Issue no. 38
From the Principal
Inspiration is a gift to be given as well as received…
Great teachers are often described as ‘inspiring’. What truly inspires you? Is it the courage, the creativity or the compassion of another person? Is it the lyrics to your favourite song or a verse from a poem that really struck a chord? Is it someone with a high profile, a sportswoman, a talented musician, someone renowned in their field? Or is it someone who goes quietly about their business, never looking for acknowledgement but simply seeking to make the world a better place?
We all find inspiration in different ways. Sport has an unparalleled ability to bring people together and provide positive and inspiring stories from which to draw strength. I was moved by much of the footage from the recent Invictus Games. This was an international multi-sport event in which the power of the human spirit took centre stage. We heard competitors speak of the motivation that helped them triumph over the physical and emotional challenges they’ve faced. Everyone spoke of the ‘invictus spirit’ and the great inspiration it had become. Inspiration fed their aspiration and, having discovered abilities they scarcely knew they had, these athletes are now inspiring others.
It underlines that inspiration is a two-way street. It’s a gift to be given as well as received. So rather than asking what inspires you, ask instead what have you done to inspire others? Have you helped someone to fill their amazing and wonderful potential? Inspirational people are authentic. They have the courage to remain true to themselves. They have a genuine love for what they do and a willingness to express their passion for their cause. They excel in their endeavours and are indeed worth emulating. Inspirational people are people of great character; they genuinely care about others yet have the highest expectations of them. They lead by example and are willing to share their successes and their failures. They’re optimistic – remembering that everything that happens in life is neither good nor bad. It just depends on your perspective.
We can all be inspirational, because everything that we need to inspire others is contained within us. And our girls need to be inspired. So, as 2018 draws to a close, may you seek not only to be inspired but to be inspiring.
Farewell Meredith
An inspirational feat worthy of great note is Meredith Beck’s 26+ years of service to St Peter’s Girls. During a special reception this week, staff celebrated Meredith’s outstanding contribution as she retires from the School. We wish her all the best for the future.
Class of 2018
A reminder that SACE results will be available in Students Online from 8.30am on Tuesday 18 December. IB results will be released on Thursday 3 January 2019. I congratulate the Class of 2018 for their hard work and perseverance, and I eagerly anticipate sharing their inspiring achievements with you.
Finishing Times for 2019
From the start of next year, Reception classes will finish at 3pm and Year 1 classes will conclude at 3.15pm. All other classes will continue to finish at 3.30pm. Please be mindful of these new arrangements and time your entrance into the pick-up zone accordingly. Please also adhere to the new traffic arrangements and remember that there is no right-hand turn into or out of the entrance on Stonyfell Road – even when you think there’s no one watching!
End of Year Events
I look forward to seeing many of you at Presentation Night this evening and Carols in the Cathedral on Monday. These are two special traditions in our School. It’s important that we come together as a community and celebrate the wonderful achievements of our girls this year and take time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. I’ve heard the girls rehearsing, and the music and choral work will be amazing as always.
On a final note, it has been an absolute privilege to lead the School in 2018. I wish you a peaceful and joyous Christmas and I will be delighted to welcome you all back on Wednesday 30 January 2019 when we will have the added inspiration of our 125th anniversary.
Julia Shea
Principal
SUBS in Schools Technology Challenge
There are many career opportunities available for students who have problem-solving and entrepreneurial skills. GEMS (Girls in Engineering, Mathematics and Science) is a Year 10 elective subject that focuses on developing both of these sets of skills. For the past three years, the major project in GEMS has been the SUBS in Schools Technology Challenge. This project culminates in the South Australian finals of the competition, held at the Royal Adelaide Show.
This year, the 17 students in the class competed, in teams, in two of the categories of the Challenge. Two groups built a working underwater ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle). This is operated via a control board and a ‘tether’ wire. The other two teams competed in the Spatial Design category, designing sleeping accommodation to match the specifications of the future Australian Submarines. Part of the task was to create a 3D virtual walk-through of their space.
In addition to the design and construction aspects of the task, which included students using CAD (Computer Aided Design) and CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing with 3D printing and laser cutting), students needed to obtain sponsorship and prepare a marketing campaign. They presented their work in engineering and entrepreneurial portfolios, prepared and presented a trade display, gave a verbal presentation and presented and explained the engineering aspects of their project to professional engineers.
All four of our teams did so well in the State Final that they qualified for the National Final, held at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney. Our teams did extremely well, winning several categories in their section of the competition. In two categories, the Taura ROV team was the overall national champion team for all sections of the competition; ROV, Spatial Design and remote-controlled Submarine.
ROV – Taura
Ehi Oyugbo, Charlotte Creek, Hattie Maerschel, Hannah Keough
All categories – Winner of Best Team Portfolio and Best Team Marketing
ROV Category – 1st Best Team Portfolio, 1st Best Graphic Design, 2nd Best Manufactured Watercraft, 1st Best Engineered ROV, 2nd Best Team Verbal Presentation, 1st Best Team Marketing, 1st Best Managed Enterprise, 1st Best Engineering CAD, 2nd Innovation Award
ROV – Kuroshio
Emily Downie, Lucy Young, Millie Wilkin, Amelie Eaton
All categories – Winner of Best Sportsmanship
ROV Category – 3rd Best Team Portfolio, 2nd Innovation Award, 2nd Outstanding Industry Collaboration
Spatial Design – Zaha
Faye Ma, Ellen Zhang, Stella Clark, Clair Kao, Renee Lawrence
Spacial Design National Champion
Spatial Design Category – 1st Best Graphic Design, 1st Best Team Marketing, 1st Best Team Verbal Presentation
Spatial Design – Morelli
Srishti Sharma, Christina Song, Sherry Liu, Hannah Shao
Spatial Design Category – 1st Innovation Award, 1st Best Managed Enterprise, 1st Outstanding Industry Collaboration, 1st Best Team Portfolio, 1st Best Application of CAD
Brian Parsons
Head of Science
A Message from the 2019 Deputy Head Prefect
And just like that, another school year is over! It feels like just yesterday I was walking into the School for my first day of Year 11. It has been a wonderfully busy year, and lucky for us, we have seven weeks of summer holidays to rest and rejuvenate before we start 2019 and do it all over again! With the end of the year comes a number of exciting annual events such as Presentation Night and Carols in the Cathedral – two absolute highlights of the year.
Presentation Night is a fantastic chance for the School community to come together and reflect on the journey we have taken this year. Packed full of performances by our many talented musicians and exciting announcements, it’s always an entertaining and enjoyable evening. It’s a time for us to celebrate the valued contributions students make to the school in academia and extracurricular activities, not to mention those who show particularly admirable attitudes or leadership skills. However, it’s important to remember that Presentation Night is most importantly a time to celebrate the hard work that each and every student has put in throughout the year. I think it’s safe to say that every girl at Saints has bettered herself this year – challenged herself to try something new, persevered in a particularly challenging subject, or simply matured in terms of responsibility and organisation. And for this reason, each and every Saints Girl should feel proud of herself and her efforts as she walks up the steps of the Adelaide Town Hall this year.
Carols in the Cathedral is another enjoyable event we have to look forward to. For my family, it never truly feels like the Christmas season until we have heard the first haunting notes of the processional – ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’ sung by our Year 12 choristers. This event is another wonderful opportunity to enjoy the musical talents of the girls as they perform beautiful renditions of Christmas songs popular and lesser known, amplified by the magnificent acoustics of the beautiful building. We also hear the story of the birth of Jesus, told by different members of the School community. It is events such as these which I believe bring us closer as a School community and make me feel truly grateful for the lovely friends and family I am lucky to spend the holiday season with. I wish everyone an enjoyable Christmas and restful holiday break!
Hannah Brown
2019 Deputy Head Prefect
School Mural a Work of Art
While our sensational new Visual Arts space is being constructed as part of the Science Centre project, a temporary art block has been set up for students.
Over the past few weeks, our Year 5 girls have been using their artistic flair to bring the façade to life with a vibrant design created by their talented classmate Anna Venning.
Anna shared with us the inspiration behind her artwork:
“My design is a range of blue colours using a triangle shape. I chose to do a triangle as I thought it would show that there are points as well as straight lines that symbolise a journey of connection.
I chose blue as it is my favourite colour, the School colour, and has a sense of peace and harmony when you see different shades mixed together.
I believe my artwork represents the uniqueness that everyone, no matter who or what they are, are all individuals. When they come together, they make a beautiful coloured artwork which represents diversity in many ways but highlights that we are a community.”
SACE Dance Students Leap from Stage to Screen
Towards the end of this term the SACE Dance students have been working at learning and perfecting choreography for a dance film. The concept of this, to be shown at Presentation Night, was to involve all aspects of The Arts in a collaborative project. The dancers were fortunate enough to work with a film crew from ‘Felicity Arts Media’ who came in on two occasions to capture my vision. The students learnt about angle shots, timing, close-ups, slow motion and more.
Throughout the process it was difficult to explain to the dancers the sequence of the film and how this would be assembled to create a visual story. However, this week we got to view the final product and were amazed by how each section of footage was edited together. When this film is shown, accompanied live by our amazing singers and musicians it will be a spectacular display of The Arts programs we offer at Saints Girls.
“Finishing off my Stage 2 Dance course dancing in a dance film was definitely an exciting and memorable experience.” – Jessica Schaedel (Year 11)
Kate Burnett
Head of Arts
Year 6 Graduation
The Year 6 Graduation and Exhibition was celebrated on Wednesday 5 December. The ceremony acknowledged the end of the girls’ time in the Junior School as they look forward to new and exciting experiences in the Middle School.
Some highlights of the ceremony included the Year 6 composed Graduation Song and the presentation of small gifts to each student by their Reception buddies. Following the ceremony, the girls shared the inquiries into their chosen area of interest under the transdisciplinary theme of ‘sharing the planet’. This was a real celebration of all of the knowledge and skills they had gained throughout the PYP Exhibition process. We wish the graduating class all the best in 2019.
Sarah Braithwaite and Kim Butler-Nixon
Year 6 teachers
Year 9 Graduation
On Friday last week, Year 9 parents and Middle School Staff and students from Years 6 – 9 packed the Arts Centre to support our Year 9 students during their graduation ceremony. This annual event is a chance to celebrate the achievements during the whole of Middle School of every student.
With superb musical pieces showcasing talented Year 9 musicians and vocalists and a stirring rendition of ‘We are St Peter’s Girls’, it was a fitting way to start this year’s celebratory season.
Richard Lisle
Deputy Principal / Head of Middle School
Science Achievements
Our students have the opportunity to challenge themselves and their science thinking in comparison with students from other schools. Two activities that enable students to compete in this way are the Science Olympiad Examinations and the Oliphant Science Awards.
The Science Olympiad Examinations, conducted by Australian Science Innovations, are very challenging exams in Biology, Chemistry, Earth & Environmental Science and Physics. They serve as the qualifying stage for selection to represent Australia in the International Science Olympiad Exams. We invite a selection of Years 10 and 11 students to participate in these exams. In 2018, Asha Short achieved Credits in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Hannah Brown achieved a Distinction in Biology. Sarah Carrodus achieved a Credit in Chemistry and a High Distinction in Physics. More information about the Science Olympiad Exams can be found at https://www.asi.edu.au/programs/australian-science-olympiads.
The Oliphant Science Awards, conducted by the South Australian Science Teachers Association, provide an enrichment opportunity for students in Years R-12 in an area of interest for them. This year, Chi Chi Zhao, in Year 8, was Highly Commended for her entry in the Models and Inventions category. Bronwyn Gautier, in Year 7, was also Highly Commended for her entry in the Science Writing category. Please see http://www.oliphantscienceawards.com.au/2019_event_information/2019_award_categories for information about the 2019 judging categories.
Brian Parsons
Head of Science
Junior School Vacation Care
Our next instalment of 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.
December 2018 and January 2019 Vacation Care Program
Places are limited, so please click here to secure your booking now!
Would You Like to Join our Amazing Team of Volunteers?
Our volunteers are all enormously valued within the Learning Strategies department and the broader School community. Our girls LOVE working with them and the teachers are so appreciative of their generous donation of energy, expertise and enthusiasm. On Monday a Year 1 student was heard telling a volunteer (who is a grandparent at our School), “I’m going to miss you in the holidays!”
We have some exciting new developments within our Learning Strategies Department in 2019 and we’d love you to join us. Our current volunteers work with our girls anywhere from a couple of lessons a week through to a couple of days per week. Volunteer personnel include parents, grandparents, old scholars, retired staff and university students who are keen to gain further experience working with children.
Please contact us anytime via email to register your interest:
Catherine Kelly – Junior School ckelly@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
Susan Bassett – Middle & Senior School sbassett@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au
We will send you a Volunteer Information Sheet to fill out and then invite you in for a chat. We will provide training for some of our Junior School programs.
We look forward to hearing from you!
The Learning Strategies Team
Christmas Giving Tree at St Peter’s Girls
The School community has been very generous with contributions of food and gifts for this year’s AnglicareSA Christmas Hamper Appeal. Donations were packaged up yesterday by some Year 6 helpers, ready for collection. AnglicareSA assists underprivileged individuals and families who have no one else to turn to. They expect to create over 1,000 hampers to support members of the wider Adelaide community this Christmas. They will also provide Christmas lunch to 200 people at the Elizabeth Mission. We thank all of our families who contributed food or gifts, and know they will be well received by those less fortunate than ourselves.
Suzanne Haddy
Head of Junior School
Celebration of the First Two Years of IB Spanish ab initio
Last Thursday 6 December we celebrated the end of the first two years of the IB Spanish ab initio course at Saints Girls by devouring some Spanish ‘churros’ and ‘chocolate caliente’ at San Churro.
Years 11 and 12 students gathered to reflect on their learning experiences, to give advice to each other and to laugh about some fun anecdotes that they lived over the last two years while learning Spanish and also about Hispanic cultures.
Fun times were had to celebrate the hard work, persistence, progress and achievements of these wonderful students, to whom I will be, sadly, saying goodbye very soon.
Muchas gracias, queridísimas chicas, for sharing with me your passion and enthusiasm for learning, your sense of humour, and for teaching me so many things.
You have been a pleasure to teach and I will miss you ‘muchísimo’!
Hasta pronto.
Profe
Carolina Barquero Masero
IB Spanish ab initio teacher
School Shop Opening Hours
The School Shop will be open at the following times in the school holidays:
Monday 21 January from 9am – 4pm
Tuesday 22 January from 9am – 4pm
Thursday 24 January from 9am – 4pm
Friday 25 January 2019 from 9am – 4pm
Tuesday 29 January from 8am – 4.30pm
Wednesday 30 January from 8am – 4.30pm
Normal School Shop hours will resume from Thursday 31 January 2019.
Music Theatre Camp and Spotlight 2019 – ‘THE GREATEST SHOW’
With the end of year and January school holidays looming, award-winning production company Pelican Productions is once again excited to present MTC 2019 – The Greatest Show. In its fifteenth year, MTC takes the best of the best from Broadway and the West End and presents a music theatre performance like no other. This year’s performance includes scenes from one of the newest shows on broadway ‘Mean Girls’, the hugely popular ‘The Greatest Showman’, and old favourites ‘Cats’, ‘Fame’, ‘Pippin’, ‘Madagascar’ and ‘Mamma Mia’. With performers from schools and universities around the state, the talent is really incredible. It will be starring some Saints Girls’ students – Daisy Kennett, Coco Dimond, Emma Pool, Zoe Pool, Sophie Blight, Zara Blight, Charlotte Norman, Sophie Norman, Milana Troon, Stephanie Andrejewskis, Isobel Yelland, Victoria Thorp, Alice Reid, Mollie Kennett and Summer Reynolds, who would love to see some familiar faces in the audience!
‘The Greatest Show’ – Spotlight
Saturday 12 January – 5pm
(Note: Spotlight presents ‘The Greatest Showman’, Mamma Mia, Cats, Fame and Madagascar only).
‘The Greatest Show’ – MTC
Friday 18 January – 7.30pm
Saturday 19 January – 11am, 3pm, 7.30pm
Sunday 20 January – 1pm, 5pm
*Check the booking page for which performers are performing in which shows
Where: Westminster School Theatre, Marion
Enjoy the very best of Broadway and the West End in one incredible show. Secure your tickets now at www.pelicanproductions.com.au.
The Garden of Saintly Delights – SAVE THE DATE
The Parents’ and Friends’ Association encourages you to ‘Save the Date’ Sunday 24 February for next year’s school fair, The Garden of Saintly Delights.
If you are interested in volunteering, please email stpetersgirls.pandf@gmail.com.
Also, if you have a business or know of any businesses that would like to be involved with the fair, we are looking for sponsors. Starting from as little as $250, you can have your company logo on one of the many fair attractions and advertising material.
Please contact us if you would like more details.
The Parents’ and Friends’ Association
Code Camp at St Peter’s Girls’ School
St Peter’s Girls’ School will be hosting Code Camp Spark (ages 7 – 12), 2D Game Makers (ages 7 – 12) and AR Creators (ages 8 – 13) from 15 – 17 January 2019 from 9am – 3.30pm. The cost is $349 for three days.
Visit the Code Camp website for more information
Visit the St Peter’s Girls’ School booking page
State Swim Offer
Please click here to view the details of a FREE introductory lesson offer at State Swim.
Sports News
As we bid farewell to students of 2018, I wish to extend my gratitude to all who have been involved in sport this year. To our Year 12s and any students who are departing Saints Girls, I wish to offer them good luck in the next part of their journey. To students who are returning in 2019, information will be sent regarding Summer Sport prior to school resuming, so we ask that you keep checking your emails and if any changes need to occur please let me know so teams and nominations can be adjusted. – Neil Fuller (Director of Sport)
ATHLETICS
Congratulations to students who contested the Little Athletics State Relay Championships.
Lauren Disney – 1st in the 4x100m and 4x200m
Carla Massicci – 2nd in the 4x100m and 3rd in 4x200m
Amelia Lucas – 2nd in the 4x100m and 3rd in the 4x200m
We also congratulate Molly Lucas who was East Adelaide’s official relay coach and recorded fantastic results with the Under 10 Girls (2nd in both the 100m and 200m) and the Under 9 Boys (2nd in 100m and 3rd 200m)
SOFTBALL
Aroha Munroe has made the U17 SA State Softball team and will be competing at the National Championships here in Adelaide 5 – 11 January 2019.
TENNIS
There will be Hot Shots tennis clinics run by Matt Ford leading up to Christmas on 10, 11 and 12 December.
There are two options to choose from:
9am to 10.30am
10.30am to 12pm
Times may change depending on group sizes.
The cost per session will be $30, or $85 for all three sessions.
It is always more beneficial to attend the three sessions but if you can only attend one or two that’s ok.
If any of these times or days don’t suit then we may be able to arrange other coaching on another day.
To reserve your place in the tennis clinics please book with Matt Ford by email or phone.
Email: ford.matt@bigpond.com
Mobile: 0412 855 073