Issue no. 8
In this edition
Choral Night 2019
Selwyn win the Choral Night Shield after a magical night of colour!
In our second Choral Night at the Adelaide Convention Centre, parents, students, Old Scholars and members of the wider community were treated to an amazing evening of choral skill and energetic and creative dance. As ever, the expert judges were astounded that the student House leaders and music experts were able to galvanise their mass choirs in just over two weeks of rehearsals to produce such a high-quality set of vocal performances.
This year’s theme of ‘Colours’ allowed students to choose songs from all genres, and in a welcome and surprising development, a couple of the Houses chose to engage with Old Scholars to create a vocal arrangement, rather than purchasing one from an established choral arranger. I hope that this extension of the sense of House community will continue in the future, especially with the number of talented musicians from recent graduating classes active in local and national university Music courses, and in the wider music scene.
As a School we place a high value on creativity, and Choral Night certainly acts as one of our many vehicles to allow that characteristic to flourish. Not only in the obvious creativity needed to arrange the chosen hymn shown by our current students in each House, but also in the creative ways the House leaders went about showcasing the talents of students from all ages, and in the way they thought about being inclusive and supportive as they led their mass choirs. There were occasions, however, where their creative approach to the dance had to be modified, so as to prevent inevitable injury later in the year as the staff attempt to replicate their dance moves for Year 12 Celebration Day!
As our students reflected today upon their hard work, on the highs and the lows of the many rehearsals, on the thrill of performing in front of a live audience, and perhaps upon the feedback of our expert judges, it was especially pleasing to hear so many of them congratulating each other on a job well done, regardless of whether they were from the winning House or not.
With this popular event over for another year, we immediately look forward to the annual season-ending Head of the River tomorrow. Races start at 8.30am at the West Lakes’ course, and we wish all our crews the best of luck as they compete in this well-supported and prestigious event.
Richard Lisle
Deputy Principal / Head of Middle School
From the Music Prefect
Week 8 is an exciting week for our Years 7 – 12 students, as it is a week full of challenging rehearsals, friendly competition between Houses, and finally a thrilling and exciting performance known as Choral Night!
Choral Night is a cherished Saints Girls’ tradition, where the four Houses perform two songs, one of which is a set hymn arranged by the musical seniors in each House. This year’s chosen piece was an up-beat, vibrant, African gospel tune called Siyahamba. The second piece is chosen by the Year 12s, but must fit the requirements of the chosen theme of the night: for 2019 it was a song with a colour in its title. This allowed an array of exciting and classic songs to appear on the night, involving all generations in the audience, and creating a wonderful sense of enthusiasm and community. Some of this year’s choices included Michael Jackson’s Black or White, I See Red by Split Enz, and Mr Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra. The choirs were accompanied by a band created from each House, showcasing the musical talent of the students and the variety and incredible number of instruments that Saints Girls play! Finally, after the House performed their two pieces, the Year 12 cohort showed their creativity, cohesion, and House pride in an upbeat, entertaining, and well-rehearsed dance choreographed by themselves.
This year the choirs and bands were allowed to rehearse for two weeks prior to the night, and the girls work tirelessly and enthusiastically to produce an incredible, successful and professional outcome, in a very short period of time.
Although Choral Night is strictly a music event, it is talked about and enjoyed by all girls, as it is a great opportunity to build relationships within the Houses, grow House pride, and also allow individuals to experience a new environment, and encourage them to join the music program more regularly!
Mary Brownridge
Music Prefect
125 Gala Ball – Tickets Now on Sale
Our 125th anniversary Gala Ball is shaping up to be a spectacular evening.
We warmly invite you to join us in celebrating this significant milestone in the School’s history. We encourage all community members including current and past parents, past staff and Old Scholars to come along.
Highlights will include a delicious three course meal, premium beverages and fantastic live entertainment by leading party band ‘The Cast’, as well as our own talented student performers.
This is an event not to be missed and a fantastic opportunity to see familiar faces from your Saints Girls’ journey.
When: 6.30pm, Saturday 19 October 2019
Venue: William Magarey Room, Adelaide Oval
Dress: Black Tie
Tickets: $150 per person; tables of 10
Book now via www.trybooking.com/ZZGY or 8334 2225
Multiplying Our Maths Support
As part of our ongoing participation in the Junior School Mathematics project, the Year 4 classes and parents attended a ‘Multiplying our Maths Support’ session on Wednesday 6 March. This was facilitated by Mathematics curriculum leader, Lisa-Jane O’Connor in the Junior School Library.
Students participated in simple card, dice and number games involving partitioning to ten, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. These games involved a parent and daughter, and they demonstrated the ways in which parents can assist students in their ability to increase their recall of number facts.
In the same way that students learn to read and write by practising at home as well as at school, it is essential that parents assist students at home in order for them to learn to recall number facts with appropriate fluency. The successful development of this skill greatly enhances a child’s ability to solve mathematical situations with confidence.
Rebecca Riley
Year 4 Teacher
Year 9 Drama Workshop
Dr Corinna Di Niro, an expert on the Italian theatrical form ‘Commedia dell’arte’ conducted a workshop for the Year 9 Drama students who are studying Commedia this term.
The students had a refresher on the physical shapes of the stock characters, learned some classic stage fighting moves using traditional slapsticks, and then had an opportunity to receive feedback on their own scenario work in the lead up to their assessment. It was such a privilege to work with Dr di Niro, who has learned, taught and performed all over the world. I can’t wait to see the girls apply these techniques to their performances and look forward to seeing what they produce.
Katherine Kitching
Drama Teacher
Year 3s Visit Adelaide Zoo
On Monday Week 5, the Year 3s went on an excursion to Adelaide Zoo. We went to Adelaide Zoo because our inquiry is all about endangered animals and sharing the planet. There were lots of things to learn with the help of the zookeepers.
We learnt the names of the different types of classification groups and we learnt how to sort the animal kingdom. We also learnt how we can help the endangered animals stay alive. We learnt about tigers, blue-tongued lizards and stick insects. When we learnt about tigers we learnt why they are endangered and what makes them endangered. We learnt that blue-tonged lizards and stick insects both use camouflage to protect themselves. The last thing we did, was we learnt what each animal needed in their enclosure to make it just right for them.
Anika Vaidya (Year 3 student)
Lizzy Mitchell (Year 3 Teacher)
Winter Uniform Reminder
With only three weeks remaining until the end of term, this is a reminder to parents of new students to ensure they have their winter uniform requirements prior to the start of Term 2.
If you have not already been in to see us or made an appointment, please do so as soon as possible as available times are filling fast.
This is also a timely reminder to all other students to dust off your winter uniforms to ensure everything still fits!
The School Shop will be open on Tuesday 23 April for fittings by appointment only and on Friday 26 April from 9am – 4pm.
Important Health Reminder
Please note that if your child has been experiencing vomiting they should not attend school until at least 24 hours after the last bout.
This is not only for their own welfare, but also to help protect other students and our staff from potentially falling ill.
We thank you for your understanding; if you have any queries, please contact the Health Centre via 8155 5762 or healthcentre@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Environmentally Friendly Packaging Now Available at the Tuck Shop
We are pleased to share that the Tuck Shop now utilises a range of environmentally friendly products such as cutlery, plates and bowls. They are made from sustainably sourced, rapidly renewable plant-based raw materials.
Tertiary Studies & Careers Expo Adelaide
Come along to the Tertiary Studies & Careers Expo Adelaide where you will find representatives from universities around Australia and overseas, including from University of Melbourne, UniSA, University of Adelaide and Flinders University Faculties.
> Private Education Providers
> TAFE SA
> Defence Forces
> Trade Skills Providers
> Government Agencies
> Employment Opportunities
> Gap Year & Exchange Programs
> Scholarship, Financial and Bursary info
….and more!
Click here for an information flyer
Click here to visit their website
Women in STEM Breakfast
We are seeking women working in STEM who are interested in sharing their passion, experiences and wisdom with our girls. Breakfast will be catered by our Year 11 and 12 Food and Hospitality classes and Foodini, our very own food printer.
The breakfast is a chance to network with other women in STEM and to offer advice to the next generation of girls considering their future careers. Our guest panel will include Sarah Brown, Co-Founder of Code Like a Girl, Dr Kristin Alford, Director of the Museum of Discovery, and Dr Bronwyn Hajek, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics at the University of South Australia.
RSVP to Monique Green via mgreen@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au to express your interest in attending.
IMPORTANT – Traffic Safety
At St Peter’s Girls the welfare of our students, parents and staff is paramount. As such, we remind our community to adhere to potentially life-saving safety practices.
When crossing the road outside the school grounds, please ensure you use the designated school crossing on Stonyfell Road or the pedestrian traffic light crossing on Hallett Road. There have been a number of recent near-misses and we cannot stress the importance of taking these simple precautions.
For drivers, please abide by the no right turn rule when entering/exiting the car park, as well as ensuring traffic is kept to a single lane.
We greatly appreciate your cooperation and support in this crucial area.
Business Directory at Saints Girls
Book your very own personalised advertisement today. Three options available – $500, $250 or FREE
> Promote your special business offer and change your advertisement as often as you like for no extra cost
> Simply support businesses connected to our School
> Refer a business
> All proceeds go towards our Parents’ and Friends’ Association fundraising efforts
For more information on how to get involved, contact Melissa Westgate on 8334 2244 or mwestgate@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.
Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager
Code Camp at St Peter’s Girls’ School
St Peter’s Girls’ School will be hosting Code Camp Spark (ages 7 – 12), 2D Game Makers (ages 7 – 12) and AR Creators (ages 8 – 13). The camps are held on 23, 24 and 26 of April 2019 from 9am (drop off from 8.30am) – 3.30pm (pick up until 4pm). The cost is $349 for three days.
Visit the Code Camp website for more information
Visit the St Peter’s Girls’ School booking page
Robogals’ Science and Engineering Day
Robogals is holding a Science and Engineering Day at the University of Adelaide on 24 April (10am – 2.30pm) for girls aged 5 – 15. The event includes a variety of fun STEM challenges. Information regarding challenges is included in one of the brochures attached below!
This workshop is free, and all experience levels are welcome. Places are limited so registration is essential.
Date: Wednesday 24 April
Time: 10am – 2.30pm
Location: University of Adelaide
Cost: FREE
Registration link: http://tinyurl.com/adelaide-sed
Information Flyer
Students are also invited to enter the Science Challenge 2019. More information can be found here.
Sports News
BASKETBALL
Open – Saints 48 defeated Westminster 26
The girls had another great win this week against Westminster. The girls attacked well in offence and created lots of turnovers in defence. They played strong one-on-one defence, particularly at the beginning of the game. All players contributed with Sarah Matheson scoring 11 points, Sivi Sivasuthan 10 points and Indya Dodd 9 points. Great job team. – Sarah Matheson (Captain)
Middle A – Saints 5 defeated by Westminster 54
A very tough game against a quality opposition. The girls worked hard but were just outclassed by a much taller and more physical team. We worked on our offence in the second half and were much better, although the final score did not reflect this. A good learning experience. – Brenton Davies (Coach)
Middle B – Saints 0 defeated by Westminster 60
Very similar to the Middle A game in that we played a quality team who were very physical and fast. I think we were a little overwhelmed as none of the team play basketball outside of school but it was a learning experience and one we can learn from. – Brenton Davies (Coach)
Middle C – Saints 2 defeated by Pembroke 23
Although we didn’t score much we played our best game yet. Our defence was very aggressive and active. Our offensive game is also improving. Almost everybody was able to shoot the ball, coming very close to scoring! It was good to see all the girls having a go at dribbling the ball down the court. I am positive that we will continue to get better each week! – Sharnee Jones (Coach)
ROWING
ARC Regatta 16/3/19
The regatta was only for our Juniors on this perfect Saturday morning. It was their last hit out before Head of the River (HoR) and all Junior crews had one race, which in effect is exactly what HoR is, just one race per crew. I was really happy with how all the crews raced on Saturday, many of the girls have come a long way over the term and season. For Junior rowers it is all about learning the basics; sequence, racing and process, which are built upon each season as they move up through the year levels. Junior racing this season has been extremely good, with the standard being exceptional from a lot of schools, so for our girls to hold their own has been awesome to watch. I can’t wait to watch them race at HoR, which will culminate all their hard work and commitment. Please come down and support the girls, we would love to see you there. GO SAINTS! – Ben Flannagan (Director of Rowing)
SOFTBALL
Year 5/6 Blue – Saints 1 defeated by Seymour Green 11
Saints had an awesome first innings where the girls really pulled themselves together and worked as a team. Unfortunately, in the last innings, Jerrie Wu was pitching and took a line drive into her shinbone just above her ankle. We’ve got one game left next week so hoping to see a good result! – Steph Collet (Coach)
Year 5/6 – Saints White 14 defeated Saints Silver 1
It was a warmer day but the girls were still focused and won 14-1. With only 8 girls available to play, this win was a full team effort. Kate Thomas and Carla Massicci both did great jobs pitching and defence was strong all around. The bats were also on fire as both innings reached the 7 run maximum. I was very proud of the entire teams effort and was excited to win another game. – Jess Dreswick (Coach)
Year 3-4 – Saints Blue 11 defeated by Seymour 21
The girls tried really hard this week. Despite the loss, they showed great concentration and combined for some double plays. Emily L played a fantastic game at first base, and Ros Stavrou, Enya Ouyang and Aleiyah Abraham all kindly played for the other team to even the teams, which showed great sportsmanship. Well done girls. – Lulu Tierney (Coach)
Year 3-4 – Saints White had a bye.
TENNIS
The Open A and B teams carried on the success and the outstanding skill level of tennis from the Saturday teams for the Tennis Intercol against Walford. The Open A team had a convincing win, winning 4-2. Mia Dodd played excellent doubles and singles matches, winning each 6-0 respectively. Maiya Jakupec fought hard in both her doubles and singles matches, playing two extremely close tie breakers.
The Open B team had a tough match, losing 4-2. This score does not reflect the high level of tennis that was played. Charlotte Staples played a wonderful singles match, winning 6-2. Ella Dnistriansky, who filled in at the last minute, won her singles match 6-3, playing to a high standard. A very big congratulations to all girls who participated on Saturday and Monday, helping to contribute to another amazing Intercol win against Walford! A wonderful team effort. – Annabel Baldwinson (Captain)
Premier A Grade – Saints 4-34 defeated Walford 2-15
Singles: Mia Dodd 6-0, Ruby Deakin 6-2, Maiya Jakupec 5-6, Annabel Baldwinson 6-1
Premier Reserves – Saints 2-22 defeated by Walford 4-29
Singles: Charlotte Staples 6-2, Georgia Mallick 0-6, Tahlia Louca 2-6, Ella Dnistriansky 6-3
Division 1 – Saints 3-27 defeated Walford 3-25
Singles: Ella Dnistriansky 6-5, Bridgette Leach 6-2, Adele Eaton 1-6, Grace Beaumont 6-0
Division 2 – Saints 4-24 defeated Walford 2-26
Singles: Stella Clark 6-3, Victoria Thorp 6-3, Sophie Abbott 0-6, Faye Ma 0-6
Division 3 – Saints 3-19 defeated by Walford 3-32
Singles: Eva Young 6-3, Chase Hocking 6-5, Astrid Teague 6-4
Division 4 Blue – Saints 3-24 drew with Walford 3-34
Singles: Azaan Singh 6-2, Anika Bruin 1-6, Anushka Rajbhoj 6-2, Jasmine Si 3-6
Division 4 White – Saints 4-29 defeated Pulteney 2-22
Singles: Gloria Zou 5-6, Lilli Bennett 6-5, Ayanna Roy 6-2, Nathara Perera 6-3
Junior Division 1 – Saints 6-28 defeated Wilderness White 0-10
Singles: Sophie Blight 4-3, Winnie Vartuli 4-1, Alison Francis 4-1, Chloe Richardson 4-0
Junior Division 2 Blue – Saints 4-19 defeated Seymour Blue 1-5
Singles: Emily Bates 4-1, Eva Chassiotis 4-0, Pollyanna Townsend 0-4, Asha Eaton 4-0
Junior Division 2 White – Saints 4-17 defeated St Ignatius 2-14
Singles: Shirley Liu 4-2, Jackie Balasis 4-2, Olivia Reynolds 4-1, Charlotte Thorpe 1-4
Junior Division 3 Blue – Saints had a bye.
Junior Division 3 White – Saints 0-4 defeated by Wilderness Pink 3-14
Singles: Charlotte Hocking 1-4, Lily Forby 2-4
TOUCH FOOTBALL
Open A – Saints 1 defeated by Pembroke 8
Pembroke were a really strong and experienced team, but despite the score, the girls played a positive game and never dropped their energy levels. The girls set up some great set plays and listened to one another when taking directions. Hannah Freeman did a fantastic dive across the line scoring from a quickie set up on the line. I love how the girls keep their heads up throughout the whole game and always put up a strong fight. I’m really impressed with the girls’ spirit and looking forward to another tough game next week. – Eve Habel (Captain)
Open B – Saints 0 defeated by Marryatville 3
Despite the loss, it was a great game played by all the girls. Everyone put in a great amount of effort and implemented drills we had learnt at training into the game. We rucked up quickly in the centre of the field to gain ground, in the hopes we could score. Although no tries were scored, there were some great attempts. – Sarah Wishart
Open C1 – Saints 1 defeated by St Aloysius 2
After a few weeks break it was a matter of getting back into the game structure and playing against an opposition. Although our team did not pull through with a win, we still gave it our best, with Stephanie Smalls being able to score a try through the tough defence lines held by the other team. Some things that we thought we did well involved picking up the ball fast and passing off, which allowed us to speed up the game, and ultimately get down to the try line quicker. In coming weeks we need to keep working on rucking down the field, running straight at the opposition with the ball to make ground, and get to the try line quicker. We hope to improve these skills in the next training which should help us in future games. – Alice Girdler
Open C2 – Saints 3 defeated Loreto 1
The girls dominated possession early in the game before finally using a set play to score twice in quick succession. Olivia Kelly passed out to Adele Russell on the wing who directed her run inside, allowing Olivia to wrap around easily and receive a pass before scoring in space. The game became an arm wrestle after that and Loreto were able to score once before Kendra Ware put the game beyond doubt with a searing run through the middle to score, with the defence trailing in her wake. A great win by these girls and improvement shown in their “rucking” patterns. – Dan Searle (Coach)
Middle A – Saints 2 defeated Marryatville 1
The team have improved so much from the beginning of the season and really worked together to defeat Marryatville. Our quick rucking provided us with the opportunities needed to gain ground and score tries. The girls on the wing worked hard and did some amazing touches, stopping the agile Marryatville girls. The whole team contributed to the success of this week’s game and the girls should be proud. Keep up the good work! – Willow Stewart-Rattray
Middle B – Saints 6 defeated Loreto 3
The girls began the game with flat attack positioning and were too slow walking instead of running to receive the ball. However, our strong defensive wall helped to stop Loreto getting through to score. Later in the game the girls started to hit the ball with more pace, and the wingers were able to score as the play was spread out. The girls did well at shooting in defence. The girls used some of the techniques that have been learnt in training but need to apply these on a more regular basis to help improve our game. In the upcoming games the girls will work on not being flat when in attack and running onto the ball. The girls will also work on using some of the techniques that we have learnt in training. – Bella Sanders-Wills
Middle C – Saints did not play.
VOLLEYBALL
Open A – Saints 3 defeated Walford 0 (25-8, 25-7, 25-18)
With Intercol on the line, everyone was keen to let Walford know our intentions early. After the first side-out Clair Kao stepped up to serve. Walford were stunned. Claire served 9 straight points. Everyone rallied and we didn’t have enough time to get through all the planned substitutions. Some changes to team structure in the second set allowed Chloe Deieso to step up and get a serving run of her own. The progression of the team is fantastic.
The girls rallied around each other through the whole match and it was great to see the support for each other as everyone accepted the challenge to extend themselves in the last set. Closing out the third set to win the match sets the team up well in the upcoming challenges against stronger opposition, with the focus clearly on the next two matches. – Alistair Keough (Coach)
Open B – Saints 3 defeated Walford 0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-23)
We were a little slow getting organised, and only just took the first set in a very tight contest. With Intercol on the line, the girls got mobile and started to move together and dominate blocking at the net. Making better position and supporting each other, we closed out the second set easily. Walford came out firing in the third set, but a great serving run by Toni Christiansen allowed us to get back in front and close out the match in a tense finish. – Alistair Keough (Coach)
Open C – Saints 0 defeated by Walford 3 (16-25, 23-25, 24-26)
Very close game in each set. The team stepped up in the second set after a shaky start and played some very good volleyball with three touches before going over the net. Most valuable player goes to Candy Feng.
Middle A – Saints 3 defeated Walford 0
It was a comfortable win for the girls this weekend. Saints were clearly the stronger servers with almost every girl now able to serve overarm. Samantha Keough and Charlie Fishlock played particularly well, and Sarah Gulliver’s enthusiasm throughout the whole game rubbed off on the rest of the team, keeping the energy up within the group for all three sets. – Victoria Neale (Coach)
Middle B – Saints did not play.
Middle C – Saints 3 defeated Pembroke 0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-12)
This week it was pleasing to see the players improving. Monica Isaac receives special mention for the week with her digging platform the most improved, giving accurate passes. – Vicki Dent (Coach)
WATER POLO
Open A – Saints 10 defeated Pembroke 4
The opposition was tough and the girls had to play their best water polo to secure the win. All players played a great one-on-one defence, and supported other team members in defence which put a lot pressure on Pembroke. We outnumbered our opposition in the number of steals and counter attacks which was reflected in the score. The second and third quarters were our best, we scored three goals in each to Pembroke’s one goal in each. Best player this week was Lara Wakeham. Lara was a key player in the game as she defended well and reacted quickly to the game play around her which enabled her to get many steals and swim up the pool quickly for counter attacks. Well done girls! – Nicolette Miller (Captain)
Open B – Saints 4 defeated Mercedes 3
This week was the girls first win, which was a result of an outstanding team effort where all the girls displayed their determination throughout. It was a close and exciting game with Saints trailing at half-time 1-2. Saints fought back hard, out-scoring Mercedes in both of the last two quarters by one goal, resulting in an overall win to Saints by one goal. Great game! – Nicolette Miller (Captain)
Open C – Saints 13 defeated Sacred Heart 1
The girls won their second game in a row, once again by a very large margin. The team’s strength was in their strong defence, not only making it difficult for Sacred Heart to score but resulting in the girls winning many turnovers and creating opportunities for Saints to shoot for goals. Best player again this week was Sophie Dansie who won all her swim ups, leading the team with her fantastic attacking and defensive game, and also shooting several goals. – Nicolette Miller (Captain)
Year 7-8 – Saints 7 defeated by Loreto 8
Such a good game, the girls were just a little run down towards the end but still put in a terrific effort! – Gemma Rowe (Coach)