eNews Archive Issue 6 - 2 March 2017

If, your daughter is unable to attend due to a prior commitment, we ask that a note is sent to the school prior to the day. Open Day is usually very well attended by our students as they are eager to showcase their school, but we do understand that it may not always be possible due to club sport and part-time work. It is always a great morning and I look forward to seeing you at St Margaret’s on Saturday.

Houses

Recently, we were doing some research into the School’s history and we needed to find images of the 8 school Houses and use their mottos for light shades in M’s Café.

What was interesting for me was seeing the mottos of the 8 houses together. Some were in English and some were in Latin; the inconsistency was notable and not all 8 Houses were established at the same time.

Read together, almost as a list, the mottos of the 8 Houses represents what St Margaret’s stands for. We do not use House like some other schools use House for a vertical pastoral care system. Instead, House is another dimension of the sense of belonging developed at St Margaret’s; Old Girls’ daughters, granddaughters and great granddaughters are in the same House and, of course, the friendly competition in Cross Country, Swimming, Athletics, Choral or Verse Speaking all contribute to this sense of identity within a student’s House.

Below I have listed the mottos and you will be able to see the wisdom of past educators at St Margaret’s who chose the names of the Houses (all representing Literary figures) and their mottos.

• Bede - Semper Parata - Always Ready
• Chaucer - Look Godward and count the world but a Fair
• Herrick - Optima Petimus - We seek the best
• Kendall - Strive to be Happy
• Lawson - Fide et labore - By Faith and Labour
• Milton - Noblesse Oblige - Privilege entails responsibility
• Spenser - Seek Honour First
• Tennyson - Self-reverence, Self-Knowledge, Self-Control

These bolded mottos, in conjunction with the School Motto, Per Volar Sunata (Born to Fly Upwards) form quite a comprehensive guide to a successful life.

Teenagers, Social Media and Sleep

A recent British research study (as reported in a 2017 AHISA bulletin) has examined the sleep and night time social media habits of two cohorts of young people - those aged 12-13 and 14-15 years. More than 900 students participated in the study, which found that: 

• While most students were in bed for eight or nine hours, over a fifth of the younger cohort and over a quarter of older students were in bed for fewer than eight hours
• One in 10 of all students in the study spent six hours or fewer in bed

• 21.6% of 12 to 13-year-olds and 22.5% of 14 to 15-year-olds reported that they almost always wake up during the night to use social media

• Girls were more likely than boys to use social media during the night; 26.4% of 12 to 13-year-old girls said they always woke during the night to check their phone or tablet for messages, compared with 16.5% of boys
• 12 to 13-year-olds who reported never having a regular wake time were three times more likely to say they ‘almost always’ feel tired for school compared to 12 to 13-year-olds who always have a regular wake time
• 12 to 13-year-olds who regularly wake up in the night to use social media are three times more likely to say they ‘almost always’ feel tired for school compared to 12 to 13-year-olds who never use social media during the night
• On average, on every measure of subjective wellbeing, young people who always feel tired when going to school were found to be significantly less happy than other young people. 

Ros Curtis

It reminded me of a study I read recently by Bernard Salt and his company KPMG Demographics. Many of you may know Bernard as a social commentator who writes regularly for The Australian newspaper and is a much sought after guest speaker at numerous business and leadership forums.

The study asserts that by 2030 there will be 3 million more jobs in Australia than there are today. The types of jobs may look different from those we have now; jobs of the future will stem from demand from changing and developing technology, changing skill sets and an increased population. Connectivity will mean that jobs will look different in terms of not needing to be in the middle of metro areas, so businesses can evolve and have new ways to disrupt, improve and create value.

Teaching and learning may also look vastly different in 30 years due to increased technology. It would seem that our students are on the cusp of an exciting new era of growth.

So what does that mean for our students today?

Making the most of opportunities within school (both in the classroom and extra-curricular activities) is important to build a wide range of life skills that will allow for inquiry and discovery in the future. Developing skills of resilience, creativity, problem-solving and others will help young people find those paths that will no doubt lead to those exciting futures in employment and along pathways that don't even exist yet.

Karen Gorrie 

To commemorate the 125 years of the Order of the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent, the order of nuns responsible for numerous schools across Queensland, both St Margaret’s and St Aidan’s Schools are joining for a celebratory service at St John’s Cathedral on Thursday 9 March at 10am.

Our Years 4 and 8 students will be attending this special event and a letter has been emailed to families. The Sculthorpe String Quartet will also play at this celebration.

Ash Wednesday and the Season of Lent

On Wednesday, students, staff and other members of the school community gathered in the Philip Harris Sports Centre for an Ash Wednesday Service. Ashes are a traditional mark that are a reminder of our humble humanity, our need for refreshment. For all humanity, it can be a sign of recognition of wrongdoing, a recognition of the need to say sorry to self, others and the world. With this service, our Lenten journey has begun.

Easter is the highlight of the Christian year. It is the message of hope, life beyond that which we see, it is the promise of Jesus and his resurrection that reminds us that God conquers all darkness. And so, to prepare ourselves and open our hearts fully to the possibilities God has for each one of us personally within this message, we take time to prepare … time to ponder … time to restore our souls … time to put aside the things that distract us from the journey.

This time of reflection is known as LENT. It lasts for 40 days (not counting Sundays) and Christians may choose to respond in a variety of ways. ‘Fasting’ or ‘giving something up for Lent’ has changed a little even from when I was a child. Fasting may be seen as giving something up to open up a space in the hope that the space will be filled by God (Kemp, C., “Into the Desert”, ABM Lent resources 2017).

Term 1 Prayer Space

St Margaret’s offers a sacred and hands-on reflective space each term. Known as the ‘Prayer Space’, all members of the community are invited to come and spend time there. Many classes from both the primary and secondary school will utilise the set up over the week. This term’s Prayer Space will be open from Friday 3 March until Monday 13 March. Come along and take some time to spend there on Open Day! All are welcome.

Upcoming Services

Thursday 9 March: Mother Emma’s Day, Celebrating 125 years of the SSA in Australia, St John’s Cathedral, 10am, all welcome.

Sunday 12 March: Young Families’ Service, 9am, Chapel

Wednesday 29 March: Boarders’ End of Term Eucharist, 6pm, School Chapel

Wednesday 19 April: Whole School Easter Service, 9:30am, Philip Harris Sports Centre, All Welcome

Sunday 23 April: Young Families’ Service, 9am, School Chapel

Thursday 27 April: Years 9 and 10 Family Service, St Augustine’s, Hamilton

Reflection

You may like to join me in pondering some of the Lenten resources provided by the Anglican Board of Mission (www.abmission.org/lent). I particularly appreciate the following, a Michael Leunig prayer, used on the ABM posters:

Dear God,

We pray for another way of being:

Another way of knowing.

Across the difficult terrain of our existence we have attempted to build a highway and in so doing have lost our footpath.

God lead us to our footpath:

Lead us there where in simplicity we may move at the speed of natural creatures and feel the earth’s love beneath our feet.

Lead us there where step-by-step we may feel the movement of creation in our hearts.

And lead us there where side-by-side we may feel the embrace of the common soul.

Nothing can be loved at speed.

God lead us to the slow path; to the joyous insights of the pilgrim; another way of knowing: another way of being.

Amen.

With every blessing on you and your week ahead,

The Reverend Nicki Colledge 

With assessment looming, girls are encouraged not to side line their sporting interests. If anything, exercise must be a priority as it helps them to stay healthy and committed to their daily routines. With plenty of physical activity, our bodies have a chance to refresh and our minds can rest. Someone once said to me, “You never regret exercising” and how true that is.

All boarders can use the gym equipment at the back of Eton Hall and the Years 11 and 12 student can gain a St Margaret’s ‘Gym License’ to access the wide array of equipment in the Philip Harris Sports Centre. All grades are welcome to play games in the PHSC over the weekend. We encourage as much activity as possible between the Sports Hall, the pool and the ‘Boarders’ Backyard’ - a fun space particularly suited for the younger girls with the trampoline available. For the less motivated, a willingness to jump up and ‘have a go’ is encouraged. It’s no surprise to anyone that regular activity greatly improves both mental and physical health. Girls who keep up their exercise whilst in boarding are certainly establishing good habits for their adulthood.

Dimity Harris 

As part of our commitment to high quality learning we are refining some of our practices relating student progress. One of these is our approach to the provision of feedback. I have included a newly reviewed policy detailing this.

Drafting/Conferencing
Consistent and targeted feedback lies at the heart of effective learning. Drafting and conferencing as a mechanism for providing students with precise and targeted feedback is an important part of the learning cycle. The nature of that feedback varies between subjects and year levels. It is expected that by Year 12 feedback on assessment pieces will be minimal.

Drafting involves the submission of a written piece of work while conferencing takes the form of a conversation between teacher and student about a piece of work. In all instances the feedback provided will be focused on giving students an understanding of how to make progress while maintaining their ownership of the work. The purpose of feedback is not to make a student’s work an ‘A’ but rather to assist her to make decisions which will improve its quality.

Years 7 to 10
In the lower secondary school, it is expected that students will receive consistent written and/or verbal feedback on their work. This will involve the teacher responding to class and homework tasks, as well as the drafts of formal assessments. For the latter, students need to receive timely feedback which allows them to refine their final piece of work. Heads of Faculty will determine the parameters for the feedback process in their subjects.

Year 11
Year 11 is a direct preparation for Year 12 and as such students will receive detailed feedback on their work throughout the year. This focuses on both classwork and on drafts of specific assessment tasks. The nature of the feedback should be designed to allow students to develop their capacity to function as independent learners who can apply their skills in unfamiliar contexts. In Year 11 it is expected that teachers provide written/recorded feedback on one draft for each assessment piece. After this, students may conference with their teachers about the piece and seek guidance on how to further refine it.

Year 12
In their final year of secondary schooling students need to develop a deep knowledge of the concepts and cognitions that are relevant to academic subjects. This will enable them to apply their understandings to unfamiliar contexts. Written/recorded feedback will focus on class work and homework and will not be provided on summative assessment pieces. Formal conferencing processes will be used to ensure that Year 12 students receive quality feedback on their assessment. Heads of Faculty are responsible for providing the framework for the tasks within their subjects. Year 12 students are encouraged to conference regularly with their teachers regarding assessment requirements and skill development.

Trends in Education Seminar 1 for 2017
Our first seminar for the year is scheduled for Tuesday 7 March. This seminar promises to be a most stimulating and relevant address for those interested in twenty-first century education. We are fortunate to have Mr Chris Farrelly as our speaker. Chris has many years’ experience in the primary resources industry, and in tertiary research, has been a Science teacher and was a Head of Faculty for over ten years. He recently returned to St Margaret’s as Manager - STEM Enrichment Programs, following a year in the role of STEM Teacher in Residence at QUT in 2016. His presentation will review what is meant by STEM in education in the Queensland context, how STEM Education is being enacted in many schools, and the effectiveness of approaching STEM as a transdisciplinary subject, rather than through the traditional curriculum. Please find the details below:  

Samantha Bolton 

Cultivating essential life skills and character traits in a child’s educational track is gaining more support as the business community is struggling to find qualified candidates who work well with others, are honest, respectful and communicate effectively. Research increasingly shows that students are leaving schools and universities without the essential social-emotional skills required to thrive in a work place setting.

As adults, we are also aware of the need to tolerate negative feelings rather than avoid them. We have learnt that everything we have to do in life is not full of fun and cheer. MIT Sloan Management Review notes that the most meaningful learning situations are encountered when we are the most challenged. It is important for us as adults to model for our girls to embrace the challenge as a life of greater growth often involves taking the bumpier path.

I hope you have had the chance to talk to your daughters about the learning goals she has set for herself for Semester 1, as well as the chance to look at her Academic Mentoring Portal. This portal is designed for your daughter to engage in her results and to reflect on her next move in her learning journey to challenge herself. Please continue to encourage your daughter to revel in the process of learning however challenging and difficult it may be. After all, with passion, desire and challenge girls are more likely to make it to the finish line and learn how to do things differently, making learning deeper and more meaningful.

Supervised Study Sessions

A reminder there a few vacancies for girls to attend the Supervised Study Sessions. During these sessions two tutors work with the students to complete homework, support assignment work and assist with concepts not understood in class. Please note, Supervised Study Sessions will conclude for this term on Thursday 23 March and resume on Monday 24 April.

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

Parent Teacher Interviews

These interviews will be held for all parents on Thursday 30 and Friday 31 March. Information regarding booking these interviews will be advised next week via email.

Nicole Devlin 

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 and in doing so ‘Discover the Difference’.

Furthermore, Saturday 4 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 have been asked to arrive at 9:15am for a 9:30am start. Each student has received an individualised program for the day.

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.

Peer Power - Audacious Forum Saturday 6 May - Years 11 and 12

I commend to you Audacious U facilitated by Peer Power. This specific workshop is designed for students in Years 11 and 12 who are not comfortable in their own skin and feel nervous when asked to do something that is out of their comfort zone.

The Peer Power Audacious Forum is crafted to address students who have the innate capacity to influence others but are yet to exercise their leadership for the collective good. This forum is capped at twenty students for maximum impact, hence demand is strong.

Please click on the links for further information (PDF 768.6KB) and to register (PDF 771.8KB).

Year 7 Immunisations
HPV1 and Boostrix Immunisations for Year 7 students will take place on Monday 6 March 2017 in Eton Hall, from 1pm until 2:30pm.

• ALL students are to have a cup of cordial following their immunisation

• Students are to remain in the recovery area for a minimum of 15 minutes post immunisation
• Students MUST sit where the nurse directs them to
• Students are to sit quietly in the recovery area
• Students must bring their lunch with them
• Day girls are to take their record slip home for their parent or guardian
• Boarders are to take their record slip directly to the Health Centre

If your daughter is unable to have her immunisation/s on this day and you do wish for her to be in this vaccination program, could you please see your local General Practioner or alternatively go to www.health.qld.gov.au/immunisation to find a local clinic who can provide this service, prior to 31 March. This will allow your daughter to follow through with the next phase of immunisation at the school.

Should you have any queries or concerns, please contact the Dean of Students’ Office on 3862 0871.

Nikki Townsend 

We left school at 8:30am for the one hour bus trip to Mount Tamborine with the knowledge that a great day lay ahead.

After stopping at a park for a 15-minute morning tea break, our first site was a lookout where we took photos before arriving at Witches Falls. It was a fun stop where we quickly recorded the noise, temperature and light levels and walked a short way down the track, marvelling at the rainforest environment and making sure we took as many photos as possible.

Our second stop was the Tamborine Mountain Skywalk. After a short lunch, the first group set off on the ingeniously built skywalk bridge and were amazed at the scenic view of the canopy and how far we were off the ground, noting tree and epiphyte types and making it down to the ground track and back in awe of the rainforest’s flora, fauna and landforms. We enjoyed eating our picnic lunches at the café before getting on the bus one last time for the one and a half hour bus trip back to school.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Skywalk and Witches Falls - it was a unique experience that also increased my geographical knowledge, with its amazing views and scenery. Overall, it was an intriguing and interesting trip and an experience I will not forget.

Paige Bastian
Year 8 Student 

Such camps are simply not possible without the generosity of spirit so willingly given by the staff who attend the camps each year.

Big Write and Cold Write

There is no shortage of educational research, blogs and opinions relating to the skills students require in the 21st Century. In doing an audit of a range of such lists, there are two skills that consistently feature; communication skills and social emotional intelligence.

Communication skills, both oral and written, remain critical for all students, irrespective of future career paths. The ability to articulate oneself intelligently, accurately and with clarity supports professional and social competency required now and in the future.

To this end, our Literacy Cluster Program focuses on developing student’s ability to communicate effectively in written form for a range of purposes. Apart from the levelled spelling mastery program which uses a direct instruction approach, sentence level grammar and punctuation forms the basis for the remainder of each cluster literacy lesson. Your daughters may have mentioned VCOP (Vocabulary, Connective, Openers and Punctuation). This structure is used to formally teach increasingly complex grammatical concepts. Sentences are ‘up-levelled’ through improving vocabulary (for some students this is replacing low level vocabulary with more complex word choices, for others it is replacing an adjective with a metaphor or simile), ensuring connectives (conjunctions) are used to develop increasingly complex sentence structures, openers are included (e.g. adverbs, adverbial phrases and clauses) to provide more detail in written texts and correct punctuation is monitored through self, peer and teacher input.

There is a weekly ‘Big Write’ which provides a context in which the isolated grammatical concepts are transferred to writing. A writing prompt and purpose for writing is provided and students are given time to talk about their ideas for writing. The focus of the weekly Big Write is to provide a context in which to apply grammatical skills and spelling skills learned over time. During writing, working memory is focused on complex tasks and learned spelling and grammatical knowledge must be mastered and in long term memory in order to be used correctly in a written text. Students may recall all learned spelling words on their weekly test and words may appear easy in such a context; however, such words have only really been learned if they are generalised to writing. The weekly Big Write also provides opportunities for students to increase their writing endurance and engage in revising and re-crafting text as they write. Students are stopped regularly during the Big Write and are guided to improve specific aspects of Vocabulary, Connectives, Openers and Punctuation. Teachers offer formative feedback to students on their weekly Big Write and this feedback provides goals for future writing.

Formal summative writing assessment is carried out throughout each term through a Cold Write. Again, a writing prompt is provided, time to plan the writing is given and students write for a set period. A short time to revise and improve text is also provided. These writing pieces are marked against levelled criteria (aligned to the Australian Curriculum) and are moderated by teachers across and within year levels to provide an achievement grade. These, along with a range of other writing tasks, are used to inform the overall semester writing grade on Student Reports.

Effective communication skills have been, and will always continue to be critically important and require explicit instruction, mastery learning and opportunities to apply knowledge and skills in context. The VCOP, Big Write and Cold Write Framework provides these learning experiences to each of our students in Years P - 6 in a differentiated manner which responds to each girl’s current level of competency through our cluster literacy lessons in Years 3 - 6, and through the morning literacy block in Years P - 2.

Drop off and Pick Up

It has been delightful to see our Year 6 girls taking on the role as ‘Meet and Greet’ helpers in the morning. This enables parents to drop their daughters at the drop off zone and the Year 6 girls escort them into the Atrium. Not only does this provide leadership opportunities for our Year 6 students, it also alleviates the need for parents to find a park and escort their daughters to the Atrium. Thank you to our Year 6 Meet and Greet Helpers; you are making a big difference to both the younger girls and their parents each morning. Parents, please make use of this service in an effort to free up our drop-off zone from parked cars and also as a way to teach resilience and independence to our girls.

Thank you also to those parents arriving after 3:25pm each day to collect their daughters. In doing so, girls are given ample time to pack up and move to the pick-up zone. Parents arriving before this time are reminded that the pick-up zone is a rolling zone and that you are not able to leave your car, or remain in the rolling zone for more than 2 minutes. Some parents are arriving as early as 3:00pm and waiting in the pick-up zone. This causes a great deal of congestion and frustration. We ask that you please support us by arriving after 3:25pm each day and encouraging your daughters to move promptly to the pick-up zone each afternoon and to be alert to looking for your car so that pick up is efficient for your family and all families in our community.

Sport

Congratulations to Portia Creevey, Anna Lincoln, Olivia Peck and Evangeline Phillips for making the Met North Swimming Team.

Upcoming Events

Trudi Edwards 

Music Performance times on Open Day

Open Day (Saturday 4 March) provides a fantastic opportunity for our music ensembles to present performances to the broader community. All ensembles have been working hard in preparation for the event and look forward to providing entertainment throughout the day. Performance times for the day are attached here (PDF 336.3KB).

Open Day Music Performances – Performance Uniforms

Please note that some music ensembles require the girls to purchase a performance uniform. These are available from the School Supplies Shop.

Uniform requirements are as follows:

Choral Ensembles

Serenata, Belle Voci: School Middy
Primary Chorale: School Middy (still required to purchase a White Church Dress for future performances)
Elevarsi Voices (not performing on Open Day): Black performance uniform with black shoes (ballet flats)
Encorah: Black pants with a plum coloured shirt and black jazz shoes

Band Ensembles
Wind Ensemble, Regale Percussion Ensemble: School Middy
Wind Symphony, Stage Band, Saxophone/Clarinet/Flute/EJ Percussion Ensembles: Black performance uniform with black shoes (ballet flats)

String Ensembles
Tutti Strings, Amati Strings, Beath String Quartet: School Middy
Stradivari Strings, Chamber Strings, Sculthorpe String Quartet: Black performance uniform with black shoes (ballet flats)

Rock Bands
Highly Strung: School Middy
Junior and Senior Rock Bands: Smart blue jeans, sneakers and ‘M Factor’ polo shirt

Music Support Group
The next MSG meeting will be next week on Tuesday 7 March 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 

Can the 2017 performance of “The Sound of Music” eclipse the spectacular that was “Annie”?

It will be close. Only one way to know for sure - come and see it!

Tickets:

$40 Adult

$30/Concession and Child

Available from qtix - link on the school website

Performances:

Evening 7 pm - Thursday 16 March / Friday 17 March / Saturday 18 March

Matinee 1 pm – Saturday 18 March 

Precise and complex thin white clouds within the globe and the orange and red lava flowing outwards adds a great sense of movement, whilst the extensive range of pink and red tones used in the human heart makes the right canvas appear 3D to viewers. Contrast between the black background and bold white lettering also emphasises the work’s theme. 

The girls who were supporting were asked to sing and cheer louder throughout the night and they did resulting in our team achieving many personal bests and some outstanding relay performances. The Swimming Captains, Tea Krause and Kirrily Siebenhausen, motivated the girls during the swimming lunch along with Sybilla Goode ‘99, Old Girl and 2000 Olympian.

St Margaret’s finished 2nd in the Sheena Dyason Percentage Cup and 5th in the Mollie Gould Cup. The age group results are listed below.

Thank you to Kevin Sargent and his coaching staff for their enthusiasm and dedication to the sport this season. I would also like to thank our teaching staff involved in the program: Kelly Alford (Swimming Coordinator), Karl Mandla and Kathy Thorne. The girls and parents will celebrate the season with the swimming presentation dinner.

Autumn Fixtures

Autumn Fixtures will commence next Friday 10 March. The girls will have home matches against Moreton Bay College. Touch Football will be played at Windsor Park, Soccer at Teralba Park, Mitchelton and Basketball at Boondall Sports complex. Girls will be transported to the venues at 3pm. The buses will return at varying times depending on the sport and venue. Please check your team app for the draw and further information.

This week is the final opportunity to organise any uniforms that your daughter may need. I remind parents that all girls are required to travel in their representative uniform of the white shirt, sports skirt and brown shoes. They can change at the venues into their playing uniforms.

Nicky Barrie 

Please click ​here (PDF 635.2KB) for the program and booking forms.

All enquiries should be directed to Palu Ingram, OSHC Coordinator on 0423 547 653 or oshc@stmargarets.qld.edu.au 

Palu Ingram

Nominations for the 2017 Past Student Awards are now open

These awards have been 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 and increase connections between the School and Past Students to honour their legacy.

There are two award categories:

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

 
2017 nominations close on Monday 13 March 2017 at 5pm (AEST) and winners will be announced at a dinner on Friday 21 April 2017.

2017 Nomination Form

P&F General Meetings

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

Monday 8 May 2017

Monday 31 July 2017

Monday 30 October 2017

P&F Event Dates 2017

Term 1

Friday 3 March - Mothers’ Luncheon

Thursday 30 March - Father Daughter Breakfast

Term 2

Saturday 27 May - Community Ball

Friday 9 June - Fathers’ Dinner

Term 3

Saturday 2 September - Race Day

We are delighted to announce the P&F Executive Committee for 2017: 

We hope the parent community continues to support our wonderful Parents and Friends Association.

Old Girls’ Association

10 Year Reunion – Class of 2007 - Friday 21 July 2017

20 Year Reunion – Class of 1997 - Saturday 22 July 2017

30 Year Reunion – Class of 1987 - Friday 21 July 2017

40 Year Reunion – Class of 1977 - Saturday 22 July 2017

50 Year Reunion – Class of 1967 - Saturday 22 July 2017

60 Year Reunion – Class of 1957 - Saturday 22 July 2017

Chapel Service and Morning Tea - Sunday 23 July 2017

1938-1956 (60+) Year Reunion - Monday 24 July 2017

OGA Annual Brunch - Sunday 11 June 2017

AGM - Tuesday 28 November 2017

Luanne Wishart 

What classifies as rural is determined by the Australian Standard Geographical Classification Remoteness Area system (ASGC-RA), which also categorises various levels of remoteness, identified by their Remoteness Areas (RAs) rating. Students will need to live in a remote area for a set amount of time to be eligible.

This rural background sub quota for the Bachelor of Dental Science (Honours) will be available for students within the RA2 - RA5 category. This will include most Queensland regional cities, as well as rural areas near Ipswich and some parts of the Gold and Sunshine Coast hinterlands. Students can check the classification of their homes on the Department of Health website.

Approved rural background applicants must still meet all the entry requirements of the Bachelor of Dental Science (Honours) Program, including sitting the UMAT Exam. However, to assist with meeting the ranking requirements, rural background applicants will be competing against a smaller cohort of applicants (for a smaller number of places) where the standard UMAT cut offs may not apply.

Further information on the scheme and eligibility requirements can be found on the UQ website

'Getting Ready for University' - Info Sessions for Year 10 parents, guardians and carers
As a parent or guardian, you play a vital role in helping your children make the best choices about their future and Year 10 is the best time to start.

When teenagers select their senior subjects it is important that they select the right prerequisites for the university programs they are interested in.

Your child’s dream is our mission and these interactive group sessions are designed to give you the necessary information to assist your child in making an informed choice about their future. All our interactive sessions are hosted by recent UQ professional staff graduates and run for approximately one hour with plenty of time set aside for any questions you may have.

Topics include:

• Understanding the university language;
• Key differences between high school and university;
• Pathways into your child’s dream program;
• Scholarships; and
• QTAC, fees, accommodation and more!

Session Dates: week of 15-18 May 2017, St Lucia campus.

It’s never too late to find out more about university and we would love to hear from you! Please email us or call 07 3346 9872.

Are you an Australian parent who is interested in your child's higher education?
Research is currently being undertaken at UQ to understand the preferences and decision-making of Years 11 and 12 students studying in high school. If you are an Australian parent and keen on your child's higher education, you are invited to participate in this research project.

To be eligible to participate in the study, you must have a child studying in Years 11 or 12 at any high school in Queensland, and you, along with your child, must be willing to participate in the survey.

To take part in this research or for further information, contact Asma Qureshi:

Phone:  0402 334 231

Email: a.qureshi@business.uq.edu.au

Web: https://tinyurl.com/jz66asw

Gap Year 2018
Letzlive will be hosting an information evening on 27 March (venue TBC). Applications are now open for Gap year opportunities in 2018. The closing date for applications is 7 April and LetzLive strongly advise early applications as the interview process will begin in the week following this closing date. Placements should be confirmed by early July 2017 and commence from 1 January 2018 and continue throughout the year. Further information is available at: www.letzlive.org.

Lattitude Global Volunteering
International Placements for 17 - 25 year-olds

If you are looking to volunteer in an English speaking country with a culture similar to Australia, the UK may be the right place for you. You’ll have the opportunity to create an energetic and positive environment for young students, camp-goers, program participants and residents. Exercise your good communication skills and leadership qualities by becoming a role model for those who need it most. You’ll have the opportunity to meet other hardworking volunteers from all over the world, explore the British culture like a local, and gain a sense of independence during this longer placement. More information is available from: www.lattitude.org.au.

Bond University College – a Pathway to Bond University
Bond University recognise that the traditional linear pathway from secondary school into university is not the same for all students. As every student is different, so too is every journey.

Since 2007, Bond College, as the inaugural academic pathway provider for Bond University, has been offering pathway programs to bridge the gap and support the transition to further studies.

From 2017, with an augmented program offering Bond University College will continue this valuable service. The programs will include a range of diplomas for students who have completed Year 12, including Business, Communication, Criminology, Legal Studies, International Hotel and Tourism Management, Sports Management, Sustainable Environments and Planning, and Health Sciences.

UMAT

Registrations for UMAT 2017 are open. Copies of the Information Booklet can be downloaded from the UMAT website at: https://umat.acer.edu.au/. Please note that before registering for the Test, students are required to carefully read the UMAT 2017 Information Booklet, which will only be available online from the UMAT website.

The only Identification documents accepted for UMAT 2017 are:

• Current passport
• Current photo-bearing driver's licence (full, probationary or learner's permit)
• Current photo-bearing Australian Keypass
• Current photo-bearing Australian Proof of Age Card

For further details, please refer to the UMAT website. Candidates without correct identification will not be permitted to sit UMAT 2017 and will be turned away from the test centre.

UMAT is only available once every year. If you do not register by 2 June 2017, you will have to wait until 2018 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.

NIE - UMAT Workshops Australia

Along with the 8 or 10 UMAT books our Premium, Platinum and Concession courses include the intensive one-day UMAT preparation and training workshop.

Our workshops are designed to cover every UMAT construct (previously known as UMAT sections), the various types of questions to be encountered and how to tackle them, and then to check where you are at with respect to UMAT specific study, throwing a full-blown UMAT NIE practice test at you. How will you fare? How have you been going? Which UMAT style questions still need work?

Brisbane Workshops to be held at UQ, St Lucia:

5 April

28 June

23 July

UQ Guides

Copies of the UQ Australian Undergraduate Guide 2018 are now available from the Careers Corner in the Library. Individual Faculty Guides will be available later in the year.

QUT Guides

Copies of the QUT ‘Real Choices’ 2018 guide to undergraduate study is available via this link: https://www.qut.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/245294/real-choices.pdf

KEY DATES:
Friday 27 and Saturday 28 May 2017
The National Careers and Employment EXPO (Brisbane Convention Centre).
All Year 10 students will attend this exciting event on the morning of Friday 27 May.

Friday 2 June
UMAT Registrations close 5pm

Wednesday 26 July
UMAT Exam

Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 July 2017
The 36th 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