eNews Archive Issue 16 - 26 May 2022

I received this lovely email which I thought you would all enjoy. The email title was ‘Outstanding Students’ and it relates to the behaviour of the students on the delayed return flight to Brisbane:

‘Dear Principal,

I had the privilege of sharing a plane with your students last night. I sat next to Georgia and her best friend - they greeted me with smiles and introduced themselves - we had a delightful chat for at least 20 mins - the girls them played Uno to while away the time. These girls, as well as all the students on the plane, displayed courtesy, poise and were a delight - a credit to St Margaret’s reputation. Thank you so much.’

One always knows it is a small world, when the P&F President happens to be on the same flight as the girls heading to Canberra earlier in the week! Tom Reddacliff was very proud of the students and wrote to me:

‘On Monday I was travelling to Canberra for a business trip to discover myself flying with a number of St Margaret’s girls. They were 10/10 on behaviour and I quite enjoyed the excitement on take-off and landing….’

These positive emails do not just reflect on the school; they are a credit to you – our parents and families of our students – who actively work to ensure school and family values align. There is little doubt that a strong school reputation benefits all our students, not just currently but also when they have opportunities for future employment.

Thank you to all members of our school community for a successful Giving Day. Your participation is most appreciated and all funds raised will be put to good use for the benefit of our students.

Ros Curtis

Students in Year 9 2023 are able to take subjects in a major or minor strand, and students in Year 11 2023 should be choosing subjects according to what they enjoy and what they are good at; these are the ones that will put them in the best position to achieve well in years to come. We also have set criteria in terms of groups of subjects students should choose from – this is to give our students the best possible chance of achieving their potential and open up as many pathways as possible after Year 12 and beyond.

Parents of students currently in Year 6 have now all received online subject selection forms for their Year 7 language choice (Chinese/French) through their parent emails. Their choices were due by Monday 9 May.

Students in Year 7 will receive their online subject selection form early next term, and are to choose two of the following subjects to study in Year 8 2023: Drama, Music and Visual Art.

Students in Year 8 are to choose two minors and one major subject they would like to study in Year 9 2023.

Students in Year 10 are to choose their pathway for Year 11 and 12 2023.

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me, or our Dean of Academics and Dean of Studies.

Karen Gorrie

“National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.” (www.reconciliation.org.au)

During National Reconciliation Week 2022, Prayer Space will run in the St Margaret’s School Chapel. This term’s prayer spaces have been designed and curated by a group of First Nations St Margaret’s Students. The stations will take students on a journey exploring the gifts of First Nations’ wisdom, culture, and story. This week, the primary students will be visiting the prayer space, where they will learn the Taba Naba, a traditional Torres Strait Islander dance. You can learn it too, with the Wiggles, The Wiggles: Taba Naba Style! (feat. Christine Anu) | Kids Songs - YouTube.

Students can also spend time in the reading tent, reading and listening to books written by First Nations’ authors; learn to weave a bracelet and reflect on their part in the reconciliation journey.

I invite you to pray this prayer with me, written by Aunty Rev’d Lenore Parker, Yaegl woman and leader in the Anglican Church.

Rev’d Jazz

The St Margaret’s community signified the beginning of Reconciliation Week with a Sorry Day Assembly on Thursday 26 May. The tangible and symbolic significance of this assembly was profound and allowed all members of the school community to reflect on the journey of reconciliation and stand united in the pursuit of change. The service was highlighted by keynote speaker Aunty Sandra King, who discussed the importance of providing space for First Nations people to share their stories and for all to listen. The service also featured many of our First Nations boarders, with Sharlotte, Bella and Gina commencing the service with an Acknowledgement of Country, Sienna introducing our keynote speaker, and Wini and Charli explaining what Reconciliation Week is. At the end of the service, many other First Nations boarders handed out paper hands and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ribbons for all girls and staff.   

We look forward in anticipation to tomorrow’s Floral Friday free dress day, where students will be treated to performances by our First Nations girls on Circular Drive at lunchtime.

Hannah Calcino

All students should have received an email with a link to register their subject preferences for next year. Year 10 students are encouraged to wait until after their SET plan meeting to fill out their preferences to avoid having to resubmit.

Caitlin McCluskey

ICAS is designed to target students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in a variety of subjects.

Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition. Every student will receive a printed certificate and an online result report. Top performers will be eligible for medals and are invited to attend special award ceremonies to have their academic excellence publicly recognised.

We encourage you to consider entering your child into ICAS this year. The dates and prices are below, and these are able to be purchased directly from the ICAS website.

Parent page link: https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps

School access code: ZZB505

Subject Selection Evenings

Thank you to the parents and students who attended the Subject Selection Evenings this week, either in-person or online. If parents or students wish to watch a recording of any of these evenings, the videos will be placed on the Subject Selection POD Page, which can be accessed via your daughter’s Year Level POD Page.

Chris Dunn

Though many children will refuse to go to school at some stage in their lives, school refusal is very different to truancy. It is a more serious condition than separation anxiety and often stems from a child’s anxiety about school. They may be worried about their school work, interacting with other students, dealing with teachers, playing sports or being away from family. School refusal is a behaviour that can also be accompanied by sadness or depression, physical symptoms and social isolation. This condition is equally common amongst boys and girls, from all socioeconomic groups and across both primary and secondary levels. Here at St Margaret’s the Pastoral Care team work together with the students, their parents and health care professionals to assist in the students developing a plan to transition back to school. For more information regarding school refusal, please go to SchoolTV located on the POD in Parent Resources.

Nikki Townsend

For those of you who may have recently joined the school community, this biennial festival is named in honour of prominent sculptor and St Margaret’s Old Girl Daphne Mayo, one of Australia's finest sculptors and, throughout her life, an energetic and tenacious advocate of the Arts in Queensland. The MAYO Arts Festival has, since its inception in 2008, built a reputation for showcasing emerging local and national artists as well as engaging the wider community in the vibrant and inspiring atmosphere. The Saturday family friendly art-themed festival offers a range of free and ticketed activities, rides, workshops and student entertainment for all ages. There is the opportunity for attendees to browse the artisan markets and purchase quality handcrafted gifts, jewellery, artwork and homewares. Adding to the festival atmosphere is a steady stream of musical and theatre performances as well as gourmet food and wine offerings.

This year there will be a new addition, MAYO After Dark, from 5pm to 7pm. After the market and gallery closes, music, drinks and limited food will be on offer and you can enjoy live music while the sun sets and the city lights up.  

Crucial to the festival’s success are the volunteers from our community who help to run stalls or be part of the gallery. If you are interested in being involved or helping during the festival, please contact primaryreception@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Canberra Camp

I once again had the opportunity to visit Canberra with the Year 6 girls. I have been doing this for many years but there were still some firsts for this trip. It was the first time we visited with such a large group (89 students); the first time we visited the zoo; and the first time there that an Old Girl shared her career journey with us. In addition to these firsts, the girls also visited Old and New Parliament Houses. Each of these activities enhanced the girls’ classroom experiences. The teachers and I were so impressed by the girls’ ability to contribute impressive arguments to parliamentary role play debates and to actively listen and answer questions posed by tour guides.

The girls also relished the opportunity to listen and ask questions of St Margaret’s Old Girl Clare Green. Like Clare, I was impressed by the girls’ questions about her career highlights, her path into politics and her role as a public servant. I think her talk left many girls interested in a similar career and inspired by her parting words of wisdom (found in a Christmas cracker): “In matters of fashion, swim with the current, in matters of principle, stay like a rock.” This was not the only lesson they learnt about character. I think each girl grew in resilience as she embraced the new experiences offered by the final camp for primary school.

While we were away, the students were constantly commended for their manners, listening ability and contributions. The girls ably represented the school and were a credit to their families and themselves. Thank you to the teachers who accompanied them: Kimberley Bachman, Karen Andrews-Close, Evan Chia, Brooke Calcutt, Sophie Cameron and Annette Box. Thank you to also to Kimberley and Karen for their planning and organisation. It is a huge effort to plan the trip and I know planning for 2023 has already commenced.

Angela Drysdale

Judith approaches her advice and writing using current clinical research, much of which she has published in her two books which will be on sale at the event for just $27.50 each. The Bonsai Child explores a type of parenting which produces an apparently perfect child raised in a protected environment and nurtured on attention to their every need. The Bonsai Student expands on this concept, focusing on why modern parenting limits children's potential at school and practical strategies to turn it around. Judith’s seminars are dynamic, engaging and offer challenging but highly successful approaches to parenting and supporting your daughter in her personal, academic and social development. We have engaged Judith on multiple occasions for both parenting seminars and teacher professional learning thanks to her vast experience in the field teamed with a refreshing attitude to the contemporary roles of parents and teachers. If you have not already RSVP’d to attend next Tuesday 31 May at 6.30pm in the Philip Harris Gym, you can do so here.

Annette Box

MUSIC SUPPORT GROUP

Thank you to all those who attended the last Music Support Group meeting. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 14 June at 5.00pm in M’s Cafe. Parents from both the primary and secondary schools are welcome to attend.

Brad King

Unfortunately, Autumn sports have been significantly impacted due to inclement weather. With one week remaining within the season, there have been some reschedules and cancellations of games within each sport. Information will be posted through the Sport POD page as it becomes available.

Thank you to our community for its ongoing support and understanding of the program.    

Rowing

The Indoor Rowing Championships were held on Tuesday 17 May at Somerville House.

Based on the first round of trials, the top five students of each year level were selected to represent the Shed and battle it out on stage.

The Indoor Rowing Championships comprises year level individual events, year level team relay events and an all-age team relay event where two students from each year level are required to row 200m each.

Our Maggies rowers displayed a great deal of determination and grit, with the mantra “row until it hurts and then simply row harder!”. Great to see the girls in orange having a crack!

Well done to all students who took part and supported!

Sporting Achievement

It’s with great pleasure that we can recognise the outstanding sport performances and representation of St Margaret’s students at a national and international level. I would like to highlight and congratulate Cosette Cook in Year 9 who has been selected to represent Queensland in the U14 Maroon State Team at the Interstate Challenge.  

We would like to continue 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 achievements. Please email myself at lknight@stmargarets.qld.edu.au  

GO MAGGIES!

Lloyd Knight

Tia joined other Years 7 and 8 students from Brisbane and surrounds to speak on the topic: “It always seems impossible until it is done.” Nelson Mandela

The ESU competition provides an excellent vehicle for students to enhance and expand their public speaking skills and receive feedback from experts in the field.

Tia impressed with her speech and has been chosen to proceed to the Junior Grand Final of the competition on 2 June, where she will deliver a prepared speech as well as an impromptu speech. Best wishes to Tia for the Grand Final!

Maria Chamberlain
Private Speech and Drama Coordinator

Donations to the Scholarship Fund will, through needs-based bursaries, help us provide a St Margaret’s education to some girls who thought such an opportunity would never exist for them. While those who supported the Building Fund will help us to develop new student amenities, including a new cafeteria and seating area, and learning spaces.

It truly was a whole community effort and we thank you all for your wonderful support. It was an inspiring day seeing our whole community come together.

A special thank you to our Matching Donors who matched donations dollar for dollar right through to the completion of our Bonus Round at 9pm.

We would also like to acknowledge the amazing efforts of our students who danced off, held coin drives, sausage sizzles, bake sales and manned the phones to help us spread the word about Giving Day far and wide.

Thank you to all of you who donated on the day, we are so grateful for your support. Our ambitious goal was no match for the St Margaret’s spirit!

Lara Pickering