Issue no. 21
In this edition
From Our Deputy Principal and Head of Senior School
Today marks International Women’s Day, a day acknowledged and celebrated around the world. A day that invites all people regardless of gender or race to take a moment to reflect on how girls and women are treated and viewed in society. Friday 8 March invites people to imagine what a gender equal world could look like, and what the benefits would be if bias, stereotypes and barriers were removed for girls and women. International Women’s Day is also a call to action, to fight and not accept gender-based discrimination, to celebrate all that is wonderful about being a woman and to support each other. The theme for this year is #InspireInclusion. Where there is inclusion, there is belonging and when someone feels as though they belong, they are empowered to make positive change.
You could be forgiven for thinking every day is International Women’s Day at an all girls school such as Saints, however today there was a different energy in the School. Junior School students wore touches of purple while the older students proudly displayed purple ribbons. Cupcakes were sold by the Prefect Team to raise funds for Catherine House, a not-for-profit Adelaide organisation that provides accommodation and support services for women experiencing homelessness in South Australia. The Middle and Senior School also came together for our International Women’s Day Assembly, here we learnt more about the history and importance of the day, students were challenged to think of ways we could be more inclusive, and we heard from guest speaker, author and business owner Durkhanai Ayubi. Durkhanai shared with us her family’s experience of displacement and the importance of storytelling. We also learnt more about her work supporting migrants, the theme of inclusion clear throughout.
As we draw to the end of another International Women’s Day, I invite the Saints community to take a moment to pause and reflect on the importance of the day, to consider ways in which we can continue to be inclusive, supportive and positive role models for our Saints Girls. Here’s to strong women, may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.
Deputy Principal and Head of Senior School
Important Dates
International Women’s Day: Friday 8 March
Public Holiday: Monday 11 March
Head of the River: Saturday 16 March
Choral Night: Thursday 21 March
ELC Coffee Van: Thursday 28 March
Good Friday: Friday 29 March
Easter Monday: Monday 1 April
Last day of Term: Friday 12 April
Introducing Ms. Kendall Fitzgerald, Cultural Liaison Officer
We are excited to announce the appointment of Ms. Kendall Fitzgerald to the unique role of Cultural Liaison Officer at St Peter’s Girls. This role will be important in fostering a genuine appreciation and understanding of Indigenous cultures and histories. Kendall will guide our students, staff and School community through educational experiences that will expand and enrich our understanding of the diverse traditions, perspectives and values of our Indigenous people.
Kendall is born and raised a Kaurna/Narungga woman and is strongly connected to the Adelaide Aboriginal Community. Kendall loves working in the educational space. She has been working at Immanuel College for seven years as an Aboriginal Students Support Officer. She sits on the RAP Committee for Immanuel College, Immanuel Primary School and Surf Life Saving SA. Prior to working at Immanuel, Kendall worked across four state primary schools in the Holdfast Partnership.
Kendall is working with our students one day a week. She commences her day with our youngest learners in the ELC participating in the daily Banbanbalya, the traditional gathering practice that takes place with our educators and children. With our Year 5 students she is currently translating the song Reconciliation which will be performed next term in National Reconciliation Week. Last week Kendall shared her knowledge about Aboriginal symbols and the cultural significance of such symbols with our RAP Ambassadors. In preparation for the new Bush Garden in the ELC, Kendall is gathering information on Indigenous flora and bushtucker along with establishing links that will support teaching an Aboriginal Foods unit, introduced through studies in Food Technology with older students.
Naa Marni (hope you are all well)
My name is Kendall Fitzgerald, a Kaurna/Narungga woman, who has lived and worked in the Adelaide Aboriginal community all my life. I am the newly appointed Cultural Liaison Officer here at St Peter’s Girls’ School and have already met some lovely students and staff and together we have made some meaningful connections.
My role means I will be fortunate to work across the whole school (ELC – Year 12) supporting students and staff where I can, by sharing knowledge about Aboriginal cultures and histories. It is gratifying to see the wonderful work that is already happening in this space. Thank you for welcoming me to your school.
Ngaityalya (Respect and thank you)
Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Kendall and wishing her every success in her new position.
Cherylyn Skewes
Principal
Lisa Hollis
RAP Coordinator
International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day marks a day of celebration for women, their hopes for a diverse, equitable and inclusive future, and the continuing work toward recognition, equality and gender parity. Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist once explained ‘The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist, nor to any one organisation but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.’
These thoughts could not be more relevant to our students at Saints Girls. As we know, the Arts can be a powerful medium of communication and expression, so it seemed fitting to find a way to use the Arts to express the struggles of women, while also celebrating their many milestones. Today on International Women’s Day, we are incredibly excited to release a poignant and powerful collaborative video that works toward portraying this message through the lens of the Arts. A special shout-out to Kate Burnett for her stunning choreography.
We hope you are astonished by the artistry of our talented Music and Dance students as our Choristers sing of the challenges we face as women, the importance of perseverance, the pursuit of chasing your every dream, and finally, ‘to reach for the stars and chase the sun.’
Happy International Women’s Day.
Year 8 Island Adventure
Recently the Year 8 girls were fortunate to go on an exciting camp on Kangaroo Island. Throughout the week we participated in an abundance of activities including snorkelling, expedition walks, attending bird shows, sandboarding and much more. Even though we loved all the activities, after careful consideration it was agreed that the water activities were an all-round favourite. Sleeping in a new spot every night was eye opening. Not only did it expose us to the elements, but it also allowed us to explore all parts of the island. I think I can speak on behalf of everyone when saying that the memories made at this camp will never be forgotten and we are all beyond grateful for the experience.
Chelsea Francis
8RAIR
Adventure and Excitement at Year 7 Camp
On camp I loved getting to do things that I hadn’t done in the past and that pushed me out of my comfort zone, especially the Adventure Caving. We had to crawl through small spaces and take risks, but everybody was supporting each other and guiding us through. A great character-building exercise was ‘the expedition’, a challenge where we had to hike from a trailhead in Robe to Little Dip Conservation Park. We were excited to reach our destination and start cooking our dishes on Trangia’s.
It was hard not having all the comforts of home; we were all happy to hop into our sleeping bags that night. We made it through and the next morning we were on our way back to Basecamp.
Throughout the week we participated in a wide variety of outdoor activities and built new relationships with our classmates. Coming home we all have a deeper appreciation for the things we have. We made great memories from the experiences; it was a week that we will never forget.
Mathilda Begg
7OKEA
Year 11 Blue Belts in Self-Defence
The Year 11 Senior PE students have spent the last five weeks learning self-defence techniques in preparation to receive their blue belts. They have worked on punching, kicking, punch routines, kick routines, sparring and random attacks. They have all displayed a lot of commitment, perseverance and resilience across the unit and look forward to continuing their self-defence journey through to next year. Mike Downton from Golden Knights Martial Arts commented it was the highest scoring group he has seen complete their Blue Belt in his 30+ years working in the industry. Congrats girls!
Lavena Akeel
Year 11 Student
Year 2, 3 & 4 Music Information Evening
Research tells us that students whose parents engage in their education achieve greater learning outcomes. It was wonderful to witness so many Years 2, 3 and 4 families come together for the Junior School Music Information Evening on Wednesday.
The theme for the evening was practise. I often get parents asking me how to get their girls to do more practise.
Here are a couple of tips.
- Try to find a consistent time each night within your routine for practise.
- Short, consistent practise is far better than one long session.
- Give them a time limit – depending on their age and ability (between 5 minutes and 45 minutes) ‘you can only do 15 minutes’ there is something about being given a time limit to do a task that helps to motivate. Set a stopwatch.
- Record the amount of practise completed on a bar graph. This is a great visual to keep on the fridge.
- Use stickers to reward when a practise goal is achieved.
- Record a song and send it to a grandparent or teacher.
- Play a concert to your teddies, or dog if you can drag them in!
- Ask your daughter to teach you a song on their instrument.
Click here for a fantastic Ted Talk on how to practice effectively.
Good luck to all our novice instrumentalists starting out in our immersion program this term.
Sally Rounsevell
Director of Music
Environment Club at Ferguson Park
On Thursday 29 February, Environment Club members from Years 10 and 11 met with Geoffrey Bishop in Ferguson Park. Mr Bishop is President of the Friends of Ferguson Conservation Park which is located on our School’s southern boundary. The land which is occupied by the conservation park was originally donated to the Government of South Australia on 24 June 1949 by its previous owner, Alice Ferguson, with the request that it be dedicated as a national pleasure resort ‘for the benefit of the public in perpetuity.’ The Environment Club has had a long involvement in the park and Mr Bishop updated the members on recent projects such as the upkeep and establishment of new walking paths and the process to establish a dual name for the park to incorporate the Kaurna heritage.
Over the years the Environment Club has been involved in the weeding of Sparaxis and Cape Tulip and the removal of Perennial Veldt and Pussy-tail grass and the collecting of Austrostipa seed for replanting. Maintaining strong connections between our School and the park is very important and we look forward to continuing this work in the coming months.
Januri Wagaarachchi
Environment Club Captain
Top Music Honours for Saints Girls
We are incredibly proud to announce that Samantha Keough, Head Chorister of 2023, has been awarded the highly prestigious Don Maynard Music Award for the most outstanding SACE Stage 2 performance Music student, achieving the highest marks in the state. This is now the third time in the last three years that a Saints Girl has won this prize, with Samantha now joining previous recipients, Izzy Norman and Cheri Wong. We congratulate Samantha for this amazing achievement.
Head of the River 2024 – Come and Support!
The SA Schools’ Head of the River will be held at West Lakes on Saturday 16 March. This is one of the largest school sporting events in SA and regularly draws thousands of students, families and old scholars out to support their schools.
Our rowers have been training hard to prepare for the event, and it would be great to see the Saints Girls community out in force to support our crews!
To support students who wish to attend and spectate, the School is offering a free bus service to students. Any students attending are required to be in full formal uniform. The bus will leave St Peter’s Girls’ School at 8am Saturday 16 March from Chiverton Lawns. Students can register for the bus here. Please note the bus service is one way only.
URSTRONG Parent Membership
We are proud that our Junior School is a ‘URSTRONG’ School’. This whole School friendship strategy connects our 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 Tuesday 19 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
ELC Parent-Teacher Conversations
ELC Parent-Teacher Conversations will take place on 2, 3 and 8 April (Weeks 10 and 11), with bookings opening on Tuesday 12 March.
This is an opportunity for parents to meet their child’s teacher and discuss their learning. From these discussions, future goals for your child may be created to ensure they reflect the perspectives of parents and educators.
Bookings can be made via myLink:
Log in to the myLink Parent Portal with your username and password. The username is your ID number followed by @stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
If you don’t know your password, use the link provided on the login page to reset it.
Once you have logged in and arrive on the Welcome page, click the ‘Community Portal’ tab in the top menu, then click the ‘Interviews’ tab and select the required cycle; you can log in and change your booking any time up until 5pm Wednesday 27 March.
If you require myLink assistance, please contact the IT Hub via 08 8334 2227 or helpdesk@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.
Choral Night 2024
Choral Night is one of the most anticipated events on the Saints Girls’ calendar, and this year’s spectacle carries the theme ‘Love’.
Thursday 21 March (Week 8), 7pm
Futures Church (formerly known as Influencers Church)
57 Darley Road, Paradise SA 5075
Bookings open at 5pm Friday 8 March, 4 tickets per family, click here to book.
We look forward to the festivities and can’t wait to see what our girls have in store!
Our Year 10s Present Shakespeare on the Lawn
We are thrilled to share that the Year 10 Drama and Dance students are presenting Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ on Chiverton lawns on 5 April. This exciting venture is a collaboration between Performing Arts and our Visual Arts students who are creating amazing costumes and beautiful pendant flower lamps to hang from the trees. It includes the work of Food Technology students who are preparing picnic hampers for the event.
This will be a wonderful community event, where you will be able to catch up with other families and the wider school community on our beautiful lawns and be entertained by our Year 10 Arts students.
Friday 5 April from 5.30pm, Chiverton Lawn
- 5.30pm – Set up your picnic spot, collect food orders, be entertained by our musicians.
- 6.30-7.30pm – Performance.
- 8.30pm – Event finishes.
The performance is free of charge and bookings are open! Please click here to prebook your attendance and food.
The delicious, themed picnic hampers created by the Year 10 World of Food students include a wonderful selection of tasty items such as home-made quiches, quince paste, dips, lavosh, cheeses, cured meats, baguette and crackers, presented with a custom-made cheese board. They will also include lovely, sweet treats such as brownies and fresh and dried fruits and will serve at least 4 people as an entrée.
Drinks will be sold by the Friends of Arts on the night.
St Peter’s Girls picnic blankets for purchase.
Any profits from the sale of the picnic baskets will be donated to the House Charities.
It will be a magical evening not to be missed!
Kate Burnett
Head of the Arts
The ELC Coffee Van is Coming Back this Term!
Dear ELC families,
The ELC Coffee Van is coming to St Peter’s Girls’ ELC on Thursday 28 March on Chiverton Lawns (located adjacent to the ELC).
All ELC families are welcome to enjoy a coffee and hot cross bun on us! This event offers families a wonderful opportunity to engage with the ELC community at morning drop off.
Due to allergies, babycinos will not be available. We also ask families to avoid bringing hot drinks into the ELC; instead, please use the School’s path to exit.
We look forward to seeing you there!
ELC Coffee Van
Thursday 28 March (Week 9)
Chiverton Lawns
7.30am – 10am
Shane Davidson Presents – Hairspray Jr
It’s the 60’s in Baltimore, US and the world is changing. Join Tracy Trunblad, Corny Collins, Link Larkin and Amber von Tussle and a cast of 50 as they sing and dance their way You Can’t Stop the Beat, Mama I’m a big Girl now and Good Morning Baltimore. Suitable for all ages.
Performances this weekend – Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 March
Jeffreys Linn Arts Centre, St Peter’s Girls’ School
Click here to Book.
School Shop Notice
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
Absences from School
If your child will be absent from school/ELC or is arriving late or leaving early, please notify the School via one of the following methods:
Text: 0428 601 957
Email: attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Phone: 8334 2200
Please ensure to include your child’s name, the name of the ELC Room, Class or Home Group and the reason for the absence i.e. illness/appointment/family/sport etc.
If notifying via email, feel free to ‘cc’ the teacher of the Room/Class/Home Group as well.
It would be appreciated if notification is received prior to 9am.
Sports News
Sport Results
Wednesday 28 February – Tuesday 5 March
BASKETBALL
Senior B: Saints (31) v Seymour B (28)
Best Players: Ashlyn May showed fantastic leadership on the court, led by example both defensively and offensively, and scored some tough finishes at crucial moments in the game. Januri Wagaarachchi had a great game all round, scored crucial baskets to put the team in front with a few minutes to go, and great rebounding.
Superwoman: Levanya de Silva had a super solid game, was poised in offence, absorbing the contact and pressure, showed great skill when carrying the ball down the court
Senior C: Saints (46) v Wilderness Senior C (4)
Middle A: Saints (31) v Concordia Middle A (66)
Middle C: Saints (13) v Concordia Middle C2 (20)
A really tough, hard-fought game that came down to the final 2 minutes. With their 9 players to our 6, we held our own and then some. Our defence was almost impenetrable, and our offensive structures started to work after the 1st quarter. Everyone gave 100% effort the entire game and I’m very proud of how they played.
Best Players: Imogen Wallace, Evie Murphy, Christina Zhu, Eva Morton.
Middle D Blue: Saints (8) v Concordia Middle C1 (42)
Coming up against a very well organised team with some taller bodies was a challenge for our team. But what we lacked in height we made up for in defensive effort. Some unforced errors and mistakes in the first quarter put us on the back foot for the rest of the game. We did however play hard until the final siren, and that’s the most important thing.
Best Players: Si Cheng, Sindy Song, Ella Liu and Ivy Zhang.
Middle D White: Saints (5) v Wilderness Middle Blue (59)
CRICKET
Year 3/4 Blue: Saints (2/79) v Wilderness 3/4 White (4/81)
Year 5/6 White: Saints (8/79) v Pembroke 5/6 Blue (4/121)
Senior A: Saints (6/86) v Concordia Senior A (1/63)
A great win by the girls.
Best Players: Lucy Lowry was the pick of the batters with the highest score and Phoebe smacked a quick score at the end to bring the total up.
Superwoman: Well bowled by Ella Warrick and the whole team fielded really well! Great win in the end.
Senior B: Saints (1/86) v Seymour Senior B (5/46)
TENNIS
Experienced Blue: Saints (4/4/23) v Seymour Experienced Purple (2/2/17)
Intermediate Blue: Saints (2/14) v St Ignatius Gold (4/21)
Intermediate Navy: Saints (4/22) v Wilderness Intermediate Blue (2/15)
Intermediate White: Saints (3/3/16) v St Ignatius Blue (3/3/20)
Beginner White: Saints (4/4) v Seymour Beginner White (0/0)
Senior Division 1.2: Scores not entered
Superwoman: Once again, Jessica Dong has stepped up to fill in for Div 1.2! She showed courage today in her games and did a great job!
Best player: Annabelle Birdsey was a very active net player today and helped win a lot of points in her doubles game with Cynthia Fong.
Senior Division 3.3: Saints (22) v Seymour Division 3.1 (47)
It was a tough day for the girls. They all had to play 3 positions higher than normal, but they competed very well and as always, they played the game in great spirit!
Well done to Maggie who came up from 4.4 and showed great composure to win in a tie breaker.
Senior Division 4.4: Scores not entered
Best Player: Maggie Zheng was the Saturday Superstar! She filled in the 3.3 team and WON her singles in a tiebreak. A fantastic effort from her to keep her cool and win. Her serve was very consistent, and she had her opponent on the run during some great rallies.
Super Woman: Maggie’s teammates from 4.4 who stayed around to watch her match.
Senior Open A: Saints (5) v Immanuel Premier League (72)
Best player: Leah Huynh was our best player today with the most active net play and strongest serve!
Superwoman: Annabelle Birdsey has been showing off what we’ve been practicing in training the most; hitting deep into the court and playing with intensity!
TOUCH FOOTBALL
Middle A: Saints (4) v St Ignatius 1 (2)
Middle B: Saints (4) v St Ignatius 2 (2)
Senior A: Saints (5) v St Ignatius 1 (4)
Best player: Chloe Richards
Superwoman: Anna Russell for stepping on the wing.
Senior B: Saints (2) v Loreto 3 (1)
VOLLEYBALL
Year 4-6 Blue: Saints (1/52) v Seymour 5/6 White (2/67)
Year 4-6 Silver: Saints (0/60) v Seymour 5/6 Green (3/75)
Year 4-6 White: Saints (1/46) v Seymour 5/6 Blue (2/52)
Senior A: Saints (3/75) v Immanuel Open B1 (0/45)
Senior B: Saints (2/70) v Walford Senior B (0/51)
Senior C: Saints (3) v Pembroke Senior C Yellow (0)
Superwoman: Maddie Oborn
Best player: Peyton Doan
Senior D: Saints (1/60) v Concordia Senior C3 (2/63)
Middle A: Saints (0/37) v Walford Middle A (3/75)
Best player: Jasmin Cetinkol with strong passing and defence. She had good intent to stick to the game plan.
Superwoman: Jasmin Cetinkol was encouraging to teammates and used her voice to cheer us on.
Middle C Blue: Saints (1/53) v Immanuel Middle C3 (2/56)
Middle C White: Saints (1/75) v Pulteney Middle C (2/66)
Best player: Charlotte Di Blasio
Superwoman: Mya Trinh
Middle D Blue: Saints (1/57) v Immanuel Middle C4 (2/67)
Middle D White: Saints (0/45) v Immanuel Middle C2 (3/75)
WATER POLO
Senior A: Saints (11) v Seymour Senior A (2)
Senior B: Saints (3) v Pembroke Open B (15)
Senior C: Saints (5) v Pembroke Open C (10)
Best Player: Ruby Marschall played incredibly well, shooting several amazing goals, and acquiring many balls defensively from the opposition.
Superwoman: Octavia Parkinson swam hard in both defence and in attack, providing passing options and swimming back immediately after turnovers to chase down her opponent.
SPORTS SA SWIMMING CARNIVAL
On Tuesday 27 February, a group of 18 girls attended the SSSA Swimming competition. The competition was held throughout the day with many girls stepping up and competing in races they had not previously done. There were a series of 50m races, with two of our fastest girls competing in the 100m FS event. We finished off the day with a Medley relay consisting of girls across the different ages and FS relays from each age group. Even without the addition of Year 7 and 8 students, our swimming team had an amazing day, finishing 3rd Overall. We hope to get some more girls out for our upcoming IGSSA competition and maybe take home a win. Well done to all the girls who competed, and I am very excited to see some more swimming talent in the pool soon!
Alice Braithwaite
Swimming Captain
SAPSASA SWIMMING CARNIVAL
Congratulations to all participants of yesterday’s SAPSASA Swimming Carnival! It was a very warm day at Norwood Swimming Pool, but morale was high from when the students got on the bus at 7.30am, through to the last event at 12.15pm.
Clara Toh (50m Butterfly), Phoebe Gilbert (50m Backstroke), Lucy Doherty and Amy Liau (50m Breaststroke) all smashed their School Swimming Carnival times by more than 2 seconds.
Special mention goes to Penny Coulter who took charge early and led the girls through a dry warm up and to Emily Wang who came away with two 1st and one 2nd placing on her Birthday!
More importantly, the girls were very supportive of each other and represented the school beautifully. Well done everyone!