eNews Archive Issue 24 - 14 August 2025

The research is conducted by specialist education consultancy MMG Education, who will email Year 12 parents with an invitation to participate in the review and provide confidential, secure access to the questionnaire.

Rest assured that all responses are de-identified, and data is reported back in aggregated form only. All data collected by MMG Education remain under its control and not accessible to the school.

If you have any questions regarding the project, please contact our Director of Marketing and Communications, Ms Wendy Johnston, on wjohnston@stmargarets.qld.edu.au  or call (07) 3862 0837.

I look forward very much to the valuable contribution you will be making to this important project by completing your questionnaire.

Thank you to all those who attended the Mayo Long Lunch on Sunday. Despite a little bit of recalcitrant weather, it was a lovely get together to raise funds for the school’s art collection. Thank you to Angela Drysdale and Lucy Hulme for their incredible organisation of the day and, of course, to our indefatigable front of house staff and catering team, under the leadership of Chef Scott Johnson.

On Monday, we announced the school leaders from the Year 11s for 2026. Congratulations to all those selected and best wishes for your leadership in those assigned roles.

Ros Curtis

These activities all demonstrate the resilience and drive needed to perform well. While all these experiences showcase the students that have succeeded, they also remind me of the students who continue to persevere and strive for selection.

When a student isn’t selected for a team, music group, or school activity, it’s natural for her to feel disappointed. But within this moment lies our chance as the adults in our girls lives to build resilience, character, and a deeper understanding of herself and others. We need to remind them that if they are not selected, they have done nothing wrong, it may just not be their time. While this is hard to hear for some students, I strongly believe that every experience—especially the challenging ones—offers an opportunity for growth.

Not being chosen can be a valuable lesson in how to reflect, persevere, and grow. It is important that we encourage our girls to see this as part of her lifelong learning journey. We can also help her appreciate that selection often reflects point in time readiness and suitability—not personal worth. And remind her that setbacks are stepping stones to success and that failure in its rightful place is part of becoming a confident, compassionate, and capable woman.

Above all, remind her that she is a deeply valued member of the St Margaret’s community—not for what she achieves, but more importantly for who she is.

Nicole Devlin

Author Priyan Max Jaganathan, spoke about the cultural currents that young people are facing and how to navigate these tumultuous seas using our Anglican identity as a lens. He explored the concepts of leadership and identity as defined by Anglican values and ethos and said simply that “success is relational.” Success is not something achieved alone. He redefined success not as individual wins but as a life lived in relationship and responsibility to another. We will never truly be successful while our neighbour is suffering. 

Successful leadership is noticing, or in the words of Dr Beth-Sarah Wright, ‘seeing again’ (respecting – ‘to look again’) the humanity, dignity and inherent worth of the people around us. Noticing this, and seeing that all life is interconnected, our success in whatever field is achieved because so many people and elements have brought us to where we are today. As I have said many times before, “we cannot be human alone”.

This week our incoming 2026 Year 12 leaders were announced – congratulations to you all. As a part of the process, I had the privilege of interviewing 43 students for the position of Sacristan. These conversations gave me great hope that this cohort of leaders is driven by a vision of leadership that is community focussed and recognises that successful leadership is inherently relational. Many students spoke about the importance of listening, taking people on a journey and leading by example, showing up with spirit and integrity. I look forward to working with you all over the next year.

“Who are we, if not measured by our impact on others? That’s who we are! We’re not who we say we are, we’re not who we want to be – we are the sum of the influence and impact that we have, in our lives, on others.” – Carl Sagan

Rev’d Jazz Dow

Boarding families, many of whom live far from the school, rely on the generosity and hospitality of day families throughout the year. Whether it's offering a home for a weekend stay, helping with transport, or simply being a friendly face during school events, day families play a vital role in enriching the boarding experience.

The cocktail party served as a special opportunity for boarding parents to personally thank the day families who have welcomed their children with open arms.

President of the Boarder Support Group Natalie Slack shared, “This event is more than a social gathering it’s a celebration of the kindness and generosity that make our daughters' journey thrive. We are incredibly grateful for the day families who go above and beyond to support our boarders.”

As the evening unfolded, it was clear that the connections between families whether boarding or day are at the heart of what makes our school community so special. The Boarder Family Cocktail Party was not just a thank-you, but a reaffirmation of the values of hospitality, friendship, and mutual support.

The night also ended on a high, as it was announced that St Margaret's Anglican Girls School was named the Australian Boarding School of the Year at the Australian Education Awards. This is an incredible achievement that highlights the outstanding care, dedication, and commitment shown by our entire boarding community.

Gracemere Mataia

In three weeks, the Year 12 students will head into the Mock Block where they will experience the External Exams in a practice environment. There are only three weeks remaining of standard class time during which teachers are delivering targeted lessons to help prepare our girls to be as ready as possible for both their Mock Exams and their External Exams.

It is expected that in the next three weeks, the Year 12 students maintain a committed approach to both attendance and engagement in their classes. Students are encouraged to ensure they are arriving at school with sufficient time to get to their classes with all required equipment. They should not be booking Careers meetings during lessons and instead should use their break time or ILOs for these bookings.

While External Exams seem to be a long way away, this time passes quickly, and the girls are encouraged to take advantage of all the support that is in place to ensure they are well prepared for the last steps of their secondary school journey. We know they have worked so hard to get to where they are now, and we are here to encourage and support them to the end.

“Remember to use all your resources especially your teachers, and make sure to prioritise your health and sleep” – Sara Jo Smare, ’24.

Caitlin McCluskey

We encourage students and their parents to discuss this teacher feedback as it is released, to help ensure a plan is formulated for academic development and growth. Further, girls can use their grades and feedback to help evaluate their progression towards the academic goals they set earlier in the term.

A reminder to parents that continuous reporting results have been progressively released from Term 1 assessments over the last few weeks.

• For Years 7 to 10 assessments – results and comments are released two school weeks after their submission/sitting date.
• For Year 11 – most results and comments are released two school weeks after their submission/sitting date, however, for some larger assessments it will be three school weeks.
• For Year 12 - results and comments are released three school weeks after their submission/sitting date.

To access these results, please log into the Learning Analytics Parent Portal and click on the Continuous Reporting Quick Link button.

Years 9 and 10 Study Hall

A reminder that during Years 9 & 10 Study Hall days, normal classes are suspended for these year levels, and students may have examination and performance assessments scheduled (please refer to your daughter’s Assessment Calendar on the POD).

When girls are not sitting assessment during Study Hall, they are afforded time to undertake independent study, where they can continue with other schoolwork and assessments.

Term 3 Study Hall dates are as follows:

Chris Dunn

With our 2026 student leaders announced this week, there may be many students who are dealing with disappointment. In fact, one of the questions that was asked of the Year 11 girls during the leadership application process was, how will they deal with disappointment if they are not successful in being selected as a leader?

As adults we are all well aware that life will have its fair share of disappointments and frustrations. At home, reacting to these stressful situations might start with shouting, hiding or feeling sorry for oneself. At school and in the girls’ future careers, these types of behaviours could in fact harm their reputation.

We must remember that decisions will be made but it is the individual’s final decision and choice on how they behave and react. Individuals are encouraged to do the following if they find themselves disappointed:

• Have a positive mindset – realise that not all things will go your way all of the time, look for something positive.
• Adjust your goal – if you are disappointed that you did not reach your goal, that does not mean the goal is unreachable in the future
• Record your thoughts – writing allows your negative feelings to be expressed and released
• Smile and support those who have been successful – this shows a lot more about your character if you can rise above your disappointment and continue to be the best person you can be.

“Disappointments are just God’s way of saying: “I’ve got something better. Be patient, Live Life and Have Faith”. Anonymous

Nikki Townsend

As part of this program, the Years 4-6 students will conduct different service-learning projects this semester. Year 4 students participate in a ‘giving of time’ project. Each student identifies, designs and gives their time, creatively, to someone else.

The Year 6 Cornerstone project connects to the Economics and Business component of the HASS curriculum. This project will be launched to the girls tomorrow and will see the girls participate in the development of a business, culminating in a planned profit-making venture. Money raised will be donated to a cause of their choice, yet to be decided, and one of the two primary school’s charities of choice, One Horizon. This charity funds a school and the local community in Nairobi.   

Service learning also encourages problem-solving and fosters strong connections between school, families and the wider community, all the while helping students recognise that even small actions can make a big difference. Last week’s Ponytail Project was evidence of this connection and our school, families and wider community coming together to raise awareness and money for the Cancer Council. Thank you to parents for supporting the girls by creating crazy hair and donating to this worthy cause.

The support of this worthy cause will continue next week when Year 5 conduct their service-learning project a book and bake sale – Books and Bites. Throughout the year, books have been donated to the library, and we will be offering these for sale to raise money for additional popular collections for the library.  Year 5 student Rosie Strachan and her mother will be participating in the Lunchbox Rally to raise funds for the Cancer Council.  Her Year 5 cohort will support Rosie’s efforts and conduct a bake sale in a lunchbox. Each Year 5 student will also donate one new lunchbox for the other primary school charity of choice Zephyr Education which is an organisation that helps children with their school essentials as they return to school after domestic violence. Students in other year levels are also welcome to donate lunchboxes.

Books and Bites Details 

When: Friday 22 August 

Where: Atrium 

Cost:    Every bake sale item and each book will be $2.00 

I know the Year 5 girls look forward to raising lots of money for these two charities. Start collecting your gold coins for next Friday and I thank parents, in anticipation of their support for all the service-learning projects.

Angela Drysdale

Through these artistic experiences, children develop vital skills that extend and deepen STEM learning. They build fine motor coordination, spatial reasoning, pattern recognition, and problem-solving abilities as they design, construct, and refine their creations. By integrating the Arts into PrePrep STEM, we cultivate imaginative, confident, and resourceful learners who approach challenges with creativity and curiosity, laying the foundation for future innovation.

Kate Frewin

Practice-a-thon

Thank you to the primary music students who have signed up for the upcoming Practice-a-thon. It’s not too late to sign up if students are still interested in becoming involved. Students are able to sign up via the QR code (with the help of parents) and seek sponsorship from friends and family to raise money based on the level of practice achieved during the period 17-30 August (form attached). (PDF 292KB) 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 an Owala water bottle, a Jelly Cat toy, Wonderboom speaker and music note necklace, 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!

Student Congratulations

Congratulations to Tram (Year 9) who recently competed at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod. Tram’s string quartet group, the Dolce Quartet, was awarded First Place in two categories: Trio, Quartet or Quintet – 20 Years & Under – Strings Only and Trio and Quartet or Quintet – 20 Years & Under – Any Combination (Strings/Wind/Brass). This is an outstanding achievement and testament to Tram’s hard work and dedication.

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

It is another home round this weekend for QG Winter Fixtures versus St Peters Lutheran College. Good luck to our players in Hockey, Tennis, Netball and Volleyball. Please check the POD for all fixture details for this upcoming round.

If you are playing Tennis this QG season, don’t forget to register for the upcoming Tennis Cup Tournament taking place at Nudgee Tennis Courts on Thursday, 28 August. It will replace training that day. The Tennis Support group has been very generous in providing Lululemon gift vouchers as part of the prize pool. There are four different categories to enter; Junior cup (Years 7/8), Inter Cup (Years 9/10) , Senior Cup (Years 11 /12) and All Age Doubles Cup where you can nominate to play with a friend. Find further details on the Tennis POD page with nominations closing on Thursday 21 August.

The sports office extends a big congratulations to all Year 11 students who were named in leadership roles this week particularly to our extracurricular sports captains in 2026 and to our Sports Captains, Lola B and Jemima G. We look forward to working with you all throughout your senior year.

Last week we launched a new extracurricular activity – Yoga is now being offered in the Arts Centre on Wednesday afternoons from 3.45pm to 4.30pm to secondary students. Our Yoga instructor Pip Moran will lead students through Yoga poses and breathwork. The practice is aimed at complementing our sports programs as well as supporting students to develop mindfulness skills and enhance their overall wellbeing. Students can sign up each week on the POD with weekly sign up sheets being posted on the Secondary Sport and Strength & Conditioning POD pages. Our next session will be held in Week 6 on Wednesday, 20 August.

Congratulations to Lucy S in Year 11 who recently returned from the Junior Olympics Water Polo tournament in the USA. Lucy also competed in the School Nationals for Water Polo in the last week where she was also MVP for the tournament.

The sport team is 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 dog lead, 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. 

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 Supporters: Hundt Law, UMS and Shingle Inn.

Fathers’ Dinner Wine tree raffle – can you help?

P&F need your help to grow the wine tree for the 2025 Fathers’ Dinner!

Do you have a nice bottle of wine sitting at home looking for a great cause to be donated to? Don’t have a bottle to donate but would like to help with a Dan Murphys gift voucher? If so, the P&F Association would love to hear from you.

You can choose to donate anonymously or have your name displayed with your contribution. On the night of the Fathers’ Dinner, all the wine will be offered via a live auction.

Donations can be delivered to the Development and Community Office by a parent or guardian between the hours of 9am and 4pm during the school week. Please note that students are not permitted to deliver wine tree donations.

If you would like to support the wine tree, please contact the P&F Association via p&f@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or (07) 3862 0825. Please drop off your bottle (or bottles) by Tuesday 19 August.

Aspiring Young Women's Network Breakfast

We welcome Georgina McManus ('97), Global General Counsel, Manolo Blahnik, as our guest speaker on Wednesday 3 September for our second AYWN breakfast of 2025. Please join us with your daughters to hear Georgina’s reflections on her career journey, life in London and the values that continue to guide her.

From the classrooms of St Margaret’s to the boardrooms of London, Georgina McManus has built a remarkable legal career that spans continents, industries and cultures. A proud St Margaret’s Old Girl, she is now the Chief Legal Officer for luxury footwear brand Manolo Blahnik, where she combines her legal expertise with a love of fashion, international transactions and business management. We look forward to her insightful perspectives into a legal career spanning various continents, cultures and industries.

Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1445324

Lara Pickering