eNews Archive Issue 31 - 12 October 2017

In the latest Old Girls’ Association Newsletter, our archivist, Bronwyn Perry, traced the history of the school uniform from its earliest record to the present day. There is very little written information about the history of the uniform and we have to rely on photographs to track its evolution. Initially, St Margaret’s students did not have a uniform; but by 1907, there was a uniform of sorts – dark coloured dresses with a white collar.

The most asked question about our uniform is why it is called a middy? We don’t really know but it seems that ‘middy’ is short for midshipmen and refers to the similarity to what sailors use to wear. In 1911, the Principal at the time wrote that ‘Sailor hats and badges are now the order of the day, and we are glad that many of the girls are trying to keep to our school colour of navy blue, not only for their sports dresses where it is compulsory but for everyday school wear’.

In 1918, a uniform was formally introduced and one can see a clear relationship to what is worn today. As uniforms were mainly home-made there were variations of designs but essentially the uniform was blue skirt and top, with a white collar and lace.

Since the 1930s the only change has been the number of pleats in the skirt, and the introduction of short sleeves in the 1940s. Rationing in WW2 meant that fabric was scarce and it was decided the sleeves could be shortened. The skirts were shorter in the 1970s; but that related to fashion not a shortage of material. Fabric type and socks (length and colour) have also changed several times over the generations.

Currently in the school, works are being carried out on the top floor of the Jackson building. The collaborative lecture theatre (The Loft) is being constructed in what was three classrooms and should be open in time for the beginning of the 2018 Academic year. It has 120 seats, with the alternative row able to swivel to encourage collaboration and technology which allows interaction across the globe. We are working to minimise disruption on this project and classes who have exams in the area will be moved.

The Loft is an exciting development – not only because it was the second project identified in our Enhancing Excellence Campaign - but because it is a much-needed facility in our school and will be used by both the Primary and Secondary schools.

Ros Curtis 

This week I was listening to a TED talk by Caroline Paul entitled “To raise brave girls, encourage adventure.” In this talk she highlighted one of her failures, and at that time she was out of her comfort zone, calling upon her resilience and trying to find confidence in herself and her own decisions. She said that when she recognised this process, she started to think differently – that these attributes are not those of failure, but rather of bravery.

A couple of years ago now, you may have seen the campaign #LikeAGirl. Started as an advertisement by a large company, it hit home to many about the perceptions that some parts of society have on girls, and more importantly the perception (and perhaps limitations) that girls have about themselves that often start when girls hit puberty. It highlights how little girls can start out feeling like they can do anything in any way they wish, and by the time they reach adolescence confidence can drop and they have formed an image of how they should behave as a girl. You can view the advertisement here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjJQBjWYDTs.

The opportunities that the St Margaret’s community gives our students are incredible. This is an environment where girls can be brave. This is an environment where girls can be accepted for just being them. It is a community that celebrates and does not discriminate. We will continue to celebrate our girls and assist them to reach their potential. As the advertisement says, “Why can’t run like a girl also mean win the race.”

Karen Gorrie 

The morning will begin from 8:30am with the Blessing Service starting from 9am. Stay for a chat and some morning tea.

Reflection

Last weekend, I officiated at the wedding of a St Margaret’s Old Girl in our school chapel. I spoke, as one would, about love. I emphasised that wherever there is love, there God is also. For those who struggle with an understanding of ‘who’ or ‘what’ God is, or might be like, this tangible connection can assist greatly with the development of a relationship with the God of Creation.

For those who feel comfortable with a concept of, and relationship with God, I also find that there is a great power in the simple reminder that wherever there is love, there also is God. God IS love. Jesus reminds us to love one another. Jesus reminds us to show kindness, compassion and to give food to the hungry. We are called to be neighbours to each other.

I am both angered and saddened by the Anglican Diocese of Sydney’s actions this week. I fear that misunderstanding from every angle, both before and after these actions, will cause further division and pain. The Sydney Diocese does not speak for most Anglicans (certainly outside of Sydney, but also within). I trust in a God of love, who is love, who shows love and who invites us to love one another.

This lesson, in the words of Michael Leunig, is as simple and as difficult as that.

God of Grace and Compassion, may we live our lives in such a way that your love shines through our thoughts, words and actions. May we care for all your people – every creed, every race, every background and conviction. Grant courage and open hearts and minds. May conversation be guided most importantly by love. May love win. We ask through your Son’s precious name, Amen.

With every blessing, may you each know and share love,

The Reverend Nicki Colledge

The Year 10s thoroughly enjoyed dressing up for the occasion, to celebrate another successful year in Boarding. Girls were suitably assured by the words of Ms Curtis who highlighted the realisation of the important years which lie ahead. By using a theatrical analogy, girls were comforted by the acknowledgement that, like any performance, they have completed the necessary foundations or rehearsal stage. Ms Curtis referred to Years 11 and 12 as the performance, explaining that these two years will certainly be different to their earlier schooling but that most importantly, everyone is capable.

In Boarding, we have keenly observed the girls strengthening their identity and establishing what kind of young women they wish to be. They have been cared for by the Year 10 House Mothers, Mrs Cheryl Harrison and Ms Melissa Young, who have supported the girls through many ups and downs, whilst allowing them the space to foster life-long friendships amongst their peer group. Next year, girls will be sharing dorms with only one other and in Year 12, they will be in their own dorm.

Year 10s have had to make some significant decisions about their learning pathways, adopt a much more mature approach to their education and must now begin to view themselves as inspiring role models for our younger boarders. On Saturday, the boarders will join the day girls and many St Margaret’s parents, for the special Year 10 Lunch to be held at Victoria Park Golf Club.

Dimity Harris 

Many Year 11 students will sit their first Practice QCS Test this month. This can be anxiety provoking and challenging, but once again the girls are encouraged to pay attention to what they are doing, to immerse themselves in the struggle and to understand that with application and thoughtful effort they will make significant progress. With regard to their classroom learning they are encouraged to use these last weeks before they enter Year 12 to practise their approach to managing exams and using feedback by communicating with their teachers and acting upon their advice.

Year 10s who embark upon the Senior Phase of Learning in 2018 should use the remainder of this year well by establishing some meaningful goals for each of their subjects and working towards them systematically. They need to think deeply about what they are doing when they are studying because the quality of learning cannot be measured by the number of minutes or hours spent at a desk.

All students, whether in Year 7 or Year 12 should be asking themselves three questions:

• What am I meant to be learning?
• Why am I learning it?
• How will I use it?

The answers to these questions will help them to shape their actions.

Date Claimer

Our final Trends in Education Seminar for 2017 is scheduled for Tuesday 24 October at 5:30pm in the Arts Centre Foyer. Nikki Townsend, Dean of Students and I are looking forward to sharing some insights relating to the nexus between the pastoral and academic domains of education and the way this is shaping our school culture. 

Samantha Bolton 

This was done through the following lenses – Respecting the Past, Leading the Present and Securing the Future. During the three days I listened to keynotes from educators from Finland, United States, United Kingdom and Australia, engaged in workshop sessions that challenged common practices and collaborative reflective sessions that enabled me to reflect on all this knowledge and how it impacts me and my educational setting.

One of the most entertaining and informative speakers was Pasi Sahlberg. Pasi is a Finnish educator, author and scholar. He has worked as a school teacher, teacher educator, researcher and policy advisor in Finland and has studied education systems and reforms around the world. The Finnish Education System is held in high regard around the world for its performance in PISA (Program of International Student Assessment) and TIMMS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study). Therefore, over the last few years educators and politicians from around the world have wanted to emulate the Finnish education system in their contexts. However, it was refreshing to have Pasi discuss the dangers of following with the aim to improve rankings in International Assessments (which is often high on political agendas). In his keynote speech, he reminded us as educators to focus on the research as to why some school systems do better. These reasons include the importance of the whole-child approach, equity and continuous improvement with trust and collaboration high on school improvement agendas. All of which are highlighted in our schools’ strategic direction as we move into a new era of schooling with the new Senior School System.

Another lead educator, David Hopkins from the United Kingdom, again discussed what makes an effective school. He discussed the following:

1. The importance of a school having a degree of academic emphasis, but not having academics as the only focus
2. Pedagogy that has teachers and students being active in lessons
3. Good conditions for pupils where they can take responsibility
4. Staff recognition as learners and leaders in the classroom

Again, it was reassuring to listen to a speaker who validated the work we as a school are working towards. Over the next few weeks, Samantha Bolton and I will be letting you know of some changes that will be occurring in the Studies and Pedagogical spaces in the school. The end of the year is always a funny time in schools. There is a mixture of excitement for the coming term, the sadness of the inevitability that at the end of the term we will be saying good-bye to members of our school community as the seniors graduate and the work involved in future thinking, planning and preparing for what the new school year will bring.

Nicole Devlin 

It must be made clear that student leaders at St Margaret’s go through a leadership process, which includes student and staff voting and interviews. Short listed School Captains are then interviewed by a panel consisting of Ms Curtis, myself and the Head of Year 11, Mrs Walker. We look forward to announcing the School’s Student leadership team for 2018 at Assembly on Tuesday 26 October 2017.

Nikki Townsend 

Speech Night will be held on Tuesday 14 November, 7:00pm at QPAC and is a wonderful celebration, acknowledging the girls who have excelled academically, commending those who have worked to their potential and congratulating those who have achieved in the sporting and cultural arena.

The process for calculating academic awards is listed on pages 11 and 12 of the Primary School Parent Handbook and is also available on the school website. Other Awards presented on this evening include:

Sport Awards

• The Biggs Trophy for Best All-round Sports Girl
• The Julie Kaeser Trophy for Most Consistent Effort in Primary School Sport
• The Twelve9teen Sports Medicine Award for Commitment and Integrity
• Junior, Intermediate and Senior Swimming/Athletics Champions
• Outstanding Contribution to Primary Sport
• Vicki Waters Cup

Music Prizes

• Outstanding Contribution to Music
• The Excellence in Music Award
• Years 5 and 6 Band, String and Choral Awards
• Music Support Group Award for Commitment and Effort
• Year 5 Special Award, The Shirley Andrew Memorial Prize

Year 6 Special Awards

• The Susan Wilson Memorial Honours Prize
• The May Alcorn Memorial Honours Prize
• The Leila Hair Memorial Honours Prize
• The Alessandra Hall Citizenship Prize

Year 6 Awards (announced at Speech Night)

• Past Staff Association - all round effort
• Archbishop Prize – improvement across all endeavours
• Primary Proximate Accessit to the Dux of St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School
• Primary School Dux

Recipients for prizes will be announced at the Prize Reading Assembly held in the Philip Harris Sports Centre on Monday 30 October at 9:50am.

Speech Night is compulsory for all students in Years 5 and 6. Students who will be recipients of awards and members of Chorale are required to wear a white Church dress. All other students may choose to wear their middy or a white Church dress. The Church dress is available for hire through the School Supplies Shop. Years 5 and 6 parents will be notified in the near future, regarding details for obtaining tickets to this evening and if a white Church dress is required.

Speech Night is an opportunity to celebrate the school as a community, and this event certainly enhances each student’s sense of belonging and connectedness to the school.

On Friday 24 November, girls in Prep to Year 4 will have the opportunity to celebrate their achievements for the year. Students in Prep to Year 2 will be awarded a book for their hard work throughout the year. Students in Years 3 and 4 will be acknowledged with a certificate identifying a particular Key to Success (Confidence, Getting Along, Persistence, Organisation and Resilience) which is relevant to that child. In addition, some girls will receive ‘Conscientious Effort’ awards (See page 12 of the Primary Parents Handbook).

In between these presentations, students will also share their talents. The Prep students will perform a Nativity Play with the students in Years 1, 2 and 3 as the choir for the play. Year 4 will sing in recognition of the last time they will attend the P – 4 Celebration. I look forward to celebrating with students, family and friends.

Whilst it is wonderful for students to have their efforts acknowledged at these two events, each student, however, should be proud of her results if she has worked throughout the year to achieve her personal best.

Spell-a-thon

This week, the girls are busily preparing for their spell-a-thon. This will be the culmination of many weeks of work on new spelling words. We hope that the girls have been able to get sponsors for their efforts as this is our major fundraising event for the year. All monies will be going to One Horizon which has a slum school in Nairobi, Kenya. One Horizon was started by an Australian. We began our journey with One Horizon last year and the impact of our efforts was truly amazing. Our clothes drive ensured that the children at the school had three changes of clothing – before our donation, they only had one set. The funds from our 2016 Spell-a-thon ensured that the children received adequate food for a whole year.

We are hoping to better last year’s efforts of $11,000. Please support our worthwhile fundraising efforts. All monies need to be handed in to your daughter’s class teacher by Friday 20 October.

Angela Drysdale

CONTINUOUS REPORTING

The following assessment results and feedback will be available after 3:30pm on Friday this week:

Year 6 English – Listening and Speaking Assessment

Year 6 Science – Life on Earth Assessment

Year 6 Humanities – Exploring a Diverse World Assessment

Year 5 Science –  Physical Science Assessment

Year 5 Music – Writing and Composing Assessment

Trudi Edwards

Assistant Head of Primary 

It was a very fun afternoon where the girls had the chance to develop their musical skills as well spend time socialising with the boys. We thank Churchie very much for their hospitality and hope to be able to reciprocate next year.

Music Fest

On Friday 20 October, Wind Ensemble will be competing in Music Fest 2017 to be held at Calamvale Community College Performing Arts, 11 Hamish Street, Calamvale. This is a valuable experience for the girls where they will receive feedback on their performance and have the opportunity to hear similar ensembles from other Brisbane schools. A bus will take the girls to and from Calamvale Community College, leaving St Margaret’s at 3:30pm. Wind Ensemble is scheduled to perform at 5:30pm. There will be a presentation soon afterwards and the girls will return by bus to St Margaret’s. It is anticipated they will be back at school by approximately 6:45pm. Please click here (PDF 133.4KB) for further information.

Queensland Percussive Arts Eisteddfod

St Margaret’s Percussion Ensembles will be performing at the upcoming Queensland Percussive Arts Eisteddfod. Regale Percussion Ensemble will perform on Sunday 15 October at 2pm at Sheldon College, Taylor Rd, Sheldon, and the Elayne Jones Percussion Ensemble will perform on Sunday 22 October at 10.30am at Somerville House, Main Theatre, Graham St, South Brisbane. All are welcome to attend these performances. Please see letters below for further details.

Regale Percussion Ensemble - Sunday 15 October 2017 (PDF 167.8KB)

Elayne Jones Percussion Ensemble - Sunday 22 October 2017 (PDF 167.8KB)

Music Dinner

Music Dinner will be held on Friday 10 November, 6-9:30pm in Eton Hall. The Annual Music Dinner is an occasion where students and parents celebrate the culmination of a wonderful year of music at St Margaret’s. This year’s theme is ‘Disney’. Music Dinner is open to students in Years 6-12 who have been involved in the following Co-curricular ensembles for the whole year: Amati Strings, Beath String Quartet, Stradivari Strings, Chamber Strings, Sculthorpe String Quartet, Belle Voci, Primary Chorale, Elevarsi Voices, Encorah, Wind Ensemble, Wind Symphony, Flute Ensemble, Clarinet Ensemble, Saxophone Ensemble, Elayne Jones Percussion Ensemble, Regale Percussion Ensemble, Highly Strung, Senior Rock Band, Junior Rock Band and Stage Band. Further details in regards to purchasing tickets is attached here (PDF 230.5KB).

Music Support Group Meeting

The next Music Support Group meeting will be held on Tuesday 17 October at 5:00pm in the Primary Music Room (second floor of Chaseley). Parents from both the Primary and Secondary Schools are welcome to attend.

Brad King 

The first day saw a series of small boats racing in heats as the girls competed to progress through to the semi or quarter finals. The Interregional Quad rounded out the first day of racing with 7 St Margaret’s girls making up the 10 seats in the Under 16 and Open Met North quads. The all St Margaret’s Under 16 Met North quad with Imogen Tsien, Mia Fahrensohn, Lily Devereaux, Sophie Gerber and Gabrielle McGann finished 6th, while Elizabeth Gooden and Victoria Franklin combined with Brisbane Girls Grammar School to finish 5th in the Open Met North quad.

Our Year 8 rowers were standouts at the State Championships with both quads finishing on the podium in the final. The crew of Rosie Turnbull, Sophia Wightman, Primrose Carrigan, Lucinda MacPherson and Priscilla Russell finished 2nd by 0.66 seconds in a hard-fought race. Morgan Wright, Abigail Shearer-Smith, Jorja Maundrell, Emma Arnott and Georgina Winter were close behind finishing 3rd. These girls went onto race in the Year 8 double scull with three crews consisting of Rosie Turnbull and Sophia Wightman, Abigail Shearer-Smith and Jorja Maundrell, Primrose Carrigan and Lucinda MacPherson making it into the final finishing 5th, 6th and 7th respectively.

Camilla Hudson, Olivia Magnay and Imogen Tsien defended their State Championship title from 2016 by combining with Primrose Carrigan (Year 8) and Priscilla Russell (Year 8) to win the Year 9 Quad Scull. An outstanding achievement from all girls.

Two St Margaret’s fours hit the water to take on the Year 10 Four event. The New Zealand exchange crew required a substitution with Lucy Scott (Year 9) stepping in for Rosa Foster to combine with Victoria Voice, Isabelle Cox, Lily Devereaux and Gabrielle McGann to finish an outstanding 3rd with Samantha Morgan, Mia Fahrensohn, Emma House, Sophie Gerber and Sarah Kennedy close behind in 4th. Sophie Gerber had a packed weekend of racing, competing in a number of single scull events finishing 4th in both the Open and Under 16 single scull.

Elizabeth Gooden and Victoria Franklin finished a commendable 5th in the Year 11 pair, taking their experience into the Open School Girl Eight. St Margaret’s was again strongly represented with two crews made up of Year 9s, 10s and 11s making it into the final finishing in a strong 5th and 9th place.

Congratulations to all girls who raced at the 2017 Queensland State Schools Rowing Championships. You did St Margaret’s proud and we hope to see you keeping fit in Term 4 and Term 1 2018 sports!

Softball

QGSSSA Junior Softball will be played through October and November with a large number of teams competing across our Years 7, 8 and 9 groups. Trainings commenced in Term 3 and will continue on Tuesdays and Wednesdays until the final matches scheduled on 3 November. We look forward to the girls’ continued enthusiasm for Softball.

Badminton

The Badminton season is well into its training with the ever-increasing enthusiasm of the girls. Again, a large number of girls have signed on for the competition with the Open and Senior students playing their rounds on Saturday 14 October. Years 7 – 9 teams will play on Saturday 28 October with all teams playing at one of three venues – Centenary State High School, Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School or Brisbane State High School. We look forward to the girls enjoying the days putting their finely tuned skills into action with the fun of the event.

Fun Thursday Date Claimer

There will be a fun Thursday activity offered to students and will be held on 2 November at the Rowing Sheds. More details will be forthcoming in the following weeks.

Sports Awards

Sports Awards are again coming around quickly. This year we look forward to recognising our talented students on Friday 20 October. Please note the change in date from the printed calendar and further information will be forwarded to families of awardees. All tickets can be paid through Flexischools via the link on the school website. We will this year have Bronte Barratt – St Margaret’s Old Girl and three time Olympian – as our guest speaker and we look very much forward to hearing her speak of her journey through St Margaret’s into the world sporting arena.

Netball Clinics

A number of Netball Clinics have been offered across both the Primary and Secondary school for Nursery Netball, 10 – 12 years’ clinics and shooters clinics. Please contact Ms Hayley Mann on 0403 262 840 should you require further details. Payments and registrations are currently available on Flexischools.

Athletics

St Margaret’s will again provide strong competition at the QGSSSA Athletics to be held at QSAC on Friday 20 October. Non-competitors in Years 9 and 11 will form the important supporters in providing the St Margaret’s spirit for the St Margaret’s team. We look forward to a full program of competitors and enthusiasm from all supporters.

Congratulations

Hannah Polovich (Year 12) represented Queensland in the Under-19 Schoolgirls Hockey team which toured New Zealand for two weeks from 25 September.

Interstate Challenge

The QGSSSA competition offers the opportunity for QG affiliated students the opportunity to nominate and compete under the QGSSSA banner in interstate challenges against other like-minded sporting schools’ associations. This holiday, two of our students competed in their various sports – Zoe Garraway in Netball and Niamh Macfarlane in Tennis. Congratulations to the girls for taking the unique opportunities to compete in this event.

Hockey Support Group - Annual General Meeting 
The Hockey Support Group AGM will be held on Tuesday 31 October 2017, 6pm in the Year 7 Precinct (Toorak). All are welcome to attend.

The Activities Office 

Isabel has created a clever composition with lovely depth in colour and surface. The use of fox images to portray the darker sides of human nature is fascinating. We particularly love the clearly visible brush strokes on the foxes. Well done Isabel!

Eliza McKendry and Annabel Kennedy

Visual Art Captains 

Don’t forget:

1. Top up your daughter’s student ID card!

   To ensure that your student always has funds available, we recommend setting an automatic top-up from your credit card. You can choose what the trigger amount will be and also how much it will top-up by each time. 

2. Check the daily limit isn’t too low!
   If your student is using her Student ID to make daily purchases at the Supplies Shop, Tuckshop and on the bus, this can add up. Please ensure your student’s daily limit is set so she can make these purchases. We are unable to charge your student’s ID card at a later time.

Do you need help with you Flexischools account?
For any further information and enquires, please call Flexischools on 1300 361 769 or visit their website: www.flexischools.com.au. 

OLD GIRLS’ ASSOCIATION

Annual General Meeting

The OGA AGM will be held on Tuesday 28 November in the Mooloomburram Boardroom from 7:00 to 9:00pm. All past students are warmly welcomed and encouraged to attend.

Luanne Wishart 

Students who study an ESP course do not pay tuition fees. ESP students enjoy the benefits associated with being a UQ student, including access to UQ libraries, student services, guest lectures, and use of UQ’s extensive sporting facilities. In addition, students who successfully complete ESP will receive one bonus point (1-99 scale) towards their university entrance rank through UQ’s Bonus Rank Scheme. Students who later enrol in a relevant UQ program may receive credit for their completed course.

Eligibility
Students currently completing Year 11 (in the year of application), in all Queensland state and non-government high schools and colleges, including on-shore international students:

• are high academic achievers gaining at least a 'B' cumulative average (or equivalent) during Semester 1, Year 11; and
• can participate in ESP during first semester of Year 12; and
• are confident the extra study will not negatively impact their Year 12 studies; and
• have gained support and permission from their parent/guardian and their school to take on the additional workload.

Interested students are encouraged to check out the ESP website to see if ESP is right for them and other course-specific eligibility requirements. Applications are now open via the ESP website. Applications close Tuesday 31 October 2017 at 11.59pm.

Entry program, scholarships and support for elite athletes
QUT is recognised by the Australian Institute of Sport and The Australian Sports Commission as an elite athlete friendly university. Find out about our entry program, scholarships and support for elite athletes: https://www.qut.edu.au/study/undergraduate-study/do-you-advise-school-students/news-and-events/news?news-id=118416&utm_source=silverpop&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=qut_undergraduate_guidanceofficer&utm_content=Guidance%20Officer%20Newsletter%20July%20(1)&spMailingID=54503237&spUserID=Njc4NTQxNTM4MzIS1&spJobID=1202605892&spReportId=MTIwMjYwNTg5MgS2

University of Queensland Scholarships
UQ Sporting Scholarships - apply now
UQ's sporting scholarships support students to balance their studies with the demands of elite-level competition. In addition to financial support, these scholarships offer academic tutoring, facility access, workshops and much more. Applications can be submitted online.

UQ School of Economics Scholarships
Applications are now open for two invaluable scholarship opportunities at the UQ School of Economics: The Year 12 Domestic Australian Scholarship and The Year 12 Equity and Diversity Scholarship.

The Year 12 Domestic Australian Scholarship is for outstanding Australian domestic students who are completing Year 12 studies. The successful candidate will receive a $5,000 bursary each year for three years. Applications close 3 November 2017.

The Year 12 Equity and Diversity is for students who can demonstrate a very keen interest in economics but who have faced educational disadvantage during high school. The successful candidate will receive a $5,000 bursary each year plus a mentoring scheme. Applications close 28 November 2017. https://economics.uq.edu.au/

The Science Experience - apply now
During this 3 day ConocoPhillips Science Experience students will discover the breadth and depth of science available at UQ with workshops covering a range of disciplines including maths, physics, genetics, marine science, neuroscience, health and safety science, agriculture and nanotechnology.

They will have the opportunity to speak to researchers in some of our unique research institutes and centres and also hear from some of our top scientists discussing their areas of interest. Students will test their general science knowledge in the Science Relay Quiz, create companies in an invention workshop and make new friendships at the Supernova Disco.

The 2018 Science Experience will run from Wednesday 17 to Friday 19 January 2018. Apply now.

For information, contact UQ Faculty of Science
Phone: 07 3365 3634

STARportal for high school students
The STARportal is Australia’s first centralised national portal for exciting and engaging STEM activities from around the country. This searchable database connects parents, students and teachers with their local and online STEM activities in real time.

The STARportal has been a collaboration between the Office of the Chief Scientist, Engineers Australia, Telstra, AMSI, BHP Billiton and the Commonwealth Bank, in consultation with the Department of Education to ensure all Australian families have access to any and all STEM outreach activities in their area and online.

Visit the STARportal online. For information, contact Australian Government Office of the Chief Scientist: Web: https://www.starportal.edu.au/

Bond University

You can apply direct to Bond right now. Applying online to study at Bond University is free and easy. We encourage you to lodge your application as soon as you have decided what you would like to study. There’s no application fee – no obligation to accept a place if it is offered – it simply gives you another option when it comes to making a decision about your future. https://bond.edu.au/future-students/study-bond/how-apply

QUT For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
QUT’s Oodgeroo Unit offers the Centralised Assessment Selection Program entry pathway from mid-October for QTAC applicants who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and place QUT within their top three preferences. Applicants need to have their Confirmation of Australian Indigenous Heritage from a registered Indigenous corporation and as this process can take time, we recommend students and/or their parents start this process early.

QTAC Information about the ATAR system
From 2020, the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) will replace the Overall Position (OP) as the standard pathway to tertiary study for Queensland Year 12s. The ATAR is the primary mechanism used nationally for tertiary admissions and indicates a student’s position relative to other students.

The ATAR will be introduced for students commencing Year 11 in 2019, who will graduate from the end of 2020 and seek entry to tertiary courses from 2021. QTAC will calculate ATARs for Queensland school leavers. QTAC have produced a video with information about some of the changes that will take place. This is available at: https://www.qtac.edu.au/atar-2020.

QTAC: Selection guidelines for initial teacher education courses (pre-service teachers)
As part of the Australian Institute for Teaching and Leadership (AITSL) revised Standards and Procedures (2015), all applicants to initial teacher education courses (pre-service teachers) must satisfy both academic and non-academic entry criteria for selection to the course. This requirement applies for the 2018 tertiary admissions period onwards. Details, including a new video, may be found at: http://www.qtac.edu.au/courses---institutions/initial-teacher-education. Students can upload their completed personal statements to their applications by logging in to QTAC Applications Services. Normal QTAC documentation due dates apply.

KEY DATES:
10 November
Due date to apply and submit documents for 17 November offer round.

15 November
QCS Test results available in student learning accounts.
https://studentconnect.qcaa.qld.edu.au/learning.html

17 November
Final day for Year 12 students: You must stay at school up to this day to be eligible to receive a QCE and OP.

8 December 10am
Due date to supply documents to QTAC for 21 December offer round.

15 December
QCAA posts QCEs, Senior Statements, Statements of Results, QCIA and Tertiary Entrance Statements to Year 12 students.

16 December
QCAA publishes Year 12 results and OPs in student learning accounts on the Student Connect website: https://studentconnect.qcaa.qld.edu.au/learning.html.

16 December – 22 December
Griffith University: Know Your Options
Chat online with our expert study advisers after you have received your tertiary entry score, to discuss your study options. Find out about pathways, entry requirements and program options, plus what you can do if your score was higher or lower than expected.

18 December
UQ OP Results Advice Night, Advanced Engineering Building, St Lucia Campus 4:00pm - 7:00pm. OP Results Advice Night is the perfect opportunity to discuss your study options at UQ after receiving your OP.

19 December
QUT: Real Decisions, Gardens Point Campus, 9am – 1pm
Throughout the day, staff and current students from each faculty will be on hand to answer your questions and provide advice on courses and career outcomes.

21 December 2017
QTAC offer round.

9 January 2018 10am
Due date to supply documents to QTAC for 16 January offer round.

16 January 2018
QTAC January offer round.

Elizabeth Johnston