eNews Archive Issue 5 - 25 February 2022

The St Margaret’s Past Students Awards program was established to:

• recognise the many achievements of St Margaret’s past students, both professionally and personally
• celebrate the diverse achievements of past students and provide an opportunity to share stories of success
• increase connections between the school and past students to honour their legacy.

Engaging with our Old Girls’ community and recognising the achievements and contributions of past students creates a significant impact on our current students, as they seek and gather the inspiration they need to fly upwards.

Please draw this to the attention to our past students or act by nominating a past student for the award. Nomination is very easy and details on how to nominate are on the Community section of the website and are outlined in the nomination forms which can be downloaded here. (PDF 1MB) Please note that 2022 nominations close on Friday 25th March. Remember anyone can nominate.

We will celebrate the achievements of these past students at a Cocktail Evening on Saturday 23rd April at 6.30pm. Current students and parents are invited to attend this event and we will advise when registration is open.

Ros Curtis

In the next couple of weeks our Global Exchange Coordinator, Ms Lisa Watson, and I are meeting and communicating with our Global Exchange schools with the view to setting up our exchange again as soon as possible. Of course, some of our partner schools are still rebuilding their exchange programs too and so we are endeavouring to resurrect as much as we can.

An information evening will be held on the 17 March. This will take place virtually, and we will forward information to families in Year 10 in the coming weeks. This process is just for Year 10 students; students in Year 9 will be invited to take part in an information evening and application process for 2023 later in the year.

St Margaret’s Global Exchange program is a reciprocal hosting program with 11 schools in six countries across the globe including:

• Crofton House School, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Shawnigan Lake School, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
• Saint-Nom-de-Marie, Montreal, Canada
• Ursulinenschule Hersel, Bornheim, Germany
• Konan Girls High School, Kobe, Japan
• Nga Tawa, Wellington Diocesan School for Girls, Marton, New Zealand
• St Margaret's College, Christchurch, New Zealand (Rowing Exchange)
• St Anne's Diocesan College, Hilton, South Africa
• St Mary's Diocesan School for Girls, Kloof, South Africa
• Chatham Hall, Chatham, Virginia, USA
• Augusta Preparatory Day School, Martinez, Georgia, USA

Karen Gorrie

One of the stations has been set up as the Garden of Gethsemane. Students are invited to reflect on Jesus' big questions while he was in the garden that night. They are then invited to write their own big questions and peg them to string so that, by the end of the week, hundreds of big questions will be gathered. This helps the students ask things they might not feel comfortable asking aloud. Even the process of wiring them down can be helpful.

Another station is the Palm Sunday space. Here students are invited to reflect on the joy of the crowd that gathered to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem and then to name what they are grateful for in their own lives. One student this week wrote, "I am grateful for my parents working hard to send me to a good school." 

Prayer Space will remain set up for Open Day on Saturday 5 March if you would like to visit and say hello.

For now, here is a prayer inspired by the students’ gratitude this week:

God of compassion:

We thank you for food and remember the hungry.
We thank you for health and remember the sick.
We thank you for community and remember the lonely.
We thank you for freedom and remember the enslaved.
May this remembering stir us to service,
that your gifts to us may be used for others.
Amen

Rev’d Jazz Dow

As they share personal stories, cultural insights, and new experiences with each other, they learn to see beyond categories of difference. They learn that a person’s character is as meaningful as their background. This is a deeply important lesson they can take with them beyond school. We always encourage the girls to work through any issues that they may have with each other. They learn to resolve disputes and work towards long-term positive relationships. Engaging in conflict resolution and learning to sustain healthy relationships will serve them well later in life, helping them to effectively manage conflict with future roommates and issues that may arise in their future employment. These are highly valued skills that they will have with them for life.

Lesa Fowler

As I am currently meeting with the Year 12s, I will meet individually with the Year 11 students at the beginning of Term 2 to monitor their progress. However, as always, my door is open for anyone to come and have a conversation about academic pathways and processes.

Upcoming Year 12 Exams

There is an Exam Morning for Physics on Wednesday 2 March. Year 12 students who study Physics will start their exam at 8:20am and will be emailed more details this week. Any Year 12 student who does not study Physics is to attend school from Lesson 2.

Friday 11 March is an exam day for Year 12 Mathematical Methods and Design students. Girls who do not study these subjects will not attend on the day. More details will be emailed to those students involved closer to the date.

A reminder that full school uniforms are to be worn for exams and that no electronic devices, including mobile phones and smart watches, are to be taken into the exam room. These should be left at home or locked in their lockers.

Caitlin McCluskey

In the secondary school, it is as follows:

It is important to recognise, however, that it is the quality of the homework, not the quantity, which determines so much about its impact on student learning.

Below are some important tips for students to improve the effectiveness of their homework time:

Tip 1 - Plan your homework sessions

Homework is invariably split into two components:

1. Immediate class tasks
2. Exam revision and assignment work

Taking the time at the start of your homework session to construct a plan of what you will realistically accomplish can significantly improve your productivity. Among the completion of immediate tasks, you should also schedule in time to ‘chip away’ at the larger revision and assignment-based tasks.

Tip 2 – Chunk your revision

Avoid doing long sessions of revision on the same subject in a night. The research indicates that ‘spacing’ revision for a subject throughout the week is far more beneficial to improving memory retention and consolidation of knowledge in students.

Tip 3 – Checkpoint your assignments

Create a list of checkpoints that you want to reach for your assignments at the end of designated homework sessions. This step could be in consultation with your teacher. It is important to then make sure you hold yourself to accountable to these checkpoints.

Tip 4 – Seek guidance but don’t let others be the doers

The research suggests that motivation and support provided by parents and siblings during homework exercises has an immensely positive effect on the learning that takes place. It is important, however, that you make certain this support doesn’t turn into them ‘doing’ the thinking for you. Homework is critically important in building academic resilience and independent learning skills in students. Allowing others to assist too much reduces its positive impact on you as a learner.

Chris Dunn

References

Barger, M. M., Kim, E. M., Kuncel, N. R., & Pomerantz, E. M. (2019). The relation between parents’ involvement in children’s schooling and children’s adjustment: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 145(9), 855–890.

Carpenter, S. (2020) Distributed Practice or Spacing Effect. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. Retrieved 17 Feb. 2022, from https://oxfordre.com/education/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.001.0001/acrefore-9780190264093-e-859.

Nota, L., Soresi, S., & Zimmerman, B. J. (2004). Self-regulation and academic achievement and resilience: A longitudinal study. International Journal of Educational Research, 41(3), 198-215.

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

Furthermore, Saturday 5 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. Students should arrive no later than 9.15 am for the activities.

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

Nikki Townsend

As we are halfway through the term, teachers are preparing to gather data on your child to help guide future learning. The results of assessment for Years 5 and 6 are shared through the continuous reporting process – please see Kate Frewin’s article below.

The following points are useful ways to talk to your child about their learning:

• Ask: What will be on the test? What areas do you struggle with or feel confused about? What can you do if you are stuck?
• Encourage your child to follow up with her teacher.
• Prompt retrieval by asking questions that relate to essential knowledge or procedures.

Ensure her sense of mastery is appropriate – just rereading and highlighting isn’t the most effective way to recall. The ways students are encouraged to recall information include:

• Using graphic organisers
• Making connections between what they know and new knowledge
• Becoming the teacher and teaching a parent
• Using memory scaffolds
• Chunking – breaking large bits of information into smaller units

It is our role as parents and educators to encourage children to achieve their personal best; this is closely aligned with goal setting. Goals that focus on personal best are attentive to improving specific skills and/or knowledge and limits outside variables, such as getting a better mark than someone else. Therefore, goal setting in relation to study habits allows students to have control and ownership of the variables, which will enable them to achieve their personal goals. Goal setting is familiar to our students as they regularly set and measure goals.

Angela Drysdale

Head of Primary

As parents, you will be able to access the results of your daughter’s completed assessment tasks by entering the POD, opening Parent Lounge then Student Details and finally Curricular Activities. A description of the assessment task, dates when the assessment is started and completed is outlined.

As all assessments are done in class, the actual task may be due on a Monday for one class, and a Wednesday or Friday for another class depending on the day/s that each student has the specific subject. As assessment and feedback become available in Parent Lounge you will be notified via the POD.

Thank you to everyone who attended our Virtual Parent Information Evening. If you would like further information on how we use data to inform teaching and learning you may view the linked presentation.  

ICAS

Congratulations to the following girls who have achieved Distinctions and High Distinctions in the 2021 ICAS English and Writing Assessments. These certificates will be presented at the upcoming Academic Assembly.

High Distinction

Clara O’Gorman – English

Sophie Fuller – Writing

Distinction

Clara O’Gorman – English

Allegra Pople – Writing

Isobel Stobie – Writing

Edith Barber – Writing

Kate Frewin

Open Day

The St Margaret’s music ensembles are very much looking forward to performing at the upcoming Open Day on Saturday 5 March 9:30am – 12:30pm. The draft performance schedule is as follows:

Circular Drive Stage

9:30am             Sculthorpe String Quartet

9:50am             Amati Strings

10:05am            Stradivari Strings

10:20am            Chamber Strings

10:35am            Chorale

10:45am            Volare

10:50am            Exultate

11:45am            Music Extension Performances

12:00pm           Rock Band Performances

Eton Hall

9:30am             Chaseley Concert Band

9:40am             Sister Helen Wind Symphony

10:05am            Elayne Jones Percussion Ensemble

10:20am            Jackson Wind Ensemble

10:35am            Stage Band

10:50am            Speech & Drama Presentation

Toorak Courtyard

11:00am            Clarinet/Flute/Saxophone/Brass Ensemble Performances

Primary Atrium

9:30am             Beath String Quartet

9:50am             Tutt Strings

Performance Uniforms

Students are required to wear a performance uniform for some senior auditioned music ensembles. Students are encouraged to purchase the uniform as soon as possible at the School Supply Shop in preparation for Open Day (5 March). Performance uniform requirements are as follows:

Choral Ensembles

Serenata, Belle Voci, Chorale, Encorah: School middy

Volare, Exultate: Black performance uniform with black shoes (ballet flats)

Band Ensembles

Chaseley Concert Band, Jackson Wind Ensemble: School middy

Sister Helen Wind Symphony: Black performance uniform with black shoes (ballet flats)

Stage Band & Saxophone/Clarinet/Flute/Brass/Elayne Jones Percussion Ensembles: If students are in the Sister Helen Wind Symphony, they may perform in the black performance uniform; however, students who are not in those ensembles may perform in school middy.

String Ensembles

Tutti Strings, Amati Strings, Stradivari Strings, Beath String Quartet: School middy

Chamber Strings, Sculthorpe String Quartet: Black performance uniform with black shoes (ballet flats)

Rock Bands

Highly Strung: School middy

Secondary Rock Bands: Smart blue jeans, sneakers and ‘M Factor’ polo shirt

Music Support Group

Thank you to all those who joined our recent meeting via Teams. The next Music Support Group meeting will be on Tuesday 19 April at 5.00pm in M’s Cafe. Parents from both the primary and secondary schools are welcome to attend.

Brad King

The results of the day are as follows:

QGSSSA AFL

History was made on Saturday the 19th of February 2022 with the inaugural launch of QGSSSA AFL. Over 240 girls, representing nine different schools signed up to kick off this new and exciting sport. St Margaret’s entered an Opens division team containing 12 girls across Years 10-12. All girls played exceptionally well, encouraging and supporting each other from the sidelines. Cheers were heard as Josie Bindon (Yr11), kicked St Margaret's first-ever goal in the competition. Despite a narrow disappointing loss to St Aidan's our team bounced back in game 2, improving upon our spatial awareness, handballing and communication skills. Overall, it was great to see everyone giving it their all, having fun and sharing in our Maggies spirit.

Ella Counsell – AFL Captain

QGSSSA Swimming

It is less than one week until the QGSSSA Swimming Championships. The squad members have done an amazing job in maintaining their commitment to training and the Meets in tricky circumstances. We are proud and excited to see our team represent the brown, white and blue.

Details for the final week of preparations for the swim team are as follows:

• Friday 25 February - Internal squad race practice at the St Margaret’s Pool, 3:30pm-5:00pm.
• Sunday 27 February - Compulsory session for all squad members at the St Margaret’s Pool, 8:00am-9:30am, followed by a barbecue breakfast.
• Monday 28 March – 6:30-7.30am start to morning session.
• Tuesday 1 March – 6:30-7.30am session ONLY
• Wednesday 2 March - QGSSSA send-off at morning tea, followed by team meeting, photos and lunch.
• Wednesday 2 March - QGSSSA Championships - Competition commencing at 3:30pm-7:45pm. Presentations to follow.
• Sunday 6 March - QGSSSA Swimming Presentation.

Information regarding ticketing for the QGSSSA Championships will be made available via the POD shortly. With ticketing allocation being impacted by Covid protocol this year the QGSSSA Championships will be broadcast live on Clutch TV. All information regarding ticketing and the live stream will be posted via the POD.

Further information can be accessed via the Swimming POD page

St Margaret’s Autumn Fixtures

The fixture season for the Autumn sports will commence on Friday 11 March. Detailed draws for each sport and their teams will be published via the individual POD pages over the coming week.

• Touch Football POD Page
• Basketball POD Page
• Football POD Page

Cross Country Events

The Cross Country squad has been invited to participate in the Nudgee College Meet this Friday 25 February. This fun run is a great opportunity for all girls to test their fitness against different opponents. To register your participation, please visit the Cross-Country POD page.

Adult Swimming

Our Adult Swim Squad has commenced and will run through to the end of term. Sessions run Tuesday & Thursday 5.00-6.00pm. Should you seek further information regarding getting involved, please contact Jade Gray, Swimming Programs Coordinator (jgray@stmargarets.qld.edu.au) .

GO MAGGIES!

Lloyd Knight

This week we would like to acknowledge the hard work of Year 11 student Arkie Edwards who has completed her Bronze Award. Congratulations to Arkie.

For others who are interested in knowing more about Duke of Edinburgh, please click on the following link: About the Award – Dukeofed

We will be set up in M’s Café alongside the Student Philanthropy Group who are running a bake sale. So, do stop by for a coffee, some delicious home-baked treats, and a chat next weekend to learn more about the upcoming social events for our parent community, our fundraising priorities for the school, and how our connection with our past student community is enriching the experience for our current students.

Professional Women’s Network Breakfast with Genevieve Gregor (’86).

A friendly reminder that our first Professional Women’s Network Breakfast for the year will be hosted on Tuesday 15 March with guest speaker, Genevieve Gregor (’86).

Genevieve is a Founding Partner of Colinton Capital Partners, a mid-market private equity firm investing in Australian growth companies. Prior to this, Genevieve was the co-head and Managing Director of the Asia Special Situations Group in Australia for Goldman Sachs for eight years. Genevieve has had over 25 years’ experience working in banking and finance. She has completed numerous major financing transactions for the Australian corporate market over her career and been involved in several high-profile investments.

Genevieve is passionate about empowering women to invest and believes that investing is not just about the money; it’s about investing in yourself and people. She will share her extensive experiences and expertise in the industry, and her knowledge and understanding on what makes a good financial investment.

Date: Tuesday 15 March 2022

Time: 6.45am arrival for 7.00am - 8.45am

Location: Arts Centre Foyer, St Margaret's Anglican Girls' School, 11 Petrie Street, Ascot

Format: Sit down breakfast 

We also invite you to enjoy Barista Coffee from the Wolff Coffee Roasters cart, before and after the event!

Tickets: $85 Adult, $40 Student (Years 10-12/Tertiary).

Corporate tables: $850 (10 seats), includes company logo displayed on table and acknowledgement during event.

Book online via www.trybooking.com/BXFCVR.

Lara Pickering

USC | Headstart Information Evenings

Online: Tuesday 22 March 2022, 4:30 pm - 6:15 pm

Headstart gives Year 11 and 12 students a real university experience and sets you up for your future, allowing you to study first-year uni subjects and receive credit to take time off your degree.

Find out more: https://www.usc.edu.au/community/schools-engagement/on-campus-events/headstart-information-evening

QUT | A quick guide to QUT: for Year 9–10 students and parents

Wednesday 27 April 2022, 5:30 pm - 6:45 pm

Find out more: https://www.qut.edu.au/study/events/a-quick-guide-to-qut

Torrens University Australia | Open Day

Saturday 30 April 2022, 10:30 am - 1:00 pm

Torrens University Australia, Fortitude Valley Campus

Find out more: https://www.torrens.edu.au/whats-on/open-day

QUT | Open Day 2022

Sunday 31 July 2022, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point Campus

Find out more: https://www.qut.edu.au/study/events/qut-open-day-2022

CQUni | Virtual Open Day 2022

Saturday 27 August 2022, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Find out more: https://www.cqu.edu.au/events/event-items/open-day/interactive-virtual-open-day-august

Engineering Virtual Work Experiences

Engineers Australia has partnered with GradAustralia to develop a series of virtual work experience modules, exclusively for our student members and to help bridge the gap between university theory and working practice for engineering students. Find out more information: Engineering Virtual work experience

Bond | Year 12 Extension Program 2022

Monday 11 April 2022, 8:30 am - Saturday 7 May 2022, 3:00 pm

Bond University, Robina

The Bond Business School Year 12 Extension Program is a two day workshop where students gain an insight into university life to assist the transition from high school to university. Find out more: https://bond.edu.au/extensionprogram

The University of Queensland invites students and parents to attend this online event titled ‘Making an Impact with Engineering’, hosted by UQ’s Women in Engineering team. Date: Mon, 28 February 2022. Time: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM AEST. Location: Free online event – tickets via Eventbrite. RSVP