Issue no. 21
In this edition
From Our Head of Middle School
For the past two and a half weeks, students in Years 7 to 12 have worked diligently preparing for our annual Choral Night. The School has been awash with House spirit, with red, green, gold and blue being worn proudly. Spending every home group and lunch time together, each House prepared a version of a common Hymn, a rendition of a song of ‘love’, and a dance choreographed and performed by the Year 12’s. These pieces exemplified our student’s creativity, where their innovative approaches to musical arrangements and dance moves were clear for all to see.
The House System was established in our school in 1927, with the Interhouse Music Competition becoming more prevalent across the subsequent decades. Now lovingly known as Choral Night, it is a school event that leaves a lasting impact, especially for those in Year 12. Old Scholars will fondly reflect on their experience for decades to come, irrelevant of who won. The Sister’s initial vision for the House System was to continue student voice in the School. They advocated for students to take initiative, do the work and carry the responsibility for activities undertaken by the House, with staff merely advising when needed. Choral Night this year epitomised this vision, as it was truly student led and delivered.
Choral Night is a unifying event on the School Calendar that symbolises the importance of belonging and connection. Although a winner is declared, what each House achieves in both their preparation and final performance on the evening, is nothing short of outstanding. The way the girls come together to achieve a shared goal shows dedication, perseverance, and teamwork. For many, getting up on a stage and singing in front of an audience of hundreds also takes incredible courage – but the confidence and strength gained by being amongst their House peers allows them to embrace the challenge.
Head of Middle School
Important Dates
ELC Coffee Van: Thursday 28 March
Good Friday: Friday 29 March
Easter Monday: Monday 1 April
Shakespeare on the Lawn, A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Friday April 5
Last day of Term: Friday 12 April
Head of the River Highlights
The 2024, SA Schools’ Head of the River was contested on Saturday 16 March, with Saints Girls crews achieving incredible results!
Summary of results:
- 1st – Schoolgirl Year 7/8 B Coxed Quad – winning the Olympia Aldersey Cup
Layla Dodd, Jess Woods, Roslyn Stavrou, Jemima Vikor-Lam, Lois Burton-Howard (cox), Olivia Bridgman (coach) - 1st – Schoolgirl Year 7/8 C Coxed Quad – claiming the Margaret Brown Cup
Emily Boase, Matilda Davidson, Ruoran (Aurora) Chen, Matilda Birmingham, Mila Fassina (cox), Pearl Richards (coach) - 1st – Schoolgirl Year 7/8 D Coxed Quad – bringing home the Victoria Basedow Cup
April McCabe, Erin Maynard, Ruby Kelly, Claris Stolcman, Abigail Hawkes (cox), Scarlett Papps-Burford (coach) - 2nd – Schoolgirl Year 8/9 B Coxed Quad
Diya Bhinder, Matilda Wilkin, Zara Perrone, Matilda Simonis, Grace Mayen (cox), Sadie Vikor-Lam (coach) - 2nd – Schoolgirl Year 8/9 D Coxed Quad
Piper Lawes, Gabriella Davi, Grace Cao, Chelsea Francis, Matilda Birmingham (cox), Georgie Owler (coach) - 3rd – Schoolgirl Year 8/9 A Coxed Quad
Ava Fox, Zalia Valmorbida, Cleo Connor, Isabella Huf, Charlotte Catchpole (cox), Jamie Becker (coach)
This is the best medal tally the school has ever achieved at Head of the River, and narrowly missed out on achieving line honours in a few races. Congratulations to our Schoolgirl Year 7/8 A Coxed Quad who placed 4th by 0.30 seconds, and our Schoolgirl Year 8/9 C Coxed Quad placed 4th by 0.69 seconds!
Although headwind conditions did not allow crews to produce PB performances, it was excellent to see our Schoolgirl First Eight and Schoolgirl Year 9/10 A Coxed Quad achieve PBs in terms of margin within their respective events. Their improvement throughout the season bodes well for their future as the Senior Squad for 2024/25!
Head of the River also doubles as our Intercol fixture against Walford, which is decided on an aggregate result across all divisions and contested by both crews. On these results, St Peter’s Girls’ School won our rowing Intercol with Walford for the first time by a margin of 5:3!
Thank you to all the students and families who attended Head of the River and supported our crews throughout the day. Head of the River is a truly special event, and a large part of what makes it so special is the atmosphere. Throughout the day the support from our community was incredible, the compassion (and creativity!) of our students was on full display!
Our sincere thanks also go to the Friends of Rowing for their incredible efforts in setting up for the day and making the Saints Girls marquee a festive environment for our community.
Lastly, well done again to our students and coaching team on their efforts, and their outstanding results!
Brynley Millward
Director of Rowing
Our Year 10’s Present Shakespeare on the Lawn
The Year 10’s have been working hard preparing for Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ on Chiverton Lawns on 5 April. This exciting venture is a collaboration between Performing Arts and our Visual Arts’ students, creating amazing costumes and beautiful pendant flower lamps to hang from the trees. This also includes the work of Food Technology students who are preparing picnic hampers for the event.
This will be a wonderful community event, where you will be able to catch up with other families and the wider School community on our beautiful lawns and be entertained by our Year 10 Arts’ students.
Friday 5 April from 5.30pm, Chiverton Lawns
- 5.30pm – Set up your picnic spot, collect food orders, be entertained by our musicians.
- 6.30-7.30pm – Performance.
- 8.30pm – Event finishes.
The performance is free of charge and bookings are open! Please click here to prebook your attendance and food.
The delicious, themed picnic hampers created by the Year 10 World of Food students include a wonderful selection of tasty items such as home-made quiches, quince paste, dips, lavosh, cheeses, cured meats, baguettes and crackers, presented with a custom-made cheese board. They will also include lovely, sweet treats such as brownies and fresh and dried fruits and will serve at least four people as an entrée.
Drinks will be sold by the Friends of Arts on the night and St Peter’s Girls’ picnic blankets will be available for purchase.
Any profits from the sale of the picnic baskets will be donated to the House Charities.
It will be a magical evening not to be missed!
Kate Burnett
Head of the Arts
Saints Girls Achieve Success in the Pool
Year 11 students Elysia Scarr and Emma Everitt recently competed at the South Australian State Age Swimming Championships and achieved outstanding results. Elysia said ‘This is the biggest event on the swimming calendar for South Australia, where swimmers come from all clubs, including interstate to compete against one another and try to attain national age qualifying times.’
Elysia placed 1st in the 50m and 100m Backstroke and 3rd in the 50m and 100m Butterfly and the 200m Individual Medley. While Emma placed 1st in the 16-18 years 800m Freestyle, 2nd in the 16-18 years 200m Medley and 16 years 200m Butterfly, and 3rd in the 16 years 200m freestyle and 16-18 years 400m Medley. In addition to these amazing results Elysia accumulated 4 National Age qualifying times and 1 National Open qualifying time while Emma achieved 4 National Age qualifying times and 3 National Open qualifying times to compete in the Gold Coast in April. We are incredibly proud of both students and wish them all the best for the upcoming National competition.
Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion at Saints
At St Peter’s Girls’ School, diversity is embraced and celebrated with enthusiasm, particularly on Harmony Day. This special occasion, observed annually on 21 March, is a time when students and teachers come together to appreciate the cultural tapestry that make up our school community. Throughout this week, classrooms were hubs of cultural exploration and students eagerly participated in various activities designed to foster understanding and appreciation for different traditions. Harmony Day is a wonderful reminder that with all our differences, we also share a common humanity, and should strive to create a harmonious and inclusive society.
Helen Smith
Deputy Head of Junior School
ELC – News from Learning Community 2
The Evolution of our Inquiry: Educators’ Gaze Verses the Child’s Gaze
This Term our central idea has been ‘A new environment can inspire curiosities’.
At the beginning of the Term, we naturally felt that the children in the Erindale room would focus on the current building works. This space has been a hive of activity as you can imagine, and we thought the busyness would grab their attention. We have spent time together discussing possible inquiry experiences and prefiguring where we could take this investigation. We began introducing this concept during our group times; however, as it happens a lot of the time when you are teaching young children, their attention was elsewhere.
The children have been drawn to the outdoor spaces with their attention placed firmly in the sandpit area. This space was constructed several years ago with children at the heart of the design. They can easily access and use water in their play and this space is such an import opportunity for sensory, imaginative, and messy play to occur. The element of the large, coloured rocks is a direct link to the Dreamtime Story of the Rainbow Serpent. This connection has now fuelled our learning and the children have been exploring the story of the Rainbow Serpent. Rather than directing our learning in an unauthentic way, we have and will always continue to observe, listen and respond to the focus of our children. We can see the deep literacy opportunities this inquiry has had, and the children have been given the opportunity to listen to the story in many ways and have been encouraged to retell the story themselves through many creative outlets. This reflection of our learning so far is a wonderful reminder of what we gain from listening to children, and to value the gaze of the child, trusting the direction it takes us in.
Laura Reiters
Learning Community 2 – Erindale Room
Futures Eco-Market Day
Futures is an innovative aspect of the Middle School curriculum enabling Year 7 students to work together and develop practical skills in applying entrepreneurial thinking to run a business. This term Year 7 students will run an Eco-Market where students sell the products they have designed and created.
The theme for this term’s Futures project is products that are upcycled and/or eco-friendly, hence the creation of an ‘Eco-Market’. Through upcycling, we can keep more waste out of landfill and give ‘things’ a new life.
The Eco-Market will be held during lunch time on Wednesday 3 April in the Gym. Year 4 to 12 students are invited to attend and can purchase from a range of products that have been made. Prices range between $2 and $10. Please note this event is cash only.
The Year 7s looked at Middle School students as their customer segment this term and created products with them in mind. However, many products will also be appealing to younger and older students. Products such as candles, jewellery, jewellery holders, book safes, and plushies are just a few of the goods on offer. We look forward to welcoming students from Years 4 to 12 to experience the Eco-Market, purchasing something that has been given new purpose, and supporting our efforts toward sustainability.
Kyle Martelle, Joni Combe, Randal Irvine, Ann Li, and Thomas Bassett
Year 7 Futures Teachers
Vacation Care Bookings are Open!
Our next awesome instalment of Junior School Vacation Care is almost here. We have some great activities guaranteed to keep the children entertained through the break. With an array of excursions and on-site adventures, there is plenty of fun to be had.
April 2024 Vacation Care Program
Places are limited, so secure your booking now – click here
Bookings Now Open for ELC Vacation Care!
Dear ELC Families
School holidays are around the corner, so if you would like your child to attend ELC during this time, please click here to access our online booking form.
ELC Vacation Care will run from Monday 15 April – Friday 26 April.
Vacation Care runs similar to a normal day within the ELC, led by Valentina Fernandes in Learning Community 1 and Liz Ewers in Learning Community 2. Our days are filled with a range of creative, inquiry-based and hands-on experiences, using our indoor and outdoor spaces as well as our ELC Community Garden and the School lawns. Children will frequently participate in music, dance, picnics on the lawns, gross motor and cooking experiences.
Children will need to bring their own packed lunch, hat, water bottle and a change of clothes each day. ELC children can attend Vacation Care in casual clothing; however, it is important for the children to wear appropriate footwear. Due to allergies, we kindly ask that you do not pack nuts or nut products in your child’s lunch box. A healthy morning and afternoon tea and late snack will continue to be provided to children.
As ELC Vacation Care is staffed based on bookings and catering, please make your bookings by Thursday 11 April 2024 (Week 11). Due to limited spaces during ELC Vacation Care, please book early!
*Please note that ELC Vacation care is strictly for ELC-enrolled children.
Musician Paves the Way for Change
Many of our talented musicians pursue further studies in music upon graduating from school. At just 28 years old, Erin McKellar (Patteson 2013) recently achieved her PhD, completing her dissertation titled ‘A Box of Memories – Altering Perspectives on Dementia Through Documentary Music Theatre.’
As an artistic researcher, Erin’s endeavours have gained recognition from esteemed academics, setting the stage for future investigations where artistic expression fosters deeper comprehension and brings about transformative shifts in mindset.
Her scholarly contributions to music mark a significant progression in academic dialogue, offering fresh perspectives on the convergence of music, well-being, and community engagement.
This accomplishment is truly remarkable, and we are incredibly proud of Erin’s achievements as a composer, change maker, singer, and now doctor.
Congratulations Dr McKellar!
Sari Noble
Director of Choirs
ELC Parent-Teacher Conversations
ELC Parent-Teacher Conversations will take place on 2, 3 and 8 April (Weeks 10 and 11), with bookings opening on Tuesday 12 March.
This is an opportunity for parents to meet their child’s teacher and discuss their learning. From these discussions, future goals for your child may be created to ensure they reflect the perspectives of parents and educators.
Bookings can be made via myLink:
Log in to the myLink Parent Portal with your username and password. The username is your ID number followed by @stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
If you don’t know your password, use the link provided on the login page to reset it.
Once you have logged in and arrive on the Welcome page, click the ‘Community Portal’ tab in the top menu, then click the ‘Interviews’ tab and select the required cycle; you can log in and change your booking any time up until 5pm Wednesday 27 March.
If you require myLink assistance, please contact the IT Hub via 08 8334 2227 or helpdesk@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.
Summer Interhouse Meal Deal
The Friends of Sport (FOS) will be cooking up a storm at Summer Interhouse on Friday 12 April. Offering delicious cheeseburger Meal Deals (pre-order only), includes a burger and drink (vegetarian option available). A sausage sizzle will also be available on the day (no pre-order required) – $3, EFTPOS and cash accepted on the day.
Click here to pre-order your daughter’s cheeseburger Meal Deal before 5pm, Monday 8 April.
Reception to Year 2 lunches will be delivered to classrooms, and Years 3 to 12 will collect theirs from the FOS barbecue area.
To get you into the Summer Interhouse spirit, House hats, water bottles and wristbands can also be pre-ordered. Supporter caps and branded keyrings are available for purchase at the School Shop.
All proceeds raised by the Friends of Sport directly benefit our Saints Girls and their sporting endeavours.
Thank you for your kind support.
Friends of Sport
The ELC Coffee Van is Coming Back this Term!
Dear ELC families,
The ELC Coffee Van is coming to St Peter’s Girls’ ELC on Thursday 28 March on Chiverton Lawns (located adjacent to the ELC).
All ELC families are welcome to enjoy a coffee and hot cross bun on us! This event offers families a wonderful opportunity to engage with the ELC community at morning drop off.
Due to allergies, babycinos will not be available. We also ask families to avoid bringing hot drinks into the ELC; instead, please use the School’s path to exit.
We look forward to seeing you there!
ELC Coffee Van
Thursday 28 March (Week 9)
Chiverton Lawns
7.30am – 10am
Anzac Day Poppies
Ms Stef along with members of the Environment Club have been busy crocheting poppies for Anzac Day. These hand-made poppies will be on sale during lunchtime in Week 9 for $3 with all proceeds going to our local RSL.
Januri Wagaarachchi
Environment Club Captain
School Shop Notice
School Shop Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 8am – 4pm (closed for lunch 12 – 12.30pm).
Parents can order items via our Online School Shop. This is now accessible via the Flexischools platform which also administers our Online Tuck Shop. To sign in or sign up to Flexischools, click here
Absences from School
If your child will be absent from school/ELC or is arriving late or leaving early, please notify the School via one of the following methods:
Text: 0428 601 957
Email: attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Phone: 8334 2200
Please ensure to include your child’s name, the name of the ELC Room, Class or Home Group and the reason for the absence i.e. illness/appointment/family/sport etc.
If notifying via email, feel free to ‘cc’ the teacher of the Room/Class/Home Group as well.
It would be appreciated if notification is received prior to 9am.
Sports News
Sport Results
Wednesday 13 – Tuesday 19 March
BASKETBALL
Middle A: Saints (39) v Immanuel Middle A (25)
Senior B: Saints (36) v Immanuel Senior B Gold (27)
CRICKET
Senior A (3v4 Final): Saints (1/60) v Seymour Senior A (8/45)
Best Player: Daniela Vari 2/9
Superwoman: Lucy Lowry for her leadership shown on the field and her match awareness.
Senior B White (Grand Final): Saints (2/76) v Scotch Senior B (4/60)
Year 3/4 Blue: Saints (5/84) v Wilderness Year 3/4 Blue (5/110)
TENNIS
Experienced Blue: Saints (3/3/18) v St Ignatius (3/3/20)
Best Player: Elina Liu
Superwoman: Victoria Teo
Intermediate Navy: Saints (16) v Scotch A2 (20)
Intermediate Silver: Saints (5/5) v St Ignatius Blue (5/21)
Best Player: Grace Lin
Superwoman: Charlotte Kelly
Intermediate White: Saints (6/8) v Concordia (6/27)
Best Player: Kate Yin
Superwoman: Isla Bembridge
Senior Division 1.2: Saints (40) v Scotch 1 Gold (31)
Senior Division 3.3: Saints (6/6/41) v Scotch 3 Gold (3/3/33)
Senior Open A: Saints (10) v Walford Premier League (72)
Senior Division 1.2: Saints (3/3/29) v Walford Gold (6/6/39)
Senior Division 3.3: Saints (27) v Walford Blue (50)
TOUCH FOOTBALL
Middle A: Saints (4) v Sacred Heart 2 (1)
Best Player: Wei Ning Khoo. Wei Ning improves every week. She is new to the game and has picked it up very quickly. Proving to be a very effective and skilled player, Wei Ning scored two tries.
Superwoman: Lucille Trengove. Lucy played a great game, her focus on key skills had a positive impact, resulting in some tries being scored.
Middle B: Saints (1) v Cabra 1 (2)
Senior A: Saints (1) v Pembroke 1 (2)
Senior B: Saints (5) v Wilderness 3 (0)
VOLLEYBALL
Senior A: Saints (1/57) v Concordia A2 (2/54)
Best player: Annabel Keough
Superwoman: Januri Wagaarachchi demonstrated grit and confidence throughout the match showing great improvement! Well done!
Senior B: Saints (2/59) v Immanuel Open B2 (1/58)
Senior C: Saints (0/49) v Pembroke Open C Blue (3/75)
Senior D: Saints (0/46) v Concordia Senior C4 (3/65)
Best Player: Ashmitha Ramesh
Superwoman: Lyra Cox supported the team out with lots of energy.
Middle A: Saints (1/53) v Immanuel Middle A (1/55)
Middle B: Saints (0/33) v Immanuel Middle B2 (3/68)
Middle C Blue: Saints (1/58) v Immanuel Middle C2 (2/65)
Best Player: Anisha Pahuja
Superwoman: Ruby Pahuja
Middle C White: Saints (1/50) v Immanuel Middle C4 (2/63)
Middle D Blue: Saints (0/39) v Immanuel Middle C5 (3/65)
Best Player: Elizabeth Ran
Superwoman: Anna Tickner
Middle D White: Saints (0/57) v Immanuel Middle C6 (3/75)
Best Player: Maddie Romeo
Super Woman: Christine Zhang.
Year 4-6 Blue: Saints (3/76) v Seymour 5/6 Blue (0/6)
Best Player: Sophie Blake attacked the ball with confidence when she was in the setter position. Directing the ball downwards and into gaps on the opposition’s side of the court, leading us to win the point.
Superwoman: Clara Toh, played her strong underarm serve, serving the ball high and deep over the net when she was in the back position.
Year 4-6 Silver: Saints (2/72) v Seymour 5/6 Purple (1/57)
Best Player: Samaira Soodan served consistently with her underarm and had many long serving runs, helping the team get a great lead. She even attempted her overarm serve which was great to see.
Superwoman: Penny Coulter covered the entire court and tried her hardest to keep the ball up in every single play. She kept the team spirit up by cheering her team mates on. After serving underarm consistently, Penny had two very successful overarm serves which lead us to win the last set.
Year 4-6 White: Saints (3/75) v Seymour 5/6 Green (0/50)
The team executed the diamond formation and had a few attempts at a dig/set/spike, which is amazing, and also trying over arm serving.
Best Player: Violet Tulloch
Superwoman: Alice Bigg
WATER POLO
Senior A: Saints (19) v Wilderness Senior A (1)
Senior B: Saints (3) v St Dominic’s 1 (12)
Best Player: Shea Forster for great goal keeping and setting up girls to succeed at the goals.
Superwomen: Matilda Joy, attentive to coaching instruction and feedback.
Senior C: Saints (13) v Seymour Senior C (2)
Best player: Isla Fahey showed great work in defence with lots of steals and delivered good strong goals.
Superwoman: Grace Marshall saved lots of goals and did great passes.
Middle A: Saints (9) v Loreto 3 (5)
Gisele’s Athletics Achievements
Gisele Chernishev has been very busy competing in multiple Athletics Events over the past few weeks! On Sunday 10 March she competed at the Senior Athletics Championships where she achieved a PB in the U13 Women 200m Sprint with a time of 28.69, securing Silver in doing so.
On Saturday 16 March Gisele raced at the Little Athletics State Individual Championships, where her Silver placings in the U13 Women’s 200m and 400m saw her qualify for Nationals!
This is a fantastic achievement, and we wish Gisele all the best for Nationals. Nationals will be held in Adelaide from 14 – 18 April.
Elodie’s Future Athlete Opportunity
Congratulations to Elodie de Wit who is one of only 20 athletes selected to attend a Future Athlete Camp, facilitated by the Pho3nix Foundation!
Hosted by Olympic and Commonwealth Games medallist John Steffensen and four-time World Champion triathlete Chris McCormack, this five-day intensive camp provides mentoring, activities and training in areas such as, nutrition, media training, conditioning and recovery.
Go well, Elodie! We can’t wait to hear about it upon your return.
Summer Interhouse
Summer Interhouse occurs every year on the last day of Term 1 and is a competition in between each House to compete for the overall shield. It is an opportunity for students to participate in their chosen co-curricular sport/s and showcase their skills and knowledge of the game whilst playing with girls in their house.
The sports included in this event are Basketball, Volleyball, Touch, Cricket, Tennis and Rowing. To ensure each sport can have adequate game time, we have scheduled for some sports to be played at lunchtime during the week. Middle School Basketball will be the first sport to compete at lunch on Monday 8 April, followed by Middle School Volleyball at lunch on Tuesday. Both Middle and Senior School touch will compete on Wednesday 10 April at lunch. All students will meet on the oval on Friday 12 April at 1.15pm to demonstrate their House spirit through cheers. All remaining sports will play immediately after this with Round 1 going from 1.30pm-2.05pm, Round 2 from 2.05pm-2.40pm and finally Round 3 from 2.40pm- 3.15pm. Afterwards, all students will go to the Chapel for the announcement for the overall winners!
This event is always a fun way to end the term and is an opportunity for everyone to support their House and friends whilst playing sport. We would love to see everyone cheering and bringing their House spirit to each sport throughout the week!
Lara Maione
Aerobics Sport Captain
Excellent Equestrian Results
Amazing results were achieved by Inge R, Annabelle Knowles and Aurelia Pyne at the South Australian Equestrian Interschool State Championships held over the 16 and 17 March!
Their strong performance saw them place just 50 points behind the 3rd placed school, which is a phenomenal feat, given the Saints team was made up of only 3 students, in a field of 23 school teams.
Aurelia had a great weekend and added two more strong qualifying performances. She competed in the Combined Training 60cm where she easily met the qualifying scores and achieved a personal best dressage score of 67% in doing so.
Inge was crowned the Overall Intermediate Show Horse Interschool State Champion and in addition to the state title, achieved two more outstanding qualifying performances in her Combined Training events by placing 3rd and 6th.
Annabelle successfully retained her Intermediate Show Hunter Interschool State Champion title, even though taking a risk by competing on a different pony! Annabelle was also named the Working Hunter Reserve Interschool State Champion after winning the 65cm course and rounded out her tournament with a 6th placed finish in the Dressage.
The girl’s strong performances put them in good stead for selection in the South Australia National Team, set to compete in Tamworth in September. Well done girls, your endless hours of training and caring for your ponies is paying off!
Lynne Spry Water Polo Cup
The Annual Lynne Spry Cup took place last Friday 15 March and was fiercely contested between Saints Old Scholars and our current Senior A team.
The Senior A Team found the back of the net first, courtesy of a Zara Trim bullet. Both keepers had their work cut out for them, with shots being fired from all directions. Claudia Pearce was gallant as keeper for the Senior A team, blocking several scoring attempts made by the Old Scholars. Old Scholar and current Adelaide Jets team member, Nikki Miller (Patteson 2019), scored twice in quick succession to put the Old Scholar’s noses in front. Senior A’s thought they’d scored an equaliser after Alice Braithwaite snuck one through, only for it to be disallowed as the referee deemed the ball to have deflected off a player’s head! Olivia Reynolds made sure of a penalty shortly after, reducing the margin to 3-2 in favour of the Old Scholars at the main break.
Physicality lifted in the second half, with the Old Scholars utilising their full bench to have fresh legs in the pool, the Old Scholars drew first blood, extending their lead to 2 goals. The Senior A side fought back by scoring a third time, but one last goal from the Old Scholars put the match out of reach, finishing 5-3 victors.
School Spirit was alive and well at the Lynne Spry cup, being well attended by students and staff. Students took advantage of the free bus from Saints and several girls attended after having played and won their school Cricket Grand Final! There were plenty other girls who transported themselves to the cup to support their school friends. Many spectators were watching Water Polo for the first time, their lack of experience didn’t stop them from holding their posters high and cheering loudly for the competitors!
Thank you to all students, coaches, staff, and spectators involved in the Lynne Spry Cup!
2023-24 Athletics SA State Track and Field
It was a very successful weekend for Saints students at the Athletics SA State Track and Field event, with seven girls making it through to the Final in their respective events!
In the U13 age group, Gisele Chernishev showed her strength in the sprints, finishing 4th in the 100m Final and 2nd in the 400m and 200m, where she achieved a PB with a time of 28.69 in the 200m. In the longer distance track events, Gracie Sheridan skills were on display, finishing 2nd in the 800m and 1500m Final.
Lucille Trengove had a very solid performance across the U15 Long Jump and Triple Jump events, placing 2nd and 4th respectively. Lucille also hit the track, finishing 3rd in the 200m and 100m Final.
India Goodall blitzed away from the rest of the field in the U16 800m Final, with another 1st place finish. India also finished 3rd in the 400m!
Ava Field and Elodie de Wit competed in the U18 age group, with Ava securing 3rd place in the 800m Final whilst Elodie held on for 2nd place in the 1500m Final!
In the U20 10000 Walk Final, Daisy Braithwaite had a fantastic race, finishing 2nd with a time of 56:51.
The Open Women 200m Final was as tight as they come, with the top five being split by just over half a second. Charlotte McAuliffe placed 2nd, less than a 10th of a second behind 1st place. In the 400m Final, Charlotte had a very strong run securing a 1st place finish!
Well done to the athletes who finished top two in the finals as they have secured their place in the South Australian State team to compete at Nationals. The state team will be named in coming weeks, and we are hopeful that the strong results from the other girls will be enough to be named!
Saints Win Cricket Grand Final
After an undefeated season, our Senior B White team found themselves sitting atop the ladder and set to play Scotch in the Grand Final. Having won by 45 runs last time they met, the girls were favourites heading into the game, but there were still nerves amongst the camp.
Saints won the toss and sent Scotch into bat. It wasn’t long before the first wicket fell, with a cracking run out from Amy Dillon, sending the opening batter packing. It would be a few overs before the fall of the second wicket, but some tight end to end bowling kept the pressure on Scotch before Maddy Penley got the breakthrough, clean bowling the batter. The girls were excellent in the field, attacking the ball, making Scotch second guess running between the wickets and reducing them to singles. Two more run outs came, and Saints had reduced Scotch to 4/60 at the end of the 12 overs.
With the winner of the Senior B Cricket being determined by the total of runs scored divided by the total of wickets taken after 12 overs, the girls knew that they needed to average 15 runs per batter.
Winnie Vartuli and Sophie Ricciuto opened the batting, with Winnie facing the first 11 deliveries and scoring a quickfire 17 before being dismissed. Enter Matilda Paterson, who was aggressive from the get-go, scoring off the first ball she faced and clearing the boundary with her time at the crease. Sophie Ricciuto was patient at the other end, rotating the strike but struggling to get on strike herself! The girls scored quickly, and when Soph’s wicket fell, Saints were 2/30 which put even with Scotch on average. This meant that whilst we were scoring quickly and set to surpass the total required, we had to ensure that we valued our wickets.
After facing 20 deliveries, Matilda was forced to retire, which saw Tiana Trench and Amy Dillon the girls at the crease. Tiana and Amy combined nicely, finding the gaps to keep the run rate ticking over. After facing 20 balls themselves, they too had to retire. Come the last over, Saints had scored 13 more runs than Scotch and Coach Brynley Millward was frantically crunching the numbers, trying to determine how many wickets Saints could afford to lose without falling below the required average. It did not matter though, as Saints didn’t lose a wicket and we were victorious with a total score of 2/74.
It was very nearly a Saints v Saints Grand Final, as our Senior B Blue side finished equal second, but just missed out on percentage. Well done to both teams!
Senior A Cricket Team Win Play Off
After winning the toss, Saints elected to bowl first. It took four overs for us to get the first wicket, with the pace from a Lydia Burrough delivery rattling the stumps of the Seymour batter. From here, wickets fell steadily. Saints built the pressure with their relentless effort in the field, with run outs coming from Ella Warrick, Carys Kinsella-White and Lydia Burrough. Lucy Lowry got a direct hit after she fired one in from the boundary, but the umpire deemed the batter safe in her crease. The final wicket came in the 10th over, with Saints having Seymour all out for 45 runs.
Daniela Vari made her intentions clear, scoring 4 runs from 4 balls but came unstuck after a cracking delivery from a Seymour player. Enter Amelia Lucas, who found the boundary five times on her way to 29 off just 13 deliveries. Lydia Burrough scored steadily herself, and the pair had no trouble in chasing down the required target! Senior As beat Seymour and finished the season in 3rd place, well done girls!