eNews Archive Issue 11 - 19 April 2018

Term 2 promises to be another busy one with a variety of events and student activity and the next 10 weeks, I believe, will pass very quickly. Of course, it is the exciting Mayo Festival term and that requires a lot of work from many staff and volunteers, and will make the term even busier.

Welcome to Mrs Louise Brown (Secondary History/Humanities) who has commenced with us in Term 2. Welcome back to Ms Naomi Holley (Head of Faculty – Business and Pathways) and Helene Pallot (Health Centre) from leave.

I want to take this opportunity to let our community know that our School’s Anzac Day Ceremony will be held on Tuesday 24 April at 9:50am in the Philip Harris Sports Centre. Some parents may wish to attend our special assembly which celebrates Anzac Day. This assembly begins at 9:50am and ends at 10:25am and everyone is welcome to attend.

I would also like to remind parents that Tuesday 8 May is a student free day.

St Margaret’s remains committed to broadening the horizons of our students and thank the Boarder parents for their hospitality in hosting overseas and city students to experience the cultural, geographic and economic diversity of rural Australia. It is for this reason that we add an extra student free day to the Labour Day Weekend, creating a 4-day opportunity for our day students to visit our Boarding families and learn something about rural and regional centres. The 8th of May is a student free day for the whole school PP – Year 12 and Outside School Hours Care will be available during the day.

On the evening of 16 May, Peggy Orenstein, New York Times bestselling author and international speaker on issues affecting girls and women, is speaking at St Margaret’s to parents on the topic of her book - Girls and Sex: Navigating from shame and regret to integrity and joy in a complicated new landscape. You should have received an invitation during the school holidays to this event. It is essential to RSVP as the event is being held in The Loft and seats are limited. Primary parents, as well as secondary parents, should attend this talk, if possible. Peggy Orenstein is an American author and although she will have an American context for her presentation, the address should still be valuable for parents of girls. For further information about how to RSVP please see the attached flyer (PDF 145.9KB).

As many of you will be aware, we are working towards plans for a new sports precinct in keeping with our property master plan. Part of this process involves a proposed Ministerial designation of premises for development of infrastructure under the Planning Act 2016 that we would like to communicate to our community. Further details about this process can be found under the Development and Community section of this issue of the eNews.

We are looking forward to officially launching the project with the students at our special St Margaret’s Day assembly in July, at which point we will be able to provide full details to the school community about the new sports precinct. 

Ros Curtis 

Check your daughter’s phone. Children should know that you can ask for their mobile phone at any time and expect full access. While some people may feel this is an invasion of privacy, it is important to make a distinction between privacy and safety. A parent is still responsible for monitoring what a child does online. This involves what they are sending out and also what they are receiving as well. If you find the content inappropriate, talk to your child and why you do – and ask them what they think. Verbalising thoughts can help them to think things through and apply values to what they are doing online.

Be app-savvy. If your child is on it, you should be too, or at least have tried it out so that you know how the app works. If your children know that you understand the social media they are using, they are more likely to come to you to talk about issues that may arise.

Help children to understand their ‘why’. Help children to build their own filters. Encourage them to ask why questions – Why am I picking up the phone? Am I bored, lonely, sad, insecure? Why am I posting this? Does this make me feel good or not good? This helps them to separate online experiences from real-life ones. It also helps to slow down impulsive online communications and encourages them to make smarter choices.

Set clear ground rules. Talk to them about appropriate social media and mobile phone use before you give them a phone. Clearly state rules and expectations, and stick to them.

Do a digital detox. Learn to be okay with being offline. As a parent, start by modelling that behaviour: no phones at the dinner table, no checking texts while you’re talking with your child. While most children won’t admit it, it can be a relief when parents put restrictions on how and when children can use technology.

Please remember that our Mobile Phone Policy means that no students can have their phones during school time; they are to be in their lockers (secondary school) or handed in to the office (primary school). Students in the secondary school are permitted only to check their phones if needed (for example to access an urgent message from parents) at their lockers during breaks, but they are not to move away from the locker space and are not to access social media during this time.

Karen Gorrie 

Confirmation – Sunday 17 June, 6pm

Bishop Jeremy Greaves will be joining the St Margaret’s community for the 2018 Confirmation Service and Supper on 17 June. Candidates aged Year 8 and above, who would like to make their mature commitment to a relationship with God and faith, are encouraged to chat with me as soon as possible.

Confirmation is open to adults in our community as well. Please email me: ncolledge@stmargarets.qld.edu.au to find out more.

Upcoming Services – Family Services

Years 9 and 10 - Tuesday 1 May, 6:30pm at St Mark’s Anglican Church, Clayfield

Years 11 and 12 - Tuesday 15 May, 6:30pm at St Augustine’s, Hamilton

Upcoming Services – Other

Young Families Sunday Service - Sunday 22 April, 9am

Baptisms and Admission to Holy Communion - Wednesday 2 May, 6pm, School Chapel

Years 1-6 Eucharist, Friday 11 May, 2pm. All are welcome!

Reflection for the Easter Season (with thanks to the Anglican Community of St Leonard’s in Assisi, Italy for the following information!)

As everyone knows, Easter is a ‘moveable holy day’. Most people know that it somehow relates to the lunar calendar (like the Hebrew and Islamic calendars) and not the solar calendar. So, what are the facts and statistics?

Easter represents the resurrection of Jesus. The aim of dating Easter is to maintain, for each Easter Sunday, the same season of the year and the same relationship to the preceding astronomical full moon that occurred at the time of the actual resurrection of Jesus. The principles were set out in First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. However, it was not until the 6th Century that precise calculations were made and everyone began to fall in line with fixing Easter Day.

Since the Middle Ages the rule has been that ‘Easter is observed on the Sunday after the first full moon on or after the day of the Vernal Equinox’. However, this does not reflect the actual ecclesiastical rules precisely. The reason for this is that the full moon involved (called the ‘Paschal full moon’) is not an astronomical full moon, but an ‘ecclesiastical’ moon. The difference is that the astronomical vernal equinox is a natural astronomical phenomenon, while the ‘ecclesiastical’ vernal equinox is fixed at 21 March. Therefore, for the Anglican Church the earliest date for Easter is 22 March and the latest date is 25 April.

Some interesting statistics:

The last year during which Easter was at its earliest date (22 March) was 1818

The next year during with Easter will be at it earliest date (22 March) is 2285

The last year during which Easter was at its latest date (25 April) was 1943

The next year during with Easter will be at it latest date (25 April) is 2038

The Easter cycle of dates repeats after exactly 5.7 million years – don’t wait up!

The most common date for Easter is 19 April

Like everything in life there are some complications.

Firstly, the Orthodox church, defines Easter in a similar way but refines it as ‘the Sunday after the first full moon after the day of the Vernal Equinox’. This means their Easter can possibly, but not always be up to about one month later.

Secondly, the Eastern churches use the Julian calendar and not the Gregorian calendar (the calendars changed in 1582). Even this becomes more complex than first appears – but that is another subject all together! Therefore, Easter for Eastern can be on the same date or at least one week later than Western churches.

Happy Easter!

With every blessing on you and your week ahead,

The Reverend Canon Nicki Colledge 

It was a delight to witness the enjoyment experienced by these girls as they watched a variety of musicals and plays and participated in industry-based workshops led by experts within the Performing Arts. Friendships between day girls and boarders were indeed strengthened and we were particularly impressed with how the entire group conducted themselves throughout the tour. An appreciation of different theatre spaces and the diversity of performance was felt by all.

Two boarders in Year 11, Sarah Kennedy and Samantha Morgan attended the Antipodeans Trip to Vietnam. When I asked Sarah about her time overseas she reported that it was 'spectacular', with the highlight being the interaction with the local children and viewing the handicraft made by local women. The girls in her dorm all smiled as Sarah pronounced that the trip made her so grateful for everything she has in her life. Well done to both these girls for taking part in such an enriching program.

Prep

There are several teachers available for academic support during Boarders’ Prep Term 2 and we cannot stress enough that the girls should consider these times carefully and seek assistance from the relevant teachers if they are unsure of what to do. The start of term serves as a timely reminder for the boarders to clear out their workbooks and folders from last term and to start afresh.

Prep is a quiet time to study, therefore, listening to music should be limited as the silence itself is an invaluable experience. We stress this as exams and in-class assessments are conducted in silence, girls must allow themselves the opportunity of reaching their optimum within these conditions. Listening to music can certainly be the preferred option when working outside of Prep time, to block out the often-vibrant noise of community living. We wish the girls every success for this new term.

Monday: Mr Stein – Economics and Legal Studies, Ms Argent - English and History

Tuesday: Ms Calcino – Humanities, Ms Chambers - English

Wednesday: Ms Labinsky – Economics and Junior Maths

Thursday: Mr McCormick - Humanities, Ms Kerr – English and History

Dimity Harris 

To prepare Year 10 students with the knowledge and understanding required to make subject selections for 2019, a Transition Day has been organised for Friday 11 May. On this day, all Year 10 students will engage in a full day of activities to prepare them for Senior Education and Training Plan (SET Plan) interviews. As part of this day, the students will be taking part in an excursion to the National Careers and Employment Expo at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. This is a showcase of employment, careers, interactive features and seminar opportunities. The purpose of this visit is to provide students with an opportunity to investigate real career pathways and opportunities that exist within a wide range of industries. A letter will be sent home this week to provide further details about the Expo.

Following the Expo, students will be involved in activities that will focus on the subject selection process, new senior assessment requirements, the process of ATAR calculation and an introduction to My Path. My Path is a new innovative tool created by QTAC that will provide students direct access to the most up-to-date tertiary prerequisite information available.

The two organisations responsible for administrating the new system changes are the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) and Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC). QCAA have developed a video for school communities to provide an overview of the processes that will underpin Queensland's new senior assessment and tertiary entrance system. The link to this video is: https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/new-snr-assessment-te/information-school-communities/syllabus-subject-result.

QTAC will calculate ATARs for Queensland school leavers from 2020. The ATAR will replace the 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 have also developed a video to provide school communities with more information about the calculation of an ATAR. The link to this video is: https://www.qtac.edu.au/atar-my-path/atar.

Jo Butterworth 

NAPLAN

On 15, 16 and 17 May the Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 girls will complete the NAPLAN tests. As a school, we use NAPLAN data as a tool to review our teaching practices and enhance our student tracking for each cohort. The teachers in each of these year levels have been preparing the girls throughout the year with quality literacy and numeracy teaching. The girls have been engaged in activities that are presented in a similar approach to the way they are presented in the tests. The tests are a mix of written responses and multiple choice questions. The girls have also been focusing on writing persuasive and narrative texts in preparation for the writing component of the test.

More information about these days will be sent home to parents of the cohorts involved. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me or find more information at: www.nap.edu.au.

Supervised Study Sessions

Supervised Study Sessions will resume on Monday 23 April. A reminder that all students attending Supervised Study Sessions from 5pm need to be booked in via Flexischools. This term, students who have not been booked in to Supervised Study Sessions will not be able to stay. This service is being run to assist students; however, due to the number of girls just ‘turning up’ we are not sufficiently staffed and this puts pressure on the tutors. Thank you to those parents who are booking their daughters in to the service.

To book, parents need to log into Flexischools and select ‘Supervised Study Sessions’. Bookings are limited to 25 participants each night and when a session is full no more bookings can be made. Bookings are essential and should be made in advance to ensure a place is available. If dinner is required, payment must be paid at the time of booking and this option selected in Flexischools.

ICAS Competitions

A reminder, this year we would like to offer students in Years 7-12 the opportunity to nominate and pay to participate in these competitions. These competitions will be run under strict timed conditions on the following dates:

Tuesday 29 May: Science competition, cost $10.20 (incl. GST), 7am in Eton Hall

Thursday 14 June: Writing competition, cost $20.40 (incl. GST), 7am in Eton Hall

Tuesday 31 July: English competition, $10.20 (incl. GST), 7am in Eton Hall

Tuesday 14 August: Maths competition, $10.20 (incl. GST), 7am in Eton Hall

If you wish to enter your child in any or all the competitions, please pay via Flexischools through the school website by Friday 27 April 2018.

Nicole Devlin 

As a community, we all have a role to play to continue to make St Margaret’s a wonderful and outstanding school to learn and enjoy. Parent support with these matters is vital to our School’s ongoing success. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate your daughter’s Head of Year.

It is great to see the girls back after the Easter break, full of enthusiasm to tackle Term 2. There is a feeling of momentum and purpose in the classrooms as the newness of the year is well and truly behind us.

This term is as busy as ever, with a number of important and exciting events planned for the St Margaret’s community. I urge you all to check the School calendar regularly for the most up to date information on events. I have listed below some of the key events of Term 2 for the Secondary School:

Wednesday 25 April: ANZAC Day

Sunday 29 April: Miles for Minotti

Tuesday 1 May: Years 9 and 10 Family Service (St Mark’s, Clayfield)

Saturday 5 May - Tuesday 8 May: Day Boarder Weekend (Monday 7 May Labour Day Public Holiday and Tuesday 8 May is a Student Free Day)

Monday 14 May: Extra-curricular Photos

Tuesday 15 May: Years 11 and 12 Family Service (St Augustine’s, Hamilton)

Tuesday 15 - Friday 18 May: Year 8 Camp

Saturday 26 May: MAYO Arts Festival

Sunday 27 May: Red Shield Appeal

Monday 28 May: Free Dress Day

Thursday 21 June: End of Term 2 for students, 3pm

Friday 22 June: Student Free Day

Nikki Townsend 

Many of these parents and new students have already told me the ease with which they have settled into their new school. I believe this is to do with our school community. Research suggests that it is difficult today to create and maintain a community. The organisational structure and the different people within a school allow for a community to be created. However, a school community is much deeper that a structure. We regard our school community as a learning community, which is based on a high degree of relatedness of the stakeholders who, in turn share agreed values, behaviours and a shared vision of learning. Our school is like a ‘nested community’ in which collections of people are tied together by common values founded on our faith.

This term, we open our school to our extended community of families and friends when we celebrate the special people in our lives with the Primary Breakfast to celebrate Mother’s Day on 11 May and the term will conclude with a celebration of our grandparents, godparents and friends on 21 June.

The school’s involvement in the wider community will be evident in Andrews Cup Cross Country and the commencement of Club Netball at Downey Park. A significant event in the wider community will be acknowledged in our school community when some Year 6 girls will present an ANZAC Day Assembly next week.

Learning is at the heart of our community and last term the girls’ learning experiences were wide and varied. Such experiences continue with girls finding themselves immersed in engaging and challenging new learning tasks this week. They have much to look forward to this term with Year 2 excursions to the Telstra Museum and Samford, the Year 5 camp and the Year 6 Canberra trip.

When one analyses the curriculum offerings and life experiences the girls are exposed to, there are two common factors evident; the dedication of the teachers and the motivation of the girls. Hilary Clinton popularised the Benin proverb, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. As a school we believe that everyone in our community contributes to each child’s learning and growth. We have created a community in which our students learn confidently, parents support that learning competently and the teachers share their expertise cooperatively. I am looking forward to working with the girls and families throughout this term.

Upcoming Events:

Date Event

Tuesday 24 April - Primary Cross Country Meet, 3:30pm – 5pm

Wednesday 25 April - ANZAC Day

Thursday 26 April - New Parent and CPR morning tea, 8:30am – 10:30am

Friday 27 April - City Districts Touch, 8am – 3pm

Monday 30 April - Andrews Cup Cross Country, 8am – 3pm

Tuesday 1 May - City Districts Cross Country, 8am – 3pm

Angela Drysdale

ICAS Reminder

ICAS (International Competitions and Assessment for Schools) registration will close on Flexischools on Friday 27 April at 5pm. If your daughter is in Years 3-6, and you would like her to participate, please ensure you have registered and paid by next Friday. The booking system will close at this time and no late bookings can be made.

Entry into this competition is voluntary, therefore, the data pool from which attainment levels are assigned does not include all students within a year level. The competition does offer an excellent opportunity for students to engage in challenging, subject specific tests. We would recommend including your daughter in these competitions if you feel she will relish and thrive on the testing experience.

Competition Dates and Costs:

Tuesday 29 May: Science competition, cost $10.20 (incl. GST)

Tuesday 14 June: Writing competition, cost $20.40 (incl. GST)

Tuesday 31 July: English competition, cost $10.20 (incl. GST)

Tuesday 14 August: Maths competition, cost $10.20 (incl. GST)

Any Year 6 Speech and Drama exams on 14 June will be scheduled so no clash occurs with the Writing competition. Likewise, the Maths competition will be scheduled around Classics in the Cathedral rehearsals.

Cathy Cox

Assistant Head of Primary 

20 April: Sculthorpe String Quartet performing at Past Students Awards Dinner, ACF, 6:45am
25 April: Encorah performing at ANZAC Day Service, Hendra/Clayfield Anglican Church, 7:30am
29 April: Anglican Schools Music Festival Pre-Festival rehearsal, St Margaret’s/CHAC 10am-3pm
14 May: Music Photos for all ensembles, Eton Hall (time schedule to be issued closer to the date)
17 May: Sculthorpe String Quartet performing at Professional Women’s Network Breakfast, ACF, 6:45am
18 May: Anglican Schools Music Festival, QPAC, 7pm (Rehearsal all day with concert in the evening)
25/26 May: MAYO Arts Festival (Ensemble performances on 26 May only)
30 May: Private Music Students' Recital, The Loft, 3:30pm
19 June: Bands Concert, Eton Hall, 6:30pm
2-14 July: Europe Music Tour 

ANZAC Day Service

Encorah will be participating at the St Colomb’s ANZAC Day Service next Wednesday 25 April at 8am (23 Victoria Street, Clayfield). Encorah are very much looking forward to contributing to this special community event. All are welcome to attend.

Anglican Schools Music Festival

Tickets are now on sale for the upcoming Anglican Schools Music Festival Gala Concert through QPAC ticketing (www.qpac.com.au or call 136 246) and are available at a flat rate of $20 (plus GST). Approximately 35 St Margaret’s students will combine musical forces with up to 300 students from Anglican schools in South East Queensland to present the concert on Friday 18 May at 7pm. This promises to be an exciting event in the school’s music calendar!

Music Support Group

The next Music Support Group meeting will be a planning meeting for the upcoming MAYO Arts Festival on Tuesday 9 May at 3:30pm in the Primary Music Room (second floor of Chaseley). Parents from both the Primary and Secondary Schools are welcome to attend.

Brad King 

It is important to note that students must only choose one winter fixture sport to participate in which involves either Hockey, QGSSSA Netball, Tennis, Volleyball and Rowing due to all competitions/regattas being held on Saturday’s during Term 3. Girls can however combine Athletics and/or Rhythmic Gymnastics with a winter fixture sport. Online registrations are now open and available to sign on via the individual sport POD pages.

Important to note: With both Autumn and Winter sports training it is inevitable that clashes will occur. Therefore, the sport that is in its competition season must take precedence over the sport that is only training. If required, individual consultations can take place with students/teams to assist with any difficulties.

Cricket Division 1 Premiers

The Division 1 Cricket team had a successful campaign within the QGSSSA competition by being awarded the Premiership at the conclusion of Term 1. The team, led by Caitlin Nankivell (Year 11) finished with 5 wins and 3 draws to take out the honours by 1 point ahead of Clayfield College. Thanks goes to all girls, Coordinator - Mr Noel Peinke and staff for their efforts throughout the season.

Autumn Fixtures

Fixtures for Touch Football, Soccer and Basketball recommence on Friday 20 April against St Peter’s Lutheran College at our home venues. I would like to invite all friends, families and pets to come and support the brown, white and blue at all home venues during the afternoon. Good luck to all teams on a successful second half of the season. Please click here (PDF 252.1KB) to view the weekly playing schedule.

Cross Country - 4 weeks and counting

The assault on the QGSSSA Cross Country Championships is underway and our team is aiming at regaining the Percentage Cup. The next four weeks will be fast and furious, just like our team!! Therefore, it is important that all girls and parents are aware of the following:

1. QGSSSA Invitational Cross Country Meets:
   

   - St Margaret’s Meet – Tuesday 24 April at Shaw Park
   - St Hilda’s Meet – Tuesday 1 May at Rivermount (QGSSSA competition venue) Information and sign-on registration will be forwarded to all girls over the coming weeks.

2. Wednesday Morning Trainings: Every Wednesday is compulsory for ALL runners in ALL age groups. Fitness will not be gained or maintained if you do not put the training in.
3. QGSSSA Carnival: Saturday 12 May at Rivermount.

Interhouse Cross Country

The Secondary School Interhouse Cross Country carnival was a brilliant and fun afternoon. The level of running ability is just incredible and the commitment, effort and determination shown typifies what it means to be a St Margaret’s girl. A huge thanks to the staff who assisted as course marshals and officials which made the carnival run smoothly and efficiently.

Congratulations to Chaucer House on winning the overall trophy as well as the Spirit award.

12 Years

1st Lani McWilliam

2nd Indiahna Frawley

3rd Chisako Takada

13 Years

1st Isabella Harte

2nd Maicey Lynch

3rd Tayden Tomich

14 Years

1st Sophie Sorensen

2nd Skyla Tomich

3rd Isla McWilliam

15 Years

1st Chloe Fenwicke

2nd Meg Mettam

3rd Julia Elks

16 Years

1st Ciana Jamieson

2nd Bella Donaldson

3rd Aimee Boylen

17 Years

1st Lara Crouch

2nd Louise Millar

3rd Madeleine Brady

Congratulations to…..

Lani McWilliam (Year 7) for being selected in the Metropolitan North 10-12 Years Netball Team.

Bridgette Smith (Year 12) and Sophie Gerber (Year 11) who competed at the National Rowing Selection Trials in Sydney in the QLD Under 19 Pathways 1st VIII, placing 1st in the Final at the Sydney International Rowing Centre.

Chelsea Johnson (Year 8) who competed at the Australian 14 and Under Water Polo Championships in Albury-Wodonga. Having a fantastic tournament, winning the Grand Final 9-1 against Sydney Uni and being named in the Queensland 14 and Under squad with the hope of being selected to represent Queensland at the Pan Pacific Games in New Zealand in July.

Helen Lobegeiger  

QISSN 2018 Netball Tournament
Nominations are now open for players wishing to trial for St Margaret's 2018 QISSN Tour to Townsville. Attached is an information and sign-on form (PDF 90.7KB) for any students wishing to trial for this year’s QISSN Team travelling to Townsville 1-7 July 2018.

Please take the time to discuss this with your parents to make sure you are all aware of the commitment involved. If anyone has any questions, please contact me directly on 3862 0774. Trials will be held on Tuesday morning 24 April and 1 May, 6:30am at Windsor Park. Ten players will be selected to travel to Townsville.

Gayle Coutts
Head of Netball

Charlotte Caro, Isabel Haqqani and Luca Masnata

Visual Art Captains 2018 

Returning Exchange Students

We welcome back Olivia Magnay and Margot Lisle who returned from their rowing exchange to St Margaret’s College in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Outgoing Exchange Students

The following students are away on their exchange:

Sophie Gerlach-Zuch – Shawnigan Lake, Vancouver, Canada

Olivia Garland and Sophia Colledge – Crofton House, Vancouver, Canada

Emily Pitt and Margot Davis – Pensionnat du Saint-Nom-de-Marie, Montreal, Canada

Rebecca Lauder – St Stephen’s, Hong Kong

Bianca Licina, Indigo Hill and Mackenzie O’Brien – St Anne’s, South Africa

Lily-Kate Charles and Margot Behrend – Nga Tawa, Marton, New Zealand (who leave in 2 weeks)

We recently heard from the following students:

Sophie Gerlach-Zuch (Shawnigan Lake)

A quick update from Sophie’s mum, Anne-Marie: “Thanks to the staff at Pensionnat du Saint-Nom-de-Marie (PSNM), Romy and Sophie - students who were recently on exchange at St Margaret’s in Term 1 2018, Sophie Gerlach-Zuch was able to spend a day visiting the school while she was in Montreal before starting her exchange at Shawnigan Lake School on Vancouver Island. Sophie also met up briefly with Emily Pitt and Margot Davis also from St Margaret’s who are spending Term 2 on exchange at PSNM. “

From Sophie: “Going to school in -4 C degree temperatures in a short kilt, polo and jumper was certainly a change from Brisbane’s autumn temperatures. Everyone was so lovely and helpful. I had a really interesting day and went to a French lesson as well as a History and Science class. One of the day’s highlights was learning how to play lacrosse for the first time and experiencing a 1.5hr lunch break. It was great to catch up with Emily and Margot and to see Romy and Sophie again. I am now heading off to my own exchange on Vancouver Island and I hope it will be just as much fun as I experienced today.”

Rebecca Lauder (St Stephen’s)

The St Stephen’s Exchange Coordinator Mr Chong, had a welcome lunch with Rebecca and her exchange hosts Kelly and Jessica. She has settled in well at the boarding house and will be meeting with Mr Chong every Friday.

Sophia Colledge and Olivia Garland (Crofton House)

We have arrived in Vancouver and have slept and are so happy! The exchange is going very smoothly.

Upcoming Events

• Weekly exchange meetings commence from Tuesday 24 April in the Wearin Room between 1:15pm and 1:45pm

Angelin Achari

Admissions and Community Relations - International 

The girls are also learning to knit little triangles for our poppy project. Five lucky members of Toc H attended the Commonwealth Day Service at St John’s Cathedral on 18 March. The theme of this service was multiculturalism and the Queen’s message was inspiring to all of us at the Service.

Term 2 will start off with the Toc H’s Fund-Raising Concert at St John the Baptist Anglican Church, Oxford St, Bulimba at 2pm on Sunday 22 April. We have 3 senior students; Evie Stafford, Leah Reiher and Xanthe Lowe-Brown performing at this concert with professional musicians, so please come along to support these very talented girls and Toc H.

Toc H will be attending the ANZAC Day service to be held at midnight in Anzac Square. This service has a very special atmosphere where the Toc H Captains lay the St Margaret’s wreaths in the cenotaph. Georgia Marshall (Year 11) will play The Last Post. This service, which is approximately 45 minutes, should be experienced at least once. If you and your family are attending, students are asked to wear their Middy.

For the rest of the term, we shall be organising our concert at Freedom Aged Care, to be held at the beginning of Term 3. This is an annual event and the residents, some who are old girls, enjoy the performances and conversations with our girls.

Shirley Patton 

St Margaret’s is privileged to be working with furniture store Cult Design on this event who are supplying a range of designer furniture pieces for the art gallery space. Cult has a Brisbane showroom on Ann Street, Fortitude Valley, showcasing a range of international and Australian designer furniture brands. We are also very grateful for the support of sponsors including The Van That Can who will assist in transportation and delivery and Racecourse Road Dental who will assist with bar service at the event.

Ticket includes:

• Gourmet canapé menu
• Welcome drink on arrival and a cash bar for the remainder of the evening
• Art exhibition showcasing emerging and established local and national artists
• Meet and mingle with exhibiting artists and purchase from the collections on display

Event Details:

• Where: Arts Centre Foyer, St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School
• When: Friday 25 May 2018
• Time: 6:30pm
• Tickets: $60pp. Purchase through Flexischools here.

MAYO Arts Festival

The ride zone on Petrie Street is always a popular highlight of the MAYO Arts Festival. This year, children can enjoy:

• Giant chairs
• Giant slide
• Cup and saucer ride
• Bow Wow jumping castle
• Rockwall

Ride passes allow children to enjoy unlimited rides throughout the festival on Saturday 26 May. Purchase an earlybird ride pass for $30 and save $5. Alternatively, ride passes will be available for $35 on the day and individual ride tickets can be purchased for $6.

Purchase your earlybird ride pass here.

St Margaret’s appreciates the support of our MAYO Arts Festival Sponsors: 

Platinum

Luxury Private Charters and Exclusive Tour Agent

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Stalls

We welcome guest artists Fiona Kurnadi and Rachel Jones to the winter program, supported by our regular young assistants Georgina Rankine, Liliana Tarabay and Jonny Forbes. Activities will include clay wind chimes, jewellery, an acrylic painting on canvas as well as an artist’s book incorporating Turkish paper folding, monoprinting and marbelling.

As the class is limited to 25 students, you are encouraged to secure a place for your daughter via Flexischools at your earliest convenience. Please click here (PDF 775KB) for further details.

Jenny Lishman 

Term 2 Events

The Mayo Arts Festival will be held on 25 and 26 May and promises to be a wonderful event! For more information on the festival and to purchase tickets to the Cocktail Party, please see the MAYO section of the eNews.

Fathers’ Dinner - Tickets now on sale

The St Margaret's Fathers' Dinner is an annual event where all Fathers and male role models are invited to share a sumptuous two course dinner and drinks.

Date: Friday 15 June 2018

Time: 6:30pm pre-dinner drinks in Eton Courtyard, 7:00pm Dinner

Venue: Eton Hall

Cost: $100.00 per person includes two course dinner and drinks

This annual event is proudly sponsored by Morgans.

P&F General Meeting - 14 May

The P&F invites the school community to attend our first General Meeting of 2018. This is an opportunity to share your views and ideas, so please join us.

Date: Monday 14 May 2018

Venue: ILC (independent Learning Centre)

Time: 6:30pm start

Old Girls' Events 2018

OGA Annual Brunch – Sunday 3 June

10 Year Reunion – Class of 2008 – Friday 27 July

20 Year Reunion – Class of 1998 – Friday 27 July

30 Year Reunion – Class of 1988 – Friday 27 July

40 Year Reunion – Class of 1978 – Saturday 28 July

50 Year Reunion – Class of 1968 – Saturday 28 July

60 Year Reunion – Class of 1958 – Saturday 28 July

Chapel Service and Morning Tea – Sunday 29 July

60+ Year Reunion – Monday 30 July

AGM – Tuesday 27 November 

Invitations will be emailed in late April. Please contact us at: developmentandcommunity@stmargarets.qld.edu.au if we don’t have your current email address.

Lara Pickering 

The proposed Infrastructure Designation applies to the land owned by the Sacred Advent Schools Pty Ltd (the owner of the assets and operations of the school) and bounded by:

• Lapraik Street
• Comus Avenue
• Petrie Street and Butler Street
• Towers Street and Butler Street.

If the Infrastructure Designation is approved, our premises at 11 Petrie Street, Ascot will be identified as being available for education facilities and facilities at which an education and care service under the Education and Care Services National Law (Queensland) is operated. This designation would acknowledge and reflect what we use this land for today.

As part of our ongoing master planning for the school, we have identified opportunities to rejuvenate and redevelop parts of our school to help us function more efficiently. The first stage of this rejuvenation, and the primary focus of the proposed Infrastructure Designation, is the development of a Sports Precinct, located within the northern portion of the land.

To find out more about the Infrastructure Designation, Sports Precinct and master plan, please visit our webpage https://www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au/discover-st-margarets/our-future/proposed-ministerial-infrastructure-designation.

We are currently in the Infrastructure Designation community engagement consultation period. This engagement period will end on 14 May 2018 after 15 business days.

During this period we are:

• advertising in City North News
• dropping a flyer in the letterboxes of our neighbours
• sending a letter to our nearest neighbours
• meeting with interested neighbours
• providing information on our website.