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For upcoming events, please click through to the new online School calendar

Online calendar

You can add events to your own calendar and also export a list of events.

Alternatively, filter the kinds of events you can see by category.

Reminders

Absenteeism

Please notify the Front Office by 9:30am via either of the following methods if your daughter(s) will be absent due to illness, or arrive to School late. If your daughter will arrive after 8:30am (due to an appointment, etc), please advise an approximate time of arrival and ask that she reports to the Front Office upon arrival.

Phone: 8334 2200
Text: 0428 601 957
Email: attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au 

Lost property

Unnamed lost property items are held at the Front Office. Please clearly label all items of clothing and personal effects.

Lost property from this term will be displayed outside Student Services during the last week of term. Please ask your daughter to check the table for any items she may have misplaced this term.

Purchase your photos of School events online

Purchasing pictures of school events online is easy, just follow these four steps:

1. Visit the Focus School Portraits website
2. Enter the password: SaintsGirls (this is case sensitive)
3. Select the event of your choice
4. Browse the gallery and choose which photos you would like to purchase.

For order enquiries, please contact Focus School Portraits on 8389 9002.

Categories

Enews – Week 8, Term 1 2016

Issue no. 8
Enews-banner

From the Deputy Principal/Head of Senior School

KerrySkinner_webNext Wednesday is one of my favourite events on the calendar – Choral Night!!

I am always so impressed with how the Year 12 students work with the Years 7 to 11 girls and present musical performances of such a high calibre. They only have 12 rehearsals to practise the hymn and House songs. Over the last two weeks, the School walls have heard Send down the fire of your justice arranged in a variety of ways and ABBA songs have also been sung, with some clever interpretations, in preparation for this highly contested event.

The learning that occurs in such events is so varied. I see students standing out in front of a whole group speaking, directing or conducting. I have seen students, who have never danced before, having a go with some crazy moves and then also feeling comfortable enough to input their ideas into the choreographic process. Younger students and older students work together on a common goal, and instrumentalists learn music quickly and are required to be on fully focused at every rehearsal.

On the evening we will also have two wonderful Old Scholars, Lucy Mount (2015) and Rachel Simmons (2015), return to share their musical talents with us. This allows our adjudicator, Sarah Lloyde, time to reflect and assess the Houses’ presentations against the criteria. Sarah is well qualified for this task and she has worked both nationally and internationally as a singer. She also made it to the top 16 of Australian Idol in 2007 and worked with many professionals in the music industry. I am positive she, too, will be in awe of what our girls are capable of doing.

Behind the scenes the Year 12 students have undergone numerous pressures, juggling their academic studies with this activity. So how have they developed the values we espouse that a Saints graduate will achieve? How courageous are they? It takes very brave people to stand on stage doing things that feel so unfamiliar to them. Not only are they undertaking roles that push them outside their comfort zone, but also they are doing this in front of their peers and then in front of parents. Underpinning the whole event is the development and enhancement of creativity. The girls are required to solve problems, working within an artistic and musical framework. It is with compassion that they support each other, because it is not an individual event; no one person gets all of the accolades. It is the House that shares the joy of winning. Having said that, I have observed in all competitions that Saints girls respect the fact that all students have put in hours of hard work and they acknowledge all as winners.

The camaraderie and House spirit are omnipresent. Year 12 students should be proud of their hard work. I encourage parents, as the audience on Wednesday evening, to remember that this event is yet another display of how our students are encouraged to be risk-takers and be proud of what your daughters can achieve.

I wish every House an enjoyable evening and all I can say is: ‘Mama Mia’, ‘Take a Chance on Me’. I hope all Year 12 students enjoy their evening of being a ‘Dancing Queen’ and I hope to see as many parents as possible join us – not at ‘Waterloo’ – but the Town Hall!

Kerry Skinner

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BEBRAS Computational Thinking Challenge

bebrasAs a part of the new Digital Technologies curriculum, students in Years 7, 8 and 9 participated in the international BEBRAS Computational Thinking Challenge. The aim of the challenge is to promote computational thinking amongst students. Computational thinking provides students with the skills to analyse a problem and facilitate solution development. Having computation skills enables students to have an understanding of techniques such as decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, evaluation and algorithms. Correctly applying these techniques will help students to successfully use, design or innovate with technology.

Students can work individually or in small groups to complete 15 questions in 50 minutes. Students are encouraged to collaborate with group members, classmates and their teachers throughout the problem-solving process. One sample question from last year’s challenge is ‘Loading Lisa’.

One of the many ways the BEBRAS challenge supports the implementation of the Digital Technologies curriculum at St Peter’s Girls’ School is by empowering students to solve real world problems with digital solutions. Digital Technologies students in Years 7, 8 and 9 will participate in the challenge again in September this year; the challenge is also open to any students in Years 3 – 12.

Monique Green
Digital Technologies & Coding Teacher

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The French Easter Story

yr2-easterIn France church bells work hard. They chime for church on Sundays. They chime for holidays. Some church bells chime to let people know what time it is – like clocks do.

If the church bells are silent, children wonder what has happened.

The church bells are silent for two days each year. They stop ringing on the Thursday before Easter Sunday. They don’t ring on Good Friday. That is the day that Jesus was crucified. They don’t ring on Saturday but they do ring out again joyfully on Easter Sunday morning. Jesus has risen from the dead.

French children are told that the church bells stop ringing before Easter Sunday because they have flown to the city of Rome to see the Pope and to collect Easter eggs for French children. The children believe the bells drop the eggs over France as they fly back for Easter Sunday.

Saints girls love hearing the story of Easter in France. They have a good understanding that many people have many different beliefs and that it is fine to believe in different things about Easter and other important events. It is during such discussions that our girls show an open mind and a willingness to accept the differences between peoples and cultures. Even though most of the students still prefer the Easter bunny story they can accept that it’s okay for people to believe in stories such as the Easter bells if they wish.

“On Easter Friday and Saturday the church doesn’t ring bells and on Easter Sunday they ring bells joyfully. When they ring, the bells drop Easter eggs in people’s gardens. I like the French Easter story because it is nice.” – Iszabella Lochowiak

“The bells drop the eggs down.” – Rose Downie

“The bells go off on Easter Friday and they leave to see the Pope and they go and collect Easter eggs and they ding and ding and ding and then all the Easter eggs fall down. The end.” – Annie Goldsmith

“In France the bells ring every day, apart from on Good Friday and Easter Saturday. They go to Italy and get Easter eggs. On Easter Sunday they drop Easter eggs all around France and then little kids get them. Little bells put the eggs in the house.” – Sydney Di Marzo

“I like that the bells ring on Easter Sunday and the eggs fall out of the bells.” – Emily Bates

Joyeuses Pâques

Nina Ferraro-Martin
French Teacher

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Year 5 experience at Sovereign Hill

yr5-camp

The field trip to Sovereign Hill is a highly anticipated Junior School experience which the girls love and this year was no exception. The learning leading up to the camp is always interesting as Australia’s history unfolds through research, literature, click-view presentations and provocations designed to extend the girls’ thinking.

Although the bus trip was long, the girls enjoyed stopping at parks along the way to have recess and lunch breaks.

After finally arriving in Ballarat, the girls were assigned their dorms and excitement built as they made their own ‘base camp’ in each room.

The first two days are always exciting as costumes are delegated, fitted and the girls morph from 21st century ‘it’ girls to proper little ladies of the 1850s who don’t run (for fear people think them unruly) and parade down the main streets of Sovereign Hill with their hands clasped tightly together and petticoats not revealing any ankles (which in those days would have been unforgivable).

In the Schools Program each Year 5 class is assigned a school, St Alipius (5OC) and the Ragged School (5SD), which most orphans attend. Sir and Ma’am ensured the girls behaved appropriately and divided them into the bubs, Years 2 – 5 and the older girls who were being suitably groomed for marriage (the thought of which was mostly abhorrent to the Saints girls).

The girls did, however, enjoy the lessons – using an ink pen, learning the alphabet backwards, writing in an old-fashioned cursive and greeting visitors who were fascinated to see our students acting and behaving like children of the 1850s.

The highlights of the camp were many and varied, from swimming at the Ballarat Swim Centre one night for relaxation to taking part in many interactive shows: Trapped which was about miners experiencing the horrendous conditions whilst mining for gold, the Red Hill Mine which contained the huge gold nugget replica of the one found in Ballarat and, of course, the ‘piece de resistance’ that was the $16 million spectacular Blood on the Southern Cross, which was truly an unforgettable experience of life of the goldfields and the Eureka Stockade, which facilitated the beginning of democracy. The MADE Museum of Democracy was also fascinating with its interactive displays and the girls marvelled at the chance to see the restored original Eureka flag.

For down time one night we all enjoyed a melodrama performed in the Victoria Theatre.

The girls were impeccably behaved and whilst they missed loved ones, they approached each learning experience with enthusiasm and open-mindedness. We were so fortunate to have Marion Littlewood, a local historian who has written books about the goldfields, to lead a tour through the Gold Museum, explaining the wonderful S. T. Gill paintings. Her knowledge of the local area from an historic and mythological perspective was phenomenal.

Again, this year’s experience was so positive on many levels, with the girls displaying resilience and maturity. We hope they’ve had a chance to share their learning with you.

Shane Davidson and Olivia Coulter
Year 5 Teachers

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Year 7 camp

yr7-camp1

All Year 7s had the opportunity to head to Robe for a week of tenting and adventure. The girls loved the chance to go adventure caving at Naracoorte Caves, donning helmets with head torches as they scrambled underground. Many enjoyed camping in tents and bushwalking to their campsite in Little Dip Conservation Park also. The girls took part in a basic skills kayaking course before heading out for a journey around the lakes within Robe. Throughout the week, all staff commented on the enthusiasm the girls displayed with each activity and are looking forward to their Year 8 camp next year.

Dan Searle
Head of PE, Health & Outdoor Education

yr7-camp2

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Making connections with language

Year 4 Japanese (W7)One of the wonderful aspects of being an ELC to Year 12 school is that the girls have many opportunities to interact with students of different ages.

In the ELC this term the Hallett Room children (4 year olds) have been learning the names of animals in Japanese and also how to express the sounds those animals make. So, when the Year 4 Japanese students prepared a play about the Chinese Zodiac and included the names of the animals and the noises they make in Japanese, the Hallett Room children seemed the perfect audience.

Practising and performing the Zodiac play has been part of the Year 4 curriculum for a number of years. However, with the introduction of the Intensive Languages Program this year, the extra lesson time has meant that the Year 4 girls could make changes to the script and really own their parts.

They had tremendous fun making simple masks and accessories to distinguish their characters and practised their parts very earnestly in preparation for the performance. The Hallett Room children made the trip up to the ‘Big School’ and watched the play in the Humzy Theatre. The younger children were entranced by the performance and the older girls loved having a ‘real’ audience to whom they could present their hard-practised work.

We look forward to more partnerships between different year levels as the year progresses.

Cindy Pitkin
Head of Languages

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Entertainment Books are coming!

entertainment-booksWe’re very excited to be fundraising with Entertainment™ this year. Order your NEW 2016 | 2017 Entertainment™ Books and Entertainment™ Digital Memberships from us today and 20% of the proceeds contributes towards the refurbishment of the Middle School!

Order before 16 April 2016 and you will receive over $170 worth of additional offers that you can use right away!

Entertainment™ Memberships are packed with thousands of up to 50% OFF and 2-for-1 offers for the best local restaurants, cafés, attractions, hotel accommodation, travel and much more.

Available as a traditional Entertainment Book – or – Digital Membership on your smartphone, your Membership gives you over $20,000 worth of valuable offers valid through to 1 June 2017.

Order via www.entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/161p201

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Conducting for Choirs with Timothy Sexton

spaa-choirs

On Tuesday 1 March Timothy Sexton, CEO of the State Opera and musician/conductor extraordinaire, shared some valuable and practical techniques in choir conducting with a number of our Year 12 students, as well as two enthusiastic Middle School girls. Tim also gave the workshop participants a great deal of ‘food for thought’ about how they need to direct and interact with their choirs. In a warm and humour-filled workshop, the students gained enormously from the very specific information delivered; the girls were both intrigued and amused by the rhythmic and coordination challenges presented to them.

“The conducting course was a great experience and has given me a basic knowledge on the essentials of conducting.” Jo Dal Pra (Year 12)

“I didn’t realise how much it depended on the shape you make when you conduct.” Charlotte Bleby (Year 8)

Amanda Kimber
Head of Arts

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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

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Dads Night Out: get your earlybird ticket

Dads Night Out Enews

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.

Don’t forget the earlybird special: $30 tickets available before 29 March 2016! Tickets sold after this date will be $35.

It’ll be a fun and social evening. Remember – no bowling experience is necessary! This fundraising event is hosted by the Mothers’ Club.

Don’t forget to return your raffle tickets

We have some fabulous prizes ready, so don’t forget to return your raffle tickets to the Development Office before Wednesay 30 March to be in the running! There are plenty of prizes on offer, with the winner set to receive a fantastic four burner barbecue and meat platter – just what any Dad needs!

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.

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Vacation Care: The more, the merrier!

JS Vacation Care Enews

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

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Camp Gallipoli

Camp-GallipoliCamp 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

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Choral Night 2016: tickets now on sale

Choral Night Enews

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. A few tickets are still available, so get in quick!

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.

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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

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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.

bankingRemember 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.

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Legally Blonde Jnr

legally-blondeStart the April school holidays with tickets to the SHANE DAVIDSON PRESENTS production of Legally Blonde Jnr.

Sometimes blondes get a bad rap but this dynamo blonde shows that with a goal and a little revenge, anything is possible. LEGALLY BLONDE Jnr, adapted from the famous movie starring Reece Witherspoon, is the story of Elle Woods who finally makes it to Harvard Law School to prove a point. She gets the upper hand and after her boyfriend rejects her, she wins the day by taking the lead and proposing to her new beau.

The show is one of the most outrageous, comical and ‘out there’ musicals you’re likely to see. With its big production numbers and over-the-top humour, you will love Elle, her dog Bruiser, and a huge cast. The audience even gets to join in the Bend and Snap.

Lead roles taken by Saints Girls students include Isabelle Norman as Paulette, Rose Pittman as Vivienne, and Dimity Pittman as aerobics queen, Brooke Wyndham.

Before the main show there is a PRE-SHOW featuring 40 children aged 8 – 12 years of age performing songs from Matilda, Annie, Oliver! and Into the Woods.

Performances are: Friday 15 April at 7pm, Saturday 16 April at 1.30pm and 7pm, Sunday 17 April at 4pm. Tickets are disappearing and some shows are already 60% SOLD OUT so get in quickly! Bookings: contact Shane Davidson on 0411 121 960 or shanedavidson@internode.on.net

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Promoting sport and physical activity at Saints – a short benchmarking survey

The Saints Sport Support Group is seeking to understand the part sport and physical activity plays in the life of students and parents alike. Please take the time to complete our short (less than 5 minute) survey to provide your input.

> Take the survey now

The SSSG comprises parents and School sports captains and its purpose is to assist the PE and Sports departments to promote sport participation throughout the School. We believe that:

  • there are lifetime benefits for individuals from being involved in sport or some form of regular physical activity, and we seek to encourage participation long after sport becomes non-compulsory;
  • retention rate is all about finding ways in which students can participate or contribute from an early age, or by helping students to find a sport or physical activity that they enjoy – this includes coaching, umpiring or refereeing;
  • a greater understanding of the benefits of physical activity among parents, and their greater involvement in their daughter’s sport or physical activity, is a key component to developing lasting understanding of the value of staying physically active.

The SSSG currently fundraises to help the School by:

  • purchasing certain sports equipment needs.
  • subsidising coaching and refereeing courses for students – we seek to assist with developing the quality and depth of the coaching provided to your daughters and to support leadership development opportunities for senior girls.
  • subsidising coaching and refereeing courses for parents – we believe that there are opportunities to utilise the expertise of parents to improve skills whether this be as part of a regular coaching commitment, or through individual coaching sessions.

The survey we are asking you to complete aims to:

  • understand the extent to which school and non-school sport and physical activity is already part of family life for students and parents of the school.
  • provide a benchmark from which to gauge program success over a period of time measured in years.
  • gain feedback from the school community about whether our focus aligns with perceived needs, and if not to give parents and students a chance to comment.

Parent participation in the SSSG is open to anyone and should you wish to help, please ask the Development Office for further information.

> Please take the survey to let us know your thoughts

Sue Neale
Saints Sport Support Group Chair

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Weet-Bix TRYathlon

Are you interested in doing your first triathlon at the Sanitarium Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon on Sunday 17 April?

Entering its 18th year, the TRYathlon continues to inspire school students from across Australia to get moving in a friendly and supportive environment. Kids of all abilities aged 7 – 15 can go at their own pace and cross the finish line a champion.

You can join the St Peter’s Girls team when entering online at http://try.weetbix.com.au/.

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SA Athletics Academy

Athletics Academy Flyer A4The SA Athletics Academy will commence on Sunday 10 April 2016.

The Academy has four squads; Bronze, Silver, Gold and the Target Talent Program (TTP).

It doesn’t matter whether you are new to athletics or you’ve been competing for a long time, the SA Athletics Academy is perfect for all! The Academy caters for everyone and aims to assist children to further their skills in all track and field events. These sessions are delivered by highly skilled and experienced coaches.

The Silver, Gold, and Talent Target Program (TTP) Squads have education theory sessions each month. These sessions aim to provide children with the extra knowledge and understanding to ensure that they continue to follow the athletics pathway to success!

The Academy is a great opportunity for children to develop their running, jumping and throwing as it can assist them with any other sport they play.

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Rowing season wraps up

Head of the River 2016

rowing-hor

Head of the River is always a big day for the girls, and the 2016 HoR topped off a season that really put us on the map of school rowing. We had 10 crews competing, from Juniors through to our First VIII. The day started with the girls arriving early, unloading the boats, getting them rigged and making sure everything was ready to go. There is always an excitement about HoR and with many of our crews an optimism that they will be up there at the pointy end of the race. Many parents, friends and girls from the School came down to support, which was great. I know the girls love it when they hear “Saints” being yelled from the bank. All the heats were run first thing in the morning and all of our crews made it through to the A finals, which was brilliant. We had many successes at HoR, with 6 of our 10 crews getting places, and with 2 of them, the 8Ds and 9Bs, getting Gold Medals. It is great reward for all the hard work, dedication and commitment that the girls put in over the season. I would like to THANK everyone, from the girls who make the program what it is, all the parents for their support and Friends of Rowing for everything that they organised on the HoR day.

We ended the day with our Head of the River Dinner in the Arts Centre. It was a fantastic night and very special THANKS go out to Annette Khoury who organised much of it. We had Ned Kinnear, who has rowed for Australia as well as South Australia and has gone on to be a doctor, as our keynote speaker. He was very inspiring talking about the dedication, commitment and resilience needed to make it to the top not only in his sport, but also to become a doctor. It is a night when we recognise all the girls and their great achievements over the season. We also farewelled Andrew Hannon, our amazing FoR President, and applauded all the brilliant coaches that we have. To say that it was a great way to finish the season would be an understatement. So again, THANKS to everyone who made the evening happen; it was fantastic. Bring on 2016/17!

Nationals

The day after Head of the River, the First VIII, Simon Lane (Coach), Emily Hage, Sophie Terp and I headed off to Nationals in Penrith, NSW. It was the first time Saints had sent an VIII to Nationals so it was all very exciting.

While we didn’t progress to the final in our U19 Womens VIII+ heat on the Tuesday, we rowed our fastest time for the season (6mins 55secs), and the girls were really happy. Our Schoolgirl VIII heat on the Thursday was tough and although we put up a great effort we struggled in the last 500m to hold it with the bigger, more experienced girls crews. Again, this meant going through to the repêchage on the Friday.

Sophie Freeman has also been rowing in a coxless four made up of our four strongest Juniors in the State. Though they only trained a few times before this regatta, they won a Bronze Medal, with Sophie steering for the first time. In the afternoon when we arrived at Penrith, it was blowing a massive head wind, which wasn’t ideal for us as a lighter, younger crew. We went out and gave it a good go and were around the mark for most of the race but again the bigger crews drew away to the finish. With no semi-final for us, it was straight into the C final on Sunday morning.

A new initiative in the regatta program, the 500m sprint was held on the Saturday and, with a tail wind, conditions were in our favour. The girls made a huge effort and came second in their heat, qualifying for the final. Held only one hour after the heat, the final started and the girls surged early, slipped back, then regained their position to win silver.

In the C final on Sunday, the girls had a great start again, pulling away from the other crews almost out to a length. The crew from Melbourne started to gain but our girls held and then went forward again. It was beautiful to watch as they crossed the line in first place.

The day wasn’t over for Sophie Freeman, Carys Jones and Isobella Hannon; they still had their State races. Sophie and Carys came fifth in their women’s youth VIII race and Isobella, who coxed the men’s youth VIII, also came fifth.

Congratulations to all.

Ben Flannagan
Director of Rowing

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Sports News

Sports Hoodies

If your daughter would like a sports hoody for winter, the deadline has been extended by one week. Forms can be collected at the PE office, signed and returned. Embroidery of sports is at an additional cost.

Basketball – Wednesday 16 March

Open A – Saints 4 defeated by Immanuel 96
Unfortunately, Saints faced a high quality opponent. Without Captain Jo Dal Pra (Rowing) and Sarah Matheson (injured) the girls tried their best but were no match for a tall and skilled opponent. Peter Krantis (Coach)

Junior Softball – Wednesday 16 March

Year 6 – Saints 5 defeated by Walford 6
Credit goes to Ruby for filling in – she has never played softball and did an amazing job. Chloe Porter and Emily Bryce also stood out with their batting in a closely fought contest. Jasmine Ledgard and Lydia Smalls (Coaches)

Teeball – Wednesday 16 March

Year 4/5 – 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)

Tennis – Thursday 17 March

sprt-tennisSaints was represented at the Secondary Schools Tennis Tournament by Emily Loh, Annabel Baldwinson, Clair Kao and Neve McCormack. This tournament is open to any student in the State and often attracts some of the best players including those from specialist schools such as Marryatville and Henley High School. All girls performed very well, with Emily Loh defeating Annabel Baldwinson in the consolation final. Well done, girls. Neil Fuller (Supervisior)

Water Polo – Thursday 17 March

Open A – Saints 7 defeated Wilderness 0

Open B – Saints had a bye

Year 7/8 – Saints 14 defeated Loreto 8
Saints Girls continued their undefeated start in Water Polo. All players performed their best, working as a team to get the final result. Goal scorers of the game were: Alyssa Woolley with 6 goals; Fiona Lethbridge with 5 goals; Olivia Goldsmith with 2 goals and Harriet Maerschel with 1 goal. Great job by all players! We hope to continue our winning streak for the remainder of the season. Harriet Maerschel (Year 8)

Junior Tennis – Friday 18 March

Saints 5/6 Advanced White – Saints 4-16 defeated Wilderness Green 2-9
Singles: Maiya Jakupec 4-0, Isabelle Gilroy 1-4, Georgia Langley 4-1, Chloe Venning 1-4

Year 5/6 Advanced Blue – Saints 4-24 defeated Wilderness Orange 2-9
Singles: Sienna Glazbrook 4-0, Willow Stewart-Rattray 4-0, Olivia Slivak1-4, Sophie Dansie 3-4

Year 5/6 Advanced Silver – had a bye

Year 6 Blue – Saints 2-13 defeated by Pulteney White 5-22
Singles: Adele Eaton 3-4, Sivanthi Sivasuthan 4-2, Anushka Rajbhoj 1-4, Emily Elston 0-4, Caitlin Walker 4-1

Year 6 White – Saints 1-14 defeated by Cabra 5-26
Singles: Azaan Singh 2-4, Efua Yawson 2-4, Charlotte Adams 4-2, Charlotte Parker 1-4

Year 5 White – Saints 4-19 defeated Scotch Gold 1-9
Singles: Monika Ceplitis 4-0, Alicia Toh 4-1, Lucy Schirripa 34

Year 5 Blue – Saints 6-28 defeated St Andrews 0-3
Singles: Eleanor Humphrey 4-0, Bridgette Leach 4-0, Madison Harrex 4-1, Ruby Kirwan 4-2

Softball – Saturday 19 March

Open A – Saints 9 defeated Mercedes 7
After winning a midweek knockout game, sending us to finals, we were faced with a tough game. Although starting off slow, we worked together as a team to come back, winning the game. Once again Ruby Oliver produced exceptional pitches which helped us to strike out players from the opposition. Lydia Smalls did very well in the batting box with an awesome hit getting her to third base and scoring vital runs home. Skills were perfected even in the outfield with a great catch by Ella Robinson. All girls should be extremely proud of their consistent efforts each week as we are clearly improving and working well together as  a team. A day of knockout finals next week will be sure to test us and we hope to come home with a winning shield. Georgia Naughton (Captain)

Open B – Saints 12 defeated by Pembroke 17
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Our Open B grade Softballers played a great match against Pembroke’s A grade team. All players played with great enthusiasm and impressive batting. There was an inspiring reflex catch from India Deere and Kate McKellar-Stewart proved to be a very good shortstop. Jessie Rundle

Middle C1 – Saints 4 defeated by Pembroke 14
This week the girls were able to put into practice the fielding strategies we had worked on at previous trainings. With good attempts at covering runners on second base and making chains connecting the outfield, the girls pulled these off successfully. A special mention goes to Alice Girdler on third and Poppie Goldsmith on second for their fantastic out at second base, and Harriet Maerschel for her strategic running. Mimi Long (Coach)

Middle C2 – Saints 9 defeated by Scotch 16
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It was another tough game for Saints this week, coming up against strong competition in Scotch. Despite this, there were some very positive moments, where team batting was strong and the girls played not for themselves, but for the team. Louisa Reid had her debut in the pitching circle for Saints and was very successful, having a high strike rate. With only one game left for this term, the team has come very far since the start of the season, with major improvements in fielding and batting. Claire Hale (Coach)

Tennis – Saturday 19 March

Division 1 – Saints 5-33 defeated Seymour 1-18
Singles: Neve McCormack 6-3, Chelsea Staples 3-6, Daveena Dhillon 6-2, Georgina Thrower 6-1

Division 2 Blue – Saints 5-32 defeated Wilderness 1-21
Singles: Shamilla Dhillon 6-5, Mahala Truscott 6-4, Lola Dimond 6-2, Taj Shahin 6-3

Division 2 White – Saints 1-16 defeated by Immanuel 5-32
Singles: Olivia Wilkinson 1-6, Rose Pittman 2-6, Annabelle Langley 2-6, Sophie-Louise Shearwood 2-6

Division 3 Blue – Saints did not play

Division 3 White – Saints 4-29 defeated Seymour 2-19
Singles: Emily Downie 2-6, Amelie Eaton 6-1, Aleisha Elliott 6-2, Orla Clayton 6-2

Division 4 Blue – Saints 6-36 defeated Wilderness 0-2

Division 4 White – Saints 4-27 defeated Scotch 2-24
Singles: Sivani Sivasuthan 6-0, Stella Clark 6-5, Charlotte Stewart 0-6, Yunfei Ma 6-5

Volleyball – Saturday 19 March

Open A – Saints 2 defeated Wilderness 1
Despite losing the last set, the Open A volleyball team played a good game against Wilderness. Serving was particularly good, and the girls continued to show great enthusiasm on the court. Work at the net was also very well done, and the girls managed to ‘scramble’ to win several points. It’s great to see the knee pads getting some use! Abbey Goodwin must be commended for some terrific ‘kills’, whilst Uthpala DeSilva was able to serve several run-ons, allowing us to gain much needed points. Georgia Howe and Mila Loechel (Captains)

Open B – Saints 3 defeated Wilderness 0 (25-21, 25-21, 26-24)
The Bs had another strong performance last weekend, accounting for Wilderness 3 sets to nil. All girls were switched on from the first point, allowing us to control the game early, and we played with an enthusiastic spirit. Madison Bateman was again excellent in the front court, and Emma Fogarty and Sophie Schultz followed her lead, hitting many spike winners against our opponents. Ava Loechel and Charlotte Carney provided passing consistency. With one game left this term, we hope to finish on a high note before the winter break. Dan Searle (Supervisor)

Open C – Saints 0 defeated by Wilderness 3
Although the Open Cs had opportunities in the first two sets, they were not able to capitalise, and it proved costly. Kate Landon tried her best. Better team communication was needed and hopefully the girls can finish the season on a high after the Easter break. Dan Searle (Supervisor)

Middle A – Saints 3 defeated Wilderness 0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-20)
The girls started the game on a good level and continued to lift their skills even further throughout the three sets, which enabled another fantastic win this week against Wilderness. Everyone in the team was serving accurately and great pressure at net was shown by Charlotte White, Zhijun Li and Brooke Elliott. Overall, everyone in the team played a great game and each individual improved throughout the game, resulting in another great win this week. We look forward to our next challenge ahead! Ellana Welsby and Eliza Falconer (Coaches)

Middle B – Saints 2 defeated Wilderness 1 (25-18, 28-26, 20-25)
This was a fantastic game for practice against a very evenly matched team. It was a solid first set, but a low energy game for both teams, with most of our points gained from the amazing serving by all girls on court. Everything changed for a gripping second set, with everyone backing up each other and showing off their skills at 3 hits. After winning the game, we utilised the third set’s real-game situation to practise and perfect this 3 hit combination. Some star points included Ebony Lohe’s great blocking and tipping the ball at net, as well as Amelie Dunda and Jiayi Wang backing up their team-mates to keep up the rally. Middle Bs are undefeated so far – well done! Ellana Welsby and Eliza Falconer (Coaches)

Middle C – Saints 1 defeated by Wilderness 2 (23-25, 25-20, 23-25)
The girls played a great game this week and unfortunately just came short of a win. All the girls showed improvement this week, with excellent movement by Gemma Schaedel, Sara Peak and Katelin Calandro and great serving from Charlotte Bleby, Paris Greene and Zhangyu Han. Poppy Kirwan and Ruoyu Han also worked hard to put pressure on at the net. Overall, the girls should be proud and we look forward to seeing further improvement in the weeks to come. Well done, girls! Ellana Welsby and Eliza Falconer (Coaches)

Basketball – Monday 21 March

Middle C1 – Saints 26 defeated Concordia 24
Saints had the best first half of the season so far with the help of Isabelle Norman scoring a massive 10 points early on. The girls were able to consistently set up their zone defence, causing many turnovers, as well as move the ball down in attack to set up many successful scoring opportunities. We had multiple scorers this week, including Isabelle Norman, Siena Kulinski, Emily Downie, Thuhansa Hattotuwa, Kellie Bested and Emanuelle Russell. Player of the match goes to Kellie Bested for her continuous defensive pressure down the court. She listened to the coach, caused multiple turnovers and strongly contributed to the girls holding a slight lead at the end of the match. Fantastic team effort in the first half, girls, and another good win! Vanessa Brooks (Staff Supervisor)

Middle C2 – no match

Tennis – Monday 21 March

Open A – Saints 6-36 defeated Pulteney 0-12
Singles: Yasmin Glazbrook 6-0, Tiana Glazbrook 6-0, Jade Leyden 6-2, Olivia Teh 6-5

Open B – Saints 6-36 defeated Pulteney 0-11
Singles: Olivia Harby 6-5, Emily Loh 6-1, Clair Kao 6-0, Neve McCormack 6-0