Issue no. 4
In this edition
Swimming Carnival 2019
Swimming Carnival 2019 started off the blocks this morning, with girls in Years 4 – 12 going stroke-for-stroke across the four Houses.
As the humidity rose in the Adelaide Aquatic Centre, so too did the competition. Raw talent was on-show for all to see in the serious races and true colours emerged during the novelty events, with the Crocodile Race proving to be a crowd-pleaser yet again.
House spirit was in overdrive and the Year 12 costumes lived up to all the hype.
By the end of proceedings with all results tallied, the 2019 overall winner was announced: SELWYN!
The McGill Shield
Selwyn 1774 points
Kilburn 1671 points
Patteson 1526 points
Kennion 1382 points
Congratulations to all involved! More detailed results to appear in next week’s Enews.
Congratulations to Old Scholar Julie Bishop
St Peter’s Girls pays tribute to The Hon Julie Bishop MP (Kilburn ’73) as she calls an end to her stunning political career. We thank her for her service to parliament and the people of Australia.
The School is incredibly proud of Old Scholars such as Julie who inspire our girls to chase their dreams and strive to be their very best.
Julie recently recorded a special video message to help celebrate the School’s 125th anniversary; have a listen:
From the Director of Teaching and Learning
Term 1 is now well underway and students have settled into their new classes. For the teaching staff, the term started at least a week earlier with a series of training days that focused on, amongst other things, technology in the classroom, project-based learning ideas, assessment practices, developing writing skills in Junior classrooms, and how to best support students with a range of particular learning needs.
Our teachers are always looking to develop, refine and enhance their practice. Many are already booked into various professional learning events taking place through 2019. The annual Growth and Learning Review process requires teachers to set at least two professional goals, referencing the AITSL national teacher standards and with clear success measures. Life-long learners make better teachers and, here at Saints Girls, we embrace this fact.
Just a reminder that we now operate the continuous reporting system across Years 7 – 12. This means that you are able to access teacher feedback on myLink as soon as student work has been assessed; you no longer need to wait until the end of the semester for updates on progress. For a quick video recap of how to access the continuous reporting feedback, click here. By regularly visiting these pages, you will be able to read teacher comments on the very latest assignments and these can then prompt meaningful conversations at the dinner table. In most if not all cases, marks will also be translated into grades, which should make the feedback easier to understand and progress through the semester easier to track.
Nigel Scoggins
Director of Teaching and Learning
Meet Our Newest Leaders
On Tuesday, our Year 6 students were inducted into their leadership roles for 2019 in a special Chapel Service in front of their families and friends. This was an important occasion and an opportunity for the girls to reflect on the skills and dispositions that they will develop and use during the coming year. They have been thinking about what it is that makes a ‘good’ leader, and they are committed to carrying out their roles to the best of their ability.
Each group of leaders prepared their own mission statement to read out during the service using research from their current Unit of Inquiry around the central idea that ‘Everyone has the ability and opportunity to demonstrate leadership.’ During the service, our SRC Representatives from each class from Reception to Year 5 were also presented with their badges. We look forward to seeing all of these students carry out the responsibilities of their role this year.
Helen Smith
Deputy Head of Junior School/PYP Coordinator
From the Kennion House Captain
This week, Years 4 – 12 were lucky enough to finish off the first month of Term 1 with a feature on our school calendar, Swimming Carnival! As it is one of many favourite House events, it is a great way to kick off the year with enthusiastic House spirit.
The action-packed day had a variety of highlights, ranging from the competitive 100 metre medleys to the staff versus student novelty race. As a senior student, my highlight was the crocodile race! When I was in the Junior School, I couldn’t wait to be in Year 7 and finally be able to compete in the most competitive novelty of the day. It is such a fun event as the year level separates into Houses and works as a team to swim two laps of the pool in a conga line – a skill which is surprisingly hard to master!
As a Year 12, I had the exciting perk of continuing one of the Saints’ traditions of dressing up in a House-coloured costume! Every year, the anticipation of a fabulous day is taken to another level when the Year 12s from each House rush into Adelaide Aquatic Centre accompanied with deafening cheering by the rest of the House.
I was extremely excited to lead the Kennionnites this year for my last Swimming Carnival and couldn’t wait to finish off the week with infectious blue spirit!
Annabelle Langley
Kennion House Captain
Music Camp – A Chorus of Support
Week 3 was an exciting time for the Music Department as more than 100 girls were taken down to the beautiful town of Ardrossan to be involved in another successful year of Music Camp.
The camp is supervised and instructed by a range of the School’s enthusiastic instrumental teachers, Old Scholars and, of course, Mrs Noble, Ms Habel and Director of Music Sally Rounsevell. It runs for four days and allows girls to invest time and energy – distraction free – into their instruments or vocals, whilst being amongst other music students of all ages, and participating in non-music activities like beach walks and frequent visits to the Ardrossan Café.
On Wednesday, students in the School’s Senior ensembles – Enchanté, Esperanza and Stage Band – arrived, and immediately began to rehearse repertoire which will be performed at Generations in Jazz in May. Throughout Thursday and Friday, more Middle and Junior School students arrived to participate in other ensembles. This variety in age generates an incredible sense of community and allows the less experienced girls to learn music techniques and take advice from the senior girls. On Friday afternoon, several soloists, instrumentalists and vocalists, were taken to play to the residents in the Ardrossan Hospital, a music camp tradition which gives the students an incredible opportunity to perform and use their musicality to give back to the community. Finally, after three long days of rehearsing, the girls presented their hard work to a large audience on Saturday afternoon. This concert was a wonderful example of the talent and high musical standard of our School, as each performance was truly outstanding considering the short time to learn the repertoire.
The camp is a fantastic time for the Music Department to become more of a community; it allows girls to create friendships beyond their own year level, and it is an extremely fun and enjoyable experience.
Mary Brownridge
Music Prefect
Saints Girls Salute Women’s War Service
On Sunday 17 February, the 77th Bangka Island/Radji Beach Massacre commemorative service was held at the Women’s Memorial Playing Fields in St Marys.
This event is one of the few commemorative services worldwide dedicated exclusively to the service of women in wartime. It was a very moving occasion as attendees were invited to reflect on the heroism and sacrifice of the 21 nurses who were massacred on Radji Beach on February 16, 1942, with only one survivor, Sister Vivian Bullwinkel. These women had already survived their evacuation from Singapore and the subsequent torpedoing of their vessel, the SS Vyner Brooke, forcing them to cover the 10 miles to Bangka Island off Sumatra (modern-day Indonesia) in a ship’s boat. Civilian survivors decided to walk to Muntok, while the sisters stayed with the wounded, although some were severely injured themselves. Found by the Japanese, these women chose to surrender, only to be ordered to march unarmed into the sea as the Japanese opened fire with machine guns.
In this, our 125th year as a School and the 125th anniversary of South Australia granting women the right to vote, it is increasingly important to educate this generation of young women about the outstanding commitment of their forebears, including Ellen (Nell) Keats, a Saints’ Old Scholar and one the massacre’s victims. Current students Dani Cox (Year 7) and Chi Chi Zhao (Year 9) laid a laurel wreath, and the School was presented with a gift of a framed account of how the local population risked their lives to assist Vivian Bullwinkel and a male survivor, English soldier Pat Kingsley.
As teachers, we need to be mindful of not allowing the attention devoted to more commonly recognised commemorative events, such as Anzac Day and Remembrance Day, to overlook the opportunities to educate our students about aspects of history which have such strong links to our School community. We will endeavour to ensure that events such as the Bangka Island Massacre memorial have due prominence in the consciousness of our students through ongoing involvement and learning.
Gregor Dingwall
Head of Humanities
US Exchange Brings Us Closer Together
In January, four Year 10 students travelled to New Jersey, USA to begin their four week exchange at Kent Place School. They were asked to share a little about their experience on exchange, and we look forward to welcoming the girls from Kent Place in the coming weeks!
“I loved every part of my exchange. It was so exciting having the opportunity to travel somewhere so new and different. I especially loved being able to experience American school life and visit places like New York. I hope that I will get a chance to go back sometime in the future.” – Ashley Piper
“My time away will be in my greatest memories forever; this was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was nothing like I even imagined; every single part of the trip was absolutely incredible. I loved going to New York and Washington and all of the places that were on my bucket list. I made new friends and new memories that I will never forget. I am so grateful that I was able to apply and go on the exchange and would 100% recommend it to anyone and everyone.” – Olivia Kelly
“My exchange experience was amazing. My host family were really great and showed me as much of America and its culture as possible. Kent Place School was so welcoming and made it easy for us to become a part of their community. I made friendships that will last a lifetime and I cannot wait for the American girls to come to Australia.” – Stephanie Smalls
Triathlon Success!
Saints entered a record number of participants into the State Secondary Triathlon Championships held at West Lakes. The day started with Gold to Matilda Braithwaite in the U17 girls’ section, earning her a trip to the Gold Coast later in the year.
With nine teams across four age groups, Saints excelled, claiming two Silver and two Bronze medals in the teams’ events.
The senior girls consisting of Hattie Maerschel (Swim), Matilda Braithwaite (Cycle) and Michelle Cheung (Run) finished with Silver. Of the two teams entered in the U17 division, Lara Wakeham (Swim), Ella Waltham (Cycle) and Keeley Fahey (Run) claimed Silver, with Gemma Schaedel (Swim), Saskia Jonats (Cycle) and Bella Parton (Run) finishing in third.
Our strong contingent of five teams in the junior division also faired very well, with teams finishing in 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 11th. Tara Young (Swim), Alexia Politis (Cycle) and Imogen Elliott (Run) won the Silver medal, while our team of Year 7s – Ayla Blaskett (Swim), Ashlyn May (Cycle) and Dani Cox (Run) – finished in a credible 5th place.
The Garden of Saintly Delights
– THIS SUNDAY!
Sunday 24 February 2019 from 11am – 5pm
What a terrific event to help kick off celebrations for the School’s 125th anniversary! The Garden of Saintly Delights, our annual school fair, is going to be bigger and better than ever.
Bring the whole family along for a fun-filled day of carnival rides, free entertainment on our Chiverton Lawns’ stage, food trucks, market stalls, local sporting personalities and much, much more.
Head to our Facebook page for a full list of the day’s activities and vendors. Please like and share as this event is also open to the public.
Bronwyn Bartter
Parents’ and Friends’ Association President
House Caps Now Available!
Thanks to the Saints Sport Support Group, House caps can now be purchased via www.trybooking.com/BAQLF.
Hats are $20 online and they can be worn during all Interhouse events throughout the year.
Groovy Science Experiment
Our Year 8s have been getting in touch with their inner chemist this week, making their own lava lamps! As part of the study of elements and compounds in Science, students experimented with mixtures of water, oil, food colouring and alka-seltzer tablets to create their lamps. They made predictions about how the substances would interact when mixed and evaluated their predictions at the completion of the experiment.
Christopher Carey
Science Teacher
Choral Night 2019 – Show Your True Colours!
Thursday 21 March
Join us at 7pm on Thursday 21 March at the Adelaide Convention Centre for Choral Night 2019! Arguably one of the most popular events on the Saints Girls’ calendar, this year’s event carries the theme of ‘Colours’.
Tickets will be on sale soon, so keep an eye out in the eNews and your emails!
Business Directory at Saints Girls
Book your very own personalised advertisement today. Three options available – $500, $250 or FREE
> Promote your special business offer and change your advertisement as often as you like for no extra cost
> Simply support businesses connected to our School
> Refer a business
> All proceeds go towards our Parents’ and Friends’ Association fundraising efforts
For more information on how to get involved, contact Melissa Westgate on 8334 2244 or mwestgate@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.
Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager
Head of the River Dinner
6 – 9.30pm, 23 March
The Friends of Rowing warmly invite family, friends and all rowers to join us for a fabulous evening to celebrate our girls and their 2018-19 Rowing season. This year’s dinner will be held at the Adelaide Royal Coach Hotel in Kent Town. We will hear from our girls and their coaches, and end of season awards will be presented. The ticket price includes a delicious two course menu and soft drinks. Other beverages will be available for purchase from the bar.
Tickets
$45 per person (parents and rowers)
$20 per child (11 years and under)
https://www.trybooking.com/BBATZ
Please note, the dinner is compulsory for all current competing rowers.
Ticket sales close on 12 March and are strictly limited to 120 places, so avoid disappointment and book early.
Sports News
A reminder that Winter nominations for Terms 2 and 3 close on Friday 1 March. Information on sports and scheduled training times can be found via this link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019wintersport
ATHLETICS
Athletics SA State Championships
Keeley Fahey – Gold U16 Pole Vault, Silver U17 Pole Vault, Silver U17 Javelin, Bronze U18 High Jump
Holly Cardone – Silver U17 High Jump, 4th Triple Jump, 7th U17 Long Jump
Olivia Kelly – Silver U16 High Jump, 4th U16 200m, 4th U16 Long Jump
Little Athletics – State Multi-Event Championships
Lauren Disney – U9 finished 9th
Carla Massicci – U12 finished 26th
Amelia Lucas – U13 finished 4th
BASKETBALL
Open – Saints 54 defeated St Johns 22
The girls played really well in defence, creating a lot of turnovers which allowed for many easy shots in offence. The Middle School girls who were filling in this week played really well with the new team. – Sarah Matheson (Captain)
Middle A – Saints 18 defeated by Seymour 22
Another close game that could have gone either way. The team’s defence was outstanding for the whole game; once again, we missed a lot of opportunities to score, so need to work on the shooting. I thought everyone played well with good intensity against a much taller team. Special mentions to Willow Stewart-Rattray for her work at both ends of the court, and Sophie Ricciuto and Ellie Humphrey for the defence. Well done girls! – Brenton Davies (Coach)
Middle B – Saints 18 defeated by Seymour 65
A really tough game for the girls against a good team. We started slowly and, unfortunately, were 40 points behind at half-time. Second half, we showed a lot of improvement in being able to score points and keep their scouting down. Special mentions to Emily Elston and Zara Chessell for their efforts rebounding and scoring. – Brenton Davies (Coach)
Middle C – Saints 6 defeated by Pembroke 20
The girls are showing positive signs of improvement in all aspect of the game. We had a much better result this week against Pembroke. Even though we didn’t win, all the girls got involved and tried putting their newly-acquired skills into practice. Two stand-outs were Emily McCorley and Jasreet Mavi, scoring all the points and really showing leadership and direction to the other players. It is nice seeing everyone get involved and everyone smiling and having fun! – Sharnee Jones (Coach)
ROWING
The conditions for this regatta were perfect with no wind and flat, glassy water. The Juniors had training instead with the focus being on many of the basics of the stroke, trying to get the fundamentals correct, the building blocks of the stroke.
Both the Inter A and Bs had a 1500m School Race and then a 1000m School/Club race. The crews are really showing that they will be right up there come HoR, with strong performances in both races. As coaches and with only five weeks until HoR, we are really starting to look at the finer points of technique and the training program to get the girls just right, and I think that we are well on the way.
The Seniors seem to be going along well, and for them, it is very much about getting the process right. Both the 8 and 4 are looking good together and, as I said with the Inters, it’s about getting all the little things right. The 4 who have only really come together this term are doing extremely well, looking really competitive and it will be interesting to see how they progress over the coming the weeks. The 8 is tracking nicely and the coaches are happy with how things are sitting at the moment. – Ben Flannagan (Director of Rowing)
SOFTBALL
Teeball Blue – Saints had a bye
Teeball White – Saints 10 defeated by Walford 14
Most of the girls played their very first game of Teeball. They were focused in the field and, as the game went on, they began to show a good understanding of the rules. Batting well, they scored 7 runs in the last innings to make the final score 10-14. Everyone played well and had fun. Well done girls. – Mrs Noblet
Year 5/6 Blue – Saints 7 defeated by Seymour Blue 9
The girls played a lot better this week and really worked well as a team, getting 7 runs in one inning and back-to-back hits to help each other. There was some distraction near the end of the game when their attention drifted, but they picked it back up after I reminded them. Our hitting was good, not swinging at balls, and we had quite a few girls getting to hit off the tee. Our fielding, pitching and catching was good, and once we improve our accurate throws and catching at base, I’m sure a win is not too far away – Steph Collett (Coach)
Year 5/6 White – Saints 6 defeated by Pembroke Green 10
Our first home game did not go as hoped. Our team’s offence started off strong, scoring 4 runs in the first inning, but we were not able to hold them in defence. Januri Wagaarachchi, Anna Venning and Carla Massicci all pitched very well and catchers Alannah Godfrey and Lara Maione each tried catching for the first time and did very well. Although we lost, the team was in great spirits and is very excited to play their next match. – Jess Drewick (Coach)
Year 5/6 Silver – Saints 5 defeated by Seymour Green 10
It was a great effort by the team with some excellent fielding getting 3 out in each innings. Improvement was also shown in throwing to the bases, and the batting was great with players watching the ball and selecting when to swing. Finally, there was some amazing base running and stealing resulting in runs. – Taylah Gabrisch (Coach)
TENNIS
A great start to the Tennis season. With a number of players out, we are grateful to Bella Parton and Emily Baldwinson who filled in at the last minute to help us avoid forfeiting matches.
Premier League – Saints 4-33 defeated Westminster 2-23
Singles: Ruby Deakin 6-4, Maiya Jakupec 5-6, Imogen Nienaber 6-0, Charlotte Staples 4-6
Premier League Reserves – Saints 1-19 defeated by Westminster 5-34
Singles: Georgia Mallick 3-6, Grace Beaumont 3-6, Emily Baldwinson 6-4, Bella Parton 1-6
Junior Division 1 – Saints 6-28 defeated Wilderness Gold 0-7
Singles: Winnie Vartuli 4-2, Alison Francis 4-3, Chloe Richardson 4-0
Junior Division 2 Blue – Saints 4-19 defeated Wilderness 1-5
Singles: Emily Bates 4-1, Eva Chassiotis 4-0, Pollyanna Townsend 0-4, Asha Eaton 4-0
Junior Division 2 White – Saints 3-18 defeated by Pulteney 3-19
Singles: Olivia Reynolds 4-3, Charlotte Thorpe 4-2, Jackie Balasis 1-4, Stella Spalvins 4-2
Junior Division 3 Blue – Saints 1-9 defeated by St Ignatius 4-17
Singles: Lucy Mitchell 1-4, Annabel Keough 0-4, Abbie An 3-4
Junior Division 3 White – Saints 0-2 defeated by St Ignatius 6-23
TOUCH FOOTBALL
Open A – Saints 0 defeated by Loreto 5
Despite the end result, the girls’ defence skills were strong and made it hard for the opposition to push past the middle of the pitch. This Saints’ team has been moved to the top division of school girls’ touch, which is an excellent achievement for the School, and as a team, we will get stronger once we are more comfortable in this division. In trainings, the team is going to work on attacking near the scoreline and diving. Ehi Oyugbo had a great attempt at scoring but unluckily dropped the ball right on the line. All girls displayed real spirit and are ready to improve each week. Keep up the good work! – Eve Habel
Open B – Saints had a bye
Open C1 – Saints had a bye
Open C2– Saints 3 defeated Gleeson College 1
The C2s had a great start to the year. Some strong rucking from Amelie Eaton and Kellie Bested allowed Maggie Bailey, Bella Parton and Ella Waltham to find space out wide to run through. There is still a lot to improve on such as using some plays close to the line, but the girls are willing to work at training and the results will be seen in coming games – Dan Searle (Coach)
Middle A – Saints 2 defeated by Sacred Heart 5
The Middle As played an excellent first game of the season, eventually going down 5-2 to Sacred Heart. The girls worked hard given there were no subs and in hot conditions. They rucked really well in the first half before the heat and fatigue got to them. It was the first game for both Grace Richards and Willow Stewart-Rattray and both were able to score a try. A focus now is on defence, especially on the wings where we allowed too many openings. – Dan Searle (Coach)
Middle B – Saints 7 defeated Loreto 0
The girls played a good game with a very solid defence, making it difficult for Loreto to break through. Even in the heat, the girls worked hard to get back on-side and forced a number of errors in Loreto’s play which resulted in penalties and ultimately trys being scored. The girls worked tirelessly in attack, rucking smoothly and at pace, driving back the defensive team. They communicated well, using the wings to score number of runs. As they move on to their next game, they will start to focus on bringing in a number of set plays so that they can mix up their attack. An amazing start for the beginning of the touch season; keep up the hard work girls. – Becca Burton-Howard (Coach)
Middle C – Saints 2 defeated by St Ignatius 3
The team played their match at St Ignatius in very hot, humid weather. They worked well in attack by rucking smoothly and pushing the defenders back, tiring them out. Due to the efficiency of our rucking, the opposition were caught off side on a number of occasions, resulting in many penalties. Our team scored the first try of the game in the first three minutes, giving them a good boost of confidence. We were also solid in defence, creating a flat line and going back on-side. Getting back five metres each time quickly put enough pressure on the other team, resulting in a number of dropped balls. We were also very good at communicating to indicate where the gaps were and who to defend. – Becca Burton-Howard (Coach)
WATER POLO
Open A – Saints had a bye
Open B – Saints 2 defeated by Seymour 9
The girls were up against a strong opposition as they were playing in the A grade competition for the first time. Despite this, they entered the pool with confidence and played very well, and fought to the end. They created many opportunities to shoot for goal, and with practice, they should be able to convert more of these opportunities into goals. The best players were Olivia Goldsmith and Georgina Wakeham, who did an amazing job defending Seymour’s top players, limiting their opportunities to score. Well done girls! – Nicolette Miller (Captain)
Open C – Saints had a bye
Year 7-8 – Saints 17 defeated St Aloysius 3
With a team of Year 7s all playing their first competitive match, Saints had an amazing game. From the outset, the girls listened to instructions which played immediate dividends, rushing to a 5-0 lead at quarter-time. With strong swimming and teamwork, Saints maintained the pressure at both ends of the pool. An amazing start to the season with much to look forward to. Goals: Mathilda Thomas 6, Marcella Tolley 4, Emily McCorley 2, Ashlyn May 2, Claudia Pearce, Ayla Blaskett and Scarlett Dillon with 1 each. – Neil Fuller (Acting Coach)