Issue no. 21
From Our Principal
Welcome back to Term 3!
We finish our first week with Choral Night which is for many, the favourite School event of the year. In my eight and a half years here, I haven’t once been able to pick the winner and I don’t imagine tonight will be any different! What I do know though, is that Influencers Church will be awash with House spirit and each performance will be met with thunderous applause. I look forward to seeing many of you there.
Tomorrow, the Board of Governors and the Senior Leadership Team will meet for their annual Planning Day. Thank you to those who took the time to complete the detailed survey last term. The overall rating again placed us in the ‘excellent’ category, with the welcoming and supportive culture and the future direction of the School both being strongly affirmed. The survey indicated that there is still some nervousness associated with attending School events, and the current COVID wave will do little to alleviate that anxiety. Education is based on human connections. We are very much hardwired to connect to others, and the outcomes for our girls are so much stronger when their families are deeply engaged with the School. As we move to the next Strategic Plan, re-engaging our community in the wake of COVID will be a major focus. Although still rated in the ‘good’ category, communication, particularly via myLink, was raised as an area for improvement. We will continue to analyse the results and very much appreciate the feedback that you have provided.
Like many of you, my travel plans were thwarted back in 2020, leading to the postponement of my scheduled leave. I was fortunate to be accepted into a short course at Harvard, and will take my rescheduled leave throughout Term 4. Whilst my last official function will be the Year 12 Valedictory Dinner at the end of the first week of next term, I will be back in Adelaide just after the finish of the school year to ensure a smooth handover with the person appointed as the next Principal of St Peter’s Girls’ School. This School is about the girls. One of the first things I did when I arrived was to ask staff not to sit on the stage during Assemblies. Rather, Assemblies were to be student-led with the focus on the girls’ achievements and initiatives. As Principal, I am very much a support act with the girls filling the starring roles. And it’s from that mindset that the idea of a large formal farewell does not sit comfortably with me. I look forward instead to the waves and head nods as you drop off your daughters throughout Term 3, and seek to finish as I started – with the focus, quite rightly, on the girls.
Have a wonderful term!
Julia Shea
Principal
Highlights of Term 2 at Saints Girls
As Term 3 gets underway, Saints Girls are still on a high from an electric Term 2 at Stonyfell!
Standouts included our Cross Country Interhouse, Performing Arts productions, ELC nature explorations, outstanding results at da Vinci Decathlon and Shark Tank eSchool, inspiring lessons from Old Scholars and our Scientist in Residence, plus much more.
Warm Reception for Newest Saints Girls
We couldn’t be more excited to welcome our newest group of Saints Girls!
We wish our Mid-Year Receptions all the best for the next chapter in their learning journey and can’t wait to watch their progress. From all accounts, the girls have already settled in beautifully.
Above is a precious picture taken on their first-ever day of school.
Spirits High at Year 12 Retreat
At the end of the last term, the Year 12 girls went on retreat. We began by hiking Mount Lofty, and while this was challenging, the view from the top was amazing. The walk was a rewarding experience and it was great to spend the morning together outdoors.
We then travelled to Glenelg for the rest of our retreat. We participated in a variety of activities organised by our Home Group teachers. Mr Butler-Wills provided an inspirational presentation on the concept of work, followed by Ms Mansfield’s emotional collection of letters from teachers to their younger selves, after which we wrote our own letters. Next, we enjoyed some Interhouse activities that Mr Searle and Miss Perkas ran on the beach and on the grass in front of the Stamford Grand where we stayed. My favourite was the sandcastle competition because of the impressive car that my House, Kilburn, managed to make.
We were then lucky to have some Old Scholars talk to us and answer our questions about their lives outside of school, specifically their university experiences. Their responses were really insightful and gave us all more of an idea about what uni will be like. Thank you to Kritika Mishra (Kilburn 2016), Mikaela Georgiadis (Kennion 2017), Ally Reade (Kennion 2018), Holly Cunningham (Selwyn 2018) and Kate McKellar-Stewart (Kennion 2018).
That evening, we all got dressed up for our Retreat Dinner, followed by a quiz. The next morning after a buffet-style breakfast, Ms Sutton gave us a thoughtful presentation on gratitude, before a walk along the beach.
Retreat was a great way to end a challenging term. It was nice to spend time with friends and classmates outside of the school environment. Thank you to all the staff for organising Year 12 Retreat.
Charlotte Adams
Year 12 student
Turtle Power for Green Crusaders
During Term 2, the Environment Club marked World Turtle Day and World Sea Turtle Day. These occasions honour and highlight the importance of turtles in our ecosystems. With around 8 million tonnes of rubbish dumped in our oceans each year, these turtles are under threat and therefore it is crucial that they are protected.
To acknowledge these days, the Environment Club organised a colouring competition for students in Years 2 – 4. It involved girls colouring in a picture of a turtle and its surrounding habitat, as well as writing a short piece about why they love turtles. From each year level, we decided on a Runner Up and Winner, and the girls were each awarded a prize. This competition was very successful and all of the girls who participated did an incredible job. They should all be very proud of their efforts!
Alison Francis & Hannah Dillon
Environment Club
Prize Winners
Year 2 Runner Up: Anya Khosa
Year 2 Winner: Olivia Rachwal
Year 3 Runner Up: Laura Lu
Year 3 Winner: Alyssia Moro
Year 4 Runner Up: Hailey Lee
Year 4 Winner: Tia Dong
National Tree Day Branches Out
This afternoon, Saints Girls proudly celebrated Schools Tree Day ahead of National Tree Day on Sunday. National Tree Day was launched in 1996 by Planet Ark, and has since grown into Australia’s largest community tree-planting and nature care event.
The Environment Club planted native trees in the south-east corner of the School Oval near Ferguson Park. Thank you to our Property Services crew for helping to prepare the site. Burnside Councillors Jenny Turnbull and Mike Daws came along to help. Through the council’s Native Tree Giveaway, we were provided with three native trees to plant: Callistemon Endeavour, Eucalyptus Cosmophylla and Callistemon Harkness.
Increasing the number of trees absorbing and capturing carbon from the atmosphere decreases environmental impacts and also provides more shelter for fauna.
Nathara Perera
Environment Club Captain
Native Tree Giveaway
Burnside Council invites locals to help grow its Urban Forest. It’s giving away free advanced native trees for City of Burnside residents to plant in their garden.
To get your free native tree:
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- Visit the Customer Service Desk at the Civic Centre on Greenhill Road to collect your voucher (voucher must be collected by the property owner only), or email with your name, the address of the property and mailing address (if different from the property address), and a voucher will be posted to you.
- Take your unique voucher to one of the participating nurseries to get your native tree.
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Valid from 15 April to 30 September 2022, voucher limits apply per rateable property. For more details – click here
Nathara Perera
Environment Club Captain
Sky No Limit for Saints Girls Past and Present
During the holidays, an intrepid group of Year 12 Saints Girls attended a breakfast event hosted by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) about the future of the space industry. The girls listened to Old Scholar Emily White (Patteson 2010) who works to support the space sector; former astronaut, Space Shuttle Commander and Air Force Officer Pam Melroy; and SA Minister for Defence and Space Industries Susan Close.
Hearing the future role of space technology was eye opening, including accessing space to better understand the planet through climate change data, defence and geopolitical relationships, permanent space settlement and in situ resource utilisation. The NASA Artemis program plans to have the first woman on the moon by 2025! Big issues were discussed such as balancing commercial opportunities with inspiration and responsibility.
Australia’s role is a natural partner to international missions, and this is an area of tremendous growth. Workforce needs include launch companies, systems engineering program managers, and the pretty cool category of ‘space tradies’. We met people who work for the Bureau of Meteorology in space weather, satellite launch companies, as well as government departments who support this industry growth.
One such person is Old Scholar Emily White (Patteson 2010) who works in the SA Department of Trade and Investment to attract international investment in the space sector. Completing a degree in Psychology and Criminology, Emily moved into this new career when UniSA made a bid for the SmartSat CRC cooperative research facility for industry and university satellite technology.
Here are some reflections from our students:
‘I liked hearing Pam Melroy share that we should focus more on space as a scientific venture rather than commercialising it or making it like the military.’ – Chi Chi
‘It was interesting the amount of overlap between defence and international cooperation as well as solving issues like climate change.’ – Ruby
It was truly engaging to learn about the opportunities and challenges of the space industry and that Australia will definitely have various roles to play in it.
Carolyn Farr
Careers Coordinator
STEM Careers JobChat – Speaker Spotlight
The School is providing a special opportunity to meet and hear from women in STEM careers. In conjunction with the University of Adelaide, parents and students will be able to learn from women in STEM industries and studies.
Tuesday 16 August
5.30 – 7.30pm
Arts Centre
This week, we feature one of our fabulous speakers, Old Scholar Amy Seppelt (Kilburn 2001):
Amy Seppelt is the Lead Senior Fire Safety Engineer for the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service and holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering with Honours and a Master’s in Fire Safety Engineering. Her primary role is as a technical specialist on the engineering and design aspects of commercial building fire safety, working with the building industry as part of the building approval process to ensure that South Australia’s buildings meet building code and fire safety requirements. Amy has been member on a number of State and national committees relating to building regulation matters, and has been a lecturer on fire safety and engineering at the University of South Australia.
Prior to joining the Metropolitan Fire Service, Amy was a volunteer firefighter with the Country Fire Service in an urban-rural brigade, with specialist training and experience in structural firefighting, road crash and heavy vehicle rescue, hazardous materials response and confined space rescue.
Golden Opportunity for Old Scholar Triathlete
Below is Sophie’s athlete profile from the Commonwealth Games Australia website:
‘Sophie Linn (triathlon) became a genuine dark horse when she upstaged her more-fancied rivals to win the Gold Coast Triathlon in April 2022 and earn an automatic nomination for her first Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. The former long-distance track and cross-country runner – who was also a nationally-ranked junior swimmer – only took up triathlon after she graduated with degrees in sports business and human-computer interaction from the University of Michigan in 2018. Linn works as a designer for a bike technology company in Boulder, Colorado, and often trains with boyfriend Alexey Vermeulen, a former professional bike rider.’
Good luck Sophie, we know you’ll do us proud!
New Direction for Year 3 Explorers
Our Year 3 girls have been learning about the many ways that places can be represented as part of our unit of inquiry, ‘How We Organise Ourselves’. We have investigated physical maps, Google Earth, compasses and online navigation systems, and have considered icons, landmarks, features and the language of direction.
This week, the girls worked with Active Education to apply their skills to a series of orienteering and geocaching activities around our beautiful School grounds. Navigating their way with both paper maps and handheld GPS systems, they worked in teams to locate well-hidden checkpoints around the School. It was a fabulous day of fun, adventure and learning.
Monique McLeay and Sarah Mulraney
Year 3 Teachers
Car Park Protocols
As we commence a new semester, it is important to remind families about our car park protocols, particularly during drop off and pick up.
If the car park is full and you are unable to enter, circle the block until it is clear to enter, find a park elsewhere or, where age-appropriate, meet your daughter in a surrounding street.
Please note that, unless special circumstances apply, parents of girls in Years 2 to 12 should not enter the car park to collect their daughters prior to 3.30pm. Parents of girls in Reception and Year 1 have exclusive use of the pick-up zone prior to this time for safety and traffic reasons.
Please also refrain from turning right into or out of the car park at peak times, and please do not queue in the car park’s lanes as this often prevents drivers who are legally parked from exiting.
We have also previously received complaints about cars being parked too close to or in front of driveways, or across from other vehicles in surrounding streets, making it extremely difficult for residents and other road users to navigate.
We ask all community members to please show consideration for others. Thank you for your cooperation.
Free Book Offer – Scholastic Book Club
Scholastic Book Club is giving away free books to help celebrate and spread the love of reading!
Scholastic Book Club helps raise independent readers by providing access to a wide variety of reading material, allowing children to choose books that interest them and that they are excited to read, and giving families great quality and value at affordable prices.
Place your Issue 5 order online via the Scholastic Australia LOOP website to select up to 3 free books.
- Spend over $30 to select 1 free book*
- Spend over $50 to select 2 free books*
- Spend over $70 to select 3 free books*
*Free books are from a selected list which is displayed at the checkout after an order is created.
For more information – click here
Kate McBride
Library and Information Services
School Shop Opening Hours
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 8am – 4pm (closed for lunch 12 – 12.30pm)
Parents can also order items via our Online School Shop.
Warm Up with Saints’ Scarves and Beanies
With the cooler weather, the School Shop has some branded winter warmers:
Saints Girls’ Supporter Scarf – perfect for staff, coaches and parents
Saints Girls’ Beanies – can be worn by students during their sport training sessions and warm ups, and also available for staff coaches and parents
To get your hands on these fabulous new items, please visit the School Shop.
COVID-19 Information
Under SA Health protocols, asymptomatic children who are close contacts can attend school or ELC, provided they undertake 5 Rapid Antigen Tests over 7 days and receive negative results.
Please also be reminded of these general requirements:
Should your child develop any symptoms, even mild ones, they must not attend school or ELC and should be tested for COVID-19. Those with symptoms who test negative using a RAT must undertake a PCR test to confirm that result. Students who have previously tested positive and have completed isolation in the past 28 days do not need to undertake testing.
If your child tests positive to COVID-19, notify us immediately. Please also advise the type of test (RAT/PCR), the date your child’s test was taken and the date symptoms started (if no symptoms, note ‘asymptomatic’).
Please notify us via email or text:
Email: attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Text: 0428 601 957 (save to phone contacts as SPGS)
If you need to notify us over the phone, call the Front Office on 8334 2200.
If your child is too sick to attend school, they are therefore also too sick to be working remotely from home.
Please also note that SA Health strongly recommends face masks in schools when indoors for students across Years 3 to 12. The same advice applies for all adults, including visitors, except if it impedes the ability to teach or interact with children.
Face Masks in Schools
Please find a copy of a letter for parents and guardians from the Chief Public Health Officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier, regarding face masks in schools:
Dear Parents and Guardians
With the significant increase in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks coinciding with the start of term 3, we would like to remind you and your child of practical steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of spreading and catching COVID-19.
Though it is not mandatory, it is recommended that all students in years 3 to 12 continue to wear face masks when indoors to help reduce the spread of the virus.
Like last term, you are encouraged to ensure your child takes a mask with them each morning or collects one when they arrive at school — there will be a supply available if they forget.
Additionally, precautions should be taken when travelling on public transport, including wearing a mask; this is still a requirement for all public transport users aged 12 years and up.
In relation to children who are deemed to be close contacts of cases (where other family members are positive for COVID) it remains mandatory to wear a mask outside of the home, and this includes at school, along with undertaking 5 Rapid Antigen Tests over 7 days.
We appreciate that some children may find it challenging or awkward to wear a mask, but by wearing one, your child has an additional physical barrier to help stop the spread of COVID.
It’s one very effective tool in our toolkit, along with ensuring you and your family are fully vaccinated, getting tested and staying away from school with any symptoms, however mild, and practicing social distancing.
SA Health has lots of information on their website to help answer questions, including fact sheets, videos, a children’s book and a range of other resources to help you and your family stay COVID safe.
Together, we can reduce the spread of COVID. Best wishes and stay safe.
Professor Nicola Spurrier
Chief Public Health Officer, SA Health
General 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 the student name and Class/Home Group.
Please also provide a reason for the absence as the School requires this for government reporting purposes.
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.
Important Reminders
Email Notifications
It is timely for all parents to check their email account settings to ensure email notifications from the School will not be diverted to junk/spam folders or blocked entirely.
For many platforms, you can check whether stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au has been blocked by accessing Blocked Senders via your account Options. You may also be able to add stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au to your Safe Senders list. If you require assistance, please contact our IT Department (details below).
Personal and Medical Information
It is vital that personal, medical and other important information on the myLink portal is up to date and complete. This also covers photo/video permission where imagery is used in print and online communications to celebrate student success, share exciting news with our community and promote the School more widely. In the digital era, this may also extend to some events being live-streamed on public platforms. If permission is not granted, the School will work diligently to implement specific measures, which may include temporarily withdrawing the student from certain activities. Please note, the permission does not apply to the School Yearbook where all students are included, or to the internal usage of photos/videos for the purposes of teaching and learning, such as content on Canvas.
Follow this pathway to check and/or update your details, and your child’s details: myLink > Community Portal > My Details > select the appropriate tab (child or parent name).
Policies
It is also imperative that families are familiar with the School’s current policies, as new ones may be introduced and existing ones are periodically reviewed and updated. You can view our policies on myLink via the ‘School Documents’ page.
Assistance
For tips on how to navigate myLink, take a look at our instructional videos by clicking the ‘Help’ tab on the Welcome page.
If you have any issues accessing myLink or are not receiving our email notifications, please contact our IT Helpdesk via helpdesk@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au or 8334 2227.
Sports News
SOCCER
Premier League: Saints A (0) v Scotch (8)
Division 1: Saints B (2) v Seymour (2)
STUDENT SUCCESS
Congratulations to the following students who have had success in their sporting endeavours:
CROSS COUNTRY
Alice Braithwaite, Elodie de Wit, Isla Fahey, Chloe Richardson and Audrey Fox will be representing South Australia when competing in Adelaide during the School Sport Australia National Championships in late August.
EQUESTRIAN
Annabelle Knowles has been selected in the South Australian State Interschool Team for Equestrian. Annabelle will compete on her 14hh Connemara in Dressage at the National Interschool competition in the last week of Term 3. This year’s National competition will be held at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre which was purpose built for the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
HOCKEY
Jess Wood and Claris Stolcman will represent School Sport SA at the forthcoming School Sport Australia 12 and Under Hockey Championships in Canberra.
LACROSSE
Alannah Godfrey, Mabel Cook, Cleo Hart and Lara Maione have been selected to represent South Australia in U15 Lacrosse. We wish the girls the best of luck when they travel to Western Australia.
SOCCER
Christina Balasis, Lauren Disney and Hannah Ibrahim have been selected to represent East Adelaide in SAPSASA Soccer.
In addition, Lauren and Audrey Fox have been selected to represent School Sport SA at the forthcoming School Sport Australia 12 and Under Girls’ Football (Soccer) Championships in Perth.
TOUCH FOOTBALL & ICE HOCKEY
Eleanor Bartter has been selected to represent South Australia in both Touch Football (U12) and Ice Hockey (U13).
SWIMMING
Isabelle Tran, Alyssa Tran, Emma Everitt, Summer Bament and Alice Braithwaite were selected for the School Sport SA swimming team to compete in Brisbane against other states.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA SHORT COURSE SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
12 yrs:
Ella Pearce
• 12th 200 IM
• 12th 200 Breaststroke
• 8th 50 Breaststroke
• 13th 100 Breaststroke
• 34th 50 Freestyle
• 17th 100 IM
• 22nd 50 Backstroke
14 yrs:
Alyssa Tran
• 1st 200 IM
• 4th 100 Freestyle
• 1st 100 IM
• 3rd 200 Breaststroke
• 3rd 100 Butterfly
• 1st 50 Breaststroke
• 4th 200 Freestyle
• 1st 100 Breaststroke
• 5th 50 Freestyle
Emma Everitt
• 4th 200 IM
• 5th 400 Freestyle
• 7th 50 Butterfly
Elysia Scarr
• 4th 50 Backstroke
• 8th 200 IM
• 8th 100 Freestyle
• 10th 100 IM
• 5th 100 Backstroke
• 2nd 50 Butterfly
• 5th 100 Butterfly
• 7th 200 Butterfly
15 yrs:
Alya Blaskett
• 10th 100 IM
• 7th 50 Breaststroke
• 9th 100 Breaststroke
16 yrs:
Emily Whittaker
• 6th 200 Breaststroke
• 12th 100 IM
• 3rd 50 Breaststroke
• 3rd 100 Breaststroke
Isabelle Tran
• 4th 100 Freestyle
• 2nd 100 IM
• 5th 100 Backstroke
• 3rd 50 Butterfly
• 3rd 100 Butterfly
• 6th 200 Freestyle
• 4th 50 Freestyle
Alice Braithwaite
• 5th 50 Backstroke
• 4th 200 IM
• 3rd 100 IM
• 6th 400 Freestyle
• 4th 100 Backstroke
• 2nd 200 Backstroke
• 5th 200 Freestyle
Summer Bament
• 1st 200 Breaststroke
• 2nd 50 Breaststroke
• 4th 400 IM
• 1st 100 Breaststroke
17 yrs
Poppy Marshall
• 3rd 200 IM
• 5th 100 IM
• 5th 200 Breaststroke
• 4th 50 Breaststroke
• 2nd 100 Breaststroke