Dear Families
What a wonderful Term 1 we have had at St Peter’s Girls’ ELC, full of rich learning opportunities. The unit of inquiry across the Centre has focused on the central idea that ‘Stories and rituals support a shared understanding of our community.’ This has prioritised creating a sense of belonging as children have been immersed in daily rituals and storytelling, laying the foundations for who we are as a community. The connection we have with the Kaurna people’s history and culture has been explored and enriched through the morning Banbanbalya, visits to Ferguson Conservation Park and engaging with the curated spaces that support our understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, cultures and perspectives.
In Learning Community 2, children have identified ways in which they are similar and different. They have explored self-portraiture using a variety of mediums and been encouraged to be attentive to the details they have observed. This has led to children creatively producing representations of themselves. I have been inspired by the journey that the Pathway children have been on as they created a class portrait, moving from the ‘Me’ to ‘We’. It has been wonderful to watch this group of young learners building a strong sense of community as they prepare for their transition to school in Term 3.
This unit of inquiry has led to many other investigations that have been beautifully captured through the children’s portfolios and on our digital platform myLink. If you have not yet accessed the learning that is happening in your child’s Learning Community through myLink, please let us know so that we can help you with this.
We have had a number of opportunities to come together as a community this term through our Meet the Teacher Information Evening, Twilight Picnic, Parent-Teacher Conversations, Friends of the ELC meetings and our ELC Coffee Morning. We are looking forward to many more opportunities to connect with you throughout Term 2 as we work in partnership to offer your child the very best learning environment.
I would like to take this opportunity to say farewell to Henrietta Balnaves. Henrietta has been an extremely valued member of St Peter’s Girls’ ELC as a co-educator, ELC Manager in 2022, and this term as a teacher, and she will be missed. We wish Henrietta all the best for her overseas travel and work. We also thank Sera Boccaccio for the contribution she has made in the role of ELC Manager. We deeply appreciate Sera’s dedication and commitment to children, families and staff. Sera will be working in Learning Community 2 next term.
We wish you and your family a wonderful holiday break.
Liz Schembri
Director of Early Learning
Important Dates
7 – 10 April: Easter (ELC closed)
11 – 24 April: Vacation Care
Tuesday 25 April: Public Holiday (ELC closed)
Wednesday 26 April: Term 2 commences
Friday 12 May: Mothers and Treasured Friends’ Afternoon Tea
Tuesday 16 May: Learning Community 1 Photo Day
Wednesday 17 May: Playgroup Photo Day
Thursday 18 May: Learning Community 2 Photo Day
A Message from Henrietta Balnaves
Dearest St Peter’s Girls’ ELC community 
It is with a full heart that I say farewell to you all this week before I begin my new adventure overseas. These past seven years at the Centre have been such an amazing experience full of learning, teaching, exploring, sharing, experiencing, growing and reflecting alongside each child. To find a workplace that continually brings you so much joy is a blessing, and this is thanks to the wonderful and welcoming ELC community we continue to foster.
I extend my gratitude and appreciation to each of you for sharing warmth, kindness, care and friendship, especially throughout last year in my role as ELC Manager. I will always cherish St Peter’s Girls’ ELC as a place of joy, wonder, creativity and belonging.
I consider myself lucky to have been supported and surrounded by such an outstanding team of educators and leaders, full of inspiration and continually pushing this Centre to progressive new levels. I am in awe of the dedication and passion that continues to fill each classroom, each meeting and each plan for the future. I am so grateful to have shared in our Reconciliation journey, and solidified my respect for First Nations people, histories and perspectives. I look forward to hearing the wonderful lengths this Centre will continue to achieve in the years to come, led by Director of Early Learning Liz Schembri.
I know everyone is excited to welcome back Annabelle Redmond next term from her parental leave as she takes over from me as part-time teacher in the Stonyfell Room. I wish you all the best for the remainder of the school year, and I look forward to visiting when I return.
Kindest regards
Henrietta Balnaves (Miss B)
Photo Days in Term 2
We are looking forward to the upcoming photo days in Term 2. The structure for how photos will be taken has changed for 2023. To maintain consistency for children and families, and to ensure minimal disruption to the Learning Communities, there will be an allocated photo day for each Learning Community.
Learning Community 1 (Bell Yett and Stonyfell) – Tuesday 16 May
Playgroup – Wednesday 17 May
Learning Community 2 (Ferguson, Hallett and Pathway) – Thursday 18 May
Please note that photos will only be taken of children in each Learning Community on the allocated day above.
If your child does not attend ELC on the allocated day and you would like them to have their photo taken, you are welcome to bring them into the Centre on the day. Group photos will commence at 9.30am followed by individual photos (with children who have been brought in specially photographed first).
Please ensure that your child is wearing their ELC uniform with neatly styled hair on the day.
If you require further information, please email Fiona McGregor via fmcgregor@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.
As you can imagine, these photos require a large amount of organisation, and we appreciate your support and cooperation.
Celebrate Our Learning
In celebration of a wonderful term of learning, we invite families and treasured friends to join us in Week 3 next term to share the children’s Portfolios.
Each child’s Portfolio will be available to look at together during drop-off and pick-up times across the week.
Mothers and Treasured Friends’ Afternoon Tea
On Friday 12 May at 2pm, we will hold our annual Mothers and Treasured Friends’ Afternoon Tea in the ELC.
We will be celebrating Mother’s Day and the inspirational women in the children’s lives including mothers, grandmothers and aunties. Please save the date!
Vacation Care – Bookings Closed
Vacation Care will run from Tuesday 11 to Monday 24 April, and bookings are now closed.
Children attending Vacation Care will need to bring their own packed lunch, hat, water bottle and a change of clothes each day. Due to allergies, we ask that you do not pack nuts. A healthy morning and afternoon tea and late snack will be provided to children.
If you need to make changes to your booking, please email ELCVacationCare@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.
Please note: due to staffing requirements, any cancellations will incur the full day’s fee.
来自ELC园长：
亲爱的家长朋友们，
我们在圣彼得女校ELC 渡过了一个多么美好的学期，充满了丰富的学习机会。本学期整个早教中心的探究内容侧重于“故事和仪式促进我们对社区的共同理解”的中心思想。这主要基于对为整个中心营造一种“归属感”的考虑，因为孩子们已经沉浸在日常仪式中，并与丰富的故事联系在一起，这些故事为我们作为一个社区奠定了基础。我们每天都在探索和丰富我们与 Kaurna 原驻人民历史和文化的联系，包括早晨在教室里的集合仪式（Banbanbalya）、参观 Ferguson 公园以及参与精心策划的空间，这些空间支持我们了解土著和托雷斯海峡岛民的历史、文化和观念。
在学习2社区中， 孩子们辨识了他们彼此之间相似以及不同的地方。他们通过使用各种媒介来探索自画像以及他们观察到的细节。这促进了孩子们运用创造力去表达自己的形象。我从“通往小学之路”学前班中孩子们所经历的学习之旅中得到了启发，他们创作了一幅全班画像，从“我”到“我们”。很高兴看到这群年轻学生在为第 3 学期的入学过渡做准备时建立了强烈的社区意识。
在这个学习单元中引发了许多其他探究成果，这些成果通过孩子们的学习文档和我们的数字平台 MyLink 得到了很好的展示。如果您尚未通过 MyLink 访问您孩子的学习社区中正在发生的学习，请告诉我们，以便我们可以帮助您。
通过这个学期与老师的信息交流之夜、暮光野餐晚会、家长与教师的一对一家长会、ELC 之友会议和我们的 ELC 咖啡早晨，我们有很多机会作为一个社区聚集在一起。在我们与您合作为您的孩子提供最好的学习环境的过程中，我们期待在第二学期有更多机会与您联系。
我想借此机会向 Henrietta Balnaves 老师告别。 Henrietta 一直是圣彼得女校 ELC 社区极其重要的成员，在 2022 年之前是ELC的教师并担任过ELC 经理一职，并在本学期担任主课老师，我们会想念她。我们祝愿 Henrietta 在海外旅行和工作中一切顺利。我们还要感谢 Sera Boccaccio 在担任 ELC 经理期间所做的工作。我们感谢 Sera 对孩子、家庭和员工的奉献和承诺。 Sera 将在第 2 学期在学习二社区工作。
我们祝您和您的家人渡过一个美好的复活节假期。
Liz Schembri
园长
Emma Huang works in Learning Community 1 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9am – 5pm.
News from Learning Community 1
As we finish up a fantastic first term in Learning Community 1, we value this opportunity to reflect on children’s growth and successes, along with the rich learning that has occurred within our rooms.
We started Week 1 with our intentions to develop a cohesive Learning Community, developing and using shared rituals and stories to support connection and learning. Through our special ELC Banbanbalya morning ritual, we watched children’s sense of belonging and confidence bloom. We explored various stories that make up the fabric of our ELC history, such as Wombat Stew by Marcia Vaughan, When We Go Walkabout by Rhoda Lalara and a version of The Rainbow Serpent told by Kaurna elder Tamaru. Through this sharing of stories, we observed children develop a strong connection to our community, whilst using storytelling as a means of communication.
Relationships are crucial to a sense of belonging (EYLF, 2009). Our aim for this term was to support children to develop and build upon their sense of belonging to Learning Community 1. We celebrated little moments every day, documenting the connections the children are forming with their peers and educators. We also value the relationship children have with materials, which was documented and supported with the help of our Atelierista Caterina Pennestri. We look forward to celebrating your child’s progress through their learning Portfolio, which will be available to share in Week 3 of Term 2.
We farewell Henrietta Balnaves as she heads overseas and wish her all the best. We are looking forward to welcoming back Annabelle Redmond who is excited to return from parental leave as Stonyfell Room teacher on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays alongside Nell Tierney.
Nell Tierney, Henrietta Balnaves and Jess Catt
Learning Community 1
News from Learning Community 2
The beginning of the year offered us the concepts of change and possibility. We welcomed Chloe Skoss to our team as the teacher in the Ferguson Room, and our Learning Community grew from two rooms to three as we embarked on the first term of the Pathway Room. Working alongside children yields many amazing moments. We have experienced vibrant learning opportunities and ways to build relationships with each other and deepen our sense of belonging to the ELC community.
As our inquiries progressed, we planned and implemented learning experiences to build the children’s interest, spark ideas and nurture creativity. Our rooms have begun to fill with documentation showing our thinking and learning, and our myLink pages are regularly updated. The teachers have been gathering and documenting children’s involvement in our investigations. Our Parent-Teacher Conversations gave us an opportunity to share the work and photos in your children’s Portfolios, and allowed us to reflect, discuss and set goals for each child with their family.
We hope you have enjoyed this term as much as we have and we can’t wait to extend this learning in Term 2.
Chloe Skoss and Laura Reiters
Learning Community 2
News from Our Pathway Room
At the end of each term, the educators come together to reflect, interpret and plan to move forward. Our Parent-Teacher Conversations have given us the opportunity to assess and set goals for each child and discuss their personal growth and areas for continued exploration. As part of these conversations, we have had the opportunity to reflect on our educator intention, which is to support the children to move from the ‘ME’ to the ‘WE’, where they are able to recognise themselves as a member of a group and the valuable contributions they make to our class.
We have supported the children to become more independent, more aware of others’ needs and feelings, and to be a proud member of the Pathway Room. We look forward to consolidating this learning as we continue together in Term 2.
Kirsty Porplycia and Kathy McCabe
Pathway Room
Sun Safety in the ELC
We have a Sun Safe Policy to ensure that each child minimises any health risks due to sun exposure. We ask that you support this policy by:
- Providing your child with a named wide brimmed hat.
- Applying sunscreen before your child comes to the Centre
- Dressing your child in the ELC uniform to ensure that their skin is appropriately covered when outdoors.
Children not wearing a hat will be required to play in an area protected from the sun. If your child has any sensitivities to the SP50+ broad spectrum and water-resistant sunscreen provided by the Centre, we ask that you supply an alternative for us to use throughout the day.
Appropriate footwear is also required and we ask that children wear sneakers or sandals that have a backing to them. For visits into Ferguson Park, long pants and closed-toed shoes are required.
Important Allergy Information
Please remember allergy awareness when packing food for your child.
We kindly ask you to refrain from packing nuts or nut products in your child’s lunch box.
We have members of our community across the Centre with severe food allergies to the following:
- Nuts
- Dairy
- Sesame
- Fish and shellfish
- Egg
- Banana
Due to the severity of these allergies, we are asking that you be mindful of this when packing food for your child. Please ensure food is safely packaged and/or contained.
If you have any questions, please see your child’s Room Teacher. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our community safe.
COVID-19 Information
Please find the latest guidance from SA Health:
- It is strongly recommended that students stay home if they have cold or flu-like symptoms, and test for COVID-19.
- Whether they receive a positive or negative result, they should stay home until symptoms subside (usually five to seven days).
- It is strongly recommended that parents/guardians inform the School if a student is a close contact. For further advice regarding close contacts, click here
If your child tests positive to COVID-19, please notify the School. Please also notify the School each day of absence, or provide the expected period of absence.
You can notify us via one of the following methods. Please include the name of the ELC Room. If emailing, feel free to ‘CC’ the teacher/s of the room as well.
Email: attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Text: 0428 601 957 (save to phone contacts as SPGS)
Phone: 8334 2200
If children are displaying symptoms, it is mandatory that we send them home. SA Health guidelines advise that symptoms include:
- Fever (a temperature of 37.5˚C or higher) or chills
- Cough
- Loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Tiredness (fatigue)
- Runny or blocked nose
- Shortness of breath (difficulty breathing)
- Nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea
- Headache
- Muscle or joint pain
- Loss of appetite
For more SA Health information, click here
Please note that if your child is unwell, they should remain home until they have recovered, irrespective of the illness.
Find Out What Happens Throughout the Day at ELC
myLink is our School’s parent portal, where families have access to a range of resources including the ELC Home Page. Our ELC Home Page is a dynamic online sharing space that invites you to participate in our learning. We use this tool to house important information for families and provide a window into your child’s life at the ELC, with educators sharing documentation of teaching, specialist lessons and spontaneous moments.
This page can also be accessed through your smartphone, via the Canvas App.
Accessing myLink for the first time:
Each parent has an individual username to access our myLink Parent Portal. Please note that the username is your ID number followed by @stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au Your ID number has been provided to you in an email from the School If you have not accessed myLink before or have forgotten your password, please follow these steps:
- Visit https://mylink.stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
- Sign in with your parent username
- Click on ‘Forgot my password’
- Make sure the ‘email’ address is your parent username, type in the code, then click the blue ‘Next’ button
- Enter your mobile number registered with the School, with the area code (Australia is +61), dropping the 0 at the beginning (e.g. +61 400000000). Then select ‘Text’
- Enter the security code sent to your mobile number
- Enter the password you would like to use and click ‘Finish’
- Return to the login screen at https://mylink.stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au to access myLink
Accessing the Learning Community Home Page through myLink:
- Access myLink as per the above instructions
- Click on the ‘MYLINK HOME’ tab
- Click on your child’s name tab
- Under ‘Class Contacts’, click on the ELC room name (you may need to enter your user name and password again)
Accessing the Canvas Parent App for the first time:
- Ensure you have previously logged in to myLink on a PC
- Download the Canvas Parent App from your App Store
- Click the ‘Find School’ button
- Look up: stpetersgirls
- Log in using your parent username and password
- Tap on ‘ELC 2023’
- Click on ‘Front Page’ on the top right-hand side
- Here, you can navigate the page through the app
Please note: we do not use the message feature on this app, and ask families to contact their child’s teacher via email rather than this message feature.
If you have any issues accessing or navigating myLink, please contact our IT Hub via helpdesk@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au or 8334 2227.
ELC’s Online Etiquette Policy: please note that the ELC Learning Community Home Page and ELC News contain images and videos of other children. We therefore ask that you do not copy or share images or videos, especially on social media, if they contain other children.
Absences in the ELC
If your child will not be attending ELC due to illness or otherwise, please notify the School via one of the following methods and include the name of the ELC Room.
If emailing, feel free to ‘CC’ the teacher/s of the room as well. Please also provide a reason for the absence as the School requires this for government reporting purposes.
Email: attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Text: 0428 601 957 (save to phone contacts as SPGS)
Phone: 8334 2200
ELC Room Contacts
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- Stonyfell – 8155 5778
- Bell Yett – 8155 5780
- Ferguson – 8155 5776
- Hallett – 8155 5775
- Pathway – 8334 2250
ELC Immunisation Policy
Under the Government’s No Jab No Play policy, families must meet immunisation requirements to attend the ELC and receive the Child Care Subsidy. Families are required to provide all approved immunisation records to the ELC. Further information is available by clicking here.
Children who are suffering from illnesses such as those listed below must be excluded from ELC in line with our Exclusion Policy:
- Influenza
- Chicken Pox
- Conjunctivitis
- Diarrhoea
- Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease
- High Temperature
- Infectious Hepatitis
- Measles
- Meningitis
- Mumps
- Rubella (German Measles)
- Scabies
- Scarlet Fever
- School Sores (Impetigo)
- Upper Respiratory Tract Infection
- Vomiting
- Whooping Cough
As part of our approach to prioritising health and safety, we implement effective hygiene practices and work to prevent and effectively deal with any infectious disease in line with the Education and Care Services National Regulations and the advice of health experts. If your child has one of the following, chickenpox, measles, rubella, meningococcal or tuberculosis or any other vaccine preventable diseases we ask that you inform the Centre as soon as possible.