Issue no. 16
Great success at the 2017 South Australian da Vinci Decathlon
da Vinci season has come and gone, and what a season it has been. The girls have been amazing and dedicated in their approach to this year’s competition. They have been in before school, lunchtimes, weekends and even holidays, living and breathing the da Vinci process. Every girl has had a part to play and has played it well, as Da Vinci is very much a team event.
Tuesday saw the Year 5/6 teams open the decathlon, with some of these girls encountering their first experience in a tough field of 23 competing schools. Both Saints Girls’ teams did very well, with one gaining first in Ideation and Coding, second in Creative Producers and Art and Poetry and a third in Engineering. An incredible performance that led to our first ever overall victory at the decathlon. I would also like to commend the superb sportsmanship displayed by our second team who celebrated the win as though it were their own, demonstrating the School spirit admirably.
Wednesday was a beautiful but chilly day with the Year 7 team meeting early to do some last-minute cramming and then we were off. It was another very challenging day with 21 teams competing. Many of our team were again experiencing da Vinci for the first time, but they were all ready and raring for the opportunity to compete and represent the school. The girls worked tirelessly trying to solve numerous problems and scenarios placing fourth in both Maths and Coding. I have never seen a student so excited to see a code written in binary before; there might even have been a bit of a squeal!
Thursday was the final instalment with our Year 9 team taking the floor to compete against 15 other teams. A number of these girls were seasoned veterans, excited and saddened by the prospect of their final da Vinci. It was a tough day with our girls moving in and out of the top three. A first in Ideation and a second in Art and Poetry resulted in a final position of fifth and, as we are the Chapter School, Year 9 earned their place to go to Sydney. The team spirit shown by these girls was amazing, as they worked as one seamless unit to complete the mountain of tasks throughout the day. Never has team laughed so much or presented me with such entertainment!
As I look back, I think of the village that it took to host such a mammoth event, ensuring everything was in place and we were all fed. Behind the competition itself were our wonderful Chan Chau and Richard Lisle, communicating with schools and coordinating the competition in the many months before and the days during the event. Behind me was an army of specialist teachers who gave up lunchtimes to help our girls in particular disciplines, teachers carrying out reliefs and a learning strategies department who were regularly invaded by da Vinci girls. However, we mustn’t forget the parents who brought their girls to all sorts of practices, tested girls at home and helped support them as their excitement mounted.
So, at the end of a thrilling week, I can’t think of a better display of our School ethos. Our girls and community demonstrated that, to be part of Saints Girls, you truly have to be creative, courageous and compassionate. My final question then is, who’s up for next year?
Becca Burton-Howard
Gifted and Talented Teacher
I was part of a team of eight girls who participated in the Year 5/6 competition. We had a tremendous time solving problems, working together and being creative. My favourite activity was Art and Poetry, but I also enjoyed the other nine subjects. It was an amazing experience, topped off with a win.
Madison Liddy
Year 6 student
Over Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the da Vinci Decathlon took place in the Arts Centre and schools from all around Adelaide came to participate. I was lucky enough to make it into the Year 7 team. The day consisted of three sessions, during each session 2-4 events out of the 10 took place and as a team had to organise who would do which subject as to have it nicely balanced. Over all, it was a really fun experience and it was great to be so challenged in a fun way.
Charlotte Adams
Year 7 student
I really enjoyed the whole experience from the preparation to the actual event. I think that our team worked really well together because we all contributed and communicated well. We struggled with Engineering and Coding, however we excelled in the Ideation and Art and Poetry categories.
Ellie Anderson
Year 9 student
I wanted to write to recognise and thank you (Becca Burton-Howard) for all your tireless work with the Year 5/6 teams. It was absolutely fantastic to see the Blue team emerge as winners, but we do realise that this was not by chance. Both you and they have dedicated many hours preparing for the competition so that when the day arrived, they were ready to take on any challenge thrown at them. It really is a testimony to how you have helped them to organise themselves, focus on their strengths within the team and keep level-headed. Each girl knew their strength and worked to complete their part. What an amazing opportunity to be involved in, thanks so much again Becca.
Samantha Humphrey
Parent of Ellie, Year 6 student
As I have only been working at St Peter’s Girls for a few months, this was my first da Vinci Decathlon. I was the ‘official’ photographer, updated our Facebook page and uploaded the results and team photos onto the School website. I was thrilled to be involved and, just as the students worked as a team to complete the tasks, it really was a team effort to ensure the event ran smoothly – Fiona McGregor (Events Officer), Chan Chau (PA to the Deputy Principal/Head of Middle School), Becca Burton-Howard (Gifted and Talented Teacher) and Richard Lisle (Deputy Principal/Head of Middle School) worked incredibly hard to create a wonderful experience for the students. As a new member of the Saints Girls’ community, it was an honour to represent the School and contribute to such a large-scale event.
Hayley McLauchlan
Communications Coordinator
From the Head of Junior School
Literacy and numeracy are the foundations of an effective primary education. Running alongside these and the other academic disciplines, is the development of skills, attitudes, work habits and character traits that our students will need to be successful learners and citizens in a fast-changing world; a world which will require them to be flexible, creative, innovative problem-solvers and collaborators.
These and associated skills were highlighted in the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians, written back in 2008, and elaborated on by many since. While the list continually evolves, and is by no means definitive, there is general agreement that what students need from a 21st century education is markedly different from that of their 20th century predecessors.
To enhance and expand the opportunities our students have to develop the skills that will enable them to flourish in their schooling and in life, we have recently introduced Mind Lab to the Reception to Year 3 curriculum. Our Year 5 and 6 students have been invited to be involved during lunchtime co-curricular sessions and we plan to extend this opportunity to Year 4 students later in the year.
Mind Lab develops specific cognitive, social, emotional and ethical thinking skills through playing hands-on strategy board games. The effectiveness of this learning is strengthened through teacher mediation. The Mind Lab methodology requires teachers to help students transfer the skills and strategies learned in game-playing situations to real-life situations. The learning spans all traditional learning areas and encourages risk-taking and flexibility of thinking. After just a few weeks of beginning Mind Lab, our students are already learning how to think more strategically, concentrate for extended periods, overcome emotional disappointments, analyse complex information, work cooperatively, find patterns, apply memory, experiment with problem solving strategies and reflect upon their effectiveness.
It has been delightful to watch and listen to the students’ interactions, experimentation and learning. Equally pleasing, were the spontaneous responses of the Year 2 students when asked, “Why are we doing Mind Lab games in our class?”
Amelia “To learn how to work together and be nice to each other.”
Zara “To learn to work as a team”
Charlotte “To cooperate with each other”
Our Reception students have been likewise engaged, and when asked what they thought of the Mind Lab games, said:
Emily “You have to think about other friends’ Mindster cards, because if you don’t look carefully others can win!”
Isabelle “It’s fun because we get to play lots of thinking games. My favourite game is Rush Hour because you have to work together to solve problems”.
Amelia T “I like playing the Mind Lab games because we get to work with lots of different people and we work together as a team”.
They certainly hadn’t missed the key objectives of their recent sessions!
Suzanne Haddy
Head of Junior School
Rostrum Voice of Youth finalists
Congratulations to our five students who competed in the semi-final heat of the Rostrum Voice of Youth public speaking competition on Saturday at Immanuel College: Aditi Tamhankar, Zaina Khan, Emily Downie, Aleisha Elliott and Holly Walman-Craddock. All were outstanding ambassadors for the school and delivered their speeches with conviction and aplomb. We are delighted to announce that Aditi, Zaina and Holly have all progressed to the State final which will be held at Parliament House on Saturday 24 June at 7pm. This means that a third of the State finalists hail from St Peter’s Girls’ School which is an incredible achievement!
Cat Davies
English Teacher
Master Plan Update: From the construction zone
There have been some exciting developments since our last update in Enews. On Saturday morning, a large crane was brought in to install the walls of the lift shaft. The floor joists supporting the timber decking are also coming together and the new canopy has arrived – as seen in the top right image.
Year 8s explore rocks at Hallett Cove
This term in Year 8 Science, we have been studying the topic of ‘Rocks’ and the process of how these rocks are formed on Earth. In South Australia, we are lucky enough to have a world-renowned geological site at Hallett Cove.
Last Friday, the girls took the long bus ride to experience the site for themselves. Hallett Cove contains rocks and sediments, some dating back 600 million years ago. The girls were able to explore how the sand was deposited on the beach and observe the landscape of cliffs formed over time. This gave the girls a real-world perspective of all the theory learnt in the classroom, enabling them to make conclusions about our past. Hallett Cove is famous for the glacial striations than can be seen in the rock formations. The girls were able to look at the clues left behind from the glacier and determine how the surrounding environment has been shaped over millions of years.
“My favourite part about Hallett Cove was being able to actually see examples of the rocks in real life.” – Ashley
“My favourite part of the excursion was the beach and looking at all the rocks there.” – Olivia
“I really enjoyed drawing all the diagrams and looking at all the details for each type of rock.” – Lily-Rose
This was an excellent excursion for the girls to understand how rock formations are important in our history. The weather was on our side which made the day very enjoyable.
Clare Gaskell
Science Teacher
Poetry in Action
Years 7 – 11 students began Week 4 with a treat: on Monday morning, Poetry in Action presented two plays to the girls, one to the Years 7 – 9 girls about Australian poetry and its development through history and a second to Years 10 – 11 about the power of speeches to influence human behaviour. Dramatic, funny, thought-provoking and entertaining, the three-person troupe engaged the audience and contributed to the richness of the English program by bringing the power of words to life.
Here are some reflections provided by students who attended:
We saw a performance by Poetry In Action called ‘The Citizenship Test’. This gave us an insight into Australian poetry and how it has been shaped through Australia’s history. The protagonist was Emily, a young woman in the ‘resistance’ who believes that citizenship should be a human right, instead of having to earn it every two months or so by doing tests – as you had to do in their wacky world.
Several classic poems were recited such as ‘Waltzing Matilda’ (Banjo Paterson) and ‘To Love a Sunburnt Country’ (Dorothea Mackellar), along with a few lesser known poems. In the play, it was said that you had to be tested on these poems to get your citizenship for Australia. How very odd!
Overall, this play was about what it is to be Australian and how there is no right or wrong way to do it; there is no specific set of values or beliefs. ‘The Citizenship Test’ provided an interesting look into different people’s opinions and experiences of what it means to be Australian. We thoroughly enjoyed the performance and look forward to Poetry In Action visiting Saints Girls again soon.
Sara Peak and Tiffany Zhou
Year 8 students
The Poetry in Action performance was a fun and engaging production that tackled a very controversial issue in a light-hearted yet powerful way. It explored the importance of discussion over argument and persuasion over silence by re-creating and exploring various famous – and even infamous – speeches. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire performance and loved the way that the actors approached each issue and taught us – the generation who need these lessons the most – how to deal with them.
Georgia Nairn
Year 11 student
Collections for Winter Drive end soon – donate before it’s too late!
Do you have any old suitcases?
As we approach the end of our Winter Drive, it has come to our attention that we need suitcases to pack all the clothes in. Therefore, at home if you have any old suitcases in good condition it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring them to the School.
The Winter Drive commenced this term, with Amira Shahin, Felicia Mi, Sindhu Nedumaran and Grace Edwards (CAS students) collecting donations from students, parents, friends and other members of the community to send to a refugee camp in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. We have chosen this camp in particular as when winter hits, many children and parents die from lack of coverage and essentials. The purpose of our Winter Drive is to educate students about this issue and ask for help by bringing donations. We will stop taking donations from the end of next week, as we will need time to pack the donations and send them off to the camp.
Acceptable donations include (all items must be in good condition):
• Jumpers
• Socks
• Gloves
• Waterproof coats
• Tracksuit pants
• Jackets
• Heating equipment
• Blankets
• Sleeping bags
Thank you for your support! We will keep you updated on the end result of the Winter Drive.
Amira Shahin, Felicia Mi, Sindhu Nedumaran and Grace Edwards
Year 11 CAS students
2017 Piano Competition
Our annual piano competition held last Friday saw over 50 piano students perform on our beautiful ‘Fiona Hale’ Grand Piano in MB120. The competition was open to all students from Reception all the way to our advanced Senior girls. It was wonderful to see such diversity of music and performance experience. From the pool of performers, a dozen girls were chosen to present a piece at our piano recital on Wednesday evening. The girls demonstrated great confidence and musicality in their chosen works. In addition we invited special guest artists Nick Parnell and Michael Ierace, who performed a 20 minute set featuring vibraphone and piano duets and piano solos at the evening recital. This was a wonderful way to demonstrate how piano could be used as a solo and accompanying instrument.
Congratulations to all involved!
Sally Rounsevell
Director of Music
Year 3 and ELC buddy classes
The Year 3 students and the Ferguson Room have been working collaboratively this year to develop strong relationships as buddy classes. These sessions are planned to integrate with our PYP Units of Inquiry. We are presently working with the Ferguson friends on their Unit of Inquiry which is organised under the central idea that ‘Identity can be shaped over time.’ The focus for this unit is that our empathy is developed through listening to the stories of others. In partnership with our buddies we have looked at telling stories and listening to each other’s stories. The girls are working together in bookmaking sessions and have looked at different characters as well as the structure of a narrative. The Year 3 students have used their knowledge from their narrative genre study earlier this term to teach their buddies about problems and solutions in their books.
In this week’s session the buddies looked at plots; here are some of their thoughts:
Colette and Georgia
“Our story is about a princess who gets locked up by a witch but the princess gets saved by a King.”
“I liked making my book with my buddy” – Colette
“I liked helping Colette; we designed the front cover together” – Georgia
Audrey and Hayley
“We wrote a book about a pteranodon who eats shapes. The books title was the mysterious shapes.”
“The pteranodon is going to eat heart shapes, triangles, squares and a little tiny egg” – Audrey
“I think that Audrey’s ideas about pteranodons were really creative. She is a very smart girl and a fabulous buddy” – Hayley
Kyan and Hayley
“We made a book and it was called the naughty, muddy dog.”
“The naughty dog went in muddy puddles and then went in the house.” – Kyan
“I think that Kyan is a very creative and imaginative boy. He is very funny and a great buddy to have.” – Hayley
Charlotte and Emily
Charlotte and Emily wrote a story about a butterfly and a dog. The dog tried to chase the butterfly.
“I liked drawing with my buddy Emily” – Charlotte
“I liked watching Charlotte draw, I like how creative she was and her amazing ideas” – Emily
Sophie and Elsie made a book about Cinderella.
“I drew a picture of Cinderella on the front cover. The problem in the story is that Cinderella loses her glass slipper. Prince Charming finds Cinderella’s glass slipper. He looks around for a while to see who fits the glass slipper. They get married at the end in a big wedding” – Elsie
“I think Elsie is a wonderful buddy because she is so creative with ideas. She knew the problem in the story and she could put them into her own words.” – Sophie
Lily and Sydney
“We created a book about a princess who finds a monster and a knight.”
“I liked drawing my story in my book with Sydney” – Lily
“I liked helping Lily write the story” – Sydney
Mithi and Lila
“In our story, there was a cranky lion who falls in the mud.”
“He gets lots of mud in his fur. He stays muddy for the whole story.” – Lila
“I was really impressed with Lila’s ideas when we were making the book. Her problem was really creative. I enjoy working with her in our buddy sessions because we do a lot of fun activities together” – Mithi
All the girls really enjoy each other’s company and have developed really strong bonds across the Sub-Schools. The girls can’t wait for buddies and regularly ask “Are we going to buddies today?”
Mark Routley
Year 3 Teacher
School Shop
New to the School Shop – elastic ties in House colours – $25
The School Shop will be open during the last week of the school holidays on Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 July from 10am – 4pm. We will also be open Monday 24 July 10am – 4pm, resuming normal trading hours on Tuesday 25 July.
For any enquiries or uniform appointments please call the School Shop on 8334 2228 or email schoolshop@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.
Year 6 trip to Canberra
The Year 6 students spent Week 3 of Term 2 exploring Canberra, where they visited locations such as Old Parliament House, the Australian Institute of Sport, and the Australian War Memorial. Please read on for an interesting recap of the trip, written by some of the students themselves.
After our arrival, we adventured to the National Capital Exhibition. This was the first place we had visited and we were filled with exhilaration in anticipation for our first activity. When we had filed inside the building we stopped at a map of Australia. Highlighted on this map were the many places that were considered in the process of choosing a capital for our nation. As there was much rivalry between where, it was decided to create a new place and that place was Canberra. Did you know that Canberra means meeting place in an Indigenous language? We created a model out of Lego of a building that had not yet been built in Canberra. We also watched a movie on how Canberra was named and designed. Canberra was designed by Walter Burley Griffin who won the design challenge with a stunning plan for the city. It was clear to the judges that not only had Walter thought about how his design looked, but also the practicality and how it would be used in the future. Canberra is based on the three-main axes of a triangle. We learnt this fact when we saw a huge model of the city and watched a light show which was projected onto the diorama. – Maddy Liddy
Our second stop was the Mount Ainslie Lookout, which provided a striking view of the city. We then rushed back to our accommodation where everyone waited with bated breath to learn who they would be sharing a dorm with. After having dinner, we were herded straight into bed, thus concluding our day. The second day of our lively week was no less hectic. Dressed in our uniforms, we first visited the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House. – Bronwyn Gautier
During our visit to the museum we completed a keycard activity which helped test and expand our knowledge of parliament. We swiped a card at various screens and at each point we were supplied with different information and quizzes thrown into it. Later on, we went into the old House of Representatives where we took part in a role play of a parliamentary discussion. Some of the Year 6s dressed up in parliamentary robes and re-enacted a debate, while the rest of us responded with a loud “Hear, hear,” when we agreed with what was being said. – Georgina Wakeham
Old Parliament House is a grand old building full of history. It was built as a temporary house for parliament to meet until Australia had enough money to build a new one. It was used as Australia’s official Parliament House from 1927-1988. Because of the old and precious heritage of this very important building, we were required to wear gloves so as to preserve the building and the artefacts inside of it. We learnt about parliament’s first ever speaker, the first female speaker, how traditions changed and how parliament runs.
After going to Old Parliament House, we had recess at Senate Gardens and then headed to the Electoral Education Centre. It was a very interesting and enjoyable experience. First, we watched a video and we were delighted by images that were projected underneath the screen to make the video more realistic. Then we headed into a room to do activities in groups. One of the most popular ones was to search your family members who are on the voting list. I couldn’t do that though, as my family and I are not Australian Citizens yet. After a while we headed into another room where we had my personal favourite activity at the Electoral Education Centre. We had a mock referendum where we voted for our favourite ‘candidates’. – Marina Viese Vivaldi
We also visited New Parliament House. Going through and learning about both chambers of parliament was an amazing experience. We found out when Federation was (which was the 1st of January 1901), we also learnt about the coat of arms and why the emu and kangaroo are on it. Did you know it is because they can’t walk backwards? After the wonderful tour, all the students participated in a role play about ‘Passing a Bill’. The bill was about animals and that farmers should give up 5% of their land to provide more natural reserves for our native animals. The role play was held in the House of Representatives. Some students had roles such as Usher of the Black Rod, Speaker, Clerk, Government representatives and Opposition representatives. We all had a spectacular time! – Madeline Lisle
The same day we went to Parliament House we went to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). I was bouncing off the wall, I was that excited! We went to the gymnasium where some men were practicing on the rings and the vault. They were really good. Then we went to the volleyball with girls practising and they were tall and hit the ball extremely hard. After the volleyball arena, we went to the best place, the swimming pool. We learnt that Michael Phelps dived off one diving block because it had lots of smart technology to show you how you dive. After our tour, we went into an amazing space with lots of things to do and games to play. – Sophie Dansie
The next morning everyone was ready for the exciting trip to the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex. We were told about the space dishes and how the biggest was 70 metres in diameter and the antenna as tall as a three-storey house. These dishes communicate with robots, often referred to as satellites, that explore space and the planets around us. One is currently communicating with a satellite which is flying in between Saturn’s rings! Amazed by this and the dishes around us, the class followed our tour guide inside to learn more about the secrets of space. There we discovered that NASA scientists have found another solar system with a planet that could support life. We also learned that there is no life on Mars or on any other planet in space besides Earth. There are plans to send people to Mars around 2030 and the moon may be used for tourism in the future. It was a lot to process, but soon we were let loose to look at things in the Museum. There was space food, models of the robots exploring Mars and interactive games. In the Space Theatre, we looked at pictures of stars, planets and galaxies, answering questions about their shape and features. – Emma Pool
At the Ian Potter Technology Centre, we learnt all the different ways to produce electricity and all about prototypes. We even got to make our own prototypes and we learnt about how fish fins can generate electricity. After this exciting visit, we had a short stop at the National Portrait Gallery. We learnt a lot about significant Australians. – Ruby Richards
We visited the Australian War Memorial early on the fourth day. I learnt so much about the Australian solders, WWI, WW2 and the impact they made globally. We walked around the ‘Roll of Honour’ to commemorate everyone who has died fighting for our country. We were also given the opportunity to place a poppy by a name to remember them. We went to see the Unknown Soldier’s Grave. No one knows his name or who his family is; they made this tribute on purpose so that anyone can remember relatives who never returned. Whilst at the memorial we were taken on a tour to see what food the ANZACs survived on, the rough terrain they fought in, how messages got around during war and other important details. Everything we found out was very interesting and I found a lot of it quite shocking and surprising. One of the interesting facts we learnt was that, during some of the wars, a soldier would walk out to the nearest water source and collect all the water for every soldier. They were given one cup each. This included washing clothes, hygiene and drinking all from that one cup. I found this astonishing because they worked so hard and would get extremely dehydrated in summer. I found this visit an amazing opportunity that changes your perspective on things. I am very grateful that we don’t live in a time of war in our country and am thankful for the people that have given their lives for us. – Ellie Humphrey
My favourite part of going to the War Memorial was putting a poppy where my Uncle’s name was. He fought in World War II in Alamein, where he died from wounds. It made me want to discover more about his story, so when I arrived home I went to my Grandad’s house. He showed me letters that were sent between my Uncle and his family. It was quite emotional because nobody knew what was going to happen and whether he would be okay. – Stella Rasheed
After the memorial, we went to Government House which is home to Governor-General Peter Cosgrove. Many others have lived in this house before him. The site is about 2560 acres. The house was not actually made for its purpose nowadays, it was originally a farm house. Luckily, we got to have a sneak peek of where the Governor-General spends most of his days. We got to go to three rooms. The first was the original office of the house. This is where the Governor-General used to sign documents and bills, or meet important people. Nowadays this room is not used as much – it is just a room where the Governor-General keeps important books, photos and his coin collection. Next, we went to the dining room where Peter Cosgrove and Lady Cosgrove eat. This room gives you a great view of the lake on the property. After that we went to a rather interesting room with a cabinet made for the Governor-General. It had 45 drawers. Lastly, we got to see the famously known Rolls Royce that the Governor-General used to get driven around in. I enjoyed learning about the Governor-General’s main responsibilities. – Isobel Yelland
To conclude our final day, we went to Questacon. We were all very excited because most of us had heard about the free-fall slide (six metre drop). I had some fantastic memories such as seeing a man-made lightning strike and an earthquake simulator. – Monika Ceplitis
At the National Archives of Australia we were split into three groups, each with an instructor. My group excitedly walked into a dark room that had three tables covered in black material. Our instructor pulled back one of the black sheets and revealed an old discoloured scroll with Queen Victoria’s signature. We were told that this was the signing of Australia’s Constitution, signed because Britain was Australia’s mother country. I learned that this room was so dark because all of the documents are very old and precious and the light damages them. Another highlight was a dictation test which immigrants used to take when entering Australia. If they failed, they were sent back on the next boat home. – Lucy Schirripa
We also visited the Royal Australian Mint. You guessed it! We did learn about coins and how they’re made. Coins evolved a little while after settlement in Australia, by the British and Europeans. We got to take a peek through a window to see what people at the factory do with coins. There were mostly robots working, more than people, that’s because robots speed up the process. – Aamya Salaria
We went to the shop where we minted our own coins to take home. It was a big machine which you put $2 in and you then see the coin roll down and a machine stamps on the print. It then falls down a tunnel and you can keep it. – Phoebe Black
Afterwards, we went to the National Museum of Australia where we looked at a suitcase. It was from a man from Latvia who wanted to live in Australia because of what was happening around the world during WWII. After this personal story, we were taken on a tour through the museum, looking at all of the exhibits. – Annie Bui
Our final activity for the week was going to KSpace where there were touch screens and you had to complete all sort of missions and games. In teams, we created our own individual robots and customised them. Soon after, we got to play games and we had to move our robot by jumping and turning in all directions. It was a bit hard at the start but it was fantastic to play with. At the end, we had to work together as a team to move one robot to complete team tasks and collect things. – Tara Nedumaran
Overall, this was an amazing, unbelievable, engaging, intriguing and fun trip that taught me so much! When we arrived home after a long, tiring and exciting week we were all very happy to see our families and to have a long sleep before returning back to school on Monday. I loved this trip so much and the information that we were given has taught me so many useful and exciting things that I will use later on in my life. It was a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity that I enjoyed so much! – Ellie Humphrey
Spanish Students’ Conference – Conference de estudiantes de Español
On May 22, our IB Spanish ab initio students were invited by STASA – Spanish Teachers’ Association of South Australia – to participate in a Student Conference at Flinders University where they were immersed in the Spanish language and Hispanic culture alongside 100 other students.
Most were at least in the second or third year of their Spanish studies, so considering that our girls have been doing it for just over a term, they were very brave and they were ready to take risks, even when they were presented with rather challenging tasks for their current level. Some of them even won some prizes at the end of the day! ¡Buen trabajo, chicas!
During the conference, they could listen to different accents from native speakers from Spanish-speaking countries such as Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, El Salvador and Spain. They also met a Mexican student of the same age who now lives in Adelaide and who they have remained in touch with.
Some of the activities included oral tasks, a fun sentence-building card game and an online team language game about a short film in Spanish.
The girls heard other students’ experiences with Spanish both in Australia and overseas. They received information in ‘Spanglish’ about exchange programs that they can join in the future and scholarships that some universities offer to study Spanish abroad.
They also had a true taste of Hispanic culture with “churros con chocolate” for recess and they were taught how to do the salsa by an Argentinian dance instructor. That is when I discovered the hidden gift of our girls to dance salsa! ¡Qué ritmo!
Saludos
Carolina Barquero Masero
IB Spanish ab initio Teacher
“Being surrounded by fluent Spanish speakers encouraged me to work hard at the Spanish ab initio course because I could see how far people had progressed in their language skills in a short period of time. I enjoyed the card game because it put participants on the spot, which really helps with conversational skills. I also enjoyed the Kahoot game because it creates friendly competition and my team won!” – Erin Barrera
“We were strongly encouraged to participate in the activities regardless of our Spanish abilities. Learning more about the language encouraged my passion for it to strengthen. I was surprised by how many new skills I learnt. I was also surprised by how many risks I was able to take during the tasks, which helped my confidence with the language grow. Occasionally, we were spoken to in fluent Spanish and had to respond in one-on-one conversations. This is important when travelling and communicating with others in real-life situations.
Finally, we were taught how to dance salsa. This was lots of fun and truly allowed us to immerse ourselves in the Hispanic culture. It was also great being able to meet like-minded Spanish students” – Sophie Auricht
“I found the Spanish excursion really fun and interesting. I especially liked playing the word association game and the salsa dancing was kind of funny. It was also good to meet some other Spanish students from different schools.” – Georgia Bowden
“The Spanish Students’ Conference allowed me to better understand the Hispanic culture and Spanish as a language. It also gave me a better idea on what level I will be reaching by the end of Year 12.” – Helen Xiong
New myLink Parent Portal – Year 10/11 exams
Parents of Year 10/11 students can now access upcoming exam timetables by logging on to our new Parent Portal myLink.
Once you’ve signed in, click on one of the tiles at the bottom of the Welcome page:
On the next page, select “Click here” to bring up the timetable:
It’s yet another feature of our new Parent Portal – explore myLink today!
Your username and password are the same as you would use for the old Link portal. If you are unsure of your details, please follow the link provided on the login page to reset your password. For any further assistance, contact our IT Helpdesk on helpdesk@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au or 8334 2227.
Year 5 production seeks zebra rug
The Year 5 production of The Lion King needs a large zebra rug (1.5 – 2m) and a small lion cub stuffed toy no smaller than about 35cm.
They are to be borrowed for the production and returned safely.
Shelley Hampton
Year 5 Teacher / Year 5/6 Junior School Coordinator
Arts Alive 2017
You are warmly invited to attend the 2017 Junior School Arts Alive Exhibition.
STEAM: A celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics through the ARTS
Friday 23 June
Grandparents and Special Older Friends
R – 2 11am – 12.30pm
Years 3 – 6 1.30 – 3pm
Morning and afternoon tea will be provided.
Parents and friends
Open from 4pm for viewing
R – 2 Opening Ceremony at 5pm
Years 3 – 6 Opening Ceremony at 6pm
Wine for sale by the glass and finger food provided.
Saturday 24 June
Friends, Family and Community
10.30am – 12.30pm
Entry by donation
For catering purposes, please book through trybooking.com/QFZA
Winter Cabaret
Join us at the Winter Cabaret on Thursday 8 June
7 – 9pm in the Arts Centre
Cabaret seating with tables of 10
Food and drink available for purchase from the Friends of Arts
Tickets
Adult – $15
Concession – $10
Table of 10 – $100
Tickets available via www.trybooking.com/QEET
Special guests, award-winning Adelaide Connection – Adelaide University’s Jazz vocal choir featuring old scholars Chelsea McGuinness (Kilburn ’16) and Lucy Mount (Selwyn ’15), and trombone player Robert Johnson.
Groups involved include:
Concert Band
Stage Band
Senior Strings
Junior Jazz
Junior Choir
Concert Choir
Senior Percussion Ensemble
Enchante
Jazz Vocal Quintet
Flute Ensemble
String Extension
SACE dancers
Quiz Night
Our Parents’ & Friends’ Association is calling for donations of wine. We are offering a fundraising Wine Wall at our upcoming Quiz Night on Friday 16 June.
Please drop off wine donations to the Community Relations Office across from the School Shop.
To book Quiz Night tickets, please visit www.trybooking.com/278385
Entertainment Book pre-sales
The 2016 | 2017 Entertainment Membership is expired on 1 June 2017
Order your new 2017 | 2018 Entertainment Membership before 30 June 2017 to go in the draw to win a $50 Archer Hotel dining voucher AND a pass for 2 adults and 2 kids to Adelaide Zoo!
As a Mothers’ Club fundraiser, part-proceeds from every book sold will go to the exciting redevelopment of the outdoor areas surrounding our new Middle School.
If you would like to buy a book, you can fill out the form at the Front Office or simply go online. Order your Entertainment Book here!
The Entertainment Book and new phone app offer our community members a great way to try out restaurants and activities around SA, save money and, at the same time, support our girls.
Thank you in advance for your kind support and consideration.
Your Mothers’ Club Committee
Sports News
All students are once again reminded to check notice boards for team selections and other relevant information pertaining to their sport.
If you have any news items or sporting success stories, please email them through to me at nfuller@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.
VOLLEYBALL
Congratulations to Charlotte White (Year 10) who has been selected in the SA Under 17 team and Anna White (Year 8) in the SA Under 15 team. They will both be competing in Queensland at the National Championships in September. Georgina Keough (Year 8) has been named in the SA junior development squad.
SOCCER
Wednesday 24 May
Open A – Saints 0 drew with Mercedes 0
The team went into the game undermanned, missing both Dom Rigby (Captain) and Bethany Cross (Vice-Captain). The team responded and put in a great performance to come away with a nil-all draw against a talented Mercedes side. Everyone played well. Special mention to goal keeper, Taylah Gobell, who stepped up as Captain and showed great leadership. Peter Krantis (Coach)
Open B – Saints 0 defeated by Scotch 4
The team played against a determined Scotch side and a few defensive errors enabled Scotch to be up 3 nil at half-time. Jemimah Simpson ran hard all game and Millie Wilkin made some terrific runs down the wing. The girls lifted in the second half and performed better, creating a few chances in front of goal and were unlucky not to score. Charlie Capogreco (Coach)
Middle A – Saints 1 defeated by Scotch 2
A much better performance this week, with the girls only being defeated by one goal. The team worked together much better and were focussed throughout most of the game. Unfortunately, we eventually went down after coming back from a one goal deficit at half-time and continued fighting until the final whistle. Although it was a better game than the previous one, there are still plenty of things to work on for the weeks to come. Vincent Talladira (Coach)
Middle B – Saints 0 defeated by Seymour 5
The score does not reflect the effort of the game. The girls were only down 1 nil at half-time and had numerous chances in the second half, but could not convert in front of goals. The positives were that all players kept trying to the end. Keep up the good work. Manni Katopolis (Coach)
Year 7 – Saints 5 defeated Wilderness 0
Despite having only nine players, all girls were determined and this was demonstrated with a great team effort. Everyone worked really hard throughout the game, making a number of great passing shots to create scoring opportunities. Overall, a great team effort. Kosta Bakopanos (Coach)
JUNIOR NETBALL
Wednesday 24 May
Year 6 Blue – Saints 24 defeated Walford Blue 3
The Year 6 Blue team had another successful game. They all played a very hard defence and converted many of their turnovers into goals. The attackers led to the ball very well and shot with accuracy. Sarah Matheson (Student Coach)
Year 6 Silver – Saints 8 defeated by Pembroke Red 23
Each girl played a great game, intercepting, getting rebounds and leading towards the ball throughout the game. Charlie E and Isobel both played an amazing game. Isobel listened very well in quarter-time breaks, doing exactly what was told and bringing that onto the court. Charlie E also had a successful game in GD, stopping the other team from getting the ball into the ring, calling for the ball and making helpful leads. Well done to all the girls and good luck for next week! Brooke Elliott and Tahlia Towers (Student Coaches)
Year 6 White – Saints 15 defeated Wilderness Blue 10
The girls had another great game this week. They were determined to start out strongly and the goal of the game was to get a goal for every centre pass we had. The girls achieved this by executing the set plays we went over at training. In the goal third, Montana Melisi, Lucy Schirripa and Maddy Lisle worked very hard and, despite not typically playing in a shooting position, each of them managed to get a few goals each. Best player this week goes to Emma Pool, who played a fantastic game in mid-court. Her defensive pressure resulted in many turnovers. Well done, girls, for another great win! Sophia West and Amy Wishart (Coaches)
Year 5 – Saints 9 defeated by Seymour Blue 13
Saints showed some fantastic teamwork which remained consistent through the whole game. We spent training working on defensive techniques and centre passes and the girls were able to incorporate that into the game with great confidence. The score remained equal all the way up to the last quarter when Seymour managed to just sneak in front. This score didn’t wipe the smiles from the girls’ faces, as Seymour has always been tough competition. Great effort, girls, and best of luck next week! Charlotte Parker (Student Coach)
JUNIOR HOCKEY
Friday 26 May
Years 4 – 6 – Saints 3 drew with Seymour College 3
Last Friday the Years 4 – 6 hockey team played Seymour College in a well fought contest. With strong passes and smart play the girls were able to put an early goal away which put the pressure back on the opposition. In an even contest, Seymour managed to match each goal we scored resulting in a 3-3 draw.
AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL
Friday 26 May
Saints 4.3 = 27 defeated by Pulteney Grammar School 5.3 = 33
Saints’ second Australian rules football game was against Pulteney Grammar School and once again there was a great vibe and excellent crowd to provide encouragement to players from both teams. The match was close throughout, with some tough physical contests and Saints dominating the tackling, providing a number of turnovers. Thandi Murada again provided drive around the contests, with Jasmine Ledgard, Charlotte Kelly, Willow Fowler all gaining. Ebony-Jade Nash-Smith, Grace and Fiona Dawson provided added run from defence and Saints led by 2 points late in the game. Unfortunately, Pulteney’s pressure and the fading light both went against Saints’ late push for the win. With time, all players will gain more experience but have already demonstrated great teamwork and desire to ensure this sport continues to gain exposure. Neil Fuller
BADMINTON
Saturday 27 May
Another great week of badminton, with five of our teams defeating their opposition. The Open D2 team was extremely successful, defeating Pembroke 6-0. Congratulations to Jiayi Wang who won her singles match 21-4. The Open A team had a tough match against Seymour College, but did well to win two of the singles. The girls in the E grade teams did fantastically, considering that this was the first match for some of them, and I look forward to seeing their skills develop as they gain more match experience. Emily Murdock (Captain)
Open A – Saints 2 defeated by Seymour 4
Best player: Cate Neale
Open B – Saints 3 defeated Woodcroft 3
Best player: Laura Sivewright
Open C – Saints 4 defeated Pulteney Grammar School 2
Best players: Sophia Casanova Clarke, Gloria Gao
Open D1 – Saints 5 defeated Pulteney Grammar School 1
Best player: Nicola Jones
Open D2 – Saints 6 defeated Pembroke 0
Best player: Jiayi Wang
Open E1 – Saints 3 defeated by Wilderness 6
Best players: Christina Song, Ashleigh Rogers
Open E2 – Saints 6 defeated Wilderness 3
Best player: Millie Han
Open E3 – Saints 4 defeated by Pembroke 5
Best players: Hattie Xu, Christina Stewart, Vanessa Pols
HOCKEY
Saturday 27 May
Open A – Saints 1 defeated by Pembroke 9
This was a disappointing result as we allowed Pembroke to move the ball around constantly up and down the pitch. Our defenders tried keeping the Pembroke attackers out of the goal circle and while our midfielders helped out our defence where they could, Pembroke had too many opportunities. A special mention must go to Grace Edwards who did an amazing job of saving so many shots on goal throughout the game. Emma Carrodus was also incredible in getting our one and only goal. The pressure was maintained throughout the game and definitely picked up in the second half of the match but we need a much better performance in the coming weeks. Lara Khoury (Captain)
Open B – Saints 0 defeated by Pembroke 4
The girls had a number of opportunities to score but gave up their goals on the counter attack. Some excellent defence was played by Georgina Keough, often beating her opponent and then passing forward to our midfield. Trinity Nelson played in goals for the first time and performed well, saving a number of shots. Dan Searle (Supervisor)
LACROSSE
Saturday 27 May
Under 15 – Saints 14 defeated Woodville 4
Saints continued their winning season when they got off to a terrific start, outscoring Woodville 9-2 in the first quarter. Millie Wilkin was outstanding in attack, scoring 7 goals, and she was well supported by Portia Maerschel (3), Hattie Maerschel (2), with new players, Ellie Anderson and Paris Robinson, both also scoring. It was a great team effort, with all players contributing to the win. Hattie Maerschel (Year 9)
Under 11 – Saints Blue 9 defeated East Torrens/Payneham 8
Despite the cold weather, all of the girls were very eager to play. In defence, the girls did a great job at calling the opposition’s numbers and sticking with them. Jenna Maione (Year 5) made several intercepts, which caused turnovers. By running into attack with the ball, Lara Maione (Year 4) and Madison Dornbusch (Year 3) showed their excellent stick skills. Mabel Cook (Year 4) did a fantastic job, calling for the ball in attack and dodging around her defender to have a shot at the goal. The girls were up by two goals at half-time but needed to focus on running into attack when our team had the ball. Sophie Lively (Year 3) showed her improving skills by picking up the ball off the ground and using speed to get away from her defender. In addition, Elysia Scarr (Year 4) did well at keeping her stick up in defence. Savannah Walls (Year 3) did a great job in goals, as she used her big throw to clear the ball. It was a great first win for the Blue team, especially as all the girls showed their skills are improving. Lucy Martin (Coach)
Under 11 – Saints White 2 defeated by Wilderness Blue 8
The team played very well, with great teamwork being demonstrated. It is great to see their confidence strengthen each week and they are constantly improving their skills by playing challenging opponents. All of the girls worked exceptionally hard and the skills we have learnt in training such as goal scoring, passing the ball and defending, have all been put into play. Both goals were scored by Lauren Pearce, and Elizabeth McKernan had a great first game in goals. I’m looking forward to coaching the girls again next week and I’m really proud of their efforts this week. Sophie Auricht (Lacrosse Captain)
NETBALL
Saturday 27 May
Open A – Saints 45 defeated Wilderness 37
This week the girls came out firing to defeat Wilderness and remain unbeaten. The team adjusted extremely well to the defence from the opposition, proving how incredibly well the new team has united. Fiona Dawson’s impressive goal work kept the team on top throughout the game, and Sophie Freeman’s amazing intercepts helped maintain this lead. The team is looking promising for the future challenges ahead. Sophie Freeman (Co-Captain)
Open B – Saints 44 defeated Wilderness 36
Open E (Year 12) – Saints 37 defeated Wilderness 12
A great game to all the Year 12 girls this week! A special thanks to India Deere and Willow Fowler for filling in. The girls played an exceptional game; special mentions to Dimity Pittman and Georgia Nichols for turning the ball over well in defence as well as shooting accurately in goals. A great game, girls. Ready to play another amazing game this week against the other Wilderness team! Chelsea Marchetti (Year 12)
Open E (Year 11) – Saints 18 defeated by Wilderness 42
Year 10A
This week proved to be a competitive game and after being 5 goals down at quarter-time, the girls fought back to reduce the margin to 3 at the last change. Unfortunately, we couldn’t maintain the momentum, eventually losing by 7. The team did impress, as they worked together as a team and all displayed a spirited effort and listened to advice and were able to implement it into their game. Grace Russo (Coach)
Year 10B – Saints 17 defeated by Wilderness 33
The 10B team played a solid attacking game against Wilderness and indicated strong improvement, specifically whilst in attack, as we moved the ball a lot more smoothly and were able to get it in to our shooters a lot more easily than previously. Great shooting and teamwork by Neve McCormack and Amy Rice in the goal end, beating their extremely tall defenders! This week we will aim to have stronger plays in defence to hold our opposition’s goalies to minimum attempts to shoot. A bee sting affecting one of our mid-court players showed Tegan Lindsay’s strength in centre, which was great to see, along with the teamwork and support from the rest of the players! Emily Wishart (Coach)
Year 10C – Saints 15 defeated by Seymour Blue 39
The team had a solid start, keeping up with Seymour for the first half in a very fast game of netball. The girls had strong defence all the way down the court, creating many turnovers but unfortunately struggling to consolidate on all of these. Emily Braggs (Coach)
Year 9A – Saints 35 defeated by Wilderness 37
Although the score wasn’t in our favour, the girls were able to put up a great fight until the last second. They worked as a team to move the ball down the court smoothly and with the help of Ruby Bouhamdan and Ella Liddy feeding the ball into the marvellous goalies, the girls were able to portray some great netball. Tesse Parker had a great game in attack and although Jess Wishart had sore ankles prior to the game, she was still able to push through the first quarter, also playing very well. Our defence kept us alive and in the running for a win, with Hannah Freeman, born a netball star, able to intercept the ball more times than anyone could count. With the help of Tilly McCormack and Sarah Wishart, the girls were able to hold their stance and give our offence another crack at scoring. All the players were amazing and although the score didn’t show it, we certainly won that game in my eyes. Great game, girls, and let’s show Immanuel what we can do next week! Bella Bernardi (Year 9)
Year 9B – Saints 21 defeated by Wilderness 37
Saints’ Year 9B team were met with a tough match against Wilderness and had an unfortunate loss. The game started off strongly, with the girls keeping up their hopes. The girls pushed and worked their hearts out until the end; however, in the third quarter we let Wilderness get away from us. Everyone contributed and we look forward to our next game where hopefully we have a better outcome. Emma Matheson (Year 9)
Year 8A – Saints 61 defeated Wilderness 6
This week the team had an incredible game. From the first quarter to the last, the energy and determination shown by each player was fantastic. Set plays were executed consistently and accurately, which allowed all our centre passes to easily be converted to goals. The pressure down the court was evident through the many held balls and our defence line got countless intercepts. Best player this week goes to Anna White, who shot accurately all game and read the play through the mid-court to achieve many turnovers. Anna should also be commended for her support to her team-mates through the entire game. Well done to all girls this week – an amazing game all round! Amy Wishart (Coach)
Year 8B – Saints 16 defeated by Wilderness 19
The girls played well together as a team, with the use of strong defence and moving in front of their players to receive the ball. At the start of the last quarter the girls were leading; however, Wilderness came back with strong intercepts to gain control. Overall, the girls worked hard and never gave up. Best player goes to Ailani Cox for her good shooting and strong attack. Sophia West and Amy Wishart (Coaches)
Year 7A – Saints 35 defeated Wilderness 17
The Year 7A netball team met Wilderness on Saturday and, after a slow start, were able to take control of the game and take the win. A strong team performance by all nine girls who worked well together and backed each other every step of the way. Michelle Blackburn (Coach)
Year 7B – Saints 8 defeated by Wilderness 20
Although the team didn’t have a win this week, they all put their best effort in and played a great all-round game as a team. Each player used the skills we have been working on at training and focussed on improving particular skills as well. Even when put in positions they are not comfortable or familiar with, they gave it a good go. Multiple intercepts were gained and resulted in goals, and all girls should be proud of how they played and how well the team has been working together each week. Georgia Naughton (Coach)
Year 7C – Saints 0 defeated by Concordia 38
It was a very tough game against a bigger and more experienced Concordia team; however, the girls all worked hard and improved as each quarter went on. They are so supportive of each other and encouraged each other all game and kept smiling. We got lots of turnovers but just couldn’t get a goal; we had plenty of shots, just none that went in. Jo Knapps (Coach)