Issue no. 21
From the Principal
Welcome back to the start of Semester 2. As many of you headed north to warmer climates, I flew south and returned to my ‘homeland’ Hobart for a few days. It’s always odd when you go back to a place that you know so well but haven’t visited for a long period of time. On the back of MONA, our southern-most capital city is enjoying an art inspired renaissance. Yet you can experience the shocking brilliance and audaciousness of many of the exhibits at the gallery in one moment and then be drawn into the history and warmth of Hobart later that same day. From my perspective, some things had changed remarkably, yet others had stayed the same. And the balance was right.
As a School we have a similar challenge – we need to act thoughtfully and decisively and adapt where we need to and change our practices or our focus where circumstances warrant, yet at the same time remain steadfast in maintaining what makes Saints Girls so great.
Alongside the many curriculum initiatives, the most obvious change to the School in the next couple of years will be the upgrade to our facilities. Work on the Middle School redevelopment will commence in November this year. Completing building works on a ‘live site’ is always challenging and it’s important that we communicate with all members of our community clearly and concisely during this time. Some significant decisions have been made and these are outlined below:
- Assisted by Trice Project and Development Managers, the School Board will oversee a comprehensive tendering process for the building works.
- Builders will not assemble onsite until Monday 21 November ensuring there is no disruption to Year 12 examinations.
- The Middle School is being built where the Library currently resides and hence the Library collection will need to be rehoused during the period of construction. Initially it was proposed that the School would rent some temporary accommodation in the form of demountable classrooms. However the cost of the placement and removal of these classrooms has proven to be excessive. Following discussion with the School’s Project Control Group and subsequently the full School Board, it has been decided to utilise the Chapel as a Library space during the building works. I appreciate that this is far from ideal. There was certainly much discussion around the Board table but ultimately a very pragmatic financial decision was made. Reallocation of these funds will also allow the Chapel to be air-conditioned – a highly desirable outcome given the 40 degree days that regularly occur in Term 1 each year. Chapel services will be held in the Arts Centre during the construction period. The Library will relocate to the Chapel during the Term 3 holidays.
- As part of the Masterplan, the Year 12 Common Room will be relocated to the western end of the new Resource Centre. In the interim, the Year 12 Common Room will move to a newly refurbished room behind the Arts Centre. Similar to the current set-up, this room will house the Year 12 lockers, include kitchen facilities and both lounge furniture and tables and chairs. I’m sure the girls will find this space to be far more modern and comfortable than the one that is about to be demolished. Following completion of the Resource Centre, this room will become another teaching space.
- As space is at a premium, some temporary storage facilities have been moved onsite. These containers have been located under the boardwalk. As the Middle School redevelopment includes the installation of a lift and a much needed improvement to disability access, this unsightly boardwalk will be removed at the completion of the first stage of the Masterplan.
- It is anticipated that the Middle School redevelopment will be completed by the end of Term 3 next year. Ideally all Middle School classes will move to the new facility at the start of Term 4 2017.
There is still much to be worked out in regards to the staging of the works and routes of access to current facilities whilst building is in progress. These things will need to be discussed with the builder once that appointment is made. I will keep you informed of these decisions once they have been finalised.
It is an exciting time at Saints Girls as we modernise our learning spaces so that they can adapt to our girls’ evolving educational needs. I thank you for your patience and understanding through this challenging period as we bring our vision to life.
Staffing Update
Craig Morton has announced his retirement effective from the end of the term. Craig commenced at Saints Girls in 1986 and has been a much loved Mathematics teacher and passionate Head of Kennion House during that time. His competitive nature on the side of the soccer field has also not gone unnoticed! We will take the opportunity to formally farewell Craig at the end of the term. In the meantime I would like to thank him for 31 years of outstanding service and wish him well for his final 10 weeks at School.
Kerry Skinner’s contract as Deputy Principal/Head of Senior School concludes at the end of 2016. I would like to thank Kerry for her passion and commitment to the role throughout her tenure. This significant leadership role along with other 2017 positions will be advertised nationally this weekend.
Mary Pridham, known as ‘Nursie’ by our younger girls, is taking some much deserved long service leave. In her absence the clinic will be staffed by Cathy Miller on Monday and Tuesday, Sarah Wilkinson on Wednesday and Thursday and Lara Waltham will work each Friday.
Sonya Risbey is also taking some long service leave and Annika Winter will cover Sonya’s teaching load for the first two weeks of this term.
Heng Wang left on maternity leave at the end of last term. We wish Heng well for this next exciting stage of her life. Ying Liu has joined the staff as a Chinese teacher.
As Year 6 parents would be aware, Vicki Hudson has joined the staff for Semester 2 to cover Vicky Charlton’s class whilst she is on leave. I’d also like to welcome Nelle Stewart to Saints Girls. Nelle will work as an assistant in a number of Junior School classes.
And finally, a very warm welcome to our Mid-Year Reception class. The girls have moved into a fully refurbished, purpose built classroom and have enjoyed a wonderful first week of ‘big school’.
Julia Shea
Old Scholar, Olympia Aldersey (Kennion ’11) is going to the
Olympic Games!
Australia’s women’s rowing eight crew has received confirmation of some most unexpected news: they are on a plane to the Rio Olympics after Russia was forced to withdraw several teams from the Games in the wake of the ongoing doping controversy.
The Australian team was the first reserve for the women’s eight after finishing third at the most recent qualifying regatta in Switzerland. The crew comprises Fiona Albert, Olympia Aldersey, cox Sarah Banting, Molly Goodman, Alexandra Hagan, Jessica Morrison, Lucy Stephan, Charlotte Sutherland and Meaghan Volker.
We wish ‘Oly’ the best of luck and will follow the crews progress with much interest.
Year 10 Workplace Learning
Workplace Learning is an integral part of the Year 10 Personal Learning Plan course and provides the girls with an opportunity to explore and investigate a field or career they may be interested in pursuing in the future. This year the placement was 27June – 1 July and once again proved to be an invaluable learning experience for our girls. Students ventured into many varied and interesting places such as vet clinics, law firms, kindergartens, hospitals and the Adelaide University just to name a few. The feedback from employers was overwhelmingly positive and all the girls are to be congratulated for the way in which they represented their school, their family and themselves in the wider community.
Here a few student’s thoughts on their week’s experience:
“During my Workplace Learning I was placed at Australian Fashion Labels where I got to witness the backbone of a large business as well as experience firsthand the way fashion is coordinated in Australia. On my last two days I got to witness a photoshoot for the company’s website and while there I met a famous model and got to see the way it was all managed and organised. On other days I did small jobs such as unpacking returns, re-ordering samples and stock, working and doing small jobs for the public relations department. Overall I am very pleased with my experience and I would love to see myself working there in the near future.” Grace Packer – Australian Fashion Labels
“For my Workplace Learning I attended a marketing firm. I arrived with positive attitude and was eager to come out of the experience with valuable knowledge that would contribute to the decisions I make for my future career path. I personally believed that marketing was a good place to start as it can lead into several other career opportunities. Overall I believed it was an amazing experience and I gained many valuable lessons and I am starting to realise my strengths and what areas I work best in. Therefore I have decided to take a different career path that will hopefully challenge and excite me in years to come. Without Year 10 Workplace Learning I would have been unable to make this decision. ” Amy Steele – Mihell and Lycos
“Getting the opportunity to do my Workplace Learning at the Royal Adelaide Hospital was really exciting. I was very lucky as I got to follow around a medical team in the general medicine department for the whole week, which enabled me to get a good insight into how medicine works. I attended department meetings, went to a lecture, visited the emergency department and even got to witness a procedure. Overall, I had a fantastic week and really enjoyed this experience. ” Anna Bi – RAH
Thanks need to go to all the employers who made this experience possible for our students and also to all of the staff who gave willingly of their time to visit students in the workplace.
Karen Alderson
Careers Counsellor
Business & Enterprise Forum
Adelaide business luminaries, Charlie Shahin – Managing Director of Peregrine Corporation, James Sarah, Joint Managing Director of Sarah Constructions and Sergio Mattiazzo, Enterprise Adelaide Business Advisor with Adelaide City Council were panel members of a Business Enterprise forum hosted in the school in June. Students studying Stage 2 Business and Enterprise posed the panel questions to discover their views on topics relating to their individual Issue Studies.
The panel fielded questions on a variety of contentious issues such as:
- Should the South Australian Government do more to help small businesses by more vigorously cutting red tape?
- Uber vs the taxi industry – what is the impact of Uber on the current public transport industry?
- Is social media revolutionising wine marketing in South Australia?
The panel were forthright in their answers and provided varied and valuable information for the girls to incorporate into their assignments.
Principal Julia Shea and Director of Business, Andrew Rosser also attended and made similarly valuable contributions to the forum.
The school takes this opportunity to further thank all the participants for their valuable contributions.
Gabriele Trobbiani
Junior School Debating
This year we have three Year 6 teams competing in the Independent Primary Schools Heads Association (IPSHA) Debating Competition. As first-time debaters, the girls have applied themselves with great vigour and enthusiasm to learn about ‘method, manner and matter’ and have represented us extremely well during the first two rounds of debates. While most debates so far have been against students with more experience, losses by just one and two points demonstrate the effort and determination applied by our girls. An admirable win in the second round by Team 1, consisting of Anushka Rajbhoj, Azaan Singh and Matilda Sage, supported by Sivanthi Sivasuthan and Angela Mourtzios, was made possible by the girls’ very convincing arguments to support the negative side for the topic ‘Public figures should be entitled to have private lives’ along with their ability to engage with the opposition’s arguments to the contrary. It was a very exciting debate for both the girls and their supporting audience. We wish the girls well as they prepare for the next two rounds and contemplate their arguments to support that ‘books are outdated’, and finally that ‘after school sport should be compulsory’.
UniSA Group Parenting programs
The UniSA Psychology Clinic is running a group parenting program for parents of children aged 4 – 10 years. The program will teach parents strategies to encourage developmentally appropriate behaviours, as well as how to manage problem behaviours. The program commences on Monday 29 August from 9 – 11am at the UniSA Magill campus and runs over eight weeks.
The cost of the program, which includes a parent workbook, is $50. The group is limited to eight parents.
For more information or to book a place, please telephone the Psychology Clinic on 8302 4875 or visit: unisa.edu.au/Campus-Facilities/Public-services/Psychology-Clinic/.
Party Like It’s 1925
Please book your tickets for the premier Parents and Friends (P&F) Committee fundraiser of the year. On 3 September the P&F will be hosting a 1920s party to raise funds for our Middle School redevelopment. The party will fittingly be held at the Art Deco Burnside Ballroom and will feature a prize casino and live music from the Flaming Sambucas. Dressing the part is encouraged but not compulsory; feather boas and other 1920s styles will be available on the night to help you accessorise.
The feature fundraising initiative will be a giant silent auction for which the P&F will gratefully accept donations. A notice will shortly be going out to the Year Level Reps with more information as to how you can make donations to the silent auction.
Book your tickets today and enjoy a night to remember by visiting http://www.trybooking.com/mfbq.
Sports News
A reminder that we would love to hear of any exciting news or notable sporting achievements. Simply email Neil Fuller on nfuller@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.
While we do our best to convey all information we wish to remind everyone that the Sports Draws can be found on the School website and students are again reminded to check the notice board for any further news.
Important Dates – Term 3
- Saturday 13 August – Winter Interhouse (Years 7 to 12)
- Saturday 24 August – Final Round of Badminton, Hockey and Netball (Years 7 to 12)
- Wednesday 31 August – Final Round of Soccer (Years 7 to 12)
- Thursday 1 September – Rowing information night (6pm for current and new Rowers)
- Tuesday 6 September – SAPSASA District Athletics (Years 4-7 selected students) at Athletics SA Stadium, Mile End
- Friday 9 September– Sports Day (Years 4 to 12) at Athletics SA Stadium, Mile End
- Wednesday 7 September – Come and Try Rowing. Scotch Boatshed on Torrens River
(Years 6 to 12) - Monday 12 September – Rowing training commences (Years 10-12) at West Lakes
- Tuesday 13 September – Summer Sport commences, including Rowing training commencing (Years 7 to 9) at Scotch Boatshed on Torrens River
- Wednesday 14 September – Gymnastic Gym For All Challenge at Gym SA, Marion (Years 3 to 7)
- Tuesday 20 September – IGSSA AFL Carnival (Years 7 and 8)
- Tuesday 27 September – State SAPSASA Athletics (Years 4 to 7) at Athletics SA Stadium, Mile End
- Wednesday 28 September – IGSSA Athletics (Years 7 to 12 for selected students) at Athletics SA Stadium, Mile End
Year 8 – 9 Netball Queensland Tour
During the school holidays the sunny Gold Coast was invaded by more than 60 netball teams from Australia and New Zealand all with the aim to win the title in their division and attack it out in the spirit of netball.
A tough Saints team of Year 8’s and 9’s came together after rigorous trials at the beginning of Term 2. The team members included: Charlotte White, Brooke Elliot, Sarah Matheson, Eve Habel, Ruby Bouhamdan, Tahlia Towers, Isabella Bernardi, Amelia Wood, Nicolette Miller and Sivani Sivasuthan. We had a fantastic start to the competition, winning nine out of ten games over day one and two. We advanced to the highest Intermediate division, competing against the best of the best for the second half of the week.
Day three was tough. We rectified our only loss, beating the Indigenous Budgies by 1 before being narrowly defeated in the following games. While we did not advance to the finals on day four, team spirit was buoyant thanks to the ‘Wally Award’. This award was presented each day to the team member who did the silliest/funniest thing the day before. The Wally Award was presented for things such as wearing two right-footed thongs to the beach and blowing on a tomato in a cold salad to cool it down. This caused many laughs throughout the week!
The Carnival’s host, Southport Carrara Netball Association, ideally situated around the corner from Wet and Wild, Dream, Movie and Sea World, ensured our ‘rest’ days were not so restful. In our other free time, we went shopping at the Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, went to the movies and practiced our body percussion performance that we performed at the Competition Dinner on the Friday night.
The tour was a week of bonding, laughter, team work, tired limbs, theme parks, shopping and sun. Thank you to Neil Fuller for making the tour possible and our coaches Alice Johnswood and Vanessa Brooks for bringing out the best in each of us. Congratulations to Tahlia Towers, awarded most consistent carnival player by our Coaches. Most importantly, thanks to our parents for paying and providing us with the necessities to make this trip possible.
By Brooke Elliott and Charlotte White
Aerobics – State Finals
On Saturday 25 June, all four aerobics teams competed in the Schoolaerobics state finals. Each and every athlete showed tremendous improvement and performed what we, the coaches, believe were their best routines of the season. The competition was incredibly tough, in all four sections and the girls should be very proud of their achievements this year. Team Electrix (Claire Hunt, Jessica and Charlotte Stratton-Smith) were fortunate enough to receive an invitation to the National finals but have chosen not to go.
Final placings:
- Infinity – 3rd
- Electrix – 1st
- Fusion 4 – 2nd
- Pop n Rock – 5th
After a much deserved break, we look forward to further developing the girls’ skills and preparing for the 2017 season. Kira, Nat and Rin (Coaches)
Congratulations to Gregor & Dan!
Congratulations to Gregor Dingwall (staff) and also Dan Searle (staff) who both competed in the Gold Coast Marathon. Gregor completed the marathon in 98th place from 3,454 competitors in a time of 3 hours 51.49, while Dan finished 149th overall in the half marathon from 8,783 runners. An outstanding effort by both gentlemen.
Athletics Training
In the lead up to Sports Day we are able to provide athletic training on Wednesday and Friday mornings (from 7.30am). There will be options for students to work on sprints, middle and long distance running as well as throws and jumps (except high jump). Interested students should advise Mr Fuller if they wish to attend.
IGGSA – Tri State Carnival
For the first time the 10 Schools that make up the IGSSA (Independent Girls Sports) will be taking part in a National Carnival in Melbourne in September with teams from Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland all taking part. Trials have been held and teams selected in Football (Soccer), Netball and Tennis.
We wish to congratulate Tiana and Yasmin Glazbrook (Tennis), Bethany Cross, Taylah Simpson and Dominque Rigby (Football) and Sophie Freeman (Netball) who have all gained selected.
Netball
Well done to Year 7 students Amelia Pudney, Olivia Kelly, Kellie Bested and Gemma Schaedel who have been selected in the East Adelaide SAPSASA Netball teams and will be competing in the State Carnival which will be held at Netball SA from 15-19 August (Week 4).
Netball Coaching Program
Taught and Bowled are offering specialist and general netball coaching programs for girls aged 9 – 13 years during Term 3 this year. The program runs over 4 x one hour sessions and includes a weekly take-home program for all participants. The program is tailored for each area of the court so that participants can receive coaching that is specific to their game.
Programs will run on Sunday mornings at two locations – Ascot Park Primary School and East Adelaide School.
For further information or to register for the program please go to taughtandbowled.com.au or contact Alice at alice@taughtandbowled.com.au or 0412 454 784.
Softball
The Walkerville Softball Club is conducting its annual Winter Softball Clinic in preparation for the coming summer season. The clinic is open to all girls aged 10 – 16 and caters for players who are new to the game as well as experienced players. The clinic sessions commence this Saturday 30 July at the Walkerville YMCA.
Interested players or parents are asked to contact Jodie on 0418 191 437 to secure a spot.
Swimming
Good luck to Annabel Baldwinson (Year 7) who has been selected in the SA Swimming Team. Annabel will be competing in the School Sport Australia Swimming Championships in Darwin from 15 – 21 September.
Soccer
Open A – did not play
Open B – Saints 1 lost to Pulteney 4
Everyone put in a great effort last week but unfortunately we did not finish the term with a win. Movement up front was better and we certainly had lots of scoring opportunities. The highlight of the game was Molly Ellis’ fantastic goal from almost halfway. Thank you to Isabella Villani, Ankita Rajbhoj, Layne Beveridge and Olivia Law for filling in. By Christine Gayen (Coach)
Middle A – Saints 0 lost to Pulteney 1
Our girls did not play to their usual standard in this game. There was a lack of runs and tackling throughout the game, and a lack of decisive passing created quite a bit of chaos when trying to get the ball out of defense and down to our forwards. The Pulteney defenders were able to put our forwards under a great deal of pressure, so that passes did not always get to the intended player and limited the number of chances we had to score. At the other end of the pitch, our defensive players found themselves under continuous pressure from the opposition forwards, who were full of running and able to successfully pass the ball to a team-mate in a better position to have a shot at goal. Credit must go to our backline players, Eleanor, Harriett, Matilda, Poppie, Amelie, Siena and Rachel who all did a good job defending and stopping Pulteney from scoring more than one goal. Every player did an admirable job in the freezing cold conditions. By Mr Morton (Supervisor)
Middle B – Saints 1 defeated Wilderness 0
With only had 10 players due to players falling sick this was a tough game as both teams fought hard to win. The girls showed that they could still play with less players, talking more on the pitch to let each other know whether they were free to receive the ball, and also backing each other up when one of their players was going for the ball. Wilderness struggled to get passed our defence line and if one of the Wilderness players got past one of our defenders, we had girls backing up to stop her. In the second half we had a lot of shots but still couldn’t find the back of the net but with only five minutes to go, we finally able to score the winning goal. By Taylor Garret (Coach)
Lacrosse
Saint 16 defeated Woodville/St Joseph’s 6
Once again all of the girls worked very well as a team to win the match. Mabel Cook (Year 3) and Dani Cox (Year 4) both worked well in attack as they always tried to run into space and shoot hard around the goalie. Portia Maerschel (Year 7) did a great job in centre and used her speed in the mid-field to transition the ball quickly into attack. Isabel Burmester (Year 5) fought hard for every ground ball and showed great aggression, causing several turnovers. At half time the girls were up by seven goals but still had to work together to keep their lead and win the game. Alannah Godfrey (Year 3) did a wonderful job in attack as she won numerous ground balls and always looked for a free player to pass to. Saskia Jonats (Year 7) and Willow Stewart-Rattray (Year 5) used their height to get the ball out of centre and made sure to pass the ball around quickly in attack to score a goal. Goal scorers for the match were Mabel Cook, Dani Cox, Saskia Jonats, Portia Maerschel and Willow Stewart-Rattray. The girls keep improving their skills every week and it is wonderful to see them work so well as a team, which helps them win the game.