eNews Archive Issue 6 - 3 March 2022

If you are looking for another way to support the school, you may be interested in attending the Professional Women’s Network breakfast or in sponsoring a corporate table at this event. I alert you to the Development and Community section of the eNews for further details and encourage you to think about buying a ticket for you and your daughter or inviting a group of people from your work to the upcoming Professional Women’s Network breakfast on Tuesday 15 March. This is an opportunity for you to be inspired by the experiences of our guest speaker and past student, Genevieve Gregor (’86). I look forward to seeing you there.

The St Margaret’s Plus Mentoring Program is an exciting new initiative being introduced this year to St Margaret’s students in Years 11 and 12.  

The program will be managed and facilitated by Ms Danielle Guinea, Relationships and Mentoring Manager, and will match and link students with an appropriate mentor in the field they’re aspiring to study or enter when they graduate. The structured sessions will be conducted online, and mentors will be sourced from the wide, supportive, and diverse St Margaret’s community.

It is hoped that students will embrace the opportunity to gain insights, knowledge, and experience from those studying and working in the areas they hope to pursue. The response from Old Girls to participate in the program as mentors has been overwhelmingly positive.

Further information will be available on the website and through year level assemblies in the coming weeks.

Just a reminder that the school Open Day has been postponed from Saturday 5 March to Saturday 26 March from 9.30am – 12.30pm.

Ros Curtis

Goal-setting is an important step in striving for improvement. They provide direction and purpose. Students should ensure that their goals are S.M.A.R.T. goals.

Specific goals are easier to accomplish. While many students may say they wish to achieve a certain grade for their subjects, it would be better to hone in on a particular skill in order for that to occur. For example, using criteria from a subject as the skill that they would like to improve would be beneficial.

Goals need to be Measureable. Checking in to see if targets have been met with feedback on improvement being sought and supplied will identify achievement and help encourage the student to continue to strive for more improvement.

Make sure the goal is Attainable. Almost any goal is attainable when a person plans their steps towards achieving that goal wisely. Reaching those milestones will provide positive affirmation and ensure they remain on track to achieve the ultimate goal.

Relevant goals ensure that improvement is sought for something that needs improvement.

Time-bound goals provide a deadline for actions to occur to see movement towards improvement. Deadlines need to be given short time frames to ensure step-by-step progress is made.

Karen Gorrie

I will need to continue the conversation with her, but for now, I am very glad that she is not imagining God as a God who floods her home. If your child is asking these questions as well, please feel free to send me an email. There are big questions that remain mysteries. One thing I am sure of is that God does not cause bad things to happen because God is pure love.

Over the coming weeks, I will be praying for you all, particularly those of you who are facing the aftermath of the flooding.

Let us, too, continue to remember Ukraine. I offer (below) a prayer from the Archbishop of Canterbury.

In peace,
Rev’d Jazz (jdow@stmargarets.qld.edu.au)

Unfortunately, the impact of COVID and the spread of Omicron is still presenting many challenges around staffing and student absences, and we expect this to continue during 2022. Cairnmore House and Albion Manor Motel are an extension to the boarding houses off campus. We will continue to keep you informed of any developments and our staff are working hard to ensure there is continuity of learning. Each scenario presents different challenges, and we assure you, that we will always put your daughter’s wellbeing, health and safety and learning needs at the forefront of our decision making.

We are certainly navigating unique and challenging times as we learn to live with the pandemic while we make every effort to ensure continuity of learning and living arrangements for your daughters. It takes a village to care for the boarding house. We thank all staff who have been heavily involved in our everyday operations and we thank our boarding parents who have been very understanding with our procedures. Our highlight is our resilient boarders who have shown great unity and positivity each day.

"There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about." – Margaret J. Wheatley

Gracemere Mataia

Please note that in Years 7 to 9, requests for an extension must be accompanied by a parent letter or a medical certificate. In Years 10 to 12, requests for an extension must be accompanied by a medical certificate or, if absent for commitments such as representative sport, formal documentation outlining these dates.

When an exam is unexpectedly missed, the procedure in Years 7 to 11 is for the student to complete this exam in the library in lesson 1a/b on the day of their return to school. In the event that the student has been absent for a period of time and has multiple exams to catch up on, this schedule will be managed by the Academic Studies Office: Dean of Studies (Years 7-9) and Dean of Academics (Years 10-12). All adjustments to Year 12 assessment are managed by the Dean of Academics.

Special Provisions or Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments

Students with disability, a medical condition or other circumstances may require reasonable adjustments to assessment conditions. Special provision involves making reasonable adjustments, such as providing alternative arrangements for seating, equipment or time. If your daughter requires special provisions, Stephanie Cowie, the Assistant Head of Faculty Student Pathways and Futures, will have communicated with you about a learning plan. If you have any questions about these provisions, please contact us prior to exams.

Caitlin McCluskey

Alarmingly, a recent article from Brett Henebery in The Educator also reminds us that Australian teens are the third-most sleep deprived in the world, and that 70% of Australian high school students experience regular sleep deprivation.

So, what can we do?

Henebery (2022) puts forward some clear evidence-based suggestions that students can take on to improve their ‘sleep hygiene’ – as he puts it. With the assessment-heavy weeks of Term 1 just around the corner, I hope this advice proves useful to many of our girls at St Margaret’s.

Ways to improve your ‘sleep hygiene’

1. Exercise regularly every day, preferably in the morning – this will naturally reduce stress hormone levels and help you sleep more soundly.
2. Avoid bright lights in the evening – don’t have all the lights on until you’re about to go to bed. Reducing light will help your body and brain wind down.
3. Cut technology late at night – blue light from technology screens impedes sleep. Try putting laptops, phones and iPads outside your bedroom to avoid the temptation.
4. Reduce caffeine levels late in the afternoon or at night.
5. Keep the bedroom dark, cool and quiet.
6. Set a good sleep routine and stick to it – for example, shower followed by reading every night.

Chris Dunn

References

Henebery, B. (2022, February 17). The importance of promoting a better sleep routine. The Educator. https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/the-importance-of-promoting-a-better-sleep-routine-for-students/279607

Okano, K., Kaczmarzyk, J. R., Dave, N., Gabrieli, J. D. E., & Grossman, J. C. (2019, 2019/10/01). Sleep quality, duration, and consistency are associated with better academic performance in college students. Science of Learning, 4(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-019-0055-z  

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 26 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.

Society’s obsession with the online world makes connecting with people face to face more important than ever. Schools are centres where the skills of connection are formed, and we encourage our girls to use the social situation of school as the time to interact and form friendships individually and as part of a group rather than online. This is a much more positive and authentic way to make connections and build relationships.

In our school, the skills of connection are taught and learnt through our pastoral care program using the social thinking skills program as a base. Our service-learning program helps build empathy, that is to understand and feel from another’s point of view, often seen as the pinnacle of connection. We also regard connection as an important aspect of academic growth and is identified in our Framework of Quality Teaching and Learning as one of the five pillars upon which an effective learning environment is based. Connection is vital for both a student’s learning success and achievement as a human.

“We are more of who we are because of the connections we have made.” Adele Basheer

Angela Drysdale

SchoolTV, also accessible via The POD, is a resource for schools, created to educate parents and support families across all areas of mental health and wellbeing so that our young people are given every opportunity to not only succeed but thrive. Renowned psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg has designed this online resource to empower you as parents with credible and sound information with realistic, practical ongoing support strategies, and again access is provided free for parents through the school.

Finally, please ensure that you take the time to complete the Parent St Margaret’s Primary Laptop User Agreement with your daughter, located in the Events and Payment section of Parent Lounge. This will ensure that you and your daughter are aware of the expectations and responsibilities she has when engaging online in any capacity on a school-owned device both at home and at school.

We highly recommend taking the time to explore these excellent resources with your daughter to support the work being done in class at school.

Annette Box

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 (26 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

Soloist Recital Series 1

The Music Department will be hosting its first Soloist Recital Series for 2022. These recitals are open to all students at St Margaret’s who would like to present a solo performance in an informal and supportive setting. The recital will be held on 16 March in the Arts Centre Foyer from 3:30pm. If students are interested in performing, they are encouraged to speak to their private music teachers at St Margaret’s who can then facilitate the process. Alternately, students may speak with Mr King.

Encorah Commences in Week 7

Encorah is an all-comers choir open to all girls in Years 7-12 and will recommence rehearsals from Thursday 10 March 3:30-4:30pm. All who enjoy singing are welcome to attend with no audition required. The choir will sing a wide range of repertoire from a variety of genres ranging from contemporary music to music theatre and more traditional styles. We look forward to having many students involved! Please note that from next week Exultate will rehearse from 4:30-5:30pm and Volare from 4:30-5:00pm.

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.

The Sport and Activities office would like to acknowledge the following students who have been selected to advance across their respective pathways:

Cricket

• 16-19 years North Independent Team Lucy Bourke (Year 11) and Brea Craven (Year 11)

Tennis

• 13-19 years Met North Lara Charles (Year 12)

Netball

• 13-15 years North Independent Team Lucy Cameron (Year 9) and Ruby Gowns (Year 8)
• 16-19 years North Independent Team Lauren Packer (Year 10), Sienna Small (Year 11) and Chelsea Uisa-Kainiu (Year 12)

Football 

• 13-15 years North Independent Team Kiara Pedroni (Year 8) and Ruby Reilly (Year 8)
• 16-19 years North Independent Team Jordy Wright (Year 10)

Triathlon

• Queensland Team Addison Houslip (Year 7)

A big congratulations must also be given to our contingent of Maggies girls who competed at the Met North Swimming Trials last week. The event saw great results as our girls continue to prepare for the QGSSSA Championships. The swimming team, in addition to teams in water polo, touch football, softball and AFL, will be nominated in the coming weeks. We look forward to acknowledging these students.

Should you seek to find out more information regarding our secondary school sport representative pathway, please ensure you keep up to date with the Metropolitan North Secondary Sport POD Page.

Sport Program Operations and Logistics

Given the unfortunate circumstances of the weekend, significant damage has occurred across St Margaret’s outdoor training venues at Windsor Park and Brisbane City Football Club, along with other QGSSSA school venues. This damage has impacted both grounds and equipment.

The Sport and Activities Office are currently working through the impact for each sport and ask that our community stay informed through the POD for all sport activities scheduled to take place.

We thank you for your understanding.

QGSSSA Swimming Championships Postponed

The QGSSSA Swimming Championships have been rescheduled to Wednesday 16 March. Further information will be on the POD regarding the evening’s proceedings.

All QGSSSA swimming will return to pre-event scheduling, including our compulsory Sunday morning training session on Sunday 13 March, as we lead-up to the championships.

Please ensure you continue to stay up to date with the Swimming POD page for all details.

Lloyd Knight

The Toc H group is also asking for donations of old sport shoes to give to communities in need. Like the Easter donations, anything will be greatly appreciated. Please bring all donations to Ms Stone’s room (Level 3 Avoca).

Eleanor Jewell, Jessica Norvill – Toc H Captains

Sharon Stone, Shirley Patton – Toc H Coordinators

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 of 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.

We have an excellent line up of speakers this year and we encourage you to mark the following dates in your diary:

PWN 2: WEDNESDAY 11 MAY 2022  

Jane Campbell, Manager and General Counsel, Manana Pastoral;

former General Manager and Co-Founder, Barambah Organics

PWN 3: THURSDAY 18 AUGUST 2022

Heidi Cooper, Head of Corporate Affairs & Strategic Projects, Transurban;

Chief Executive, Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland

PWN 4: WEDNESDAY 19 OCTOBER 2022

Amanda Johnston-Pell, Vice President, APAC + Japan Digital Sales, Chief Digital Officer, IBM; interviewed by Sarah Clarke, senior journalist and TV presenter.

If you would like to discuss sponsorship opportunities, please do not hesitate to reach out to me via email LPickering@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or phone 07 3862 0884.

Lara Pickering

To help students register correctly and pick the best date and venue, we've compiled a quick guide to 2022 UCAT registrations that includes the full instructions (with links), as well as advice/recommendations based on experiences of students in past years. This is the link to the guide:
https://icanmed.com.au/ucat-guide/how-do-i-register-for-ucat-2022-instructions-and-advice/

USC | Headstart Information Evenings

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

Headstart gives Years 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 Years 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

Bond | Year 12 Extension Program 2022

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

Bond University, Robina

Find out more: https://bond.edu.au/extensionprogram

Women in Engineering opportunities

The University of Queensland Women in Engineering (WE) team is happy to offer these opportunities to educate your students on the diverse careers an engineering degree can lead to:

Online Trust Me, I'm an Engineer presentation - March 28 4-5pm

School holiday tour of Engineering precinct at UQ - April 12 and April 14 2-4pm

UQ: What can I do with my ATAR?

This link can provide students with more information about ATAR requirements, and which courses they might want to study. Discover here.