eNews Archive Issue 22 - 31 July 2025

The Arts Precinct will be the most significant infrastructure project in the school’s 130-year history, with Stage 1 including an 80-seat purpose-built Blackbox Theatre, a 160 seat Recital Hall, dedicated rehearsal spaces, music rooms, and teaching studios, all designed to deliver a world-class learning environment for our primary and secondary students and to support excellence in the performing arts.

St Margaret’s is known as an innovative school and our commitment to continuous evolution drives our vision to meet the educational needs of our students, preparing them for their best possible futures.

This vision incorporates the upgrade of our ageing music and drama facilities, which have served our students well throughout the school’s history. The first music classrooms, in Darnell Building, were constructed in the 1930s and are still used today for private music tuition. In 1984, the Sister Helen Music Room was opened in Jackson Wing and this teaching space is also still in use as a rehearsal space. Today, curriculum and extracurricular music, drama and dance are taught across several locations across the school campus. The Arts Precinct will bring all arts disciplines together under one roof, creating a vibrant cultural environment where our students and educators are inspired to collaborate, create and innovate and where they will benefit from the use of facilities that are on par with facilities that real world performing artists use.

At St Margaret’s, it is our belief that the arts play a critical role in a young person’s growth and in preparing them for life beyond the school gates, nurturing confidence, shaping identity, and fostering creativity, flexibility and the ability to solve problems. The arts have the capacity to be transformational in a young person’s life.

The Arts Precinct supports our holistic education philosophy and our commitment to developing the skills and strengths students need to meet the challenges and opportunities they will face after graduation, preparing them to confidently, compassionately and capably contribute on the world stage.

Buildings have been demolished, and the site is being prepared with construction due to start at the end of this year. It is anticipated the project will open in early 2028. You may like to learn more about the project here.   

Thanks to the generosity of donors, we have raised over $2.14 million in philanthropic donations towards our $3 million goal, which will help us to create a world-class precinct. If you would like to discuss how you can make a contribution towards our vision for the school for the benefit of generations of St Margaret’s students, please contact our Director of Philanthropy and Stakeholder Engagement, Lara Pickering lpickering@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or 3862 0884.

Ros Curtis

As we move forward, please take note of the following important notes:

Bus Bookings

Bus bookings must be confirmed via the ‘Bus Changes’ tab in the Rollcall app. Bookings can be made up to 10 days in advance, so we encourage you to plan ahead.

Payments

Please note that Flexischools is not linked to the Rollcall app. All transport payments should be made directly through the Rollcall app to avoid any delays or confusion.

Transport ME

The Transport ME app will no longer be available from 4 August. After this date, all transport-related updates and tracking will be managed exclusively through the Rollcall app.

We appreciate your attention to these changes and thank you again for your support during this transition. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out and email schoolbus@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Nicole Devlin

Another word we use for the passing of time is ageing. In our society this has become a word that is associated (falsely) with decline. Something that should be a celebration of the passing of time, has turned into billion-dollar industries attempting to pause, avoid, and reverse aging. As if ageing itself is a deficit.

Recently, The Guardian published an article by Gerontologist, Dr Kerry Burnight titled, I’m an expert on ageing. Here’s what I know about thriving in later life. It is a profound reflection on longevity and lifespan arguing that in order to thrive in the ageing process (or just living, because we’re all ageing!), we need to move away from a deficit mindset to a fulfilment mindset, arguing that thriving in the ageing process isn’t the absence of the challenges but being able to continue to learn and find meaning and purpose.

Dr Burnright’s research has uncovered four key elements to thriving as we age, that are relevant at any age. They are:

Grow: continuing to expand and explore.

Connect: putting time into new and existing relationships.

Adapt: adjusting to changing and challenging situations.

Give: sharing ourselves.

She says: “It’s not enough to have a long lifespan and healthspan; we want what I call a long joyspan. Joyspan, or the experience of wellbeing and satisfaction in longevity.

Rev’d Jazz Dow

These events play an important role in helping students develop essential life skills such as communication, social awareness, and self-assurance. By interacting with students from other schools, particularly in thoughtfully planned and age-appropriate settings, our senior girls are encouraged to step outside their familiar routines and engage with new people in a supportive, guided way.

Our most recent Year 11 social with St Joseph’s Nudgee College was a great example. Held at Casa Cibo in Brisbane, the dinner gave students a chance to enjoy a delicious Italian meal while chatting with peers, making new connections, and stepping outside their usual social circles. With plates of pasta, pizza and arancini balls on the table, the evening offered a relaxed atmosphere where conversation flowed just as easily as the food.

Moments like this are more than just a night out—they’re an important part of learning to navigate new environments with confidence. Sitting across the table from someone you’ve just met, learning to introduce yourself, share stories and listen well are all valuable skills that students will take with them into adulthood. For many, especially boarders, it’s also a great way to feel part of a broader community and enjoy a change of pace from school routines.

Looking ahead, our Year 12 students will have their own social with Nudgee College in the coming weeks—this time with a slightly different flavour. The evening will take place at a local driving range, followed by a shared pizza dinner. This unique venue was chosen to reflect the maturity and independence of our Year 12s, offering an activity-based social that encourages both relaxed fun and natural conversation.

Importantly, the socials are structured to strike the right balance: formal enough to encourage maturity and good manners, but relaxed enough that students can have fun, be themselves and enjoy the experience. Whether it’s sharing a laugh over pasta or hitting a golf ball (or missing entirely—that’s part of the fun!), these moments help create lasting memories and meaningful lessons in how to connect with others.

We know that learning at St Margaret’s isn’t just about academic success—it’s about developing the whole person. Through initiatives like Senior Socials, we’re helping our students become confident, thoughtful and socially capable young women who are ready to take on the world beyond school.

Kelli Boucaut

NAIDOC Week

This week, St Margaret’s celebrated NAIDOC Week. On Wednesday staff joined with some of our First Nations families for a cook up and shared feast. Today we had our NAIDOC Week Assembly where we were fortunate to have Songwoman Maroochy, our Turrbal Elder, perform a Welcome to Country. This evening we are holding our NAIDOC Week movie night in Eton Hall, watching Windcatcher. Tomorrow, we are lucky enough to have the Negaums Dance Troupe join us all the way from Murray Island in the Torres Strait. They will be sharing with us some traditional dancing and music as well as teaching us some simple dances. We are grateful to have been able to welcome our wider community to be with us this week and have been blessed to have some of our boarding families able to join us for these celebrations.

At the NAIDOC Week Assembly, we were very excited to announce that Frances Drummond will continue to be our Student Co-Chair for the RAP Committee, with Tina Pearson-Nona joining her in this role. Congratulations, girls!

“Everyone’s 100% effort will look different, so don’t compare your workload with someone else’s” – Lucy Dunning, ’24.

Caitlin McCluskey

Primary and secondary teachers from around South-East Queensland are most welcome to attend this free event, as are St Margaret’s parents.

For more details, or to register, please click on the following link: Click Here to RSVP

NAPLAN 2025

Last week, NAPLAN results were released to schools and, once again, St Margaret’s has performed exceptionally well in all areas when compared to the state average. The 2025 overall school results can be viewed here on the school’s website.

Student achievement is now reported to parents using proficiency standards for each assessment area at each year level. The standards are set at a challenging but reasonable expectation of what students know and can do at the time of testing. For further information on this new reporting system, a Parent Information Brochure is available here.

Congratulations to all students on their efforts. I would also like to thank our dedicated teaching staff for their ongoing commitment to excellent education for our students.

Chris Dunn

Our comprehensive team includes the Dean of Students, Chaplain, Head of Boarding, Head of Year, qualified psychologists, International Student Coordinator, and Learning Enhancement specialists. This multi-disciplinary approach ensures we can address the diverse needs of our student body with expertise and sensitivity. Research consistently shows that "effective pastoral care is linked to academic engagement and performance", highlighting the critical importance of our holistic support model.

The cornerstone of our support system is our new Wellbeing Centre, where students receive outstanding, evidence-based care in a safe and nurturing environment. Here, students can access counselling, academic support, and specialised services tailored to their individual circumstances. All support is provided discreetly, ensuring students feel comfortable seeking help when needed.

Our pastoral care philosophy recognises that each student's journey is unique. Whether supporting our international and Yalari students as they adapt to a new culture, helping students with learning differences reach their potential, or providing mental health support during challenging times, our team works behind the scenes to create an environment where every student can flourish.

The investment in comprehensive pastoral care reflects our commitment to developing not just academic excellence, but well-rounded individuals prepared for life beyond school. When students feel supported, valued, and understood, they are empowered to take risks, overcome challenges, and achieve their full potential.

For any families seeking support, please don't hesitate to contact our pastoral care team through the Wellbeing Centre’s reception.

Nikki Townsend

Children are never too young to engage in conversations. Oral language development, the ability to use vocabulary and grammatically correct sentences when speaking, as well as understanding what others are communicating (receptive language) – forms the cornerstone of reading and writing success. Research consistently shows that children exposed to more complex language and a wider range of vocabulary during their first five years of life start school better equipped to succeed academically. They enter the classroom with a stronger vocabulary, improved comprehension, and greater confidence in expressing their ideas, all of which support reading and writing development.

Why Talk Matters

Talking with children helps them learn new words and concepts. Each conversation offers an opportunity to introduce and explain new vocabulary, deepen their understanding of the world, and model how language is used in different contexts. For example, discussing current affairs, sharing stories about your day, or reading a book together and talking about the plot, characters, and themes are all powerful ways to build a child’s oral language.

The quality of talk is just as important as the quantity. Encouraging children to think, question, and express opinions helps them develop higher-order thinking skills. Phrases like “Why do you think that happened?” or “How would you solve that problem?” prompt children to use more complex language structures, which later translates into improved writing skills.

The Power of Previewing Through Talk

Previewing learning at home – discussing upcoming topics or assignments, has been shown to significantly enhance a child’s understanding. Research highlights that ‘preview learning’ can have an effect size of 0.9, which is more than double the expected rate of impact on learning. By engaging in what we call “Big Talk”, meaningful discussions about upcoming writing tasks or subjects, children can generate ideas, explore vocabulary, and form the higher-level sentence structures that strengthen their writing. Simply put, if a child can talk about something confidently, they are far more likely to write about it effectively.

This approach is particularly beneficial for subjects like HASS, Science, and English. By previewing topics such as an upcoming novel study or a science experiment, parents can help their children brainstorm, research, and discuss what they already know or are curious to learn. These conversations allow students to build a strong knowledge base, which they can then draw upon in the classroom, resulting in a deeper and more connected understanding of the topic. Upcoming topics can be found on your daughter's class POD page.

Building Vocabulary Through Discussion

Vocabulary growth is one of the clearest benefits of regular conversations at home. Each time a parent explains a new word, compares ideas, or elaborates on a concept, they are expanding their child’s language bank. Helping a child grow vocabulary not only supports reading comprehension but also improves writing quality and overall academic achievement.

Parents are encouraged to foster a home environment rich in talk as you:

• make time for conversation
• read and talk
• preview learning
• use rich language
• encourage curiosity

Families play a crucial role in building their child’s oral language foundation, a skill that underpins all future reading, writing, and learning.

Angela Drysdale

NAPLAN provides valuable data that helps parents and educators understand how students are progressing in literacy and numeracy over time — individually, as a school community, and in comparison, to national benchmarks.

Student achievement is reported using proficiency standards for each assessment area and year level. These standards reflect a challenging but reasonable expectation of what students should know and be able to do at the time of testing. For more information on this reporting system, a Parent Information Brochure is available here.

The 2025 overall school results can be viewed on the school’s website here and Individual Student Reports have now been sent home. If you have any questions about this testing or your daughter’s results, please contact myself or your daughter’s classroom teacher.

Kate Frewin

As part of the service, a special video was presented that included interviews with Old Girls outlining how their arts education at St Margaret’s has impacted their lives and guided them as they moved into a variety of careers.

The audience was also privileged to hear Old Girls Meleia Richardson (’21) and Etienne Steven (’20) provide a special performance of the beautiful song For Good from the musical Wicked. A video of the performance is available to be viewed on the Cocurricular Music POD page. Thank you to the Sculthorpe String Quartet for their contribution as guests arrived. Thank you also to Encorah and Ms Brennan for their engaging performance of Put a Little Love in Your Heart. All musical contributions were greatly appreciated!

Reunion Performance

Congratulations and thank you to the Stage Band for their wonderful performance provided at the Reunion event last weekend. The Stage Band performed a twenty-minute set of music that greatly contributed to the special atmosphere of the event, despite the unexpected thunderstorm! Thank you to Mr Mackenzie for preparing the girls for the performance, and Dr Syntageros and Ms Katahanas for their assistance on the day.

New Zealand Festival – Information Night

Thank you to parents who have expressed interest for their daughter regarding the opportunity to travel to New Zealand in 2026 to participate in the Rotorua Rhapsody Music Festival, from Monday 29 June to Sunday 5 July. We are pleased to announce we have received sufficient potential interest for students to participate as part of Exultate and/or Chamber Strings. Whilst we did not receive as much interest for Sister Helen Wind Symphony, we would like to encourage those interested students to still consider joining the tour, either as part of Exultate or as support crew. 

All students will be able to participate in music workshops provided by the festival, along with other cultural and tour activities. There will be an information session on Thursday 21 August in The Loft at 6pm to provide further details. We invite all interested parents and students from Exultate, Chamber Strings and Sister Helen Wind Symphony, and potential students for 2026 for these ensembles, to attend. This will be an opportunity for parents and students to ask questions and find out more specifics as to how the tour will operate, along with the proposed payment schedule. If parents cannot attend this session but would like to receive additional information, please email music@stmargarets.qld.edu.au and we can forward the presentation post meeting.

Practice-a-thon

The Music Support Group have put together a wonderful fundraiser to assist in building funds for a new Steinway piano that will be housed in our new St Margaret’s Arts Precinct. The Practice-a-thon is open to students in the primary school who are undertaking private music lessons, involved in cocurricular music ensembles or are a part of the Years 3 and 4 Strings Program/Year 5 Band program.

Practice-a-thon forms have been delivered to all students this week (and is also attached). (PDF 292KB) Students (with the help of parents) are able to sign up via the QR code and seek sponsorship from friends and family to raise money based on the level of practice achieved during the period 17-30 August. There will be prizes for the students who have raised the most money, shown the most practice as well as two random draws. Each prize will be a hamper that will consist of movie tickets, an Owala water bottle, a Jelly Cat toy, Instax camera along with music themed stationery. This is a wonderful initiative provided by the Music Support Group that will both assist in raising funds, as well as encouraging students to develop a healthy, consistent practice routine. We look forward to having many students signing up!

Soaring Upwards Festival

The Soaring Upwards Festival is fast approaching! All larger music ensembles will perform at this special performance event on Circular Drive on Saturday 2 August. A special stage will be set up on Circular Drive along with professional audio. Parents and friends are encouraged to come and support the girls as they showcase their musical talents. The afternoon will also include some wonderful, combined ensemble performances. Seating will be provided or feel free to bring your own picnic rugs/chairs. The Music Support Group will be selling baked goods, chips, juice, soft drink and also provide a sausage sizzle. Please see the performance schedule below:

CONCERT BANDS

12:30pm           Chaseley Concert Band           

12:45pm           Jackson Wind Ensemble           

1.00pm            Sister Helen Wind Symphony               

1:15pm            COMBINED BANDS PERFORMANCE                                    

ROCK/STAGE BANDS

1:30pm            Stage Band                   

1:45pm            Tuesday Rock Band               

2:00pm            Monday Rock Band                  

2:15pm            Highly Strung                   

CHOIRS

2:30pm            Belle Voci                    

2:40pm            Chorale                       

2:50pm            Encorah                      

3:00pm            Volare

3:10pm            Exultate

3:20pm            COMBINED CHORAL PERFORMANCE

STRINGS

3:40pm            Amati Strings               

3:55pm            Stradivari Strings                      

4:10pm            Chamber Strings                      

4:25pm            COMBINED STRINGS PERFORMANCE

Winter Wonders

Winter Wonders will be held on Friday 1 August, with students in the following music programs and ensembles performing:

• Years 3 and 4 Strings (Primary Immersion Program)
• Year 5 Band (Primary Immersion Program)
• Archetti Strings (Early beginner strings ensemble)
• Tutti Strings (Advanced beginner strings ensemble)
• Serenata (Years 2 & 3 Choir)

The performance will begin at 8:45am and conclude at approximately 10:10am. All performances will be on the stage set up on Circular Drive with parents and friends warmly invited to attend. We are looking forward to hearing the wonderful performances and thank you in advance for your support of the event.

Music Support Group

The next Music Support Group meeting will be held on Tuesday 2 September 2025 at 5:00pm in the Circular Drive Classroom 01 (in front of the Arts Centre Foyer). Parents from both the primary and secondary school are welcome to attend.

Brad King

Based on results from the Swimming Age Nationals earlier this year, I was selected to attend Swimming Australia’s Next Wave Invitational at the Australian Institute of Sport. After undertaking some valuable professional media training with Swimming Queensland in the lead up to the event, I headed off to freezing Canberra to join the camp during the last school holidays.

The goal of Next Wave was to bring together 64 of the top-performing young swimmers from across Australia, along with their coaches and a range of athlete support staff, to familiarise us with the high-performance team environment and prepare us for future national selections on teams like the Junior Dolphins or the Flippers squad. This incredible experience gave me a real taste of what it means to train and compete at the next level.

The camp was fast paced, focused, and full of energy. We were split into either Emus or Kangaroos, with 32 girls and boys in each team. The schedule was physically demanding and hectic but super fun. There were two days of solid training and education sessions followed by four days of back-to-back racing. We studied relay changeovers and team dynamics, then repeated the same competition program three times so we could apply what we learned, improve, and push ourselves further each time. We were constantly cheering for our team or racing, even when we were exhausted. There was an unforgettable atmosphere, sense of shared purpose and team spirit. That team-first mindset of a powerful, united group is something very special. It reminded me of our magnificent Maggies swimmers at QGSSSA.

I was lucky to be supported at the camp by my Club coach from Rackley, Dan Busch, and St Margaret's Head of Swimming Sarah Caithness, who has also been part of my swimming journey for many years. Having both of them there meant the world to me and ensured the whole week felt more connected and less overwhelming. Dan and Sarah encouraged me when the going was tough and gave me confidence to believe in myself. I’m so grateful to Rackley Centenary and St Margaret’s for always backing me to achieve my swimming ambitions. It’s thanks to your faith in me that I had the opportunity to be part of something like this.

One of the most moving moments during the week away was hearing Olympian Chelsea Hodges share her personal story. She spoke about injury, setbacks, and resilience with honesty and strength. She emphasised that elite sport isn’t just about podium finishes. It’s about character and how you respond when things don’t go your way.

Apart from making some wonderful new friends from different parts of Australia, I returned home with a wealth of new technical knowledge, training and racing experience, and a better understanding of the demands of swimming at an elite level. It was one of the most intense and rewarding weeks of my swimming career so far.

Inspired by this experience at the Next Wave camp, I am more motivated than ever and confident in my capabilities. I know I can push beyond what I thought were my limits and I know I still have so much to learn. That’s made me really excited for what’s ahead. To the younger Maggies swimmers, never underestimate what consistency, coachability, and fortitude can do. Keep working, keep learning, and trust the process.

If any of our Maggies swimmers are keen to learn more about this experience, please let Cosette or Head of Swimming Sarah Caithness know. As you read in Cosi’s insights, Maggies was also fortunate to have representation with Sarah on the coaching team for this invitational camp.

This weekend is our first home round for QGSSSA Winter Fixtures. Please support our Maggies girls as they take on St Hilda’s in Tennis, Netball and Volleyball. We would like to encourage students to try and stay or arrive early where possible to support all teams play, however the sports team and coaches understand that this may not be possible each week. Please keep an eye on the POD pages for fixture details and venues.

Unfortunately, it was a false start to the BSRA Rowing season last Saturday with the dam closed to all activity by SEQ Water. So, this Saturday will be our first regatta happening at Wyaralong Dam. Best wishes to all squads!

The sport team are happy to recognise the outstanding achievements and representation of students participating at a national level, outside of the school sport pathway. I look forward to continuing to hear from our community regarding such outstanding achievement. Please email me at awilliams@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Latest Sport News and Information

For the latest sport news and information please check out the following Secondary School Sport POD Pages:

• Hockey The POD - Secondary Hockey
• Tennis The POD - Secondary Tennis
• Volleyball The POD - Secondary Volleyball
• Club Netball - The POD - Club Netball (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
• The POD - Secondary Netball
• Rhythmic Gymnastics – The POD - Secondary Rhythmic Gymnastics (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
• Rowing - The POD - Secondary Rowing (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)

Anne Louise Williams

Secondary Students

We are excited to announce that a new ¼ Zip Training Jumper has arrived and is now available for purchase from the Supplies Shop.

This new item has been designed as an optional layering piece for before and after school sports training sessions for Years 7 to 12. The jumper may be worn on its own during training or under the school tracksuit but does NOT form part of the official PE uniform and must NOT be worn during school hours. We only have a small supply of jumpers available across a size range, but if there is sufficient interest from our Secondary Students, we will place another order for 2026. 

¼ Zip Training Jumper – $70.00

• Custom-made for St Margaret’s
• Stretch fabric, lined with polar fleece
• Can be worn under the school track jacket or on its own for training sessions ONLY

St Margaret’s Merchandise

The Supplies Shop now stocks the following new merchandise items – folding chair, scented candles in two sizes, St Margaret’s Crest and Panama keychains, Panama croc jibbitz, vacuum drink flask and a crested fine bone china coffee mug.

Student Card Purchases

Flexischools daily limit – Just a reminder to ensure that the daily limit is set high enough to cover the cost of the uniform items being purchased, otherwise we will not be able to complete the transaction.

Blazer Pocket Embroidery

Blazers are collected every Thursday after morning tea and take between 2 to 3 weeks to be embroidered. 

Our students have talent, passion and imagination, and we are setting out to create a facility to match their potential.

You can learn more about the project and the Campaign to support this incredible project by visiting our website or downloading the Brochure. 

So far, thanks to the generosity of our community, including past students, parents and staff, we have raised more than $2.1 million of our $3 million target. But we need your support to reach our goal.

We would love for you to be part of this milestone in our school’s history. Every contribution will make a meaningful difference.

If you would like more information about this project or to discuss making a gift, please contact me on (07) 3862 0884 or email foundation@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Mothers' Luncheon – Tickets selling fast

This year, our much-loved St Margaret’s Mothers’ Luncheon embraces a vibrant Greek theme!

Book now for a wonderful celebration inspired by the rich culture, flavours, and spirit of Greece. It’s the perfect opportunity to connect, unwind, and enjoy time with our incredible community.

Prepare for an afternoon filled with Greek charm, delicious food, and great company. We expect tickets to sell quickly, so be sure to secure yours early.

Date:              Friday 12 September 2025

Time:              11.30am – 2.30pm

Location:        Grand Ballroom, The Greek Club, 29 Edmondstone Street, South Brisbane

Price:              $199 per person and include a two-course lunch paired with a three-hour deluxe drinks package featuring Australian sparkling wine.

Tables:            Maximum table capacity is 10 people. Seating requests can be made by nominating a Table Captain or Year Group at the time of booking. Best efforts will be made to meet any requests.

Enquiries:       Please contact: P&F@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Tickets are available here:  https://www.trybooking.com/DBECB

We thank St Margaret’s P&F Mothers’ Lunch sponsors, Maggies Supporter: Hundt Law.

St Margaret’s Plus Mentoring Program now open for Year 11 applicants

The St Margaret’s Plus Mentoring Program is designed to connect current Year 11/12 students with St Margaret’s alumni who work in the field they are aspiring to enter upon graduation. These alumni serve as mentors to current students for the duration of their final year of schooling.

Across four virtual meetings throughout the academic year (one per term), students can gain industry insight, tips and tricks and advice from an Old Girl who has established themselves as an industry professional.

Applications are now open for Year 11 students. More information and the sign-on can be found on the St Margaret’s Plus Mentoring Program POD Page here: The POD - St Margaret's Plus Mentoring Program.

Lara Pickering