Issue no.18
Celebrations for Generations in Jazz Performers
Last night, Esperanza and Stage Band eagerly gathered to watch the Generations in Jazz livestream concert and award announcements which were broadcast in Los Angeles, Sweden and Australia. We are absolutely delighted and thrilled to share that Esperanza placed 1st in the Open Vocal Division, while Stage Band were Runners Up in Division 4! And a special shoutout to Matilda Chu who was named in the Superband as Lead Trombonist.
As Esperanza had entered into one of the most hotly-contested sections in this national competition, a live cross from Los Angeles and Mt Gambier (the home of Generations in Jazz) was made to Esperanza where the girls were congratulated by Kerry Marsh, one of our all-time favourite arrangers, Naomi Crellin from the ARIA award-winning group ‘The Idea of North’ and jazz legend James Morrison.
I am enormously proud of the achievements of all our girls. They are a living example of determination and risk-taking, and their commitment to their craft is above and beyond.
Sari Noble
Acting Director of Music
From Our Deputy Principal /
Head of Senior School
If you are a parent of a Year 10 or 11 student, no doubt you have heard all about the upcoming exams. Perhaps you’ve even been told by your daughter that she can’t be interrupted each night and all household jobs are off the table. No matter what age or year level your daughter might be in, assessment time can be a stressful experience for both students and their families.
The anxiety and stress that comes with exams and tests traditionally relates to the perceived difficulty of the task and the students’ perceived ability to cope. It is important then that our girls focus on the preparation for their exams just as much as they focus on the content. Learning how best to study is just as important as learning what to study.
Included in the #EMPOWHER curriculum are lessons and time set aside to help our girls learn about learning. Students have the opportunity to investigate and trial different study techniques as they build towards exams. Following exams, we have also introduced an opportunity for the girls to reflect on their preparations. With the experience fresh in their minds, they will be able to reflect on what worked well and what could be altered for next time.
Exam preparation and learning how you learn best can be trial and error. Students are encouraged to prepare a study timetable. Allowing enough time in the lead up to exams prevents rushing and cramming at the end. Cross-checking topics against concepts learnt can also help consolidate learning. Creating study cards, summary notes or mind maps are also useful tools to assist students when revising. Often students are reminded that simply reading over notes won’t help them learn information; instead, the girls should be reading information, writing it, seeing it, saying it, and finally, applying it. This will help with information retention and the ability to apply it in test settings.
As you can see, our girls are given a multitude of tips and advice to help them prepare; however, sometimes the families supporting a teenager during exam times need just as much support. I would encourage families to simply listen when their daughter is frustrated, upset or overwhelmed by the process. More often than not, she doesn’t want you to fix the problem, she just wants someone to listen to her. Stand your ground; your daughter might be going through a time of stress, but that doesn’t mean the world revolves around them – they still have a role to play in their household. Finally, you may wish to have chocolate on hand, as when all else fails, chocolate can have its place.
Good luck to all students (and their families!) preparing for exams. Remember, they are simply a snapshot of learning so far.
Lauren Sutton
Deputy Principal/Head of Senior School
Kilburn House Charity Day
Last Friday, the Year 10 Kilburn girls hosted a sausage sizzle to support our House Charity, Treasure Boxes. We would like to congratulate everyone involved, as we managed to raise $1177.50! Thank you to those who participated, bought a sausage or donated to our charity which helps thousands of people in need.
Alysa Trinh
Year 10 student
Selwyn House Charity Day
The Year 10 Selwyn girls ran a bake sale last Friday to raise funds for The Smith Family. We enjoyed the opportunity to serve our House Charity and our School community. It was a huge success as we sold all of our delicious baked goods, raising over $500 for The Smith Family!
Thank you for all your support.
Naomi Singh
Year 10 student
The Power of Music in Our ELC
At Saints Girls’ ELC, we harness the power of music to support many vital development aspects including recognising and reproducing words, enhancing memory and improving literacy skills.
We enjoy inspiring the children from an early age, extending their understanding of music and seeing their love for music grow.
Keys to Confidence at Piano Eisteddfod
More than 70 Saints’ musicians converged upon the Music Room yesterday to present solo performances in front of parents and other students. While it was a daunting experience for some, the girls demonstrated excellent risk-taking skills as they delivered their individual works.
This was also an opportunity to perform on our beautiful grand piano which was donated by the Friends of The Arts in honour of Old Scholar Fiona Hale (nee Burton, Patteson 1986), who was a staunch advocate of our Music Program.
The students were adjudicated by piano specialists Kendall Latzell and Sari Noble, and were provided with encouraging feedback and presented with participation certificates. Several students from each age group were selected to present at the Piano Recital next Thursday 23 June at 6pm in the Music Room. This year, our recital will feature our Artist in Residence David Goodwin, who will no doubt inspire our young pianists onto bigger and better things! The recital is free and entry is by general admission.
Sari Noble
Acting Director of Music
Stonyfell Rocks at Lunchtime Concert!
On Wednesday, the Saints Rock Band and Guitar Ensemble put on a fantastic lunchtime concert for students and staff. It opened with a performance by the Guitar Ensemble, consisting of five girls in Years 8 – 11. They performed pieces in 3 and 4 parts including the popular hit ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams and the timeless ‘Amazing Grace’.
The Rock Band then took to the stage with eight performers on drums, bass, guitar, keyboards, strings, saxophone and vocals. They played popular songs including the super-catchy ‘At My Worst’ by Pink Sweat$, and the powerful Adele hit ‘Skyfall’ featuring a beautiful string arrangement and outstanding vocals by Helen Zhang.
The bands were cheered on by a very enthusiastic audience, including an ELC class who seemed quite awestruck by the talent of the girls! This is the first performance of the year for Rock Band and Guitar Ensemble, and we look forward to sharing much more!
Robyn Habel
Music Teacher
Music for Peace – Strings Concert
The Music for Peace Strings Concert will be held on Monday 27 June at 6pm in the Arts Centre. This is a wonderful opportunity for our Strings students to share the music they have been working on with other students, their parents and the School community. The ensembles involved include Extension Strings, Senior Strings, Intermediate Strings, Junior Strings and Piano Trio, with solos from some of our extraordinarily talented violinists and cellists.
The concert will also feature Karl Jenkin’s magnificent work ‘Benedictus’ from Mass for Peace which will be played by Senior Strings. We are also pleased to announce that we will have special guest artist Zhao Liang who will perform Chinese Harp or Gu-Zheng on the night.
Entry is free and by general admission. Please come and support our Strings students as they present their major concert for the year.
Sari Noble
Acting Director of Music
Young Poets Take Centre Stage
During Term 2, a group of Year 4 – 6 Saints’ students entered the IPSHA (Independent Primary Schools Heads Association) Poetry Recital Competition.
An internal classroom-based competition took place, where finalists were then chosen to present to the Junior School audience and our adjudicator, Mary Smith. From this, three finalists were then chosen to represent Saints Girls during the competition evening at Walford Anglican School for Girls: Dilini Ranathunga (Year 4), Bonnie Qu (Year 5) and Stella Fuidge (Year 6).
The girls did an outstanding job and had wonderful results including Dilini placing 2nd in the Year 4 Category and Stella achieving 3rd in the Year 6 Category. Congratulations to all girls who participated.
To read the poems – click here
Shane Davidson
Competition Coordinator
Year 11 Drama Performance – Eyes to the Floor – Next Monday!
The SACE Stage 1 Drama students are proud to present Eyes to the Floor by Australian playwright Alana Valentine.
The play chronicles the experience of teenage girls sent to the Hay Girls Home during the 1960s where they endured brutal, punitive treatment. It highlights the vulnerability of the young inmates in a world where they must find connection with each other to survive. Interwoven with movement, chorus work and poetry, Eyes to the Floor explores a chilling chapter in Australia’s history.
Please join us next Monday 20 June (Week 8) at 6pm in the Arts Centre. Entry is free, and no bookings are required.
Suitable for audiences 13+ years
Joni Combe
Drama Teacher
Choral Night – Coming Soon!
With Term 3 fast approaching, our middle and senior girls are gearing up for our rescheduled Choral Night 2022 on Friday 29 July at Influencers Church, Paradise.
Choral Night is one of the most anticipated events on the Saints Girls’ calendar, and this year’s spectacle carries the theme ‘Power Ballads’.
Details regarding tickets have been provided to Year 12 families this week, with information being sent to Year 7 – 11 families next week. Please note that all previously booked tickets for the original Choral Night event have been cancelled and all tickets will need to be re-booked.
OSA AGM and Year Leaders’ Event
The OSA AGM and Year Leaders’ Event was held last Tuesday evening, and it was wonderful see many familiar faces and to welcome many new ones.
We farewelled Tori Moore (Patteson 2009) who has been President since 2015 and thanked her for her outstanding contribution and dedication to the OSA. We are pleased that she will remain on Council as Vice President.
The official election of Office Bearers and Councillors took place and we are delighted to announce our new President is Bec Farquhar (Selwyn 1988) who is a current parent and an active community member of Saints Girls. Charlie Sykes (nee Aykroyd, Kennion 2010) was re-elected as Treasurer and Anne Daniell (nee Crisp, Kennion 1969) as Secretary.
Our next meeting is on Tuesday 6 September at 5.45pm. If you would like to join us, please contact me via email: mmccormack@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.
Megan McCormack
Community Relations Manager
Generations Photo Invitation – Current Students
All students (ELC to Year 12) who have a mother, grandmother and/or great grandmother as an Old Scholar at St Peter’s Girls are warmly invited to join in the annual ‘Generations Photo’.
Students who wish to be in the photo should assemble on the Chapel Lawns next Tuesday 21 June at 12.55pm in full winter uniform (blazer included).
Megan McCormack
Community Relations Manager
ELC Sibling Photos Reminder
ELC Sibling Photos will be taken in the ELC next Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 June from 10.10 – 10.30am.
Photo order forms have been sent home with ELC families. If your daughter is in school and you would like her to have a photo with her ELC sibling, please arrange for her to go to the ELC during either of these windows.
Please note: ELC/School staff do not have the capacity to collect your older daughter from the School. You will need to arrange with their teacher to ensure they go to the ELC for the sibling photo to be taken.
If you have daughters in the School who missed out on a Sibling Photo due to absence earlier in the year, please ask them to come to the ELC during either of these windows. They will need to bring their photo order form with them as we are unable to take photos without it.
Any questions can be directed to your ELC teacher or to me via fmcgregor@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Fiona McGregor
Community Relations – Events Officer
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.
July 2022 Vacation Care Program
Places are limited, so secure your booking now – click here
Nude Food Tuesdays
The Environment Club is encouraging all Saints Girls to minimise their plastic usage, especially in the packaging of their recess and lunch. Many of us pack our recess and lunch in zip lock bags and cling wrap. But the issue with this is that we use these once and then toss them into the bin. These plastics are not biodegradable, and over many years will simply break down into microplastics contaminating our water sources and even our food.
So, to decrease this impact, the Environment Club is inviting everyone to participate in Nude Food Tuesdays. On this day, we ask that students’ lunch and recess are not packaged in single use plastic and are instead packed in other items such as containers, beeswax wraps or even multi-use silicon bags.
If everyone participates, the amount of plastic which the School contributes to landfill will decrease greatly, thus benefitting our environment. You can even do this every day if you are extra keen to help our environment!
Nathara Perera
Environment Club
Native Tree Giveaway
Burnside Council invites locals to help grow its Urban Forest. It’s giving away free advanced native trees for City of Burnside residents to plant in their garden.
To get your free native tree:
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- Visit the Customer Service Desk at the Civic Centre on Greenhill Road to collect your voucher (voucher must be collected by the property owner only), or email with your name, the address of the property and mailing address (if different from the property address), and a voucher will be posted to you.
- Take your unique voucher to one of the participating nurseries to get your native tree.
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Valid from 15 April to 30 September 2022, voucher limits apply per rateable property. For more details – click here
Nathara Perera
Environment Club Captain
Social Media Reminder
A reminder to families and students who take video and/or photos on campus or at School events (e.g. sports carnivals, Arts performances, graduations, etc.) to please refrain from sharing this content externally online if other students are shown without permission. Instead, we encourage our School community to access and share the curated and approved content provided on our public website and across our Vimeo, Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Car Park Courtesy
The School has again received complaints about traffic blocking Stonyfell Road for lengthy periods during drop-off and pick-up. 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. Unless special circumstances apply, parents of girls in Years 2 to 12 should not enter the car park to collect their daughters prior to 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.
Please also refrain from turning right into or out of the car park at peak times, and please do not queue in the car park’s lanes as this often prevents drivers who are legally parked from exiting.
We have also received complaints about cars being parked too close to or in front of driveways, or across from other vehicles in surrounding streets, making it extremely difficult for residents and other road users to navigate.
We ask all community members to please show consideration for others; thank you for your cooperation.
COVID-19 Information
SA Health has advised that asymptomatic COVID-19 close contacts no longer need to quarantine. Therefore, asymptomatic children and students can attend school or ELC despite being a close contact, provided they undertake 5 RATs over the subsequent 7 days and receive negative results.
Please also be reminded of these vital requirements:
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’).
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 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.
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
Warm Up with Saints’ Scarves and Beanies
With the cooler weather, the School Shop has some branded winter warmers:
Saints Girls’ Supporter Scarf – perfect for staff, coaches and parents
Saints Girls’ Beanies – can be worn by students during their sport training sessions and warm ups, and also available for staff coaches and parents
To get your hands on these fabulous new items, please visit the School Shop.
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.
Sports News
SSSA KNOCKOUTS
Year 5/6 Soccer
Saints (18) v East Torrens (0)
Saints (12) v Stella Maris (3)
The Year 5s and 6s participated in the Knockout Soccer Inter-School Competition with Saints Girls playing East Torrens Primary School and Stellar Maris College. Saints won the 1st game 18 – 0 and the 2nd match 12 – 3, meaning we now move onto the 2nd round. This competition pushes the girls to do their best. It also helps them improve their skills and play as a team whilst having a great time. – Constance Morel (Year 5)
Year 5/6 Netball
Saints (50) v Ingle Farm (5)
Saints (43) v Pulteney (9)
Saints (20) v Burnside (18)
Saints Girls played fantastically in the 1st round of knockouts with 2 solid wins to start the day, defending well and being clinical in attack. The final game against Burnside Primary School was a lot closer, however Saints managed to sneak home by two goals to progress to the next round.
Year 7/8 Netball
Saints (17) v Unley (33)
Saints (23) v Loreto (22)
Saints (19) v Scotch (37)
Year 9/10 Netball
Saints (34) v Marryatville (23)
Saints (32) v Scotch (33)
After a strong first win against Marryatville, Saints came incredibly close to qualifying for the next stage of knockouts and only a dramatic final quarter against Scotch College stopped them. After being 7 down, Saints fought back to take the lead in the final quarter, but couldn’t quite convert chances to take a 2-goal lead. Unfortunately, Scotch dug deep and took the lead again late on to progress to the next round. The fantastic determination and courage shown by our girls will develop confidence for future fixtures.
Open Netball
Saints (16) v Scotch (26)
Saints (30) v Nazareth (26)
Saints (21) v Cabra (28)
Year 7/8 Basketball
Saints (29) v Heathfield (28)
Saints (48) v Blackwood (37)
STUDENT SUCCESS
 Congratulations to Amelia Lucas and Winnie Vartuli who have been selected to represent South Australia in the U16 State School Girl Hockey Championships. The girls will travel to Tasmania at the end of July. |