eNews Archive Issue 35 - 9 November 2017

St Margaret’s had a response rate of 78.9%; therefore, the summary of findings below reflects the decisions made by 90 respondents.

In 2017, 83.3% of young people who completed Year 12 at St Margaret's Anglican Girls School in 2016 continued in some recognised form of education and training in the year after they left school.

The most common study destination was Bachelor Degree (81.1%). The combined VET study destinations accounted for 2.2% of respondents, including 1.1% in campus-based VET programs.

1.1% commenced employment-based training, all as apprentices.

In addition to the above study destinations, a further 13.3% of respondents from St Margaret’s deferred a tertiary offer in 2017 (deferrers are included in their current destination).

16.7% did not enter post-school education or training, and were either employed (14.4%) or seeking work (2.2%).

These results are not dissimilar to those of previous years, although the number of students deferring their studies for at least one year appears to be growing. The number of students attending Bond University, the only private university in Australia, is also growing.

Parents and students will find the graphs below of interest as it reflects the general trends of St Margaret’s school leavers.

Ros Curtis 

Information detailing the arrangements for rehearsals and tickets has been sent to all families in previous weeks and also detailed below are the rehearsal details conducted throughout the day on Tuesday 14 November at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.

**It is very important that, if you have booked tickets and no longer need them, please forward them to Ms Jodi Fisher-Grimshaw at JFisher-grimshaw@stmargarets.qld.edu.au so that we can reallocate them to families that may have missed out on tickets.

This is a compulsory event for students in Years 5 to 12. Secondary students and Primary prize recipients are required to wear white church dresses and non-prize recipients in Years 5 and 6 may wear either their church dress or middy.

All non-prize recipients in Years 5 to 11 are to report to their Form teachers between 6:20pm and 6:40pm to have their names marked at the following venues:

Years 5 and 6: Door 25

Years 7, 9, 10 and 11: Door 4

Year 8: Door 24

All prize recipients are to report to the teachers listed below between 6:20pm and 6:40pm to have their names marked at the following venues:

Years 5 and 6: Door 5 - Mrs Stevenson and Mrs Porter - Enter via Door 5

Years 7, 8 and 9: Door 8 - Miss Bloomer (Year 7), Ms Montgomery (Years 8 and 9) - Enter via Door 6

Years 10 and 11: Door 10 - Mrs Flanagan (Year 10) and Mrs Walker (Year 11) - Enter via Door 6

Year 12: Door 9 - Mrs Lishman - Enter via Door 9

Years 5 and 6 students need to be picked up and signed out by parents at 9:30pm at the following doors:

Year 5: Door 9

Year 6: Door 10

Speech Night Rehearsal – Tuesday 14 November 2017

The following students are required to attend Speech Night Rehearsals at QPAC:

8:30am: Year 12 boarders and day students requiring transport will be bussed to QPAC from St Margaret’s for Year 12 Rehearsal. Year 12 students who are not prize recipients or musicians may leave independently from QPAC at 9:45am. A bus will be provided for boarders at 11:45am.

8:50am: Year 12 students to meet at Door 5 of the Concert Hall, QPAC

8:45am: All Years 5-11 prize recipients will be transported to QPAC from St Margaret’s for Speech Night rehearsal and return to the school at 11:45am.

10:45am: All Years 5-11 musicians (not already at QPAC) will be transported to QPAC for Speech Night Music rehearsals. The Musicians will receive a short lunch break whilst at QPAC, students are advised to bring their own lunch on this day as the cafeteria will be available for soft drinks only. All musicians will be returned to St Margaret’s following the rehearsal, prior to the end of the school day.

To ensure an effective and straightforward rehearsal for Speech Night, all students involved on the night must be in attendance and punctual for the transport provided to QPAC in the morning. Girls need to bring their own morning tea; and lunch (musicians).

Live Streaming of Speech Night

Parents unable to travel to Brisbane to attend Speech Night and our Year 10 Exchange Students currently overseas may again view the proceedings through our Live Streaming broadcast. Parents wishing to view the live stream should visit the following website on the evening of Speech Night.

The live streaming can be accessed through the following website by clicking here.

A recording of Speech Night will be available ‘on demand’ through the same link following the night.

The live stream commences at 6pm to allow viewers to connect early before the commencement of proceedings.

Karen Gorrie 

Dadirri recognises the inner spirit that calls us to reflection and contemplation of the wonders of all God's creation. Within a deep silence we attempt to find the inner self, the perfect peace and the experience of God embracing us. (http://www.yarrahealing.catholic.edu.au/celebrations/index.cfm?loadref=58)

The Spaces created for Term 4 Dadirri:

WOW - AMAZING ANGELS
Angels appear at different times, and to different people. During the Christmas story, one appears to Mary and Joseph, and then a whole crowd of them appear to the shepherds on a hillside. This activity encourages the students to imagine what it would be like, and how they would feel, if an angel appeared to them? Maybe their response would be…WOW!

This activity then invites the students to think about what else makes them feel or say ‘WOW!’ – maybe a person or a place, something they have seen or experienced - and to draw it onto a paper angel which is attached to fabric threads, creating a “forest of angels”! This activity encourages students to reflect on moments of awe and wonder.

CHRISTMAS GIFT
In the Christmas story, the wise men (kings? astrologers?) brought gifts for Jesus. These gifts said something about who Jesus was and what he represented in the world. Everyone has gifts… talents, unique abilities and ideas, characteristics and things that we are good at. We can use those gifts to help others.

This activity encourages students to think about the gifts that they have e.g. empathy, sports ability, creative writing, leadership, listening, organising, peace-making etc. Then they are invited to write or draw their gifts onto the boxes, as a symbol of their intention to ‘give their gifts’ to others.

CARDBOARD HOME
This activity encourages students to think about street children that are of a similar age to themselves and to think about how it would feel if they did not have a home, but rather just a cardboard box to live in. Students are invited to reflect on images of homelessness and, if they wish, climb under the cardboard to imagine and ponder. They may choose to write thoughts or prayers on the cardboard.

SAYING SORRY

This activity encourages students to think about people who they have treated unfairly and unjustly, through words, actions or even through the way that they have thought about them, and to say sorry.

Students are invited to pick up a stone and think about a person that they have treated unfairly. They may then drop it into the water at the cross, marking their readiness to move forward, and perhaps actively ask another to forgive them.

CHRISTMAS CONNECTIONS – PAPER CHAIN OF HOPES AND DREAMS

Participants are invited to rest on the couch and cushions and contemplate the may connections they share with people in their lives. These people may also share in our hopes and dreams. Students are invited to take a strip of red or green paper and write a hope or dream they had this past year or to look ahead to next. These strips are then attached to each other making a paper chain of Christmas colours, reminding us of our connections and the strength we share.

Dadirri is open for everyone! Come along with your daughters and let them show you around!

Upcoming Services

Friday 10 November: 2pm, Years 3-6 Eucharist, all are welcome!

Sunday 12 November: 9am, Eucharist for Young Families

Thursday 16 November: 10am, Thanksgiving Service, St John’s Cathedral, Years 6-12

Friday 17 November: 2:15pm, P-2 Christmas Chapel, All are welcome!

Tuesday 28 November: 8:30am, Year 6 Graduation Chapel.

With every blessing on you and your week ahead,

The Reverend Nicki Colledge 

The Campdraft was held over two days with a practice session on Saturday and the Pencentile Cup held on Sunday in a three- round competition. Although the eventual winner was The Southport School, we were very proud of the efforts of all the girls who competed on the weekend.

A huge thank you to Shelley and Marcus Curr for their work in helping to organise this event. Their experience in Campdrafting ensured that the weekend was successful. Many hours of preparation were spent along with Emily to make this inaugural event happen. We must also thank David and Trish McNamee from Lemontree Feedlot Millmerran for providing all of the cattle for the weekend. Without the support and contributions of our Boarding families this event would not have been possible; we sincerely thank all the families involved. We look forward to this event next year and hope that it will become an event that we looked forward to every year.

Lesa Fowler 

This is powerful information and more recent research continues to point towards its validity. These factors are:

• Exercise - neurogenesis is the capacity of the brain to generate new cells. Although the research is very new there is evidence that this is increased by regular exercise.
• Sleep - it is really only in the last decade that we have understood the importance of sleep in consolidating memory.
• Hard work - a much bigger predictor of success than any measure of intelligence.
• Failing productively - allows students to be more receptive to developing the understandings which will facilitate success.
• Testing yourself - assists in reinforcing memory and understanding.

During the week, I spent some time with a small group of Year 7 students. This was because I was supervising a lesson for a teacher who was ill. I thoroughly enjoyed my interactions with these students and was reminded of the privilege of being in a room with young people who are open to opportunity and growth. I was also reminded of the enormity of the responsibility involved in a such a relationship. Part of this responsibility is to ensure that girls have their attention drawn to the concept of learning and what it means, rather than being stuck with a focus on what they have to do.

As the girls in this particular class were conscientiously engaged in completing the task they had been set I was put in mind of the old cliché, can’t see the forest for the trees. In this case as the girls answered questions relating to rural and urban environments and the associated features I felt compelled to suggest that they think about what they were doing and take from it two points of real learning. That is, learning that will add to their understanding of the world and the way it works. I suggested that making sure that they understood the concepts of urbanisation and population density and why they are important would be a good start.

All of us need to pause in our work on occasions and contemplate the meaning behind our bustling activity. Contemplate our purpose. The following poem/story originated in 1999 from Taylor Mali. Understandably, it is a favourite of mine.

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued: "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"… He said to another guest: "You're a teacher, Susan," he said. "Be honest. What do you make?"

Susan, who had a reputation of honesty and frankness, replied, "You want to know what I make?"

"I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I can make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor and an A- feel like a slap in the face if the student did not do his or her very best."

"You want to know what I make?"

"I make kids wonder."

"I make them question."

"I make them criticize."

"I make them apologize and mean it."

"I make them write."

"I make them read, read, read."

"I make them show all their work in math and hide it all on their final drafts in English."

"I elevate them to experience music and art and the joy in performance, so their lives are rich, full of kindness and culture, and they take pride in themselves and their accomplishments."

"I make them understand that if you have the brains, then follow your heart… and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you pay them no attention."

"You want to know what I make? I make a difference."

"By the way, what do you make?"

Samantha Bolton 

Courage exists in maths as much as in mountain climbing, and students can develop the courage to tackle academic and life challenges. We all have courage in certain areas and less in others. We can all work on our courage where we need it.

As a school, we have six core values that guide the education of all students. Courage is one of these, and is defined as:

Courage: A St Margaret’s girl has strength of character and confidence in doing what is right. She has the courage to embrace challenge and change.

This is so important in learning. For if you do not have courage you cannot develop grit and resilience in learning. Academic Courage means, you don’t hide, you don’t pretend you understand things when you don’t. Instead, you take the risk to raise your hand and ask questions, to share your thinking with others, to take a critique from peers. It means having the courage to choose difficult problems and risk mistakes. Learning does not happen without it, and we can cultivate it.

The St Margaret’s Teaching and Learning Framework is built on five pillars for meaningful learning. These are: Motivation, Challenge, Connection, Feedback and Differentiation. Each of these pillars ask our teachers and students to be full of courage to have a “strength of character and confidence” to “embrace challenge and change”. Within the learning culture of St Margaret’s there are many examples of how academic courage is developed in the girls, these include:

• Continuous Reporting and teacher feedback
• Goal Setting and Mentoring
• Academic Awards
• Taxonomy of Thinking

It is important to remember that academic courage is seen every day in our students for as Mary Anne Radmacher states “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes, courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow”.

End of the Year Reporting Process (Years 7-11)

End of Semester Reports will be available through Parent Lounge on Friday 8 December after 3:00pm. Please note also, that all Continuous Reporting Information will be available from this date as well.

Each student’s report will consist of a comment from her Head of Year, as well as a page for each subject. The final page of the report is the Grade Point Average (GPA) graph which records the student’s overall level of achievement and tracks this from semester to semester.

For each subject, there is a list of the course content, marks for the criteria assessed, a table showing the distribution of achievement levels within the subject and an assessment of your daughter’s attitude to her learning. The academic results reflected in this report are based on the assessment completed throughout Semester 2.

Nicole Devlin 

On arrival, all girls need to check in with their Form teacher who will mark the roll and allocate each student a ticket for entry into the Concert Hall. Prize winners, musicians and Year 12 girls will be allocated a ticket at Tuesday’s rehearsal. Heads of Year have this week spoken to Secondary students in regards to dress and behavioural expectations for the evening. I reiterated that all students are to have the following uniform for the evening:

• White church dress
• White ribbon in hair which is tied back in a ponytail or braid, unless hair is short
• White or flesh coloured underwear
• White socks
• Polished brown leather school shoes

In terms of behavioural expectations on this important evening, could parents please assist us in ensuring that girls do not bring the following items to the event:

• iPods and earphones or gaming devices
• Preferably no mobile phones. Any students with a mobile phone will need to place it in a collection box when rolls are marked at the beginning of the evening. Phones will be held securely with the Form Teachers for the duration of Speech Night and can be collected at the end of the ceremony from the roll-marking checkpoint.

I look forward to seeing as many parents as possible on this important evening in the school year.

Nikki Townsend 

However, it is also a time to reflect on how our lives are blessed with loving families and friends and that we have access to all that we need. Christmas is a reminder to be grateful for all that we have in our lives. One way in which the girls in the Primary School do this is to give to others through our Term 4 Service Learning Projects.

This program is diverse and benefits the local, national and international communities. This community engagement is embedded as part of our school ethos and learning. It aims to develop a sense of social responsibility in our students. Each year level is involved in a project that is reflective of their understanding and is used as tool to enhance and enrich classroom learning.

The service learning projects include:

Prep - Year 2
These students are busy making gifts and preparing for their visit to the retirement village, Aveo. It has been exciting for the girls to make soap as part of their science program which in turn will be given as a gift.

Year 3
The Year 3 students’ project is to plan, prepare and conduct a morning tea for Year 3 parents and parent helpers. This year, the girls planned a Dr Suess Party to be held on 22 November at 10am. I am sure many helpers are looking forward to this annual event.

Year 4
The Year 4 girls have been planning and enacting their “Gift of Giving”. Each girl had to give their time in any shape or form to a person in the community. They will share the details of the impact of this activity with their class mates via an oral presentation.

Year 5
The Year 5 cohort visited Symes Grove as their Service Learning Project, where they performed a concert for the residents. Many girls had to step outside their comfort zone and perform in front of an audience, some for the first time. This has special significance for our girls as it is an opportunity to connect with our Sisters.

Year 6
As part of the Year 6 cohort’s Service Learning Program the girls committed to assisting a group of people in need. We were approached by the Anglican Mother’s Union Australia, Brisbane Diocese to support them with one of their many causes – The Mission to Seafarers. As part of this support, the girls were requested to knit a scarf for the seafarers as part of a welcome package supplied by the Mother’s Union. Many seafarers come from the northern hemisphere travelling to the southern lands and a warm scarf is a great comfort to them on a cold evening at sea. On Friday, over 60 scarves were donated to Mary Edwards, a representative from the Mother’s Union.

Other ways we have given to others
Primary Chorale
Primary Chorale were invited to perform at the Lantern Parade and Family Evening at St Mark’s Anglican Church on Saturday 4 November. This was a wonderful opportunity for our girls to perform in the local community. It was lovely to listen to the girls and hear the accolades from the St Mark’s Community.

Spell-a-thon
The school also organised a whole school fundraiser for a community in need. We conducted our Spell-a-thon which ended up being a win-win for everyone concerned. The girls improved their spelling and we raised necessary funds for One Horizon, the charity we supported last year, in Nairobi Kenya. This year, we raised $9,200. Congratulations to everyone. Please see below a short passage from a recent newsletter from One Horizon which details the significance of last year’s Spell-a-thon proceeds: 

“I would like to thank the St Margaret’s community once again for what the donation has been able to do here. It has enabled children to be children again. It has mitigated the incidence of debilitating child illnesses because the children’s nutrition program has promoted good health. The children are healthy again and in most cases, the effects of malnutrition have been eliminated. And of course, the physical resources that the school provided has meant warmth, cleanliness and an opportunity to tap the children’s ability in an academic and social sense.”

The Lawrence Cup, named in honour of Mrs Ros Lawrence, a long-standing member of the Primary Staff, is awarded to the class with the highest percentage in the Spell-a-thon. We have a tie this year, between Year 2 and 5B. Congratulations girls.

Prep – Year 4 Celebration Reminder
This is a time to celebrate the achievements of the Prep -Year 4 cohorts. The Prep children will perform their Nativity Play. Books will be presented to all children in Prep - Year 2 and children in Years 3 and 4 will receive Keys to Success award certificates.

Date: Friday 24 November 2017
Time: 1:00pm
Venue: Philip Harris Sports Centre

Speech Night - Years 5-6
Please refer to the Deputy Principal's section of this eNews for further information. 

Sports
Congratulations to Evangeline Phillips and Anna Lincoln for making the Queensland School Sports Swimming Team for 2017. The girls will be competing in the Pacific School Games in Adelaide from 3-9 December. Good Luck!

This Sunday 12 November, 9am – Come along for the Young Families’ Service!
Our final “Fun and Funky” Family Eucharist, where “Tradition meets Contemporary” will be held THIS Sunday morning in the School Chapel at 9am. Our theme will be “Waiting … the Advent Journey” with activities for the children and morning tea to follow. Do join us on Sunday and perhaps spend some time engaging with your children in the Dadirri Prayer Spaces?

Accelerated Reader Millionaires and Deadlines

The Accelerated Reader Program has supported our students in developing effective reading habits, whilst motivating many of the girls to read more and think more deeply about what they are reading. To date, the girls using the AR program have collectively read over 4150 books, which equates to over 110 million words. What an amazing achievement!

Girls who read over a million words have their photo taken and are added to the AR Millionaires Honour Board in the Library. They are also invited to a Millionaires Morning Tea, and receive a certificate to celebrate their commitment to reading. In order to host our final Millionaires’ Morning tea for the year, and to ensure there is time to prepare certificates, the final cut off day for any AR quizzes is Friday 17 November. This is the same day that ALL library books need to be returned.

A final word count for each girl will be done at 3:00pm that day and girls who have achieved millionaire status will receive their certificate the following week. Those students who achieve one million words who did not attend the Millionaires Morning Tea in Term 3 will also be invited to the morning tea which will be hosted during Week 8. Students who have previously attended the morning tea to celebrate their first million words receive a certificate, but they do not attend another morning tea.

Students in Years 3 – 5 who achieve millionaire status after 17 November 2017 will be celebrated during Term 1 2018.

Continuous Reporting:

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

Year 6 – Writing Assessment

Year 5 – Writing Assessment

Year 5 – Reading Assessment

Angela Drysdale

Music Dinner

The Music Dinner will be occurring on Friday this week in Eton Hall. There is much excitement in the lead up to the evening where we celebrate the achievements of the girls in the Music Program at St Margaret’s. Thank you in advance to the Music Support Group for their hard work in organising this special event.

Primary Atrium Performance - Flute/Clarinet/Saxophone Ensembles

Thank you to the Flute, Clarinet and Saxophone Ensembles for their wonderful performances given in the Primary Atrium during morning tea on Wednesday. They were enjoyed by all!

Speech Night

The Music Department is very much looking forward to presenting several musical items at next week’s Speech Night to be held on Tuesday 14 November at QPAC. Please see the attached letter (PDF 215.9KB) with further details pertaining to the event.

Auditions for Music Ensembles 2018

Auditions will be held in Week 8 for students wishing to participate in Music Ensembles in 2018. A sign-up sheet and audition music is available from the Sister Helen Orchestra Room. Audition times are as follows:

Monday 20 November
3:30 - 4:30pm: Encorah Auditions (Years 7-11), SHOR
3.30 – 4.30pm: Rock Band Auditions for guitar, bass guitar, keyboard and vocals (Years 9-11), SHOR

Tuesday 21 November
7:00 - 8:15am: String Auditions (Primary students), Primary Music Room
10:25 - 10:50am String Auditions (Secondary students), SHOR
3:30 - 4:30pm: Primary Chorale Auditions (Years 3, 4 and 5), Primary Music Room
3:30 - 5:30pm: String Auditions (Secondary students), SHOR

Wednesday 22 November
7:00 - 8:20am: Band Auditions (Primary students), SHOR
1:10 - 1:50pm: Band Auditions (Secondary percussion students), SHOR Percussion Room
3:30 - 5:30pm: Band Auditions (Secondary woodwind/brass students), SHOR
3:30 - 5:30pm: Band Auditions (Primary/Secondary percussion students), SHOR Percussion Room

Private Music Lessons 2018

If your daughter is currently undertaking private music tuition she will automatically be placed on her current teachers’ roll for 2018. Please confirm this by completing and returning the attached form (PDF 164.6KB) by Wednesday 22 November. Parents do not need to fill in a new application form.

However, if your daughter is wanting to discontinue lessons in 2018, we ask that you please email directly to the Music Department at music@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or complete the attached form (PDF 164.6KB) and return also no later than Wednesday 22 November 2017.

Music Support Group - Annual General Meeting

The Music Support Group AGM will be held on Tuesday 21 November 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

At St Margaret’s, the Private Speech and Drama Program offers a fun, supportive environment for students to gain skills in interpersonal communication, presentation, performance and public speaking. Enrolments for Private Speech and Drama lessons for 2018 are now open for students who will be in Years 2 to 12 next year.

If you would like to enrol your daughter in Speech and Drama or you would like further information on the Program, please contact: mchamberlain@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or phone 3862 0750.

Please note that students who are currently enrolled in the program will automatically be re-enrolled for lessons next year. If your daughter is currently enrolled but is unable to continue lessons in 2018, please email your daughter’s teacher or mchamberlain@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

New enrolments or cancellation of current enrolments are requested by Monday 27 November 2017.

Lessons for 2018 will commence in Week 2 of Term 1. We are looking forward to another exciting year of cultivating confident, capable communicators.

Maria Chamberlain 

1st Round Deliveries only:
Ordering now closed
Deliveries 1 – 18 December 2017

2nd Round Collection and Deliveries:
St Margaret’s Supplies Shop orders close Friday 17 November
Sequel Online orders close Sunday 19 November
Collection St Margaret’s, Eton Hall Friday 19 January 2018, 9am-2pm
Deliveries 2 - 16 January 2018

Speech Night - Church Dress Hire
Church Dress Hire begins Wednesday 1 November
Speech Night - Tuesday 14 November
Hire Return (all year levels except Year 6) - Monday 20 November
Year 6 Chapel Service - Tuesday 28 November
Hire Return Year 6 - Thursday 30 November

All students wishing to hire a church dress must have a “Hire” form completed and signed by a parent/guardian at the time of hiring. These forms are available on the St Margaret’s website or from the Supplies Shop. There is a $100 deposit at time of hire with a $70 refund when the church dress is returned as per conditions on hire form. A late return may result in a late fee after Monday 20 November.

Shop Trading Hours
Thursday 30 November 2017 - End of Term - 8am-2pm
Friday 1 December 2017 - 10am-2pm
Monday 4 December 2017 - Shop Closed - 8am-2pm Appointments only
Tuesday 5 December 2017 - Shop Closed - 8am-2pm Appointments only
Wednesday 6 December 2017 - Shop Closed - 8am-2pm Appointments only
Shop closed from Thursday 7 December 2017
Reopens Monday 15 January 2018
Monday 15 January 2018 to Friday 19 January 2018 - 9am-2pm
Monday 22 January 2018 - Boarders only - 1pm-5pm
Tuesday 23 January 2018 - Students return - 8am-2pm
Wednesday 24 January 2018 - 10am-5pm
Thursday 25 January 2018 - 8am-2pm
Friday 26 January 2018 - Australia Day Public Holiday - Closed

All new students wishing to purchase uniforms before the end of 2017 will be required to make an appointment.
A numbering system for ALL purchases will operate during the January 2018 trading hours. All parents and students wishing to purchase from the School Supplies Shop will be required to take a number and wait to be attended to.

Normal Trading Hours Resume from Monday 29 January 2018
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
8am-2pm

Wednesday
10am -5pm

Public Holidays Closed

For all enquiries, please contact St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, School Supplies Shop:
Phone:  07 3862 0776
Email: suppliesshop@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Terisa Arnold

P&F ASSOCIATION

The Family Directory

We will soon be launching advertising opportunities in our 2018 Family Directory. Businesses can gain valuable exposure to over 700 families in our school community by advertising in this full colour annual publication. The Family Directory contains a lot of useful information, including parent contact details by year group. To be listed in the Directory you will need to complete an online form with your details.

Further information with links to the advertising and contact forms will be distributed shortly.

The St Margaret’s Parents and Friends Association has established a strong tradition of giving back to the school through its social and fundraising activities.

The P&F is comprised of an active group of parents within the school. The Association is responsible for organising an array of events, which not only benefit the students (through fundraising) but also lead to considerable camaraderie amongst parents and friends of St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School.

P&F General Meetings

The P&F invites the school community to share views and ideas at the General Meetings, held in the Arts Centre Foyer from 6.30pm on the following dates:

Monday 26 February 2018 – Annual General Meeting and Welcome Drinks

Monday 14 May 2018

Monday 30 July 2018

Monday 29 October 2018

Event Dates 2018

Term 1

Friday 2 March - Mothers’ Luncheon

Wednesday 28 March - Father Daughter Breakfast

Term 2

Friday 15 June - Fathers’ Dinner

Term 3

Sunday 12 August – Mother Daughter High Tea

Saturday 8 September - Race Day

Development and Community Office 

UMAT scores can be used for admission to any of the UMAT Consortium universities ONLY in the year following the test. For example, results from UMAT2018 can be used for undergraduate medicine or health science courses beginning in 2019 but NOT 2020. Do not register for UMAT2018 (registrations open early December) unless you are planning to apply for a course commencing in 2019 AND you meet the eligibility criteria specified in the UMAT2018 Information Booklet. For more information visit: https://umat.acer.edu.au/.

Griffith University
Griffith University’s Rural Priority Scheme sets aside a number of places in medicine and dentistry for high achieving students from a rural background. More information about this scheme is available from: https://www.griffith.edu.au/apply/pathways/rural-priority-access-scheme

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

New Psychometric Testing as an entry requirement to the Bond Medical Program
The top 500 eligible applicants will be invited to complete a compulsory online psychometric assessment. Applicants will be required to pay a fee to sit the test. The results will identify 250 applicants who will be shortlisted and invited to attend an interview to gain selection into the Medical Program.

University of Sydney - Info Day
Don’t miss the University’s Info Day on Saturday 16 December 2017. To find out more and keep up to date with the day’s activities, visit: www.sydney.edu.au/info-day

Queensland School of Film and Television
Workshop Details:
Saturday 18 November 2017, 9am-1pm, FILM IT! - Introduction to Video Production, $75
Saturday 25 November 2017, 9am-1pm, EDIT IT! - Introduction to Editing Workshop, $75

For more information visit: https://qsft.qld.edu.au/

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

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

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

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

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

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

KEY DATES:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

21 December
QTAC offer round

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

16 January 2018
QTAC January offer round

Elizabeth Johnston