eNews Archive Issue 8 - 16 March 2017

Classes are as busy as ever; test blocks and study halls are being or have been held and students will continue to work up until the very last day of the term. The Senior Formal is always a big Term 1 event, and the Father/Daughter Breakfast and the Parent Teacher Interviews are in the final week of the school term. Autumn fixtures in the secondary school have already started - a sign that Term 2 is just around the corner.

From the second term, we will have some staff changes.

Ryan Carson (Secondary Mathematics and Physics) is leaving us to travel to London. We wish him well and thank him for all his hard work in the classroom and the Science and Maths Faculties, and his commitment to the extra-curricular life of the school, particularly Tennis. Mr George Higgins, who teaches Mathematics and Physics, will take over Mr Carson’s classes from the beginning of Term 2.

As many would be aware, Mr Bullpitt has been not well throughout Term 1. However, he is recovering well and should return to us in Term 2, Week 3 or 4. In the meantime, Mrs Dodds and Mrs O’Neill will continue covering Mr Bullpitt’s classes.

It will be no surprise that Ms Jenny Matheson and Ms Naomi Holley are going on maternity leave from Term 2. While Ms Holley, who is the Head of Faculty - Business and Pathways, is on maternity leave, Mr Gary Butner, an experienced educator and senior leader, will take on both her teaching and leadership roles. As many of you would know, Ms Holley, who is having twins, has had to work from home for the last two weeks of term. We have organised Ms Kate O’Neill to continue with the work set by Ms Holley for the remainder of Term 1.

We are currently finalising the employment of Ms Matheson’s teaching role replacement. However, Ms Matheson’s Head of Year 11 role will be taken over by Mrs Nicole Walker, who is currently Curriculum Music coordinator.

Ms Cullum and Trish Kirkpatrick (Head of Faculty - Science and Technology) are taking long service leave in Term 2. Mrs Angela Darvall (past student and staff member) is returning to us to take Ms Cullum’s classes. Ms Kirkpatrick’s classes will be taken by either Ms Mawer or Mr Tom Smithers, a past member of staff who is returning to us from England. Mrs Garrahy will take on the role of Head of Faculty.

We will welcome back in Term 2 Mrs Angela Drysdale as Head of the Primary School, and I take this opportunity to thank Mrs Trudi Edwards and Ms Mary Surtees for so ably leading the Primary School throughout Term 1.

Ros Curtis 

STEM subjects are not traditionally supported by female students. Students’ interests and perceptions of their own abilities are the biggest drivers of students’ subject choices in this area. Whilst there is no gender difference in achievement of girls and boys in STEM subjects, it appears that girls tend to believe they are less capable in this area.

‘Tinkering’, taking things apart and putting them back together again, has an important input to overall student skill development, namely creativity, design thinking and persistence. Planning and failing are vital life lessons for our students.

Girls at St Margaret’s have many opportunities to engage in a variety of subjects and academic pursuits, including STEM. We have dedicated subjects in Years 9 and 10 and topics are included across all year levels in both Primary and Secondary contexts, and there are innovation clubs students may join, such as the Robotics Club. It is pleasing to know that St Margaret’s students are going against the norm and our girls are embracing STEM.

Karen Gorrie 

Many students and adults enjoyed just being given permission to simply sit and ponder the everyday activities we take for granted - like enjoying a cup of tea with toast. The Creation Space was also popular, where pebbles could be held and placed carefully while pondering one’s place within creation.

Our next week of Prayer Space will be in Term 2, from 29 May – 5 June.

Kids’ Club, Scots Presbyterian, Clayfield

If you are looking for something different for your children on a Friday afternoon, then they might like to consider Kids’ Club! It’s on each Friday afternoon during term time from 4:00 – 5:30pm, at Scot's Presbyterian Church in the Church Hall, on the corner of Bellevue Terrace and Queens Rd, Clayfield.

Upcoming Services:

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

In Primary Chapel last Friday, we considered the journey of Lent - the time leading up to Easter where we are called to reflect, respond and change. Lent invites us to take a deep look at ourselves - our thoughts, our actions, our words … We are invited to challenge ourselves in bringing about change through seeing with new eyes. Lent is traditionally a time to ‘give up something’, but we took a look at some different ways to consider ‘fasting’. Girls in Years 1-6 were encouraged to:

Fast from greed …  feast on sharing

Fast from telling lies … feast on telling the truth

Fast from hating … feast on loving

Fast from teasing … feast on kind words

As we travel ever closer to the events of Holy Week, may we each find some precious moments to stop and consider that which consumes us. What do we feast on? What have we allowed to fall away from our lives? What fills our thoughts and our wakeful hours? What ideas have we fed and fuelled with sensationalism and anxiety? What nourishes the depths of our soul?

With every blessing on you and your week ahead,

The Reverend Nicki Colledge 

We need to ensure that girls are genuinely engaged and willing to take ownership to shape and contribute to an activity, take initiative or solve a problem. We try to find the best possible ways to develop adaptive life/people skills in our boarding girls. Developing the skills to be able to look at a situation and determine the best way to tackle it is important in their growth. Dealing with the ups and downs develops their character as they explore new ways to solve a problem. Encouraging the girls to firstly look at the situation, slow down and consider possibilities, talk to other girls and then act is important. We try to teach the girls to take ownership of an issue and deal with it in a calm manner, without pointing the finger until they have all of the information. Immediately overreacting is common and is often filled with emotion.

As a staff, we encourage the girls to take a step back and ask this question: What has my involvement in the issue been? We then encourage them to take the emotion out of it and look at the steps that they can take to either solve the issue or look for better strategies. These skills take time to develop, but by slowly teaching the girls the skills of solving an issue they become far more productive in finding a solution for themselves. Guidance is always given by the staff; however, we need to continually push the girls to resolve problems themselves.

Lesa Fowler 

I remind you that Year 12 students have a Study Day next Monday 20 March and then there are seven days of block exams for them from Tuesday 21 until Tuesday 28 March. This means that they are not required to attend school except to sit for scheduled assessment. On Wednesday 29 March those Year 12 girls who are OP eligible will be sitting some QCS practice tests. Year 11 students begin their first exam block on Wednesday 22 March and are not required at school except for scheduled assessment until Wednesday 29 March.

If a student is unwell and misses a piece of assessment as a consequence, please notify the School as soon as possible. Year 11 and 12 girls will require medical documentation to support their absence.

Year 10 students will have 2 study days this term - Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 March. During this time, as I indicated in an earlier eNews, they will have the experience of sitting some whole cohort exams and of using the time between these assessments to study. For these girls, the most important achievement is for them to learn something about good learning. There are 4 words which I drew their attention to this week:

1. Planning
2. Preparing
3. Persevering
4. Thinking

They need to plan the use of their time well - schedule learning sessions and schedule breaks. A one hour session is more than enough time to focus without a break. Secondly, they must make sure that they have the materials they need to focus on their learning - this will vary according to the subject they are focusing on. Then they must persevere - it will be hard sometimes but this is when they are on the brink of real learning. Finally, please encourage your daughters to think about what they are learning, why they are learning it and how they will use it. Thinking in this way will help them to apply their understandings in a range of contexts.

Samantha Bolton 

Year 7

• Maths - Whole Number Mastery Quiz
• Science - Temperature Graphing
• Drama - Elements of Drama Quiz

Year 8

• Maths - Integers Mastery Quiz
• Science - Energy Quiz

Year 9

• Maths - Measurement Mastery Quiz

Year 10

• Science Extension – Physics Quiz
• French – Reading and Listening
• German – Listening Quiz 

Year 11

• German - Listening Quiz
• HPE - Ongoing Practical

If you need any assistance to access your daughter’s results, please email me for more detailed instructions.

Parent Teacher Interviews

A reminder Parent Teacher Interviews are being held on Thursday 30 March from 1:00 – 6:00pm and Friday 31 March from 9:00am – 5:00pm.

To access these interviews please log onto Parent Lounge and click on the link for Parent Teacher Interviews. Bookings are open for parents to book in to see their daughter’s subject teachers for 1 x eight-minute time slot per subject.

Please be aware the booking system will close at 9:00am on Monday 27 March and no further bookings can be made after this date.

Please note: If you need assistance with Parent Lounge Access, please email School Support: schoolsupport@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

ICAS Competitions

A reminder, if you would like to book your daughter in to participate in the ICAS competitions this year, you will need to book via Flexischools. These competitions will be run under strict timed conditions on the following dates. Please note the time and venue for each of the competitions.

All bookings need to be made by Friday 28 April 2017.

Nicole Devlin 

The School’s mission is to prepare confident, capable and compassionate young women able to contribute in a global community. Exposing students to strong female role models is imperative as you can’t be what you can’t see. Last Friday, nine Year 10 students represented the School at the Annual UN Women International Women’s Day breakfast held at the Convention Centre. Students heard from panellists Muniba Mzari (Pakistan’s UN Women Ambassador), Aleta Miller (UN Women representative Fiji Multi Country office) and David Smales (Chief Executive Office Energy Queensland) where they addressed womens’ issues and gender equality.

Developing Strong Connections

St Margaret’s emphasises the value of developing strong social bonds, shared values and commitment to academic and personal goals which requires ongoing commitment and cooperation from staff, students and parents.

An extensive amount of research indicates there are many benefits from smaller learning communities. Researchers argue that smaller schools are more productive work places for both students and adults, where students receive individualised attention. The most important benefits include raised student achievement, increased attendance, elevated teacher satisfaction, improved school climate and school connectedness.

St Margaret’s, in many respects, allows students and staff to build authentic relationships which are essential if students are to develop a sense of belonging and a positive sense of place. The positive school environment we deliver is sustained by all stakeholders focussing their attention on building relationships within the school and maintaining our commitment to the School's mission. Parents are encouraged to communicate immediately to their daughter's Head of Year if there is an issue of concern.

Nikki Townsend 

Of course, such events simply cannot proceed without Miss Mary Surtees who coordinated all aspects of the evening. The staff who so willingly gave of their own time to enable this event to occur speaks volumes about the generosity of spirit of the primary teachers. On behalf of the school community, our sincere and heartfelt thanks to Ms Amie Lucht, Miss Tahlia Butler, Mrs Karen Close, Mrs Katie Bryant, Mrs Tansy Cruttenden, Mrs Georgina Stevenson, Mrs Jessica Fumar, Mrs Kate Porter, Ms Kelly Lewis, Mrs Ailsa Crockett and Miss Surtees.

Getting Reading Right

Reading requires high order thinking and is a complex task. The ‘Big 5’ skills required of proficient readers include; phonological awareness, vocabulary, phonics, reading fluency and comprehension. Our programs directly address and assess each of these components with a focus on developing students’ proficiency in applying literal, inferential and evaluative comprehension strategies to increasingly complex texts.

Our Junior Primary classes, P - 2 are in full swing with the new phonics program introduced this year. The Getting Reading Right Program is an intensive phonics program which is taught each day and focuses on teaching the sounds and matching letter representations and how to apply this to decode words accurately when reading, and to encode words accurately when writing. High frequency sight words are also explicitly taught through the program. By ensuring these low-level skills of decoding, recalling and encoding are mastered to automaticity allows the students to use their working memory space to focus on comprehending texts read, and planning and thinking deeply about the quality of writing they produce, rather than on using all cognitive energy to sound out words. Explicit teaching of letter-sound correspondence with follow up games and online support assists the girls to recall and apply phonics knowledge effectively. The Power Pack component of the Getting Reading Right Program provides further targeted exposure to phonics patterns that may need to be revised or consolidated.

I simply can’t reinforce enough the critical importance of daily reading in supporting the development of vocabulary, reading fluency and comprehension. We are very fortunate to have the Accelerated Reading Program which ensures students are accessing texts which enable them to rehearse fluent reading behaviours and skills. Books that are too challenging lead to students practising ‘struggling’ reading behaviours and this impairs both fluency and comprehension development, and hinders academic achievement across all subject areas. Accelerated Reading should not be the only reading students engage with each week. A variety of texts such as newspaper articles, letters and advertisements provide families with excellent opportunities to assist in developing inferential and evaluative comprehension strategies. Questions which encourage students to think deeply about the texts they read can be discussed at home, along with posing questions that centre around why the author selected the words they selected, how the author wanted the reader to react to the text, what the author’s viewpoint on the topic is. By asking your daughters to engage in such discussions and then encouraging them to justify their answers through evidence from the text supports the development of deeper level thinking and their ability to analyse.

Continuous Reporting

The following assessment task results will be available on the afternoon of the dates outlined below for parents to access:

Year 6 Maths Assessment - Friday 17 March

Year 6 Music Assessment - Friday 17 March

Year 5 Art Assessment - Friday 17 March

Konan Visit

Excitement is building as girls prepare for the visit of our sister school, Konan Elementary from Kobe. The children from Kobe will be in our school on Thursday 23 March for a day’s visit with the Year 5 cohort. They will be involved in a series of activities showcasing both our school and our country.

Upcoming Events

Trudi Edwards 

This is an outstanding result and we recognise the hard work required to achieve such a high standard of performance. Rena also provided a wonderful performance this week at the Professional Women’s Networking Breakfast which all in in attendance thoroughly enjoyed. Well done Rena!

Music Support Group
The next MSG meeting will be on Wednesday 26 April 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 

Our Basketball teams played some close matches across the Intermediate age groups. Alice O’Driscoll and Olivia Magnay showed why they were selected in the Met North Basketball team by leading the 9A girls to win 39-25. The 8A girls played a competitive match and were just unable to catch the lead of MBC, losing 19–22. The 8B team showed the depth in the junior program winning their match easily, 32-0.

Touch Football was a huge round with 14 teams and four schools playing at Windsor Park. Highlights for the round were the wins by the Senior B girls 6-3, 10B 6-1, 8A 6-0 and 7B 9-1. The girls are still finding the organisation of subbing a challenge; however, they all had strong defence and fast rucking which will hold them in good stead for future rounds.

This week, our Head of Netball, Jayne Schinckel, was contacted by past students who were putting together a netball team to play at Downey Park and wanted to play with their original netball club of St Margaret’s. I thought this was a wonderful example of how strong our community is and the opportunity sport provides to continue friendships and connections long after school life has finished.

Representative Sport

Many girls are currently attending team trials for City Districts and Independent North in the hope of being selected into Metropolitan North teams to play at the QLD Schools State Championships. If your daughter has been successful or is yet to attend one of these trials the process to arrange her absence on the day is as follows:

• Email studentleave@stmargarets.qld.edu.au
• Include your daughter’s name and year level
• The name of the sport trial, date and venue

You will receive a response from the Dean of Students, Ms Nikki Townsend, approving your daughters leave for this day. It is an important process as the school likes to celebrate our students’ achievements. These are sanctioned QLD School Sport events and as such do not contribute towards absentee data.

Congratulations to Niamh Macfarlane (Year 11) who spent last week in Townsville at the QLD School Sport Tennis Championships. Niamh was part of the Presidents Team playing so well at the tournament, that she has been selected to play in the QLD team at the Nationals in Shepparton, Victoria later in the year. 

Nicky Barrie 

smART Club Term 2
Every Monday, girls can learn how to make the most fabulous silver jewellery with talented young Brisbane jeweller, Clare Poppi. Clare will teach students how to drill, shape and solder with silver, but an added extra this year will be learning how to set stones into silver jewellery using tab settings.

The classes will run for 7 weeks from Week 2 of Term 2, 3:30-5:30pm in the art rooms. Enrol your daughter by booking via Flexischools; there are only 10 places in the class. The cost is $175 per person with all materials supplied. The course is open to any student in Years 7-12 and you do not have to be an art student to join in.

Adults, you are also invited to come along for a special adults only class which runs for the same 7 weeks in Term 2. Your class time will be 6:00-8:00pm every Monday from 24 April. Please refer to the attached flyer for further details. Log on to Flexishools from Friday 17 March to secure your place in the course.

Term 2 2017 smART Club Adult Classes (PDF 335.4KB)

Term 2 2017 smART Club Student Classes (PDF 249KB)

Lastly, even though smART Club for Term 1 is now over, on behalf of the girls, I thank Mrs Elissa Hoey for her help with the Musical set activity. The art rooms are available every Monday and Wednesday afternoons for girls wishing to have valuable studio time to work on individual projects.

Lisa Smith 

Bookings for the St Margaret’s OSHC April School Holiday Program opened Monday 27 February. If you require care for the upcoming school holiday period, please return your booking form before 24 March 2017.

How do I book?
Complete the official booking form attached to the program. For further details please email: oshc@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

What is the cost?*
$60 per day. Incursions and excursions incur additional costs. These are compulsory for all students and therefore you are able to claim CCB/CCR for these.

What are the hours of operation?
The service is open from 7:00am until 6pm.
The service is closed from 14 April 2017 - 17 April 2017.

How can I obtain more information?
If you would like further information regarding our OSHC Program or if you would like to make a booking, feel free to contact me on 0423 547 653 or email: oshc@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Palu Ingram

Catherine has built her career on developing, implementing and championing innovative education strategies with a heartfelt dedication to improve Indigenous education outcomes.

Be inspired by this amazing woman who believes that when you capture the hearts and minds of people, anything is possible.

When: Thursday 18 May 2017

Where: Arts Centre Foyer

Tickets: Corporate tables $650 for 10, $60 adult and $40 students (Years 10-12/tertiary)

Tickets are now on sale via Flexischools under Quick Links on the St Margaret’s Website.

St Margaret’s P&F Association

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

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

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 

Following International Women's Day, and in the throes of International Women in Aviation Week, two St Margaret’s students, Annabel Garland and Brynella Yokope, joined 80 female high school students from over 20 schools in the greater Brisbane area, to explore a variety of careers in aviation.

The morning session included a visit to one of three locations around Brisbane Airport. St Margaret’s students experienced cockpit and exterior aircraft tour of an Airbus A330 in maintenance at Qantas Hangar 3, while other groups were able to examine an aeromedical Beech King Air at the Royal Flying Doctor Service Hangar or a QantasLink de Havilland Dash-8.

The Careers Day continued at the Brisbane Domestic Terminal where the students interacted with aviation professionals involved in civilian and military flying, aircraft engineering, air traffic control, air safety investigation and aircraft manufacturing who are passionate about their aviation careers. The program concluded with an entertaining Question and Answer Panel segment which provided a wealth of information and some sage industry advice for young women.

The University of Queensland: Find out what girls can do with a career in technology!
The University of Queensland, together with Digital Careers and Australian Computer Society, invite Years 8 to 12 girls and their parents, for a night of inspiration and empowerment. Hear from our alumni speakers as they share their experience of studying technology and now working in the industry. You’ll also meet our current female students and learn what it is like to study information technology at UQ.

After the talks, there will be an opportunity to try fun hands-on activities like creating your own binary bracelet, view student displays, experience virtual reality and get more information.

When: Thursday 27 April 2017
Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Where Level 3, GHD Auditorium Advanced Engineering Building (Building 49) The University of Queensland
Register: www.girlsincomputerscience2017.eventbrite.com.au
RSVP: by Friday 21 April 2017

Australian Defence Force
The ADF Gap Year program provides an opportunity for young Australians, who have finished Year 12 (or equivalent), to experience military training and lifestyle whilst gaining new skills and pay over their Gap Year.

Second round gap year opportunities are available in the Navy, Army and Air Force. The life skills and job training acquired during your gap yar experience will be valuable regardless of what career the recruits ultimately undertake. Come along to an information session on Wednesday 22 March from 6:00pm, at Defence Force Recruiting Brisbane, Level 13, 295 Ann Street, Brisbane to find out more.

Women in Defence Information Session
This information session will provide an excellent opportunity to engage with a current serving female from the Australian Defence Force and discuss not only the recruiting process, but also life in the Australian Defence Force as a female. The information session will be able to provide valuable information to help assist you through the recruiting process and into a rewarding career in the Australian Defence Force.

When: Monday 27 March 2017
Time: 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Where: Defence Force Recruiting - Level 13, 295 Ann Street, Brisbane
RSVP: email: wid@dfr.com.au or visit http://events.defencejobs.gov.au/event/GFEOBM/

Bond University
Are you an ambitious Year 11 or 12 high school student living on the Gold Coast, Brisbane or Northern NSW? Bond University’s Student for a Semester program gives high achieving Years 11 and 12 students the opportunity to gain an authentic university experience before they finish high school.

Student for a Semester students enrol in a Bond University subject, attend lectures and tutorials on campus, complete assignments and sit their subject exams.

You’ll be mixing with Uni students, meeting academics and getting involved in university life. You’re welcome to use the Main and Law Libraries and all of our on-campus sport and recreation facilities. You can socialise in the cafes and restaurants and join student clubs - exactly as you would if you were a full-time Bondy.

Make no mistake, this is a challenging program. You’ll have to find time for the extra classes and study on top of your school work – but if your parents and school agree that you are capable, then we highly recommend you apply. You'll receive plenty of support from us, including your own Bond Student Mentor to help you enjoy every minute of your semester at Bond.

Applications for the May 2017 program opened online on Friday 3 March and close Friday 7 April. Download a copy of the May 2017 class timetable and read more about this program at: https://bond.edu.au/future-students/study-bond/see-yourself/student-semester.

The University of Queensland
Special entry into the Bachelor of Dental Science for rural or remote students
Rural areas of Australia often have limited access to educational opportunities and dental services. To assist in addressing this ongoing challenge, 8 per cent of Bachelor of Dental Sciences (Honours) places in UQ's annual intake are now designated to applicants who come from a rural background.

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' - Information 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 Year 11 or 12 in 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, contact Asma Qureshi: Phone: 0402 334 231 or Email: a.qureshi@business.uq.edu.au

Gap Year 2018
Letzlive will be hosting an information evening on March 27 (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 placements 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.

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.

UMAT 2017 Key Dates:

Registrations open: First week in December 2016

Registrations close: Friday 2 June 2017 - 5pm AEST

Late registrations close: Friday 16 June 2017 - 5pm AEST

Applications for Special Testing Conditions close: Friday 16 June 2017

UMAT Test date: Wednesday 26 July 2017

Results released: late September 2017

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 UMAT2017 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 Workshop dates 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

Griffith University

A hard copy of the 2017 Undergraduate Guide is available from the Careers section of the library. An electronic copy is available at:

https://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/file/0004/883057/2017-undergraduate-degrees-guide.pdf

KEY DATES:

Friday 2 and Saturday 3 June 2017
The National Careers and Employment EXPO (Brisbane Convention Centre).
All Year 10 students will attend this exciting event on the morning of Friday 2 June.

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