Issue no. 7
In this edition
From the Head of Middle School
Our Global Exchange program aims to foster a deep understanding of, and appreciation for, cultures and peoples around the world. It provides the opportunity for St Peter’s Girls students to come into contact with a range of opinions, experiences and backgrounds. It helps our students learn about the complexities and interconnectedness of the global society in which we live, whilst allowing them to compare their own culture with that of another country. Importantly, our exchange program gives our students a chance to discover more about themselves and appreciate their place in this world in a way that can only be achieved by stepping outside their comfort zones.
We currently offer three reciprocal exchanges for students in Years 9 and 10 to schools in the UK, Japan and Canada.
Recently, three exchange students from Canada returned home to Montreal following six weeks of being part of St Peter’s Girls’ School.
Carsyn Meloche, Charlotte van Dyke Talbot and Grace Nizzola made the decision to apply for the exchange last year after being shown a presentation and some beautiful pictures of our School and Adelaide. The girls then did their research, and spoke with their teachers and a number of students who had been here last year. They were advised that the exchange was a great idea.
The girls were surprised to be given the opportunity to be involved with the program and they couldn’t wait to get on the plane to head to Australia.
Carsyn said, “It is such a great privilege to be a part of this program. My parents thought it was an excellent idea, and they backed me completely. I feel really proud to have discovered another side of myself while I’ve been here. I’ve been around new people in a new environment and I’ve really had to learn about myself and stretch my personality in ways I didn’t know were possible.”
The girls arrived from Miss Edgar’s and Miss Cramp’s School in Montreal and the learning started instantly. Grace said, “It has been so great to come here to Adelaide together. We came here not really knowing each other, but now we have a very special bond together. It’s amazing! I’ve realised it’s possible to change friendship groups and develop other sides of our personalities. I had to learn to be more social and understand other people’s points of view.”
This experience has broadened the students’ horizons. They are now used to being out of their comfort zones and they feel this experience has given them skills to build on in future.
Charlotte said, “I loved the students here at Saints. They were so welcoming and beautiful to be around. They really made an effort to make us feel welcome and join their groups. The teachers were also really understanding and very helpful at all times.”
The girls are hoping their newly made friendships won’t fade over time, and they plan to use Skype to stay in touch as much as possible. Their visit came after four of our students spent 7 weeks at Miss Edgar’s and Miss Cramp’s school in Montreal during Terms 3 and 4 last year.
On Sunday we welcomed 9 students from Senzoku Gakuen Girls’ School in Tokyo, Japan. These girls are attending classes with students in Years 9-11, whilst staying with students studying Japanese from Years 8-11. The timing of the stay means they are already taking part in Choral Night practices, and will take part in the main event on Wednesday 30 March, shortly before returning home to Tokyo. They will also enjoy an Adelaide Easter long weekend with their homestay families. All those families hosting a student have the chance to return to Japan later in the year, along with all students studying Japanese in Years 9-11.
Matthew Van Etten, the visiting teacher from Tokyo, is clear on the benefits for the Japanese students:
“Seeing the world from a different perspective is often one of major goals of language learners. The opportunity to actually live that perspective is one few people have, and therefore part of why Senzoku Gakuen feels it is necessary to make it possible for our students to do just that.
As a Japanese girls’ school, Senzoku strives to provide its students with the ability to find possibility in anything they do. Studying abroad, even for a short time, can have such a lasting impact on each individual, but when done in a mutually beneficial partnership between schools, has a lasting impact on the entire school community. In the end, that is the entire point of an exchange; bringing schools and families from very different backgrounds one small step closer.”
All of our exchange partner schools share a hope that the students who participate in such exchanges keep their newly found perspective with them for the rest of their lives, and that they find a new level of self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment that no textbook or test could ever provide.
I am looking to extend our exchange program to enable more students to take part, and am currently in preliminary negotiations with a number of schools in the USA and in the UK. If you have suggestions for locations to which you feel an exchange would be popular, or contacts in an overseas school that might be of interest, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Richard Lisle
Strategic Planning: parent forums
Thank you to all parents who recently took part in our online survey to provide your opinion on a range of issues at the School. Your feedback is very important to us and will be used as we move forward.
Our new strategic plan will outline the way forward for the School over the next three years. This document will provide a clear path of improvement across a number of areas to ensure we continue to deliver excellence in education to our students.
While the survey results are being collated and analysed, I would now like to invite parents to attend our open forums to discuss in details areas of specific concern or in need of improvement.
Parents are invited to contribute to areas such as the academic, co-curricular and well-being domains. This is a vital way for us to hear your feedback and discuss ideas in an open and transparent way. Please attend the session/s that interest you most:
> Monday 4 April – Academic
> Tuesday 12 April – Well-being
> Thursday 14 April – Co-curricular
Each session will begin with a brief overview of what we have achieved in each area over the past two years, and our initial thoughts about where we would like to head in the future. We will then open the forum for broader discussion.
All sessions will be held in the Humzy Theatre from 7pm.
To assist with catering, please RSVP at www.trybooking.com/KTQB.
As always, if you have an idea, issue or topic to raise with me, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly at jshea@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au or to make an appointment, please call 8334 2226 to arrange a convenient time.
I look forward to seeing many of you at these forums over the next few weeks.
Julia Shea
Principal
SUBS students win national engineering challenge
Four students from St Peter’s Girls’ School took out the National ‘SUBS in Schools’ engineering challenge in March.
The national high school competition, the ‘Future Submarine Technology Challenge’, was devised and piloted by Re-Engineering Australia, along with leading engineering companies and the State Government, to help students actively engage with Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
SUBS in Schools encourages students to work in teams to build a working model submarine that must perform a number of manoeuvres and meet set criteria. Teams must also develop a company portfolio, provide documentation of their design process and present a marketing plan as part of the challenge.
Emily Keough, Sophie-Louise Shearwood, and Fiona and Grace Dawson commenced their SUBS journey last year by participating in the program as part of a Year 10 elective subject. After winning the state finals in September, Team Athena continued refining their prototype and supporting documentation in preparation for the National Finals, which were held in Sydney.
Throughout the SUBS in Schools program, students learned about buoyancy, mechanics and electronics, while using advanced technology software and 3D CAD modelling. The program also involves project management and marketing skills.
A key component of the SUBS in Schools program is a mentoring opportunity with engineers and experts from the industry.
SAAB Australia partnered with St Peter’s Girls to provide ongoing support throughout the program. Our students worked with graduate engineers and experts to learn about the technology found in submarines, unravel the skills required to build a working prototype and problem-solve their design to produce the best result.
Throughout the project, the girls were fortunate to meet and speak with representatives from a variety of industry-leading organisations and it is these experiences that have left the girls most inspired for a future career in Engineering.
Following the success, the girls have been interviewed for a range of media articles, including pieces in The Advertiser and The Australian. Emily was also interviewed by 2GB’s Alan Jones.
Last week the students also presented their award-winning prototype to the Minister for Defence, Martin Hamilton-Smith, and spoke with him at length about the project, the challenges involved and the interest the girls now have in Engineering. Minister Hamilton-Smith presented the School with a small trophy to acknowledge the girls’ outstanding efforts.
Spirit of Anzac Centenary Excursion – Year 9 History
On Wednesday of Week 6, the entire Year 9 cohort had the unique privilege of visiting the Spirit of Anzac Centenary Exhibition at Wayville Showgrounds.
The Exhibition is part of a national tour and is sponsored by the Australian War Memorial and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Students were given a background briefing and had members of the armed services act as guides as they experienced the 14 ‘zones’ of the exhibit, which were rich in artefacts, interactive displays and digital re-creations of key campaigns in World War One.
Students had access to a hand-held GPS device which narrated each exhibit as they walked through each zone. While the exhibition was chronological and was primarily based on the period from Federation to the end of World War One, it concluded with a focus on Australia’s other conflicts and peace-keeping commitments up to, and including, the present day. Students were able to not only gain a genuine sense of the scale of the campaigns, such as the Battles of the Somme and Passchendaele, but were also moved by the personal extracts of letters and images associated with these experiences.
It was a timely opportunity for students as we approach ANZAC Day and offer students the chance to participate in Camp Gallipoli this year. The centenary of 1916, the year which saw Australia experience its greatest loss of life on the Western Front, is also a timely reminder of both the sacrifice and horrors of warfare.
Here are a number of student insights into the exhibition:
- The Anzac exhibition was a wonderful experience to learn about those who have served our country in the present and past. – Anneliese Thomas
- The Anzac Exhibition was very interesting and a good learning experience. There was a range of things to see, which made it fun and interesting. – Georgina Bafile
- I really enjoyed the whole experience of the Anzac Exhibition. I liked how we could hear the story while exploring the artefacts of ANZAC. It was good how you could go through the exhibition at your own speed. – Hannah Lunn
- The visual effects at the exhibition were amazing! The music and sound effects made the experience very realistic. – Anna Pryor
Gregor Dingwall
Head of Humanities
Pi Day
Did you know that Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond its decimal point?
Pi (Greek letter “π”) is the symbol used in Mathematics to represent a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — which is approximately 3.14159. Pi Day is celebrated on 14 March (3/14) around the world.
This year some Year 10 girls chose a T-shirt design, which students in Years 9 to 12 could buy.
See if you can find something circular at home and try this:
- Measure the circumference with a piece of string
- Measure the diameter of the circle.
- Divide the circumference by the diameter
How close did you get to π?
Other ways of celebrating Pi-Day include making and eating a pie!
Matthew Durant
Head of Mathematics
Carolyn Farr
Year 10 Maths teacher
Year 8 camp
Year 8 students braved the weather on Kangaroo Island last week and returned to School on Friday with many exciting stories to tell. Our Outdoor Education program provided many great opportunities for the girls to visit unique and natural places, while also attempt a range of challenging activities. Below are a few reflections from the girls.
Class of 8DSE
Many of 8DSE’s favourite memories on camp were made while visiting the sand dunes at Little Sahara. We were all really excited about visiting because those who had visited before us had raved about how fun the sandboarding was. We arrived and we were greeted by extremely cold and wet weather. Although walking up the hills proved to be tiring, we all had fun rolling and sandboarding down. Without showers afterwards, there were many complaints about sand in places where we didn’t even know we could get sand.
While in Kangaroo Island, we were also excited about the Birds of Prey show we were lucky enough to see. We enjoyed meeting the different birds and learning about the different wildlife around Australia and Kangaroo Island in particular. Most of the girls were able to wear a glove and hold the birds on their arms. I think we all agreed that the two funniest parts of the show were when Jess was called up by the host and he said, “Yeah, you in the salmon,” when she was wearing a pink T-shirt. The other funny moment was when a turkey came out from the bushes and had a fight with one of the eagles while neither of the instructors was watching.
Zara Stefani
On camp one of the activities we were fortunate enough to participate in was snorkelling. Snorkelling was an amazing experience as we were able to see the beautiful marine life, including many fish and interesting sea plants. When we first stepped into the water we all thought that we were going to freeze to death. We even thought that our fingers were turning blue and were about to fall off. But as we started to swim we all forgot about how cold the water was because we were so focussed on the breathtaking marine life that was surrounding us.
Daniel Searle
Head of PE, Health & Outdoor Education
Tutor Program proving popular
O
ur new Tutor Program for Years 7-12 students is proving popular with students. It’s already providing excellent support for students as they navigate the complexities of their Middle and Senior School studies.
Our tutors are all recent Old Scholars, who’ve been carefully selected to cover key subject areas such as Maths, Science, English and Humanities. They are employed directly by the School.
Importantly, this is a free service provided to students so you can attend as many sessions as you need.
The tutors have access to course outlines and assessment requirements and provide clear feedback and reinforce understanding of subjects for students. They are also in direct communication with subject teachers if required.
If you are keen for your daughter to get involved with the tutoring sessions, which occurs before and after school, please contact me on 8334 2238 or email kskinner@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.
Kerry Skinner
Deputy Principal & Head of Senior School
Vacation Care: The more, the merrier!
The next instalment of our Vacation Care program is coming up during school holidays and we’d like to extend a warm welcome to primary school aged children from the wider community to attend. Students are welcome to invite friends or siblings to share in the range of enriching activities for both girls and boys.
Junior School program – for children in Reception to Year 6
Join us for a day at the movies, a trip to the Adelaide Zoo or at a Teddy Bears Picnic. Learn to make pizzas and pikelets, create digital animation and master magic tricks that enthrall! Whatever the choice, children can enjoy a range of planned play and leisure activities, practise social skills and solve problems in a safe and relaxed atmosphere.
How it works
Your child can attend as few or as many days as needed, for full or half days, to suit your schedule and commitments. Simply pre-book the days you would like your child to attend and enjoy Vacation Care at St Peter’s Girls.
Dates
> Week 1: Monday 18 April to Friday 22 April
> Week 2: Tuesday 26 April to Friday 29 April
Download the April 2016 Vacation Care Program for details.
To book, visit www.stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au/vacationcare
Dads Night Out: tickets now on sale
The inaugural Dads Night Out, ‘A Night on the Green’, will be held on Friday 1 April.
Come along for a great evening, bring a friend and enjoy some barefoot bowling at the Toorak Burnside Bowling Club.
7–11pm, Friday 1 April 2016
Toorak Burnside Bowling Club, 25 Giles Street, Toorak Gardens
To book, visit www.trybooking.com/KRNT.
Includes finger food and prizes. Drinks can be purchased on the evening.
Earlybird special: $30 tickets available before 29 March 2016! Keep an eye out for your invitation.
It’ll be a fun and social evening. Remember – no bowling experience is necessary! This fundraising event is hosted by the Mothers’ Club.
The Mothers’ Club would love to offer you the opportunity to promote your business at this event. If you have a product or service that can be donated for a raffle or auction prize, please let us know. Contact Emma on emmarob@bigpond.net.au.
Camp Gallipoli
Camp Gallipoli will be held on the night of 24-25 April this year (Wednesday night, Week 2 of the Term 1 holidays).
Through the Year 6 trip to Canberra and the Australian War Memorial and the Year 9 History curriculum’s focus on World War One, there is a very strong incentive for involvement in this event, but this is also a great opportunity for wider involvement of students and families from the whole school community.
What is Camp Gallipoli?
The Camp Gallipoli Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation established to help preserve, foster and perpetuate the unique Spirit of ANZAC commemorations. The aim is to educate students about the service and sacrifice made by Australian and New Zealand soldiers throughout World War One and conflicts since.
Following the inaugural event at Morphettville Racecourse in 2015, Camp Gallipoli has moved to the Wayville Showgrounds this year and is inviting St Peter’s Girls students and families to participate in this unique commemorative event. Each venue nationwide has an historic link to Gallipoli, World War One and other theatres of war.
As part of the promotion for this year’s event, Camp Gallipoli is offering each student two tickets as part of a package which can be activated upon online payment. This promotion will be sent home through each Home Group this week. There has been a significant reduction in ticket prices for this year ($54.95) for students, parents, teachers and community members. It promises to be a great night of community spirit, live entertainment and reflection, closing with the Dawn Service on 25 April.
If you have any queries about the event and the material distributed to each student, please contact Ms Fox at ruby@campgallipoli.com.au or 1300 951 951. Furthermore, if you have questions about how Camp Gallipoli complements the School’s curriculum, please contact me via email at: gdingwall@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.
Gregor Dingwall
Head of Humanities
Upcoming School Tours
Our next School Tour is scheduled for Tuesday 22 March at 9.30am. If you have family or friends interested in learning more about our School, please encourage them to attend our upcoming tour by contacting Jess Geraghty, Enrolments Manager via 08 8334 2215 or jgeraghty@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au or register online.
For families wishing to view the facilities of St Peter’s College and see their school in action, the next tour is available on Thursday 7 April 2016. For any enrolment enquiries at St Peter’s College, please contact Amanda Bruce, Admissions Manager, on 8404 0517 or abruce@stpeters.sa.edu.au.
Choral Night 2016: tickets now on sale
Choral Night 2016 is just a few weeks away. We hope Years 7–12 families can join us for this annual highlight on the School calendar.
Tickets are now on sale to all families. We encourage you to book your tickets early to avoid disappointment, as this is always a sell-out event.
Time: 7pm (doors open 6.30pm)
Date: Wednesday 30 March 2016
Venue: Adelaide Town Hall, 128 King William Street, Adelaide
Tickets: $10 each (a maximum of four tickets per family applies)
Visit www.trybooking.com/HAQC to book.
We hope to see as many parents as possible join us for what is sure to be a fun and entertaining evening.
For further information, contact the Development Office on events@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.
School Shop update
From next term, students will need to change their uniform from Summer to Winter.
Students will be required to wear their winter uniform from the first day next term.
If you require a winter uniform fitting, please contact the School Shop on 8334 2228 to arrange an appointment.
We will only be open for limited hours during the second week of school holidays.
Sue Burnett
School Shop Manager
Get involved in Junior School Banking
You can get involved in the School Banking program by opening a Commonwealth Bank Youthsaver account at any Commonwealth Bank branch, over the phone on 13 2221, or via NetBank if you are an existing customer with NetBank access.
Remember to take in identification for you and your child (driver’s license and birth certificate). You will receive a Dollarmites wallet and deposit book that your child will use to participate in the program.
Our school receives $5 when a student makes their first ever School Banking deposit and 5% on every deposit made through the school (to a maximum of $10 per individual deposit).
Thank you for supporting our school and helping to teach your child the benefits of saving regularly.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia ABN 48 123 123 124. Call 13 2221 at any time. As this advice has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on this advice, consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. Full terms and conditions for transaction and savings accounts are available from any branch of the Commonwealth Bank and should be considered in any decision about the product. If you have a complaint in respect of this product, the Commonwealth Bank’s dispute resolution process can be accessed on 13 2221.
Sport news
Swimming – Primary School Sport Tuesday 8 March
Saints sent a small but talented group of swimmers to compete at the East Adelaide District Carnival. On a warm day all girls performed creditably, with many gaining places. Congratulations go to the following swimmers who were selected to represent East Adelaide at the State metropolitan swimming carnival; Emily Baldwinson, Poppy Marshall, Sophie Norman, Gemma Schaedel, Stephanie Smalls, Lily-Rose Spartalis.
Swimming – Secondary School Sport – Wednesday 9 March
Saints competed in the A Grade division of the Secondary Schools Sports swimming competition. Held over a number of nights, there are six girls’ divisions consisting of 56 schools from around SA. This year, Saints returned to the A grade, and finished a deserving fourth overall from the nine schools who competed.
Basketball – Wednesday 9 March
Open A – Saints 17 defeated by Pulteney 79
Although the girls lost, they never gave up throughout the match. Special mention to Chelsea Marchetti who never gave up under the basket. Peter Krantis (Coach)
Junior Softball – Wednesday 9 March
Year 6 – Saints 2 defeated by Pembroke 5
An unfortunate loss, however it was a great effort seeing as we only had seven players. There was a noticeable improvement from our last game, with everyone functioning a lot better as a team. Highlights of the game were Angela Mourtzios and Sophie Norman’s pitching, as well as Annabelle’s fantastic hit. Great job by all players and we look forward to next week’s game. Lydia Smalls and Jasmine Ledgard (Coaches)
Teeball – Wednesday 9 March
Saints 11 defeated by Wilderness 15
The team fought valiantly throughout the first innings, limiting Wilderness to only one run. Unfortunately in the next innings, the girls came a little undone. In the final innings the girls came back with seven runs, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to secure the win. The game showed clearly that the girls have definitely improved their fielding this term, and now just have to look at batting. Claire Hale (Coach)
Saints 21 defeated Pembroke 15
After a break from training, the girls came back with a strong batting and fielding innings, bringing in seven runs and limiting Pembroke to only one run. This pattern continued and the girls only surrendered seven runs in one innings (but this was probably due to the scorching heat rather than ability!) Despite the break in training, the girls have improved on their batting from the previous week, which is heartening to see in our youngest players. Claire Hale (Coach)
Water Polo – Thursday 10 March
Open A – Saints 3 defeated by St Ignatius 11
Saints A team was defeated by St Ignatius. The girls worked hard with some strong sections throughout the game. Everyones fitness and ball skills are improving which make for some good sections of play. However, we were unable to defend St Ignatius who had three strong and fast state players. As a team we are continuing to build on our strategy and skills as we work cohesively. The play wasn’t truly represented by the score and all players should be happy with the development they have made from trainings. Congratulations to all players and we look forward to our next game! Sarah Richards (Acting Captain)
Open B – Saints 7 drew with Sacred Heart 7
The B’s played a good game, and were unlucky to not come away with a win. The team continues to work together and the passing has improved which creates open play and shots on goal. With more experience and stronger defense the wins will certainly come our way. Sarah Richards (Acting Captain)
Year 7/8 – Saints did not play due to camps
Junior Tennis – Friday 11 March
Year 5/6 Advanced – Saints White 3-19 drew with Saints Blue 3-19
Doubles: Maiya/Tahlia Vs Mia/Sienna 3-6 and Chloe/Isabelle Vs Sophie D/Olivia 6-1
Singles: Maiya Jakupec defeated Mia Dodd 4-0, Tahlia Louca defeated by Willow Stewart-Rattray 1-4, Isabelle Gilroy defeated by Sophie Dansie 2-4, Chloe Venning defeated Olivia Slivak 3-2
Year 5/6 Silver Advanced – Saints 4-21 defeated Pembroke 2-17
Singles: Fleur Maris 4-1, Emily Baldwinson 1-4, Marina Viese Vivaldi 1-4, Olivia Slivak 3-2
Rowing – Saturday 12 March
Rowing Awards 2016
8A: Charlotte Creek
8B: Paris Robinson
8C: Eliza Hannon
8D: Sophie Kameniar
9A: Rachel Kameniar
9B: Sarah Carrodus
9C: Olivia Zito
10A: Olivia Compare
10B: Alexandra Reade
1st VIII: Olivia Habel
Director of Rowing Award Senior: Sophie Freeman
Director of Rowing Award Junior: Abigail Lisle
Service to Rowing Medal: Jo Dal Pra
Softball – Saturday 12 March
No Games – Exeat Weekend
Tennis – Saturday 12 March
No Games – Exeat Weekend
Volleyball – Saturday 12 March
No Games – Exeat Weekend
Basketball – Monday 14 March
No games due to Years 7 and 8 camps
Tennis – Monday 14 March
No Games due to Public Holiday
Tennis – Tuesday 15 March
Congratulations to the Open Tennis team who defeated Aberfoyle Park and Seaview High Schools in the State Secondary Schools knockout. The team will now contest the State Finals on Monday 4 April.
Swimming – Independent Girls Tuesday 15 March
The annual Independent Girls’ Swimming Carnival (made up of 10 schools) took place at the SA Aquatic Centre at Marion. With the Years 7 and 8 swimmers available after being on camp, Saints were keen to try and improve from their fourth placing in the Secondary Schools event, with Seymour and Immanuel placing higher.
Led by Captains, Krista Ceplite and Elise Schaedel, there were outstanding individual results, but also some excellent teamwork, to provide a number of wins in relay races. Shania Morgan set a new 50m breaststroke record and the Under 14 girls established a new 4x50m freestyle relay record. At the end of the day Saints won the Under 14 and Under 15 age groups, which played a significant role in claiming the Di Medlin Swimming Shield for the first time since 1994.
- St Peter’s Girls 890
- Immanuel 873
- Seymour 868
- Wilderness 696
- Pembroke 518
- Scotch 468
- Westminster 375
- Concordia 337
- Walford 331
- Pulteney 289
Softball – Wednesday 16 March
Congratulations to the Open Softball team who defeated Aberfoyle Park 12-1 in the State Secondary Schools knockout. The team will now progress to the State Finals, to be played at West Beach on Thursday 31 March.