From Our Principal
One of the things I love about my job is that every day is different. You’re never quite sure who is going to walk through the door or how opening an email can change the course of your day. There have certainly been some challenging days over the years, but they are far more easily negotiated when you remember why you went into this job in the first place – to spend each day with an amazing group of girls and young women who constantly inspire you with their accomplishments. No matter the school, all students should see the Principal as relevant, accessible and approachable. Which begs the question – how am I relevant? I asked our Reception girls for feedback by posing the question, ‘What is it that Ms Shea actually does?’ Here are some of their responses:
‘She’s in Selwyn House’.
Well I’m glad someone noticed the green M&M costume and fluffy green leg warmers! I know that my allegiance to a particular House hasn’t been viewed favourably by some, but the opportunity to be a parent and support my three girls, just as you support your own daughters, has been much appreciated. After all, being a Mum is the most important and the most challenging role that I’ll ever have. The fact that it’s caused some consternation shows just how passionate we all are about the House system. It plays a pivotal role in fostering vertical connection across the years and adds to the sense of belonging that underpins the unique culture of our School.
‘She stands at the pick-up zone and says hello to everyone who walks past.’
Incidental conversations help create a strong sense of wellbeing and connection. We might only chat about the weather or the latest footy results, but the camaraderie that comes from sharing a laugh cannot be overstated.
‘When someone is naughty, Ms Shea says, ‘Never do that again’, if you’re being mean and when you snatch things.’
Thankfully, I’ve only had to play the disciplinarian on a few occasions. Yes, we all make mistakes, girls and staff, including me. But Saints Girls is an inclusive, unassuming and unpretentious environment in which everyone is celebrated for who they are. And, if occasionally, someone needs a little reminder of that, then that reminder has been forthcoming!
‘She makes sure there are no snakes or any other dangerous animals in the playground.’
Well I think this might be beyond my job description! We’ve had possums breaking into the Chapel and bending the organ pipes and the odd koala taking up residence in the trees, but thankfully no snakes. Our location is truly unique. Nestled in the foothills and bounded by the tranquil bushland of Ferguson Conservation Park, the extensive use of glass in our building works has created spaces that are aesthetically appealing and harmonious with our natural world. Learning flows seamlessly between the indoors and the outdoors in a genuinely distinctive School environment.
‘Ring, Ring – because she rings the bell a lot – ding for learning, ding for recess, ding for lunch.’
Imagine how much chaos I could have created had I been in control of the School bell! It is, in fact, our wonderful Property Services Manager Paul Ziesing who programs the bell to ring and keep us moving through our school day. While the teaching staff are the ones who work closely with your daughters, all that we offer would not be possible without our unsung heroes, the non-teaching staff who sit in the background, yet who we know embody and live the values that define Saints Girls.
‘She helps all the children.’
That statement sums up the job. Being a Principal isn’t rocket science – whenever you face a difficult decision, you simply ask, ‘Which outcome will impact most positively on the girls?’ My role is to provide the staff, the facilities, the programs and, most importantly, to foster a culture in which the girls will thrive. It’s about having a deep personal commitment to create the enabling conditions that allow your daughter to be the best version of herself.
No matter what our youngest girls believe the job entails, holding the office of Principal is a great privilege. For me, the two non-negotiables when it comes to leadership are authenticity and humility. Leadership stems from individuality that is authentically and therefore sometimes imperfectly expressed. And as a leader, you must look to take a step back and allow others to shine. And whether it was in the classroom or in one of the many co-curricular pursuits, how brightly our girls have shone in recent years.
As indicated earlier, I’ll be taking leave from Monday 24 October. I’ll enjoy Celebration Day with our Year 12 girls at the start of next term (yes, one more Staff Dance!) and then ‘pass the baton’ to Richard Lisle who will be Acting Principal until Cherylyn Skewes commences in early January. Sam O’Brien will act in the role of Head of Middle School during this period. I will be back on site briefly on 15 and 16 December should you need to see me prior to my move interstate.
Have a fabulous break and I look forward to welcoming the girls back in full summer uniform on Monday 17 October.
Julia Shea
Principal
Welcome to Our Next Principal
It was fabulous to welcome our next Principal Cherylyn Skewes to Stonyfell for a visit this week where she enjoyed meeting many of our students and staff, as well as touring our first-class facilities.
We’re looking forward to her official commencement here at Saints Girls in January!
Year 5 Production – Final Show TONIGHT!
Tonight is the last chance to see our sensational Year 5 Production – Pirates of Penzance JR. The girls have been preparing to take the audience on this adventure for the past two terms, and are excited to thrill you with singing, dancing and joyful merriment in this wonderful Gilbert and Sullivan operetta.
You can be assured of a fun time as we celebrate beautiful maidens, bumbling policemen and not-so menacing pirates! Please come along and support our Year 5 stars!
Tonight at 7pm in our Arts Centre – tickets available at the door
Tiny Dancers Light Up the Stage
Last Friday, our Reception and Year 1 students wowed the crowd with their energetic dance moves and colourful costumes!
They showcased skills such as rhythm and coordination, free movement, balance, working with props and teamwork. It was such a joyous morning, both on the stage and in the audience. Well done girls!
Epic Term in Our ELC
Term 3 at St Peter’s Girls’ ELC has been full of wonder and excitement. Our two wonderful community events created such a buzz within the ELC as the children adore sharing their learning spaces with family and friends.
Learning Community 1 have continued exploring emotions and how they can feel across their day, whilst the children in Learning Community 2 have been fully immersed in their research and classifications of the fungi they have found in Ferguson Park.
Environment Club Joins Forces with Climate Crusaders
Earlier this month, a group of Year 11 Environment Club members were excited to attend the Young Leaders – Climate Change: Turning Down the Heat Forum. We heard from a panel including environmental explorer Tim Jarvis, Bec Taylor from Resilient East and representatives from Green Adelaide.
The keynote speaker, Tim, is an adventurer, author and documentary filmmaker with a Master in Environmental Science and Environmental Law. In 2013, he recreated the voyage and mountain crossing of Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton. Tim has seen the changes that have occurred due to climate change and spoke passionately about what students and communities can do to reduce the impact.
We discussed many environmental issues and what actions the members of the panel, and other schools who attended, had done to tackle these issues. At the end of the forum, we were given the chance to have a fun brainstorming session amongst our group, where we thought of a new environmental initiative for our School. The Environment Club is looking forward to enacting this initiative in the near future!
Nathara Perera
Environment Club Captain
Walks on Yorkes for Year 9 Camp
Last week, we headed to Yorke Peninsula for our Year 9 Challenge Camp. We participated in a range of fun activities including snorkelling, abseiling, hiking and raft-making.
We started off with a hike in the Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park, walking 4km and discovering some beautiful scenery. When we arrived at the campsite, we set up our tents and cooked our first dinner on the trangias.
On Day 2, we returned to the national park for an 8km walk, spotting lots of emus and enjoying more amazing views. During the afternoon, we went down to a beach near our campsite for some snorkelling. It was quite cold, but we saw little fish in the water.
We started Day 3 with more hiking and then abseiling, which was so much fun as it was something new for everyone. We were all pretty nervous, but once we had our first go, we all wanted to go again.
On our last day, we went for our final hike in the national park with the best views as we were right on the coast. In the afternoon, we participated in a raft-making activity, using limited equipment. We then had to drag our rafts along the sand around a post and were given a map to find the treasure. That night, each class performed their act for the talent show.
Overall, camp was super fun, memorable and helped us form a closer relationship with our Home Groups.
Alice Morel
Year 9 student
Year 10 Campers Happy Hikers
The Year 10 students went on an incredible camp to the Flinders Ranges last week, taking part in a host of activities each day.
One was a day-and-a-half hike where we walked a lengthy distance between campsites and also hiked up Mount Arden, the highest point in the Southern Flinders Ranges. Although the walk was difficult, especially since we were carrying rucksacks, it was such a great bonding experience for all Home Groups and the views were spectacular. We also completed an additional loop walk for half a day where we saw some beautiful natural landmarks.
Mountain biking was one of the more popular activities, where we were all able to have a go at riding a bike around the campsite, and some even attempted a larger hill, known as Challenge Hill. This was exhilarating and a new experience for so many of us. We also had the opportunity to go abseiling and rock climbing, which was great to be able to climb up a real cliff and abseil off of a different cliff, approximately 35m high.
In addition, we completed a survival challenge in our Home Groups which consisted of having to save a pilot from a tree, creating a stretcher and a shelter, and lighting a fire – all with limited resources. Patteson ended up on top in this challenge. Then came the much-awaited annual talent show! This year, Kilburn took out the win with a creative rendition of a Dora the Explorer episode which related to our camp experience.
One of the biggest challenges that we all faced while on camp was a few days of wild weather. We had to tough it out with the rain, making a lot of the activities quite difficult. However, we managed to push through, with more pleasant weather at the end of the week.
We all had an incredible last camp, and I know I can speak for everyone when I say that it was an unforgettable experience which we will treasure for years to come.
Jenna Maione
Year 10 student
APEX Space Girls Break New Ground
The APEX girls, in collaboration with industry partners SAAB Australia, have been fortunate to take part in the Re-Engineering Australia Foundation Space in Schools Program. During the year-long endeavour, the girls have been challenged to design and create a Biomedical Space Hub (BSH) on Mars.
This week, two teams of our Year 9 girls were invited to visit the SAAB Australia headquarters at Mawson Lakes to present their final ideas. The criteria students must adhere to throughout the process and the final challenge involved using Computer Aided Design (CAD) software to produce a 3D render of their idea and then present their findings in front of the four REA-approved SAAB judges. Each student was assigned a role in the team and they then presented their findings.
In addition to this, we were able to take a tour of the SAAB facilities, meeting with engineers, developers and coders to view some of their current projects. Dr James Walsh, an Enterprise Fellow at UniSA STEM, presented a keynote to the girls showcasing his work with Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. The students were also excited to meet Clive, UniSA’s first off-the-shelf quadruped robot, which is the newest addition to the Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments (IVE). Dr Walsh explained that
‘Clive is going to prove invaluable in our Augmented and Virtual Reality research at IVE, helping us to see how he perceives the world and how we can leverage that for everyday scenarios.’
In the end, our own Lazy Susan Project (LSP) Team was judged to be the winner on the day. Congratulations to all of our girls who presented well and are looking forward to the 2023 challenge in the Mission to Mars subject.
Randal Irvine
SPGS Space in Schools Coordinator | APEX
JobChats Expose Promising Pathways
This week through our bespoke JobChat program, we welcomed Executive Director of Community Corrections and Specialist Prisons Hayley Mills. She spoke with our students about her journey from studying Psychology at university and how her different placements ultimately led her to work in correctional services. Hayley first commenced in a practitioner role providing psychological services to women offenders, and has maintained a passion for delivering on the needs of female prisoners.
Here are some reflections from our girls:
‘This JobChat was a unique opportunity to understand a career path which I had not considered before. Hayley explained her role in the running of prisons and her journey through university, climbing the ranks and finally being in the position she is in currently. I found her attitude towards being one of the few women in a male-dominated industry inspiring and learnt about the challenges females can face in a job such as hers. The initiatives which are being introduced to correctional facilities intrigued me and the talk has ignited a fascination for forensic sciences.’ – Misha (Year 10 student)
‘I found it really interesting learning how Hayley got to the position she’s in now. It was also interesting learning more about how the management teams in correctional services were very male-dominated, but it was awesome and inspiring to hear about the steps Hayley is taking to change this.’ – Indya (Year 12 student)
JobChat gave me a fantastic opportunity to hear and meet Hayley Mills, who is currently working in a career I am interested in. Hearing her talk about her experiences working in forensic psychology and learning about how her Psychology degree helped her land a career in correctional services was extremely helpful. I appreciated listening to Hayley discuss the challenges she faced while working in a male-dominated industry and how she overcame them. She’s helped me learn about the different pathways and placements for a forensic psychologist and given me a great insight into what a job may look like in correctional services with a degree in Forensic Psychology. It was extremely valuable and I enjoyed it! -Naadiya (Year 10 student)
Carolyn Farr
Careers Coordinator
SLIC Reviews Magazine – Latest Issue Out Now
The third issue of the Student Libraries Initiatives Club magazine: SLIC reViews is now available.
In this edition, the girls have been reading crime, mystery and thriller books including the much-anticipated third and final book of the Inheritance Games trilogy: The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, released earlier this month. Also on review is, the queen of teen crime, Karen M. McManus’ new novel Nothing More to Tell.
These popular titles, along with many others, are now available in the Library.
Start reading SLIC reViews now – click here
Kate McBride
Library and Information Services
Strike A Chord – Broadcast of Champions
Esperanza’s 3rd place performance at the recent Strike A Chord National Chamber Music championship featured during a special broadcast of the event on ABC Classic FM last week.
This is now available on the ABC Classic website for the next few weeks, so be sure to have a listen to the incredible musicianship of all ensembles who took part.
Out of the Blue Arts Journal – Entries Closing Soon
To celebrate the many talented individuals within our School community, the annual Out of the Blue Arts Journal is back on for 2022!
We are inviting all students from ELC – Year 12, Old Scholars and staff to submit their artistic creations for this year’s journal. These submissions can be made individually or collaboratively. The journal features a wide variety of art including photographs, drawings, paintings, poetry, cakes, dances, song lyrics and tapestry. If you think of anything else, feel free to email us.
For any media items such as music or dance, a still graphic of the work with a relevant QR code will be used. Any music or media must be owned by the artist or should use royalty-free music. In order to represent our whole community, your submissions can also be in any language (provided it is submitted alongside an English translation).
Our journal was a huge success last year, featuring over 175 submissions and selling over 180 copies. A celebration launch will be held in the School Chapel on Thursday 3 November.
The closing date for all entries is Friday 7 October (the first week of the school holidays). We are thankful for all entries, but due to the number of submissions that we receive, only our successful applicants will be notified. Your submissions can either be emailed to the Out of the Blue email or placed in the Out of the Blue boxes in classrooms (for Junior School students) or in the Library (for Middle and Senior School students).
The Out of the Blue Arts Journal Committee is looking forward to seeing all of your amazing pieces and celebrating the artists in our community!
Nathara Perera
Arts Journal Student Committee
Saints Girls’ Family Day – Coming Soon!
Join us on Sunday 23 October for the Saints Girls’ Family Day!
From 11am to 2pm, Chiverton Lawns will host a fun-filled afternoon including family entertainment, and fabulous food and coffee from ‘Snob Catering’ run by Old Scholar Steph Hannah (Patteson 2010). Steph will have a delicious selection of items available to purchase including popcorn chicken and chips, Vietnamese noodle bowls with chicken or tofu, salmon poke bowls and much more.
Our Friends of Rowing parents will be hosting a bar with refreshments including still and sparkling wine, beer and soft drinks.
We encourage all families to come along and enjoy our beautiful grounds at this relaxed community event.
BYO picnic blanket and/or chairs.
Junior School Pyjama Day – Next Term
On Thursday 27 October (Week 2), the Year 6 Ambassadors invite Junior School students to wear pyjamas to school and bring a gold coin donation to support the Solar Buddy ‘Light Up Vanuatu’ Service Learning campaign.
This initiative provides solar lights to children who have limited access to electricity, allowing them to study and read after dark. The Solar Buddy organisation will deliver the lights in kit form to our School next term, and the Year 6 students will assemble them and write a personal message to the children who will receive them. The lights will be delivered to Vanuatu later this year.
Road Safety Alert
The School has received reports of concerning driver behaviour on Hallett Road. This includes holding up traffic while waiting for cars to leave in order to park near the ELC, performing risky u-turns and parking in bus zones.
As our staff have no jurisdiction over public roads, the School will be asking the police to conduct regular patrols at peak times.
We implore all of our community members to support road safety and show courtesy to others.
Car Park Protocols
It is important to remind families about our car park protocols, particularly 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.
Please note that, 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 previously 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.
School Shop Notices
School Shop Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 8am – 4pm (closed for lunch 12 – 12.30pm)
Parents can also order items via our Online School Shop
Summer Uniform Appointments
Summer Uniform Fittings are well underway. Our online booking system shows available time slots through to October. 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.
During the school holidays, the School Shop will be open on Friday 14 October from 9am to 4pm.
COVID-19 Information
Under SA Health protocols, asymptomatic children who are close contacts can attend school or ELC, provided they undertake 5 Rapid Antigen Tests over 7 days and receive negative results.
Please also be reminded of these general requirements:
Should your child develop any symptoms, even mild ones, they must not attend school or ELC and should be tested for COVID-19. Those with symptoms who test negative using a RAT must undertake a PCR test to confirm that result. Students who have previously tested positive and have completed isolation in the past 28 days 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, call the Front Office on 8334 2200.
If your child is too sick to attend school, they are therefore also too sick to be working remotely from home.
Please also note that SA Health strongly recommends face masks in schools when indoors for students across Years 3 to 12. The same advice applies for all adults, including visitors, except if it impedes the ability to teach or interact with children.
Health Notification
The School has been notified of cases of hand, foot and mouth disease.
Symptoms include blisters in the mouth and on the hands and feet, a sore mouth before ulcers/blisters appear, fever, tiredness and loss of appetite.
The disease is generally spread by person-to-person contact and it usually takes three to five days before blisters appear. Blisters are infectious as long as they contain fluid. Faeces can remain infectious for several weeks.
Generally, no specific treatment is required but people with the disease should be excluded from childcare, preschool, school or work until all blisters have dried.
For more information, click here.
Lara Waltham and Sarah Wilkinson
School Registered Nurses
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
General Absences from School
If your child will not be attending school/ELC due to illness or otherwise, please notify the School via one of the following methods and include the name of the ELC Room, Class or Home Group.
If emailing, feel free to ‘CC’ the teacher of the Room/Class/Home Group as well.
Please also provide a reason for the absence as the School requires this for government reporting purposes.
Text: 0428 601 957
Email: attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Phone: 8334 2200
It would be appreciated if notifications could be made prior to 9am.
Sports News
GEORGIA BEATON CUP AND NETBALL PRESENTATIONS
On Saturday, the Georgia Beaton Cup returned to Saints Girls after a 2-year break, where our current Open A/B players took on an Old Scholars’ team in a Netball match. This year, we combined the event with a break-up and award presentation for our Year 7 – 12 netballers.
Georgia Beaton (Kennion 2007) is an Old Scholar and talented netballer, having represented not only the School but also South Australia and Australia at junior level, as well as playing for the Adelaide Thunderbirds and Contax Netball Club throughout her long and decorated career.
The match started with the current scholars getting out to an early 6 – 0 lead before the Old Scholars clawed their way back to be trailing 8 – 10 at quarter time. The second quarter was hotly contested with some spectacular defensive intercepts and solid shooting from both teams. The students took a 22 – 15 lead into the main break, then dominated the final half scoring 36 goals to 17 to run out eventual winners 58 – 32. The standard across both teams was high and the Old Scholars showed glimpses of their talent throughout the game.
At the conclusion of the match, the students were presented with the Georgia Beaton Cup. The Year 7 – 12 Coaches then took to the stage to speak about their team’s season and present their Coaches Award to the winners.
Congratulations to the award winners and thank you to all players who took part in the 2022 Netball season. The following Best and Fairest awards will be presented at the Sports Awards Assembly later in the year:
STAFF v STUDENT SOCCER
Game 5 of Staff v Student sport was Soccer where the staff took an early lead and threatened to score more, before the students showed their resilience and stayed competitive. A goal from Chloe Richardson pulled the students back into the contest, and when Aleesha Gray slotted home after a mazy run at Mr Lisle, the staff started to get nervous. Goals from Mr Eglinton and Mr Peak saw the staff team over the line with a 4 – 3 victory. Thank you to the Sport Captains for organising this initiative and congratulations to the students for winning the first Staff v Student Cup.
IGSSA ATHLETICS
Our Athletics team, which was unfortunately depleted with several girls away at National events for other sports, recently competed at IGSSA Athletics. In advance, we spoke with the girls about their targets for the day and identified that we had particularly strong U13, 14 and 15 age groups. These girls were committed to filling events, and with many solid performances, we were elated to take home the U15 pennant by 4 points, showing how everyone’s participation counted towards victory. Charlotte McAuliffe also took home the Di Burge Trophy previously held by Old Scholar Lakara Stallan (Kilburn 2021) as the fastest student on the day. Below is a list of place getters at the carnival:
STUDENT SUCCESS
Chloe Richardson (Year 8) attended Football Australia’s National Youth Championships for Soccer last week in Coffs Harbour. She was a part of the Football South Australia U14 team which she was honoured to Captain against New South Wales and Victoria. It’s been a busy year for Chloe who has been selected to represent South Australia four times in Soccer, Athletics, Cross Country and Touch Football.
TOUCH FOOTBALL
Congratulations to Eleanor Bartter and Julia Yang who have been selected to represent South Australia (SSSA) in U12 Touch Football.
NETBALL
Well done to Annie Warrick, Shea Forster, Mia Bennett and Madeleine Andrejewskis for winning the Combined Australian Netball Association competition whilst representing South Australian United Churches Netball Association (SAUCNA). Annie and Mia were also named the best players in the Final.
SAPSASA ATHLETICS
Congratulations to Lauren Disney, Lucille Trengove and Eleanor Bartter for their performances at SAPSASA Athletics. Eleanor won the Discus, Lucy finished 2nd and 3rd in 100m and 200m, and Lauren placed 3rd and 2nd in the 100m and 200m.
October Holiday Tennis Coaching
Would you like your daughter to improve her tennis skills ready for the summer of tennis?
If so, private or semi-private tennis lessons are available during the school holidays.
For more details, please contact Matt Ford via 0412 855 073 or ford.matt@bigpond.com