Issue no. 18
Round of Applause for Chorus Line Cast and Crew
Congratulations Saints Girls and staff for an outstanding School Musical: A Chorus Line – High School Edition. Four performances were held over two days, where our girls showcased their amazing talents in singing, dancing and acting.
This iconic production pulls back the curtain on the life of a Broadway performer, weaving personal stories together to create a breathtakingly moving event. We commend our girls and staff for putting together yet another spectacular performance which had the audience entertained from beginning to end!
I absolutely loved the musical experience this year and had so much fun rehearsing and performing. We began rehearsals in Term 1 and have been working extra hard at lunchtimes and Tuesday afternoons to put this amazing show together. My favourite part of this whole experience was creating so many new friendships with girls from all different year levels, and of course, performing. – Zoe Pool
It was great fun to take part in A Chorus Line – High School Edition as it was my third and final musical. I had the opportunity to help choreograph some of the dance numbers and it was extremely rewarding to see it all come to life on stage. The sense of community in The Arts Department is amazing, so being a part of that is very special, especially whilst in Year 12. – Louisa Reid
The School Musical was super fun for me, as I was playing percussion in the band. It was a great experience to play in a band full of students and teachers, improving my skills and trying something new. – Georgie Raftopoulos
The School Musical was an excellent opportunity for some girls to gain experience in musical theatre, and for others, to finally perform again after a long two years between School Musicals. I had a great time performing and working hard to perfect the amazing choreography and singing with girls from all different year levels. I have certainly made memories I will never forget and have picked up some life skills along the way! – Charlotte Norman
Being a part of the musical was a great experience. I had the opportunity to learn a new skill and play percussion, which was a highlight for me and very enriching musically. Two years ago, I was able to perform in the musical up on stage, so it was great to be a part of the team behind the scenes this time around. A Chorus Line – High School Edition was definitely a highlight this term. – Victoria Thorp
Tuesday afternoons were always eventful; though, each week, I loved learning new numbers with the girls. This was a fantastic opportunity for us to get to know girls from all year levels through our collective passion for performing. – Caitlin Middelberg
Conceived and Originally Directed and Choreographed by Michael Bennett; Book by James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante; Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Edward Kleban; Co Choreographed by Bob Avian
Original Broadway production produced by the New York
Shakespeare Festival, Joseph Papp, Producer, in association with Plum Productions, Inc.
Adaptation and support materials for the High School Edition
Developed by iTheatrics
Under the supervision of Timothy Allen McDonald
A CHORUS LINE High School Edition is presented by permission of ORiGiN™
Theatrical on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC
From Our Deputy Principal / Head of Senior School
#EMPOWHER – Introducing Sarah Rowan
Sarah Rowan is a speed painter, artist, entrepreneur and keynote speaker who is passionate about empowering young people to engage with creativity. While Sarah is an artist, her view is that ‘creative thinking’ should not be limited to an artistic space. Rather, young people must be encouraged to be creative in all aspects of their lives.
Sarah’s perspective regarding ‘creativity’ certainly aligns with those of the School. Not only is creativity one of our values, but we actively encourage all of our girls to be creative in how they approach their academic learning, and in what tools and strategies they utilise to improve their overall wellbeing. Our girls have a variety of tools they can use to improve how they cope with stress, time management, sleep, mindset, confidence, study habits and resilience. We continually encourage the girls to have an open mind, and if one strategy does not work, to be creative in engaging with an alternate option.
We are very excited to announce that next term Sarah will be visiting Saints and delivering a series of workshops. She will not only spend time in various art classes, she will also present three keynote sessions and speed painting experiences. Students in Reception to Year 2 and in Years 3 to 5 will enjoy a 30-minute interactive speed painting presentation. Girls in Years 6 to 12 will engage with Sarah over a one hour keynote. Sarah will also spend time with our senior students as part of our Career.Ready / JobChat initiative. You can read more about Sarah here.
Collective of St Mary Magdalene, Moore Street Drop-In Centre
Service Learning is an important element of our #EMPOWHER program, and the past term has certainly been busy for the girls of Year 10 Patteson. Over the past seven weeks, they have collaborated to research, plan, cook and serve a three-course meal for over 80 patrons of the Moore Street Drop-In Centre. The level of detailed organisation behind this project should not be underestimated, and it was wonderful to see the girls not only rise to the challenge, but improve their communication, negotiation, planning and time management skills. My thanks to all of the girls and staff involved (and to the many parents who donated containers). I cooked with the girls on our two allocated evenings and certainly appreciated their good humour, camaraderie and positive approach.
Finally, Year 10 and 11 SACE exams take place next week and it is natural for these to contribute to a heightened level of stress. It is therefore important that we maintain perspective and recognise that some level of ‘exam stress’ is entirely normal. A healthy approach is one where our girls view their exams as learning experiences and focus on more than a final mark. For example, success in exams is achieved through consistent revision and study over a number of weeks, combined with positive self-talk. In essence, it is often the habits and behaviour behind the ‘exam mark’ that provide the greater lesson.
Kate Mortimer
Deputy Principal/Head of Senior School
Saints Girls’ Service Learning Journey
The Year 10 Patteson Home Group’s Service Learning journey started midway through last term, with the introduction of the Moore Street Drop-In Centre. Our task was to cater for up to 80 disadvantaged people with a three-course meal, to be served at the Moore Street Drop-In Centre in the city.
Initially, we brainstormed ways to meet the challenge and quickly learnt the importance of teamwork, the need to allocate tasks, the importance of different roles and strong leadership. The girls in our Home Group collaborated to select the best recipes, write food orders, liaise with Tuck Shop staff and collect food storage containers. Several girls demonstrated strong leadership skills as we worked through the various requirements.
Through the mentorship of Ms Zacharoyannis, Ms Mortimer and Mr Bassett, all the necessary equipment and ingredients were obtained. The girls worked efficiently after school in the Food Technology Centre to prepare the three-course meal which included a hearty minestrone soup, a coconut chicken curry and delicious brownies. Each course was packaged by the girls and later transported to the Moore Street Drop-In Centre. Although there were challenges presented to our Home Group, solutions were always found through the excellent communication and creative problem-solving skills.’ – Lucy Schirripa
After the Year 10 Patteson girls worked hard cooking the meals, Olivia Downie, Eliza Monaghan, and myself volunteered to prepare and serve the food at the Moore Street Drop-In Centre last Saturday night.
In collaboration with the teachers and other volunteers at the centre, we successfully provided many underprivileged people with a delicious and satisfying meal. We had dutifully catered for a larger number of people than the amount who presented on Saturday, which allowed us to offer larger servings and seconds when requested. We had to work at a rapid pace as demand for the food was high, especially when dessert was offered!
Each course was very well received, and it was truly special to be given so much positive feedback for the food we had prepared. It was a positive experience and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to develop some new skills whilst helping other people.’ –Amelie Zacharia Henley
ELC Backpack Appeal Warms Hearts
We are so proud of our community for supporting The Smith Family Backpack Appeal. This level of service learning is so important for our littlest citizens, helping them build an understanding of their role in supporting others in our wider community.
The ELC children participated in the packing of the backpacks and you’ll see in the video just how many we managed to fill.
Thank you so much for getting behind this valuable initiative!
Rich Rewards from Junior Ethics Competition
On Wednesday, 10 girls from Year 5 competed in the inaugural Junior School Ethics Olympiad. Despite being two all-Year 5 teams in a Year 5/6 competition, the girls were successful throughout the day, and as a result, the Blue and Black teams placed 1st and 6th respectively – a fantastic result!
The girls performed to a high standard, using vocabulary and reasoning skills well beyond their years. The competition is very challenging, and requires extensive knowledge of ethics and philosophy including ethical theories in addition to skills of organisation, cooperation and creativity. The girls prepared for the competition for over a term, learning about six separate ethics cases and four complex ethical theories. The competition involves a five-minute presentation, as well as a response and reflection, and direct questions from judges.
As a coach, I am extremely proud of the girls, who were always keen to learn more and grew to be confident speakers throughout the competition. It was a great team effort. Thanks must go out to Ms Burton-Howard, who organised our teams and competition entry, and joined me in teaching the girls throughout the week.
Emily Teague
Student Coach
Saints Girls Engineer Challenge Success
Congratulations to our Year 9 and 10 girls who were Runners Up in the annual Science and Engineering Challenge. A team of 27 of our students competed against a host of other schools in fun and engaging hands-on activities, such as designing an earthquake-proof tower, building a hovercraft or bridge, providing electricity to a city or creating a bionic hand that can grasp straws and hold a ball.
Eight schools of up to 32 students (256 students in total) competed in the Challenge Day and points were awarded based on their performance against strict criteria. Saints Girls performed fantastically, winning three of the eight activities: Grasping at Straws, Stringways and HoverFrenzy. There were only 40 points between 1st and 2nd place and we commend our girls on their outstanding achievement!
Craig Byrne
Head of Science
FUNdamental Skill Development in ELC
Developing core motor skills in the early years has always been a passion of mine and in previous roles, both in America and Queensland, I was tasked with creating a soccer-based fundamental skills program for children aged 3 to 5, which I am currently running with our ELC friends on Wednesdays.
The basis of this program is in the word itself: FUNdamentals. When working with children of this age in sport, I’ve found that high-energy, high-movement and imagination are key to delivering an enjoyable program. But first and foremost, it must be fun! Each week, we use a different theme to encourage creativity and imagination. These include topics such as pirates, safari, dinosaurs, underwater and race cars.
At the start of each session, each player is given a ball. This is their ‘vehicle’ for movement and must stay at their feet for the entirety of the session. With the ball as their race car, rocket ship or boat, students move around the area to discover theme-related objects/beings and then complete set tasks. These tasks ensure that players develop confidence and take on challenges. For example, when faced with an angry pirate, players must fire their cannon (kick their soccer ball) and sink the pirate’s ship; or when an alien comes close, they should escape by dribbling their ball quickly to a different coloured planet.
By coaching the Football Federation Australia’s four core skills (striking the ball; first touch; 1 v 1s; running with the ball) through hidden learning – and at such a young age – we are putting the building blocks in place for quality skill development and long-term participation. I look forward to working more with our ELC friends and seeing how the skills and confidence of our youngest Saints’ students develop.
Tommy Peak
Director of Sport
Community Joy at Family Yum Cha Lunch
Our ELC Yum Cha event last Sunday was another wonderful example of community. With nearly 100 people attending, there was laughter, cheer and pure joy as the children realised they were dining out with their friends and families.
An additional surprise was to see some of our lovely educators there as well. We filled the restaurant at Chef Dong and enjoyed delicious cuisine. Thank you to the Friends of the ELC for organising such a fantastic event and to all the families and staff who supported this special gathering.
ELC早茶时分！
感谢ELC之友的家长们，在六月六日早上，在位于圣彼得区的董家园餐厅，精心组织了早茶活动， 让家长们能够在一个轻松自在的环境里，享用源源不断上来的美食，跟老师，跟朋友们，随意聊天。 将近百名家长，老师，孩子参加这次活动，没有了早晚接送的匆忙，没有了工作的压力，一切轻松随意。ELC这个社区大家庭紧密团结，大家彼此自我介绍，孩子们充当小使者，給爸爸妈妈仔细介绍。周末早茶是中国广东习俗，很多当地老师和家长，乃至中国文化背景的一些家庭，都是第一次享用，大家直呼“美味”， 纷纷要求再次举行类似活动。
Ann Li
ELC parent and St Peter’s Girls’ School staff member
Grand Performances at Piano Eisteddfod
Our Piano Eisteddfod this year had 70 girls from Reception to Year 9 perform on our baby grand piano which was partly purchased by the Friends of The Arts and partly donated by Old Scholar Fiona Hale (nee Burton, Patteson 1986).
The girls all performed beautifully to their peers, family and friends. It was a wonderful display of enthusiasm, creativity and passion for music.
We look forward to welcoming Dr Gabriella Smart, our guest pianist, who will perform next Tuesday 15 June for a select few of the girls who have been asked to play at the evening recital.
Sally Rounsevell
Director of Music
Junior School Explores Culture and Creativity
The Junior School ran sessions focusing on Aboriginal survival technology as part of our learning in Reconciliation Week. Philip Green introduced students to an intensive 90-minutes of learning where they were immersed in topics such as medicine, clothing, cooking utensils, bush tucker, water and fire.
As part of their learning, the girls were able to investigate and handle Aboriginal artefacts, which made a strong impression. They gained rich understandings as they explored and hypothesised over the use of many of the artefacts.
Claire’s experience was reflected in her Learning Journal:
‘I learnt that the people had a nose bone; they also wore a ring on their head when they carried heavy objects…I learnt the difference between their summer clothes and winter clothes.’
Rena was impressed to hear that ‘it took 40 possum skins to make one coat.’ She also learnt that the First Nations People were the first people to live on Australian land and that Kaurna people are the original owners of the land our School is on.
Liz Sandercock
Year 1 Teacher
Urban Planning – Not Just a Walk in the Park
Exploring the Liveability of the Local Area
This term, the Year 7 students have been learning about ‘What makes a place liveable?’ Ms Stefopoulos’ Year 7 Humanities classes visited the Kensington Gardens Reserve to witness the changes that are currently taking place at this park to enhance liveability. Students were fortunate to have guest speakers Aaron Schroeder (Strategic Projects and Planning Manager at City of Burnside) and Kelly Burns (Strategic Projects Officer at City of Burnside) meet the students at the park, where they outlined the process of planning and identified the stages of redevelopment. Students were also able to ask questions about the redevelopment. Once back at school, the students provided a debrief of what they learnt.
What did you learn from Mr Schroeder and Ms Burns?
‘I learnt that it takes a lot of work and effort into not even changing but planning an area. Many aspects need to be considered when planning.’
‘I learnt that the planning of the area being built needs to be done considerately and carefully since the council has to take the opinions of the community whilst doing what is best for the environment. I learnt that they take people’s opinions into consideration a lot since they want their community to be happy. They take lots of surveys, from not only their council area, but also from neighbouring areas.
‘I learnt that many hours go into planning the park. I also learnt that they take a lot of data, to help them consider the things they are going to put into the park.’
‘I learnt the challenges and process of designing parks and all the elements and work that goes into changing and rebuilding facilities. I also learnt that local citizens who live closest to the park have a powerful voice on decisions involving the park over people who don’t live in the area or live further away.
‘I learnt that planning and constructing a park is much harder than just sticking in a few trees and a playground.’
What are your thoughts about the process of planning a change in a park?
‘Changing a park is definitely difficult because you have to think of ideas that are unique and not the same as any other park. You also have to think about what type of people are most likely to come to the park, e.g. families or the elderly. Another reason why planning is difficult is because you have to think about the advantages and disadvantages of the things you are going to include; whether it is good for the people but bad for the environment, etc.’
‘I learnt that the process of planning changes is very complicated because you need to collect data, make and propose the new plan, and edit it to suit the stakeholders’ needs.’
‘I think that everyone’s ideas matter. I like that they had the ideas box in front of the community building.’
Students have been given a summative task to redesign the park, identifying what they think it should have whilst also considering the top 10 activities identified by the community surveys. They have been asked to list five stakeholders and include items in the park that these groups would want and to justify their choices. This opportunity has also exposed students to career pathways in the Humanities field.
Anna Stefopoulos
Year 7 Humanities Teacher
New Networks at International Student Event
Last Friday, 17 Saints Girls from Years 7 to 12 participated in the International Student Event with St Peter’s College. Over three hours, students were able to use soft clay to shape and design their own mugs, bowls or plates before decorating them with various colours.
There were some brilliant collaborations and nice interactions between students of the two schools. The students also shared a delicious meal in the Da Costa (the dining hall at St Peter’s College), with butter chicken and sautéed vegetables. The students from both schools had a pleasant evening together, and a Year 12 international student from St Peter’s College shared that, ‘It was the best international event I have ever been to.’
Cynthia He
Student
St Peter’s Girls’ Piano Recital – Next Tuesday
Introducing our guest artist for the Piano Recital next Tuesday 15 June: Dr Gabriella Smart.
From this week’s Piano Eisteddfod, a select number of students from across year levels and years of experience who demonstrated confidence and musicality have been selected to perform at the evening recital next Tuesday 15 June. Our guest artist Dr Smart will talk about her own musical journey as well as perform a mixture of classical and contemporary works to motivate and inspire our budding pianists.
Dr Smart has been acknowledged as one of the leading advocates of new music in Australia – through performance, education, composition, commissioning and curation. She is Artistic Director of Soundstream, New Music Ensemble in Residence at the University of Adelaide. As a performer, Dr Smart has received several international accolades. Before COVID-19, Dr Smart performed seven concerts in Europe in 2020, which included three solo world premieres, two preview showings of new works by Kasper T Toeplitz (FRA) and Constantine Koukias (AUS/NETH), and overall performing nine Australian premieres in Europe. She has premiered more than 40 new works for solo piano in Europe and China.
We are very honoured to have Dr Smart join our Piano Recital.
Sally Rounsevell
Director of Music
Junior School Vacation Care
Our next awesome instalment of Junior School Vacation Care is almost here. We have some great activities guaranteed to keep the children entertained through the break. With an array of excursions and on-site adventures, there is plenty of fun to be had.
June/July 2021 Vacation Care Program
Places are limited, so click here to secure your booking now!
Bingo Night – Saturday 19 June
The Saints Girls’ community proudly presents:
Bingo Night!
Saturday 19 June
St Peter’s Girls’ School Gym
5 rounds of Bingo + fun and games / bar available for drink purchases / adults only event
Tickets are limited, so organise your table now by visiting: TryBooking
Be quick! Bookings close 5pm, Monday 14 June.
Supported by Friends of Rowing
Road Safety Alert
The School is extremely concerned by reports of dangerous driver behaviour including speeding through the car park. All drivers must obey the 10kph speed limit.
Please also note the speed limit along Hallett Road has recently been reduced from 60 to 50kph.
Road safety and courtesy is everyone’s responsibility and is of the utmost importance in a school setting. We appeal to all of our families to take extra care in our car parks and on the roads for the safety of our students, parents, staff and the wider community.
Join ‘Our Saints’ Community
Beyond parents and guardians, our girls also treasure connections with grandparents, aunts, uncles or friends of the family. We name these special people ‘Our Saints’.
In the first week of Term 2, students from Reception to Year 6 were given two forms each to take home to their grandparents. If you did not receive these forms from your daughter, please contact me via mwestgate@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au or 8334 2244.
Alternatively, there is a link to the form here.
Our Saints provides opportunities for those who have a connection with our girls to be more involved with the School community through various means, ranging from volunteering their time, to subscribing to our publications such as eNews and Saints Alive.
We encourage all interested grandparents, aunts, uncles or friends of the family to join this special group.
Melissa Westgate
Foundation Manager
Entertainment Membership
To support Saints Girls and purchase your Entertainment Membership, including a free upgrade, click here.
Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.entertainment.com.au for more information.
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 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.
Please note: it is absolutely imperative to keep unwell children at home until they have recovered, even if symptoms are mild. This is not only for their own health and safety, but for that of all students and staff.
We thank all of our families for their cooperation.
COVID Measures
Please note the following information regarding our continued COVID response.
The School has a QR code tracing system to facilitate the safe return of parents on site, in line with wider government measures. Parents entering the campus to drop off or collect their children need to scan the QR code provided each time. This also applies to parents visiting the School for events such as parent information evenings, Arts productions or sports training/matches.
Parents and visitors with more formal appointments at the School, such as meeting a staff member, are still required to sign in/out at Front Office and also need to scan the QR code as well for SA Health tracing purposes.
Adults who do not have a device to scan the QR code need to write their details on the paper form provided in the Front Office.
Parents who remain in their vehicles in the main car park do not need to scan in, and students do not need to scan in as the School already tracks daily attendance.
Logistics around events will be shared in due course, dependent upon the latest advice. Attendance numbers, particularly for indoor events, will still need to be restricted to facilitate social distancing.
The following general requirements remain in place:
- Ensure adults maintain a distance of 1.5m from each other.
- Practise sound hand washing and other hygiene measures.
- Students should remain at home if they are unwell; please notify the School of absences by texting 0428 601 957, emailing attendance@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au, or calling 8334 2200.
We thank all of our families for your cooperation.
Sports News
CROSS COUNTRY
SSSA State Cross Country
Congratulations to the Saints Girls who competed at Oakbank in the SSSA State Cross Country. On what was a cold day and on a challenging course, our girls performed admirably – some stand out results were:
U15 – 2nd Overall
U14 – 3rd Overall
East Adelaide U13 – 2nd Overall
East Adelaide U11 – 1st Overall
East Adelaide U10 – 2nd Overall
Isla Fahey – 1st
Elodie de Wit – 2nd
Malaika McLeod – 3rd
SAAS
Senior School
Lady Murphy – 1st
Middle School
Malaika McLeod – 1st
Isla Fahey – 2nd
Daisy Braithwaite – 3rd
Alice Braithwaite – 8th
Carys Kinsella-White – 14th
Zara Trim – 15th
Dani Cox – 16th
Charlotte McAuliffe – 20th
AEROBICS
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN STATE TITLES
Glisten – 1st
Pink Ladies – 1st
Feisty Fives – 2nd
Golden Girls – 4th
AFL
Open: Saints 0 v Scotch 92
Middle: Saints 1 v Scotch 66
BADMINTON
Open A: Saints 6 v Walford 0
Open B: Saints 2 v Wilderness 4
Open C: Saints 2 v Woodcroft 4
Open D: Saints 6 v Walford 0
Open E1: Saints 4 v Woodcroft 5
Open E2: Saints 6 v Walford 3
Open F1: Saints 7 v Pembroke 2
Open F2: Saints 8 v Woodcroft 1
Perseverance and hard work were shown through the matches last week with skills learnt during training sessions seen utilised on the court. Throughout the term, the A and B teams’ training mainly focused on movement around the court and the E and F teams consolidating on different foundation skills. Improvements can also be seen in doubles matches from the C and D teams as they are more familiar with their partner on court and using tactics taught by coaches. Excellent results coming from all teams in the past weeks. Keep up the good work girls! There won’t be any matches next week due to the long weekend. – Candy Feng (Badminton Captain)
HOCKEY
Open: Saints 1 v Scotch 3
Year 3/4: Saints 3 v Seymour 0
Year 5/6: Saints 5 v Pembroke 1
Last Saturday, the Open As played Scotch. The girls started off strongly in the first half by earning some short corners, but were unable to convert. Whilst Scotch scored the first 2 goals in the third quarter, it was great to see that the girls did not drop their heads and kept fighting, which resulted in a goal. Best player goes to Bridgette Leach in midfield for linking the ball between the defence and strikers.
Last Friday night, the Year 3/4 Minkey team played Wilderness at Saints. Having a bigger pitch than the week before gave the girls the ability to spread out and easily shift the ball from side-to-side. It was great to see the girls leading in front of the defence to receive the ball which created space to dribble onto. Well done to all the girls for the first win of the season and special mentions to Ishana Roy for her 2 goals and Emily Robinson for scoring 1. – Poppie Goldsmith (Hockey Captain)
LACROSSE
U11 White: Saints 18 v St Aloysius 1
U11 Blue: Saints 7 v Eagles 2
Our U11 Lacrosse teams are having a stellar season, with all girls improving their skills and confidence. This fantastic team play and shared success was on show in the U11 White team, who had 4 girls scoring hat-tricks (3+ goals)!
NETBALL
Open A: Saints 29 v Immanuel 59
Open B: Saints 44 v Immanuel 48
Open C: Saints 8 v Immanuel 68
Open D: Saints 1 v Immanuel 85
Open E: Bye
Intermediate A: Saints 38 v Immanuel 34
Intermediate B: Saints 27 v Immanuel 41
Year 10C: Saints 14 v Wilderness 50
Year 9A: Saints 57 v Immanuel 43
Year 9B: Saints 21 v Immanuel 42
Year 9C: Saints 15 v Pulteney 14
Year 8A: Saints 19 v Immanuel 24
Year 8B: Saints 47 v Immanuel 19
Year 8C: Saints 7 v Seymour 30
Year 7A: Saints 13 v Immanuel 57
Year 7B: Saints 15 v Immanuel 28
Year 7C: Saints 4 v Scotch 9
Year 6 White: Saints 5 v Seymour 7
Year 6 Blue: Saints 26 v Pembroke 3
Year 5 White: Saints 1 v Pembroke 17
KNOCKOUT NETBALL
Open:
Saints 89 v Adelaide 9
Saints 55 v St John’s 13
Year 8/9:
Saints 38 v Seymour 35
Saints 55 v Adelaide 13
Year 6/7:
Saints 29 v Mary Mackillop 15
Saints 22 v Gleeson 20
On Wednesday, our Open netballers were up against St John’s Grammar and Adelaide High School to fight their way through to the next round of the State Knockout 2021. Our first match was against St John’s. In the first quarter, we were able to show excellent ball placement, patience and transitions all the way down the court, and as a team, this allowed us to capitalise highly on turnovers. St John’s mounted a fightback in the second quarter, where we focused less on possession and transitions and more on defending our player. The defensive line of Gemma Schaedel, Ruby Deakin and Willow Stewart-Rattray worked extraordinarily well together with high defensive one-on-one pressure, forced turnovers and ultimately scoring opportunities for us. At half-time and up by 20 goals, we chose to reset; we needed to focus on our game and how we were going to improve. This was displayed all the way down the court but especially in the ring with Annie Warrick and Anna White. Both girls were able to continuously become free from their player and provide options, not to mention their exceptional scoring. In the last quarter, Lex Politis was able to exaggerate the talk on the court, which enabled our focus back to the game, evidentially finishing with a win.
In game 2 against Adelaide High, the mindset of our players was the same: ‘Go in playing our own game.’ The opening quarter was slower to start, yet once players warmed up, the match started to gain intensity. Standouts again in the defensive line, this time Willow Stewart-Rattray, Gemma Schaedel and Milly Brett. Millly was constantly gaining touches and tips all the way down the court, putting pressure on the opponents’ transitions. Gemma and Willow, talking in the circle and utilising switches where necessary, confused their opponents, leaving them unable to score in the first quarter. Our attacking strategy with both Amelia Pudney (WA) and Joss Forster (GS) allowed more options driving onto the circle from Amelia who then was able to pop the ball to Joss with an exceptional body stature in the circle. Joss allowed our mid-courts to see exactly where she wanted the ball, promoting excellent ball placement, and finally, shots on goal. It is obvious that with a final score of 89 – 8, our shooters Anna White, Annie Warrick and Joss Forster were exceptional. In the last quarter, Adelaide High started to become uneven with their play; however, this did not confuse or change our focus. With Anna White in defence, she was able to gain many touches and tips forcing turnovers.
Every single player was important in our results against both Adelaide High and St John’s. I am really proud of how each girls, whether on the bench or on the court, was able to step up and provide many crucial elements to our game. With two wins now, we are through to the next round, where we face Scotch College and Blackwood High School next term. – Olivia Kelly (Netball Captain)
SOCCER
Open: Saints 0 v Immanuel 6
Middle: Saints 2 v Scotch 3
Wednesday’s Middle game versus a strong Scotch side ended in a heartbreaking 3 – 2 loss with Scotch scoring in the last play of the game. The girls had a much-improved performance on their last week’s 4 – 1 loss to Pembroke, looking far more composed in defence and dominating through the midfield for patches of the game. Emily Tolladay was fantastic in midfield with her two-way running in both attack and defence, keeping us right in the game. Lovely through balls and classy finishes netted Grace Brockhouse and Lucy Lowry their goals. Our reluctant goalkeeper Jackie Balasis did a great job between the posts, showcasing her great hands with plenty of remarkable saves. – Mr Eglinton (Coach)