Issue no. 22
In this edition
From Our Head of Junior School
Our delightful Mid-Year Reception students, who will commence in the Junior School at the start of Term 3, have recently enjoyed three transition visits to their new classroom. We extend a very warm welcome to our Reception students, their families and new teacher Mrs Stasia Vigor. Stasia is a highly experienced Junior Primary Teacher who is thrilled to be joining our Saints Girls’ community.
Starting school is a significant milestone in a child’s life; our Reception transition program provides a lovely opportunity for our youngest learners to become familiar with our learning environment, their teachers and peers. The smiles and excitement shared during these visits were delightful to see. With each transition experience their confidence grew, and a strong sense of belonging and connection was nurtured.
We are committed to nurturing every student’s wellbeing and academic needs across the School. We are currently holding Student Review meetings to discuss every student from Reception to Year 6. Specialist staff who lead our Learning Strategies, EAL/D and enrichment programs have joined team meetings with our Deputy Head of Junior School, our classroom teachers and me to review the social, emotional, and academic development of each girl and to design personalised programs that build on her strengths and areas for growth.
These holistic conversations are invaluable and provide information that we use to track and monitor student progress. We ensure every student is known to us and has every opportunity to flourish and excel, both now and in the future.
As we conclude another fabulous school term, we look forward to our Year 3 to 6 House Quiz afternoon, the Reception/Year 1 Dance performance, and the Year 2 to 12 String Concert held in Week 9. I’d like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank our teaching team for their dedication, care, and exceptional teaching this term and wish all staff and families a relaxing and enjoyable July school holiday break.
Marika Taylor
Head of Junior School
Important Dates
OSA Sydney Reunion: Saturday 22 June
Strings Concert (Years 2 to 12): Monday 24 June
Year 9 Arts Night: Thursday 27 June
Last Day of Term 2: Friday 28 June
OSA Annual Reunion Dinner and St Peterstide: Friday 28 June
OSA Canberra Reunion: Saturday 29 June
Let us Introduce our New Chair
After fifteen years as a member on the Board of Governors at St Peter’s Girls’ School, six of those years as Chair, Jeremy Schultz’s tenure on the Board has come to an end. We thank him for his years of dedicated service to our School.
We are pleased to introduce James Lawes as the new Chair of the Board of St Peter’s Girls’ School. James brings with him extensive expertise as a Chartered Accountant, auditor and Not-for-profit board member with more than 25 years’ experience at Ernst & Young (EY) across Queensland, Victoria, and South Australia. His advisory roles span diverse sectors including media and entertainment, manufacturing, aged care, and education.
James, together with his wife Beba, is involved in our community, with their three daughters, Ella, Piper and Faith, currently attending the School. At our Board, James has led the Executive and Finance Committee, and is a member of the Project Control Group and Risk Management Committees.
Please join us in welcoming James Lawes as our new Chair of the Board. We look forward to his leadership and the positive impact he will undoubtedly bring to our School.
Students Shine at FUSION Performance
On Friday 7 June, a packed audience was treated to a night of Performing Arts Fusion! This year it was structured differently, focusing on highlights from four different musicals. These included Cats, Legally Blonde, Hamilton and Chicago. With 65 students involved in this performing arts experience, it was a delight to showcase the talent and commitment of our students from Years 7 to 12. Fusion aims to celebrate all students involved, who display collaborative rehearsal skills throughout the four months of preparation. There is further opportunity for students to assist with choreography and show leadership in this space. A huge thank you to our Performing Arts Captains Zoe Pool and Sienna Huxtable for all their enthusiasm and support. Although jazz hands and impressive vocals are important, the chance to make friends with others from different classes and year levels was a highlight. The girls certainly appreciated this most of all, bringing them together by working towards a common performance goal is what the Arts do best! I stood in the wings watching every performer on stage with an enormous sense of pride and gratitude.
Kate Burnett
Head of the Arts
A Reflection from the Performing Arts Captains
FUSION 2024 was definitely not one to miss this year! As Performing Arts captains, we both had an active role in helping bring this show to life, and we adored every second of performing and rehearsing with some of the talented Middle and Senior School students!
Having the opportunity to perform on stage with such an extraordinary group of girls has been an incredible experience. Over the past two terms, the amount of effort and dedication poured into this show from every member has been genuinely boundless. The consistent energy and excitement brought by the girls to every rehearsal is truly inspiring for the Performing Arts program and we can’t wait to see what the future holds!
Helping the teachers choreograph and teach some of the younger students was also an experience we greatly enjoyed, building strong connections with girls from all year levels over the weeks and seeing the show come together! Throughout this experience, we had the privilege to delve into a diverse array of dance styles, including ballet, jazz, musical theatre, hip-hop and tap.
We are very proud of every member of FUSION and the performance we produced; we can’t wait to see what the future holds for Saints Performing Arts program!
Zoe Pool and Sienna Huxtable
Performing Arts Captains 2024
Kura Yerlo – By the Sea
With the help of Kendall Fitzgerald, the School’s Cultural Liaison Officer, we have been able to donate surplus school furniture to Kura Yerlo Council Incorporated, Children’s Centre located at Royal Park. The Council commenced operations in Largs Bay, the name Kura Yerlo was adopted due to its location with ocean views. In 2020, after 30 years at Largs Bay, the Council relocated to several locations. In doing so has strengthened and expanded its community service delivery in the Western suburbs, and support for Port Adelaide Enfield Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island residents.
In this instance St Peter’s Girls’ School has played a small part in realising their vision of ‘walking for a strong culture and sustainable future’ ensuring their funding continues to be directed to the community it serves.
Q&A with Charlotte McAuliffe (Year 11)
Charlotte McAuliffe tells us about her experience competing for Australia at the recent Oceania Athletics Championships in Fiji. Charlotte won silver medals in the U18 Women’s 400m (54.35) and the U18 Women’s 200m (24.32). She was also part of the winning 4×400 and 4×100 Women’s Relay teams setting a championship record in the 4×100.
Can you please tell us what you were selected for?
I was selected for the Oceania Under 18 Championships in Fiji.
How did you get selected? What was the process?
I was required to run a qualification time and then the selectors picked the top three U18s in the country per event to compete.
How did you find out you were selected?
I found out I was selected via email during the school holidays.
How did your races go?
My races went well, I placed second in my individual 200m and 400m, first in the 4×400 and 4×100 Relays where we also ran a meet record.
Can you tell us about the experience of being over in Fiji?
Being in Fiji was an amazing experience. Being able to compete against the best in the region was so good and I loved competing in the green and gold. I really enjoyed being able to meet new people from around the country and make new friends.
What were the best/most exciting parts?
The best part was the 4×400 Relay on the first day. It was super fun to be able to compete as a team and racing on the track for the first time was a surreal experience.
Did you get to meet other athletes from other countries? Tell us about that.
It was great being able to meet other athletes from other countries at the track. I got the opportunity to talk to the girls I was racing against in call room and after the race which was really interesting to hear about athletics in each of their different countries.
How do you prepare for your races? Do you have any pre-race rituals/superstitions?
I prepare for my races by listening to music to calm any pre-race nerves. I always eat red frogs when I’m warming up before I race.
When you are preparing for a big meet like this, can you tell us what a typical week looks like? Training, school, rest, recovery, food etc.
In preparation for a big meet, I train Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday usually for about 1.5 to 2 hours each day. After training I normally do my schoolwork and always make sure to stretch every night to adequately recover from training sessions. I always have a post training snack to aid recovery and try to get at least 8 hours sleep each night to ensure I’m best prepared to compete.
What are some of the things you’ve learnt from being involved in athletics?
I’ve learned many things from being involved in athletics. One of the main things I’ve learned is that not every race is going to be your best and that’s okay, the main thing is to enjoy yourself and to always believe in yourself because if you need to believe you are capable of the results you want to achieve.
Why do you enjoy being involved?
I love running and competing, I love the thrill of being able to race and compete and being able to push myself to the limits. I especially love 400s at they have an element of tactic.
Who are some of the athletes who inspire you and why?
I’m really inspired by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. She is an amazing competitor who’s extremely determined and always looks so comfortable and relaxed when she competes.
What advice would you give to young people, who may want to follow in your footsteps?
The advice I would give to young people is to never give up and to celebrate every win. Although sometimes things may not go your way it’s important to keep persisting and to always recognise the positives in every situation.
Design Thinking to Create AI Robots
In Term 2, the Year 7 cohort have followed the design thinking process to create an AI robot which solves a common problem in today’s world. Students had a selection of industries to choose from, as well as locally here at school, to construct a robot which uses APIs (Application Programming Interface) to function. This included text to speech, translation ability, computer vision and anomaly detection just to name a few.
Each week students brainstormed, delegated tasks, created problem statements, prototype sketched and finally built the final cardboard design to showcase to their classes.
Oral Presentations (pitches) of their ideas allowed students to gain a better understanding of the groups decision-making process, the robots abilities and justifications on why such a concept was needed in today’s society. Valuable insights, communication skills and group work were made over this unit, and I look forward to seeing the next set of ideas in Term 3.
Randal Irvine
Digital Technologies Teacher / Futures Teacher
Native Animals Visit to Playgroup
Caring fosters compassion, respect, and responsibility in children. At St Peter’s Girls’ Playgroup, our youngest attendees have demonstrated their innate curiosity and enthusiasm for scientific exploration, driven by a strong sense of caring.
During week 7 of this term, Playgroup had a visit from The Nature Education Centre. Our host Christina introduced the children and families to a range of native animals from cuddly possums, hopping marsupials and a large range of reptiles. This visit provided the families with a hands-on approach to learning how to care and respect for our local animals.
Young children have a remarkable ability to act as researchers. Through their natural inclination toward inquiry, they learn to observe, ask questions, and listen attentively. By using their senses to explore the world around them, they develop their own hypotheses. These early experiences are crucial for the development of scientific reasoning.
Playgroup runs every Wednesday during school term from 9.30-11am. Please contact Kathy McCabe at kmccabe@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au for more information of this weekly event.
Kathy McCabe
Playgroup Coordinator
ELC – News from Learning Community 2
Colour Theory in the Erindale Room: Can you get Orange from Orange?
This term, the children in the Erindale Room have been investigating the colours in our world. As we have progressed through the term, we have begun exploring the colours we can notice from a range of fresh produce with a focus on fruits and vegetables. The children have been supported to build their vocabulary and knowledge of a range of fruits and vegetables, as well as the names that make up the parts of the produce. To fully understand this, the children have been invited to investigate each part of the fruit they are exploring from the skin, the fruit itself, the juice, and the pulp. This has led us to the question if an orange (fruit) is orange (colour), then what can we use it to paint with?
Can we get orange from orange?
We have tried a range of fruits in this way and the most successful has been a pink dragon fruit which provided us with a beautiful shade of deep pink to paint with.
The purpose of these experiments has been to deepen the children’s relationship with fresh foods, build on their observational skills and to slow down and take the time to carefully notice. An orange on the surface is just orange, but if you look closely, you can notice subtle differences. There is variation between varieties, the flesh can contain soft hues and the skin can have deeper shades. We want to continue to build the children’s capacity for slowing down and carefully noticing their world around them.
Celebrating Language and Culture: The 2024 Spanish Senior Students Conference
On Friday 14 June, Flinders University was host to the 2024 Spanish Senior Students Conference, organised by STASA (Spanish Teachers Association of South Australia). Over 100 students from Years 9 to 11 attended from different high schools in Adelaide to enjoy a fantastic day sharing Spanish culture and language.
St Peter’s Girls was represented by the Year 11 IB Spanish Ab Initio students Lavena Akeel, Georgia Cowie, Charlotte Trude, Emily Wildman, and Xijing (Bella) Zhao.
The theme of the conference, “Aprender Español nos sienta bien” (“Learning Spanish makes us feel good”), set the tone for a day filled with learning, collaboration, and celebration of language and culture.
The conference featured a diverse array of topics, ranging from celebrities and capital cities, to animals, food, physical health and mental wellbeing. This thematic variety not only tested the students’ linguistic abilities but also their cultural awareness and understanding.
The conference began with warm-up activities focused on food and wellbeing, highlighting the importance of a healthy lifestyle. This was followed by inspiring messages in Spanish from Spanish soccer players of the Adelaide United Soccer Football Club, who shared insights about their habits, routines, and food choices that help them stay fit and perform at their best.
Throughout the day, students participated in various activities, including discussions on Spanish modismos (idiomatic expressions) and engaging in conversations related to physical and mental health.
The day concluded with a vibrant dance, where students celebrated their achievements and the joy of learning Spanish through movement and music.
Señor Joaquín Giner
Spanish Teacher
Here is a comment from one of the students, Xijing (Bella):
I really enjoyed today’s conference and my favourite part is when we filled out a question sheet as we listened to Spanish athletes’ interview. It just feels great that I can begin to pick up more and more words when they and the hosts were speaking Spanish. Guessing idioms was also interesting and I was fascinated by the intercultural connections between languages as always. Later I learned from a current student at Flinders university about opportunities like exchange programs that a language can bring us, which gave me more anticipation about college life. The dancing activity at the end was fun as well and once again I felt the passion in Spanish culture.
Xijing (Bella) Zhao
Year 11 Student
Year 9 Arts Collab Night – Next Week!
The Annual Year 9 Arts Showcase, ARTS COLLAB will be presented on Thursday 27 June in the Arts Centre. The evening aims to provide students with an opportunity to express themselves through choreography, show new skills in the Performing Arts, experience a rehearsal process in a collaborative environment and perform for a live audience! Two plays ‘Bad Actors Acting Badly’ and ‘Lip Service’ will be presented, with group dance routines and solo music performances dispersed between.
The Visual Arts students will be exhibiting work they have been creating over the past term, displayed in the foyer where our incredibly supportive Friends of Arts will be serving beverages and snacks.
We would love the families and friends of all involved to come and support the students’ artistic development throughout this semester.
Annual House Dinners – Book Now!
During Term 3 all Middle and Senior School girls have the opportunity to enjoy a night away from homework to get creative and colourful at our annual House Dinners.
The Year 11s have been working hard organising decorations, food and games for each event. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone’s creative costumes and enjoying a fun night with our Houses.
This is a compulsory event for all Year 7 – 12 students. Visit the TryBooking links below to book your daughter(s) a ticket for the night.
Advice for Parents and Carers to Help Kids Stay Safe Online
The eSafety Commissioner has released the eSafety Guide, providing parents with crucial advice on safety features in Apps.
This includes instructions on using settings to report online abuse and safeguard personal information. This knowledge can help our parents confidently navigate our girl’s online safety at home.
Before choosing to use any online service or platform, it’s best to:
- Do your own research to understand the risks and benefits
- Check the age rating and requirements
- Consider privacy
- Check the permissions and other settings
- Check the in-app reporting options.
If you are a parent or carer who is deciding whether a child should be allowed to use an online service or platform, you can also:
- Consider your child’s readiness for the types of content and experiences they might encounter
- Help them understand what to do if they need help
- Provide ongoing support and monitoring, for example, through regular check-ins with your child
- Agree to some rules about the use of each service or platform
To find out more, you can read the following articles:
Parental controls in social media, games and apps
Mental wellbeing resources for families
This information can be found on the eSafetyparents page of the eSaftey website.
July Vacation Care – Book Now
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.
July 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 1 to Monday 22 July.
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.
During Vacation Care, children are required to wear their ELC uniform to support consistency and continuity throughout the school year. Children will need to bring their own packed lunch, hat, water bottle, and a change of clothes each day. 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 staffing and catering are based on bookings, please make your bookings by Thursday 27 June 2024 (Week 9). Due to limited spaces during ELC Vacation Care, please book early!
*Please note that ELC Vacation care is strictly for ELC enrolled children.
Health Centre Notice
Spread kindness, not cold and flu! We appreciate everyone’s ongoing efforts in continuing to avoid the spread of illness within the Saints community as we aim to protect our immunocompromised students, staff, and families. As the winter months commence, cold, flus and Covid-19 are circulating heavily. A reminder that it is strongly recommended your child stays home if they have any cold or flu like symptoms and should stay home until all symptoms subside irrespective of the illness
School Shop Notice
School Shop Holiday Opening Hours
1 – 17 July CLOSED
Thursday 18 July 9am – 4pm
Friday 19 July 9am – 4pm
Monday 22 July CLOSED
The School Shop will resume regular hours on Tuesday 25 July.
Monday to Friday: 8am – 4pm (closed for lunch 12 – 12.30pm).
Parents can also 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.
Music News
Music awards
Each year, many of our students undertake exams with the Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB). This is a wonderful way to gain feedback on a student’s progress and can be used as a motivational tool, preparing for an exam.
Congratulations to the following girls who completed their preliminary grade:
- Nishka Juneja from Year 6SFB scored a high distinction in her AMEB exam. Musical Theatre Comprehensive – preliminary.
- Anya Khosa had High Distinction, (A+) in her AMEB piano exam, comprehensive preliminary, which she sat for in March at Adelaide University.
If you would like your daughter’s exam results celebrated in the enews, please send results to srounsevell@stpetrsgirls.sa.edu.au
Sally Rounsevell
Director of Music
Piano Prize for Harper
Harper Teo, a Year 2 student recently took home first place in the Grade 1 Piano Solo category at the Adelaide Eisteddfod, held at the Unley Park Baptist Church. Out of 10 talented competitors, Harper’s skills and dedication to the piano stood out, earning her the top spot in the competition. Despite only having been learning piano for about 1.5 years, Harper has shown tremendous progress and talent in her musical journey. Her dedication to practise and her natural musical abilities have allowed her to excel in such a short amount of time. Congratulations to Harper Teo on her well-deserved first-place win at the Adelaide Eisteddfod. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this young musician.
Alana Lesiw
Year 2 Teacher
Sports News
Sport Results
Wednesday 12 June – Tuesday 18 June
AUSSIE RULES
Senior A: Saints (11.6.72) v Scotch Senior B Navy (0.0.0)
Middle A: Saints (15.4.94) v Scotch Middle B Gold (0.0.0)
Best Player: Grace Mayen. Repeat efforts, great ground balls, excellent defensively and offensively.
Superwoman: Tiana. Fabulous marks in front of goals. Growing confidence
Superwoman 2: Olive for stepping in against a challenging ruck
Year 5-6: Saints (7.8.50) v Seymour Year 5/6 Purple (5.3.33)
Best Player: Violet Tulloch
Superwoman: Molly Burnett
BADMINTON
Senior A: Saints (5/9/169) v Immanuel Senior A (1/2/91)
Senior B Blue: Saints (6/10/162) v Immanuel Senior B (0/0/68)
Senior C Blue: Saints (4/4/116) v Pembroke Senior C (1/1/63)
Senior C White: Saints (4/4/103) v Westminster Senior C (1/1/63)
Senior C Silver: Saints (1/1/60) v Wilderness Senior C1 (5/5/118)
Senior D White: Saints (2/2/99) v St Peter’s Girls Senior D Silver (4/4/101)
Senior D Silver: Saints (4/4/101) v St Peter’s Girls Senior D White (2/2/99)
Senior E Blue: Saints (4/4/103) v Wilderness Senior E4 (2/2/104)
Senior E Silver: Saints (0/0/33) v Seymour Senior E1 (5/5/105)
BASKETBALL
Year 5-6: Saints (5) v Wilderness Year 6 White (36)
Year 4-6 Blue: Saints (26) v Seymour College Year 5-6 Purple (14)
HOCKEY
Senior A: Saints (3) v Seymour Senior A (2)
Senior B: Saints (1) v Seymour Senior B (0)
NETBALL
Premier League: Saints (37) v Scotch Premier League (81)
Premier League Reserves: Saints (30) v Scotch Premier League Reserves (58)
Senior B: Saints (19) v Scotch Senior b (48)
Best Player: Annabel Bamford
Superwoman: Alyssa Tran
Senior C: Saints (14) v Immanuel Senior C Navy (32)
Best Player: Lexie Fishlock
Superwomen: Abigail Hawkes
Senior D Blue: Saints (29) v Westminster Senior F (31)
Best Player: Aliya Trench
Superwoman: Matilda Powell
Senior D White: Saints (59) v Walford Senior D (9)
Year 9A: Saints (22) v Scotch Year 9A (45)
Year 9C: Saints (17) v Immanuel Year 9C Blue (8)
Best Player: Nathalie Randeniya
The girls performed really well, worked well together as a team and played consistently throughout the entire game.
Super woman: Annabelle Birdsey
Year 8A: Saints (54) v Scotch Year 8A (32)
Year 8B: Saints (9) v Scotch Year 8B (46)
Year 8C: Saints (19) v Concordia Year 8C Gold (8)
Year 8D: Saints (10) v Concordia Year 8C Navy (29)
Best Player: Si Cheng showed great determination down court and consistently helped her team members out providing a second option! Well done as well for playing a full game in mid court!
Superwoman: Aoife Carty, it was great to see Aoife playing down in defence this week. It was evident that what we worked on at training together as a team was being transitioned on court. The girls much appreciated her homegrown oranges at half time! Awesome work Aoife.
Year 7A: Saints (29) v Scotch Year 7A (26)
Best Player: Clara Polasek – great composure, timing, spacing, valued possession
Superwoman: Sophie Edwards – week in week out, so reliable and quiet achiever
Year 7B: Saints (2) v Scotch Year 7B (62)
Best Player: Alice Richards
Superwoman: Lulu Chen
Year 7/8C: Saints (9) v Immanuel Year 7C Blue (47)
Best Player: Joshitaa Reddy and Mahie Poonia
Superwoman: Ginny Farag
Year 5-6 White: Saints (6) v Westminster. Year 6 White (20)
Year 5-6 Blue: Saints (11) v Seymour Year 6 Blue (23)
Year 5 White: Saints (7) v Concordia Year 5 White (6)
Best Player: Ellie Knight. Awesome game in WD with great 1:1 defence.
Super woman: Estelle Hunter-Riviere. Played a great game in GA with strong leads on the centre passes.
Year 5 Blue: Saints (7) v Scotch Year 5 Navy (11)
Best player: Grace Osborne
Superwoman: Aria McPherson
Year 4 Blue: Saints (2) v Pembroke Year 4 White (12)
Best player: Kate Yin
Superwoman: Shelley Cui and Eva Nicholls
Year 3 White: (0) v Pembroke Purple Year 3 (12)
SOCCER
Premier League: Saints (3) v St Michael’s Premier League (2)
Division 1: Saints (0) v Seymour Division 1 (1)
Middle A: Saints (3) v Concordia Middle A (1)
Middle B: Saints (1) v Wilderness Middle B Blue (2)
Year 5-6 Blue: Saints (6) v Loreto Year 5 Blue (1)
Year 3-5 White: Saints (5) v Immanuel Year 5-6 (6)
Year 3 Silver: Saints (2) v Scotch Year 3-4 (4)