Issue no. 16
In this edition
From Our Director of Early Learning
National Reconciliation Week – In This Together
This week, our School recognised and acknowledged the significance of Reconciliation Week. Our journey as Australian citizens to be in this together gives focus to building relationships and understandings as communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories and cultures.
One year ago, we erected three flag poles on the ELC grounds. Each day, we proudly fly our flags, demonstrating our commitment to embedding the values of walking side-by-side in our daily practice. The ELC children can tell you the significance of the flags and why we fly them.
Our journey to become a reconciled nation means we all have a part to play. Educating our youngest citizens is key and, in 2017, we actively began this journey with Kaurna elder Tamaru. He has taught us so much about our land, culture and language. As a regular member of our community, Tamaru has not only worked closely with the children but also the adults. It is essential that the adults understand and demonstrate respect in their practice and find authentic ways to deliver this learning to our children and families.
With a daily Acknowledgement to Country said in both traditional language and our own language, we understand that our land is shared land, a land that has many stories to teach us, and a land that we have shared responsibility for. Tamaru guides our learning using the mother land as the teacher. For us, this is Ferguson Conservation Park, our neighbouring conservation park. It is also in our gardens where we grow native plants that are sustainable and useful for both eating and medicinal purposes. Tamaru has taught us so much!
We are proud to use our everyday practices to show the extended community how embedded Kaurna culture is in our ELC life. Making a short video gives visibility to the wider community of the understandings Tamaru has instilled in the ELC. Our educators give great value to this work and we are extremely honoured to be leading the way in this area as one of the first ELCs in the State to embed Kaurna culture into daily rituals.
We continue to travel on this journey and recognise the responsibility we hold, not only as the educators in children’s lives, but also as citizens of our land.
Kate Mount
Director of Early Learning
Team Triumphs at Ethics Olympiad
Congratulations to a talented team of Saints Girls who this week claimed 1st place in an online Australasian Ethics Olympiad!
As a result, they’ve been invited to compete in the China Australia Ethics Olympiad next month.
“Recently, it seems as though all exciting events and activities have the words ‘cancelled’ or ‘postponed’ attached to them. But, here at Philosophy Club, we’re busy preparing for a range of competitions!
On Wednesday, a team of five girls from our School competed in the Australasian Ethics Olympiad – online. In a surprisingly seamless Zoom meeting, we discussed an array of ethical issues with students and judges from around the world. For all of us, and particularly for the girls currently studying Philosophy, this was an amazing experience that enabled us to gain new insights into others’ beliefs and values. It also provided a great platform for us to share our own opinions with others.
We were thrilled to learn we were the highest point scorers and are now looking forward to competing in the China Australia Ethics Olympiad in late June.”
Srishti Sharma
Year 12 student
Reconciliation Through Dance
Over the past fortnight, the Year 10 Dancers have been marking Reconciliation Week through dance with a guest artist, Kaine, who has been a dancer for five years with Bangarra Dance Theatre.
As the dancers embark on a project with the Year 10 Drama students exploring stories of the Stolen Generation through The Arts, Kaine not only shared his knowledge of indigenous dance but also his personal story: “My mother was taken when she was two years old. She had no knowledge of her culture or language. It’s because of this that I found dance, exploring my cultural identity through movement.”
I look forward to sharing snippets of the end product with our School community in the coming weeks, raising awareness of the impact of this time in Australia’s history.
Kate Burnett
Head of The Arts
New Design for Year 8 Arts
This year, The Arts Faculty has changed how The Arts electives are taught in Year 8. Each Arts elective is now taught in a seven-week intensive course, exploring the creative practices of four disciplines: Dance, Music, Drama and Visual Arts. The Arts curriculum offers a balance of practical and theoretical learning and opportunities for independent and group work. Students participate in practical courses that explore the innovative and artistic elements of each discipline. After they’ve rotated through all disciplines, they will use the remaining time to plan, create and present a production that harnesses the skills explored.
This approach has been influenced by Project-Based Learning (PBL). PBL is a student-centred educational approach that encourages individuals to demonstrate their understanding and skills by creating a product or presentation for a real audience. When approaching Arts in this manner, the aim is to increase the students’ engagement in a topic due to increased individual choice and creative input.
In Visual Arts, students explore the considerations for costume design and what can be communicated through clothing. The girls will demonstrate their ability to communicate certain traits of a character through the design. The works pictured were designed and created whilst the girls were working remotely. They are paper headpieces for a chosen character and utilise a range of paper sculpture techniques.
The headpieces pictured were created by (from L to R) Heidi Gong, Zoe Pool and Hope Sanders-Wills.
Kirsten Mansfield
Art and Design Teacher
CLOTHES SHWOP: We Need Your Help!
Did you know that Australians are the world’s second largest consumers of fashion? On average, we each consume 27kgs of new clothing and textiles every year. Most of this ends up in the bin after less than a year. Members of the School’s Environment Club would like to change this!
The Environment Club is focusing on sustainable fashion. This will culminate in our ‘Clothes Shwop’, in which students can donate old clothes for tokens, and cash-in these tokens to take new clothes in return! If you have old clothes you don’t want anymore and are happy to donate or exchange for other items, then please support this worthy cause. Any remaining items will be donated to a women’s charity.
Collections will take place outside of the Junior School Library at lunch every Tuesday and Thursday leading up to the actual ‘Clothes Shwop’ where you will be able to choose pieces from the donated clothing. The first ‘Clothes Shwop’ will be held on Thursday and Friday in Week 5 of Term 3 in the Drama Room.
Bring in your old clothes, help the environment and make your wardrobe that bit more exciting!
Sara Peak
Environment Club Captain
Classic Saints Girls: Portrait Series Now on Instagram
Photography plays an important role in capturing moments of school life here at Saints Girls, with wonderful imagery featuring across our social media pages, website, eNews, Saints Alive, Yearbook and more. Recently, the Year 9 students were invited to participate in a special black and white portrait series to be showcased on our Instagram page.
The girls were asked, ‘What brings them happiness at school’, and then a photo shoot was held to capture them in their element. They selected a wide variety of activities, from cello and dancing, to soccer, netball and science. The students were given a range of photos to choose from, and we have recently published the first seven images on our Instagram page.
Follow us at instagram.com/stpetersgirlsschool to view these special portraits.
Saints Café Full of Beans Once More
After a short break, Saints Café is back up and running this term. The café team, consisting of 25 dedicated Year 10 students, is working on a rotating roster to serve hot drinks from the Food Tech Deck every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 7.30 to 8.15am.
The café gives the girls a small taste of the hospitality industry and is a great opportunity for them to develop skills that they can carry into casual or part-time work while they finish school and post-school. Each shift, they are required to set up the café, manage the orders and finance and, most importantly, make coffees on our small, but reliable, one group coffee machine.
Please support the girls this term to get your morning coffee fix. We have a range of milk including dairy, soy, almond and lactose-free, and all coffees this term are discounted at only $2 for a small cup and $3 for large.
Special Brass Class for Year 4 Music
On Wednesday during Home Group, our Year 4 students were fortunate to enjoy a performance from our Brass Ensemble. This group is made up of students from Years 7 to 12 and is under the direction of our Brass Teacher, Warren Heading.
The girls performed two pieces for the Year 4s and gave advice on practice as well as some reflections on their own musical journeys. The Year 4s are half-way through the band program, studying a brass or woodwind instrument of their choice.
The Year 4s are looking forward to performing in the Years 2, 3, 4 Music Concert at the end of Term 3 on the afternoon of Thursday 17 September.
Sally Rounsevell
Director of Music
St Peter’s Girls’ Piano Eisteddfod 2020
In Week 8 of Term 2, the Arts Department will hold St Peter’s Girls’ Piano Eisteddfod. It is open to all Junior and Middle School students who play piano, and will be held on Tuesday 16 June from 8.45am in MB120.
Girls will have the opportunity to perform a piece to a panel of judges who will critique their performance based on accuracy, technique and musicality for their specific music level.
This year, we will not hold a recital but will instead invite 10 students of varying levels to perform in a virtual recital which will be shared online.
This is a great opportunity for girls to perform in a supportive environment and receive some valuable feedback.
Girls are asked to play one piece that best displays their musicality and technical ability at their own musical level. There will be no minimum or maximum time limit. While the Eisteddfod provides our top piano players with a platform to perform, the aim is to give performers of all levels the opportunity to participate.
Please notify the Arts Department if your daughter would like to be involved by Friday 5 June. She will then receive a time slot to perform in the Eisteddfod. Students will be notified by email if they have been chosen to have their piece recorded following the Eisteddfod.
So get busy practising, and we look forward to hearing all of our amazing piano players!
Sally Rounsevell
Director of Music
Bus Tap Card Reminder
Please note that all School bus students must use their student ID cards to tap on and off each time they board and alight a School bus service to comply with our new tracking system.
Also, a reminder that all students from Years 3 to 12 can now use their student ID cards for point-of-sale transactions at the Tuck Shop and School Shop.
To register for the service and ensure funds are available on the cards, parents need to use the flexischools program, which already facilitates the School’s online Tuck Shop. For instructions on how to set up an account and add funds, watch the first 30 seconds of this video. To access flexischools, log in to the myLink Parent Portal and select the ‘Tuck Shop’ tab on the top menu. When registering, search for the School’s name, remembering to add the apostrophe in St Peter’s.
For information on transaction fees and other costs, click here.
If you have any queries regarding these new systems, please contact our System Business Analyst Bronwyn Ledgard via bledgard@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au or 8334 2264.
Road Safety Appeal
The School has recently received reports of poor driver behaviour including speeding, tailgating and vehicles parked across residential driveways in surrounding streets. Road safety and courtesy is everyone’s responsibility and is of the utmost importance in a school setting. We appeal to all of our families to take extra care in our car parks and on the roads for the safety of our students, parents, staff and the wider community.
Apply Now – National Youth Science Forum 2021
Are you in Year 11 and love STEM subjects? If so, you should consider applying for the National Youth Science Forum’s Year 12 Program! The @NYSFoz is a 10-day residential program full of visits to high-tech STEM facilities and hands on-workshops. You’ll get stuck into some serious science and meet industry mentors, all while hanging out with a community of 200 other like-minded science-loving students. Applications close on 14 June 2020. For more information and to apply, go to the NYSF website: www.nysf.edu.au
Saints Girls’ students Faye Ma and Ellen Zhang attended the forum earlier this year. Here are some words from their experience:
“An unforgettable time where you will meet lifelong friends, immerse yourself fully in the world of STEM and come out with a greater understanding of what you want to do in the future.” – Faye Ma
“NYSF has been life-changing for me. Not only have I been inspired by this experience, but I have taken away a wealth of new knowledge and amazing friendships.” – Ellen Zhang
Do You Have a Connection to Woodlands Girls’ Grammar?
Year 11 Scholarship Information
The Elaine Balfour Ogilvy Scholarship is for girls who are planning to enter Year 12 next year, who attend an Anglican school and whose mother, grandmother or great grandmother attended Woodlands Girls’ Grammar School. It was created by the Woodlands Old Scholars in honour of an old scholar, one of the Australian Army nurses who died in the horror of war after the fall of Singapore.
Applicants need to post an introductory letter and four copies of their CV to:
The President
Woodlands Old Scholars’ Association
39 Partridge Street
GLENELG SA 5045
Applications close 24 July 2020
Interviews will be conducted in Term 3, giving the panel a chance to have an informal chat with the girls. We will be assessing attributes such as presentation and enthusiasm and will take this opportunity to see certificates and awards which substantiate the CV.
If you have any enquiries, please contact me via sorrell.lou@gmail.com
Louise Sorrell
St Peter’s Woodlands Old Scholars’ Association President
Apple’s Cleaning Tips for iPads and Laptops
Apple products are made with a variety of materials, and each material might have specific cleaning requirements. To get started, here are some tips from Apple that apply to all products:
- Use only a soft, lint-free cloth. Avoid abrasive cloths, towels, paper towels, or similar items.
- Avoid excessive wiping, which might cause damage.
- Unplug all external power sources, devices, and cables.
- Keep liquids away from the product, unless otherwise noted for specific products.
- Don’t get moisture into any openings.
- Don’t use aerosol sprays, bleaches or abrasives.
- Don’t spray cleaners directly onto the item.
Is it okay to use a disinfectant on my Apple product?
Using a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or disinfecting wipes, you may gently wipe the hard, non-porous surfaces of your Apple product, such as the display, keyboard, or other exterior surfaces. Don’t use bleach. Avoid getting moisture in any opening, and don’t submerge your Apple product in any cleaning agents. Don’t use on fabric or leather surfaces.
Here’s the full article from Apple: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204172
Of course, please check your device instructions for specific requirements.