Issue no. 31
From the Principal
Welcome back to Term 4. It’s hard to believe that Christmas is just 10 weeks away!
SchoolTV
This term I’m pleased to announce the introduction of ‘SchoolTV’. This is a world-first wellbeing platform featuring Michael Carr-Gregg, Susan McLean and other leading industry experts. It addresses relevant issues faced by schools and parents who need clear, factual and easily accessible information around raising safe, happy and resilient young people.
There is much information available in the wider community, but this can be confusing and overwhelming for parents looking for guidance and advice. SchoolTV addresses this issue and is designed to empower parents with credible information and practical strategies across a range of topics.
We’ve chosen to launch SchoolTV with the topic of ‘Exam Jitters’. The girls themselves have identified this as an area in which they would like to improve. It’s also an area that is relevant across all Sub-Schools. Exam and test-related stress is not only reserved for those girls completing SACE or IB examinations.
SchoolTV provides a range of resources on how you can assist your daughter in managing stress, starting in the junior years right through to Year 12. Questions addressed in this area include:
• How common is exam-related stress?
• What can students do the night before an exam?
• How do you help primary school children get comfortable with exam conditions?
• How can students de-stress before an exam?
• What are the top four tips for great study?
I also encourage you to take the ‘How much do you know about Exam Jitters?’ quiz. You may be surprised by some of the answers.
Access to SchoolTV is available through myLink. Simply go to the home page and click on the ‘Wellbeing’ tab. Please don’t hesitate to contact the IT Help Desk if you experience any difficulties logging on.
Staffing News
Following many years of distinguished service in the role of Director of Teaching and Learning, Meredith Beck is moving into the newly-formed position of SACE Coordinator. I’m delighted to announce that Nigel Scoggins has been appointed to the role of Director of Teaching and Learning commencing at the start of 2018. Nigel has a BA Honours Degree in English and European Literature and is currently Head of English at Scotch College. In 2007, he attained the National Professional Qualification for Headship, a post-graduate qualification awarded by the National College for School Leadership in the UK. Prior to his arrival in Australia in 2010, Nigel worked in two large schools in the UK where he held a number of senior positions including Assistant Principal responsible for Teaching and Learning. I look forward to welcoming Nigel to Saints Girls at the start of next year.
With Abby Davey leaving the School at the end of the year, it is a pleasure to announce that Kate Burnett has accepted the role of Head of Arts. The Dance program has risen to new heights under Kate’s leadership and I’m sure the full Arts program will benefit greatly from her knowledge and professionalism.
We have a number of staff on leave this term so we welcome some new teachers to Saints Girls. Danielle McGregor joins the English Department to cover for Mel Barratt, Sophie Trevorrow joins the Science Department as Emma Smerdon commences maternity leave and Sarah Mulraney joins the Junior School staff while Shelley Hampton takes some well-deserved long service leave. All staff have had a detailed handover but please don’t hesitate to contact them should you have any concerns.
End of Year
Over the years, I have heard many parents comment that Carols in the Cathedral is not only their favourite occasion of the year but the event that should be our final celebration of the year. So this year we are trialling a new order with Presentation Night being held on Friday 8 December and Carols in the Cathedral being held on Monday 11 December. Normal classes for all girls will conclude at 3.30pm on Friday 8 December with Presentation Night being a compulsory event for all girls in Years 7 – 12. There will be no formal classes on Monday 11 December. However, there will be an extensive timetable of rehearsals in the Cathedral during the day. The Music Department will provide details of that schedule closer to the time. The Carols service is a compulsory event for all girls in Years 3 – 12 and the School year officially concludes at the end of that ceremony. These two iconic events are dependent upon the strong participation of our girls and the support of our wider community. Please take note of the dates so that we ensure a packed house at both the Town Hall and Cathedral.
Building Works
Unfortunately, the works around the staircase and lift shaft are not quite complete. Entrance to the Middle School will continue to be via the Junior School corridor until the railing for the new staircase is in place.
2019 Term Dates
Dates for 2019 are as follows:
Term 1: Wednesday 30 January – Friday 13 April
Term 2: Monday 30 April – Friday 29 June
Term 3: Tuesday 23 July – Friday 27 September
Term 4: Monday 14 October – Tuesday 10 December
Drinks on the Deck
Thursday 9 November at 5.30pm
Before we find ourselves in those chaotic weeks leading into Christmas, please join us for drinks on the new Middle School deck. It’s an opportunity to catch up with other members of our School community and reflect on another wonderful year.
Have a great term!
Julia Shea
Principal
Our New-Look Website is Now LIVE!
St Peter’s Girls’ School has kicked off Term 4 by launching a new-look website. Following the successful introduction of the myLink Parent Portal for internal communications, the public site now focuses on showcasing all aspects of our wonderful School, giving the wider community a window into life at Saints Girls. Be sure to check it out, simply click this link.
Here’s a snippet from our Principal, Julia Shea:
Rowing Season Preview
From our 2018 Captain of Boats
Emily and I are extremely excited for the season ahead. Beginning with a five-day rowing camp has allowed the juniors through to the seniors to develop a clean and sharp technique and I believe this will benefit the entire squad as we begin racing in the coming weeks. As a collective, our goal for the season is for each rower to feel confident in the boat and to improve each week. Regardless of the final outcome, I am hoping for a positive and motivated season where we create a stronger bond between all the sub-levels of rowing and strengthen the Saints Girls’ rowing culture, remembering that we are only as strong as our weakest member, therefore each rower’s individual improvements and achievements need to be embraced and celebrated by the rowing community. The girls have worked really hard in the pre-season and I am hoping this will result in the boats moving fast for the official start of the 2017/18 rowing season.
Olivia Compare
2018 Captain of Boats
October Rowing Camp Recap
Saints Rowing recently ran its October rowing camp and it went extremely well. It was held up at Murray Bridge and we had beautiful weather for the majority of the five days. It is a camp that we use to get the girls rowing technically well, which really means getting the basics right. All the girls are very positive which I believe will make for a great season. I know many people don’t like early mornings, but up at the Murray first thing, there is nothing better: flat water, no noise except from the motor on the tinny and beautiful scenery. One of the things that is a key focus is culture and, if the camp is anything to go by, we will be very successful.
I am looking forward to the next camp in January.
Ben Flannagan
Director of Rowing
Rowing Camp was possibly the most amazing and rewarding thing I have ever done. Although this is only my first one, I feel like everyone, throughout all year levels, made it so easy to fit in and be part of the loving rowing family. On camp we did all kinds of activities to improve our technique and therefore our rowing capability. We had to do running and fitness, working on ergos and rowing on the water. Although I am partial to rowing on water, all of these activities were enjoyable and stretched me and my fellow rowers. We also did team-building activities like making friendship bracelets and just talking and hanging out in our dorms between rows. This season, I am looking forward to doing regattas and being able to work together with the other rowers to win with them!
Madeline Symon
Year 7 Rower
I enjoy rowing camps and think they are a really important part of the training program. I have attended many St Peter’s Girls’ rowing camps since Year 8 when I first started rowing. The camps have enabled me to make new friends, work on my rowing technique and develop a passion for the sport. When I was in Year 8 and 9, I looked up to the senior girls and waited for the time to come when it was my turn to be a senior. Now that I am, I understand how hard the girls work, the responsibility they take on and the fun they have in doing something they enjoy.
During the camp, our fitness levels improved from the start to the end. We completed 4km runs, ergo challenges and completed pieces on the water. Our technique significantly improved so much that, by the end, we were able to set up and balance the boat and apply pressure in a technical way. We also strengthened bonds as a group and got to know each other on a more personal level, as it is vital in rowing that you have a crew that work together as a team.
I am really looking forward to what this season has to bring!
Emily Webb
Vice Captain of Boats
Former Softball Captain Proves a Hit at Top US College
St Peter’s Girls’ School is extremely proud of Old Scholar and former Softball Captain Stephanie Trzcinski (Patteson ’13) who has been honoured as a leading student-athlete at the University of California, Berkeley.
Beyond her success with a rigorous STEM major, she has served as a peer advisor, providing freshman student-athletes with academic and campus life guidance during their transition process.
Steph provided us with some background on her remarkable journey:
I attended Saints from Year 8 to 12 and was in Patteson House. I was Softball Captain in Year 12 and was also in the Open A Softball and Netball teams. I competed in IGSSA swimming and athletics carnivals almost every year, and was the IGSSA Sports Person of the Year in 2013. I was also a part of the String Orchestra in 2009, playing the violin.
During Year 12, I was on the Australian U19 Softball team and travelled to the USA and Canada to compete, which exposed me to many college coaches including ones from Cal (University of California, Berkeley). They were very interested in me and we stayed in close contact. The process of coming to Cal had an endless amount of paperwork and required me to sit my SATs the same week as my Year 12 mock exams. SATs are the American university entrance tests. Cal offered me a scholarship (100%) to play on their team and attend their university, so I left Australia in January 2014, a month after graduating from Saints.
The American college system allows you the flexibility of taking a variety of classes in your first two years before deciding on a definite degree. After a few semesters, I chose a BSc in Nutritional Science with a specialisation in Toxicology. My studies emphasise biology, general and organic chemistry, biochemistry, toxicology and applications of each (i.e. Drug Design, Computational Toxicology, Pesticide Chemistry).
Being a student-athlete is an extremely demanding lifestyle which consists of countless hours of lectures, studying, weight training, conditioning, tutoring, practising, travelling and competition. A typical day involves 6am weights/conditioning, classes from 9am ‘til 1pm, followed by practices until 5/6pm. Then tutoring/studying hours until late at night and competition/travelling on weekends. I have travelled all over the country competing for Cal including Oregon, Washington, Utah, Arizona, Alabama, Michigan, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Oklahoma and every corner of California. When we are in season (spring: February – May), we travel either every weekend (Thursday – Sunday) or every other weekend to play against other colleges, which means I ultimately miss a lot of classes and constantly have to put in extra work to make up for what I miss. Lucky Saints taught me some exceptional time-management skills!
Because I started in the middle of the academic year (January), I am no longer on the softball team as I have used up all of my athletic eligibility (you are allowed four years of athletic competition after you graduate from high school). I am enrolled in a half-semester load of units and will graduate this December then return home. Because of this, I have found time to intern with the Cal Athletics Sport Science division where I manage some of the awesome technology like GPS and heart rate data many of our teams use during their practices and competitions.
Berkeley is in Northern California, about a 20 minute train ride east of San Francisco (you can see the Golden Gate Bridge from campus). It has been deemed the number one public university in the WORLD on several occasions by Forbes. It has an incredible STEM reputation and has been home to some ground-breaking research and technology (including CRISPR technology that has recently received a lot of press), as well as 71 Nobel Prizes. Also, there are a bunch of other student-athletes from Australia on teams like Rowing, Field Hockey, Basketball, Water Polo, Tennis and even American Football, and every year we get together and throw a huge Australia Day party where we serve all of our American guests complimentary sausage rolls, fairy bread, vegemite scrolls and pavlova.
Stephanie Trzcinski (Patteson ’13)
Old Scholar
Circulating Health Knowledge
The Year 3 students have been learning about the choices people make that affect their health and wellbeing. They have been focusing on the different body systems and their systems interconnectedness. This week they have had three special guests come into their classroom to assist them with their understanding of the circulatory system and the role it plays in their bodies.
Dr Shekhar Sharma, parent of Mithi (3MRO), gave an informative, entertaining presentation and managed to get all girls involved and thinking about the circulatory system. He used his knowledge as a General Surgeon from North Eastern Community Hospital.
Dr Emilie Rasheed, parent of Soraya (3MRO), came in to tell us about providing an echocardiography service to various private cardiology practices across Adelaide.
She engaged the girls’ interest with video clips of patients’ hearts: normal, abnormal and those experiencing illness. It was amazing to have the knowledge of a Senior Cardiac Technician in the room.
Mr Roger Mills ran an interactive session where he inflated a lung and dissected a heart. This presentation really captivated the students and got them thinking more deeply about the role of the circulatory system.
I have been extremely impressed by the girls’ knowledge and enthusiasm this week. Another element that has really touched me has been the commitment and eagerness of parents and staff to assist the girls with their learning.
These meaningful parental and Sub-School connections should be celebrated, as this is something that our School does so well.
Mark Routley
Year 3 Teacher
Philosophy Students Challenge Their Thinking
Is it moral to create a donor baby?
Is the mind a physical thing?
Is privacy important?
Will machines ever become human?
These are the issues under discussion at the first ever SA Philosothon to be held at Prince Alfred College next Wednesday evening. Philosothons started seven years ago in Perth, with a view to helping students improve and develop the level of ethical and philosophical discourse. Since then, the Philosothon has grown substantially each year; having starting with eight schools, we now have well over 300 involved throughout Australasia. This growth has resulted in an annual national competition called the Australasian Philosothon where the top schools from each state and territory participate.
With teams of five students, each discussion is facilitated by an official with a PhD or a trained facilitator, and adjudicated by a Philosophy professor from one of the major universities. It is one of the few similar initiatives that involves all educational sectors. A Philosothon differs from a debate in that students can agree with each other and are encouraged if faced with evidence to the contrary to change their mind. In this regard, it is also a unique and important opportunity for young people to build skills in Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creative Thinking.
The 2017 St Peter’s Girls’ School team is being coached by Ms Burton-Howard, Ms MacLaren and myself. The team consists of:
Holly Wallman-Craddock
Natacha Zisos Troupakis
Emily Loh
Ammi Yagnik
Ebony-Jade Nash-Smith
Go girls!
Matthew Wills
Philosophy and Religion Teacher
Success Adds Up in Maths Competition
Year 6 student Ellie Humphrey was recently rewarded for her stellar results in the Australian Mathematics Competition. We asked Ellie to tell us a little more about her terrific results:
“The Australian Mathematics Competition is a test that was originally only taken in Australia but is now held in more than 30 countries. You are given 60 minutes to complete 30 questions. A majority of the questions are multiple choice and the last four you give your own answer. They get increasingly harder throughout the test. I received a High Distinction and Best in School award at the presentation on Monday 16 October. High Distinctions are awarded to students who achieve in the top 3% of their state.
I enjoy entering these types of competitions because of the challenge they give you. What I find intriguing about mathematics and why I enjoy it is that it can be found anywhere in the world and it is such a massive topic. There are so many different forms of maths, so you can always find something new to learn and discover.”
Ellie Humphrey
Year 6 student
Year 9 Geography Soars to New Heights
Students in Year 9 Geography recently investigated the use of drones in our society. We were fortunate to have Property Services team member, Liam Blanden, demonstrate how his drone worked and students were provided with the opportunity to operate the drone over the School oval. Liam uses his drone to help him plan his landscaping projects. His drone has also been used to film various school events from a different perspective.
Students have researched how drones are used in society and have also read articles that identify how members of the community felt that drones would be invasive of their space. One of the reflection tasks set was to identify how the girls would feel if a drone invaded their airspace. Here are some of their responses:
What is the probability of crime, particularly in this day and age? Drones capturing our every move, scanning our housing areas, so easily hacked, is it even necessary? Use it for emergency rescues, use it in the military, but in our airspace – no way. Modern society has enough technology to deal with aside from buzzing drones lurking in our private lives.
Ellen Zhang
The idea of a drone entering my airspace would not bother me if I knew it was there for the right intentions (e.g. the government mapping our area.) However, the idea would bother me if the pilot was filming my airspace for the wrong reasons (such as spying or planning an attack.) Aside from my feelings, I believe that drones would be a great addition to our society. This is due to the fact that drones can help police to prevent crime, make our roads safer, map areas effectively and capture amazing video footage! However, I believe in order for this technology to be used appropriately, the government should implement rules, including the drone owner receiving a licence, ensuring that the person is using the drone for the correct reasons and checking the drone before its used to make sure it is safe in society. A check of approval within the area the footage of a drone is being taken would be necessary when non-official government workers are using a drone for their personal pleasure. I believe that this would prevent terrorists using drones to negatively impact society and therefore be only used for positive reasons.
Lucy White
Drone technology is something I’d feel excited to be around. However, the use of drones can pose issues of privacy if not used with extra care. This could most particularly become an issue if the wrong person gets their hands on a drone, given that they are available for the public to purchase. When used by the right people, drones can be useful for our airspace and its environment without disturbing animals and people. In fact, they can help conservationists to keep track of the numbers of wildlife in the area or take beautiful shots of them. They can even protect species numbers from declining by spotting illegal hunting or helping to study the animal behaviours. Who wouldn’t be excited about that?
Aleisha Elliott, Becky Ratnayake, Lola Dimond and Michelle Rupert
I have mixed emotions about drones operating in the space around me. I feel positively towards it because drones are fairly quiet, low-energy pieces of technology that have a low impact on the environment. I also like that they can discreetly film incredible, informative footage. I also feel positively about this because they are using drone technology for good causes, such as stopping rhino poaching, recording agricultural progress and animal population surveys. I feel negatively about drones entering my airspace because I feel in ways it can be an invasion of privacy, especially if the drones are operating in a large-scale way for major experiments and data collections. I also do not like how they can potentially harm certain species if contact is made with either the animal or plant itself or its food source. Animals feel threatened by drones. Drone crashes can also be harmful to people and the environment.
Elise Cornfield, Paris Greene, Fiona Lethbridge
Monique Green and Anna Stefopoulos
Year 9 Geography Teachers
Year 11 IB French Excursion
On Wednesday 13 September, the Year 11 IB French class was fortunate enough to attend the stage play of ‘Le Prince des Jouisseurs’, put on by the Adelaide University’s French Club. Performed completely in French but with English subtitles, the show was an excellent opportunity for the girls to practise their aural comprehension outside of the classroom. It was based on Georges Feydeau, a French playwright who lived during the Belle Epoque which was a period of prosperity and artistic boom in the years before the WW1. In preparation for the performance, the girls researched this period of France’s history, which connected to their current investigation of French culture. Funny, thought-provoking and exciting, the play was a lovely way to spend the afternoon and is an excursion the class won’t soon forget.
Mercredi 13 septembre, la classe de français de la première année du BI a a eu la chance d’aller voir une pièce de théâtre qui s’appelle ‘Le Prince des Jouisseurs’, et qui était donnée par le club de français de l’université d’Adelaïde. Jouée tout en français, mais avec des surtitres en anglais, la pièce était une bonne occasion pour les filles de pratiquer leur compréhension orale, hors de la salle de classe. La pièce est basée sur George Feydeau, un auteur de théâtre français qui vivait pendant la Belle Époque, une époque de paix et d’explosion artistique avant les années de la première guerre mondiale. Pour préparer la pièce, nous avons recherché cette période de la France, qui est connectée avec notre étude actuelle sur la Culture et la Diversité. Drôle, palpitante et qui invite à réfléchir, la pièce était une façon vraiment agréable de passer l’après-midi et c’est une excursion que nous n’oublierons pas de bientôt.
Ashleigh Rogers
Year 11 French Student
School Families Feed the Needy
In September, members of the Saints Girls’ community spent a few hours at the St Mary Magdalene Drop In Centre in the city, serving a delicious three-course meal to about 70 people in dire need of home-cooked food. Many thanks to our volunteers for heating, stirring, serving and washing up on the evening with good grace and plenty of laughs. From left to right, Inca Pearce (JS parent), Liz Sandercock (Year 1 teacher), Hannah Brown (Year 11 student), Jane Brown (SS parent), Old Scholar Lucy Brown (Selwyn ’15), Susanna Anderson (staff member and MS parent), Andrea Dillon (JS parent), Maria Buttignol (JS parent), Boris (JS grandparent), Garfield (Mary Magdalene Centre volunteer) and Luke Anderson (not pictured). The patrons were very grateful, there was plenty to go around and the remainder was handed out in take-away containers.
Even bigger thanks to all the generous Junior School parents who cooked a record number of meals and soups that were served. As they say, “it takes a village”, and never a truer word was said. Without the generosity of our School community this could not have come together.
In fact, this was the last of three Saturdays this year that we had fed this large group. The School will be volunteering for three Saturday nights again next year and we look forward to the continued generous support of our families with their food donations.
Update from the Tuck Shop
The Tuck Shop’s new online ordering system continues to receive great feedback. In order to make the service as efficient as possible, the cut-off time for orders and cancellations on the Flexischools system will now be 9am (earlier than the current time of 9.30am), effective from Monday.
If you haven’t yet taken advantage of the convenient service, now may be the time!
The Flexischools cashless program is used by schools around the country.
To access it, log in to the myLink Parent Portal and select the “Tuck Shop” tab on the top menu. This will take you to the Flexischools site where you can set up and manage an account via the following steps:
- Register your details with Flexischools. Search for the School’s name (remembering to add the apostrophe in St Peter’s), add the student name, year level and class/home group teacher.
- Top-Up your account using Visa, Mastercard, PayPal or direct deposit.
- Place an order and proceed to payment.
- Review Orders by logging back in to your Flexischools account. You can set recurring orders, view transaction history or cancel orders.
What does it cost?
Canteen Online Ordering Fees:
$0.29 per order
Account Top-Up Fees:
Direct Deposit $0.00
Credit card (Visa/Mastercard) $0.15+1%
PayPal $0.15+1%
For a demonstration of how to use the system, please watch this instructional video:
If you experience any issues with the ordering system, please contact Flexischools: help@flexischools.com.au or 1300 361 769.
If you have any menu-related queries or are too late to cancel an order online, email the Tuck Shop: tuckshop@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.
Term 4 Important Music Dates
| Week 2 | Wed 25 Oct | Friends of Arts AGM | 7.30pm | Venue TBA | New parents welcome |
| Fri 27 Oct | Celebration Day | Arts Centre | Chapel Band | ||
| Week 3 | Thurs 2 Nov | Stage 2 Music Performance exam | 9am – 1pm | MB120 / Arts Centre | Ensemble and Solo Performance, Special Study |
| Fri 10 Nov | JS Assembly | 8.30am | Arts Centre | Junior Choir, Junior Percussion, Junior String Orchestra, Dev Band, Junior Jazz | |
| Week 5 | Mon 13 and Tue 14 Nov | Wendy’s Singing Concert | 6pm | Arts Centre | All Students of Wendy Hopkins |
| Week 7 | Fri 1 Dec | Year 9 Graduation | 2pm | Arts Centre | Concert Band, Concert Choir, Senior Strings, Rock Band |
| Week 8 | Wed 6 Dec | Year 6 Graduation | 2pm | Arts Centre | Junior Choir |
| Thurs 7 Dec | All day rehearsal for Carols and Presentation Night | All Day | At School | Flute and Brass Ensemble, Senior Strings, Concert Band, all Choirs | |
| Fri 8 Dec | Presentation Night | Rehearsals all day, 7pm start | Adelaide Town Hall | Concert Band, Senior Strings, Chamber Choir, Concert Choir, Enchante, Vocal Quintet, Stage Band | |
| Week 9 | Mon 11 Dec | Carols in the Cathedral | Rehearsals all day, 7pm start | Cathedral | All Choirs, Flute and Brass Ensemble, Concert Band, Senior Strings |
PYP Exhibition – Can you help?
This term, the Year 6 students will undertake the PYP Exhibition. They will engage in a collaborative, transdisciplinary inquiry process that requires them to identify, investigate and offer solutions to real-life issues. The exhibition will have the central idea that scientific and technological advances have an impact on society and the environment. During the first two weeks of this term, the students will participate in an Immersion Program that will open their minds to many possible topics for inquiry. We are looking for volunteers who could come and present a short talk (20 minutes) to our students. We are particularly interested in people who could talk about preferred futures – how science and technology are being used to improve issues that may already exist. If you work in or have an interest in a field that could connect to our central idea, please email me via hsmith@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au to arrange a time.
Helen Smith
Deputy Head of Junior School
3, 2, 1….GO! A New TV Web Series Featuring Saints Girls
A group of St Peter’s Girls’ students are learning new skills and putting them to test in front of the camera. A new TV web series called ‘GO!’ has students researching, writing and presenting stories to camera. The following girls were chosen from 80 children from around the State – Aditi Tamhankar, Sophie Norman, Tia Bailey, Victoria Thorp, Milana Troon, Bronwyn Gautier, Stella Rasheed and Isabel Burmester – filming at various locations during Term 3 and putting the finishing touches to stories in the holidays. The show focuses on arts and entertainment news. Aditi has attended Adelaide fashion Week, Sophie interviewed local designer Tiff Manuell, Tia interviewed Emma Hack, Milana reviewed the movie ‘Captain Underpants’, Bronwyn visited a radio station, Stella interviewed an opera singer and Isabel visited FITYsixone café on King William Road. As well as interviewing people, the girls did crosses from one segment to the other and learnt how to co-present a show doing the intros and out-tros.
Many of the girls are performing on stage regularly so they have had to adapt their presentation to the intimacy of the camera. Four of the eight episodes of Series 1 are now online and can be seen on YouTube – Celebrity TV Down Under – GO!
Shane Davidson
Year 5 Teacher
Christmas Drinks on the Deck
We would like to thank all members of the St Peter’s Girls’ community for your support by inviting you to celebrate the successes of 2017.
Thursday 9 November 2017
5.30 – 7.30pm
Middle School Deck
Drinks and nibbles will be provided, and children can use the playground.
RSVP via www.trybooking.com/SOYP
St Peter’s Girls’ School Community Golf Day
Hosted by the St Peter’s Girls’ Old Scholars’ Association
Mount Osmond Golf Club | 60 Mount Osmond Road | Mount Osmond
Stableford Competition | 18-hole round | Multi-tee start 9am
Golf and Lunch: $75
Golf and Lunch (Mount Osmond Golf Club Members): $60
Lunch only: $20
Lunch at 1pm includes baguettes, wraps, dessert, tea and coffee. Other beverages may be purchased from the bar.
Great fun with prizes to be won!
Book via www.trybooking.com/SAVM or contact Megan McCormack on 8334 2239.
Garage Sale Trail at St Peter’s Girls’ School
What: The City of Burnside Garage Sale Trail and St Peter’s Girls will be hosting stalls
Where: St Peter’s Girls’ School car park
When: Sunday 22 October 2017
Time: 8am – 2pm
St Peter’s Girls’ School has registered a ‘Group Sale’ – so come along and help support the School!
https://www.garagesaletrail.com.au/group-sale/st-peters-girls-community
Any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Melissa Westgate via mwestgate@stpetergirls.sa.edu.au or 8334 2244.
Sports News
SPORTS AWARDS
Thursday 23 November
Please place in your diaries Thursday 23 November for the Years 7 to 12 Sports Awards which recognise outstanding individual and team performances. The function will commence immediately after school, with students able to purchase food and drinks from the Saints Sport Support Group. The awards ceremony commences at 4pm. Our guest speaker will be Women’s AFL player Sarah ‘Tex’ Perkins.
All students who have participated in sport are expected to attend. Parents are also warmly encouraged to come along and will be able to purchase wine supplied by Friends of Rowing.
SPORTS FIXTURES
Please note: all of the Term 4 sports draws can be found on the myLink Parent Portal, which also contains a link for match venues.
Any changes and cancellations will be conveyed in advance via email and, where possible, directly to parents.
WEATHER POLICY
With summer fast approaching, a friendly reminder of the Sporting Hot Weather Policy:
Reception to Year 6 (training and matches)
• If the forecast temperature on the Bureau of Meteorology website is 35 degrees or higher, checked anytime before 9am on the day of training or a match, sport is automatically cancelled.
• Morning sessions, Rowing and Water Polo are usually not affected.
• In the event that matches are cancelled due to inclement weather or any unforeseen reason, such as the playing surface is deemed unsafe, the decision to cancel will be made by the Sports Coordinator at the host school no later than 2pm (refer to cancellation procedures).
Years 7 – 12 (training and matches)
• Mid-week: (training and matches): if the forecast temperature on the Bureau of Meteorology website at 9am predicts the day’s maximum to be 36 degrees or higher, sport will be cancelled.
• Weekends: if the forecast temperature for Saturday on the Bureau of Meteorology website is predicted to be 38 degrees or higher at 12pm on the Friday, ALL Saturday morning sport will be cancelled. (see below for rowing).
• Inclement Weather: matches will only be cancelled due to rain or inclement weather, if the conditions determine that the playing surface is unsafe or player safety is compromised (refer to cancellation procedures).
• Morning trainings and Water Polo are usually not affected and WILL NOT be cancelled.
Rowing
• Cancellations of Rowing training and regattas will be advised by the Director of Rowing.
SAPSASA NEWS
With great excitement we have been advised that, as a member of the East Adelaide Primary School district, East Adelaide won the State Metropolitan Athletics carnival. Saints participants were Imogen Elliott (Year 7), Molly Dwyer (Year 5) and Carla Massicci (Year 4).
LACROSSE
During the holidays, Millie Wilkin, Chelsea Walls, Isabelle Norman, Kate Reade, Abbie Lisle (all Year 9) and Stephanie Smalls (Year 8) travelled to Perth to play for the Comets independent girls’ schools’ team. We played eight amazing teams from all over Australia and New Zealand. It was an incredible trip as it allowed every single girl to build relationships with girls and boys from all teams. This whole experience has helped me grow as a lacrosse player; it has allowed me to meet lacrosse professionals, some having played for Australia or coached elite teams. The seven-day trip will be forever remembered for travelling to another state with your friends, or the laughs in your hotel room, or the day trip to Rottnest Island. I have made long-lasting friendships and recommend this to any girl wanting to expand on their skills and knowledge of lacrosse. – Kate Reade (Year 9)
Results:
Sunday 1
Comets vs SA Lightning cancelled
Comets 7 – 9 Waikato (NZ)
Monday 2
Comets 7 – 11 SA Storm
Tuesday 3
Comets 17 – 8 WA Flames (MVP Isabelle Norman – St Peter’s Girls)
Wednesday 4
Comets 18 – 2 Auckland (NZ)
Comets 5 – 11 Vic Fire (MVP Millie Wilkin – St Peter’s Girls)
Thursday 5 – day off
Friday 6
Comets 3 – 8 WA Stars
Comets 6 – 2 Vic Ice (MVP Kate Reade – St Peter’s Girls)
Saturday 7 (5th place match)
Comets 8 – 9 SA Storm (MVP Chelsea Walls – St Peter’s Girls)
SURFING
Congratulations to Imogen Elliott (Year 7) who has been selected for the Secondary School Sport Surfing team to compete in Culburra, NSW from 25 November to 2 December.
VOLLEYBALL – Year 8/9 Knockout
Wednesday 18 October
Saints entered the State Volleyball Knockout for Year 8/9. Facing six schools on the same day in a round robin format was difficult, especially given the heat and humidity of the indoor venue. With only the top schools qualifying for the State finals, it was a difficult task ahead. In game 1, Saints recorded a good win against Adelaide High School despite losing the first set. In game 2, Saints won the first set against Concordia but couldn’t maintain the momentum, losing by 8 points. Saints again rebounded well in game 3 with a comfortable 2 set win against St Dominic’s, with Tilly McCormack making a couple of good blocks and Clair Kao serving especially well.
With a well-earned lunch break, Saints returned to face Marymount and again won the first set, with Anna White getting a number of key returns and Jessica Wishart making some great smashes at the net. Saints again couldn’t hold the momentum, losing the second set and going down by 5 points. Game 5 saw Saints face an Immanuel team featuring a number of very tall players. This match was different, with Immanuel claiming the first set. Saints responded amazingly, as Georgina Keough, Ruby Bouhamdan and Sarah Wishart worked hard to get to every return, and Clair Kao and Anna White again wining many points from strong serving. Saints levelled the match and with 2 minutes on the clock and 3 points down, a third set began. With the siren sounding and the scores level, it came down to the final serve, and Saints went down by the solitary point.
In the final match and the girls feeling extremely tired, Saints finished on a high with a victory over Seaview. – Neil Fuller (Supervisor)