eNews Archive Issue 3 - 8 February 2018

Please note for your calendar that Saturday 10 March is Open Day and it is a compulsory day for all students. We understand that some students will have unavoidable clashes on that day and will be unable to attend. If this is the case for your daughter, we require a letter indicating her inability to attend. Open Day is a great day for the students – where they engage in activities and/or performances to showcase the school to our visitors. We also welcome our current parents to come to the school to see the school in action from 9:30am to 12:30pm. Please feel free to bring guests to the school so they too can see St Margaret’s and the students and staff in operation.

At last week’s Academic Assembly, I picked up on the theme of kindness and spoke to the students about being kind to themselves. My address came with the following disclaimer: “That being kind to yourself, is not about going easy on yourself and not challenging yourself in your learning. In fact, not trying hard on assessment or not being focused is the reverse of being kind to yourself – as you are not taking every opportunity to enrich and expand your knowledge and understanding.”

I also told them that I thought that a number of people were not receiving recognition for academic achievement or progress at the assembly because they “don’t love themselves enough to push themselves. They allow that little annoying negative voice in their head to tell them ‘you are not good enough’ ‘what happens if you put in all this effort and still don’t get good marks, why bother?’, ’Isn’t it better to be funny rather than smart?’, ‘I can’t get good results because what will my friends think?’ We all have that little voice – the negative self- talker – the inner critic.”

So, I encouraged students to cultivate their inner supporter and advocate. I noted that we are all very familiar with the inner critic - the little voice in one's head that's quick to judge and is always ready with a put down. Well, I said, 'it's time for your inner critic to meet your inner advocate' and that I imagined my own inner advocate to be dressed like a super hero with a cape.

‘And who exactly is this inner advocate? It’s another voice in your head: the one that defends and supports you. When your inner critic scoffs at and ridicules you, your inner advocate jumps in and presents arguments on your behalf. While your inner critic is against you; your inner advocate is for you.’

In the address, I also encouraged the students to Forgive Themselves and to Lift Themselves Up. ‘When you fail, make a mistake, or do something wrong, you have two choices. You can blame yourself and tear yourself down, or you can lift yourself up. People who are kind to themselves choose the latter. Tell yourself it’s going to be OK. Give yourself a morale boost by reminding yourself of your past successes. Then, come up with a plan for dealing with what happened, and take action.’

Reference: 17 Ways to Be Kind to Yourself - Daring to Live Fully. https://daringtolivefully.com/how-to-be-kind-to-yourself

Ros Curtis 

There should be very few subject changes from now on, as it becomes increasingly difficult for students to catch up on work that has been missed in subjects they enter from this point. Any students who have or are changing subjects must send confirmation of this request from their parents, either through a form sent home with the student that is collected from the Dean of Pedagogy, or via email to me at: kgorrie@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

I’d like to also take this opportunity to highlight one of the unique programs our school offers - the Flyers Program. Taken from our School motto, Per Volar Sunata – born to fly upwards – this is a program that supports and recognises outstanding commitment of students to sport, music and academics.

The objective of the Academic Flyers Program is to inspire, encourage and extend students academically. Those involved in the Academic Flyers Program undergo further extension and enrichment activities, they are invited to join extension courses such as competitions and days dedicated to enrichment, and are offered Music and English extension in their senior year. Students are selected based on the recommendation of Heads of Faculty or one of the Academic Deans in consultation with the Deputy Principal. Selection is based on records of high achievement and demonstrated ability.

The Sports and Performance Flyers Program is for outstanding athletes and performing artists, and assists students to achieve both their academic and extra-curricular goals through personalised learning. These students will have their course tailored to allow for extensive rehearsal and practice times needed to reach an elite level. Students applying for the Sports and Performance Flyers Program need to have proof they are performing on an exceptional level in their area. Potential music participants should be performing at the level of the Queensland Youth Orchestra; athletes must be state or national representatives in the relevant semester; and candidates in other fields will only be accepted if they are performing at comparative eligibility levels to sport and music. Students must apply for the Flyers Program through the Head of Sport, the Head of Arts and Design or the Head of Performance.

Karen Gorrie 

Admission to Communion 2018

All members of the school community are invited to consider being active participants in the School’s worshipping life. Any student or sibling aged from Year 4 and above may choose to be formally admitted to receive the Sacrament of bread and wine (Communion). Our Admission to Communion service will be held on Wednesday 2 May at 6pm in the School Chapel. Some sessions of preparation will be required, either during lunch, before or after school, and the only ‘pre-requisite’ is that one is already baptised (see above if you would like to also consider Baptism). More information regarding Admission to Communion will be coming to you in the coming weeks.

2018 – Generations Together!

I encourage you all to view the message from our Anglican Archbishop, Phillip Aspinall. The wider Anglican Church, along with all Anglican Schools in the Diocese, has been challenged with the task of working across the generations in creative, engaging and nurturing ways. You can find Archbishop Phillip’s message here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVfU9c2UwKQ.

Within a school community, we have such a variety of human resources available to us all. Perhaps something new your family could participate in are our All-Ages Sunday Services? These Services appear in the calendar as ‘Young Families’ Services’ but are absolutely opportunities for all to come and gather in a relaxed setting, where tradition meets today. The first of these services will be held on Sunday 25 February at 9am in our School Chapel.

Upcoming Services – Family Services

Years 7/8: Wednesday 21 February, 6:30pm in the School Chapel

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

Years 11/12: Thursday 17 May, 6:30pm at St Augustine’s, Hamilton

Upcoming Services – Other

Monday 12 February: Year 6 Leaders’ Induction, 8:30am

Wednesday 14 February: Ash Wednesday Service, 9:50am, PHSC

Sunday 25 February: All-Ages Sunday Service, 9am

Wednesday 28 February: Boarders’ Mid-Term Service, 6pm

Prayer for the Week, in Preparation for Ash Wednesday

God, you know me, you hear me …

As I approach Lent, as I get ready to prepare for Easter, help me to take the time to think about who I really am – the good and the not so good.

You love me. May I allow myself the gift of constantly moving forward, closer to you.

As I find myself in prayerful reflection, I know I may find you in all my humanity.

I give thanks.

Amen.

With every blessing on you and your week together,

The Reverend Nicki Colledge 

The Boarder Buddy Breakfast, held last Saturday morning, was about connecting with girls from different year levels and working together to come up with a costume and sourcing the materials needed for this. Spending time together and getting to know each other builds the girls’ social networks and provides them with opportunities to grow and learn about others. The simple games that were played after the breakfast encouraged them to work as a team, to look out for each other and support everyone. Feeling a connection to the Boarding House is vital to the girls feeling safe and happy at St Margaret’s.

On Saturday evening, the whole Boarding House had the opportunity to come together for a Zumba class, followed by a dance. With some girls reluctant to participate for a variety of reasons the older girls encouraged them to join in and dance with them. Even if they felt they were not that coordinated when it came to Zumba, they were willing to give it a try. Pursuing new experiences enhances their growth and the kindness that was shown over the whole weekend was reflected in the smiling faces of all girls, both old and new.

The trip to Wet‘n’Wild on Sunday was another chance for the girls to come together and enjoy new experiences. For many of the new girls this was their first time at Wet’n’Wild and it provided the opportunity for them to move out of their comfort zone. This trip also provided the opportunity for the girls to catch up with friends from other boarding schools and their brothers.

Widening their social network is something that is done on a very regular basis through the activities program for the Boarding girls. The program is aimed at pursuing new experiences and building relationships with the end product of being a happier and more rounded student, who is prepared to go outside of their comfort zone and try new things.

Lesa Fowler 

Academic advising sessions have provided the students with an opportunity to start thinking about how they can improve their learning and assessment preparation as they set goals for each subject. They have been able to discuss these goals with their teacher to ensure they are subject-specific and actionable. In the lead up to assessment, I encourage you to ask your daughters about their goals and how they can maximise their assessment preparation. There are also processes available to the students such as teacher conferencing for Years 11 and 12 and drafting in Years 7-10 to provide feedback to the students about their progress.

Around exam time, it is quite normal to feel a bit overwhelmed and tired. So, in the lead up to peak periods of assessment I encourage you to revisit the goals with your daughters to help direct their attention towards things they need to do. These might be small goals like reading 10 pages of an English text or more time-consuming goals such as researching for a History assignment. Setting a combination of goals allows us to become self-regulated learners and better able to manage our strengths and weaknesses. Other self-regulating strategies that may help assessment preparation could be, organising chunks of study around extra-curricular activities, teaching others a new concept learnt in class or setting yourself revision questions to answer as you study.

Year 11 students will be learning more about self-regulation in Learning Development this week. They will look beyond assessment to think about how self-regulation can also give them the ability to monitor and control their own behaviour, emotions or thoughts in different situations.

Year 12 QCS

In Year 12 QCS lessons this week, the classes began focussing on short response questions and will rotate teachers over the next 5 weeks to practise in different contexts. The students enter these practice lessons with some great strategies they learnt at the Immersion Day last week. I was very impressed by how open the girls were to learn new ideas and the seriousness with which they approached the practice short response exam that followed. It was a great start to their QCS preparation!

Jo Butterworth 

2018 will see a change to the Term 1 Parent Teacher Interviews. The introduction of the Academic Advising model across Years 9-12 has enabled us to refocus the purpose of this first Parent Teacher Interview. For this interview session, you will be able to book to see your daughter’s Form Teacher (Years 7 and 8) or Academic Advisor (Years 9-12).

At this interview, the Form Teacher or Academic Advisor will share with you the work they and your daughter have been discussing to personalise her learning path in order to develop independent and resilient learning dispositions. This will be facilitated by sharing school-based and external academic data as well as sharing the goals your daughter has set for herself in response to results and teacher feedback, thus forming the foundation of her academic care and general well-being. The Form Teacher and Academic Advisor will also be looking for your input into how to best encourage your daughter on her learning program.

Bookings for Parent Teacher interviews will be facilitated in Parent Lounge. The booking system will be open to parents at 9:00am on Friday 9 February and close at 9:00am on Wednesday 21 February.

Bookings

To access these interviews in Parent Lounge, please log into The POD to access Parent Lounge and click on the link for Parent Teacher Interviews. Bookings open at 9:00am on Friday 9 February. Please be aware of the closing date for the booking system (Wednesday 21 February) as no bookings can be taken after this date.

After you have finished booking your times you will be able to view and print a schedule of your interview times.

SKYPE

For boarder parents wishing to utilise SKYPE technology, please email: tkirkpatrick@stmargarets.qld.edu.au; this will ensure the system is available. You will then be placed on a booking sheet and receive the St Margaret’s ID number. Anyone wishing to use SKYPE will have to be in possession of the following:

• Functioning microphone and speaker
• Webcam
• SKYPE software
• Have a registered ID

Assessment Calendars

All students have been provided with a copy of their Semester 1 Assessment Calendar. These have also been uploaded to the POD for student reference. Parents will be able to access the list of assessments and due dates after the 23 February through Parent Lounge by accessing ‘Curricular Activities’ in the drop-down box, under ‘Student Details’ in the top menu.

Supervised Study

Please note, that as of next week, Supervised Study will be moving from the Eunice Library to M’s Café. Parents will be able to pick their daughters up from the Boarder Gate near the red letterbox at 7:30pm.

A reminder also, places are limited to 25 students per session. It is important that all students are booked in though the Flexischools booking system. During this session, two tutors work with the girls to complete homework, support assignment work and assist with concepts not understood in class. If students turn up for Supervised Study without a booking, parents may be required to come and collect their daughter.

To book, parents will need to log into Flexischools on the home page of the website and select ‘Supervised Study Sessions’. 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.

Nicole Devlin 

At St Margaret’s, we have a strong focus on student leadership whereby girls have many opportunities throughout their schooling to develop their leadership skills. Some Secondary school leadership positions are Form Captains, Year Level Leaders and Student Council Representatives. Last year, the Leadership Program was revised due to Years 9 to 12 students moving from Form class to the Academic Advising Program this year.

It is hoped that with the new leadership application process students will gain experience in preparing for work life. During the coming weeks, students will have the opportunity to nominate for one of these mentioned positions, write an application, present a speech to their cohort and be interviewed by their Head of Year.

Open Day

On Saturday 10 March, St Margaret’s will host our annual Open Day from 9:30am-12:30pm. This is a day where we showcase our school and community to potential students and their families, as well as opening our doors to the public. We welcome current school families and friends on the day.

We would very much appreciate your support in publicising this event to friends and colleagues who may be interested in seeking a St Margaret’s education for their daughter.

Furthermore, Saturday 10 March is a day when we require all of our students to be present at school, in full uniform and either participating in curricular, co-curricular or community activities.

If, due to extenuating circumstances, a student is unable to attend school on Open Day, we will require a written note or email requesting absence to: studentleave@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Nikki Townsend 

Andrews Cup is a competition where St Margaret’s Primary School competes with 9 other schools in the Queensland Girls Primary Independent Schools referred to as Andrews Cup. The interschool competition includes 8 sports and sporting events are held during the school week.

I was very impressed with the number of girls who attended camp, not only because of their dedication, but also because it was a very cold morning after two days of rain. The girls not only had to push themselves physically, they also had to muster a lot of resilience and determination to swim in the cold weather.

As a school, we talk about resilience for learning and for life. It is a disposition that sets the character of a person. Resilience is described as focussing on things that are going well and that we are grateful for, rather than the problems we face. Our girls are blessed to have caring, loving families and attend a school that supports and encourages this character development. Whilst some of the girls did not initially see swimming in the cold as a positive, they soon saw it as an opportunity to face fear and a way to develop grit. Congratulations girls and thank you to Miss Rowe for her organisation of the camp and to the coaches for their support.

All students will have the opportunity to develop resilience using the You Can Do It Program which identifies the following rational ways of thinking that develop a young person’s resilience:

• It’s Not the End of the World – “it’s not the worst thing that could happen.”
• I Can Stand It – “I can stand things I don’t like.”
• Accepting Myself – “When things go bad, I know I’m not bad, I know good things about me.”
• Taking Risks – “I don’t have to be successful when I am learning something new. Mistakes are a normal part of learning for everyone.”
• Being Independent – “I don’t need people to approve of what I say and do. It’s important for me to speak up even if others think I’m silly or stupid.”
• I Can Do It – “If I try really hard, I will learn a lot and get smarter.”
• Working Tough – “I don’t need things to be easy or fun to do them. To be successful, I sometimes have to do things that are boring and hard.”
• Being Tolerant of Others – “While I prefer people to act fairly, to do the right thing and to be the way I am, I know they sometimes won’t. I won’t judge people by their actions or by their appearances.”

I look forward to watching, encouraging and standing alongside the girls as they develop their resilience.

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the things you cannot do.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

Angela Drysdale

Parent Teacher Interviews

Earlier this week, a letter detailing the upcoming Primary Parent Teacher interviews was issued. The Primary school holds Parent Teacher interviews twice per year; at the beginning of Term 1 and again at the beginning of Term 3. The aim of our initial meeting is to strengthen the positive partnership between school and home communities and provide opportunity for open communication. The Term 1 interview offers both teachers and parents a time to share information and discuss your daughter’s progress and identify goals.

As outlined, the process to access the interview booking system is through the POD. Log into the POD, then click on Parent Lounge and then on the link for Parent Teacher interviews. Interview bookings opened on Wednesday 7 February at 9am and will close on Tuesday 13 February at 5:00pm. No bookings can be taken after this date.

Interview and session details:

• Session 1 – Thursday 15 February, 3:30pm-6:00pm
• Session 2 – Friday 16 February, 1:15pm-6:00pm

Interviews will run for a 15 minute duration.

Cathy Cox

Assistant Head of Primary

Upcoming Events:

Monday 12 February: Year 6 Leaders’ Induction Service

Wednesday 14 February: Ash Wednesday Service, 9:50am, PHSC

21-23 February: Year 4 Camp

Friday 2 March: P&F Mothers’ Luncheon

Saturday 10 March: Open Day – Compulsory School Day, 9:30am-12:30pm

The Music Camp is an excellent opportunity for girls to not only improve musically, but also connect and build relationships with other girls in the Music Program. There will be a lot of rehearsal opportunities as well as social activities to encourage interactions across the different year levels. A letter is attached (PDF 128.5KB) with further details. The closing date to register is Friday 9 February, so if you are wanting your daughter to participate, please ensure that registration occurs as soon as possible.

Private Music Lessons have now commenced

Private music lessons have now commenced for 2018. If your daughter has enrolled in private music lessons and has not yet had her lesson time confirmed, please contact the Music Department for us to follow up. It is not too late to enrol your daughter in private music lessons. An application form with terms and conditions is attached (PDF 201.2KB) should you wish to do this.

Music Ensemble Rehearsals have now commenced

Music Ensembles have commenced rehearsals for 2018. Please see attached Ensemble Timetable (PDF 160.1KB) for rehearsal times. Please note that there are some small changes to rehearsal times for 2018. It is not too late for new students to join ensembles. If they are interested in being involved, they are encouraged to see Mr King or Ms Brennan as to what ensembles might best suit them.

Boarder Music Practice has commenced

Boarder Music Practice is a program offered to boarders who are undertaking private music lessons, which began this week. Boarders can sign up for 30-minute practice sessions that occur between 6:00pm – 8:00pm, Monday to Thursday evenings in the Darnell Music Rooms. Boarders are required to sign up for a minimum of two sessions per week. A Boarder Musician Concert will be held in Terms 2 and Term 4, and these concerts will be wonderful opportunities for the boarders to showcase their developing musical abilities.

Music Support Group

The St Margaret’s Music Support Group is a committee of dedicated parents who meet regularly to support the girls who participate in the School’s Music Program. The Music Support Group organises and assists with refreshments at school concerts and fundraises to purchase a range of instruments/equipment to enhance the department’s resources. The first meeting for 2018 will be on Tuesday 13 February 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 

Below is a list of the Sports that are currently training, competing and undergoing selection:

• Artistic Gymnastics – Training underway
• Basketball – Trials to conclude in Week 4
• Cricket – Training and competition underway
• Open Softball – Training and competition underway
• Soccer – Training underway
• Swimming – Training and competition underway
• Touch – Trials to conclude in Week 4
• Water Polo – Training and competition underway

Team Selection

For all sports at St Margaret’s we endeavour to include all girls, however, at times due to constraints within the Queensland Girls’ Secondary Schools Sport Association (QGSSSA) whereby schools are restricted in the number of teams per sport, not all girls will be selected in a team sport. Whilst this is an unfortunate situation, all girls can be accommodated in either the Swimming or Cross Country team this Semester.

Should you require specific information, please contact the activity coordinator in the first instance. If they are unavailable and you need an urgent response, please contact the Activities Office on 3862 0737.

Artistic Gymnastics - Mrs Shirley Patton: spatton@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Basketball - Mr Jack Hudson: jhudson@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Cricket - Mr Noel Peinke: npeinke@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Cross Country - Ms Clair Monnickendam: cmonnickendam@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Soccer - Mr Chris Forster: cforster@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Softball - Miss Desley Upton: dupton@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Swimming - Mrs Kelly Alford: kalford@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Touch Football - Mrs Kirsty Krynauw: kkrynauw@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Water Polo - Ms Talia O’Callaghan: tocallaghan@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Swim Meet

The swim team, consisting of 90 members, participated in the first swim meet of the season at Centenary Pool last Friday night. All girls were primed and raring to go after a warm-up at the St Margaret's 50m pool, followed by a carbo-loading meal of pasta which was supplied by the Years 11 and 12 Parents. Many of the girls not only swam extremely well with numerous recording a ‘Personal Best’, but also demonstrated excellent behaviour throughout the evening.

Cricket

The 2018 Cricket season started well with one win and one loss. The Division One team had a convincing win against Somerville House scoring 88 runs in 15 overs, compared to Somerville being all out for a total of 50 runs. The Division Two team came up against strong opposition in Brisbane State High School and were beaten by 45 runs.

Round 2 Games

Division 1: St Margaret's AWAY versus Brisbane Girls Grammar School at Fig Tree Pocket

Division 2: St Margaret's AWAY versus Somerville House at Tingalpa

Cross Country

Training commenced this week with 62 girls pounding the pavement at the very first session!

All girls are welcome to join the cross country team with training held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, commencing at 6:30am.

Represent the District or Region

Nominations for the district North Independent and the region Metropolitan North are now due. If you are yet to register via the online form, please do so below immediately as registrations close Monday 12 February.

Click on the link below and use your student login details to register your intention to trial for the Term 1 representative sports:

Metropolitan North Swimming – 10 – 12 Years & 13 – 19 Years

Team Sports – AFL, Basketball, Hockey, Netball, Football (Soccer), Softball, Rugby League, Tennis, Touch Football, Volleyball and Squash

Once nominated, students and parents will be emailed the details of the district/regional trials as well as the necessary paperwork required to trial.

Interhouse Swimming Carnival

The annual Secondary School Interhouse Swimming Carnival is a highlight of the school year. It is a day full of colour, energy, House spirit, talent, personal bests and wonderful participation that is not to be missed.

When: Thursday 15 February

Where: Valley Pool

Who: All Years 7-12 students

Time: 9:30am – 2:15pm, buses depart school at 8:40am

Transport: All students are to come to School and meet in their year groups by 8:30am. Buses will depart at 8:40am and return to school at the conclusion of the carnival at 2:15pm.

What to wear: House shirt, socks with PE skirt/shorts. School togs and House swimming cap are compulsory when swimming, however, the House swim shirt is optional.

Nutrition: Students are to bring their own morning tea and lunch. Students are also able to purchase food from the pool café.

Sun safety: All students are to have hats and apply sunscreen before and during the carnival and events.

Parents and families are very welcome to attend.

Congratulations to:

Lara Crouch (Year 12) who made a qualifying time for the IAAF World U20 Athletics Championships in Finland this July in the 3km event with a time of 9mins17s.

Brogan Tomich (Year 6) who has been selected to represent the 2018 Metropolitan North 11-19 Years Triathlon team and will contest the Queensland School Sport State Championships in Hervey Bay from Thursday 15 February – Saturday 17 February.

Helen Lobegeiger 

There are two award categories:

1. Distinguished Past Student
2. Young Past Student of Distinction

2018 nominations close on Monday 12 March 2018 at 5pm (AEST) and winners will be announced at a dinner to be held on Friday 20 April 2018.

Nomination forms can be found on the St Margaret’s website.

Melbourne Reunion Event

Hosted by the Principal, Ms Ros Curtis

Date: Friday 23 February 2018

Time: 6:00pm – 8:30pm

Venue: Kirk's Cellar, Corner Hardware Lane and Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

RSVP: Online via this link

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 

P&F General Meetings 2018

The P&F invites the school community to share your views and ideas at the General Meetings, held in the Arts Centre Foyer from 6:30pm on the following dates:

Monday 26 February (Annual General Meeting)

Monday 14 May

Monday 30 July

Monday 29 October

P&F Event Dates 2018

Friday 2 March - Mothers’ Luncheon

Wednesday 28 March - Father Daughter Breakfast

Friday 15 June - Fathers’ Dinner

Sunday 12 August – Mother Daughter High Tea

Saturday 8 September - Race Day

ST MARGARET’S P&F ASSOCIATION INC

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

NOTICE is given that the Annual General Meeting of the St Margaret’s P&F Association Inc. is to be held on Monday 26 February 2018 in the Arts Centre Foyer at 6:30pm.

NOMINATION FOR POSITION

Any one member of the P&F shall be at liberty to nominate any other member to serve as an officer or other member of the Management Committee. If you are interested in joining the P&F Association, all positions of the Management Committee will be declared vacant at the AGM and a new committee for 2018 will be elected. Nominations can be made by downloading and completing a Nomination for Position (PDF 149.8KB) form.

All nomination forms must be returned to: P&F@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or via School Reception by Friday 9 February 2018.

2018 P&F Mothers’ Luncheon

All mothers and friends of St Margaret's Anglican Girls School are invited to attend our annual Mothers' Luncheon.

To view the formal invitation, and for more information on the event, please click here (PDF 1.2MB).

Date: Friday 2 March 2018

Time: 11:30am arrival (for a 12noon start), 3:00pm finish

Venue: Hotel Grand Chancellor, 23 Leichardt Street, Brisbane

RSVP: Tuesday 21 February 2018 (unless SOLD OUT prior)

Tickets: $100 per person - includes drink on arrival, two course lunch and drinks with lunch, followed by a cash bar.

For those organising tables - maximum table capacity is strictly 10.

Enquiries: Angela Pratt 0413 701 407 and Anthea Damman 0403 846 258 or please email: antheadamman@hotmail.com. New families are encouraged to attend!

This event provides a great opportunity for mothers to reconnect and introduce their friends to the St Margaret’s community. We look forward to seeing you there and please feel free to bring a friend.

Fancy making a night of it? Accommodation is available at a discounted rate. To make a booking, please contact the Hotel Grand Chancellor directly or visit: www.grandchancellorhotels.com/hotel-grand-chancellor-brisbane and enter SMAGS in the special code section.

Tickets sales are only available through www.flexischools.com.

P&F 2017 Family Directory is now CLOSED

Thank you to all the families and businesses that have contributed to the success of this year’s P&F Family Directory. The A5 booklet will be distributed via your eldest daughter in the coming weeks. Thank you for supporting this P&F Initiative.

Lara Pickering

Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
New opportunities in creative industries
Design degrees
From 2019, we will introduce a three-year Bachelor of Design, replacing the four-year Bachelor of Design (Honours) and offer many new double degrees. Further information about these new offerings for 2019 will be available on our study website from late March 2018.

QUT event date claimers
We offer many opportunities for students to talk to QUT and make sure they have all the information they need to make decisions about their future. Events for your students' calendars include Subject Selection for STEM Careers (9 May) and the Parent Information Seminar (15 May).

Students can gain assumed knowledge or prerequisites
Students who didn't select subjects to meet assumed knowledge or prerequisites for their preferred university courses can pick up this knowledge, while at school or during summer before they start university, by studying a QUT bridging course in Maths B, Chemistry or Physics.

Tertiary Open Days
There are many benefits to attending an Open Day:

• See the facilities
• Collect information on courses
• Talk to current students
• Find out about the local area (if you are moving away from home)
• Investigate available funding
• Make new friends

Questions to ask yourself:

• Do you like the feel of the university?
• Are the courses right for you?
• Do you feel comfortable with the facilities and the lecturers?
• Can you see yourself studying here for the next few years?

University Open Days
Australian Catholic University (ACU)
28 July 2018 (Saturday) - Open Day Brisbane, 9am-2pm

Bond University (BOND)
28 July 2018 (Saturday) - Twilight Open Day Gold Coast

CQ University (CQU)
9 August 2018 (Thursday) - Brisbane Open Day, 3pm-6pm
11 August (Saturday) Bundaberg and Mackay

Griffith University (GRIFFITH)
12 August 2018 - Open Day Gold Coast, Nathan and South Bank Campuses

James Cook University (JCU)
19 August 2018 (Sunday) - Townsville Campus
26 August 2018 (Sunday) - Cairns Campus

Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
29 July 2018 (Sunday) - Open Day Gardens Point (City) campus

Southern Cross University (SCU)
29 July 2048 - Gold Coast Open Day, 10am-2pm

The University of Queensland (UQ)
5 August 2018 (Sunday) St Lucia Campus, 9:00am-3:00pm
19 August 2018 (Sunday) - Gatton campus, 9:00am-3:00pm

University of Southern Queensland (USQ)
19 August 2018 (Sunday) - USQ Toowoomba
1 September 2018 (Saturday) - USQ Ipswich
7 September 2018 (Friday) - USQ Springfield

UMAT
UMAT is developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) on behalf of the UMAT Consortium universities. The test is used specifically to assist with the selection of students into the medicine, dentistry and health science degree programs at undergraduate level at the universities listed on this website: https://umat.acer.edu.au/. Registrations for UMAT 2018 are now open. Copies of the Information Booklet can be downloaded from the UMAT website. Please note that before registering for the test students are required to carefully read the UMAT 2018 Information Booklet, which will only be available online from the UMAT website.

UMAT 2018 Key Dates:

Registrations opened first week in December 2017

Registrations close Friday 1 June 2018, 5pm AEST

Late registrations close Friday 15 June 2018, 5pm AEST

Applications for Special Testing Conditions close Friday 15 June 2018

UMAT test date Wednesday 25 July 2018

Results released Mid-September 2018

UMAT is only available once every year. If you do not register by the due date, you will have to wait until 2019 to sit the test.

UMAT Preparation
MedEntry: If you are interested in studying Medicine or a career in health that requires sitting the UMAT test, visit the MedEntry website for assistance in your preparation: www.MedEntry.edu.au. MedEntry is the only government accredited training organisation for UMAT preparation.

MedStart: is an organisation that assists students to prepare for UMAT. Courses are available in Brisbane. Check the MedStart website: http://www.medstart.com.au/#home for more details.

KEY DATES:

Friday 11 and Saturday 12 May 2018
The National Careers and Employment EXPO (Brisbane Convention Centre).

Friday 1 June
UMAT Registrations close 5pm

Wednesday 25 July
UMAT Exam

Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 July 2018
The 37th annual Tertiary Studies Expo (TSXPO), Australia's largest tertiary studies expo, offers a unique opportunity for anyone interested in starting, changing or upgrading their career! Featuring many local, interstate and overseas education providers, student services and support agencies. Don't miss this great opportunity to map out your future, all in the one location! 8am – 4pm, RICC Brisbane Showgrounds. A great opportunity for students to collect information from a huge number of exhibitors.

Elizabeth Johnston