Issue no. 2

Saints Girls in Class of Their Own

The St Peter’s Girls’ community was delighted to welcome back our newest Old Scholars on Tuesday, with a special assembly to celebrate top achievements from our Class of 2017.

It followed the official SACE Merit Awards ceremony held at Government House. Emily Schultz received the Tennyson Medal for SA’s best English Literary Studies’ student – the sixth Saints Girl in a row to win the prize – and Sophie-Louise Shearwood was presented with a Governor of South Australia Commendation – Excellence Award.

The Class of 2017 is to be congratulated for their wonderful achievements!

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Six Tennyson Medals in a Row

St Peter’s Girls’ School is incredibly proud of Emily Schultz for receiving the Tennyson Medal, awarded to SA’s best English Literary Studies’ student.

It’s the sixth year running where a Saints Girl has won the prestigious prize.

Emily was presented with the award by SA Education Minister Susan Close during the Merit Awards ceremony held at Government House on Tuesday.
 

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From the Deputy Principal/Head of Senior School

The first two weeks of school have predictably gone by in the blink of an eye and it has been fantastic to see the enthusiasm with which the girls have returned. Students in the Senior School have settled into their new common rooms, with Year 10 and 11 being provided with their own areas for the first time. It is important, particularly in the senior years, to ensure that the girls have a space they can call their own. Buildings shape people, and part of our role is to provide the girls with a range of additional responsibilities. Often, new areas come with privileges which are accompanied by additional responsibility. I am looking forward to seeing how the girls manage the spaces they have been given.
 

 
 
 
 
Last week saw the commencement of delivery of content for our new #EMPOWHER wellbeing program. This is an exciting and important time for the School. We live in an environment where young people face a variety of issues that significantly impact on their overall wellbeing. Stress levels have increased, as have mental health conditions. Sleep has reduced and the impact of social media on self-confidence is well-documented. The role of the School is to ensure our girls are provided with solid topical information across a range of areas. This base information must be accompanied with a variety of tools and strategies that the girls can use.

The curriculum that has been developed is reflective of the specific needs of our girls. This data was secured through the comprehensive Wellbeing survey which all girls completed last year. We have also considered national and international research on the health of young women.

Delivery this year is focused on Years 7 – 12 and much work has been done in developing resources for these lessons. All girls will have #EMPOWHER content delivered by their Home Group teacher each Tuesday and Thursday. Lessons are consistent across year groups and staff in each year group have the same lesson plans, tools and strategies. The key to successful wellbeing programs is consistent delivery and we have taken steps to ensure all girls will receive essential content. We will also communicate topics and tools to our parent community as the year progresses.

While delivery has started, the program will be officially launched by Commonwealth, World and Olympic Track Cycling Champion Anna Meares.

Anna is considered by many to be the greatest female track cyclist of all time, and in Rio she became the first Australian athlete to win four individual medals at four consecutive Olympic Games. She suffered serious injuries in a crash in 2008 which left her with a hairline fracture in her C2 vertebrae. Anna has collected 18 gold, 16 silver and 10 bronze medals at Commonwealth, World and Olympic events.

Her story of resilience, determination and courage is inspirational, and we are very excited to hear her tell it. Anna will be at the School talking to Years 6 – 12 on Monday 19 February.

The Tutor Program

The Tutor Program will be commencing in Week 4 in the new Library and I encourage you to discuss with your daughter the benefits of using this service. Tutors are Old Scholars and the girls can book tutors who are skilled in particular subject areas. Bookings can be made through CANVAS each morning and afternoon, apart from Monday morning and Friday afternoon.

Kate Mortimer
Deputy Principal/Head of Senior School

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Global Academy – Saints Girls Return From New Jersey

In January, five Year 10 Saints Girls had the amazing opportunity to travel to New Jersey, USA for an exchange program with Kent Place School.

We arrived on the coldest day that New York had seen in 5+ years, reaching a low of around -12 degrees celsius. For the two of us who had never seen snow, the temperature change was more than a massive shock. We were able to bond with our host families and started making friends within the Kent Place community, creating lifelong connections. We were immediately exposed to the huge American portion sizes which were at first too much to handle. However, by the end of the trip we could proudly say that we ate like Americans, if not possibly more. – Hattie Maerschel

Four weeks in a foreign country sounds daunting, however after completing the New Jersey exchange program, it is safe to say that it was the best month any one could imagine. Kent Place School was the most welcoming community, and walking into the environment, we could tell that the next month was going to be sensational. All of the Australian girls participated in the school’s normal classes, some joined the swimming team and others contributed to the school’s clubs and committees. I was fortunate enough to go to Philadelphia and Washington DC with my host family and discovered many historical and cultural differences America has to offer. Although the weather was undoubtedly cold, the occasional snow fall made it all worthwhile. This program has been a life-changing experience and a journey that I will never forget. I have met some of my closest friends who I will miss every day and have discovered a new home on the other side of the world. – Bella Bernardi

This has been one of the best experiences and opportunities that I’ve ever had. It was very special as we were the first ever group of girls to be a part of the American exchange! We have created so many new friendships with the Kent Place girls, as well as the teachers! We quickly felt like part of the community and made connections with so many people! We learnt how to play many games during our frees and once spent an hour and a half playing a card game! A special connection was with my host sister Sofia; we bonded over an interesting mix of ukulele and my limited ability of Mario Kart Wii! Whilst in America, I travelled to many places including Washington, New York (twice!) and Philadelphia. One special memory was participating in the Women’s March in Washington – it was extremely empowering being around so many strong, intelligent, powerful women! I’ll never forget it! I’ve learnt so much over the past month and I encourage any current Year 9s to apply for this amazing experience! – Madison McGregor-Simms

I stayed with an amazing host family and made life-long friends. Over the four weeks, we completed many activities in and out of school. I was able to travel up to New York a couple of times to do different things. I saw Wicked on Broadway, did some shopping in Soho, went up the Empire State Building, experienced the lights of Times Square, strolled through Central Park and did much more. I was able to experience New York in a different way because my host family used to live there, so I saw all the secret non-touristy spots. School was also so much fun. One of my favourite memories was playing a very intense card game during my free and let’s just say I have a few battle scars. I have made some great memories and friends that I can never forget. I can’t wait for the girls to come to Australia and experience Saints. – Abbie Lisle

Going on exchange has been a fantastic experience that I’m sure none of us will ever forget. I don’t think I have ever been more excited in my life for the first day of school. Kent Place is such an amazing school with a great sense of community. The girls of Kent Place were so welcoming to us visitors and made us feel at home, even if we were taking a class that we had no idea how to do! I’m sure all of us are extremely sad to have had to say goodbye but we are looking forward to welcoming our girls to Saints. – Hannah Keough

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Saints Girls Gear Up For Stellar AFL Season

 
After the success of the Senior inter-school matches and the Middle School carnival last year, AFL is being offered as a structured sport amongst the 10 independent girls’ schools.

Girls can select AFL in the Winter Sports nominations due out via email in Week 3, however we will only be able to submit one Open (Years 10 – 12) and one Middle (Years 7 – 9) team.

Based on interest, a series of trials will be held at school to select 22 players in each of these two teams. Most of the rules will follow on from the AFLW and St Peter’s Girls is again excited to be working with the Payneham Norwood Union Football Club where our Friday night home games will be played. Full details and the season fixture will be available once all schools nominate.

Payneham Norwood Union is holding a Come N’ Try Footy Day this Sunday 11 February. They are also looking for junior players.

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myLink on Your Mobile

With the school year now in full swing, it’s a great time to explore the latest news and information on our myLink parent portal. For handy access, you can add a shortcut to your mobile phone or tablet. Just follow the simple steps outlined in either of these videos:

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Swimming Carnival

A reminder that the Years 4 – 12 Swimming Carnival will be held on Friday 23 February (Week 4) at the Adelaide Aquatic Centre. School buses will run as normal but instead of finishing their run at School, they will take bus girls to the Aquatic Centre. They will pick up from there as well.

Separate buses will be made available so that girls can meet at the School and be taken to and from the Aquatic Centre. These must be booked through www.trybooking.com/UDOM. Extra House-coloured ribbons are encouraged, but coloured zinc and body paint is not permitted in the pool.

More details and a program should be out by the end of next week.

School teams for SAPSASA (Years 4 – 7), SSSSA (Years 8 – 12) and IGSSA (Years 7 – 12) will be selected from the Swimming Carnival results.

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The Garden of Saintly Delights

Sunday 25 February 2018

We encourage our entire community to come along with your children, family and friends – EVERYONE IS WELCOME!!!!

FREE entertainment on Chiverton Lawns will include:

*Plus St Peter’s Girls’ Music students will be performing throughout the day!

If you are interested in volunteering to either help set up or lend a hand on the day, please fill out the Volunteer Registration Form.

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Our Director of Music Goes Global

Over the Christmas break, I was lucky enough to be sent by the School to our sister school in the UK, Sherborne Girls, a Years 7 – 13 all-girls’ boarding school two hours west of London. I went there hoping to be inspired and motivated by fabulous teaching, amazing music and wonderful people. I was not disappointed.

Over the three weeks, I met some extremely passionate and highly-skilled teachers who welcomed me with open arms into their classrooms, boarding houses and ensemble rehearsals. I observed wonderful teaching, taught some classes myself, went on excursions, conducted choirs, gave professional development training to the music staff and I even watched a game of lacrosse on a Saturday afternoon when the temperature was four degrees! Of course, I also completed some mandatory shopping in London and surrounding towns such as Bath and Bristol.

The highlight of my time was meeting John Jenkins, the Director of Music at Sherborne Girls, and his wonderful music staff. John is an amazing musician, conductor and public speaker, and I cherish the one-on-one time I had to talk with him and to reflect on our respective Music Departments. Watching him conduct his outstanding choir the “Madrigals”, a classical version of our Enchante and the combined Sherborne Symphony Orchestra, was a real treat.

Being located very closely to Sherborne Boys, the two schools combined for several musical groups including their Sinfonia and Symphony Orchestra. I have been inspired to try make closer links with our local boys’ schools’ music programs on the back of the observations I made from watching these two schools so successfully connect on a musical level. In fact, I am currently working on a combined Concert Band venture with PAC on 12 April, the last week of school.

I am truly blessed to have been given the chance to venture to the other side of the world to collaborate with and learn from other music educators, and I thank the School for giving me this opportunity.

Sally Rounsevell
Director of Music

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Year 2s Enjoy Space Mission

The SpaceDome incursion on Friday 2 February was an absolutely amazing experience. We began by finding out about the planets in our solar system, as we measured out the relative distances across the Arts Centre floor. Then, we crawled through the long dark tunnel into the star-filled dome. We saw the constellations and heard stories from different cultures. This is a terrific provocation to our current inquiry, and leads us beautifully into the exploration of day and night and the seasons as we begin to understand the complex system that we live in.

Kathryn Clark and Sallyann Bruun
Year 2 Teachers

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eChallenge Winners’ Day@Microsoft

Along with their equal-first prize eChallenge victory, winners Isobel Tan, Teegan Lindsay, Aditi Tamhankar and Annabelle Langley also won the Day@Microsoft prize valued at $10,000. Hosted by State Director Dr Eva Balan-Vnuk on 1 February, the girls participated in a variety of activities including a tour of the offices, targeted audience marketing and a motivating cover story vision exercise. Highlights of the day were personally-delivered tech start-up founder stories, and experiencing the latest in virtual reality and HoloLens technology. The girls gained a deep knowledge of the opportunities before them. They were very appreciative of Dr Balan-Vnuk’s personalised efforts in organising and hosting the day.

Mr Gabriele Trobbiani
Economics and Business and Enterprise Teacher

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Community Volunteering Survey

As a valued member of our St Peter’s Girls’ School community, we’d like to invite you to participate in our Community Volunteering Survey. It consists of 14 short questions and only takes a couple minutes to complete.

Complete the Survey

I would like to extend my sincere thanks in advance; your assistance, feedback and involvement will play a key role in planning for future community events and activities.

Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager



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Welcome Drinks on the Lawns
– Join us Tonight!

The Parents’ and Friends’ Association invites you to welcome in the new school year at the traditional Welcome Drinks on the Lawns tonight.

This annual, adults-only event is a great way for new parents to meet and socialise with existing parents, teachers and other staff in an relaxed atmosphere.

Please feel free to seek out our P&F Committee Members to find out about the great benefits of volunteering at your daughter’s school.

Friday 9 February, 6.30 – 8.30pm  #TONIGHT#
Chiverton Lawns, St Peter’s Girls’ School

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Head of the River Dinner

 
Friends of Rowing invite you to join us for a fabulous evening to celebrate St Peter’s Girls’ rowing at the Head of the River Dinner 2018.

Family, friends and rowers are all welcome at this wonderful event, which will be held in the School’s Arts Centre at 6pm on Saturday 17 March.

You will be served a delicious two course meal and we will offer you water and soft drinks. We will also provide buckets of ice for you to use for your BYO wine/beer/drinks.

Tickets
$55 per person (parents and rowers)
$20 per child 11 years and under

www.trybooking.com/UCJH

This is a fun night and not to be missed for all of the rowing community. We will hear from the coaches, the girls, and awards will be presented.

Note – the event is mandatory for all rowers and we strongly encourage parents to attend if they can.

We look forward to seeing you there – book early to secure your place!

Dr Jane Webb-Williams
President – Friends of Rowing

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New to the School Shop!

Bumper Stickers

We have given our bumper stickers a fresh update, and they’re now available in two colour options – a white logo or a blue logo on a transparent background.

Handy hint: after a lot of rigorous testing, it was decided that the stickers look their best if you trim around the logo (leaving a 3mm or so border). Saints Girls’ families are welcome to collect a sticker from the School Shop during your next visit.

Portable Mobile Phone Chargers

You won’t need to worry about running out of phone battery if you have one of these handy chargers ready to go! For only $19.95, they come with a 3-in-1 cable with micro USB, and are for a mobile phone or small device that can recharge from a USB port.
 
 

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School Photos in Week 4

School photos will be taken on Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 February. You will be advised the exact day once the schedule has been finalised. This includes class photos as well as individual portraits for students in Reception to Year 12. ELC photos will be taken in April.

Photo order envelopes will be distributed to students during Week 2 and these will need to be completed and returned on the day to the photographer. If you have not received a personalised envelope for your daughter, please notify the Community Relations Office via email – fmcgregor@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.

Students are also reminded to wear their full summer uniform including the blazer.

Sibling photos will also be taken on Thursday 22 February at lunchtime. Separate order envelopes for sibling photos are available from the Community Relations Office (next to the School Shop).

Fiona McGregor
Events Officer

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Absences from School – Appointments/Illness

If your daughter is going to be late or absent, please use one of the following methods to notify the School providing student name, class and reason:

SMS: 0428 601 957
Email: attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Phone: 8334 2200

It would be appreciated if this could be done prior to 9am.

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2018 Community Events

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Music Camp Concert Supporting a Good Cause

Our annual Music Camp pilgrimage to Ardrossan is upon us once again. This year, over 100 Music girls from Years 5 – 12 will participate in the four day event. If you feel like a Saturday afternoon drive, feel free to come along and see our Music Camp Concert in the Ardrossan Town Hall on Saturday 17 February at 3pm. Tickets are $10 each, with proceeds to go to purchasing a BBQ for the residents and staff of the Ardrossan Community Hospital.

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Women in Aviation Careers Day

The Women in Aviation Careers Day in conjunction with Qantas Airways Careers day is aimed at getting students from Years 7 – 12 who may (or may not yet) be interested in pursuing a career in the aviation industry. The focus is on girls with an interest in STEM subjects, however, this is not a pre-requisite to attend. The event will have representation from Qantas, the Air Force, engineering, air traffic control, aerodrome rescue fire fighting, general aviation, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Women in Aviation/Aerospace and Boeing. Each student will get the opportunity to chat with women from all of these different areas, sit in the cockpit of a Qantas Boeing 737 and see other displays on the day.

When: Saturday 24 February 2018
              3pm registration for 3.30pm start; concludes at 6.30pm
Where: Qantas Airways Engineering hangar, Adelaide Airport

Only a handful of places are available; RSVP by Wednesday 14 February to Karen Alderson.

Each school must also have one adult supervisor/parent accompanying the group.

Important!
The event will be held in the Qantas Engineering hangar. This is a safety-critical environment and a fully-operational aircraft maintenance facility. Everyone attending this event is required to wear closed-in footwear. No thongs, sandals etc. Unfortunately, people wearing non-compliant footwear have been denied entry at previous events. We strongly recommend flat-soled shoes.

Refreshments and afternoon tea will be provided.

Parking
As parking spaces are limited, we recommend car-pooling. I will send through a detailed map with the exact venue location and parking details once we receive your RSVP. The parking will be free.

Women in Aviation Careers Day in conjunction with Qantas Airways Information Flyer

Karen Alderson
Careers Counsellor

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Sports News

 
With Round 1 upon us, it is an important time to remind everyone to check teams and venues to ensure they arrive at the correct venue at the correct time.

All parents and students should receive a copy of the Term 1 draws. These will also be placed on the sports notice boards and will be accessible via the myLink parent portal, where you will also be able to find teams. It is very important that students check the teams each week as these can change.

Parents should receive regular communication about teams each week; if you know in advance that your daughter is unavailable, please phone or email the PE Office.

If you have any sporting news or results that you wish to share, please email nfuller@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.

Neil Fuller
Director of Sport

ATHLETICS

State Championships
Sophie Barr: U/16 discus (gold), U/17 hammer (gold), U/16 hammer (gold), U/16 shot put (gold), U/17 discus (bronze)
Rose Pittman: Open 400m (silver), Open 800m (silver)
Milly Wood: U/17 high jump (gold)
Bethany Cross: U/20 5000m walk (silver)

Old Scholars:
Well done to Old Scholar Margaret Gayen (Patteson ’11) who won the Open Women’s 100m, 200m, 100m hurdles and long jump titles. Younger sister Christine (Patteson ’14) finished second in the 100m hurdles, long jump and third in the Open shot put. Anna Cross (Patteson ’16) won gold in the U/20 5000m walk and Jasmine Ledgard (Kilburn ’17) claimed bronze in the Open hammer and gold in the U/20 hammer and shot put.

Congratulations also to Molly Lucas who has been named as a captain for the Eastern District Little Athletics team competing this weekend in the State Relay Championships.

ROWING

Saturday 5 February
The first Super School Series this past weekend was a great success for all Saints Girls’ crews. It was an opportunity to see where we are sitting within our age categories in the lead up to Head of the River and to familiarise ourselves with the West Lakes course. The Seniors had a great day of racing, placing third in both the heat and the final. The 1st VIII worked well on maintaining speed throughout the race but will continue to work on finesse and composure at a high rating. I was extremely happy with the day, there were great weather conditions and a top effort from Juniors to Seniors. – Olivia Compare (Captain of Boats)

1st VIII: The importance of a Super School Series regatta could not go unnoticed. In performing well, the girls would earn their crew a spot to compete at Head of the River. We placed third in both the heat and final, improving our finish time each race. Battling through the heat showed the determination and endurance of the crew. We were able to row through Seymour College at the 1km mark, which proved the fitness of our girls is of a high standard. After assessing the heat, the final was a chance to show we could improve on what needed to be addressed. We closed the gap significantly between third and second place, and finished off with more length on other crews. – Amy Carrodus (Cox)

Inters A: This week, there was a mix of Inters and Juniors due to girls being absent. The crew consisted of Charlotte Sellars (Stroke), Olivia Kelly (Three Seat), Keely Flannagan (Two Seat) and Emma Carrodus (Bow). We placed fourth in the heat but unfortunately came last in the final when Olivia’s oar snapped. – Charlotte Creek (Cox)

Year 9A: Our first heat gave us the qualifying time to be in the final. The crew of Keely Flannagan, Ella Waltham, Olivia Kelly, Molly Bond and Jodi Papendorf placed third with a time of 4.08. – Jodi Papendorf (Cox)

SWIMMING

2018 South Australian State Long Course Championships
From 16 – 21 January 2018, many St Peter’s Girls’ students took part in the SA State Long Course Championships held at the SAALC, Marion. Many swam great PBs, made finals, won medals and made National Age times. Congratulations to Annabel Baldwinson, Emily Baldwinson, Poppy Marshall, Thandi Murada, Grace Sampson, Gemma Schaedel, Stephanie Smalls, Ariel Spartalis, Lily-Rose Spartalis, Georgina Wakeham, Lara Wakeham, Lucy Young and Tara Young.

Brighton Jetty Classic

Several St Peter’s Girls’ students took part in the Brighton Jetty Classic Ocean Swims on Sunday 4 February.

Georgina Wakeham – 3rd place female 10/11 years 400m Jetty Swim
Ayla Blaskett – 12th place female 10/11 years 400m Jetty Swim
Lara Wakeham – 1st place female 12/13 years 1500m Jetty Classic Swim
– 4th place female 12/13 years 400m Jetty Swim
Saskia Jonats – 13th place female 14/15 years 1500m Jetty Classic Swim
Thandi Murada – 6th place female Elite Open 1500m Jetty Swim

Australian Open Water Championships

On Saturday 27 January, Lara and Georgina Wakeham competed in the Australian Open Water Championships at Brighton. Georgina was the second-placed 12 year old female over the JX 2.5 km event, finishing with a time of 36.52. Lara placed sixth in the 14 year old girls 5km event with a PB time of 1:06:19.

SURFING

Congratulations to Imogen Elliott who has been selected to attend an Australian Institute of Sport high performance camp at Kingscliff in March. Participants will be able to train and be mentored by the Australian team coaches. ‘Imi’ was awarded this selection with a win at the national Woolworths Grom Comp in November. She has also been selected as a member of the Australian young talent program by Surfing Australia.

TENNIS

Congratulations to Tiana and Yasmin Glazbrook who have again played some great tennis over the summer. Yasmin endured an epic 3 hour 40 minute match which went into the early hours of the morning at the 2017 16/u Australian Championships and Tiana was selected into the All-Australian side following the Pizzey Cup. Both girls achieved much success during the summer holidays!

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