News

eNews – Week 6, Term 2 2021

Issue no. 16Enews-banner

Adelaide Schools

Don’t Miss A Chorus Line – Next Week!

Our girls have been working overtime on stage and behind-the-scenes for next week’s School Musical: A Chorus Line – High School Edition.

This iconic production pulls back the curtain on the life of a Broadway performer, weaving personal stories together to create a breathtakingly moving event. It’s the perfect showcase for our ‘triple threat’ performers whose talents sparkle across dance, acting and singing.

Thursday 3 June and Friday 4 June at 1.30pm and 7pm
St Peter’s Girls’ Arts Centre

Purchase your tickets now via TryBooking

Before the curtain comes up, take a look at this sneak peek:

Conceived and Originally Directed and Choreographed by Michael Bennett; Book by James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante; Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Edward Kleban; Co Choreographed by Bob Avian
Original Broadway production produced by the New York
Shakespeare Festival, Joseph Papp, Producer, in association with Plum Productions, Inc.
Adaptation and support materials for the High School Edition
Developed by iTheatrics
Under the supervision of Timothy Allen McDonald
A CHORUS LINE High School Edition is presented by permission of ORiGiN™
Theatrical on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC

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From Our Director of Teaching and Learning

Adelaide Schools

Adelaide Schools

Term 2 is whizzing by, so this is a timely opportunity to share some academic reminders and updates:

2022 Subjects and Pathways
Year 10 students have this week heard in detail about the IB and SACE programs. In Week 8, they will be able to go through a Q&A session to listen to students from both programs, and to ask them questions about their experiences so far. Year 9 students will attend similar pathway information sessions in Weeks 8 and 9. The Curriculum Handbook, which contains comprehensive information about all senior subjects available in 2022, will be published towards the end of term. Faculties will also be sharing subject-specific overviews during lesson time over the next few weeks.

Examinations
Year 10 and Year 11 SACE Semester 1 examinations take place in Week 9 and the timetables have been distributed. Some #EMPOWHER time this term has been allocated to reviewing revision strategies. With more Stage 2 SACE examinations moving online, more of our internal examinations are following suit so that students can gain extensive experience using online platforms. Our internal examination browser can replicate all the features of SACE’s version, and thanks go to our Head of Technology Garth Coulter for developing and enhancing this valuable tool.

Teachers are Learners Too
As covered in previous eNews articles, our teachers are continually looking to improve and refine their practice through professional development and trialling and reviewing new approaches in their learning spaces. A key focus for us this year is making our growth goals measurable, using quantitative data wherever possible. This is so we can gather evidence of impact and enable future strategic thinking to be firmly evidence-based. Another important focus for us this year is reflecting on teaching ‘sweet spots’, in other words, the ideal blend of different teaching and learning approaches.

Last year, COVID hit university pre-service teaching programs particularly badly, with most schools unable to host students in 2020. We are doing our bit this year by hosting students from six different Australian universities across the two semesters.

Tutor Program
A quick reminder about the Tutor Program we offer here at Saints Girls. Students in Years 7 – 12 can book a before or after-school session with a tutor if they need some additional help with an assignment or would like to consolidate their classroom learning. The booking process is easy – via Canvas – and the tutors are recent Old Scholars who well-remember the demands of being a student and the requirements of particular tasks and units of work. Best of all, this service is free!

Nigel Scoggins
Director of Teaching and Learning

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Reconciliation Week at St Peter’s Girls

St Peter’s Girls’ School is proud to mark National Reconciliation Week, which this year carries the theme, More than a word. Reconciliation takes action.

Our ELC is leading the way, with reconciliation and respect for indigenous history and culture embedded into daily life. This week, our Director of Early Learning Kate Mount had the honour of representing the education sector of South Australia from ELC to Year 12 on a panel at the Reconciliation Breakfast at the Convention Centre. Speaking to over 1600 people, she was able to advocate for the importance of having and living a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

Take a look at a snapshot of our ongoing reconciliation journey at St Peter’s Girls:


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Launch Pad for IB Science

Adelaide Schools

As part of the IB Diploma, students study one or two Science subjects. Over the two-year Science course, students complete one internal assessment (IA) task on a topic of their choice.

Weijia Yin can be seen above gathering data for her Physics IA. Out on our School Oval, Weijia is firing her self-made water bottle rocket. She is testing the effect of water level variability, with constant pressure (30psi), on the maximum height reached by the rocket. Super cool!

Interested in the IB Diploma?
Year 9 student information session: Thursday 10 June, Home Group
Subject EXPO: Thursday 22 July, 4.30 – 7pm
Contact cfarr@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au for further information about the IB Diploma.

Carolyn Farr
IB Diploma Coordinator/Mathematics Teacher

Adelaide Schools

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State Selection Sticks for Hockey Guns

Adelaide Schools

Congratulations to our U13 Hockey girls Phoebe Lucas, Yashika Agarwal and Abbey Phillips, as well as the U15 strikers Amelia Lucas, Winnie Vartuli and Leah Huynh, for being selected to participate in the State Zone Championships.

The Hockey SA Championships are taking place over the June long weekend, and our girls are excitedly preparing ahead of their games. We wish them all the best!

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Patteson and Kilburn House Charity Day

Adelaide Schools

Each year, the Houses at Saints Girls support their respective charities through multiple fundraising and charitable endeavours. Today, Year 10 girls used their culinary skills for good by baking and preparing delectable sweets to raise funds for Patteson’s House Charity, the Moore Street Drop-In Centre, and delicious cheese toasties in support of Kilburn’s House Charity, the Cancer Council.

Through this opportunity, the girls have truly realised what an impact these charities have in our society. The Moore Street Drop-In Centre offers a variety of anti-poverty services with the aim to empower people to regain control of their lives. The Cancer Council works across every area of cancer including research, prevention, support and advocacy.

This is a perfect example of how the Saints Girls’ community has come together to Be Bold and have Hearts of Gold in support of two incredible charities who help so many across our State.

Georgina Wakeham and Bridgette Leach
Students

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First-Class Accolades for Dedicated Educators

Adelaide Schools

Congratulations to Year 1 Teacher Liz Sandercock and Head of Languages Cindy Pitkin who have been recognised for their services in education. As part of National Volunteer Week, Liz and Cindy were invited to attend the Educators SA 2021 Volunteers’ Service Ceremony at the Adelaide Pavilion. Liz was awarded for an amazing 20+ years’ service to Educators SA, and Cindy received an award for 10+ years’ service to the Japanese Language Teachers’ Association of SA. Both Liz and Cindy were honoured to be part of an evening that celebrated volunteers in all different educational associations.

In lieu of trophies or similar awards, Liz and Cindy received framed certificates, and Educators SA donated $1 for each year of service by the award recipients to a children’s charity. This year, they selected Backpacks 4 SA Kids, which is a wonderful cause. In total, $1141 was donated from the event.

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Bingo Night – Saturday 19 June

The Saints Girls’ community proudly presents:

Bingo Night!
Saturday 19 June
St Peter’s Girls’ School Gym

5 rounds of Bingo + fun and games / bar available for drink purchases/adults only event.

Tickets are limited, so organise your table now by visiting: TryBooking

Supported by Friends of Rowing

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Piano Eisteddfod 2021

Adelaide Schools

 

On Tuesday 8 June 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. Parents are welcome to attend, and times of each student’s performance will be communicated to families.

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 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.

A recital will be held on the evening of Tuesday 15 June in MB120. These students will be chosen from the Eisteddfod performers who show confidence and a high level of musicianship. The selected recital students will be notified by the end of Week 8.

If your daughter would like to be involved, please fill out and return the Piano Eisteddfod consent form by Monday 31 May. Girls can collect the form from the Arts Office. They will later 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.

Sally Rounsevell
Director of Music

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Road Safety Alert

Adelaide Schools

The School is extremely concerned by reports of dangerous driver behaviour including speeding through the car park. All drivers must obey the 10kph speed limit.

Please also note the speed limit along Hallett Road has recently been reduced from 60 to 50kph.

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.

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Medical Research Careers Evening

The Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR) will be holding an online High School Careers Evening on Tuesday 8 June at 6.30pm AEST. There will be a panel of people from all around Australia, where they will be discussing their jobs and the pathways they took to get there. This is a great opportunity for STEM enthusiasts to gain more information about a variety of industries. The event aims to showcase a range of career opportunities in the health and medical sector to students from Years 9 to 12. For more information, please click here.

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Join ‘Our Saints’ Community

Beyond parents and guardians, our girls also treasure connections with grandparents, aunts, uncles or friends of the family. We name these special people ‘Our Saints’.

In the first week of Term 2, students from Reception to Year 6 were given two forms each to take home to their grandparents. If you did not receive these forms from your daughter, please contact me via mwestgate@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au or 8334 2244.

Alternatively, there is a link to the form here.

Our Saints provides opportunities for those who have a connection with our girls to be more involved with the School community through various means, ranging from volunteering their time, to subscribing to our publications such as eNews and Saints Alive.

We encourage all interested grandparents, aunts, uncles or friends of the family to join this special group.

Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager

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Entertainment Membership – Free Upgrade

To support Saints Girls and purchase your Entertainment Membership, including a free upgrade, click here.

Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.entertainment.com.au for more information.

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Absences from School

If your child is going to be absent, late to school or leave early, please use one of the following methods to notify the School providing student name, class/Home Group and reason:

Text: 0428 601 957

Email: attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au

Phone: 8334 2200

Feel free to include the class/Home Group teacher when emailing. It would be appreciated if notifications could be made prior to 9am.

Please note: it is absolutely imperative to keep unwell children at home until they have recovered, even if symptoms are mild. This is not only for their own health and safety, but for that of all students and staff.

We thank all of our families for their cooperation.

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COVID Measures

Please note the following information regarding our continued COVID response.

The School has a QR code tracing system to facilitate the safe return of parents on site, in line with wider government measures. Parents entering the campus to drop off or collect their children need to scan the QR code provided each time. This also applies to parents visiting the School for events such as parent information evenings or sports training/matches.

Parents and visitors with more formal appointments at the School, such as meeting a staff member, are still required to sign in/out at Front Office and also need to scan the QR code as well for SA Health tracing purposes.

Adults who do not have a device to scan the QR code need to write their details on the paper form provided in the Front Office.

Parents who remain in their vehicles in the main car park do not need to scan in, and students do not need to scan in as the School already tracks daily attendance.

Logistics around events will be shared in due course, dependent upon the latest advice. Attendance numbers, particularly for indoor events, will still need to be restricted to facilitate social distancing.

The following general requirements remain in place:

  • Ensure adults maintain a distance of 1.5m from each other.
  • Practise sound hand washing and other hygiene measures.
  • Students should remain at home if they are unwell; please notify the School of absences by texting 0428 601 957, emailing attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au, or calling 8334 2200.

We thank all of our families for your cooperation.

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Sports News

AFL

Open: Saints 8 v Immanuel 23
Middle: Saints 6 v Immanuel 76

BADMINTON

Open A: Saints 6 v 0 Immanuel
Open B: Saints 6 v 0 Seymour
Open C: Saints 6 v 0 Seymour
Open D: Saints 6 v 0 Seymour
Open E1: Saints 5 v 4 Woodcroft
Open E2: Saints 4 v 5 Wilderness
Open F1: Saints 7 v 2 Woodcroft
Open F2: Saints 6 v 3 Immanuel

Another week of exceptional results coming through from all teams with 7 out of the 8 winning their matches. Great match skills displayed from all players, especially from the A to D teams winning all matches and all players in Open A and Open C remaining undefeated. The girls showcased a consistently strong performance, and again, impressive and dominating plays coming from the Open A and to best player Gloria Gao winning by 15 – 2 and 15 – 3 against Immanuel College. The girls have also demonstrated excellent teamwork in their doubles and I’m sure everyone has improved throughout the matches. It is great to see girls playing with passion and more confidence as they continue to improve in terms of mindset, teamwork and basic skills. Congratulations to all who competed, well done! – Candy Feng (Captain)

CROSS COUNTRY

SAAS

Middle School
Malaika McLeod – 1st 14:29
Isla Fahey – 2nd 15:40
Daisy Braithwaite – 3rd 15:49
Alice Braithwaite – 7th 17:03
Carys Kinsella-White – 15th 18:01
Zara Trim – 17th 18:19
Charlotte McAuliffe – 18th 18:54
Dani Cox – 20th 18:58

Senior School
Lady Murphy – 6th 19:11

HOCKEY

Open: Saints 1 v Seymour 4
Year 5/6: Saints 10 v Seymour 0

The Open As started off strongly by connecting passes together while working the ball down the field, resulting in short corners. Saints scored the first goal of the match from a short corner, with Phoebe Lucas pushing out to Winnie Vartuli on the top and hitting the ball in the bottom corner. This was pleasing to see as it is what we have been working on in trainings. Best player goes to goalkeeper Alice Reid who saved some amazing balls. – Poppie Goldsmith (Hockey Captain)

It was a great win for the 5/6 Hockey team playing against Seymour. Having a wider pitch really helped our game play and the team worked well to use every inch of the field. There was smooth passing into the circle and some incredible shots on goal. We had clean tackles and our strikers made a lot of excellent leads. This game was a time to shine for our team! Great work girls. - Abbey Phillips

LACROSSE

U11 White: Saints 7 v Burnside 5
U11 Blue: Saints 6 v St Aloysius 5
U13: Saints 11 v Wilderness 10

Our U13 team had a fantastic game against Wilderness with a dramatic late comeback. After being 5 down in the first quarter, a change in the number of players on the field from 8 a side to 10 a side kickstarted the Saints’ comeback. Despite some early confusion and needing time to adapt to playing with 10, Saints Girls showed fantastic resilience to continue to create scoring opportunities, with Lois Burton-Howard scoring the last goal in a nail-biting victory.

NETBALL

Open A: Saints 30 v Scotch 49
Open B: Saints 27 v Scotch 41
Open C: Saints 28 v Scotch 58
Open D: Saints 7 v Scotch 48

Intermediate A: Saints 28 v Scotch 49
Intermediate B: Saints 9 v Scotch 44

Year 10C: Saints 24 v Seymour 46
Year 9A: Saints 15 v Scotch 33
Year 9B: Saints 23 v Scotch 24
Year 9C: Saints 6 v Seymour 17
Year 8A: Saints 24 v Scotch 49
Year 8B: Saints 17 v Scotch 12
Year 8C: Saints 9 v Seymour 17
Year 7A: Saints 13 v Scotch 22
Year 7B: Saints 19 v Pulteney 14
Year 7C: Saints 6 v Immanuel 6
Year 6 White: Saints 13 v Pembroke 5
Year 6 Blue: Saints 30 v Pembroke 7
Year 5 White: Saints 7 v Walford 9
Year 5 Blue: Saints 9 v Seymour 8
Year 5 Silver: Saints 1 v Seymour 17

Year 5 Blue: Saints 9 v Seymour 8
The team came up against our toughest competition of the season. Seymour Blue had some strong players who used the ball very well and defended tightly. Our girls had to work extremely hard to get in front and make strong leads. We had some great passages of play, particularly when we were steady and made good decisions with our passing. Defensively we worked hard all game to play one-on-one and picked up lots of loose balls and deflections. The game was goal-for-goal for the duration, with the winning goal being scored with less than 20 seconds on the clock! It was a great game and all players from both teams should be commended on the standard of netball played. – Alice Johnswood (Netball Coordinator)

Year 7A: Saints 13 v Scotch 22
Even though we lost, our effort was still really good. In defence, our hands were up, in the mid-court, we always had someone going for the ball, and our efforts were really consistent. Our shooters tried hard all game and a special mention goes to Alyssa who had a go at every ball, and when she was in defence, she blocked out her player really well. Another special mention goes to Isobel as she was really good at blocking out her player also. – Mia Bennett

Year 8B: Saints 17 v Scotch 12
In the first half, we started off very strong; however, Scotch came back at us in the second half. The final score was 17 – 12 Saints’ way. Scotch College was a solid team; well done to all the girls who played! – Elysia Scarr

Intermediate A: Saints 28 v Scotch 49
The girls knew they were up for a challenge, but we put in an amazing effort all game and kept pushing even when we were down. By implementing the defensive throw in drills that we practised in training, the defenders were able to effectively bring the ball down the court. The attacking skills progressed from a difficult first quarter to an excellent last quarter as the shooters made fast movements around the circle. Special thanks to Sammi Keough for stepping up to the team. – Maddy Liddy

Intermediate B: Saints 9 v Scotch 44
The girls put up a really good fight against a very strong, defensive team. The players in defence had a great game with turnovers and a strong front against a tall, skilled attacking side. The attacking team did very well and held their own throughout with some mid-court work from Anda and Tahlia. Thanks to Ellie and Georgia for filling in; they did a top job moving up into the team. Great effort girls! – Milly Brett

SOCCER

Open: Saints 0 v Seymour 7
Middle: Saints 5 v Immanuel 1

A great game from the girls with an outcome that did not represent their hard efforts, a loss of 7 – 0. Only 2 down at half-time, the girls were really executing what they had learnt in training, displaying another big improvement. Player of the match was Victoria as she took control of the midfield marking. Well done! – Lucy Benn (Soccer Captain)

STUDENT SUCCESS

Our girls also continue to thrive in outside of school sport and we really appreciate it when their stories are passed onto the Sport Department.

TOUCH FOOTBALL STATE FINALS

MIDDLE
The girls were ready for a big day in the State Finals, having to play 6 matches with the top 2 teams playing off in the Grand Final. The girls got off to a fantastic start, defeating Marryatville and then winning the next 2 games to be top of the leader board. By the end of the pool matches, we stayed in the top 2, with a 5 minute turnaround before the Grand Final against Wilderness. The girls were right in the game and a try late to Mathilda Thomas put us down by 1. Unfortunately, the siren sounded as we were mounting an attack, losing 2 – 1. The girls displayed remarkable determination, fighting through injuries and awful weather to put up a great fight. We look forward to a new Touch season in Term 4.

OPEN
Our Open team took out victories against Temple Christian College (4 – 2) and Grant High School (5 – 1) in the group stage. However, a loss to Golden Grove (2 – 3) meant they finished 2nd in their group overall and were tasked with the prospect of facing Wilderness in the Semi-Final, who topped their group with 3 wins. Wilderness proved too strong for Saints and finished 4 – 1 winners. This resulted in a second game against Golden Grove with a repeat of the group stage score line, meaning Saints finished 4th overall.

VOLLEYBALL

After a long time away from Volleyball, our Middle As, joined by two Year 10 students, were challenged to compete in the SSSA Year 10 Knockout. This development opportunity saw our girls face some touch competition, particularly in the form of Seaview and Glenunga, who both had strong and experienced Year 10 sides on the court. Despite the challenges, the girls were able to take out straight set victories against Adelaide, Adelaide Botanic and Mount Barker, eventually beating Adelaide in the 3rd place playoff.

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