Issue no. 15
From Our Deputy Principal / Head of Middle School
Importance of Co-Curricular Program Reflected at Pocket Points Assembly
One integral part of the holistic education that St Peter’s Girls provides is our rich and varied co-curricular program. We want our students to embody our core values of courage, creativity and compassion beyond the classroom. Co-curricular activities enable our girls to be creative, display courage in challenging circumstances and naturally develop compassion for others through working in a team environment.
As we move through the South Australian roadmap for easing health restrictions, it’s been great to see students returning to more and more sports training sessions, with a view towards competitive fixtures later in the term. Whilst I know that some parents may have been enjoying the break from the pace that a full set of school and club sports might bring to weekends, it’s clear that the girls have really missed the social and competitive release that their chosen sport gives them.
The ‘Witness the Fitness’ resources continue to be widely used by the girls, and I know that our younger students have loved watching skills drills filmed for them by our senior girls. These are excellent resources that will be used well after we return to a full co-curricular program.
With our Music Department running a full suite of ensembles, with some modifications for social distancing, our thoughts now turn with great anticipation to imagining what level and scale of live performance might be viable in the months to come.
This week, we were able to formally celebrate the co-curricular achievements of many Middle and Senior School students at our first Pocket Points Assembly for the year. The Pocket Points system reinforces our School values, alongside other strengths including initiative, commitment and teamwork, by recognising students for their efforts and contributions in co-curricular activities. Each activity and the subsequent contribution from our girls results in points being awarded. At every 60 point milestone, girls are entitled to have a ribbon or special stitching added to their blazer pocket. Further details on how points can be received in over 50 co-curricular activities can be found in the Pocket Points policy.
This usual ‘marker’ is, I hope, the first of many familiar events and activities that usually punctuate our school year returning to the calendar. With girls eager to contribute to a full range of activities, sports, ensembles and clubs, we look forward to them being able to display their creativity, show compassion when things don’t quite go as planned, and make courageous decisions.
Richard Lisle
Deputy Principal / Head of Middle School
A Message From Our SRC Prefect
Since the beginning of the year, the letters ‘SRC’ have ceased to stand for the ‘Student Representative Council’. Rather, in 2020, SRC has stood for ‘Seriously Ready for Change’. Why? Because change is what the SRC committee strives to achieve. Our aim is to serve as the voice of the student body and enact change to make our School an even more enriching environment.
Each fortnightly meeting, the 22 Middle and Senior School representatives bring enthusiasm and willingness to discuss the ideas and suggestions put forth by their peers. The SRC has discussed various topics ranging from conducting lunchtime activities such as Pilates and yoga sessions, to the possibility of updating our uniform and even introducing sleep pods! To get a sense of the support the students have for a particular idea, the SRC representatives have distributed surveys and conducted votes within their classes, which has been extremely useful in determining which ideas are worth moving forward with. Each item discussed has been followed up with relevant staff and communicated back to students, ensuring they know that their questions have been answered. While some changes are being implemented in the short-term, others are being considered for the future.
The SRC has also taken an active approach in providing feedback to staff about our online learning experiences. Meeting with teachers such as Mr Scoggins and Mr Coulter, the SRC has ensured that there is clear communication between students and staff concerning our learning platforms and how students feel different online resources could improve our approach to learning.
The SRC’s current projects include introducing more practical seating arrangements around the School grounds such as tables, benches and bean bags which the students can use during recess and lunch, or even during an outdoor lesson. We are also in the process of creating a video to promote the School’s new Tap Card system.
I am extremely pleased with the engagement and enthusiasm demonstrated by each SRC rep at our meetings. They are passionate about making a difference and are committed to representing every girl. We look forward to revealing our exciting upcoming projects in the near future – one in particular I’m sure will increase School spirit!
Lucy White
SRC Prefect
For Our Friends at Sherborne Girls
Since 2014, our girls have had the chance to undertake a three-week exchange to Sherborne Girls in the beautiful county of Dorset in the UK. In recent years, that experience has also been offered to teaching staff.
Whilst some of our students were able to spend time at Sherborne in January, their exchange partners’ visit here has had to be postponed. With our friends and colleagues still in lockdown, we put together a few messages of support:
Classic Saints Girls: Portrait Series
Photography plays an important role in capturing moments of school life here at Saints Girls, with wonderful imagery featuring across our social media pages, website, eNews, Saints Alive, Yearbook and more. Recently, the Year 9 students were invited to participate in a special black and white portrait series to be showcased on our Instagram page.
The girls were asked, ‘What brings them happiness at school’, and then a photo shoot was held to capture them in their element. They selected a wide variety of activities, from cello and dancing, to soccer, netball and science. The students were given a range of photos to choose from, and we look forward to sharing their selected images across two Instagram posts in the next fortnight.
Follow us at instagram.com/stpetersgirlsschool and keep an eye out for these special portraits.
Year 5s Discover World-Changing Scientists
In Year 5 this week, we have been exploring famous scientists throughout history such as Archimedes, Albert Einstein and Aristotle. The girls noticed that there have also been many female scientists who have made a significant impact on our planet due to their scientific discoveries and extensive research, such as Katherine Johnson and Marie Curie. The girls worked collaboratively to create a poster which provides a snapshot into their chosen scientist’s valued contributions to science, as well as their background, character strengths and legacy. They had to consider the layout and include detailed information sourced through online research. To accompany this, they each delivered a short presentation, verbally articulating their newfound knowledge, sharing their findings and gaining an appreciation for all of the scientists who were studied.
Stephen Hawking, one of the scientists who featured in this study, has a number of inspiring quotes. This one in particular seemed appropriate given the current state of our world, and it certainly resonated with the girls:
“However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up.”
Sarah Mulraney and Shelley Hampton
Year 5 Teachers
Have You Heard the Word in Reception?
As part of our daily Linguistic Inquiry, the Reception girls thoroughly enjoy exploring the many different words that appear on the THRASS Chart. This week, we focused on the digraph /th/, and the girls noticed there were two phonemes that used the same grapheme: ‘thumb’ and ‘feather’.
We read the story Feathers for Phoebe by Rod Clement and responded to the text by creating our own Pete Cromer-inspired birds using oil pastels, food colouring liquid and watercolour paint.
Meg Karvonen and Alana Lesiw
Reception Teachers
Radical Robots Invade Maths Class
As part of Mathematics, the Year 6 students have demonstrated the proficiencies of problem-solving and reasoning while bringing to life Radical Robots!
They were tasked with designing and creating a 3D robot that children would love. The robots had to be no taller than 30 centimetres, incorporating at least five different prisms and pyramids constructed from their own designed nets.
The Year 6 Teachers
St Peter’s Girls’ Piano Eisteddfod 2020
In Week 8 of Term 2, the Arts Department will hold St Peter’s Girls’ Piano Eisteddfod. It is open to all Junior and Middle School students who play piano, and will be held on Tuesday 16 June from 8.45am in MB120.
Girls will have the opportunity to perform a piece to a panel of judges who will critique their performance based on accuracy, technique and musicality for their specific music level.
This year, we will not hold a recital but will instead invite 10 students of varying levels to perform in a virtual recital which will be shared online.
This is a great opportunity for girls to perform in a supportive environment and receive some valuable feedback.
Girls are asked to play one piece that best displays their musicality and technical ability at their own musical level. There will be no minimum or maximum time limit. While the Eisteddfod provides our top piano players with a platform to perform, the aim is to give performers of all levels the opportunity to participate.
Please notify the Arts Department if your daughter would like to be involved by Friday 5 June. She will then receive a time slot to perform in the Eisteddfod. Students will be notified by email if they have been chosen to have their piece recorded following the Eisteddfod.
So get busy practising, and we look forward to hearing all of our amazing piano players!
Sally Rounsevell
Director of Music
Bus Tap Card Reminder
Please note that all School bus students must use their student ID cards to tap on and off each time they board and alight a School bus service to comply with our new tracking system.
Also, a reminder that all students from Years 3 to 12 can now use their student ID cards for point-of-sale transactions at the Tuck Shop and School Shop.
To register for the service and ensure funds are available on the cards, parents need to use the flexischools program, which already facilitates the School’s online Tuck Shop. For instructions on how to set up an account and add funds, watch the first 30 seconds of this video. To access flexischools, log in to the myLink Parent Portal and select the ‘Tuck Shop’ tab on the top menu. When registering, search for the School’s name, remembering to add the apostrophe in St Peter’s.
For information on transaction fees and other costs, click here.
If you have any queries regarding these new systems, please contact our System Business Analyst Bronwyn Ledgard via bledgard@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au or 8334 2264.
Apply Now – National Youth Science Forum 2021
Are you in Year 11 and love STEM subjects? If so, you should consider applying for the National Youth Science Forum’s Year 12 Program! The @NYSFoz is a 10-day residential program full of visits to high-tech STEM facilities and hands on-workshops. You’ll get stuck into some serious science and meet industry mentors, all while hanging out with a community of 200 other like-minded science-loving students. Applications close on 14 June 2020. For more information and to apply, go to the NYSF website: www.nysf.edu.au
Saints Girls’ students Faye Ma and Ellen Zhang attended the forum earlier this year. Here are some words from their experience:
“An unforgettable time where you will meet lifelong friends, immerse yourself fully in the world of STEM and come out with a greater understanding of what you want to do in the future.” – Faye Ma
“NYSF has been a life-changing experience for me. Not only have I been inspired by this experience, but I have taken away a wealth of new knowledge and amazing friendships.” – Ellen Zhang
CLOTHES SHWOP: We Need Your Help
Did you know that Australians are the world’s second largest consumers of fashion? On average, we each consume 27kgs of new clothing and textiles every year. Most of this ends up in the bin after less than a year. Members of the School’s Environment Club would like to change this!
This term, the Environment Club is focusing on sustainable fashion. This will culminate in our ‘Clothes Shwop’, in which students can donate old clothes for tokens, and cash-in these tokens to take new clothes in return! If you have any old clothes you don’t want anymore and are happy to donate or exchange for other items, then please support this worthy cause. Any remaining items will be donated to a women’s charity.
Collections will take place outside of the Junior School Library at lunch every Tuesday and Thursday leading up to the actual ‘Clothes Shwop’ where you will be able to choose pieces from the donated clothing. The first ‘Clothes Shwop’ will be held on Thursday 4 and Friday 5 June in Week 6 in the Drama Room.
Bring in your old clothes, help the environment and make your wardrobe that bit more exciting!
Sara Peak
Environment Club Captain
Do You Have a Connection to Woodlands Girls’ Grammar?
Year 11 Scholarship Information
The Elaine Balfour Ogilvy Scholarship is for girls who are planning to enter Year 12 next year, who attend an Anglican school and whose mother, grandmother or great grandmother attended Woodlands Girls’ Grammar School. It was created by the Woodlands Old Scholars in honour of an old scholar, one of the Australian Army nurses who died in the horror of war after the fall of Singapore.
Applicants need to post an introductory letter and four copies of their CV to:
The President
Woodlands Old Scholars’ Association
39 Partridge Street
GLENELG SA 5045
Applications close 24 July 2020
Interviews will be conducted in Term 3, giving the panel a chance to have an informal chat with the girls. We will be assessing attributes such as presentation and enthusiasm and will take this opportunity to see certificates and awards which substantiate the CV.
If you have any enquiries, please contact me via sorrell.lou@gmail.com
Louise Sorrell
St Peter’s Woodlands Old Scholars’ Association President
Apple’s Cleaning Tips for iPads and Laptops
Apple products are made with a variety of materials, and each material might have specific cleaning requirements. To get started, here are some tips from Apple that apply to all products:
- Use only a soft, lint-free cloth. Avoid abrasive cloths, towels, paper towels, or similar items.
- Avoid excessive wiping, which might cause damage.
- Unplug all external power sources, devices, and cables.
- Keep liquids away from the product, unless otherwise noted for specific products.
- Don’t get moisture into any openings.
- Don’t use aerosol sprays, bleaches or abrasives.
- Don’t spray cleaners directly onto the item.
Is it okay to use a disinfectant on my Apple product?
Using a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or disinfecting wipes, you may gently wipe the hard, non-porous surfaces of your Apple product, such as the display, keyboard, or other exterior surfaces. Don’t use bleach. Avoid getting moisture in any opening, and don’t submerge your Apple product in any cleaning agents. Don’t use on fabric or leather surfaces.
Here’s the full article from Apple: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204172
Of course, please check your device instructions for specific requirements.