Issue no. 4
In this edition
Swimming Carnival 2020: And the Winner is…
Swimming Carnival 2020 exploded off the blocks today, with girls in Years 4 – 12 going stroke-for-stroke across the four Houses at the Adelaide Aquatic Centre.
As always, determination, team spirit and participation were hallmarks of the event, with impressive performances in the serious races and colourful entertainment in the novelty events, including the annual crowd favourite, the Crocodile Relay!
House spirit was in overdrive, the Year 12 costumes lived up to all the hype and it was terrific to see so many parents cheering their girls on from the stands.
By the end of proceedings with all results tallied, the 2020 overall champions were announced: KENNION!
McGill Shield
Kennion – 1751 points
Selwyn – 1725 points
Patteson – 1591 points
Kilburn – 1586 points
Congratulations to all involved! Detailed results will appear in next week’s eNews.
From the Deputy Principal / Head of Middle School
Life in the Middle School is deliberately busy at the start of the year. Year 9 Aquatics Camp, Swimming Carnival, Years 7 and 8 Camps, and Girls in Tech Expo give our students the chance to connect with a range of girls both from their own year group and from others. Studies have shown that such opportunities greatly help build connections, and a sense of community and belonging. Further, transition between schools and sub-schools is smoother, and instances of isolation and bullying are vastly reduced.
I have already talked this year to all Middle School students and parents of Years 7 and 8 students about intentionally showing courage in small ways this year. Making the first move in forming a new friendship, attempting a new event at Swimming Carnival or Sports Day, taking up a new instrument, joining a choir, attending her first debate, asking questions in a class that she would normally be reticent to do so, owning up to mistakes…these are all opportunities to show courage and to benefit from the personal development that occurs as a result of that courage.
Clearly, with Years 7 and 8 Camps upon us, much talk has been about the opportunity to show courage on a slightly grander scale by being prepared to overcome discomfort, experience new challenges, reveal a slightly less composed ‘sense of self’, and develop new skills and strategies. Our staff too, will also be placed in similarly challenging situations, and I thank them in advance for not only their work in supporting students on camp away from friends and family, but also their willing and courageous approach to the opportunities that our Outdoor Education provides.
Finally, I’m delighted that our Year 8 students will be able to visit Kangaroo Island despite the devastation that beset that beautiful location over the summer holidays. I’m pleased that our revised program will still allow our students to enjoy some spectacular and unspoilt natural scenery, whilst also helping support local businesses and communities that endured so much and displayed such courage during the fires. I look forward to accompanying them and watching their growth across the week.
Richard Lisle
Deputy Principal / Head of Middle School
A Message from the Kennion House Captain
Today, the wait was over for the highly-anticipated Swimming Carnival. Years 4 to 12 gathered at the Adelaide Aquatic Centre to showcase their talent in the pool and impressive House spirit. Swimming Carnival is the first of many House events in the school year and is loved by all, whether it is the Junior School looking forward to cheering with the older girls or Year 7s entering the Crocodile Relay for the first time!
Every year, it is amazing to see how much House spirit every girl shows. The Aquatic Centre was transformed into a sea of blue, yellow, red and green with girls (and staff!) cheering and supporting their House all day. As Year 12s, it was exciting for the cohort to follow the Saints’ tradition of dressing up in costumes and running into the pool followed by a deafening cheer from the rest of the House.
This year, girls were encouraged to participate in a range of events, and what a day it was! Highlights from the action-packed agenda included the famous staff relay, Sub-School medleys and the Crocodile Relay! Whether you’re in Year 7 or Year 12, the Crocodile Relay never gets old…there is nothing quite like swimming in a conga line down the pool with all heads bobbing out of the water at once.
During my last Swimming Carnival, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the enjoyment on everyone’s faces and seeing the infectious blue spirit around the pool! It is definitely an event I am going to miss.
Olivia Goldsmith
Kennion House Captain
Swimming Carnival 2020 Pump Up Video
In what is fast becoming a tradition here at Saints Girls, we produced a pump up video for the 2020 Swimming Carnival. Led by the four House Captains – Michelle Rupert (Selwyn), Olivia Goldsmith (Kennion), Tilly McCormack (Kilburn) and Emily Downie (Patteson) – the girls focused on four key elements for a fun and successful Swimming Carnival campaign: Competition, Participation, House Spirit and Year 12 Costumes and Accessories. From the exquisite art form that is the Crocodile Relay, to the girls’ pre-race routines, there are definitely plenty of laughs to be had throughout the video. Check it out below!
Triple Threat at Triathlon Carnival
A strong contingent of Saints Girls was enormously successful at this week’s School Sport SA Triathlon Championships.
The day started with Alice Braithwaite claiming Gold and Daisy Braithwaite taking Silver in the U15 girls’ division, and Adelaide Murphy winning Bronze in one of her first individual events in the U15 Come ‘n’ Try category.
In the team events, Matilda Braithwaite’s cycle leg concluded her successful years of competing in this event, claiming Bronze with teammates Lily-Rose Spartalis (swim) and Sophie Barr (run). In the U15, Alice Braithwaite (cycle) and Daisy Braithwaite (run) then teamed up with Georgina Wakeham (swim) to win the teams title.
Additional Results
Open – Lara Wakeham (swim), Saskia Jonats (cycle) and Anda Ceplite (run) finished 4th
Intermediate – Tara Young (swim), Charlie Fishlock (cycle) and Imogen Elliott (run) finished 7th
Intermediate – Sophie Dansie (swim), Ellie Humphrey (cycle) and Willow Stewart-Rattray (run) finished 8th
Intermediate – Emily Baldwinson (swim), Annie Bui (cycle) and Lilly Maerschel (run) finished 10th
Intermediate – Emily Whittaker (swim), Lady Murphy (cycle) and Isabella Lowry (run) finished 13th
Junior – Charlotte McAuliffe (swim), Carys Kinsella-White (cycle) and Dani Cox (run) finished 5th
Neil Fuller
Director of Sport
Tribute to the Stolen Generations
13 February is the anniversary of the National Apology which was delivered in 2008 by then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to the Stolen Generations. He issued the formal apology on behalf of the Australian Parliament to the many indigenous Australians who were forcibly removed from their families at a young age (at least 100,000 Aboriginal children); a practice that continued until as recently as 1970.
This year, as our School’s Reconciliation Ambassadors, Tara Young, Letitia Page-Thomson and Lucy Young with Mrs Trish Tynan were invited to attend the National Apology Breakfast at the Adelaide Convention Centre with 1800 other guests. It was a wonderful experience where we heard about different perspectives from Stolen Generations survivors and the steps currently being put in place to ensure such discrimination never occurs again. Many survivors are still working with the organisations to help reunite family members who were separated so many years ago. Reconciliation SA organised an emotional tribute to the survivors and others impacted by inviting those present to light a candle during a minute’s silence. Seeing the room light up as people began lighting the candles was truly moving. Even more extraordinary was the visual this created in showing how many people are affected by the Stolen Generations.
As Reconciliation Ambassadors, we hope to be able to enlighten and share our experience with students and invite guest speakers to talk about the importance of reconciliation throughout the year.
Lucy Young, Letitia Page-Thomson and Tara Young
RAP Ambassadors
MasterChef Meets Our World of Food
The Year 10 World of Food students were recently treated to a guest presentation from Ben Trobbiani. Ben is a Top 10 MasterChef Australia contestant from 2019 who has a passion for ingredients that grow natively in Australia.
Post-show, Ben spent time at acclaimed restaurant Orana learning more about the broad range of ingredients and drawing inspiration on how they can be used. This led to him hosting two pop-up dinners using Australian ingredients in tasting menus based around Mexican and Italian cuisines. Ben’s goal is to continue to educate people in the wide variety of ingredients, how to source them from indigenous business owners and how to use them in the everyday kitchen.
Ben’s presentation to the students was an introduction to our unit on Australia’s food identity. Ben developed the girls’ awareness of traditional Australian ingredients and furthered their understanding of their uses in modern cuisine through tastings of ingredients such as wattle seed, strawberry gum eucalyptus, desert lime, mountain pepper, green ants, finger lime, saltbush and lemon myrtle.
Ben followed the tastings with a masterclass highlighting Australian ingredients. His dish of Coorong mullet with macadamia, beach succulents and lemon myrtle beurre blanc was a highlight of the visit. The students’ also tasted wattle seed choc chip cookies. In the coming weeks, we will be creating the Coorong mullet dish and cookies plus a Geraldton wax Pannacotta. As part of our research into Australia’s food identity, we will also be creating further dishes that incorporate a greater variety of Australian ingredients.
We would like to thank Ben for his visit which was very informative and enjoyable.
Jenni Manson
World of Food Teacher
Music Camp Fundraising Tops $10K for Ardrossan Hospital
Music Camp is one of the most enjoyable events on the Music calendar for both staff and students. It is a chance for girls to consolidate their repertoire for the first six months of the year, take huge leaps in skill and understanding of the music they play, make connections with new Music girls to the School and deepen their friendships with each other.
The atmosphere is always highly-charged with a great mix of hard work and fun. Our concert for the community on Saturday afternoon was a huge success yet again. We are proud to announce that we have fundraised over $10,000 for the local hospital across the nine years we have been holding Music Camp in Ardrossan.
“Music Camp has always been my favourite Music event every year, and this year was no different. All the girls were incredibly enthusiastic in rehearsals and always keen to lend a helping hand. It was especially great to see the new girls quickly settle in to our welcoming Music community – there’s no doubt that the bonds we made on this camp will strengthen our playing as a group for the rest of the year. I would like to give a massive thank you to everyone involved: teachers, mentors, the mums and the Ardrossan community for having us.” – Faye Ma (Year 12 student)
Wetlands Walk on the Wild Side
On 13 February, the Year 3s visited Urrbrae Wetlands to learn about vertebrates and invertebrates as part of our ‘Sharing the Planet’ Unit of Inquiry. Urrbrae has a special ecosystem with lots of insects and wetland animals. We went for a walk and learnt about water systems, and we collected aquatic macroinvertebrates to look at under microscopes. These are beetles and other insects that don’t have a spine.
Did you know that when you pour water into your drains and gutters, it goes to wetlands and eventually makes its way to the ocean? We learnt that wetlands help clean out the salt, dirt and pollution from water to help the environment.
Year 7s Spellbound by English
In Miss Moxon’s Year 7 English class, we are learning about prefixes, suffixes and Latin and Greek root words. We were given a task to create our own Harry Potter spells to help us understand these word parts. We shared our made-up spells with the class and explained what they did based on their word parts.
For example, I made the spell ‘extraporthy’ which means ‘to transport things outside’. I would use this spell to help me carry my books between classrooms! On the day, the classroom was set up to have a Harry Potter mood. We were allowed to bring in our own wands and props to add to the atmosphere. My wand looked exactly like some of the wands in the movies. We also played the Harry Potter theme music while we performed our spells. This was a great way to have fun while learning, and everyone really enjoyed participating in this activity!
Anna Venning
Year 7 student
Old Scholar Mums and Grandmothers’ Morning Tea
We are looking forward to morning tea with our current Old Scholar mums and grandmothers on Friday 28 February at 9am. This is a wonderful opportunity to see the new Science Centre Rooftop Terrace and catch up with Old Scholars.
We hope to see you there!
Megan McCormack
Community Relations – Old Scholar Officer
Saints Girls’ Rowing Bingo Night
Join us for a fun night of bingo to support the Rowing Program at St Peter’s Girls!
Harry’s Bar
12 Grenfell St, Adelaide
Saturday 29 February 2020 at 7pm
Tickets
$45 per person or $450 per table of 10 via www.trybooking.com/BHGZV.
Tickets include pre-game drinks for the first hour, a bingo card in each of the three rounds (more cards can be purchased), and platters on tables. Amazing prizes will be up for grabs in each round, with a grand prize for the final round. Fantastic auction items will also be on offer. Additional drinks can be purchased from the bar.
We encourage you to invite your friends and book a table of 10!
Everyone in the School community is welcome to attend.
Saints Girls Centre Stage in Annie JR.
Saints Girls’ students Alison Francis, Lara Maione, Matilda Wilkin, Millie McDonald, Chelsea Francis, Lauren Fuller, Eve Dillon, Mabel Cook, Eloise Harrington, Lola Storer, Lois Burton-Howard and Jenna Maione are performing in an upcoming production of Annie JR. by SHANE DAVIDSON PRESENTS.
With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone’s hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. Annie is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of an orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan. She eventually foils Miss Hannigan’s evil machinations, finding a new home and family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary Grace Farrell and a lovable mutt named Sandy. This show features wonderful songs such as ‘Tomorrow’, ‘You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile’ and ‘It’s A Hard Knock Life’.
Details
7 March at 4pm and 7pm / 8 March at 4pm and 7pm
St Peter’s Girls’ School Arts Centre
Tickets can be purchased at https://www.trybooking.com/BIHUB
Join Our Team of STAR Volunteers!
Our Learning Strategies volunteers are all enormously valued within the 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. We have some exciting developments within our department in 2020 and we’d love you to join us.
Our volunteers work with our girls on areas such as literacy, anywhere between a couple of lessons a week through to a couple of days per week. They include parents, grandparents, Old Scholars, retired staff and university students who are keen to gain further experience and enjoyment working with children.
To register your interest, please contact Aleasha Francis as soon as possible via afrancis@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 also provide training for some of our Junior School programs.
Learning Strategies Team
Saints Girls’ Rowing Rashies
The School Shop is having a sale of the previous style of Rowing rashie – selling for just $45! Stock is limited, so act fast if you would like to purchase one. Please note that these can be worn at Rowing training only, with the new version of the rashie expected to be worn at regattas.
How to Apply to US and UK Universities
For students interested in applying to US and UK universities, a special event is being held on 27 February at Prince Alfred College. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the application processes and how to plan ahead for international applications. The event is suitable for students in Years 9 – 12.
School Banking
Our School is excited to offer the Commonwealth Bank School Banking program to all students:
School Banking is a fun, interactive and engaging way for young Australians to learn about money and develop good savings habits. Children who deposit money into their Youthsaver account through School Banking earn Dollarmites tokens, which they can save up to redeem exciting rewards.
Rewards available during 2020 are:
o Terry Denton’s Activity Book
o Mini Soccer Ball (size 2)
o Treetop Stationery Set
o Treetop Handball
o Tomato Seed Kit
o Magic Mist Drink Bottle
o Emoji Wallet
o Snakes & Ladders Game
School Banking is also a great fundraiser for the School, which receives a Regular Savers Contribution of $5 for every 10 deposits processed per student as well as an Annual Contribution which is based on the number of students who made at least one School Banking deposit in the prior year.
School Banking day is Wednesday. Each week, you need to hand your book to your classroom teacher.
If you are interested in opening a Commonwealth Bank Youthsaver account for your child, you can visit www.commbank.com.au/schoolbanking and click on the link to open a Youthsaver account.
OSHC Temporary Relocation
Parents of R – 6 students are advised that the OSHC program, which was based in the Food Tech building, has been temporarily relocated to the transportable on the Oval.
To access the transportable, please use the main staircase outside the Stott Wing (with the St Peter’s Girls’ sign). Children will need to be dropped off and collected from the transportable.
Beck Kranz
OSHC Supervisor
Sports News
At Saints Girls, we love hearing about and sharing sports results and news, whether it be achievements at school or externally.
Please email details to nfuller@stpetersgirls.sa.edu.au.
SCHOOL SPORT SA – Selection Information
The following sports have selection information and nominating details available online. A list of all interstate teams including the nomination process is available via https://www.education.sa.gov.au/teaching/sport/sports-and-competitions/interstate-nomination-process.
For specific sport selection information, see the sport page.
Football (Soccer)
12 and under – Wednesday 26 February (girls)
12 and under – Wednesday 8 April (boys)
Tennis
18 and under – Monday 2 March
Softball – girls
17 and under – Wednesday 11 March
Cricket
12 and under – Wednesday 11 March (girls)
12 and under – Wednesday 18 March (boys)
Netball
15 and under – Tuesday 24 March
Softball – boys
12 and under – Wednesday 25 March
Swimming including Multiclass
12 and under – Friday 3 April
13 – 19 years – Friday 24 April
BASKETBALL
Open – Saints 18 defeated by Wilderness 41
The girls tried their hardest but were lacking against a team with good shooters getting many easy shots. The first half was played well, keeping the score even for most of it, however, we let it get away from us during the second half. – Emma Matheson (Captain)
Middle A – Saints 24 defeated Wilderness 21
A great defensive effort saw the girls win their first game for the season. With only 6 players, it was pleasing to see they kept up their intensity for the whole game. All played well, with Januri Wagaarachchi capitalising on some good passing to score 14 points. – Brenton Davies (Coach)
Middle B – Saints 9 defeated by Wilderness 37
This was a tough game against much taller opponents. We only had 6 players and I was happy with the effort throughout the game, but we could not compete with their size. We definitely improved as the game went on. – Brenton Davies (Coach)
Middle C – Saints 12 defeated by Concordia C1 35
The team had a lot of fresh, new players who aren’t familiar with basketball but they took us all by surprise! Although we didn’t win, we played very well and it was encouraging to score 12 points in our first game. The team was able to get so many different opportunities to score but they just weren’t falling for us. The girls all clicked and played so well, it was like they have been playing together for years! Top scorer was Alysa Trinh followed by Zara Wallace. – Sharnee Jones (Coach)
SOFTBALL
Year 5/6 Blue – Saints 5 defeated by Walford 10
During our first home game of the season, the girls worked really hard to show off their new skills. The girls did a great job going for lead runners and catching pop ups and fly balls. Pitching was a combined effort by Aurelia Pyne, Jiahui Zhang and Cleo Hart who did their best against some strong Walford hitters. The girls had great energy and really enjoy playing with each other. Looking forward to another week of training and working on our defensive and offensive skills. –Jessica Dreswick (Coach)
Year 5/6 White – Saints 1 defeated by Pembroke 9
At training, we worked on batting technique which was a clear improvement in this game. The girls had stronger swings and were much more confident both against a pitcher and off the tee. The game gave us some other things to work on at training including plays to first and not chasing the runner! Highlights from the match include Lola Storer’s powerful pitching and a great catch by Rishita Raghav at 3rd base. Thanks again to Diya Bhinder and Phoebe Fan for having a go at catcher. – Mimi Long (Coach)
Year 3/4 Blue – Saints 18 defeated by Walford 28
Improvement has already been displayed by all the girls. Batting was outstanding, and they are having an absolute ball! Keep up the good work girls. – Payne Sowter (Coach)
Year 3/4 White – Saints 35 defeated Wilderness 11
Yes, the score is correct. The girls were on fire offensively, as we played 5 innings in an hour and they scored the mercy 7 runs each inning. I think we got out a total of 2 or 3 times in all 5 innings, which showed me how well our hitting was. Defensively, we still need some work. Allowing 11 runs was 11 too many in my eyes and will hopefully be sorted at training. Lois, Maddie, Victoria and Stella were all standouts as well as Eleanor with a fantastic throw from right field to take the runner out at home. – Daniel Di Tomaso (Coach)
ROWING
Once again, the regatta on Saturday 15 February was held in challenging conditions. It seems almost as if we are destined to race only in the wind and rain this term.
Our Junior and Intermediate crews were also faced with an unusual challenge. Unlike most regattas where crews race in ‘A’ or ‘D’ divisions, all crews from each year group were seeded randomly into heats from which any crew could reach any final. Furthermore, between injury and conflicting co-curricular commitments, a number of crews were forced to change composition on the weekend. This made it doubly promising that both the 10A and 9A crews progressed comfortably through to their respective A Finals. Certainly, all crews gained valuable racing experience.
The highlights of the day came from the Senior squad. In the morning, the 1st 8+ split into two coxed fours for the SG 4+ event and comfortably won both divisions of the event before taking out the SG 8+ division in the afternoon. Although the SG 8+ event did not feature a full field this weekend, it did include the winning crew from the previous School Premiership Series regatta. It will be interesting to see where the Seniors place this coming weekend in School Premiership Series #3.
Brynley Millward
Director of Rowing
Seniors
U19 W2x (Maerschel/Maerschel) – 4th – 8:50.81
SG 4+ [Divison 1] – 1st – 8:14.02
SG 4+ [Divison 2] – 1st – 7:41.35
SG 8+ – 1st – 6:58.19
10A
SG 9/10 4x+ [A Final] – 5th – 6:25.54
10B
SG 9/10 4x+ [B Final] – 4th – 7:19.00
9A
SG 8/9 4x+ [A Final] – 7th – 4:12.46
9B
SG 8/9 4x+ [C Final] – 5th – 4:52.73
9C
SG 8/9 4x+ [C Final] – 8th – 5:24.95
TENNIS
The Open A girls faced tough competition against Immanuel, losing 6-0. All girls played with great determination and exceptional sportsmanship. Tahlia Cahill and Ruby Deakin played well-fought singles matches, showing great promise for the rest of the season.
The Open B Girls also faced a challenging match against Immanuel, losing 6 sets to 1. All played well and remained positive throughout. Congratulations to Imogen Nienaber and Georgia Mallick who won their doubles, the only set of the night! A big thank you to Georgia Mallick and Grace Beaumont for filling in at the last minute.
We have many new faces in the Tennis program in 2020 and I am looking forward to an excellent year ahead. Good luck for next week girls! – Annabel Baldwinson (Tennis Captain)
Premier A – Saints 0-14 defeated by Immanuel 6-36
Singles: Sienna Glazbrook 0-6, Tahlia Cahill 4-6, Ruby Deakin 4-6, Britney Korir 1-6
Premier B – Saints 1-19 defeated by Immanuel 5-33
Singles: Annabel Baldwinson 2-6, Ella Dnistriansky 3-6, Imogen Nienaber 0-6, Georgia Mallick 5-6, Grace Beaumont 3-6
Division 1 Blue – Saints 5-33 defeated Pembroke 1-16
Singles: Georgia Mallick 6-4, Grace Beaumont 6-1, Eva Young 3-6, Chase Hocking 6-4
Division 1 White – Saints 2-26 defeated by Pembroke 4-33
Singles: Bridgette Leach 4-6, Adele Eaton 3-6, Malaika McLeod 4-6, Soph Ryan 6-4
Division 2 – Saints did not play
Division 3 Blue – Saints 1-16 defeated by Pembroke 5-34
Singles Helen Zhang 4-6, Tara Nedumaran 1-6, Lydia Tolley 3-6, Kayla Park 1-6
Division 3 White – Saints 4-25 defeated Pembroke 2-22
Singles: Gloria Zou 1-6, Sophie Blight 6-0, Olivia Reynolds 6-3, Jackie Balasis 0-6
Division 4 – Saints did not play
Junior Division 1 Blue – Saints 3-20 defeated by Scotch 3-19
Singles: Sophie Blight 0-4, Alison Francis 4-0, Mia Bennett 1-4, Charlotte Thorpe 3-4
Junior Division 1 White – Saints 3-16 defeated Pembroke 3-14
Singles: Emily Bates 0-4, Chloe Richardson 4-1, Aleesha Gray 4-0, Lily Forby 1-4
Junior Division 2 – Saints 2-13 defeated by Pembroke 2-26
Singles: Sophie Wiggins 6-7, Eve Dillon 3-3
Junior Division 3 – Saints 5-20 defeated Pulteney 0-6
Singles: Ziyuan Qin 4-0, Emily Ludewig 4-2, Eleni Schulze 4-3
TOUCH FOOTBALL
Open A – Saints 6 defeated Pembroke 5
What a game! The team played an exciting, fast-paced match. All girls stepped up to the challenge and worked persistently, resulting in our first win of the term. The girls successfully executed set plays with intent and determination. Ehi Oyugbo scored a remarkable 4 tries and Hannah Freeman scored 2 with the assistance of Ellie Anderson’s amazing set ups. Olivia Goldsmith and Sarah Wishart played with enthusiasm in the middle, controlling the ball when attacking down the field. Ella Liddy, Chelsea Walls and Belle Black performed outstanding ‘shooting’ in defence, preventing Pembroke from scoring easy tries. Our two Year 11s, Holly Cardone and Poppie Goldsmith, played an amazing game against one of the toughest teams in the school competition. – Hannah Freeman (Captain)
Open B – Saints had a bye
Open C – Saints 4 defeated Loreto 2
The team played a strong attacking game using depth and speed to create holes in the Loreto defence. The girls worked hard on their defence using shooters to prevent Loreto from gaining space or pace in their attack. The tries in the first half came thick and fast, resulting in a half-time score of 4-1. It was great to see a try from our newest player Emma Carrodus, others from Holly Cardone and Poppie Goldsmith, and a fourth by Imogen Parkinson. The second half was tougher, although our defence stayed strong through the work of a number of key players as well as Lucy Benn who tirelessly shut down any attempts to break through our defence. Unfortunately, we conceded one more try, leading us to focus on communication, initiating the touch and ensuring that even in the second half, we attack from depth. An awesome start to the year! Keep up the great work girls. – Becca Burton-Howard (Coach)
Middle A – Saints 6 defeated Mercedes 0
The team competed against Mercedes and came out victorious. The girls worked together really well and continued to communicate throughout the game. Phoebe Black filled in due to a shortage of numbers and ended up scoring a try, and many of the other girls scored tries with the help of their teammates. We will still look to improve our attacking lines to score more often. Overall, it was a very successful game. – Ruby Richards
Middle B – Saints 9 defeated Pembroke 0
We played very well; our defence was strong, we moved up on the try line and made sure we didn’t have any gaps for the opponents to run through. We need to practise different techniques to get a try once we’ve done the 3 rucks because we were sometimes unsure of what to do. Phoebe and Jasmine scored 2 tries each, while Daisy Braithwaite, Alice Braithwaite, Poppy Oswald, Mathilda Thomas and Naomi scored 1 each. – Naomi Singh
Middle C – Saints 5 defeated Loreto 1
The Middle Cs began their first game with lots of running and quickly picked up game play. The girls were all looking to move into half and set up plays by the line. Some great running from Carys Kinsella-White and Charlotte McAuliffe ensured excellent scoring opportunities. The girls are learning to play as a team and defended extremely well, preventing Loreto from moving forward with any momentum. We are looking forward to the next challenge. – Izzy McCabe (Year 7)
VOLLEYBALL
Open A – Saints did not play
Open B – Saints 0 defeated by Pembroke 3 (20-25, 15-25, 15-18)
A great opportunity on the Exeat weekend to work on team and individual skills with no pressure. Progression to a new system was the goal. After a quiet, tentative start, the team settled and started to put together some good plays. Challenges with serving and communication while learning new roles were worked through with stronger play coming in the final set. Setting the platform for the rest of the season is exciting to see where this team can go. – Alistair Keough (Coach)
Open C – Saints 0 defeated by Pembroke 3 (16-25, 13-25, 10-15)
Working together better as a team was the focus of the match. Some early nerves allowed Pembroke to get a handy lead that kept the girls quiet for most of the first set. Charlotte Adam’s serving run was a highlight, with Pembroke substituting players to break the run. A spark can start a fire. With some sound individual skills by Georgina Devine and Joss Forster dominating at net and Jenna Bowden’s good serving, the team found their voice and showed good signs calling and working together. Well done team! – Alistair Keough (Coach)
Middle A – Saints did not play
Middle B – Saints did not play
Middle C – Saints did not play