Issue no. 29
In this edition
From Our Head of Junior School
The sun was shining and Stonyfell was abuzz with grandparents and treasured friends last Friday as girls welcomed guests to experience their Junior School Art Trail. It was wonderful to see so many members of our extended Saints Girls’ family here and to share our beautiful spaces with them.
There is something very special about the relationship between children and their grandparents. A mixture of love, pride and good humour radiated throughout the School and spoke volumes for the unique bond that exists between these two generations. Some of our students without visitors were ‘adopted’ by their friends’ grandparents or treasured friends for the day, and were blessed by the attention given to them.
Whether with a grandparent or other treasured friend, the girls were delighted to share their phenomenal display of artworks. Their guests appeared equally pleased in seeing their work and hearing about the inspiration and techniques that contributed to their creation. I was impressed with how the girls explained their pieces and moved by the thoughtful conversations as groups journeyed along the trail.
Sharing a snapshot of their classroom learning enabled students to show their treasured guests their classroom. This was the first visit to our recently renovated Junior School classrooms for many. It was lovely to be reminded again of how beautiful our learning spaces are through fresh eyes.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a grandparents and treasured friends’ event without a visit to Chiverton Lawns for morning or afternoon tea, which was another lovely part of the tour. Girls invited their guests to join them under the trees to enjoy scones with jam and cream, and an opportunity to sit and talk. They impressed us as they showed their genuine care and consideration for their visitors with their capacity to be splendid hosts.
From beginning to end, the day was delightful, and I thank all our visitors for making it such a special event for our students.
Suzanne Haddy
Head of Junior School
Budding Musicians Wow the Crowd
Our Years 2, 3 and 4 Music Concert is a highlight on the Junior School Music calendar. It’s a lovely celebration of creativity, teamwork and courage. This week, after just 22 hours of instrumental tuition, our girls presented to their parents and friends wonderful performances of the music they’ve been working on in their immersion programs.
It is such a fantastic way to see their learning from Years 2 to 4 and watch their confidence grow as they progress through the Music program. Just three years of consistent instrumental tuition from an expert teacher on a string, wind, percussion or brass instrument improves aural perception. It has been proven that in class, music students process 17% more information than non-musicians. This is because a musician can better separate speech from noise, have an enhanced memory for language sounds, greater comprehension, and improved literacy and verbal memory.
Our girls also improve their executive functions or ‘grown up skills’. Musicians develop enhanced memory, self-regulation, empathy, resolving conflict, strategy, planning, time management, problem-solving, intelligence, teamwork and spatial skills.
The biggest drive for me, especially in the current climate, is wellbeing. Music has such a positive effect on our mood. No matter how tired or down a child is when they enter a rehearsal, they will almost always feel better while playing music and being surrounded by other like-minded students. They also gain a sense of accomplishment at the end of every rehearsal as they see, feel and hear the improvements they and the ensemble have made during their time together.
Music is such a wonderful gift we can give our girls, and it is an absolute honour to be a part of that journey with our Saints Girls’ families.
Sally Rounsevell
Director of Music
Saints of Service Learning
On Tuesday, the Year 8 girls participated in our first Service Learning Day as part of the School’s growing Service Learning Program. They undertook two different activities, a beach clean-up and working with support agency Baptist Care SA, both giving them a different perspective on service. The focus of the day was to give our girls a real-world experience of practical service. One of the key elements to a successful service learning program is recognising the importance of actual service that has direct links to the community.
Here is a reflection from one of our girls about her time at Baptist Care SA:
Baptist Care SA helps people who are experiencing homelessness. In this session, I assisted in the kitchen by preparing food for lunch that day. I helped the chef and his staff prepare for the next meal, and people benefited from the provision of food at a cheaper cost. I learned about the seriousness of homelessness and how it can be turned around with the right support, mindset and resources. I also learned how good it feels to give back to the community and how helping other people can be so rewarding. – Emma Everitt (Year 8 student)
Thomas Bassett
Service Learning Coordinator
Keys to Success for Computer Programmers
In Term 3, Year 7 students were introduced to computer programming using the language ‘Python’. They built their own computer programs to demonstrate their knowledge of data types, ‘if’ statements and loops.
Some students had the opportunity to further their learning by participating in the NCSS Python Programming Challenge. They were introduced to new knowledge each week and had to solve a number of problems within a time period. Congratulations to Valerie Ng for earning a Merit Certificate and to Evelyn Gautier for achieving perfection (400/400). This is an outstanding result and covers content well beyond what is expected in Year 7.
Monique Green
Digital Tech Teacher & STEM Coordinator
Year 2 Scientists on Motion Mission
The Year 2 scientists undertook an official Motion Mission investigation last week as they explored push and pull forces through a series of interactive experiments. In preparation, they explored the meaning of scientific words such as force, motion, push, pull, work, direction and friction. This information helped them to frame their questions when observing and recording the six experiments with everyday toys.
They discovered that the wind pushes pinwheels to spin much faster than their breaths, and that bubbles are pushed a long way on a windy day! They compared the ‘bounce’ of bouncy balls when dropped from varying heights and explored the direction of toy cars when pushed. Work happens when one moving marble collides with a stationary marble that causes it to move. The girls considered what makes a spinning top stop (friction) and where it might spin forever. They finished the Motion Mission with a parachute experiment and thought it would be fun to make our own at home!
Kathryn Clark and Bec Greenhalgh
Year 2 Teachers
Saints Girls Visit Data Partner
St Peter’s Girls’ School is incredibly fortunate to have partnered with data and analytics firm exposé for the past four years. Throughout this term, our Year 10 Business, Innovation and Technology students have had the opportunity to work in a specific role in a business team with their own key tasks and priorities. Each team was allocated a customer with a business problem they needed help to solve. Students accessed data from customer sales, Twitter trends, preferences and customer demographics to analyse and visualise into dynamic Power BI presentations.
Along the way, each team was mentored by two professionals from exposé: a CEO who helped them understand the business problem and what was important to them, and a subject matter expert who assisted in analysing, cleansing and visualising data. In Week 8, students presented their solutions to their mentors who were blown away by the results and quality of presentations.
The aim of this project is to expose the close relationship between business and technology, and develop practical skills in teamwork and problem-solving in authentic scenarios.
Monique Green
Digital Tech Teacher & STEM Coordinator
All Aboard for Language Learning Fun
Creating and playing our Chinese board games was really fun. We were able to make our own board game the way we liked, as long as it taught Chinese. It was great playing with the younger students because we could see that the games really did teach them about Chinese language, expanding their vocabulary. The thought of teaching them and having fun really motivated us to make the games as enjoyable as we could. – Charlotte
The board game activity has been a great opportunity to teach younger girls more about Chinese in a fun way for both them and us. It was lovely to see their faces light up when they answered a question correctly and it brought myself and my whole group joy. Whilst making the board game, I learned many things that I never knew myself. I had such a good time and I would love to do this in the future to further develop my learning. – Prisha
Environment Club Makes Mark in Park
The Environment Club girls were recently involved in a much-needed weeding exercise in neighbouring Ferguson Park, accompanied by Friends of Ferguson representative Geoffrey Bishop. Our main task was to weed an introduced African orchid from a designated patch in the park.
Weeds change the natural balance by smothering native plants or preventing them from growing back after environmental disturbance. Native animals are put under increasing pressure when weeds replace the native plants that are used for food, shelter and nesting.
In this visit, we learnt the process of plant identification through a method called a dichotomous key, which is used to classify types of plants. Plant taxonomy (classification) is the science of naming organisms and placing them in a hierarchical structure where each level is given a name. A dichotomous key is a list of questions or statements about a plant’s characteristics; for example, if the leaves are symmetrical or the shape is rounded or pointy.
This day was another rewarding session in Ferguson Park, and the girls are very fortunate for the opportunity to learn more about the world we live in and do our bit in making the environment sustainable and beautiful.
Toni Christiansen
Environment Club Captain
Year 5 Production – Next Week!
The countdown is on to our latest show-stopping Saints Girls’ Year 5 Production: Singin’ in the Rain JR.
The girls will be performing next Thursday 23 September and Friday 24 September.
Tickets are open to the wider School community and are selling fast, so secure your seat here.
We look forward to another incredible production!
The Long Lunch – This Sunday
For those attending The Long Lunch, we look forward to seeing you this Sunday! If you are not attending, please feel free to join us virtually via our Live Stream.
Auction Pre-Bidding (including non-attendees) – LAST CHANCE! Auction Closes 3.45pm Sunday 19 September
We warmly invite you to view the huge selection of Live and Silent Auction items on offer at the 2021 Foundation Long Lunch here.
You do not need to attend the lunch to buy a raffle ticket or to bid on and potentially win an item.
How to Bid:
1. Register for GalaBid by texting ‘stpetersgirls’ followed by your
full name to 0458 678 678 (e.g. stpetersgirls Jane Smith), or register online via galabid.com/stpetersgirls; during registration, all bidders will be asked to select one of the School Houses for our House fundraising competition
2. View the auction items here: galabid.com/stpetersgirls
3. Bid on the items
4. If you make the winning bid, you’ll receive a text on Sunday 19 September after the auction closes at 3.45pm, with a secure link to pay for your item(s); successful bidders not at the lunch will then be contacted by phone on Monday 20 September to arrange collection
Successful bidders at the event will need to pay for their item(s) and collect them on the day.
A special thank you to our Major Sponsors: EZ Migration & Education and Novatech Creative Event Technology.
Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager
Junior School Vacation Care
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.
September/October 2021 Vacation Care Program
Places are limited, so click here to secure your booking now!
Friends of The Arts – Help Needed
The Friends of The Arts are looking for some assistance. Are you a parent of a student who participates in The Arts? If so, would you like to help our group by volunteering at our next event?
Event: Year 5 Production
Dates: Thursday 23 September and Friday 24 September
Duties: Set up and pack down the bar, and serve customers before the show and during the interval
*You can watch the show in between
*Four volunteers required for each night
Please contact Melissa Westgate in the Community Relations Office via mwestgate@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au if you would like to volunteer.
Strings Concert – Book Your FREE Tickets Now!
Saints Girls’ Music students are excited to present the Strings Concert. The evening will feature Junior, Intermediate and Senior Strings, soloists, and special guest composer and performer Belinda Gehlert.
Join us at 6pm, Friday 15 October in the Arts Centre.
Book your FREE ticket via www.trybooking.com/BUGDY
Adelaide Wind Orchestra Presents Splinter
Rock, Funk, Metal, Electronic Dance Music (EDM), Gospel and Soul music become symphonic in AWO presents Splinter at Elder Hall at 7.30pm on Friday 1 October.
We are offering free tickets for students to see us live, using the promo code STPETERSGIRLS
Book here: https://www.trybooking.com/BTPRV
Comprised of only instruments made of metal, Michael Daugherty’s aptly tiled ‘Motown Metal’ opens the program and harks back to rhythms and sounds of 1960s’ Detroit. ‘Come Sunday’ by Omar Thomas is a response to the largely absent voice of African Americans in the modern wind band idiom. It is both frenzied and joyous, familiar and enthralling, drawing on Gospel, Jazz and Blues influences, finishing with the energetic and toe-tapping ‘Shout!’
Holly Harrison describes Splinter as a ‘Mosaic or stylistic patchwork’, and this reflects the pieces that combine splinters of Rock, Funk and other popular contemporary musical styles.
Capping off the program, Matthew Hindson’s ‘Requiem’ mourns the loss of Sydney’s nightlife back in 2015 under strict lockout laws, now sadly ironic in 2021.
Joining Adelaide Wind Orchestra in a special performance is the Adelaide Saxophone Orchestra and features many, if not most, of Adelaide’s leading single reed players and saxophonists including some ASO guest stars performing David John Lang’s new composition, ‘Yuluna Loop’.
7.30pm, Friday 1 October
Elder Hall, University of Adelaide
Conductor – Bryan Griffiths
Michael Daugherty – ‘Motown Metal’
David John Lang – ‘Yuluna Loop’ (World Premiere)
Omar Thomas – ‘Come Sunday’ (Australian Premiere)
Holly Harrison – ‘Splinter’ (Australian Premiere)
Matthew Hindson / Paul Mac – ‘Requiem for a City’
School Shop – Summer Uniform
With only one week of Term 3 remaining, it’s time to dig out that summer uniform and see if it still fits for the start of Term 4.
During the school holidays, the School Shop will be open on Thursday 7 and Friday 8 October from 9am to 4pm.
Entertainment Membership
To support Saints Girls and secure your Entertainment Membership, click here.
Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.entertainment.com.au for more information.
Absences from School
If your child is going to be absent, late to school or leave early, please use one of the following methods to notify the School providing student name, class/Home Group and reason:
Text: 0428 601 957
Email: attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Phone: 8334 2200
Feel free to include the class/Home Group teacher when emailing. It would be appreciated if notifications could be made prior to 9am.
It is absolutely imperative to keep unwell children at home until they have recovered, even if symptoms are mild. This is not only for their own health and safety, but for that of all students and staff.
We thank all of our families for their cooperation.
Sports News
JUNIOR BASKETBALL
Year 6: Saints 40 v Seymour 6
Year 5: Saints 16 v Pembroke 10
JUNIOR NETBALL
Year 4: Saints White 10 v Walford 3
Year 4: Saints Blue 12 v Walford 6
JUNIOR SOCCER
Year 6: Saints 0 v Seymour 4
Year 5/6: Saints 6 v Pembroke 2
Year 4/5: Saints 1 v Walford 4
Year 3/4: Saints 2 v Seymour 7
STUDENT SUCCESS
Congratulations to Aleesha Gray who was selected to represent East Adelaide in the Year 6 SAPSASA State Soccer Carnival which was held from 1 to 3 September at West Beach. She competed in eight matches over the three days, with East Adelaide finishing 3rd in the Division 1 Girls’ competition. Well done to Aleesha on her success!
FUTURE COMPETITIONS
Over the next week, we will see a number of our girls compete in events such as the Volleyball Schools Cup, SAPSASA Athletics and IGSSA Athletics in addition to many club-based finals. We wish all students the best of luck!
Please note that Summer Sport training sessions have begun in many of our sports. If you are unsure of training times, please check the Summer Sport nomination letter as this provides start dates for all sports.