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eNews – Week 3, Term 1 2022

Issue no. 3Enews-banner

From Our Head of Junior School

Adelaide Schools

After a peculiar beginning to the school year, we had a second beginning this week, with the return of all year levels to face-to-face learning. It was lovely to see students reconnecting with each other, and new students getting to know their classmates and school environment.

The beginning of a school year is a significant transition point and time-marker. It can bring excitement, nerves, hope, challenges, opportunities, and any number of preconceived expectations. This is especially relevant at particular junctures such as starting at the ELC, the first day of Reception, leaving Year 6 and heading to Middle School, joining Senior School, and commencing Year 12.

As we all get into the rhythm of another year, we are cognisant that many of our students, consciously or subconsciously, have begun by wondering about their wellbeing, their identity, and their roles and responsibilities as members of this year’s community. Many will have likely mused on internal questions along the lines of, ‘Do I feel safe and supported?’ ‘Do others understand my strengths, abilities and personal background?’ ‘Who am I in this new setting?’ ‘How am I perceived by others?’ ‘Do I have the opportunity to build my sense of identity, flourish and grow my range of interests?’ ‘What is expected of me?’ ‘What are acceptable ways of being, will I be included, and will I be able to contribute in meaningful ways?’ These are all relevant thoughts, even at their most simple level, by our youngest children.

These questions are not merely the domain of students. They are equally relevant to adult life. Managing transitions into and through school helps us prepare for the transitions we encounter throughout the rest of our lives: welcoming a new sibling, starting university, moving out of home, living in a new city, changing jobs, changing relationships, becoming a parent, or our body’s response to ageing.

As the adults in our students’ lives, we all have a role to play in listening to their thoughts, supporting them into the new year, and helping to frame the year ahead as one for growth, optimism and building positive connections. Ultimately, the skills and attitudes they develop through managing the milestones of the beginning-of-year transition will build their capacity for transitions to come. We look forward to nurturing their growth and development and enjoying a wonderful year of school life.

Suzanne Haddy
Head of Junior School

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From Our Head Prefect: Welcome Back Girls!

 

At the start of February, when Term 1 began, walking into the School grounds felt less familiar. I was eager to see and chat to all of the friendly girls, but I quickly realised that wouldn’t happen so soon. Having only five of our 13 year groups present was a strange experience – we missed the hustle and the chatter.

In the past two years, patience is a skill we have had to further develop. The challenge of applying social distancing measures has already had and will continue to have an impact on our community. Whilst Saints Girls, as is the case with other schools, has had to postpone a range of events and adapt our students’ learning environment, our girls have adjusted so graciously. A huge thanks to the teachers for the effort they put into making online learning as interesting and accessible as possible. I am sure the positive attitudes and resilience from our girls was appreciated by the staff too. This great energy radiated on campus on Monday. Seeing those happy faces and beaming smiles as all the girls returned to school made the first two challenging weeks so worthwhile.

Our wonderful sense community is what really makes every Saints Girls’ experience so special. Together, we can face these challenges, rise above them, and move forward. Being on one campus where girls of all ages can come together feels even more valuable now having realised how empty it felt beforehand. Our musicians, among others, will have to be patient for a little longer as rehearsals have been delayed. This is challenging for the many of us who are keen to get back to choir and band practice, but I am sure some of you will appreciate a few more days of sleeping in!

Alongside patience, gratitude is something our girls will continue to carry with them through these coming months. We will have to remain optimistic about wearing masks. Rather than seeing them as an uncomfortable inconvenience, it’s important to remember that they are simply a part of learning in a safe, in-person environment. I hope a newfound appreciation of the smaller things in life such as laughter and enjoying each other’s company will be gained by our girls. Our School’s values of courage, creativity and compassion have come to the fore over the past few weeks and will continue to guide our approach.

Sophie Norman
Head Prefect

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Cultural Connections for Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year celebrations are in full swing at Saints Girls marking the Year of the Tiger. Here are a few welcoming words from our International Student Prefect Shreya Jayaprakash:

‘It is no surprise that this break has been difficult with disruptions due to COVID and not being able to return home to celebrate the holiday. In spite of this, we are so thankful to have everyone back on campus and can’t wait for the great year ahead. To celebrate everyone coming back to school, we are hosting a dumpling lunch on Friday 4 March on Chiverton Lawns where our international students are invited, as well as any friends they wish to bring along. The dumplings will be provided by Chef Dong. We can’t wait to see everyone there and I look forward to getting to know you all better this year.’

Chinese teacher Heng Wang is also sharing the festivities and cultural significance with our Reception students:

‘We have been talking about Chinese New Year in our Chinese lessons. We have had discussions about the culture by letting students see/touch/feel/smell different Chinese New Year items. The girls were very keen on joining the discussions, sharing their experiences and their views on the culture.’

Our Year 12 girls have decorated their Common Room with Chinese decorations including paper cutting art (窗花), fortune posters (福), and spring festival Couplets (春联). The bright red Couplets, as pictured below, originated from the Shu era (more than 1000 years ago), appearing alongside the doors of nearly every household during New Year’s season, said to protect against angry spirits. The girls have also been sharing their favourite Chinese snacks and sweets.

We wish everyone a wonderful Chinese New Year!

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Old Scholar Rower in the Spotlight

We were delighted to see recent Old Scholar Sophie Barr (Kilburn 2021) appear in a fabulous article on AdelaideNow describing her next exciting chapter at Harvard University in the United States:

South Australian rower Sophie Barr accepted in to Harvard University to compete in varsity team

A star South Aussie rower has capped off her rise to the top by being accepted in to one of the world’s most renowned schools and varsity teams.

Article by Daniel Renfrey

A prestigious American university will be the new home of talented 18-year-old rower Sophie Barr in 2022. The St Peter’s Girls’ School alumni has been in the best form of her five-year career, recently winning the Under 19 women’s single at the South Australian championships and representing the state at nationals as part of SA’s open eights.

Barr was accepted by Harvard to study law and psychology and to compete in its varsity rowing team after meeting a number of academic and athletic benchmarks – a dream come true for the rising star.

“It has been a dream of mine to attend Harvard but it only became realistic to me when I started to gain momentum in rowing,” Barr said. “I initially started talking to coaches at Harvard a couple years ago. The recruiting process was hard work, especially due to Covid travel restrictions and also with it being during Year 12 but it has definitely paid off.”

Barr – who started rowing in Year 7 – has experienced a fast trajectory in her development. She quickly solidified her spot in St Peter’s Girls’ team and individual events and has also been one of the top performers at the South Australian Sports Institute under the watchful eye of veteran coach Jason Lane. Barr credited the experience gained from her school and sporting programs for her recent achievements.

“The support of both my family as well as all my teachers at Saints has definitely helped me get to this point,” she said. “SASI has also played a massive part in helping me develop as an athlete and provide me with countless opportunities.”

Barr said she was excited leading in to the upcoming academic year in America. She also had hopes of achieving at a high level at Harvard and going on to do bigger and better things for her home country.

“I’ve always been interested in studying overseas and I’m looking forward to the experience,” Barr said. “I’m going to put my best foot forward and hopefully eventually make an Australian rowing team as well. The prospect of one day representing my country on the world stage is something which is extremely exciting.”

Barr will begin her Harvard journey on September 1.

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Fringe Foray for Old Scholar Performer

Old Scholar Erin McKellar (Patteson 2013) continues to achieve incredible success in Performing Arts. Erin is premiering her very own musical, A Box of Memories, at the Adelaide Fringe. Co-written with her father Duncan and with music composed entirely by Erin, this intimate show features an all-Adelaide line up that presents perspectives on what it means to live with dementia, from diagnosis through to the end-of-life. During a series of vignettes, it follows the story of Lizzy, a woman in her 70s, experiencing changes in memory and at the beginning of a life-impacting diagnostic experience.

We wish Erin all the best for this heartfelt production.

Venue: The Jade, 142 – 160 Flinders St, Adelaide
Dates: 22 February 8.30pm and 27 February 6.30pm & 8.30pm
Tickets: $35 via Adelaide Fringe – click here

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Swimming Carnival – New Date

Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, we have been forced to postpone next Friday’s Swimming Carnival. Fortunately, we have managed to secure a new booking at the Adelaide Aquatic Centre for Tuesday 5 April (Week 10).

With the extra lead time, we are hoping that the new date may be met with reduced restrictions and a greater chance of parents being able to attend. As always, we will be guided by the latest SA Health advice and will communicate any further changes as well as logistical details closer to the date.

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School Photos

Focus School Portraits will be at school on Monday 28 February and Tuesday 1 March to take our School Photos.

A special St Peter’s Girls’ Package has been designed for our families where each student will receive the following photos:

1 – 8″ x 10″ Individual Portrait
2 – 5″ x 7″ Individual Portraits
4 – 2.5″ x 3.5″ Individual Portraits
1 – 8″ x 10″ Class/Home Group Photo

There is no additional cost to families as this has been incorporated into your fees. Should you wish to purchase extra packs, photos or items such as key rings, mugs, jigsaws etc., you can visit www.focusschoolportraits.com to order these online.

Class/Home Group teachers have the schedule and will communicate photo times to students.

Sibling photos will be taken during lunch on Monday 28 February on Chiverton Lawns. Order forms for each family will be distributed to Class/Home Group teachers. For families with students in the ELC, sibling photos will be taken in Term 2 when ELC photos are scheduled. Forms will be distributed closer to the time.

If you have any queries, please contact me via fmcgregor@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au

Fiona McGregor
Events Coordinator

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Drinks on the Lawns

A terrific opportunity for parents to socially meet up with other parents and teachers/staff on Chiverton Lawns. Food and drinks will be provided at this adults-only event. We ask that guests scan the SA Health QR code upon arrival.

Please seek out your Year Level Representatives and chat with our Community Relations staff on the evening to learn about our volunteering opportunities and the social and community events we are planning for 2022.

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Important COVID-19 Notice

As we embark upon a very different start to the school year, we must all work together to minimise the risk of COVID transmission. Please note the following:

Children are to be kept home if they are unwell, even mildly.

If your child tests positive to COVID-19, notify us immediately. Please also provide the date your child’s test was taken and the date symptoms started (if no symptoms, note ‘asymptomatic’).

Where possible, to help limit the amount of telephone traffic, 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 do need to notify us over the phone, please call the Front Office on 8334 2200.

If there are COVID cases within the school setting, parents of classroom contacts will be notified, and these children can continue to attend school provided they have no symptoms.

FRONT OFFICE DROP-OFFS

With current restrictions on parents entering the School grounds and to assist our staff, please ensure your daughter has all of the items she needs for the day to reduce the amount of items being dropped off at the Front Office.

We thank all of our families for your continued support and cooperation.

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Be Involved in ‘Our Saints’ Community

Would you like your daughter’s Grandmother, Grandfather, Aunts and/or Uncles to receive our biannual Saints Alive magazine and our weekly eNews updates? Sign up for the free ‘Our Saints’ membership for Grandparents, other treasured family members and friends.

For more information and to join this unique group, please click here and email the completed form to Foundation Manager Melissa Westgate via mwestgate@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.

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Dad’s Night on the Green

Friday 4 March from 6.30pm
Tranmere Bowling Club
1 Kings Grove, Tranmere

Tickets: $40 via www.Trybooking.com/BWKLE
Includes entry, bowling fees and sausage sizzle
Drinks and raffle tickets can be purchased on the evening

Bookings close Wednesday 2 March

Participants will be assembled into teams of four. Bring a mate and meet other Saints Girls’ dads!

Supported by the Saints Sport Support Group

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Support from The Athlete’s Foot Burnside


We once again invite our community members to support the School and local business by purchasing your shoes at The Athlete’s Foot Burnside.

$5 from every pair purchased by anyone connected to our Saints Girls’ community will be donated back to St Peter’s Girls’ School. This is an ongoing partnership, so please let their staff know that you would like your donation to come to Saints Girls when you make a purchase.

As part of this fantastic community initiative, The Athlete’s Foot Burnside donated over $13,000 back to local schools last year. For more information, click here.

Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager

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School Shop Notices

New Opening Hours

Monday to Friday: 8am – 4pm
(closed for lunch 12 – 12.30pm)

Swimming Requirements for Years 4 to 10

We ask parents to check that their daughters have correctly-sized bathers for Swimming activities for all girls in Years 4 to 10.

If your daughter requires new bathers, we highly recommend making an appointment with the School Shop on 8334 2228 and purchasing soon.

Year 10, 11 and 12 Jumpers

Jumpers are now available for Year 10, 11 and 12 students to purchase from the School Shop.

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2022 School Immunisation Program

The information below is provided by Eastern Health Authority

Immunisation Information for Parents/Legal Guardians of Year 8 and 10 Students

The SA School Immunisation Program will be offered at your school by Eastern Health Authority.

All Year 8 students will be offered:
2 doses of the human papillomavirus vaccine, Gardasil®9 at 2 separate visits.
1 dose of the diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough vaccine, Boostrix®.

All Year 10 students will be offered:
2 doses of the meningococcal B vaccine, Bexsero® at 2 separate visits.
1 dose of the meningococcal ACWY vaccine, Nimenrix®.

Immunisation Consent Packs will be sent home with all Year 8 and 10 students. It is important that you read the information contained in the packs before you give consent for your child to be vaccinated at school. If you have any questions about this program, please contact Eastern Health Authority on 8132 3600 or www.eha.sa.gov.au

All parents/legal guardians are to complete, sign and return the Consent Cards, even if you do not consent for the student to be vaccinated at school. Students aged 16 years and above can consent for themselves.

If you do not receive an Immunisation Consent Pack from your child, please ask for one at the school’s Front Office.

If you do not want your child to be vaccinated at school, please contact Eastern Health Authority to arrange for your child to receive the free vaccines. If you go to your local doctor for the vaccination, they will need to order the vaccine and may charge a consultation fee.

Remember to keep your child’s School Immunisation Program records in a safe place as they may be required for future employment or travel.

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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, 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.

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Sports News

STUDENT SUCCESS

Hockey

Amelia Lucas has made the U18 State team, the youngest team member selected. She will travel to Cairns in April.

Winnie Vartuli, Zara Trim and Leah Huynh were selected in the U15 State team. They will travel to Townsville in April.

Triathlon and Open Water

Adelaide SchoolsOn 26 January, Daisy Braithwaite (pictured left) and Alice Braithwaite (pictured right) participated in the West Lakes State Triathlon. The race was short with a distance of 350m swim, 15km bike and 2.5km run. Alice finished 1st in the 16 – 19 age group with Daisy coming in 2nd. Both girls were happy with their results and are looking forward to their next race later in the season.

Alice also competed in the Australian 2022 Open Water Nationals on 30 January. She completed a 5km swim along with 80 other girls in the 16 – 19 age group at Brighton. She placed 9th in her age group with a time of 1:06.52.

Athletics

Adelaide SchoolsElodie de Wit (pictured left) came 1st in U15 3000m State Championship on Saturday night.

Congratulations also to Charlotte McAuliffe (pictured right) for her outstanding efforts at the National Junior Multi-Event Championships over the weekend in Sydney. Charlotte competed in the Heptathlon event (90m Hurdles, High Jump, Shot Put, 200m, Long Jump, Javelin and 800m) and won the U16 National Championship with a personal best score of 4712 points. Charlotte shared, ‘I found it enjoyable and I loved competing against the other girls, they really pushed me.’