm, Saturday 18 June
Adelaide Convention Centre

Tickets: $200 per person
Includes three-course meal, beverages and live entertainment

To book your tickets, click here

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Star Struck Major Lottery

As momentum builds for our Gym fundraising campaign featuring our ‘Saints Girls All-Stars’, we are thrilled to launch our Star Struck Major Lottery.

Ticket sales are now open, so get in quick!

First Prize: Toyota Yaris Ascent Sport from Northpoint Toyota (valued at $27,811)
+ a personalised car park at St Peter’s Girls’ School from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023.

This stunning new car could belong to you or someone in your family! Spread the word and feel free to share this opportunity with your friends and relatives.

To buy your tickets: CLICK HERE

Lottery Licence No: M14175

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Important COVID-19 Notice

To help protect the health of our families, staff and the wider community, we must all work together to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Please be reminded of the following:

Children are to be kept home if they are unwell, even mildly.

If your child tests positive to COVID-19, notify us immediately. Please also provide the date your child’s test was taken and the date symptoms started (if no symptoms, note ‘asymptomatic’).

Where possible, to help limit the amount of telephone traffic, please notify us via email or text:

Email:  attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Text:  0428 601 957 (save to phone contacts as SPGS)

If you do need to notify us over the phone, please call the Front Office on 8334 2200.

If there are COVID cases within the school setting, parents of classroom contacts will be notified, and these children can continue to attend school provided they have no symptoms.

Please note that if your child is too sick to attend school, they are therefore also too sick to be working remotely from home.

QR CODE UPDATE

SA Health has advised that COVID-Safe QR code check-in is no longer required at children’s centres, preschools and schools. However, parent movements on campus are still limited at this time, and those with formal appointments at the School should continue to perform the routine visitor sign in/out at Front Office.

FRONT OFFICE DROP-OFFS

With current restrictions on parents entering the School grounds and to assist our staff, please ensure your daughter has all of the items she needs for the day to reduce the amount of items being dropped off at the Front Office.

We thank all of our families for your continued support and cooperation.

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Opportunity to Join Our Board of Governors

To help lift Saints Girls to even greater heights, an opportunity has arisen for two new members to join the School’s highly experienced, voluntary Board of Governors. The Board is committed to diversity in every respect and welcomes expressions of interest from recent Old Scholars, and both younger and accomplished professionals within and outside the School’s broader community.

In pursuit of an appropriately balanced skills matrix, particular experience in the building, property and construction domains would be ideal. Applications are also strongly encouraged from individuals from a wide range of other professional disciplines appropriate to the School’s strategic direction. High levels of commercial and political acumen complemented by exceptional leadership, communication, negotiation, governance and stakeholder management capacity are all essential qualities. An authentic passion for, and true commitment to, contemporary education will be critical. AICD qualifications will be highly regarded but are not essential. Responsibilities will involve membership of the full Board and at least one sub-committee.

This is an exciting opportunity to make a valuable contribution in supporting girls to become the leaders of tomorrow.

For further information about St Peter’s Girls’ School, visit www.stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au

Please visit www.henderconsulting.com.au to apply.

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2022 School Immunisation Program

1st Visit Reminder for Parents of Year 8 and 10 Students – Wednesday 30 March

The information below is provided by Eastern Health Authority

Year 8
• 1st dose human papillomavirus vaccine, Gardasil®9
• diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough vaccine, Boostrix®

Year 10
• 1st dose meningococcal B vaccine, Bexsero®
• meningococcal ACWY vaccine, Nimenrix®

Eastern Health Authority will soon be visiting the School to commence the above vaccinations for those students with parent/guardian consent.

Immunisation consent packs were given out at the beginning of the school year with information about the vaccines on offer. It is important that you have read the information supplied in the packs before you give consent for your child to be vaccinated at school. If you did not receive an Immunisation Consent Pack from your child, please ask at the school’s Front Office. All parents/legal guardians are to complete, sign and return the Consent Cards, even if you do not consent for the student to be vaccinated at school. Students aged 16 years and above can consent for themselves.

SA Health advises that students who may be receiving a COVID-19 vaccine have a minimum interval of 7 days between receiving a COVID-19 vaccine and any other vaccine. Therefore, if your child has either had a COVID-19 vaccination OR is booked for a COVID-19 vaccination 7 days prior or 7 days after our visit, school immunisations will need to be rescheduled.

Please notify EHA if:
• Your child has already started the above program with another provider
• You wish to withdraw your consent
• Your child’s medical condition has changed
• Your child is due to have or has had a COVID-19 vaccine in the previous/next 7 days from the date of scheduled school vaccinations

Tips for the day of immunisation:
• Encourage your child to have a good breakfast and recess on the morning of immunisations
• Wear sports uniforms to aid easy access to the upper arm and avoid unnecessarily exposing yourself if clothing needs to be removed/undone
• Encourage your child to keep their arms moving and drink plenty of water throughout the day

If you have any questions about the program, please directly contact Eastern Health Authority on 8132 3600 or email eha@eha.sa.gov.au

Remember: It is your responsibility to notify EHA of any changes or information, particularly in relation to your child’s medical condition, on the day of immunisation or prior. A signed and dated note in your child’s diary from a parent or guardian presented on the day is acceptable.

School Immunisation Program records may be required for future employment or travel.

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Car Park Reminders

Unless special circumstances apply, parents of girls in Years 2 to 12 should not enter the car park to collect their daughters before 3.30pm. Parents of girls in Reception and Year 1 have exclusive use of the pick-up zone prior to this time for safety and traffic reasons.

Furthermore, if the car park is full and you are unable to enter, circle the block until it is clear to enter, find a park elsewhere or, where age-appropriate, meet your daughter in a surrounding street.

Please also adhere to the 10kmh speed limit and refrain from turning right into or out of the car park during peak times as this causes further congestion.

Thank you for your cooperation.

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Saints Sport Support Group New Merchandise


The Saints Sport Support Group is delighted to announce our new merchandise range for the 2022 school year. In addition to our House merchandise, we now have the following items available for purchase:

  • White and navy supporter hats for parents and friends
  • ‘Play like a Saints Girl’ sport keyrings (Tennis, Swimming, Football, Volleyball, Hockey and Athletics designs available)

To get your hands on these fabulous new items, and to order House merchandise for Swimming Carnival, click here

Thank you so much for your support.

Katie Lucas
Saints Sport Support Group President

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Swimming Carnival – New Date

Swimming Carnival – New Date: Tuesday 5 April (Week 10), Adelaide Aquatic Centre

We are hoping that the new date may be met with reduced restrictions and a greater chance of parents being able to attend. As always, we will be guided by the latest SA Health advice and will communicate any further changes as well as logistical details closer to the date.

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Be Involved in ‘Our Saints’ Community

Would you like your daughter’s Grandmother, Grandfather, Aunts and/or Uncles to receive our biannual Saints Alive magazine and our weekly eNews updates? Sign up for the free ‘Our Saints’ membership for Grandparents, other treasured family members and friends.

For more information and to join this unique group, please click here and email the completed form to Foundation Manager Melissa Westgate via mwestgate@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.

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School Shop Notices

New Opening Hours

Monday to Friday: 8am – 4pm
(closed for lunch 12 – 12.30pm)

Winter Uniform Appointments

A reminder that we are starting Winter Uniform Fittings, and to streamline the process, we have introduced a new online booking system. It shows our available time slots from March through to April. Middle and Senior School students are welcome to come in during their recess or lunch breaks.

Click here to access the calendar and select the time that best suits you (please include your daughter’s name).

Appointment times are filling fast, so your prompt attention is appreciated.

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General 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 the 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.

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Sports News

BASKETBALL

Senior A: Saints (12) v Seymour (69)
Senior B: Saints (10) v Seymour (63)
Middle A: Saints (36) v Seymour (54)
Middle B: Saints (16) v Seymour (61)

WATER POLO

Open A: Bye
Open B: Saints (6) v Mercedes A (0)
Open C: Saints (15) v Mercedes B (3)
Middle A: Saints (5) v Wilderness (13)
Middle B: Bye

STUDENT SUCCESS

SA State Age Swimming Championships

The SA State Age Swimming Championships were held over the March long weekend, with a large cohort of Saints Girls representing their clubs at the event. It was an especially exciting weekend for the following girls who all qualified for the National Championships: Summer Bament, Alice Braithwaite, Emma Everitt, Poppy Marshall, Alyssa Tran and Isabelle Tran. Congratulations to all swimmers on their results:

Summer Bament:
3rd – Medley Relay (12-16yo)
1st – 100m Breaststroke
1st – 50m Breaststroke
1st – 200m Breaststroke
3rd – 200m Individual Medley

Alice Braithwaite:
8th – 50m Backstroke (15yo)
4th – 200m Freestyle (15yo)
4th – 400m Freestyle (14-15yo)
3rd – 200m Backstroke (14-15yo)
5th – 200m Individual Medley (15yo)
2nd – 100m Backstroke (15yo)

Emma Everitt:
3rd – 400m Individual Medley
2nd – 100m Butterfly (14yo)
1st – 200m Freestyle (14yo)
5th – 50m Butterfly (14yo)
2nd – 200m Butterfly (14yo)
2nd – 200m Individual Medley (14yo)
3rd – 400m Freestyle
3rd – 200m Freestyle Relay
2nd – 800m Free (14-15yo)
2nd – 200m Medley Relay (10-14yo)
3rd – 400m Individual Medley (14-15yo)

Poppy Marshall:
1st – 50m Breaststroke (16yo)
1st – 100m Breaststroke (16yo)
1st – 200m Medley Relay (14-18yo)
2nd – 200m Breaststroke (16-18yo)
3rd – 200m Individual Medley (16yo)

Alyssa Tran:
5th – 200m Breaststroke (14-15yo)
7th – 50m Backstroke (14yo)
6th – 100m Butterfly (14yo)
7th – 200m Freestyle (14yo)
4th – 50m Butterfly
2nd – 100m Breaststroke
4th – 100m Freestyle
2nd – 50m Breaststroke
5th – 50m Freestyle
5th – 200m Individual Medley
4th – 100m Backstroke

Isabelle Tran:
2nd – 50m Backstroke (15yo)
4th – 100m Butterfly (15yo)
8th – 200m Freestyle
1st – 50m Butterfly
3rd – 100m Freestyle
5th – 50m Freestyle
3rd – 100m Backstroke

Ayla Blaskett:
10th – 50m Breaststroke (15yo)

Elysia Scarr:
3rd – 50m Backstroke (14yo)
3rd – 50m Butterfly (14yo)
3rd – 100m Backstroke (14yo)
4th – 100m Butterfly (14yo)
6th – 200m Individual Medley (14yo)
18th – 400m Freestyle (14-15yo)
10th – 200m Backstroke (14-15yo)

Emily Tolladay:
6th – 50m Backstroke (14yo)
7th – 100m Breaststroke
6th – 50m Freestyle
8th – 100m Freestyle

Emily Whittaker:
4th – 200m Breaststroke (16-18yo)
3rd – 100m Breaststroke (16yo)
2nd – 50m Breaststroke (16yo)

SAPSASA Swimming

Congratulations to our Year 4 to 6 swimmers who represented Saints Girls at SAPSASA Swimming. A breakdown of results and students who qualified to represent East Adelaide will be provided in next week’s eNews.

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eNews – Week 6, Term 1 2022

Issue no. 6Enews-banner

From Our Director of Sport

Student leadership is a vital part of life at school, and this year, our Sport Captains are stepping up to lead our major fundraising campaign for a new Gym. The initiative of ‘MOVE A MILLION METRES’ has been launched, with students currently planning their challenges and working towards achieving their goals. Over the coming weeks, our Captains will be reaching out to students to track each girl’s target and ensure we are on the right path to achieve a million metres of movement. Additionally, our Sport Captains are planning the Giant Obstacle Course for Reception to Year 3 students, which will go 1.5km through the grounds of Saints Girls incorporating 10 obstacles – a huge and exciting challenge for our younger girls!

If one thing in sport is clear, it is that the only way to achieve our goals is through teamwork and hard work. There will not be an athlete in the world who has been successful without the support of a strong team. Even individual athletes require a network of coaches, nutritionists, psychologists, physios, and most importantly, friends and family supporting their journey.

Achieving our goal of a new Gym, raising $1 million, and Moving a Million Metres will all require teamwork. One girl will not move a million metres on her own, neither will one individual donate $1 million. This is a team challenge of epic proportions, and we need our whole community to support our journey.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics added the word ‘Together’ to the Olympic motto of faster, higher, stronger. Our new Gym is a space that will benefit thousands of Saints Girls for years to come, and if we want it to get underway sooner, now is certainly the time to come together through movement, encouragement and fun.

This week, girls are bringing home an A5 card that promotes our Giving Day and the challenge for students to Move a Million Metres. Students are encouraged to use this card to promote their challenge and seek sponsorship from friends and family. As noted earlier, teamwork is the key to this challenge. We know that children are more motivated to exercise when their immediate family members do so too. So please, don’t look at this as a purely student-centred challenge, get involved! Train with your daughters, run with them, walk alongside them, and inspire our girls to reach a community goal like no other – you never know, you might start something special.

Tommy Peak
Director of Sport

 

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International Women’s Day at Saints Girls

International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on 8 March to commemorate the cultural, political, socioeconomic and other achievements of women. The day is a focal point in the women’s rights movement and marks a call to action for issues regarding gender equality, reproductive rights and violence against women. This significant day symbolises unity, femininity, strength and recognition of the constant battle for global equality and rights for all women, embracing the differences of faith, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity or disability. It’s a chance to celebrate those who came before us, those who stand beside us now, and those who will come after.

This year, the theme is ‘Break the Bias’ which aims to dismantle stereotypes against women as it’s no longer good enough just to recognise bias – it’s something we all need to actively challenge when we see it happening. To highlight and promote this
movement, Saints Girls wore purple ribbons, further unifying femininity and strength.
Historically, purple was a colour that denoted justice and dignity, and now it is used to represent women. Today, purple is the colour of International Women’s Day, representing the feminist movement, so a shout out to everyone supporting this day by wearing their purple ribbons!

During our International Women’s Day Assembly, we were fortunate to hear from technology leader Gosia Davis who explored the theme of ‘Break the Bias’ and her experiences in the STEM field. Gosia has worked in the software engineering industry for 13 years, with experience in the communications, security and defence sectors. She currently works at Silentium Industries, which deploys passive surveillance systems for land, sea and space. Gosia’s insights and advice were very inspiring, especially for the many girls looking to work in a STEM industry.

Chi Chi Zhao
Deputy Head Prefect

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Music Inspiring Women of Character and Influence

To celebrate all of the wonderful women in our lives, have a listen to this stirring rendition of the Helen Reddy classic ‘I Am Woman’ as performed by our girls at Presentation Night.

Enchante accompanied by Chamber Choir and Extension Strings

Soloists in order: Sophie Norman, Georgie Raftopoulos (Kilburn 2021), Emeshe Robson (Kennion 2021), Victoria Thorp (Kennion 2021)

 

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Celebrating the Power of Girls’ Education

As Saints Girls proudly marks International Women’s Day this week, it is also a fitting opportunity to celebrate the power of girls’ education.

Research from around the world continues to show girls in single-sex schools are more confident in their studies, and their wellbeing is far greater.

It is in their learning, confidence and social-emotional outcomes that they reap the benefits of single-sex education, cementing our School as a place for girls to flourish.

 

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Hundred Ways We Express Ourselves in the ELC

St Peter’s Girls’ ELC is a vibrant and unique early learning environment with a team of educators who have a deep understanding of the Reggio Emilia Educational Project, focusing on artistic and creative expression inspired by the ‘Hundred Languages’ theory.

The Hundred Languages is a key principle of the globally-renowned Reggio Emilia approach to early learning and refers to the importance of providing children with multiple ways to share their thinking of the world around them. It also represents the infinite amount of potential each child naturally has, and the various capacities children have to express their ideas and understandings. We know children learn in a variety of different ways, and by exposing them to many artistic and creative languages, we are extending and enriching their educational journey.

These languages stretch far beyond standard verbal and written communication, extending to acting, dancing, singing, drawing, painting, mark-making, the use of natural materials, loose parts, light and so much more.

 

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 Choral Night Tickets and Adjudicators

 

Excitement is building with less than two weeks until Choral Night 2022!

Tickets for students and parents across Years 7 to 12 are now available.

To secure your tickets, CLICK HERE

We are also thrilled to announce the two outstanding adjudicators we have arranged for the event:

Sally Cameron

Sally Cameron

Sally’s voice has taken her from the Sydney Opera House to venues in Finland, Germany, Sweden, New York, Copenhagen, Seoul, Vancouver, Doha and Tokyo, to name a few.

She has performed with Barry Humphries (AKA Dame Edna Everage), Katie Noonan, Tina Arena, Guy Sebastian, Kate Ceberano, James Morrison, The Manhattan Transfer, and with the Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras.

For the 10 years that Sally was a member of Australia’s premier professional a cappella group The Idea of North (TION), she recorded seven albums, five of which received an ARIA nomination and two that won the ARIA for Best Jazz Album.

Now in her solo career, she released her debut album ‘Always Christmas’ which jumped straight to #2 on the iTunes Jazz Charts.

Sally captivates audiences with her sweet tone, incredible accuracy and emotional subtlety. A four-octave vocal range, great comedic timing and an approachable demeanour ensure a lively and entertaining interaction with her audiences of all ages.

Years of classical and jazz vocal training whilst studying various musical instruments has shaped her into a versatile musician and vocal educator. Her solid involvement in the Australian music industry is testament to her wide-ranging experience in ensembles spanning from choirs to rock bands.

Luke ThompsonLuke Thompson

Luke graduated in 1999 from the Elder Conservatorium of Music (University of Adelaide) with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Voice. As a member of the Adelaide Connection jazz choir, Luke performed at the Sydney Opera House and the International Association of Jazz Educators Convention in New York. In 2001, Luke joined the a cappella ensemble Sonic Fix.

From 2003 to 2015, Luke lectured in Jazz Voice, Jazz Voice Masterclass and Large Ensemble (jazz choir) at the Elder Conservatorium of Music.

Luke is also a renowned jazz singer and alto saxophonist, having performed at many festivals and events. He has performed with James Morrison, Don Burrows, the Paul Kelly/Paul Grabowsky show ‘Meet Me In The Middle Of The Air’,  Andy Seymour’s ‘How Great Thou Art – The Gospel Music of Elvis Presley’, and with the Mike Stewart Big Band’s Sinatra Songbook.

In 2017, Luke joined the ARIA award-winning a cappella group The Idea of North as its bass vocalist and has since led a busy schedule of national and international touring. He has written numerous arrangements for the group, as well as compositions and arrangements for the Generations in Jazz festival VEA divisions since 2018.

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Year 7 & 8 Camps with a Twist

After being unable to camp overnight due to COVID restrictions, our Year 7 and 8 girls instead enjoyed a range of camp activities that had been planned for the week. The advantage for some was that they were able to head home each night for a hot shower – a luxury that would not normally occur on camp!

The girls participated in water activities with boogie boarding being a strong favourite. The Year 8s saw huge numbers of fish while snorkelling around Port Noarlunga Reef, whilst many Year 7s were lucky enough to be in groups that kayaked around Garden Island where they spotted families of dolphins in the water.

The girls also challenged themselves to hiking at Cleland Wildlife Park, along with experiencing many animal encounters. Both year levels spent time at Woodhouse Activity Centre, taking part in team activities such as Challenge Hill, high ropes, Trangia cooking, zip line, orienteering and frisbee golf.

Across the week, the girls experienced an array of outdoor activities and challenges which required their Home Group to develop their collaboration, communication and resilience. Thank you to the Home Group teachers who attended each day, as well as Ms Burton-Howard and Ms Tremonte for their support. The girls had a great camp week with other highlights being the bakery lunches and the many bus singalongs!

Esme Gonaduwa (Year 8 Student) & Dan Searle (Head of PE, Health & Outdoor Education)

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Saints Girl Set to Star in Les Mis

We are thrilled for Year 6 student Eloise Harrington who will be playing the role of Young Cosette in the Northern Lights Theatre Company production of Les Misérables.

One of the world’s most iconic and longest-running musicals, Les Misérables tells the story of Jean Valjean, a former convict who spends a lifetime seeking redemption. Set against the backdrop of 19th century France and the aftermath of the French Revolution, this timeless story of intertwined destinies reveals the power of compassion and the quiet evil of indifference to human suffering.

Eloise shares her excitement for the role: ‘Being in this production makes me feel so special. I love working with amazing people. I have made great connections and friends. I have learnt so much from the director and older role models about how to act, think and feel like my character.’

The show is directed by Gordon Combes with music directed by Matthew Rumley and choreography by Sue Pole, and Eloise will perform in a stellar cast, led by special guest Mark Oates from SA State Opera and complemented by a full orchestra.

Venue: Shedley Theatre, Playford Civic Centre, 10 Playford Blvd, Elizabeth
Dates: 25 March to 9 April
Tickets: $36 (Adult) $24 (Child) via The Shedley – click here

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Old Scholar Rockstar On Song at Fringe

Old Scholar Sarah McLeod (Kilburn 1989) is receiving outstanding reviews for the Adelaide Fringe show ‘27 Club’. The performance, which won the Fringe ‘Best Music Award’ last year, salutes the iconic group of rock musos who became legends and will forever be 27: Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse.

We congratulate Sarah on her incredible music career and successes including 3 ARIAs with The Superjesus, induction into the SA Music Hall of Fame and releasing full-length studio albums as a solo performer. We can’t wait to see what’s next!

Photo credit: InDaily, Saige Prime.

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Calling All Budding Rockstars!

Prince Alfred College drama department is looking for female singers, actors and dancers in Years 9 to 12 to be part of their co-curricular musical, ROCK OF AGES (Teen Edition).

Zoom Information Meeting – Tuesday 15 March, 7pm (Meeting ID: 493 883 0517)
Auditions – Weeks 8, 9 and 10 (Term 1) by appointment
Performances – Tuesday 6 to Thursday 9 September

For more information, contact Sharon Reynolds (Head of Drama, PAC) via sreynolds@pac.edu.au

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Dads Have a Bowl at Night Out

Despite a few showers, competitiveness and camaraderie were rife at our annual Dads’ Night Out last Friday evening. Close to 70 dads got together on the green at Tranmere Bowling Club, enjoying a BBQ dinner, drinks and a game of bowls.

The dads enjoyed meeting each other, catching up and supporting the School. The Saints Sport Support Group volunteers sold lucky squares on the night to fundraise for sporting endeavours at the School.

Many thanks to the volunteers, sponsors and staff who supported the night –  your time and commitment to making this event fun for our dads each year is very much appreciated.

Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager

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Animal Instincts Come Alive at Cleland

Our Year 2 girls visited Cleland Wildlife Park last Friday, where they discovered native Australian wildlife in their natural habitat. The excursion was part of the ‘How the World Works’ unit of inquiry as the girls unpack the central idea that ‘All living things go through a process of change.’

Adding to their insects and mini-beasts inquiry work, the excursion enabled them to make connections and develop new understandings as they classified animals using the categories of mammals, birds, insects, amphibians, reptiles and fish. This experience also provided exciting first-hand knowledge for continued research into the lifecycles of Australian animals and a provocation to examine the information report genre.

As the girls explored the park with their educator Andrea, highlights included seeing the koalas, red and grey kangaroos, potaroos, birds and butterflies. Visiting the reptiles and amphibians in the Ocean to Outback display was a wonderful way to end the day.

Kathryn Clark and Rebecca Greenhalgh
Year 2 Teachers

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Global Recycling Day – Next Friday

Support Recycling and Save the Planet on Global Recycling day next Friday 18 March. By being #RecyclingHeroes, we can combat many negative impacts of climate change and save up to 700 million tonnes of CO2 emissions a year just by recycling!

What you can do this Global Recycling Day:

  • Reuse and recycle your waste for fun art projects
  • Recycle newspapers, plastic water bottles, soda cans, cereal boxes and milk cartons
  • Enlighten others about their waste’s impacts and get them involved

Why should you get involved?

  • You’re preventing pollution and helping to tackle climate change
  • Recycling saves money on buying new items
  • Recycling can be creative and lots of fun!

Emily Hodgkinson
Environment Club

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Starry Night Gala Ball – Secure Your Seats Now!

Saturday 18 June

Saints Girls is over the moon to announce the Starry Night Gala Ball to celebrate and support our fundraising efforts for a new Gym, including our ‘Saints Girls All-Stars’.

Don’t miss out on this amazing evening with our Saints Girls’ community.

7pm, Saturday 18 June
Adelaide Convention Centre

Tickets: $200 per person
Includes three-course meal, beverages and live entertainment

To book your tickets, click here

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Star Struck Major Lottery

As momentum builds for our Gym fundraising campaign featuring our ‘Saints Girls All-Stars’, we are thrilled to launch our Star Struck Major Lottery.

Ticket sales are now open, so get in quick!

First Prize: Toyota Yaris Ascent Sport from Northpoint Toyota (valued at $27,811)
+ a personalised car park at St Peter’s Girls’ School from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023.

This stunning new car could belong to you or someone in your family! Spread the word and feel free to share this opportunity with your friends and relatives.

To buy your tickets: CLICK HERE

Lottery Licence No: M14175

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Important COVID-19 Notice

To help protect the health of our families, staff and the wider community, we must all work together to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Please be reminded of the following:

Children are to be kept home if they are unwell, even mildly.

If your child tests positive to COVID-19, notify us immediately. Please also provide the date your child’s test was taken and the date symptoms started (if no symptoms, note ‘asymptomatic’).

Where possible, to help limit the amount of telephone traffic, please notify us via email or text:

Email:  attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Text:  0428 601 957 (save to phone contacts as SPGS)

If you do need to notify us over the phone, please call the Front Office on 8334 2200.

If there are COVID cases within the school setting, parents of classroom contacts will be notified, and these children can continue to attend school provided they have no symptoms.

Please note that if your child is too sick to attend school, they are therefore also too sick to be working remotely from home.

QR CODE UPDATE

SA Health has advised that COVID-Safe QR code check-in is no longer required at children’s centres, preschools and schools. However, parent movements on campus are still limited at this time, and those with formal appointments at the School should continue to perform the routine visitor sign in/out at Front Office.

FRONT OFFICE DROP-OFFS

With current restrictions on parents entering the School grounds and to assist our staff, please ensure your daughter has all of the items she needs for the day to reduce the amount of items being dropped off at the Front Office.

We thank all of our families for your continued support and cooperation.

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Opportunity to Join Our Board of Governors

To help lift Saints Girls to even greater heights, an opportunity has arisen for two new members to join the School’s highly experienced, voluntary Board of Governors. The Board is committed to diversity in every respect and welcomes expressions of interest from recent Old Scholars, and both younger and accomplished professionals within and outside the School’s broader community.

In pursuit of an appropriately balanced skills matrix, particular experience in the building, property and construction domains would be ideal. Applications are also strongly encouraged from individuals from a wide range of other professional disciplines appropriate to the School’s strategic direction. High levels of commercial and political acumen complemented by exceptional leadership, communication, negotiation, governance and stakeholder management capacity are all essential qualities. An authentic passion for, and true commitment to, contemporary education will be critical. AICD qualifications will be highly regarded but are not essential. Responsibilities will involve membership of the full Board and at least one sub-committee.

This is an exciting opportunity to make a valuable contribution in supporting girls to become the leaders of tomorrow.

For further information about St Peter’s Girls’ School, visit www.stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au

Please visit www.henderconsulting.com.au to apply.

 

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Car Park Reminders

Unless special circumstances apply, parents of girls in Years 2 to 12 should not enter the car park to collect their daughters before 3.30pm. Parents of girls in Reception and Year 1 have exclusive use of the pick-up zone prior to this time for safety and traffic reasons.

Furthermore, if the car park is full and you are unable to enter, circle the block until it is clear to enter, find a park elsewhere or, where age-appropriate, meet your daughter in a surrounding street.

Please also adhere to the 10kmh speed limit and refrain from turning right into or out of the car park during peak times as this causes further congestion.

Thank you for your cooperation.

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Parent Webinar: Building Resilience in Turbulent Times

How can parents and carers support their children in these turbulent times? Join leading clinical psychologist Dr Andrew Fuller for a free webinar, where he will give his expert advice.

Turbulent times call for resilient minds. From COVID-19, the Ukraine invasion and rampant flooding, it’s already been a tough start to 2022. As resilience is being tested, students in our care are looking for support and guidance.

How might we understand and reduce anxiety for ourselves and others? How can we engage in conversation about tough times? And how can we create hope and positivity for the future?

Due to the anticipated demand across the country, we have scheduled two webinars. Get in early to secure your place.

Dates: Wednesday 16 March OR Tuesday 29 March
To register: click here

Presented by the Independent Schools Victoria Initiative

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Saints Sport Support Group New Merchandise


The Saints Sport Support Group is delighted to announce our new merchandise range for the 2022 school year. In addition to our House merchandise, we now have the following items available for purchase:

  • White and navy supporter hats for parents and friends
  • ‘Play like a Saints Girl’ sport keyrings (Tennis, Swimming, Football, Volleyball, Hockey and Athletics designs available)

To get your hands on these fabulous new items, and to order House merchandise for Swimming Carnival, click here

Thank you so much for your support.

Katie Lucas
Saints Sport Support Group President

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Swimming Carnival – New Date

Swimming Carnival – New Date: Tuesday 5 April (Week 10), Adelaide Aquatic Centre

We are hoping that the new date may be met with reduced restrictions and a greater chance of parents being able to attend. As always, we will be guided by the latest SA Health advice and will communicate any further changes as well as logistical details closer to the date.

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Support from The Athlete’s Foot Burnside


We once again invite our community members to support the School and local business by purchasing your shoes at The Athlete’s Foot Burnside.

$5 from every pair purchased by anyone connected to our Saints Girls’ community will be donated back to St Peter’s Girls’ School. This is an ongoing partnership, so please let their staff know that you would like your donation to come to Saints Girls when you make a purchase.

As part of this fantastic community initiative, The Athlete’s Foot Burnside donated over $13,000 back to local schools last year. For more information, click here.

Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager

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Be Involved in ‘Our Saints’ Community

Would you like your daughter’s Grandmother, Grandfather, Aunts and/or Uncles to receive our biannual Saints Alive magazine and our weekly eNews updates? Sign up for the free ‘Our Saints’ membership for Grandparents, other treasured family members and friends.

For more information and to join this unique group, please click here and email the completed form to Foundation Manager Melissa Westgate via mwestgate@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.

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School Shop Notices

New Opening Hours

Monday to Friday: 8am – 4pm
(closed for lunch 12 – 12.30pm)

Swimming Requirements for Years 4 to 10

We ask parents to check that their daughters have correctly-sized bathers for Swimming activities for all girls in Years 4 to 10.

If your daughter requires new bathers, we highly recommend making an appointment with the School Shop on 8334 2228 and purchasing soon.

Year 10, 11 and 12 Jumpers

Jumpers are now available for Year 10, 11 and 12 students to purchase from the School Shop.

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General 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 the 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.

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Sports News

CRICKET

Senior A: Saints (1/66) v Pembroke (4/65)

TENNIS

Senior A: Saints (1) v Seymour (10)
Div 1.1: Saints (3) v Seymour (6)
Div 1.2: Saints (3) v Seymour (6)
Div 2: Saints (0) v Seymour (9)
Div 3: Saints (11) v Seymour (32)
Div 4: Saints (9) v Seymour (30)

TOUCH FOOTBALL

Open A: Saints (3) v Marryatville A (0)
Open B: Saints (4) v Seymour C (0)
Middle A: Saints (8) v Wilderness (2)
Middle B: Saints (8) v Wilderness C2 (3)

The Touch season began on Saturday morning with some stunning results for the girls. We have been back training for a couple of weeks now, but it’s always interesting to observe the first games to see how the skills and tactics are coming together.

Open A: Led by newly-appointed captain Ellie Humphrey, the girls took on a strong Marryatville outfit who have been State Champions for the past three years. We worked hard with the ball and pressured the opposition to open up a number of opportunities which translated into a 2 – 0 lead at half-time. The girls knew Marryatville can start slowly, so made a concerted effort in the second half to maintain focus on the next play. We had much of the play in this half, holding on for a 3 – 0 victory, our first-ever win against this side in five years of Touch Football!

Open B: The girls looked in control from the outset, with Sophie Edwardes, Naomi Singh and Dani Cox leading from the front. They improved their rucking during the game as well as their communication to set up plays closer to the line. The team will look to work on their spread out to the wings as many more tries could have been scored through this region. This is a new line-up and the girls who came into the team did extremely well to follow the game plan with a 4 – 0 victory.

Middle A: This was a very different looking Middle A team to last year with many Year 9s moving into Seniors which has allowed younger players to step into this higher grade. The mix of Year 8 and 9 girls, some only in their second season, played against a strong Wilderness side. The girls began well with a couple of tries to Charlotte McAuliffe before Wilderness looked to put the pressure back on with tries of their own. We have a particularly quick team and the girls developed their ability to apply their pace on the outside when possible, using large spaces to run at opponents who struggled to make touches. The girls also improved their line defence in the second half, preventing tries, whilst also scoring a few themselves through different players who moved the ball to the wings very well. The final score was 8 – 2, a terrific start to the season.

Middle B: With only two girls having touch football experience in this group, it was going to be great for these girls to play a match and experience how to outrun and outthink an opponent. They focused on getting the basics of their rucking working in the game situation and then looked to use the girls with speed to split defenders close to the line. It was excellent to see the girls building their understanding of rules and ways to approach different situations in the game. To finish with an 8 – 3 win was a nice reward for their ability to listen to their coaches over the past few weeks of training.

VOLLEYBALL

Senior A: Saints (3) v Wilderness A (0)
Senior B: Saints (2) v Wilderness B (1)
Senior C: Saints (1) v Wilderness C (2)
Middle A: Saints (1) v Wilderness A (2)
Middle B: Saints (0) v Wilderness B (3)
Middle C1: Saints (3) v Wilderness C (1)
Middle C2: Saints (3) v Woodcroft D (0)

Senior C: Alysa Trinh had a fantastic game, and the team effort and energy were great. Alysa served fantastically and was instrumental in the 2nd set win. Unfortunately, Steph sprained her ankle in the back half of the 3rd set, putting her out for a couple of weeks.
– Al Keough (Coach)

Middle A: Narrow loss 1 – 2 with lots of good rallies. We welcomed four new players to the team who slotted in well. Tammy, Ella and Alana all had solid serving runs.
– Al Keough (Coach)

WATER POLO

Open A: Saints (9) v St Michael’s (7)
Open B: Saints (3) v Pembroke (10)
Open C: Saints (1) v Immanuel (13)

STUDENT SUCESS

NETBALL

Well done to Lilli Bennett who has been selected for the inaugural Adelaide Thunderbirds Talent Academy. She was chosen from almost 250 players at a recent selection event, which goes to show the outstanding quality of her skills.

WATER POLO

Congratulations to Olivia Reynolds and Isla Fahey for their selection in the Adelaide Jets Water Polo team. They will compete with teammate and fellow Saints Girl Isabella Howie in the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships in Brisbane next month.

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