Issue no. 6

From Our Deputy Principal /
Head of Senior School

Throughout the week, the Saints’ community has acknowledged and celebrated International Women’s Day. Globally recognised on 8 March, it provides us with an opportunity to appreciate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world, whilst also acknowledging that gender equality has not yet been achieved.

This year, the theme is ‘Embrace Equity’. In her Assembly address, Deputy Head Prefect Ruby Richards reminded us that, ‘to embrace equity means to create an inclusive world. Equity recognises that there isn’t always a level playing field, so we need to create an environment where each individual is provided with the unique resources and support they need to succeed.’

Middle and Senior School students attended our International Women’s Day Assembly, where we were privileged to welcome back and hear from Old Scholar Natalie Koutsikas (Kilburn 2009). Currently working in social media, Natalie shared with the girls her journey in business and working in the online space. She discussed the impacts social media can have on young women as many feel the need to compare or alter their bodies and lifestyles to fit into what is portrayed as the ideal life.

Under the leadership of the Prefect Team, students have been encouraged to support a charity drive for Catherine House which offers crisis care, longer-term accommodation and other support services for women over the age of 18, unaccompanied by children. It operates right across South Australia and is the only dedicated women’s homelessness service in the State. The Prefects baked International Women’s Day cupcakes with all proceeds donated to Catherine House. In addition, they ensured each student had a purple ribbon to wear as an outward sign of support, and represented St Peter’s Girls at the International Women’s Day Breakfast and Student Leadership Summit.

Every day, we are fortunate to witness our young girls and women growing physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. A girls’ school such as ours provides an environment in which every girl gets the chance to lead, to learn, to be confident, to voice her opinion and to be respected.

Lauren Sutton
Deputy Principal/Head of Senior School

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Social Scholar Connects at Stonyfell

To celebrate International Women’s Day, our Prefects led a special Assembly with a focus on the representation of women in the media. We were thrilled to welcome Old Scholar Natalie Koutsikas (Kilburn 2009) as our guest speaker who delivered an engaging speech about her experiences in social media marketing as well as providing sound advice for our girls in this space.

Highlights included how Natalie’s career in real estate was where her interest in social media, marketing trends and their ability to influence behaviours firmly took hold. Implementing a content marketing and social media strategy saw her recognised as Adelaide’s most influential agent on social media for two years running, and in turn, triggered a career shift to social media marketing.

Having worked for some of Adelaide’s most innovative brands, Sweat and Ryderwear, and leading the way for influencer marketing nationally, Natalie launched Digitale social media and creative in 2019. Working with businesses big and small to grow from the ground up, Digitale utilises a deep understanding of community and connection, backed by strong strategy and data, and Natalie has swiftly cemented Digitale’s position as a leading social media agency in Adelaide.

Megan McCormack
Community Relations Manager

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From Our Head Prefect

On 8 March each year, communities from around the world recognise and celebrate International Women’s Day, with this year’s theme to ‘Embrace Equity’. Equity acknowledges that each person faces different challenges, so they should be provided with unique resources and support to achieve their goals. Celebrating women of courage who have broken gender-based barriers, International Women’s Day creates an opportunity for inclusion and encourages important conversations to forge positive change.

This year, our Prefect Team has collaborated with other student leadership teams from around Adelaide to support the theme with a fundraiser for Catherine House which provides accommodation and support services for women experiencing homelessness. At Saints, the girls have embraced this campaign with compassion and enthusiasm by offering items noted by volunteers at Catherine House as being in high demand and donating to our cupcake stall. This has highlighted the power of collaboration and the importance of coming together on International Women’s Day to create an inclusive environment for all women.

On Tuesday, the Middle and Senior School girls participated in an International Women’s Day Assembly focused around the importance of positive influences in the media and how we can build a supportive and welcoming community. Among hearing from many staff and students, we were privileged to welcome back Old Scholar Natalie Koutsikas (Kilburn 2009) and listen to her experiences working in social media marketing. It was interesting to hear how Natalie experiences shifts in the industry such as Instagram making the ‘like-count’ optional, and how such changes have both positive and negative implications for the gender equality movement.

We hope this week has inspired girls to continue to be brave and stand up for their beliefs. International Women’s Day is, above all else, about unity. By building a supportive school community, we can ‘embrace equity’ to give our girls the support they need to foster their passions and celebrate their individuality.

Ellie Humphrey
Head Prefect

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School Photos Picture-Perfect

It’s been a picture-perfect week at Stonyfell with our annual School Photos! The star of the show was our fabulous Class of 2023.

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Choral Night Countdown Begins!

Thursday 23 March
7pm
Influencers Church, Paradise

With music rehearsals kicking off this week, our girls are gearing up for Choral Night 2023!

Choral Night is one of the most anticipated events on the Saints Girls’ calendar, and this year’s spectacle carries the theme ‘Australian Female Artists’.

Tickets are now available for family and friends; to book – click here

We look forward to the festivities and can’t wait to see what our girls have in store!

Check out highlights from last year’s extravaganza:

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Global Support for International Student Evening

Last Friday night, St Peter’s College generously hosted our annual interschool International Student Social Evening.

This year, we held a games night where the girls were able to play a wide variety of games such as quizzes, Uno and Ludo with students in St Peter’s College’s Chinese Society Club.

We also enjoyed a delicious dinner of fried rice and spring rolls together. It was great to see the students be so enthusiastic in playing the games as well as forming new friendships along the way!

Genevieve Leong
International Student Prefect

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Year 8 Happy Campers on KI

Last week, the Year 8 cohort headed to Kangaroo Island for camp and had such a great time!

We arrived after a short ferry trip and split into two groups exploring the eucalyptus and honey farms. We learnt all about how the family-owned businesses create their products. Next, we set up our tents at the first camp site and enjoyed the sunset on the beach – with a few seals as well!

On Tuesday, we went sand-boarding at Little Sahara. We all had so much fun sliding down the sand dunes and chasing each other to the bottom. Covered in sand, we then visited the Raptor Domain bird show to learn about and even hold some of the birds. After lunch, we explored Admirals Arch and Remarkable Rocks. We had a fun time seeing the seals and climbing through all the different types of rocks.

Wednesday was a tiring day as we had our expo. We walked a 9-kilometre trail and settled for lunch near a lighthouse with a beautiful view.

On Thursday, we had a beach day where we enjoyed snorkelling and seeing underwater creatures, with some of us managing to overcome our fears of deep water! The rock pools in the morning were really fun and we found four crabs. In the evening, we staged a talent show which was a wonderful way to wrap up the past four days.

On Friday, we packed up our things and headed home. While it is nice having proper toilets and warm showers, we really miss camp and would like to say thank you to the Year 8 Home Group Teachers and the Wilderness Escape staff for making it possible.

Charlotte C, Nathalie, Matilda S, Maria and Lola
Year 8 students

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Athletics Stars Enjoy Runaway Success

Athletics has always been an integral part of the Saints’ sport community where girls have made significant strides, particularly in recent months.

India Goodall (Year 8) has competed in numerous events at both Junior and Senior level. She came 1st at the Little Athletics SA Multi Event State Championships, competing in an array of events including 200m, 800m, 80m Hurdles, High Jump, Long Jump and Shot Put. India also competed in the Senior Athletics State Championships where she achieved Silver in the U15 1500m and also ran up an age group in the U16 800m to gain another Silver medal. As a result, she will be travelling to Brisbane later this month for Nationals. Well done India!

Elodie de Wit (Year 9) has also achieved some fantastic results this year. She writes: ‘I recently had the opportunity to attend the World X-Country Championships in Bathurst. This is where the best of the best athletes come from all around the world and compete. I participated in 3 events: the Golden Ticket (4km), the 4x2km Relay and the age group 4km race. Although this was a challenge, the experience was unreal. It was a great atmosphere with so many talented athletes and it was especially cool to see Aussies proudly representing the country. The Bathurst X-Country course is said to be ‘the toughest XC course in the world’, and it was a privilege to be able to race on it.’ Elodie also competed in the Senior Athletics State Championships where she came 3rd in the U16 1500m. Congratulations Elodie!

Saints had several other girls at the Senior Athletics State Championships. Isla Fahey (Year 8) achieved 1st place in the U15 2000m Steeple Chase and 1st in the U15 1500m. Malaika McLeod won the U17 1500m, U17 400m and U17 800m. Charlotte McAuliffe came 1st in the Open Women’s category for the 400m and placed 3rd in the 200m. Daisy Braithwaite (Year 11) was 2nd in the U20 10000m Walk. Carys Kinsella-White (Year 10) achieved 4th place in the U17 400m and 6th in the U17s 200m. What amazing results from so many Saints Girls!

The Adelaide Invitational is a prestigious event where Australia’s best athletes earn World Athletics ranking points to help them achieve their goals such as attending the Commonwealth Games and World Championships. Saints Girls had two representatives, Charlotte McAuliffe (Year 10) and Malaika McLeod (Year 10), who were among just three U17s invited to compete. It was great to see Old Scholar Lakara Stallan (Kilburn 2021) also competing at this event. Charlotte competed in the 100m B Race and was the pacer for the 800m A Race. Malaika competed in the 800m B Race. Outstanding achievements!

It is incredible to see so many talented Saints Girls in Athletics. These achievements are certainly wonderful to see, and we hope that they can give inspiration to the next generation of athletes at Saints.

Amelia Lucas
Athletics Captain

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New Art Space for Young Learners

In our ELC, we are designing a captivating new Atelier (Art Studio) for the children to explore thought-provoking materials and art techniques.

Supported by our ELC Atelierista (Art Educator) Caterina Pennestri, children across the Centre are exposed to various artistic and expressive languages including painting, sculpture, dance, music, technology and multisensory experiences.

Our Atelier will be a space where the children can further express themselves through their Hundred Languages, which is a metaphor for the extraordinary potential of children’s creative processes involved in the construction of knowledge.

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Friendship Facts and Potato Pals

Over the past few weeks, Year 1 students have been exploring one of the cornerstones of the URSTRONG program: the Four Friendship Facts

Fact 1: No friendship is perfect
Fact 2: Every friendship is different
Fact 3: Trust and respect are the two most important qualities in a friendship
Fact 4: Friendships change…and that’s okay!

We have embedded these facts into our everyday language and used role play to normalise friendship expectations and experiences. The girls designed and created their own plasticine ‘Potato Pal’ which they are taking home to help tell their families about the Four Friendship Facts!

Kathryn Clark
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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Summer Interhouse Meal Deal – Order Now!

The Friends of Sport (FOS) will be cooking up a storm at Summer Interhouse on Thursday 6 April. We’re offering delicious cheeseburger Meal Deals and a sausage sizzle (vegetarian option available).

Pre-order your daughter’s cheeseburger Meal Deal before 5pm, Thursday 30 March via TryBooking – click here

Friends of Sport volunteers will hand-deliver the Reception – Year 2 lunches to their classrooms, and Years 3 – 12 will collect theirs from the FOS barbecue area.

There will also be cash and EFTPOS sales on the day for the sausage sizzle.

To get you into the Summer Interhouse spirit, branded keyrings, supporter hats, House hats, water bottles and wristbands can also be pre-ordered, or purchased on the day.

All proceeds raised by the Friends of Sport directly benefit our Saints Girls and their sporting endeavours.

Thank you so much for your kind support.

Friends of Sport

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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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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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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. This is now accessible via the Flexischools platform which also administers our Online Tuck Shop. To sign in or sign up to Flexischools, click here

New ELC Uniforms

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

This beautiful 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.