Latest eNews

WHOLE SCHOOL

From the Principal

Over the last week, in both the primary and secondary schools, we had a wonderful celebration of Book Week, promoting to all students a love of reading. The highlight, of course, is always the Primary Book character parade. Some parents plan a long way ahead for the costume with their child and enjoy the parade, and others are less enthusiastic. In whichever category you fall, please be assured that there are benefits to the book character parade. Dressing up as book characters encourages children to explore stories in depth and seeing peers dressed as characters can spark interest in new books and authors.

In addition to this, walking in a parade and sharing their character choice helps children feel proud and seen. The parade is a joyful, inclusive event that brings students, teachers, and families together.

Last Friday night, we had a lovely Fathers’ Dinner. It was great to see so many fathers in the room as it is so important to have engaged fathers as well as mothers in girls’ education. Fathers play a profoundly influential and multifaceted role in their daughters' lives. Their presence, support, and relationship dynamics can shape a daughter's emotional development, self-esteem, and future relationships.

The research tells us that fathers who support their daughters' interests boost their daughter’s self-confidence. Fathers who value and support their daughter’s education can inspire them to pursue their goals with confidence and Dad’s involvement in school and extracurricular activities reinforces the importance of learning.

Thank you to the P&F for all its organisation of a highly successful event. All funds raised will support the P&F’s donation to the new Arts Precinct.

Ros Curtis

From the Deputy Principal

The 128^th Annual Speech Night and Prize Giving Ceremony will be held this year on 14 October 2025 in the QPAC Concert Hall. Speech Night preparations are well underway, please see below information for the organisation of this event.

The following students will be required to attend Speech Night:

All Years 11 and 12 students. All students in Year 12 will be required to wear a Church dress. Only prize winners in Year 11 will be required to wear a Church dress. Students in Year 11 who are not prize winners will wear their school middy.
All boarders will be attending. Boarders who are not prize winners or in Year 12 will wear their school middy.
All additional prize winners in Years 5-10 and musicians are required to wear a Church dress.

The Church dress is available for purchase or hire from our Supplies Shop.

Year 12 Students will be able to go to the School Supplies Shop from Monday 1 September to arrange their church dress.
Musicians can start arranging their Church Dress from Monday 8 September.
Prize winners will be able to arrange their Church Dress following the Prize Reading Assembly on Tuesday 7 October.

All non-prize winners in Years 5-10 are not required to attend. However, please be advised that we will continue to livestream our event and we encourage these students and their families to watch the event online.

Tickets will be released to Year 12 families first, then opened to the rest of the families of prize winners. We are currently in the process of finalising these details and will be in touch via email and enews about these arrangements soon. Please note, your daughters will receive their tickets at school (they will not be sitting with you) and, therefore, you do not need to book seats for them.

Nicole Devlin

Chaplain

In Year 7 On Being Human this week, we have been reflecting on the art of listening. We have explored that listening is an active process and involves paying attention to someone else’s words, tone and body language.

Attentiveness is a gift that we offer to another person. It costs us nothing but has a significant positive impact. The art of listening and paying attention is also needed more than ever, it is a counter-cultural act. We are bombarded daily by sound bites, news clips, reels, short snippets of big stories, echo chambers of personal bias, and screens that have shortened our attention span. Listening to another, with their unique story and point of view, makes space to build empathy, kindness and offer grace in a world competing for our attention.

Philosopher Louis Lavelle said, "Love is a pure attention to the existence of the other.” So, when Jesus asks us to love our neighbour, he is asking us to pay attention to them, to hear their story, to seek to understand their point of view. This doesn’t mean we need to agree with them, rather listen and discuss with respect. In the process of learning to listen deeply, we contribute to the work of building peace. Our world needs peace.

Australian First Nations cultures hold to the importance of deep listening and holding space for another, and in so doing strengthen relationships and build community.

“Aboriginal writer and senior elder Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann describes deep listening as follows: [5]

"Dadirri is inner, deep listening and quiet, still awareness. Dadirri recognises the deep spring that is inside us. We call on it and it calls to us. This is the gift that Australia is thirsting for. It is something like what you call 'contemplation'.”

Source: Deep listening (dadirri) - Creative Spirits, retrieved from https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/education/deep-listening-dadirri

“[Dadirri] is in everyone. It is not just an Aboriginal thing.”

— Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann, Aboriginal writer

You may like to watch Dr Miriam-Rose’s reflection: https://youtu.be/tow2tR_ezL8

Head of Boarding

We are very humbled and honoured to have been named Boarding School of the Year at the Australian Education Awards for the third time. I would like to highlight that this is not just an award for the boarding house alone, but rather the entire school community.

I would like to thank and acknowledge all of the following staff for their unwavering support of the boarding house and our boarders.

To the Senior Leadership Team, led by Ros Curtis AM, thank you for the value that you place upon the boarding house as the heart of the school community, and the support you provide in caring for our students and maintaining the excellent standards of our boarding house.

Thank you to Gracemere Mataia – Deputy Head of Boarding, and Kelli Boucaut - Student Wellbeing and Activities Coordinator, for your support of myself and of the students and families. I could not run the boarding house without you!

Thank you to our Senior and Junior Housemothers who care for our boarders each and every day, providing comfort, support and encouragement when needed most.

Thank you to the kitchen, led by Scott Johnson, who feed our boarders and staff day in and day out and treat us to delectable treats, warm meals and a wide variety of cuisines. Thank you to the Facilities Team for your constant care and maintenance of the boarding house and for your quick and efficient work. Thank you to our cleaning staff who come through our boarding house each and every day and to our laundry staff for your support of over 100 girls’ uniforms, laundry, and bedsheets (every Thursday for the latter!)

Thank you to the teachers who come to Prep each week to support our boarders one-on-one and thank you to our Yalari tutors who dedicate their time to assist our Yalari students.

Thank you, especially, to our boarding parents, who entrust us with the care of your girls. You are our biggest advocates and supporters, and we thank you for the trust and support you afford us, and for letting us be part of you and your girls’ lives.

I am very privileged to work in a boarding house that is so well supported and situated at the heart of our school community. I know that we will continue to excel as a boarding school for many years to come.

Lesa Fowler

Dean of Academics

Year 12

Next week, Year 12 students will start their Mock Exam Block. The timetable for this is available on the POD. In order to maximise teaching time while still giving all subjects the opportunity to sit mock exams, there will be three sessions run on most days. Due to varying lengths of exams, the start times of these sessions will also vary. It is important that students check their start time and location of their exams carefully. No student should have more than two exams on any given day. If this is the case or if there is a clash in times, they should contact me so we can arrange an alternative time and venue for one of the exams. If students are unwell and unable to attend their mock exam, they should contact their teacher to receive a copy of the paper to complete in their own time.

At St Margaret’s, we are fortunate enough to have many teachers who are able and willing to give up a portion of their holidays to run additional feedback sessions and tutorials for Year 12s during the September holidays. Please note that the timetable is organised with teacher availability in mind and not all teachers are available during the school holidays. While attendance at SWOTVAC is not compulsory, mock feedback will be provided in these sessions so students are strongly encouraged to attend any relevant sessions for their subject.

Year 11

At the end of next week, Year 11 students will have their study day before their exam block starts at the beginning of Week 9. This exam block contains the final assessment tasks of Units 1 and 2. The end of the term brings the final opportunity for students to move from one subject into another or to change from ATAR to Portfolio Pathway. Any students who are considering this should book an appointment with me via the POD as soon as possible.

Year 10

Year 10 students also have their Study Hall coming up on Tuesday 2 September and Wednesday 3 September. Around this time, some students may be reconsidering their subject choices for next year. These girls should book an appointment with me to discuss their options further.

“Embrace the challenges of assessments, leadership roles, and future planning. Struggles are a part of every student’s high school journey, but it is your attitude towards them which counts.” – Brianna Higgins, ’24.

Caitlin McCluskey

Dean of Studies

Does music help or hinder your ability to study? It is a perennial yet highly pertinent question that students often ask themselves. An article by Fran Molloy (2022) explored this very topic with researcher, Dr Kirk Olsen, and while the answer is not as definitive as some would like, it certainly provides some salient points to those who are willing to listen. For our Year 12s who are coming to Mock Exams and on the cusp of QCAA External Exams at the end of next month, I hope this summary of Olsen’s advice proves beneficial.

Evidence for listening to music during study

Listening to music during study can be helpful to certain students in distracting environments – for example, in a busy coffee shop. In this situation, music can replace irregular noises from the environment with a predictable, enjoyable source of stimulation.
For some students, music can lower stress levels, which can help improve mood, motivation and study endurance.
In some people, music has been shown to improve creativity and imagination during study sessions.

Evidence against listening to music during study

Music with lyrics, or that is too fast paced, or that has a lot of changes in dynamics, has been shown to have a negative impact on study effectiveness.
Research suggests that listening to some music has a detrimental impact on a student’s ability to undertake reading comprehension tasks or memorise content.
Students who are musicians, or students who are introverted, often operate better without music during their study sessions.

How to choose music to help you study

If you are to study while listening to music, Olsen suggests you must consider the following points:

Choose music with no lyrics and minimal amounts of abrupt and noticeable changes. “Distinct changes in music will capture your attention and become a source of distraction.”
Keep the volume low so music is in the background. “People experience background music in a similar way to soft lighting – it can be relaxing and help you focus on your primary task without significant distraction.”
Choose music that suits your personality – and what you’re working on.

Chris Dunn

References

Molloy, F., 2022. Please explain: Does music help you study?. [Online]
Available at: https://lighthouse.mq.edu.au/article/please-explain/february-2022/please-explain-does-music-help-you-study
[Accessed 2 September 2022].

Dean of Students

Managing Academic Stress: Building resilience in our students

Academic stress has become an increasingly significant concern in education today. Recent research reveals that over one-third of undergraduate students experience elevated levels of anxiety, with test anxiety having “a significant negative impact on students’ social being, emotions, academic performance, and overall wellbeing” (Cuervo Gil, Obando, García-Martín, & Sandoval-Reyes, 2023).

Understanding the Challenge

Our students face multiple pressures that contribute to academic stress. Test anxiety affects performance during crucial assessments, while poor time management skills can lead to overwhelming workloads. Perhaps most concerning is the rise of perfectionism among students. Research shows that “students facing perfectionism often hold themselves to unrealistic standards, and when they fail, they are often overly critical of themselves—damaging self-esteem” (Cuervo Gil et al., 2023).

Practical Support Strategies

Our school recognises that effective stress management requires teaching practical skills. Time management and organisational strategies are fundamental—students benefit from learning to break large tasks into manageable steps and create realistic study schedules. We also focus on helping students understand that mistakes are part of learning, not failures to be feared.

For test anxiety specifically, we teach relaxation techniques, effective preparation methods, and positive self-talk strategies. Students learn that anxiety is normal but manageable with the right tools.

Finding Balance

The pressure to excel academically shouldn't come at the expense of personal wellbeing. We encourage students to maintain interests outside academics, prioritise sleep and nutrition, and develop realistic expectations about performance. Research confirms that perfectionism "can cause a lot of stress, worry, and anxiety because of the fear of failure," making balance essential (Curran & Hill, 2019, as cited by the International OCD Foundation).

Our pastoral care team works closely with families to identify students experiencing academic stress and provide targeted support. Together, we can help every student develop resilience and healthy approaches to academic challenges.

If you notice signs of academic stress in your child, please contact our student wellbeing team for confidential support.

References

Cuervo Gil, T., Obando, D., García-Martín, M. B., & Sandoval-Reyes, J. (2023). Perfectionism, academic stress, rumination and worry: A predictive model for anxiety and depressive symptoms in university students from Colombia. SAGE Open, 11(5). https://doi.org/10.1177/21676968231188759

Curran, T., & Hill, A. P. (2019). Perfectionism is increasing over time: A meta-analysis of birth cohort differences from 1989 to 2016. Psychological Bulletin, 145(4), 410–429. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000138

eNews new feature photo 11 June 2019 Angela Drysdale_HoP

Head of Primary

Book Week Celebrations

Book Week celebrations finalised this week with our Book Character Parade. Thank you to parents for creating such amazing costumes and for being a supportive audience. A book character parade is more than a dress up day, it is a celebration of imagination, creativity and the joy of reading. By stepping into the shoes of a favourite character, students make meaningful connections to stories. The parade provides a springboard for discussions about chosen characters and the stories they live in, while broadening a child’s understanding and inspiring others to explore new books. Most importantly, the parade reminds us that reading opens doors to adventure, knowledge and fosters a lifelong love of books and highlights the role stories play in shaping creativity, curiosity and imagination. Thank you to Ms Box for organising the parade, Ms Brennan for Piccolo Choir’s debut performance and Mr Croad for the sound.

During Book Week, we were fortunate to have Megan Daley share her wisdom about reading based on her years of experience as a librarian at a parent workshop. Here are some of the key messages she shared, and how they align with our program:

Learning to read – students need to be taught the skills of reading. In our early childhood classrooms students are taught through our sequential core literacy program (PATHHS) based on evidence.

Reading for pleasure – aligned with learning the skills of reading, students need to read for pleasure. This evolves from parent/child reading, teacher/child reading and library borrowing. Our core literacy program also includes units of work based on literature rich stories and novels.

Visual literacy – in Term 2, the cluster program focuses on this area of reading. By learning how to analyse visual elements, children develop deeper comprehension and critical thinking skills. Graphic novels are suitable literature to encourage students to read. Many titles are available in the library - a great way to read the classics.

Multimodal access to literature – Audio books available on St Margaret's eLibrary.

Students can access the St Margaret's eLibrary, which offers an extensive collection of digital and audiobooks, through the Primary Library POD page.

To get started:

Visit the Primary Library POD page
Select either "eBooks" or "Audiobooks" from the menu options
Sign in using your school computer and POD credentials
Browse and borrow from the wide selection of books available

Once logged in, students will have access to a comprehensive range of books to support their reading and learning.

Tips for Home:

Watch the movie either before or after reading the book

Buy your child a KOBO to have easy access to many books

Create cosy reading spaces at home

Have a nightly reading time – all members of the family read at same time for at least 10 minutes.

More helpful information for encouraging reading at home is available in Megan Daley’s book, Raising Readers (second edition).

In preparation for Book Week, the library underwent a transformation with reorganisation and many displays to reflect the Book Week theme, Book an Adventure. Thank you to parent helper, Lisa Brown and library assistants Greta King and Lisa Simpson for the amazing work they have done to create an inviting library especially for Book Week. Next week we welcome a new member of staff to the library, Cholm Johnson, a highly experienced teacher in curriculum, art and literature.

“School libraries are wonderful places, the beating heart of many school communities” Raising Readers, P. 45

Angela Drysdale

St Margaret's Assistant Head of Primary Kate Frewin

Assistant Head of Primary - Curriculum

The Power of Feedback: Insights from Dylan Wiliam

On Monday night, our staff, along with over 150 educators from around Brisbane, had the privilege of engaging with renowned education expert Dylan Wiliam. He shared his extensive research on formative assessment and feedback, offering practical strategies to enhance student learning and engagement.

A central message from Wiliam’s session was that feedback should focus on helping students grow and develop their skills, rather than simply correcting their work. Effective feedback guides students to think differently, develop strategies, and take ownership of their learning, enabling them to improve independently over time. Wiliam emphasised the value of short-cycle feedback — quick, focused interactions that provide immediate guidance and “feed forward,” allowing learners to act on feedback while the task or concept is still fresh. He highlighted the importance of educators collecting ongoing insights into student understanding, thus helping them identify learning gaps and determine their next actionable steps in teaching, ensuring lessons are responsive, targeted, and effective.

At St Margaret’s, our continuous reporting system integrates seamlessly with these principles. Parents and students are reminded that actionable, formal, teacher feedback is available in our Learning Analytics suite, giving ongoing visibility into student progress, strengths, and areas for development. This platform not only allows families to track achievement but also provides insights that support meaningful conversations between students, teachers, and parents, reinforcing a collaborative approach to learning and fostering ongoing engagement and growth.

Kate Frewin

Head of Performance

Music Dinner

The music captains are very excited to announce the theme for this year’s Music Dinner will be Heroes vs Villains! Music Dinner will be held in Term 4 on 10 October and is a wonderful event where we can celebrate the achievements of our music students throughout the year and also acknowledge our outgoing music seniors. Students (and parents) are encouraged to come along dressed according to the theme. We always love seeing everyone’s creativity! All music students in Years 7-12 involved in music ensembles are encouraged to attend. Any Year 6 students involved in music ensembles are also welcome to join us for the evening (and will be chaperoned by a music staff member). Parents of students in Years 9-12 who have been involved in the cocurricular music program for the year are welcome to attend. Should extra tickets become available, parents of Years 7 and 8 attending the music dinner will be given the opportunity to also purchase tickets.

Tickets are $95 for adults and $75 for students and are available only through this link. For catering purposes, it is imperative you include any dietary requirements and payments are made by 5pm, Tuesday 23 September. Please be mindful there is a capped number, so book your tickets early! The cut-off time allows the Music Support Group and Catering to finalise purchasing of perishable goods and appropriate table allocations prior to the event. A letter from the President of the Music Support Group with further details is attached here. (PDF 455.1KB)

New Zealand Music Tour/Festival – Payment Information

A meeting was held last week regarding the Music Tour to New Zealand next year in the June/July holidays (more details are available on the Music Cocurricular POD page). Final costs are still to be confirmed and will be dependent on final numbers committing to the tour. As an approximation, the provisional cost provided to us by WorldStrides is $4,750. To secure a place on the tour, an initial deposit of $795 is required. Deposit payments can be made via Parent Lounge. Please note the deposit is fully refundable if insufficient numbers commit to the tour. To confirm your daughter’s involvement, payment needs to be made by Friday 18 September 2025.

Practice-a-thon!

Congratulations to all girls who have been involved in the Practice-a-thon over the past two weeks and have committed themselves to practising consistently during that time! Thank you also to family and friends who have supported the girls by the sponsoring them for this commitment. All money raised will contribute to purchasing resources for students in the St Margaret’s Music Program, including a new Steinway piano for the planned St Margaret’s Arts Precinct. Prize winners for the Practice-a-thon will be announced at next week’s assembly!

Music Fest

Congratulations to the Stage Band who performed at Music Fest on Wednesday evening. Music Fest provides a platform for Primary and Secondary students to showcase their talents in a supportive concert environment. The Stage Band received a silver award and had the opportunity to workshop their pieces and receive valuable feedback from the adjudicator. This was fantastic achievement and a wonderful experience for the Stage Band. Congratulations to all girls involved and their conductor Mr Sean Mackenzie!

Music Support Group

The next Music Support Group meeting will be held on Tuesday 2 September 2025 at 5:00pm in the Circular Drive Classroom 01 (in front of the Arts Centre Foyer). Parents from both the primary and secondary school are welcome to attend.

Brad King

Director of Sport

The sports office is full of activity as we build up to an intersection of sports reaching final weeks of their season and other sports preparing for an exciting new season ahead. This Sunday is a great example of this with Head of the River out at Wyralong Dam which is the culmination of hard work, grit and resilience by nearly 200 of our secondary students who have been preparing for this day for the past six months.

Alongside this, our Club Netball teams are entering into the finals down at Downey Park. Of our 31 competitive teams in this competition, St Margaret’s has three teams going straight to the Grand Finals on 6 September and another 11 teams are playing preliminary finals this Saturday with a win taking them through to the Grand Finals.

Preparations for the upcoming Water Polo season are also happening over the next few weeks. This Sunday, we will hold our second come and try session for the upcoming season. Last weekend, the Maggies pool was full of enthusiastic players and the coaches are looking forward to another successful session. Also happening this Friday is the first of our All-Schools Water Polo trials which takes place on 20–22 September with matches being played here at Maggies for some days of the tournament. Students have already nominated for these trials, and we are looking forward to a great turn out! Trials for all teams will commence from Monday, 1 September, please check on the POD for dates and timings of your trials.

It is an away round this weekend for QG Winter Fixtures versus Brisbane Girls Grammar School. Good luck to all our players in Hockey, Tennis, Netball and Volleyball. Please check the POD for all fixture details for this upcoming round.

An important reminder to swimmers and water polo players. Students using the Maggies Pool must arrive and leave the pool area wearing appropriate and correct footwear uniform and clothing as advised by a St Margaret’s staff member. Students are not to leave the pool area or the school wearing only swimmers and a towel. Pool usage is now increasing as both swimming and water polo seasons are ramping up and this has seen an increase in students not leaving the pool appropriately dressed. Both students and parents should support this initiative.

Congratulations to Year 9 student Emily C who recently competed at the 2025 Queensland Rhythmic Gymnastics State Championships, becoming the 2025 State Champion Level 5. Her overall results were: 2025 State Champion (Gold) - Level 5 - All Around Gymnast, 2025 State Champion (Gold) – Freehand, Silver – Clubs, Silver - Ball. Emily also competed at the QGSSSA Rhythmic Gymnastics recently for St Margaret’s providing a great example to our students of someone who is passionate about her sport.

The sport team are happy to recognise the outstanding achievements and representation of students participating at a national level, outside of the school sport pathway. I look forward to continuing to hear from our community regarding such outstanding achievement. Please email me at awilliams@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Latest Sport News and Information

For the latest sport news and information please check out the following Secondary School Sport POD Pages:

Hockey The POD - Secondary Hockey
Tennis The POD - Secondary Tennis
Volleyball The POD - Secondary Volleyball
Club Netball - The POD - Club Netball (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
The POD - Secondary Netball
Rowing - The POD - Secondary Rowing (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
Badminton The POD - Secondary Badminton
AFL Jnr The POD - Secondary AFL
Water Polo The POD - Club Water Polo
Swimming The POD - Club Swimming

Anne Louise Williams

School Supplies Shop

Trading Hours (Term Time)

Monday        8am – 2pm
Tuesday       8am – 2pm
Wednesday       10am – 5pm
Thursday          8am – 2pm
Friday         8am – 2pm

Public Holidays Closed

Year 11 Term 4 2025 (Year 23 2026) Booklist

The Booklists for Year 11 Term 4 2025 (Year 12 2026) are now available and parents are able to order online at www.campion.com.au.

Orders placed by 29 August will receive free delivery and will be delivered prior to the commencement of Term 4. Orders received after the cutoff date will be packed ASAP, however Campion Education cannot guarantee delivery of these orders prior to commencement of Term 4. A delivery fee will be applied to all late orders.

Please Note: Families who created an account in 2024/2025 are not required to enter the Resource code below. For new families, you will need to create an account by clicking on the "Parents Order Here" button located top right-hand corner of the Campion website. A four-character code is required to access the 2026 resource lists; the code for St Margaret's is 89YV.

Booklists for Pre-Prep to Year 11 will follow in early Term 4.

Blazer Fittings – Secondary School

Blazer Fittings - Students in Years 7 to 10 in 2026 should consider visiting the Supplies Shop to be fitted for their blazer prior to the end of Term 4, 2025. Orders will need to be placed by 14 November 2025 for a March 2026 delivery. Students can visit the Supplies Shop during our opening hours (no appointment required). A blazer fitting takes around 15 minutes. The cost of the blazer is $275 and is payable at the time of ordering.

Church Dress Hire for Speech Night

Hiring of the Church Dress for all Year 12 students will commence on 1 September. Church Dress hire forms must be completed and signed by a parent or guardian. The hire form is available here Church Dress Hire Form. A deposit holding fee of $115 is payable for the hire of the Church Dress and upon return (as per conditions listed on the hire form) a refund of $70 will be given. Plain white fold down ankle socks (not St Margaret’s competition socks), brown school shoes and a white ribbon are to be worn with the dress.

Student Card Purchases

Just a reminder to ensure that the daily limit is set high enough to cover the cost of the uniform items being purchased, otherwise we will not be able to complete the transaction.

Blazer Pocket Embroidery

Blazers are collected every Thursday after morning tea and take between two to three weeks to be embroidered.

St Margaret’s Merchandise

The Supplies Shop has some great new merchandise available. The Supplies Shop now stocks – St Margaret’s folding chair, scented candles in two sizes, St Margaret’s dog lead, St Margaret’s keychains, Panama croc jibbitz, vacuum drink flask and a crested fine bone china coffee mug.

Outside School Hours Care

St Margaret’s Outside School Hours Care will be operating for the upcoming Student Free Day on Friday 5 September and the September school holidays from 19 September to 3 October 2025. The service will be open from 7am until 6pm daily.

We have fun-filled and exciting activities planned. Further details of the program for the Student Free Day can be found here and the September Vacation Care Program here. (PDF 458.4KB)

Please refer to the attached Information Guide for full booking terms and conditions. We are unable to accept bookings via email or text message. The OSHC registration and Debitsuccess form must be completed, signed and sent back to us to finalise your booking. Please read the information guide carefully as some information has changed. OSHC Registration and Debitsuccess can be completed via the My Family Lounge.

PLEASE COMPLETE YOUR VACATION CARE BOOKING FORM VIA THE MY FAMILY LOUNGE APP

We are very excited to inform you that St Margaret’s OSHC has subscribed to a fantastic online Booking and Waitlist management program called QK Enrol. This program will give you access to manage your own account information, where you will have the ability to make bookings requests and allows you to complete and submit an online enrolment form for your child. You can do this and much, much more all within a parent portal called ’My Family Lounge’.

How do I log in?

Please navigate to the link below and either sign in with your existing My Family Lounge account or Register for an account if you do not already have one. Please note all families who have previously submitted an enrolment form will have an account already set up; all you will need to do is click ‘forgotten password’ and use the email address you used to receive this form.

https://www.qkenhanced.com.au/Account/Embeddable/?databaseId=9385

When making a Vacation Care booking please select Casual bookings, not Permanent.

What is the cost?*

Early Bird Fees: $68

Early Bird Bookings close: 22 August (for Student Free Day) and 5 September 2025 (for September Vacation Care)

Fees: $75 per day*

Bookings close: 29 August (for Student Free Day) and 12 September 2025 (for September Vacation Care)

*Incursions and excursions incur additional costs. These are compulsory for all students and therefore you are able to claim CCS.

What are the hours of operation?

The service is open from 7:00am until 6:00pm.

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

Lara Pickering Development and Community 2018

Director of Philanthropy and Stakeholder Engagement

Your invitation to PWN: The Transformative Impact of AI and Technology

AI isn’t on the horizon, it’s already here and it’s reshaping how we lead, how our teams work, and how our competitors (and customers) move. Join us on Thursday 30 October for a panel discussion around The Transformative Impact of AI and Technology. This session will unpack what technological advances really mean for business transformation, risk management and customer experience.

Join us on Thursday 30 October for a panel discussion around The Transformative Impact of AI and Technology. This session will unpack what technological advances really mean for business transformation, risk management and customer experience.

Hear directly from industry experts: Lauren Capelin (’01), Amazon Web Services; Debbie Smith, PwC; and Michelle Weber, Macquarie Group, in conversation with UX expert, Amy Leigh (‘03), Great Southern Bank, as they share boardroom level insights, hard-won lessons, and what every leader needs to know to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving market.

If you’re serious about leading through transformation, this is the room you want to be in.

Date: Thursday 30 October 2025

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 with grab-and-go barista coffee on arrival.
Tickets:     $85 Adult, $45 Student (Years 10-12/Tertiary)
Corporate tables: $850 (10 seats), includes company logo displayed on table and acknowledgement during event.

Tickets are available here: https://www.trybooking.com/CUSFP

We thank our series sponsors, Major Sponsor: Pitcher Partners. Supporting Sponsors: Wolff Coffee Roasters, Clear Insurance, The Bathhouse Albion and Resource Innovations.

Mothers' Luncheon – Ticket sales close today

This year, our much-loved St Margaret’s Mothers’ Luncheon embraces a vibrant Greek theme!

Book now for a wonderful celebration inspired by the rich culture, flavours, and spirit of Greece. It’s the perfect opportunity to connect, unwind, and enjoy time with our incredible community.

Prepare for an afternoon filled with Greek charm, delicious food, and great company. We expect tickets to sell quickly, so be sure to secure yours early.

Date: Friday 12 September 2025

Time: 11.30am – 2.30pm

Location: Grand Ballroom, The Greek Club, 29 Edmondstone Street, South Brisbane

Price: $199 per person and include a two-course lunch paired with a three-hour deluxe drinks package featuring Australian sparkling wine.

Tables: Maximum table capacity is 10 people. Seating requests can be made by nominating a Table Captain or Year Group at the time of booking. Best efforts will be made to meet any requests.

Enquiries: Please contact: P&F@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Tickets are available here: https://www.trybooking.com/DBECB

We thank St Margaret’s P&F Mothers’ Lunch sponsors, Maggies Supporters: Hundt Law, UMS and Shingle Inn.

Thanks to the generosity of Prize Donors and our community, we have an amazing prize pool for our P&F Mothers’ Lunch Raffle. Fantastic prizes are on offer including a pack of ten 90-minute sessions at The Bathhouse Albion, a Spicers Balfour accommodation voucher, 2 tickets to ‘Maison de la Course’ Melbourne Cup at Lina Rooftop, an Edito Boutique voucher, KAILO Medispa Facial, a Tigerlamb Hair Salon Voucher, Hellenika Voucher and more

You don't have to be attending to be in it to win it. You can still purchase raffle tickets online: St Margaret's P&F Association - 2025 Mothers' Lunch

Thank you to all of the businesses in our community who have supported the raffle and auction, as well as our Supporting Sponsors: Hundt Law, UMS, Shingle Inn and KAILO Medispa.

The world is her stage

Our students have talent, passion and imagination, and we are setting out to create a facility to match their potential.

With this vision in mind, St Margaret’s Foundation unveils "The world is her stage" Capital Campaign to support the realisation of the new Arts Precinct, that will become the heart of music, drama and performance on our campus.

The precinct will provide new spaces that will meet both the curricular and extracurricular needs of the arts program, including a purpose-built Blackbox Theatre, Recital Hall, dedicated rehearsal spaces, music rooms, and teaching studios, all designed to deliver a world-class learning environment for our primary and secondary students and to support excellence in the performing Arts.

Our students can look forward to increased opportunities to gain exposure to the best talent in the performing arts, access new dedicated spaces for rehearsals and equipment storage, and undertake technical learning in digital animation, production and set design.

So far, thanks to the generosity of our community, including past students, parents and staff, we have raised more than $2.68 million of our $3 million target. But we need your support to reach our goal.

Every contribution will make a meaningful difference.

To learn more about the campaign, project and to make a donation, please visit https://giving.stmargarets.qld.edu.au/pages/the-world-is-her-stage or contact the Development Office on (07) 3862 0884 or email foundation@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Thank you for your interest and support.

Lara Pickering

Sidebar Content

Discover More