eNews Archive Issue 11 - 20 April 2023

These attendants will be stationed at Towers Street, Butler Street and Lapraik Street each school day afternoon. Parents/carers who arrive too early to pick up their child will be asked to move on as pick-up zones are for the immediate pick up of students only. They are not waiting areas (beyond the two-minute maximum in the designated timeslots).

You might consider alternative arrangements, such as slightly delaying your pickup time to avoid peak traffic conditions, or, if your child is old enough, consider arranging to meet at a location in the neighbouring streets, rather than using the pick-up zones. Also, please consider using the established bus routes that service the school.

 In addition, an option that may suit secondary students on occasion is to avail themselves of the secondary library, which is open until 5pm (Monday to Thursday and 4pm Friday). Supervised studies sessions may also suit some families.

We recognise traffic around the school perimeter is challenging; however, we ask parents/carers to please drive patiently, obey the road rules and ensure the safety of our community is our number one priority.

Thank you for your co-operation and patience.

At the end of 2022, we asked graduating Year 12 parents to reflect on their school experience for their daughters and to provide information on academic performance, student wellbeing, extra-curricular opportunities, communications, and reputation.

Parents

A selection of the parents' top-level findings is detailed below, ranked in order of the importance the parents placed on reasons for choosing a school for their daughter.

The top five areas are noted below:

1. 91% of parents noted their expectations were met or exceeded in relation to the quality of teaching
2. 99% of parents noted their expectations were met or exceeded in relation to the focus on student wellbeing, providing a safe and caring environment
3. 99% of parents noted their expectations were met or exceeded in relation to a balanced education
4. 99% of parents noted their expectations were met or exceeded in relation to the Academic standards
5. 97% of parents noted their expectations were met or exceeded in relation to the school leadership

Ros Curtis

It is very important for parents to be aware of their child’s safety in both the physical and online environments. I’d like to include a special note to ask parents to please be aware of your daughter’s activities online, who and what they are engaging with, and communicate with them about these activities. Our student protection policies and procedures certainly extend to the online forum, and I have included information and contacts for this below.

Student Protection

St Margaret’s takes student protection seriously, and so it is timely that I remind all families about the policies and processes that we have here.

St Margaret's AGS is committed to:

- promoting and striving to provide a safe, supportive and ethical environment for the wellbeing and holistic development of students; and

- providing a safe secure nurturing environment in which all its students may grow and learn.

Student Protection Officers are persons designated as liaison people to whom students may refer if they are not feeling safe; or to whom they make complaints of harm, inappropriate behaviour or physical/sexual abuse. The St Margaret's Student Protection Officers are:

- Deputy Principal - Karen Gorrie

- Head of Boarding - Lesa Fowler

- Dean of Academics – Caitlin McCluskey

- Head of Primary School - Angela Drysdale

- Assistant Head of Primary - Curriculum (PP-6) – Kate Frewin

- Dean of Students - Nikki Townsend

- School Psychologist – Michelle Alexander

- Head of Year – Nicole Walker

All Student Protection documentation including all policies and procedures can be viewed on our internet page at https://www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au/discover-st-margaret-s/student-protection.

Our statement of commitment is as follows:

St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School supports the rights of children and young people and are committed to ensure the safety, welfare and wellbeing of students. St Margaret’s is therefore committed to responding to allegations of student harm resulting from the conduct or actions of any person including that of employees.

This commitment includes the provision of a safe and supportive living and learning environment for all students and requires all employees, volunteers and visitors to model and encourage behaviour that upholds the dignity and protection of students from harm.

In support of this commitment, St Margaret’s is dedicated to our Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy which includes having relevant policies, procedures and training in place to effectively address the safety and wellbeing of students in our care.

Karen Gorrie

Last Sunday, we heard the story of Jesus appearing to his disciples as they hid in a locked room, for fear of their lives. For the disciples, the period after Jesus’ death was terrifying, they would have feared for their own lives as followers of Jesus. Amid this fear, Jesus appears amongst them and says, “Peace be with you.” Despite facing a cruel and violent death, and abandonment by his disciples and friends, Jesus rose from the dead and proclaimed peace.

This is the story of Easter, that is, that fear and death are transformed by God and become life and peace. As we begin a new term together, my prayer is that you will know God’s peace which passes all understanding.

Below is a list of upcoming Chapel events. Primary parents are invited to join our regular Primary House Chapels if they would like to.

Prayer
God, you are the first light cutting through the void.
You are the final light which we shall enjoy forever.
Help us to welcome the light and walk in it always.
We praise you, God, that the light of Christ shines in the darkness and is never overcome.
Amen.

(adapted from the New Zealand Prayer Book).

Upcoming Events

Date	Time	Event	Year Level
Wednesday 19 April	6.00pm	Baptism and Admission to Holy Communion Service St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane	Year 4-6
Thursday 4 May	6:00pm	Family Service St Margaret’s Chapel	Year 11 and 12
Wednesday 31 May	6:00pm	Family Service St Margaret’s Chapel	Year 7 and 8

Primary Chapels

Date	Time	House Group
Friday 21 April	2:15pm	A: Bede, Chaucer, Herrick, Kendall
Friday 5 May	2:15pm	B: Lawson, Milton, Spenser, Tennyson
Friday 19 May	2:15pm	A: Bede, Chaucer, Herrick, Kendall
Friday 2 June	2:15pm	B: Lawson, Milton, Spenser, Tennyson

Rev'd Jazz Dow

We have many events coming up this term. On Wednesday night the girls were involved in the Steak Club. The Steak Club gives the girls the opportunity to share with others meat produced on their properties. Many of the girls were excited to be involved with 91 girls signing up. 

Next week we have the Day Boarder Long Weekend. This is a very important part of boarding and gives the girls the opportunity to take day girls home and show them where they are from and what day to day life is like for them. This experience is invaluable and is a positive way of bringing the day and boarding community together. We have many girls in boarding taking girls home and look forward to hearing about their adventures. 

Lesa Fowler

Year 11 Exam Mornings

There is a Year 11 Exam morning on Thursday 27 April. All Biology students are required to be at school ready for their exam to begin at 8:20am. All Year 11 students who do not study Biology are not required to be at school until Year Level Assembly at 9:50am.

On Wednesday 10 May there will be another exam morning for English. All English students are required to be at school ready for their exam to begin at 8:20am. Any students who do not study English are not required to be at school until lesson 2A at 10:55am.

Caitlin McCluskey

A reminder that SSS operates on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings from 5:00pm to 7:30pm. Parents do have the option of purchasing dinner for their daughters from the boarding house at the time of booking for $12.50. Bookings close at 9:00am on the day, unless the maximum number (25) is reached prior to this point, so I do recommend parents book in early to avoid missing out.

The purpose of these sessions is to provide girls with a quiet and well-resourced space that is conducive to productive homework and study time. Each SSS will be staffed by up to two tutors, who offer advice and guidance on how to plan effectively for upcoming assessments. The SSS tutor group is made up of ten young women who are currently studying at university and have much to offer our girls in the way of study skills.

For students attending SSS after an afternoon of sport, transport is available to and from Windsor Park. For those staying on after school to attend SSS, the Eunice Centre is open until 5:00pm prior to the commencement of the study sessions.

Chris Dunn

This connects to positive ways that students are encouraged to commence this term as seen in the word ‘SERVICE’:

Support peers, teachers, and the learning environment – listen attentively

Engage in learning – be prepared for every lesson

Respect others through verbal and non-verbal communication

Versatility – adapt to change

Intentional demonstration of The St Margaret’s Way   (PDF 68.3KB)

Collaborate positively with peers and teachers, in class and during extra-curricular activities

Empathise with others – be aware of how they are feeling

The service opportunities available at St Margaret’s encourage the girls to broaden their perspectives and this assists with building their resilience. Within these contexts new friendships are formed and confidence increases. If you would like further information regarding out Service Learning program please visit the POD page Service Learning and Philanthropy or contact our Service Learning Coordinator, Katie Flanagan.

Nikki Townsend

Questioning involves asking literal, text explicit and inferential questions of one another. Clarifying is a way to clear up any misconceptions or misunderstandings through group discussion. Summarising is summing up the main points in the section of text just read, and predicting is discussing what the writer will mention next, based on what is known. The stopping point provides the students with the opportunity to discuss the text in depth and is repeated until the whole text has been read and discussed. Reciprocal teaching is a high impact strategy, because it consolidates knowledge and comprehension as well as being student directed. It has an effect size of .74 (over .4 is effective).

Alongside developing the skills of comprehension, we also aim to support, encourage, monitor, and assist each girl’s book selection and reading development. Accelerated Reading (AR) is one of the programs used. AR is a computer program that assists teachers to manage and monitor children’s independent reading practice. Each student undertakes a range of reading assessments to ascertain her best fit reading level and then selects books from the library at her level. When the book is finished, students take a short quiz on the computer, that provides teachers with information about how well students have comprehended the text. Many books in our Primary Library have been levelled and colour coded to assist the girls to select a book which should be able to be read without frustration or loss of motivation. These books all have AR quizzes, which will be completed once the book has been read. Books are also assigned points based on the length of the book. Students earn points or a portion of a book’s points depending on how well they do on the reading quiz. Millionaires Morning Teas are held for students who have read a million words, and this week we celebrated our first morning tea for the year.

An important factor in fostering lifelong readers is choice. Tangible evidence of this is the joy expressed by the girls when students choose books from the library each week. Research has found that children with books of their own read more, and more frequently. As the adults in the girls’ lives, we have an obligation to encourage reading for pleasure by modelling reading, signing up for membership at the local library, having a variety of books available at home, and reading together. Ways to share reading is identified below in Kate Frewin’s article.

Angela Drysdale

• Make time to read together every day – at least 15 minutes per day.
• Read together in a place without distractions like television or computers.
• If it is a new book, look through it together first and discuss what it might be about.

With younger children:

• Explain that all books have a title and an author, how to hold a book, that we turn the pages from the front to the back, and we read the words from left to right down the page.
• Point out letters in words and talk about their sounds.
• Include books with an interesting variety of words to develop vocabulary. Talk about the meaning of new or unfamiliar words.
• Include classic fables and fairy tales from a variety of cultures to develop cultural literacy.

With older children:

• Choose books for shared reading that are more challenging than your daughter is capable of reading on her own, which will expose her to words, ideas, themes, and concepts that will contribute to her vocabulary, and general knowledge.
• Alternate books by contemporary authors with books by classic authors like Rudyard Kipling, CS Lewis, and Enid Blyton.
• Encourage your daughter to be more adventurous in her book choices.
• Speak to your daughter about her AR progress.
• Don’t insist on finishing a book if she is not enjoying it after the first few chapters. Put it aside and maybe come back to it another time.

Kate Frewin

Combined St Margaret’s/Churchie Music Event

On Friday 21 April, Jackson Wind Ensemble and Stradivari Strings have been invited to participate in a combined rehearsal and performance with Churchie. The students will rehearse with Churchie students to perform a selection of repertoire. Parents are invited to attend an informal performance in Morris Hall at Churchie, Oaklands Parade, East Brisbane at 6:00pm which will conclude at approximately 6:30pm. Students will travel to Churchie by bus directly after school and may be collected from Churchie at 6:30pm. Boarders will be transported back to St Margaret’s at the conclusion of the event. If day girls require transport back to St Margaret’s, please email music@stmargarets.qld.edu.au for this to be arranged.

Encorah

We are very excited to announce that Encorah, our Secondary all-comers choir, will recommence this week. Encorah is open to all students in Years 7-12 who enjoy singing. All are welcome to attend with no audition required. The choir will sing a wide range of repertoire from a variety of genres including music theatre, pop, jazz and folk styles. The choir will rehearse with Ms Stephanie Taylor from 3:30-4:30pm every Thursday afternoon in the Arts Centre Foyer with the first rehearsal to commence on Thursday 22 April. There is no need to sign up – students are asked to just come along to the first rehearsal where their details will be taken down for future rolls.

Please note that students in Volare will now rehearse immediately after Encorah from 4:30-5:00pm (in the ACF) and Exultate will rehearse from 4:30-5:30pm (in SHOR).

Music Support Group – Next Meeting

The next Music Support Group meeting will be held on Tuesday 9 May at 5:00pm in M’s Cafe. We encourage parents from both Primary and Secondary schools to become involved.

Brad King

The standard over the course of the championships was extremely high, providing invaluable competition and experience for all girls involved. We look forward to seeing our athletes continue to improve and represent St Margaret's in the upcoming QGSSSA Athletics season.

Special congratulations to Ashley Blackman who won silver in the Under 15 Years National High Jump at the Australian Junior Track & Field Championships. Ashley jumped a height of 1.64m, narrowly missing a height of 1.68m in an impressive series of jumps. Her final clearance was 1cm off her personal best. Congratulations must also go to Ebony who finished on the podium, claiming the bronze medal for Queensland in the Under 18 4x100m. Special mentions go to the following girls who qualified for National finals in their respective events Ebony Okonkwo, Georgia Hopwood, Emma Hicks, Amber Norton, Ginger Cox and Isabella Harte.

St Margaret’s was represented by the following ten students across a range of events:

• Zara Ferguson, 800m

• Charlize Heathcote, 800m (Qualified, but could not compete)

• Emma Hicks, Triple Jump

• Lily Hicks, 400m

• Georgia Hopwood, 90m Hurdles

• Ashley Blackman, High Jump

• Ginger Cox, 1500m, 3000m, 2000m Steeplechase

• Ruby East, 2000m Steeplechase (Qualified, but could not compete)

• Ebony Okonkwo, 100m, 200m, 4 x 100m Relay

• Amber Norton, 5000m Race Walk, 10000m Race Walk

• Isabella Harte, 3000m

Mr Josh Partridge

Head of Athletics & Development

Australian Age National Swim Championships Acknowledgment

During the school holidays, ten St Margaret’s students competed at the Australian Age National championships (ages 13-17 years) at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre in Southport. Over the course of eight days, our swimmers swam their hearts out with the majority of girls creating numerous personal best performances. The experience gained was immeasurable and will hold them all in good stead for their next challenge.

Special congratulations to Sienna Timms, who was crowned the 17 years National Champion in the 400IM. Also, congratulations go to the following girls who achieved podium finishes: Sophie Martin with 2 Silver (100m & 200m Breaststroke) and 2 Bronze (50m Breaststroke & 200m IM) in the 17 years, Stella Stuart 2 Bronze (50m & 100m Breaststroke) in the 16 years.

Special mention to the following girls that made the A Final in their respective events: Cosette Cooke 15 Years 50m Freestyle, Ruby Gowns 14 Years 50m & 100m Freestyle and Sophie Hebron 13 Years 1500m Freestyle.

Finally, to the girls that competed in one of the biggest and toughest competitions on the planet, well done to the following girls:

• Sienna Timms

• Sophie Martin

• Stella Stuart

• Cosette Cooke

• Abigail Anderson

• Ruby Gowns

• Samara Holmes

• Lucy Stuart

• Sophie Hebron

• Tia Kiley

Mr Matt Brown

Head of Swimming

State Water Polo Championship Report

Over the holiday break, St Margaret’s was proudly represented at the Queensland State Water Polo Championships. Our 16 Years & Under team made the bronze medal play off with a brilliant come back scoring 5 goals in the last quarter to even the score. The girls took on a penalty shootout which many had not done before. Finishing 4th overall, the team showed that with hard work, team effort and a positive attitude anything is possible.  

(Charlotte Baxby, Tilly Charlton, Alexandra Dew, Neve Mattsson, Ruby Peacock, Imogen Simpson, Katie Steven, Zoe White, Polly Young)              

Our 14 Years & Under team finished 7th out of 28 teams. Our Team was challenged by the highly competitive premier division. Despite some tough games our team never gave up and rallied around one another in face of challenge, proving that heart and spirit could help improve any situation that arose. This group learnt a lot, which shall put them in good stead for years to come.

(Adelaide Bothwell, Lucy Brown, Annabel Cameron, Isabela Coleman (INJ), Danica Gilmore, Amelia Houston, Lily Keenan, Charlie Peacock, Maddie Pickett, Eliza Ryan, Pepper Slogrove, Bronte Tavener, Polly Young)                

Thank you to our coaches Zac and Katie, and our parents and community for all their support across the championships. We are extremely proud of all students and look forward to next season.

Ms Jade Gray

Swim Program Coordinator

Club Swimming – Join the program

The vision for the St Margaret’s swim community is to develop a thriving program that all swimmers will want to train and compete within. In doing so, building the St Margaret’s program into a seamless pathway from Beginners through to National representatives and along the way, giving our girls the best possible chance of pursuing excellence and connection to school through our milestone meets - Andrews Cup and QGSSSA Championships.

For this vision to come to fruition, we need to provide a program that will cater for swimmers of ALL levels, especially those swimmers who are aspiring to represent, not just our school, but Queensland and Australia. Our program aims to encourage ALL levels of squad swimmers, including those who seek to train for fitness and fun to those who aspire to achieve in the sport of swimming, through their participation in the St Margaret’s Swimming Club. Our squad program will continue to operate throughout the winter months of Terms 2 and 3. Winter squads, operating a small user-pays fee, open the door to continued development and competition opportunities.

If you are interested to find out more regarding our swimming program please head to the Club Swimming POD Page The POD - Club Swimming (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)

Click here to register for Winter Swim Squad.

Autumn Sport Term 2 Fixtures

It has been a great start to our 2023 Autumn Sport Fixtures. After 3 rounds many of our Touch Football teams remain undefeated on top of their respective ladders, our soccer teams have recorded back-to-back wins to conclude the term and our basketball teams, despite tough competition, have continued to build cohesion and confidence into their season.

To keep this momentum flowing into Term 2 it’s important that all community members are aware of the dates and commitments our teams have amidst a busy start to the term. Please note, the following special dates:

• Monday 24 April (day before Anzac Day)
• Thursday 18 May

Round	Date	Opponent	Basketball	Soccer	Touch Football
Round 4	Friday 21st April	BGGS	HOME	HOME	HOME
Round 5	Monday 24th April	St Aidan’s	HOME	AWAY	AWAY
Round 6	Friday 5th May	BSHS	HOME	HOME	HOME
Round 7	Friday 12th May	Ipswich	AWAY	AWAY	AWAY
Round 8	Thursday 18th May	St Hilda’s	AWAY	HOME	AWAY
Round 9	Friday 26th May	Moreton Bay	AWAY	AWAY	AWAY

Please mark these dates in your diaries. We cannot wait to tackle the second half of the season.

Latest Sport News and Information

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

• Basketball (Autumn Sport) - (The POD - Secondary Basketball (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
• Soccer (Autumn Sport) - (The POD - Secondary Football (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
• Touch Football (Autumn Sport) - (The POD - Secondary Touch Football (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
• Cross Country - The POD - Secondary Cross Country (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
• Rowing - The POD - Secondary Rowing (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
• Rhythmic Gymnastics - The POD - Secondary Rhythmic Gymnastics (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
• Club Netball - The POD - Club Netball (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
• Club Swimming - The POD - Club Swimming (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)

GO MAGGIES!

Lloyd Knight

Tracy is an arts museum leader with a career spanning 25 years. Tracy will share her personal and professional experiences in the industry, her vision for the future for HOTA and discuss the business opportunities and challenges for visual arts in Queensland. 

These events are excellent opportunities for you to attend with your daughter or to take a corporate table and host your colleagues or clients.

While our speaker list features female leaders, the events are attended by male and female members of the Brisbane business community.

Time:             6:45am arrival for 7:00am-8:45am.

Enjoy barista coffee from a Wolff Coffee Roasters cart, before and after the event.                              

Venue:            Arts Centre Foyer, St Margaret's Anglican Girls School

 Cost:             $85 adults, $40 students (Years 10 to 12/tertiary)

$850 corporate table (10 seats)

Book:             https://www.trybooking.com/CFLDG

We thank our series sponsors, Major Sponsor: Pitcher Partners, Associate Sponsors: Programmed Property Services and Wolff Coffee Roasters, and Supporting Sponsors: Downer, Clear Insurance, Westpac, O’Reilly Shaw Lawyers, Uniform Link and Move Recruitment Solutions.

Aspiring Young Women’s Network Breakfast
Tickets are available for the second Aspiring Young Women's Network breakfast for 2023 with guest speaker Dr Emma Smith ('11).

Parents are welcome to attend these events with their daughters.

The Aspiring Young Women’s Network Breakfast (AYWN) Series provides an opportunity for secondary school students, from Years 9-12, to hear firsthand from alumni who have recently transitioned to university or their chosen career at these networking breakfast events. 

Date:              Thursday 25 May March 2023
Time:             6:45am arrival for 7:00am start
Where:           Arts Centre Foyer, St Margaret’s AGS
Cost:               $38 Adults/Students
Book:              https://www.trybooking.com/CGQVZ

Father Daughter Breakfast wrap up

We finished Term 1 with a very successful Secondary Father Daughter Breakfast. It was wonderful to see so many members of the St Margaret's community come together to share breakfast and conversation. To view photos from the event, please click here. 

Thank you to Datacom for generously donating the major raffle prize of the morning with one lucky winner taking home an iPad (9th Generation).

P&F General Meeting

The next P&F Association General Meeting will be held on Monday 8 May from 6.30pm in the Arts Centre Foyer. All members of the St Margaret’s community are encouraged to attend. To register please visit: https://www.trybooking.com/CHRNA

Lara Pickering