Issue no. 9
In this edition
From the Head of Junior School
Being new – a Junior School perspective
“Never be afraid to try something new, because life gets boring when you stay within the limits of what you already know.” – Author unknown
This week I had the pleasure of sharing a lunchtime with the girls in Years 3 to 6 who are new to Saints Girls this year. We have navigated our way through our first term as new members of the School community together and I was keen to find out how the girls have settled in and what they think of their new surroundings, teachers and classmates. It was a delightful experience, hearing about the differences they’re noticing when they compare Saints Girls to their previous school, and the things that have stood out as highlights so far. I asked them to be candid and talk with me about the negatives as well as the positives. You’ll be interested to know that there were incredibly few of the former.
I captured some of their comments, and they are happy for me to share them with you. What are the biggest differences between Saints Girls and your old school? Probably not unexpectedly, ‘the boys’ was a loud and clear response to this question! And from those who elaborated, the following comments were made:
- “Without the boys, the girls seem more confident.”
- “The boys always interrupted.”
- “They were noisy.”
- “They were distracting.”
Along with this, the girls made comments about better learning, different and better teaching styles, the bigger size of the school, beauty and cleanliness of the grounds, going to Chapel, the quality and care of the teachers, and the range of co-curricular opportunities and sports that are offered. One Year 5 student thought that the sense of community was the biggest difference, saying, “At Saints I feel that we are one big community. It’s good that girls from different year levels know each other.”
We talked about our experiences of ‘being new’. Thinking back to our first day and comparing how we felt then and how we feel now resulted in lots of conversation and laughter about change, courage, trying new things, and how quickly the initial trepidation felt by some was transformed into comfort and the beginnings of great friendships.
In response to the questions ‘How did you feel when you started at Saints Girls?’, and ‘How is school different now compared to Week 1?’ the resounding response was about what a positive transition they’ve experienced.
- “It was nerve-wracking because I didn’t know a lot of people” turned into “I’ve spoken to everyone and know everyone’s name.”
- “I felt very excited and nervous. After the first day I was really happy and everyone was very welcoming and super nice. School is different now because I’ve got a lot of wonderful friends. My teacher is amazing and I feel like I can talk to her about everything”.
- “When I first walked into the classroom I felt nervous but very quickly I felt very calm and more confident…. Now I know my way around the school better and I know more people in my year and the year below.”
For many of our ‘new’ girls, it’s quite evident that they don’t feel ‘new’ any more.
Comments like “Now I feel like one of the girls that has always been here” and “I feel like I have been here for ages” say a lot about the efforts and attitudes of students and staff, and the importance placed on positive relationships throughout the School.
Before asking the girls for suggestions about how we could improve the experience for future new girls, I asked them, “What have been the best things about being here so far?” Well, that brought a flurry of happy conversation with a diverse range of thoughts, including the following:
- “Everyone respects you and the girls are really nice”
- “All the teachers are nicer”
- “The swimming pool”
- “Harder and more challenging work”
- “The opportunities, so I can do debating”
- “Having specialist teachers”
- “The girls are way more encouraging”
- “We have access to better technology”
- “There are lots more trees”
- “EVERYTHING… every girl is so kind and I have learnt a lot”
And… “It has all been fantastic!”
Not only did I have a very enjoyable and pleasant lunchtime with our new girls, I was also pleased to discover how well they’ve settled in and the fondness with which many of them are already speaking about their new school. I, like them, have received a very warm welcome and I look forward to many happy, productive and fulfilling terms ahead.
Thank you to all of our new Years 3 to 6 girls for allowing me to share their stories.
Suzanne Haddy
School photos
School and ELC photos will be taken on Monday 11 to Friday 15 April. This includes class photos as well as individual portraits for students in Reception to Year 12, as well as ELC groups.
Photo order envelopes have been distributed to students and these will need to be completed and returned on the day to the photographer. If you have not received a personalised envelope for your daughter, please notify the Development Office.
Students are also reminded to wear their full summer uniform.
Family photos will also be taken on Thursday 14 April, catch up photos for girls who are absent will also be taken on this day. Separate order envelopes for family photos are available from the Front Office.
Fiona McGregor
Development Officer – Fundraising and Events
Sayonara! Farewell to Tokyo Joshi exchange students
On Friday 18 March, 10 Tokyo Joshi students finished their seven-week exchange program with St Peter’s Girls and safely arrived home in Japan.
During their stay, they enjoyed the local culture and had the opportunity to practise their English skills in a variety of situations. They attended the courses with our year 10 students, including Mathematics, Science, Food Technology, PE and Art and Design. They participated in School events such as our Swimming Carnival and prepared for Choral Night. They shared Japanese food recipes in Food Technology classes and taught girls Origami on Japanese Girls’ Day in the senior library. They joined excursions to the Koala Hospital, Hahndorf, Haigh’s Chocolate, the State Library, Central Market, Adelaide Oval and the ABC Studio Tour.
The girls were in tears when it was time to say goodbye, singing songs, signing signature bears with friends from different houses. The wonderful experience in St Peter’s Girls provided them with the international friendship and they all wish to visit St Peter’s Girls again.
“How lucky we are to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard!”
Ann Li
International Student Coordinator
Strings Week coming up
To celebrate the work of our fantastic strings students, we will be holding our annual Strings Week this term. All strings students will be involved in performances throughout Week 11 (from Monday 11 April). Strings Week is a wonderful way to acknowledge the accomplishments of our young musicians and allow them to share their talents with the school community.
On Monday evening at 5:30pm we will have a Strings Concert in the Arts Centre. All string ensembles will be involved in this free concert. If your daughter currently plays a stringed instrument, or is considering starting to learn, we encourage you to come along and see what our girls are achieving through their music.
Each day we will hold an informal lunchtime concert from 1 – 1.30pm.
- Monday: Junior String Ensemble on Arts Centre Steps
- Tuesday: Buskers on Chiverton Lawns
- Wednesday: Junior String Orchestra on Arts Centre Steps
- Thursday: Strings concert at the ELC
- Friday: Buskers on Chiverton Lawns
We would love to see parents, grandparents and friends at these concerts.
Fiona Patten
Strings Coordinator
Junior String Orchestra Day Camp
On Friday 18 March the girls from our Junior String Orchestra, accompanied by Mrs Fiona Patten, returned to St David’s Anglican Church for their annual Day Camp. The 18 girls from Years 3 – 6 had a fun day full of alternative learning activities, including working on their bow hands using balloons and using muffins to learn new rhythms. This was a challenging and fun day for the girls, who came away inspired to continue learning their instruments. The girls will now work towards their next performance during Strings Week in Week 11 of this term.
A special thank you to our tutors, Louise Beaston and Louisa Giacomini, who came and supported the girls during their day camp.
Fiona Patten
Strings Coordinator
Strategic Planning: parent forums
Thank you to all parents who recently took part in our online survey to provide your opinion on a range of issues at the School. Your feedback is very important to us and will be used as we move forward.
Our first open forum for parents will be held on Monday 4 April, from 7pm in the Humzy. This will be an opportunity for me to meet with parents to discuss your feedback and ideas in the Academic realm.
Further forums will be held in Week 11 to cover the well-being and co-curricular areas. To assist with catering, please RSVP at www.trybooking.com/KTQB.
I warmly encourage as many parents as possible to attend these important sessions. This is your opportunity to discuss areas of specific concern or in need of improvement. This is a vital way for us to hear your feedback and discuss ideas in an open and transparent way.
Our new strategic plan will outline the way forward for the School over the next three years. This document will provide a clear path of improvement across a number of areas to ensure we continue to deliver excellence in education to our students.
The dates are:
> Monday 4 April – Academic
> Tuesday 12 April – Well-being
> Thursday 14 April – Co-curricular
Each session will begin with a brief overview of what we have achieved in each area over the past two years, and our initial thoughts about where we would like to head in the future. We will then open the forum for broader discussion.
All sessions will be held in the Humzy Theatre from 7pm.
As always, if you have an idea, issue or topic to raise with me, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly at jshea@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au or to make an appointment, please call 8334 2226 to arrange a convenient time.
I look forward to seeing many of you at these forums over the next few weeks.
Julia Shea
Principal
Entertainment Books are coming!
Once again, the Mothers’ Club is offering community members the chance to purchase an Entertainment™ Book or Digital Membership and help raise money for the School.
We’re pleased to partner with Entertainment™ again this year, where 20% of the proceeds contributes towards the refurbishment of the Middle School!
By now, all families from ELC to Year 12 should have received a letter outlining the order process. A book will be sent home to each family next term – at which point you can decide whether to return it or provide payment.
If you would prefer not to receive a book, please complete the form at the bottom of the letter sent home this week.
You can also submit a pre-order before 16 April 2016 and you will receive over $170 worth of additional offers that you can use right away!
Entertainment™ Memberships are packed with thousands of up to 50% OFF and 2-for-1 offers for the best local restaurants, cafés, attractions, hotel accommodation, travel and much more.
Available as a traditional Entertainment Book – or – Digital Membership on your smartphone, your Membership gives you over $20,000 worth of valuable offers valid through to 1 June 2017.
You can pre-order today at www.entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/161p201
Get involved in Junior School Banking
You can get involved in the School Banking program by opening a Commonwealth Bank Youthsaver account at any Commonwealth Bank branch, over the phone on 13 2221, or via NetBank if you are an existing customer with NetBank access.
Remember to take in identification for you and your child (driver’s license and birth certificate). You will receive a Dollarmites wallet and deposit book that your child will use to participate in the program.
Our school receives $5 when a student makes their first ever School Banking deposit and 5% on every deposit made through the school (to a maximum of $10 per individual deposit).
Thank you for supporting our school and helping to teach your child the benefits of saving regularly.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia ABN 48 123 123 124. Call 13 2221 at any time. As this advice has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on this advice, consider its appropriateness to your circumstances. Full terms and conditions for transaction and savings accounts are available from any branch of the Commonwealth Bank and should be considered in any decision about the product. If you have a complaint in respect of this product, the Commonwealth Bank’s dispute resolution process can be accessed on 13 2221.
Vacation Care: The more, the merrier!
The next instalment of our Vacation Care program is coming up during school holidays and we’d like to extend a warm welcome to primary school aged children from the wider community to attend. Students are welcome to invite friends or siblings to share in the range of enriching activities for both girls and boys.
Junior School program – for children in Reception to Year 6
Join us for a day at the movies, a trip to the Adelaide Zoo or at a Teddy Bears Picnic. Learn to make pizzas and pikelets, create digital animation and master magic tricks that enthrall! Whatever the choice, children can enjoy a range of planned play and leisure activities, practise social skills and solve problems in a safe and relaxed atmosphere.
How it works
Your child can attend as few or as many days as needed, for full or half days, to suit your schedule and commitments. Simply pre-book the days you would like your child to attend and enjoy Vacation Care at St Peter’s Girls.
Dates
> Week 1: Monday 18 April to Friday 22 April
> Week 2: Tuesday 26 April to Friday 29 April
Download the April 2016 Vacation Care Program for details.
To book, visit www.stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au/vacationcare
Camp Gallipoli
Camp Gallipoli will be held on the night of 24-25 April this year (Wednesday night, Week 2 of the Term 1 holidays).
Through the Year 6 trip to Canberra and the Australian War Memorial and the Year 9 History curriculum’s focus on World War One, there is a very strong incentive for involvement in this event, but this is also a great opportunity for wider involvement of students and families from the whole school community.
What is Camp Gallipoli?
The Camp Gallipoli Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation established to help preserve, foster and perpetuate the unique Spirit of ANZAC commemorations. The aim is to educate students about the service and sacrifice made by Australian and New Zealand soldiers throughout World War One and conflicts since.
Following the inaugural event at Morphettville Racecourse in 2015, Camp Gallipoli has moved to the Wayville Showgrounds this year and is inviting St Peter’s Girls students and families to participate in this unique commemorative event. Each venue nationwide has an historic link to Gallipoli, World War One and other theatres of war.
As part of the promotion for this year’s event, Camp Gallipoli is offering each student two tickets as part of a package which can be activated upon online payment. This promotion will be sent home through each Home Group this week. There has been a significant reduction in ticket prices for this year ($54.95) for students, parents, teachers and community members. It promises to be a great night of community spirit, live entertainment and reflection, closing with the Dawn Service on 25 April.
If you have any queries about the event and the material distributed to each student, please contact Ms Fox at ruby@campgallipoli.com.au or 1300 951 951. Furthermore, if you have questions about how Camp Gallipoli complements the School’s curriculum, please contact me via email at: gdingwall@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.
Gregor Dingwall
Head of Humanities
School Shop update
From next term, students will need to change their uniform from Summer to Winter.
Students will be required to wear their winter uniform from the first day next term.
If you require a winter uniform fitting, please contact the School Shop on 8334 2228 to arrange an appointment.
The School Shop will only be open during the second week of the school holidays:
10am – 4pm daily
Tuesday 26 April to Friday 29 April
Sue Burnett
School Shop Manager
Promoting sport and physical activity at Saints – a short benchmarking survey
The Saints Sport Support Group is seeking to understand the part sport and physical activity plays in the life of students and parents alike. Please take the time to complete our short (less than 5 minute) survey to provide your input.
The SSSG comprises parents and School sports captains and its purpose is to assist the PE and Sports departments to promote sport participation throughout the School. We believe that:
- there are lifetime benefits for individuals from being involved in sport or some form of regular physical activity, and we seek to encourage participation long after sport becomes non-compulsory;
- retention rate is all about finding ways in which students can participate or contribute from an early age, or by helping students to find a sport or physical activity that they enjoy – this includes coaching, umpiring or refereeing;
- a greater understanding of the benefits of physical activity among parents, and their greater involvement in their daughter’s sport or physical activity, is a key component to developing lasting understanding of the value of staying physically active.
The SSSG currently fundraises to help the School by:
- purchasing certain sports equipment needs.
- subsidising coaching and refereeing courses for students – we seek to assist with developing the quality and depth of the coaching provided to your daughters and to support leadership development opportunities for senior girls.
- subsidising coaching and refereeing courses for parents – we believe that there are opportunities to utilise the expertise of parents to improve skills whether this be as part of a regular coaching commitment, or through individual coaching sessions.
The survey we are asking you to complete aims to:
- understand the extent to which school and non-school sport and physical activity is already part of family life for students and parents of the school.
- provide a benchmark from which to gauge program success over a period of time measured in years.
- gain feedback from the school community about whether our focus aligns with perceived needs, and if not to give parents and students a chance to comment.
Parent participation in the SSSG is open to anyone and should you wish to help, please ask the Development Office for further information.
> Please take the survey to let us know your thoughts
Sue Neale
Saints Sport Support Group Chair
Weet-Bix TRYathlon
Are you interested in doing your first triathlon at the Sanitarium Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon on Sunday 17 April?
Entering its 18th year, the TRYathlon continues to inspire school students from across Australia to get moving in a friendly and supportive environment. Kids of all abilities aged 7 – 15 can go at their own pace and cross the finish line a champion.
You can join the St Peter’s Girls team when entering online at http://try.weetbix.com.au/.
SA Athletics Academy
The SA Athletics Academy will commence on Sunday 10 April 2016.
The Academy has four squads; Bronze, Silver, Gold and the Target Talent Program (TTP).
It doesn’t matter whether you are new to athletics or you’ve been competing for a long time, the SA Athletics Academy is perfect for all! The Academy caters for everyone and aims to assist children to further their skills in all track and field events. These sessions are delivered by highly skilled and experienced coaches.
The Silver, Gold, and Talent Target Program (TTP) Squads have education theory sessions each month. These sessions aim to provide children with the extra knowledge and understanding to ensure that they continue to follow the athletics pathway to success!
The Academy is a great opportunity for children to develop their running, jumping and throwing as it can assist them with any other sport they play.
Summer interhouse: Friday 15 April
The Summer Interhouse competition will be held on Friday 15 April 2016, the last day of term.
On this day, Junior School students in Years 3-6 will compete in a Teeball competition, while students from Years 7 – 12 will be representing their houses in Basketball, Tennis, Softball and Volleyball.
Years 3–4 matches commence from 9.10am
Years 5–6 matches commence from 11.15am
Years 7-12 matches commence from 1pm
We’d love to see as many parents as possible come along and support the girls.
Enjoy a sausage sizzle
The Saints Sports Support Group (SSSG) will be holding a sausage sizzle from 12pm for all Years 3-12 students.
Come along and have a sausage for lunch! There will also be plenty of cold drinks available, including water, Powerade, fruit juice and soft drinks. Sausages and drinks available at $2 each.
Neil Fuller
Director of Sport
Sports News
Upcoming events
Monday 4 April – Open Knockout State Finals
Monday 11 April – Cross Country team selection trials
Thursday 14 April – Secondary School Athletics A Grade carnival (Years 8 to 12)
Friday 15 April – Junior Interhouse Teeball and Middle/Senior Interhouse Basketball, Tennis, Softball and Volleyball
Basketball – Wednesday 23 March
Open A – Saints 27 defeated by Concordia 47
To finish off the season the Saints Girls Open A team performed exceptionally well. The girls worked tirelessly to create space, gain turnovers and make the correct shot selection. A special mention to Sivani Sivasuthan for her accurate shooting and consistency on the three point line. Josephine Dal Pra (Captain)
Junior Softball – Wednesday 23 March
Year 6 – Saints 2 defeated by Pembroke 9
All players performed well and kept their spirits up throughout the game. Players who stood out were Caitlin Scane and Emily Bryce for their outstanding effort catching, along with an amazing catch by Caitie Scane at second base. Jasmine Ledgard and Lydia Smalls (Coaches)
Teeball – Wednesday 23 March
Year 4/5 – Saints 14 defeated Pembroke Yellow 11
The T-Ball team found themselves this week with a rematch against Pembroke Yellow, whom they played the week prior. Unfortunately, this meant that Pembroke had known of our little tips and tricks, but luckily the girls consolidated the important batting practice they did on Monday at training to win. However, the biggest highlight of the game was the sheer number of double plays. There were 4 double plays made in total, many coming from catch plays (which is something the girls have improved on!). It’s great to see such promising talent in our youngest players at Saints. Claire Hale (Coach)
Water polo – Thursday 24 March
Open A – Saints 4 drew with Loreto 4
Water Polo this week was a crucial game for the Open As. Winning meant that we would progress onto the semi-final, and the team played a hard-fought match against Loreto to draw 4-4. A strong effort was put in by Antonia Kirsten-Parsch as goalkeeper, stopping multiple hard goals during her time in. It is unknown as of yet whether the team will be playing the semi-final, due to the draw, but it will be good to see the team use what they have learned over the season in the final matches. Carys Jones (Captain)
Open B – Saints did not play
Year 7/8 – Saints 14 defeated Loreto 1
Saints Year 7/8 Water Polo team defeated Loreto with a fantastic win. The team applied skills we learned in training to our game with exceptional passing and shooting. Great defence by Harriet Maerschel and Matilda Braithwaite who helped bring the ball down the pool into attack. A well-played game by all, keeping us undefeated this season. Olivia Goldsmith
Junior tennis – Friday 26 March
No games due to Easter
Softball – Saturday 27 March
No games due to Easter
Tennis – Saturday 27 March
No games due to Easter
Volleyball – Saturday 27 March
No games due to Easter
Basketball – Monday 28 March
No games due to Easter
Tennis – Monday 28 March
No games due to Easter
Lacrosse carnival – Wednesday 30 March
After a term of learning the skills and rules of Lacrosse, Saints sent a group of 11 enthusiastic students to the Southern Zone Lacrosse Carnival. In a busy day where the girls played 8 short games they gained in both confidence and skill, recording a number of good results. It is difficult to single out individuals as all girls played enthusiastically, and with some luck playing in the modified version will encourage them to continue to play when the Winter season commences in Term 2. A great effort by all girls, given that they were playing against girls who were all in Years 4 and 5. Neil Fuller (Director of Sport)