Issue no. 18

From the Head of Junior School

Ongoing Improvement in the Junior School

Just as we ask students to reflect on their learning and set meaningful goals for improvement, so do the teachers…

So, just what do teachers do once the girls have gone home? First, there’s the expected – planning, assessing, evaluating and organising the myriad aspects of the learning and teaching programs to meet the academic, social and emotional needs of the students. However running alongside this is time spent working on the big-picture of school improvement. The Junior School has been delivering the curriculum through the Primary Years Programme (PYP) as part of an accredited International Baccalaureate (IB) World School since 2012. The ELC also uses the PYP as one of the foundations underpinning the delivering of the early years curriculum.

This year, under the guidance of the International Baccalaureate Organisation, we are undertaking a complete review and evaluation of achievements and initiatives to date and developing an action plan to inform further improvement. The PYP Evaluation is a rigorous process that ensures all IB Schools maintain the integrity and high standards set by the Organisation. It causes us to pause and reflect on what’s going well, what has improved, what evidence demonstrates that we are meeting the aims, objectives and standards of the PYP, and what areas are ready to be addressed. The results of our reflections, which will be presented to an external evaluation team at the beginning of Term 4, will feed into the new Strategic Plan and also inform future professional learning activities.

In ensuring that we deliver programs of the highest quality, we are committed to providing relevant and meaningful professional development opportunities for our teachers. To this end, a dozen ELC and Junior School specialist and class teachers undertook two days of professional learning earlier this term, relating to implementing the PYP to the highest standard. On the final weekend of the next school holidays and the Monday before term starts, all teachers of Junior School and ELC students will participate in two days of professional learning relating to quality assessment. Undertaking the PYP evaluation requires time, professional dialogue, critical reflection and analysis, and thoughtful consideration of possibilities. It is both rewarding and informative to consider where we are now and where we want to be. I am incredibly appreciative of the dedication and enthusiasm given by our teachers during this process of evaluation, and the wonderful leadership of our PYP Coordinator, Helen Smith, that will ensure our school grows from being great to being greater.

Suzanne Haddy

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Winter Music Concert

On a cold winter’s night, Friends of the Arts proudly supported our talented girls to create the Winter Music Concert. Creating an event like this gives all our girls the chance to perform, showcasing their many and varied abilities which have been honed through the school tutoring program and many hours of practice at home.

The audience appreciated the depths of skills involved, including vocals, choir, string instruments, brass instruments and percussion.

Friends of the Arts provided drinks and snacks prior to the concert and during interval. Money raised from the sales goes directly back to our Arts Department for areas of need. Currently, we are focusing on raising funds for new music banners for our bands and orchestras.

Thank you to all the parent helpers on the evening and to teachers and tutors for their ongoing support and encouragement of our girls. Most of all, I would like to thank all our amazing musical girls for providing a wonderful Winter Music Concert. We were all warmed by your skill and enthusiasm, and you can all be very proud of your efforts.

Friends of the Arts are a group of parents who support our artistic students at different events throughout the year. We meet twice a term, with meetings held in the Music Office at school. Our next meeting is Wednesday 22 June at 7.30pm. New members are always very welcome.

Donna Fitzgerald
FOA President

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‘I can see a Saints girl’ book launch

This week we celebrated the book launch of ‘I can see a Saints Girl’.

The publication of this book is a school first and was inspired by our past and future – an accomplished Old Scholar and Saints girls of the future.

Author, Bronwyn Lindsay (nee Clarke, Patteson), graduated from St Peter’s Girls’ School in 1995 and it’s clear that she has drawn on some fond memories of her time at St Peter’s Girls to create such a charming story.

We would like to thank the brilliant Pam Mayo whose colourful canvas artworks infuse the book with warmth and affection.

Being a Saints girl means being part of a tight-knit and passionate community of students, teachers and parents, as well as Old Scholars like Bronwyn Lindsay, many of whom were present for this remarkable school first.

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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 from Reception to Year 6:

Join us for a day at Imagination Kidz, a trip to the Plaster Fun House or a Movie at the Cinema. Learn to make your own stuffed Teddy Bear on Pyjama Day, create a Tie Dye masterpiece or join us for Christmas in July. Whatever the choice, children can enjoy a range of planned play and leisure activities whilst having a fun, relaxing time with friends and staff.

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 to enjoy Vacation Care at St Peter’s Girls.

Dates:

>  Week 1: Monday 4 July to Friday 8 July
>  Week 2: Monday 11 July to Friday 15 July
>  Week 3: Monday 18 July to Friday 22 July

Download the July 2016 Vacation Care Program for details.

To book, visit stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au/vacationcare.

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Save the date: Saturday 3 September

Please save the date for the premier Parents and Friends (P&F) Committee fundraiser of the year. On 3 September the P&F will be hosting a 1920s party to raise funds for our Middle School redevelopment. The party will fittingly be held at the Art Deco Burnside Ballroom and will feature a prize casino and live music from the Flaming Sambucas. Dressing the part is encouraged but not compulsory; feather boas and other 1920s styles will be available on the night to help you accessorise.

The feature fundraising initiative will be a giant silent auction for which the P&F will gratefully accept donations. A notice will shortly be going out to the Year Level Reps with more information as to how you can make donations to the silent auction.

Tickets will go on sale early in Term 3 so save the date and make it a night to remember!

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School Shop – Holiday Update

The School Shop will be open on the last Friday of the school holidays – Friday 22 July – and Monday 25 July from 10am – 4pm.

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Sports news

Wanted – Junior Basketball coaches

In Term 3 we have enough interest in running four Junior Basketball teams (Years 5 and 6). If you have any experience in coaching and would like to get involved please contact me via email: nfuller@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.

Cross Country – State Championships

On Thursday 9 June (Week 6), a team of 12 Saints girls travelled up to Oakbank Racecourse to compete in the annual SAPSASA/SSSSA State Cross-Country Championships. Rain throughout the previous week and showers on the day meant that the girls competed in very muddy conditions. Despite that the girls excelled on the track. Congratulations to all girls for their amazing efforts. To come away with so many girls in the top 25 is outstanding and every girl should be proud of their efforts. Particular congratulations to Molly Dwyer who won two gold medals on the day, winning the 10-year-old girls race and as a member of the winning East Adelaide SAPSASA District team. Also to the Saints Girls team of Bethany Cross, Holly Cunningham, Eve Habel and Thandi Murada who won a team bronze medal for their combined efforts in the 16-year-old girls race. A big thank you to Mr Fuller and Mr Dingwall who have helped me to train the girls in the lead up to the event. Additionally, thank you to Mrs Noblet who acted as our ‘mum’ for the day and helped me to organise the girls for their races.

10 Years Girls

Molly Dwyer – Individual 1^st, Teams 1^st (East Adelaide District)

11 Years Girls

Emily Baldwinson – Individual 22^nd, Teams 5^th (East Adelaide District)
Noa Goddard – Individual 51^st

12 Years Girls

Portia Maerschel – Individual 23^rd, Teams 5^th (East Adelaide District)

13 Years Girls

Matilda Braithwaite – Individual 18^th

14 Years Girls

Harriet Maerschel – Individual 20^th
Millisent Wilkin – Individual 24^th

16 Years Girls

St Peter’s Girls’ School Team – 3^rd
Bethany Cross – Individual 7^th
Holly Cunningham – Individual 13^th
Eve Habel – Individual 15^th
Thandi Murada – Individual 35^th

Open Girls

Anna Cross – Individual 12^th

Anna Cross (Athletics/Cross Country Captain)

Knockout Open Soccer

The Open A Soccer team competed in the Knockout Soccer competition against Saint Aloysius College and Glenunga High School. Our first match was against SAC, which was an extremely exciting and close game. The girls all fought hard with some great defensive work by Bethany Cross, Alexandra Manson and Charlotte Kelly. I was very proud to come out of the game with a 1-1 draw. In the second match, Glenunga scored early and we were unfortunately unable to finish enough of our chances to come back, losing 2-1. Special mention to our goalkeeper Talah Gobell who made some amazing saves, including another penalty. By Krystina Dianos (Captain)

Knockout Year 8 – 9 Netball

On Monday 6 June, the Years 8/9 knockout team travelled to Brighton Secondary School. Our first game was against Saint Aloysius College and the girls played exceptionally well and were resilient against a tough team that we defeated by eight goals, the final score being 38-30. Our second game against Brighton was the decider. If we didn’t win, we were out!! We played a competitive three-quarters, however our high number of errors in the second quarter let us down. Unfortunately, we lost 25-30, bringing our knockout journey to an end. On the day, Brighton ended up playing better than us but we all left with our heads held high. Many thanks to Alice Johnswood and Ms Brooks for giving us this great opportunity – we all enjoyed it greatly. Bring on Queensland!! (Charlotte White and Brooke Elliott)

Junior Netball

Year 6 Blue – Saints 17 defeated Wilderness Blue 3

The girls played an excellent team game, implementing all the skills they were taught in training, which was reflected in the score and win. Best Players for the game were Lucy Benn and Sophie Norman. By coaches: Chanel Stefani and Ava Loechel

Year 6 White – Saints 10 defeated Wilderness Gold 7

The team recorded their first win this week and it certainly boosted team morale! All players played a fantastically cohesive game, listening and responding to each other, their coaches and the umpire. As coach it was wonderful to see the skills that have been worked on in training, reflected on the court. Well done 6 White! By Grace Russo (Coach)

Year 5 White – Saints 39 defeated St Andrews 0

The girls played an amazing game with a huge winning score. We were very impressed with the girls’ ability to bring the ball down the court and make many interceptions, which was another highlight of the game. By Eve Habel and Rachel Kameniar (Assistant coaches)

Open Soccer

Open A – Saints 1 drew with Westminster 1

The Open A Soccer team played a tight game against Westminster, ending in a draw. Olivia Law and Layne Beveridge worked extremely well upfront, persistence and smart play resulting in Olivia practically dribbling our goal across the line and Layne taking an incredible free kick. Unfortunately, Westminster quickly equalised and we were unable to get another chance at goal despite some good chances. Great work to all the girls and we hope to improve next week. By Krystina Dianos (Captain)

Open B – Saints defeated Westminster by forfeit
By Christine Gayen (Coach)

Middle A – Saints 3 defeated Westminster 0

This game saw our team dominate every aspect of the game right from the kick-off and our forwards attacked Westminster’s goal forcing them to defend constantly. This relentless pressure forced a handball and the resulting penalty shot was taken by Ellie Anderson, who squeezed the ball inside the goalpost to give us the lead. A short time later, Millisent Wilkin took advantage of this constant pressure to score a goal of her own. In contrast, every time Westminster attacked they were set upon by our defenders, which caused them to lose control of the ball which allowed our players to kick it forward with relative ease. Our backline, consisting of Eleanor Anderson, Harriett Gilroy, Siena Kulinski and Kendra Ware did a sterling job throughout the game and combined well with our goalie Isobel Tan to stop Westminster scoring any goals at all. Amy Carrodus topped off the win with another goal. A great team effort. By Mr Morton (Staff Supervisor)

Middle B – Saints 1 drew with Wilderness (B2) 1

An amazing game by both teams. Saints were unlucky not to secure a win as they used the ball well and strung a number of passes together. Defensively, the girls worked together to keep the opposing attackers away and reduce their shots. The girls never gave up and should be proud of their efforts. By Taylor Garrett (Coach)

Year 7 – Saints 0 were defeated by Pembroke 5
By Coach Peter Krantis.

Minkey Hockey

Year 4/5 – Saints 5 defeated Pembroke 2

The girls braved some extremely cold weather on Friday to defeat a strong Pembroke side. Spreading wide and strong passes were our aims this week, an essential to beat the opposition. All the girls’ skills have improved very well, while demonstrating great shooting which we have been working on during training. Best players were Mikaela Udall, Molly Dwyer and Bridgette Leach who all demonstrated great skill level and solid passing. Great effort girls. By Alice Tyson (Coach)

Badminton

No matches due to the long weekend.

Hockey

No matches due to the long weekend.

Lacrosse

No matches due to the long weekend. 

Netball

No matches due to the long weekend.

If you have any further news items or sporting success stories please email them through to me on: nfuller@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au