Issue no. 19

From the Chaplain 

Celebrations and Confirmations

This week we celebrated our School’s patron saint, St Peter, with a Eucharist that gathered our youngest (ELC) and our most senior (Old Scholars’ Association), as well as students from Reception to Year 9. St Peter was a favourite saint of Adelaide’s first Bishop, Augustine Short – hence we have a number of schools and a Cathedral in his name. While one might long for a girls’ school to have a female saint, there are so many parts of St Peter’s story that relate to our own experiences that we could never regret being ‘St Peter’s Girls’.

Peter is a risk-taker, leaving behind his fishing business to follow Jesus. Although he often struggles to understand Jesus’ teachings and is criticised for his lack of faith, Peter is the first of the disciples to recognise Jesus as the Messiah. In a sense, he’s the first to really understand who Jesus is. But this knowledge doesn’t come easily to him and he still makes mistakes. When Jesus is arrested, Peter denies knowing him. This is the kind of betrayal that even our youngest students can relate to – that moment when someone says she’s not your friend any more. But when Peter encounters the resurrected Christ, Jesus asks him if he loves him and all is forgiven. Peter goes on to become a great leader, continuing Jesus’ work of bringing God’s healing, love and forgiveness to the world.

In a world that values success and often pressures our young people towards perfectionism, there is much encouragement to be taken from our St Peter. Learning isn’t always a straightforward progression from not knowing to knowing. It’s a journey of ups and downs, and successes and failures, which gradually leads us toward a deeper understanding and transforms us into the people we will become. St Peter was a simple fisherman gradually transformed by his efforts to learn from his teacher into a great leader.

This is also the time of year when girls in Year 6 and above are offered the opportunity to be Confirmed (and Baptised if they haven’t been previously). The traditions of various Christian denominations can be confusing, but the important question for girls to consider is simply, like St Peter, “Would you like to be a follower of Jesus?”

During Confirmation a person assumes the promises made on her behalf at Baptism (if they were baptised as an infant), but also makes a commitment to become a ‘fully-fledged’ member of the Church. The decision to be Confirmed is one that an individual must make for herself, as it is a sign of her personal commitment to continuing her spiritual journey.

This year classes will be offered to prepare girls who wish to be baptised and/or confirmed. The preparation classes will start in Term 3 and be conducted during regular class time until Week 6, with minimal disruption to regular lessons.

Families, friends, and godparents of those being confirmed are invited to join the whole School for the Baptism and Confirmation Service conducted by the Bishop. This joyous event will form part of our School Eucharist on Thursday 1 September at 8.30am, followed by a celebratory Morning Tea.

If your daughter is interested in Confirmation, or you would like more information about Baptism or Confirmation, please do not hesitate to contact me on 8334 2220 or via email: ndarke@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.

Rev’d Natasha Darke

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Jam and Vegemite Drive a huge success

The Year 10 Kennion Home Group have recently coordinated a Jam and Vegemite Drive for KickStart. The jams and vegemites that were kindly donated by the school community will be distributed to a variety of South Australian schools where KickStart runs the breakfast program.

We have been very excited by the amazing support, particularly from the Junior School who overall donated 133,307 grams of vegemite and jam. Middle School came in second, donating 48,599 grams, and Senior School donated 2,600 grams of vegemite and jam. Well done and thank you to the school community for their amazing support.

The overall winners were also announced and their prize – a Pizza lunch – will be shared next term with the Year 10 Kennion girls.

The top three Home Groups who donated the most were: 9SRI in third place with 16,354 grams of vegemite and jam donated; 0LDA in second place, with 19,492 grams; and FIRST place went to 6CM which donated a staggering 29,064 grams of vegemite and jam, WELL DONE, 6CM! Ian Steele, the CEO of KickStart, will join us next term to receive the donations.

We would like to thank all of the school community for their kind donations. I am sure they will be greatly appreciated by the schools involved in the KickStart breakfast program.

Jenni Manson
Year 10 Kennion Home Group Teacher

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Saints Girls at the UN Youth Evatt Competition

Last Saturday we had the pleasure of competing in the UN Youth Evatt competition, which is a full-day simulation of a real United Nations Security Council debate. This competition is designed for high school students to learn and experience what it’s like to be a diplomat representing their country. Each team consists of a pair of students and is allocated a country to represent. In our heat there were students from many different schools, such as Loreto, Pulteney, Glenunga, and USC. We were given Ukraine to represent.

Throughout the day there were three resolutions debated: ‘The question of animal-human hybrids’, ‘The question of corruption in the 21^st century’, and a surprise topic, ‘The question of the Mediterranean refugee crisis’. Teams had to decide their country’s stance on the topic and were then given a chance to make ‘amendments’ to the resolution, keeping in mind how it would affect their nation. Teams had the opportunity to negotiate these amendments with other countries and collect signatures from them whilst being diplomatic and fair. Teams then debated some of these amendments and finally voted on them. This process was repeated and more changes were made to the resolution until a final vote was taken, where every country would state if they were ‘for’ or ‘against’ the final resolution.

This competition was certainly a challenge, especially considering we had never done anything like it before, and going into it we didn’t really know how the whole process worked. However, as the day went on and we began to understand it, we grew more confident. We would like to congratulate Emma Bleby and Sara Possingham from Year 10, who participated in separate heats, and will progress through to the semi-final this Thursday. This competition is like no other and we certainly have learnt a lot from participating!

Hannah Brown and Aditi Tamhankar, Year 9

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Raising awareness for Red Nose Day

Over 3,500 families in Australia suffer the unanticipated and sudden death of an infant each year. Luckily, Red Nose Day, which is run by SIDS and Kids, supports services, programs and vital research for stillbirth (infant deaths during pregnancy), sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and safe sleeping practices through generous contributions by communities and local businesses.

This year Red Nose Day falls on Friday 24 June. Last year Red Nose Day managed to raise $31.5 million in total and we hope to help beat that number this year. You can donate or get in contact over the phone (08 8369 0155), by email (hunterregion@sidsandkids.org), online (rednoseday.com.au) or even in person (415 Magill Rd, St Morris). To get involved or become a volunteer, it is as easy as signing up online or going to your local SIDS and Kids office.

It is as simple as wearing a red ribbon and donating any amount to help save an infant’s life on this special day. We hope that you can help make a difference with us.

The Environment Club

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Exciting updates from the Saints Café

The Saints Café is starting to develop into an exciting, innovative and ethical business.

On Thursday last week the three managers, Holly, Freya and Amira, visited Seafaring Fool Café, located in a ‘nook’ next to JR’s Surf and Ski on Grenfell Street. The café is owned by entrepreneur, Alistair Corston, who says that the space used to be ‘an old display window’. With a bit of creativity and hard work he has turned it into a successful ‘micro-café’.

Our girls are taking inspiration from Mr Corston because he thinks ethically about all his stock purchases, as well as making delicious, affordable coffee.

“He was really informative and really precise and enthusiastic. I also like his choice of milk. I use Tweedvale at home; it’s local, fresh and really nice. I would like us to consider using that,” enthuses Freya. The girls are also becoming aware of the importance of supporting local farmers.

We also noticed that Mr Corston uses biodegradable cups. Adelaide Councillor, Sandy Verschoor, is pushing to make city coffee shops use perishable cups only. “I would be very happy to pay an extra 10 cents for my cup of morning coffee if I knew it wasn’t going to landfill”, she said. The girls have acknowledged that this will cost them more, however they are developing the idea that caring for our environment outweighs, or at least should equal, making a profit. Once we start to earn a consistent income, we wish to choose and support a local charity.

Tuesday was our last day open for the term due to exams and work experience. We look forward to a re-launch early next term. We have learnt a lot this term and wish to implement some changes and hope to continue to develop our café into a sustainable business that caters for our community.

Sarah Casson
Junior School Art Teacher

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Federal Election Debate luncheon

The Federal Election Debate luncheon was an incredible experience which provided insight into the upcoming election. It was inspiring to observe the amazing public speaking skills of Christopher Pyne and Penny Wong and, as Year 12 debaters, it was an extremely valuable opportunity to witness a debate on a political level.

The emphasis on South Australia’s new and old economies was particularly enlightening, as was the opportunity to hear first-hand both parties’ opinions on controversial topics which are very much at the forefront of the public’s mind. These included the submarine project, renewable energy and discussion with regard to the Arrium steel company. Furthermore, observing the live debate and Q&A session between the two politicians was something we could relate to as debaters, especially considering the need for improvisational skills in public speaking. The opportunity to briefly discuss with Penny Wong the lack of educational funding in South Australia encouraged us to attend further political debates with an emphasis on educational requirements in South Australia.

Mila Loechel and Kritika Mishra (Year 12)
Community Service Prefect and Debating & Public Speaking Prefect

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Sports News

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

Junior Netball

Year 6 Blue – Saints 12 defeated by Seymour Purple 20

The girls worked hard as a team during the game, with our attacking area playing an excellent game and making leads through endless efforts. The shooters showed their great technique and skill to achieve many goals throughout the game. Best players for this game were Isabelle Gilroy and Adele Eaton. A special thanks goes to Chloe Venning’s Mum for umpiring. Chanel Stefani and Ava Loechel (Coaches)

Year 6 White – Saints
By Grace Russo (Coach)

Year 5 Blue – Saints 25 defeated Walford 3

Once again the girls all had an excellent performance in their game last week. The girls have made huge improvements in their gameplay and teamwork throughout the term, which definitely shows on game day. The girls are becoming familiar with specific positions, as we are able to notice where they play their best. Defence worked extremely well to gain many turn overs, often resulting in several goals scored for the team. Well done to all girls for their continuous effort all term and I hope to see wins over the last two games. Georgia Naughton 

Year 5 White – Saints 27 defeated Walford Gold 4

The team’s defence was amazing in preventing many goals, with the attacking half working well as a team to bring the ball down the court to set up scoring opportunities. Well done, girls, for a great team effort. Eve Habel and Rachel Kameniar (Assistant Coaches)

Open Soccer 

Open A – Saints 1 defeated Scotch 0

After a slow first half, the girls fired up in the second half, working together beautifully for Dominique Rigby to score a volley. Special mention to Layne Beveridge who took an impeccable free kick that narrowly missed and Talah Gobel once again for some great and courageous saves. Krystina Dianos (Captain)

Open B – Saints 0 drew with Immanuel 0

This week’s game was very close yet again. The girls were strong in defence, keeping Immanuel under pressure and limiting their scoring opportunities. There was definitely some improvement in getting the ball through the midfield to the strikers. However, despite having more shots at goal, we were unable to score and the game finished in a draw. Christine Gayen (Coach)

Middle A – Saints 1 drew with Scotch 1

A tough game for the girls, which was unfortunately not helped by only having 10 players on the field for the entirety of the game. Regardless, the girls worked harder to compensate for being one player down. Although the team was down 0-1 going into half-time, the girls put in extra effort to equalise early in the second half. A winning goal looked like it was on the way but did not come in time, and a draw is still a great result given the circumstances. Vincent Talladira (Coach)

Middle B – Saints 0 defeated by Pembroke 1

Saints played with positivity and never gave up. The team had many chances at goals but unfortunately could not find the back of the net. Their dribbling and passing of the ball has improved, along with tackling. They communicated well during the game, showing great teamwork and supporting one another when needed. The girls tried different positions from what they prefer to play and showed that they were capable of playing any position to the best of their ability. Taylor Garrett (Coach) 

Year 7 – Saints 0 defeated by Pembroke (2) 3

Despite starting the game with just eight players, Saints played well and there was some good defending by Grace Dodson, Sara Peak and Ebony Morelli, with Amelia Provan stopping a number of shots in goal. Down by two goals at half-time, Saints started with a full team and were able to provide more attack on the opposition, with Louisa Reid and Victoria Thorpe working well together and Keely Flannagan and Molly Bond often making good tackles. However, we were unable to score. Neil Fuller (Acting Coach).

Knockout Netball Open

The Saints A team travelled to Seymour College on Thursday to compete in the first round of the Open Knockout Netball Competition. Our first game was against Seymour College and was a very well fought-out battle between the schools that ended in overtime after a draw at full-time of 36 all. Saints went on to win the game, 41-39. The next game was against Brighton High School and was another tough game. The girls used their experience from the first game to secure a one-point win despite exhaustion and fatigue. The final score was 31-30. We are very proud of all the girls and are looking forward to the next round in early Term 3 that will be hosted at Saints. Josephine Dal Pra and Madison Bateman (Co-Captains)

Minkey Hockey

Year 4/5 – Saints had a bye  

Badminton

We are extremely proud that the girls are using the skills they are learning at training during the games on Saturday mornings. There has been tremendous improvement, not only in the girls’ technique, but also in their match play and court awareness. Kritika Mishra and Alice Powell (Captains)

Open A – Saints 1 defeated by Wilderness 5

Best player: Alice Powell

Open B – Saints had a bye 

Open C1 – Saints had a bye

Open C2 – Saints had a bye

Open D1 – Saints 6 defeated Seymour 0

Best player: Sophia Casanova Clark

Open D2 – Saints 5 defeated Walford 1

Best player: Amelie Dunda

Open E – Saints 4 defeated by Seymour G 5

Best player: Candy Feng

Hockey

Open A – Saints 1 defeated by Walford 5

Walford had a strong side which Saints defended as best we could. Georgina Sarah received multiple balls up the line into attack, earning Saints many frees in our attacking half. Saints had a few opportunities, only converting one goal scored by Rachael Disney. Our defence was strong in penalty corners and some excellent saves were made by goalie, Grace Edwards. Natasha Hammond (Captain)

Open C – Saints 0 drew with Pembroke 0

Saints faced a much different and tougher Pembroke in a hard fought match. The girls linked together many strong passes through the midfield, resulting in numerous circle entries. Unfortunately, we were unable to capitalise on the opportunities that came from our dominance, which resulted in a full-time score of nil all. Sophie Fry (Coach)

Lacrosse

Under 18 – Saints 2 defeated by Woodville 24

The girls once again persisted all game despite facing a challenging opposition. Millisent Wilkin (Year 8) was dominant in the centre draw but we were not able to capitalise on this, with their players being first to the ball. The defence managed to hold the Woodville attack out for long periods of play and caused a number of turn overs through their pressure but unfortunately we weren’t able to maintain enough of the ball. Scarlett Hocking (Year 8) and Antonia Kirsten-Parsch (Year 11) had strong games in defence, providing great support to the midfielders. Portia Maerschel (Year 7) scored in the second quarter and Portia Reppucci (Year 11) added to this in the third quarter. The score didn’t reflect the girls’ effort and endeavour, and a number of our shots just failed to beat the goalie. Sarah Lowe (Coach)

Under 15 – Saints 6 defeated by Brighton 15

The girls showed great confidence in going up against an experienced team. They were committed to the ground balls and took on players in the midfield with good determination. The score line did not reflect on the game, with Saints winning most of the centre draws from Millisent Wilkin, and Saskia Jonats and Scarlett Hocking collecting the ball from centre and setting up goals scored by Fiona Lethbridge (1), Harriet Maerschel (4), Portia Maerschel (1).
Portia Reppucci (Lacrosse Captain)

Under 13 – Saints 15 defeated Pembroke 9

Despite playing at a different venue this week, the girls still performed incredibly well. In defence, Jenna Maione (Year 4) and Isabel Burmester (Year 5) did an excellent job. In midfield, Dani Cox (Year 4) fought hard to get the ball off the ground and run fast into attack to shoot a goal. At half-time it was seven all and the girls had to continue working together and passing to open players to win the match. In goals for the first time were Lara Maione (Year 3) and Isabel Burmester who did well as they saved numerous goals each. In centre, Portia Maerschel (Year 7) scored ten amazing goals, with other scorers being Mabel Cook (Year 3), Dani Cox, Saskia Jonats (Year 7) and Stephanie Smalls (Year 7). Well done to Mabel for getting her very first goal in lacrosse. Lucy Martin (Coach)

Netball

Open A – Saints 61 defeated Wilderness 48

In a great game Saints consolidated another win. Despite missing players, all girls performed extremely well and worked together. A special mention to Ally Murray and Lydia Smalls for making their Open A debut – a great addition to the team! Best on court was Abbey Goodwin, who maintained strong drives into the circle the whole game. We are all very excited about our current third position on the ladder and look forward to continuing our successes. Josephine Dal Pra and Madison Bateman (Co-Captains)

Open B – Saints 27 drew with Wilderness 27

An excellent game by all this week! Considering we had a few girls sick and a few girls having to play up this week, the team managed to gel, as reflected by the success of this game. A big thank you must go to Brooke Elliot and Nicolette Miller who played after their Year 9 game and worked very well within the team. Both teams had the possibility of winning the match in the last minute but the girls played exceptionally well and it was a shame that we drew. Ally Murray (B Captain)

Open C – Saints defeated by Wilderness

Year 10 – Saints 40 defeated Immanuel 19

Year 9A – Saints 53 defeated Wilderness 23

This week we played well as a team, calling and supporting each other. Our passes were accurate and the goal shooters rarely missed. We believe we can continue to improve and work on things such as slowing the game down and looking for options, especially when we get an intercept. Overall, we played a very good game. Anna Pryor (Coach)

Year 9B – Saints 37 defeated Wilderness 11

Year 9C1 – Saints 31 defeated Immanuel 18

The girls played another fantastic game this week, coming out with another great win. They worked hard concentrating on the points we have been implementing at training. We had some great passages of play all through the court, with some excellent leads, intercepts and back-up from Zoe Vine Hall in defence and Molly Lucas in the mid-court. Our shooters also played a great game, with Brooke Weymouth rarely missing a goal. Congratulations to all the girls on a superb win! Ellana Welsby and Chelsea Stamato

Year 9C2 – Saints 13 defeated by Westminster 25

The score does not reflect how well the girls played and improved this week. A few girls played some new positions this week and excelled in the positions they were given. Special mention to Marley Banham (GK) and Poppy Kirwan (WA) who had never played those positions before and, despite this, gave their best efforts – well done! Excellent teamwork and play by all the girls this week. Congratulations! Ellana Welsby and Chelsea Stamato

Year 8A – Saints 32 defeated Wilderness 20

A fantastic win for the girls this week. A convincing start in the first quarter put us five goals up at quarter time. After discussing the importance of slowing the ball down and making accurate and safe passing options, that’s exactly what the girls did. This allowed the girls to capitalise on the many turnovers caused by our strong defensive line-up. Two players of the match this week were Isabella Bernardi and Ruby Bouhamdan for their consistency throughout the centre court, always providing a strong and reliable passing option. We would also like to thank Stephanie Smalls for coming up from the 7s to play for us. Vanessa Brooks (Coach).

Year 8B – Saints 12 defeated by Wilderness 22

The score doesn’t accurately reflect the level of play by the girls, especially considering we had a combination of players for the first time to make up numbers. The girls displayed some fantastic defensive pressure throughout the court which caused many turn overs; however, we unfortunately gave equally as many balls away due to inaccurate passing and unsteady footwork. Player of the match goes to Paris Robinson whose defensive pressure was outstanding in each position that she played. Thank you to Emma Matheson, Paris Greene and Stella Clark who played up to make up numbers and for being willing to play out of their normal positions. Vanessa Brooks (Fill-in Coach).

Year 8C – Saints 4 defeated by Wilderness 26

The girls had a tough game this week but kept their heads held high the whole time. The improvement in their passing skills was evident and they did a good job in creating movement on the court. Defence was good all the way down the court and this created lots of pressure for Wilderness, which was good to see. Faye Ma played an excellent game and was best on court. A huge thank you to the Year 7 girls who filled in – they all played a great game! Amy Wishart and Sophia West (Coaches)

Year 7A – Saints 52 defeated Wilderness 7

Relentless pressure was on display from our defenders, Gemma Schaedel, Georgia Davidson and Harriet Gilroy, helping the team to secure a first quarter score of 12-0. Great movement in the circle from Ella Waltham and Amelia was supported by perfect delivery from Kelly Bested and Olivia Kelly. The team utilised the game to fine-tune their skills with great team work, patience and communication shown by all. Micelle Blackburn (Coach)

Year 7B – Saints had a bye 

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