Issue no. 2

From Our Deputy Principal / Head of Middle School

As we embark on a new academic journey, we understand that the start of the year is filled with a range of emotions for everyone.

For many, the beginning of the school year is a time of excitement and anticipation, with opportunities to reconnect with friends, make new connections with classmates and teachers, and build meaningful relationships. However, for some, it can be a time of anxiety and nervousness. Whether it’s the transition to a new class, teacher or school, it is natural for students to experience some level of uncertainty.

In the Middle School, we recognise the challenges that come with change, and we strive to create a supportive and inclusive environment that helps our students feel comfortable and confident. During the first term, we offer a range of activities and opportunities to help students build relationships, establish routines and develop a sense of belonging.

Some highlights of the first term include:

• Home Group activities to get to know classmates and teachers
• Years 4 – 12 Swimming Carnival which promotes House spirit
• Week-long camps for Years 7 and 8
• Choral Night – another excellent opportunity to feel at home within each student’s House

Throughout the term, students will also have opportunities for new learning experiences, to join clubs, play on teams and participate in group academic tasks. The School Musical, Matilda, will also provide a chance for students to showcase their talents and to meet like-minded peers.

I was delighted that the Year 9 girls were able to attend a slightly amended Aquatics Camp this week, and I thank all Home Group teachers and other attending staff for their efforts in planning and supervising this fantastic start to the cohort’s last year in Middle School.

My thanks also go to the Year 11 girls who recently returned from their exchange experience in the UK for sharing their experience later in this edition of eNews. Further exchange opportunities are planned for later in the year, and I look forward to sharing details in due course.

Richard Lisle
Deputy Principal/Head of Middle School

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Drinks on the Lawns – Tonight!

Parents are cordially invited to join us in celebrating the new school year by coming together as a community for an evening of socialising

Tonight, 6.30 – 9pm
Chiverton Lawns

A great opportunity to connect with other parents and staff including our new Principal Cherylyn Skewes

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Academic Excellence Assembly

It was wonderful to celebrate some of our newest Old Scholars and current students for their outstanding achievements across SACE and IB at our annual Academic Excellence Assembly. Dux of the School Chi Chi Zhao (Selwyn 2022) and Dux of IB Xingzi Zhang (Kilburn 2022) shared sage advice, so too our guest speaker, Old Scholar and former Dux Hannah Vine Hall (Kennion 2017).

With a Bachelor of Mechatronics Engineering and a Bachelor of Mathematics (double major in Applied Mathematics and Statistics), Hannah currently works as a tutor in Systems Engineering at the University of Adelaide and as a Space Communicator at the Australian Space Discovery Centre in Lot 14.

Such an inspiring occasion for all present!

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IB Diploma Merit Ceremony

On Monday, IB Diploma Merit winners Xingzi Zhang, Ruby Deakin, Grace Dwyer and Emily Teague were recognised during the IB Merit Ceremony at Adelaide Town Hall.

Students from all Diploma schools in Adelaide were in attendance, as was South Australia’s Governor, Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC. Our girls were duly recognised for their terrific academic achievements and we wish them well as they embark on the next stage of their journey.

If you have any questions about the IB Diploma at Saints Girls, please email me via cfarr@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au

Carolyn Farr
IB Diploma Coordinator

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High Notes for SACE Music Stars

We are proud to celebrate the phenomenal achievements of our 2022 Stage 2 Music Performance – Ensemble class, with every single member earning an A+. Even more remarkable, all seven students were in Year 11. Only 6 Merits were awarded statewide for this subject, 3 of which were given to our girls.

Congratulations to our outstanding A+ musicians Lauren Parker, Matilda Chu, Stella Rasheed and Zara Blight, and our Merit winners Chomilka Hattotuwa, Samantha Keough and Emma Pool.

A huge thank you to our Music Teachers Sari Noble and Sally Rounsevell for supporting these girls to achieve such amazing results, as well as fostering what has become a truly exceptional co-curricular Ensemble Program here at Saints Girls.

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Exchange of a Lifetime for Intrepid Saints

During the holidays, Madeleine Penley, Ruby Powell and I (Misha Yagnik) were fortunate to participate in an exchange at Sherborne Girls in England. We were given many opportunities to learn new things, make friends and indulge in the rich and sometimes hectic culture of a British boarding school! Here are a few highlights:

‘Through the exchange I had the opportunity to meet new people, see new places, iconic landmarks and experience a different schooling system. After the second week, we had an extended exeat, and I was lucky enough visit London with my exchange partner and her family where I saw many famous landmarks including London Bridge, London Eye, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the Government Chambers. We also went to different markets and shops, some of which we don’t have here in Australia such as Urban Outfitters. I was also fortunate to experience boarding life at a school where 80% of the students board. This was a really exciting change and a great experience which allowed me to see the differences between day schools and boarding schools. The exchange was such a fun experience with top highlights including seeing snow for the first time and catching a few West End shows.’ – Madeleine Penley (Year 11 student)

‘I was in the Reader Harris boarding house which values fun and community. It was a very unique experience as I have never boarded before, and I was fortunate to have a group of really nice girls in the house and in my classes. On exeat, we stayed in London and visited the London Dungeons, London Eye and lots of shops. At school, they had such a variety of extra-curricular activities such as Combined Cadet Force (CCF) which is where you learn how to be in the military. Maddy and I also joined Soccer (or Football), playing games and enjoying training on an English football pitch. It was an amazing experience in which I developed independence and a better sense of how things occur in other countries’ – Ruby Powell (Year 11 student)

My favourite memory of the exchange is exploring London with my exchange partner Grace. We navigated the Underground, visiting Camden Market and the iconic Paddington Station. I am grateful for the friends I made and the trips into Sherborne town where we bonded over antique stores and coffee. As a combined group with other exchange students from South Africa and Tasmania, we went on trips to Bath and Stonehenge. I was blown away by the cultural significance and beautiful architecture of Bath and marvelled at the impressive rings of rock at Stonehenge. The experience opened my eyes to a completely different culture, and I am so grateful that I participated.

The exchange was an incredible experience which we all greatly enjoyed and would highly recommend to any students in Year 10 who are thinking of applying this year.

Misha Yagnik
Year 11 student

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Welcome to 2023 in the ELC

It is my honour as Director of St Peter’s Girls’ Early Learners’ Centre to extend a warm welcome to our new and returning families. It’s been wonderful to see children entering their new learning spaces excited and eager to investigate, explore and connect with those around them. In my new role, I have had the opportunity to experience first-hand the atmosphere of warmth and inclusion that is present through interactions with staff and the careful planning that has gone into creating the learning environments.

It is a privilege to be a part of your child’s learning journey. I am thrilled to be working in partnership with you and our amazing staff across the School, and I look forward to nurturing our thriving community.

Liz Schembri
Director of Early Learning

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Cultural Feast at International Lunch

Today at lunchtime, our international students and their friends celebrated the new year together by enjoying some delicious dumplings and other treats in the Food Technology Centre. It was so great to see girls from various year levels come together during this event!

Riddles written in both English and Chinese were stuck around the walls of the centre, giving the girls the opportunity to win small prizes.

The event ran smoothly with the help of our student volunteers. I thank all them for showing their enthusiasm and spreading their joy throughout this event!

Genevieve Leong
International Student Prefect

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Dumpling Delight for Young Inquirers

As part of our inquiry into Chinese New Year, the girls in 1LSA were given an opportunity to make their own dumplings.

Sophie Zhao’s mother, father and grandmother hosted the cooking lesson. With great excitement, each girl rolled dough into a small circle shape then filled it with a chicken or vegetable mixture. It was important to pinch the edges firmly together. Once the dumplings were steamed, the girls had a feast! As a special treat, Annie made a ‘rabbit’ dumpling for each girl as well.

As part of our research, we discovered that the dumpling is made in the shape of an ingot which was an ancient Chinese coin. We also learnt that the festival is sometimes called the Spring Festival.

‘I learnt to squish the sides of the dumplings and I am thinking about eating the dumplings!’ – Harper

‘I am thinking about how yummy the dumplings were.’ – Suwani

The girls thoroughly enjoyed learning about Chinese culture through the dumpling experience.

Liz Sandercock
Year 1 Teacher

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‘URSTRONG’ Friendship Program

We are proud that our Junior School has become a ‘URSTRONG School’ in 2023. This whole-School friendship strategy will connect students, teachers and parents with a common language around friendships.

Junior School parents are invited to take advantage of a free Parent Membership to access hundreds of resources. For more information – click here

We are also pleased to partner with the URSTRONG organisation to offer a ‘Language of Friendship’ parent and child online workshop on Wednesday 22 March at 6pm. This session will teach you and your children the skills and language to foster healthy, feel-good friendships. To register – click here

Helen Smith
Deputy Head of Junior School

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Friendship Ninjas Kickstart ‘URSTRONG’ Initiative

The girls in 1KCL discovered their inner-ninja this week as they embarked on the first lesson of ‘Friendology’ in the newly-launched ‘URSTRONG’ friendship program. This Junior School initiative forms an important part of our School’s #EMPOWHER wellbeing program.

The Year 1 girls discovered that to be a good friend to others, we need to be kind to ourselves. The reflective drawings captured their ideas about taking care of ourselves by resting, going for a walk, patting a pet, reading a book and enjoying the outdoors. They loved making Friendship Ninja headbands to remind themselves of the message to ‘treat yourself like a best friend’.

Kathryn Clark
Year 1 Teacher

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Junior School Parents – THRASS Information Evening

In the Junior School, the Linguistic Inquiry approach to the teaching and learning of spelling and vocabulary includes integrating the skills and tools of THRASS (Teaching Handwriting, Reading and Spelling Skills).

Junior School parents are invited to enjoy an engaging presentation about the THRASS chart and the THRASS approach more widely during our THRASS Information Evening:

Tuesday 21 February
6 – 7pm
Arts Centre

If you have previously been to a THRASS Information Evening, you are very welcome to come along for a refresher. Parents of older girls may be interested to learn how a better understanding of the code of English can assist students to develop a broader range of spelling strategies as they progress through the year levels.

No registration is required. We look forward to seeing many of you there.

Helen Smith
Deputy Head of Junior School

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Old Scholar Occupational Therapist Seeking Study Participants

My name is Ellana Welsby and I am an Old Scholar of St Peter’s Girls’ School (Kilburn 2013). I’m an occupational therapist and am currently completing my PhD studies at the University of South Australia.

I have partnered with St Peter’s Girls’ School to be involved in the evaluation and testing of a new augmented reality intervention to help children learn and develop key motor skills they need to thrive in their everyday life.

I will be commencing testing this term and would love for your daughter to participate in this exciting opportunity if she is 7 to 12 years of age. All participants will receive an occupational therapy assessment summary of their motor skill performance.

For more information – click here

To sign up to this study, please click here to register your interest.

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Swimming Carnival 2023

On Friday 24 February (Week 4), St Peter’s Girls’ School will be holding the annual Swimming Carnival for Years 4 to 12 at the Adelaide Aquatic Centre, North Adelaide. Students are expected to be at the Aquatic Centre no later than 8.30am, with the Carnival concluding by approximately 3.30pm. Parents and friends are welcome to attend to support the girls.

Students who regularly travel to and from school on School buses will automatically be taken to the Adelaide Aquatic Centre in the morning and will be dropped home in the afternoon on their usual School bus.

To assist other families, we are offering a special bus service to transport students from school to the Aquatic Centre and back. Buses will depart school at 7.45am and return by approximately 4.15pm. To register your daughter’s place on this bus service, please visit TryBooking before 4pm, Monday 20 February.

All other students will need to be dropped off at the Aquatic Centre in the morning and picked up from there in the afternoon.

The carnival is to be treated like a normal school day; therefore, attendance is compulsory for the whole day. We encourage the girls to compete in a number of events, with their preferences being discussed in PE lessons and House meetings.

To view the program of events – click here

To access live results on the day – click here

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Community Groups at Saints Girls

One of the truly special things about St Peter’s Girls is our strong sense of community. We have a wonderful and valued group of people who volunteer to form our Community Groups.

We would love to welcome additional volunteers who would be able to contribute to our Community Groups and programs.

Friends of Sport
This group supports the sporting program throughout the year including House merchandise sales at various carnivals. They also provide sausage sizzles for students and parents at key events.

Friends of The Arts
This group supports The Arts program at St Peter’s Girls by facilitating beverage sales at various events, providing assistance for the Music Camp and organising social occasions.

Friends of Rowing
This group supports the Rowing Program by organising food and beverages at regattas and facilitating events on the Rowing calendar.

If you are interested in volunteering with these groups, please contact the Community Relations Office: Fiona McGregor – fmcgregor@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au or Jesseca Geraghty – jgeraghty@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au

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Join Our Team of STAR Volunteers!

Our Learning Strategies’ volunteers are all enormously valued within the department and the broader School community. Our girls LOVE working with them, and the teachers are so appreciative of their generous donation of energy, expertise and enthusiasm.

Our volunteers work with our girls on areas such as literacy, anywhere between a couple of lessons a week through to a couple of days per week. They include parents, grandparents, Old Scholars, retired staff and university students.

To register your interest, please contact Aleasha Francis as soon as possible via afrancis@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au

We will send you a volunteer information sheet to fill out and then invite you in for a chat. We will also provide training for some of our Junior School programs.

Learning Strategies’ Team

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Head of the River Dinner

The Friends of Rowing invite rowers, family and friends to celebrate the efforts, improvements and achievements of our St Peter’s Girls’ rowers throughout the 2022/23 season.

The annual Head of the River Dinner will be held at the Adelaide Pavilion. The evening will feature speeches from students and coaches about the season that has been, and will conclude with awards being presented. The dinner includes a three-course menu and drinks package.

Saturday 18 March
6pm arrival for 6.30pm start
Adelaide Pavilion (corner South Terrace and Peacock Road, Adelaide)

Tickets
Students – $85 per person
Adults – $95 per person
Purchase via TryBooking – click here

Ticket sales close at 5pm, Monday 6 March

Please note, all rowers are expected to attend this event.

Brynley Millward
Director of Rowing

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Dad’s Night on the Green

Friday 17 March
From 6.30pm
Tranmere Bowling Club
1 Kings Grove, Tranmere

Tickets: $40
Includes entry, bowling fees, hamburger and sausage sizzle
Drinks and lucky squares can be purchased on the evening

To book your ticket – click here

Bookings close Tuesday 14 March

Participants will be assembled into teams of four. Bring a mate and meet other Saints Girls’ Dads!

Supported by the Friends of Sport

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Parent Information Session (Years 5 – 12)

As part of our wellbeing platform at St Peter’s Girls’ School, one our key roles is educating families about the challenges facing young people.

A topic that has risen to prominence in the wider community of late is the issue of vaping. Accordingly, we are pleased to offer parents across Years 5 to 12 the opportunity to attend an information session hosted by respected drug and alcohol education expert Paul Dillon. Paul is well known to our School, having spoken with parents and students on other important topics in the past.

This session will share up-to-date information on the use of e-cigarettes and vaping, including the potential harms. Practical advice will also be provided on how to talk to young people about vaping.

Monday 6 March
6.30 – 7.30pm
Arts Centre

RSVP by Monday 20 February via TryBooking – click here

We hope many of our parents can join us for this valuable information session.

Lauren Sutton
Deputy Principal/Head of Senior School

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Scholastic Book Club

Scholastic Book Club starts again this year, offering families a terrific way to purchase quality children’s books at a great price. This issue, Scholastic has special bonus offers to celebrate the 2023 school year:

Spend over $30, receive 1 free book
Spend over $50, receive 2 free books
Spend over $70, receive 3 free books

You can easily place your child’s order via the Scholastic Australia LOOP website or the LOOP app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. Books will be delivered to class.

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Now Casting: Alice in Wonderland 

SHANE DAVIDSON PRESENTS is now casting for its upcoming show: Alice in Wonderland

Open to children aged 8 – 14 years

Shows: Friday 31 March and Saturday 1 April (Holden Street Theatre)

If your daughter is keen to participate or you would like more information, please email shanedavidson@internode.on.net

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Free Bike Health Check – Burnside Council

Bring your bike along for a free safety check by expert technicians from Will Ride.

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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
• While face masks are no longer mandated, they are an important physical barrier to help stop the spread of COVID, particularly when indoors.

If your child tests positive to COVID-19, please inform 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, Class or Home Group. If emailing, feel free to ‘CC’ the teacher of the Room/Class/Home Group as well.

Email: attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au

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

Phone: 8334 2200

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.

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School Medical Information Reminder

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

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

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

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Bushfire Action Plan

It is important to remind families about the School’s Bushfire Action Plan.

The policy was developed in consultation with the CFS, MFS, Department for Education and other stakeholders to ensure staff and students are prepared in the event of an emergency. As part of this plan, the School performed a drill on Wednesday.

For more information, you can access our Bushfire Action Plan on the myLink parent portal by clicking the ‘School Documents’ menu item, followed by the ‘Whole School’ tab.

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Car Park Protocols

Burnside Council has advised it will be conducting routine street parking patrols to support the safety of all people within the vicinity of the School. For council parking information, please find an information brochure here.

A reminder about the School’s car park protocols:

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 show consideration for others. Thank you for your cooperation.

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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

New ELC Uniforms

Our new ELC uniforms are available to purchase in the School Shop.

This beautiful new range is designed for the needs of our youngest community members, giving our ELC children a smart, cohesive look, and simplifying the routine of getting dressed in the morning.

We look forward to seeing the children proudly wear their new ELC attire.