eNews Archive Issue 16 - 30 May 2019

The service costs $4.40 each way (for both bus routes). For students using the service from near Bretts Wharf the cost is $3.10 each way.

To receive important updates about the buses, please ensure you have downloaded the St Margaret's App (The POD) and join the ‘Bus Services’ group. Important updates will also be posted to the School Facebook page.

Bus Pass Options:

• Student ID card: Students are able to use their Student Card to purchase their daily bus ticket. The Gap and Bulimba buses are fitted with a Samsung phone which will scan your child's student card and this will charge your Flexischools account for an individual bus trip. Importantly, funds must be available on the student card and the student card must be linked to your Flexischools account. To set up your account, please visit: www.flexischools.com.au or call Flexischools on 1300 361 769 for assistance.

• 10 trip ticket: Alternatively, students are able to purchase a 10 trip-ticket through Flexischools: www.flexischools.com.au and collect the pass from the Finance Office.

Farewell to Mr Tom Smithers
This week, we farewell Mr Tom Smithers. Mr Smithers has taught Science, STEM, Digital Technologies and Health and Physical Education for the past couple of years. He also coached a number of sports teams and coordinated many of our Interhouse events, including last week’s successful inaugural ‘Dance-off’. We wish Mr Smithers well and thank him sincerely for his contribution to the St Margaret’s community.

Karen Gorrie 

In Week 8 we will have our second meeting for the year of our Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy committee. This committee is made up of staff (teaching and support), students and parents from our Primary, Secondary and Boarding communities.

The Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy (CYRMS) is a legislative requirement for all Queensland schools. It is designed to create safe and supportive environments for children, to minimise the risk of abuse, harm and inappropriate behaviour. The CYRMS is to be clear, easily understood, implemented and monitored to ensure its effectiveness. You can find this document by following the link at: https://www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au/discover-st-margaret-s/student-protection.

Part of the monitoring process involves this committee coming together throughout the year to share ideas and information about the contents of this strategy, in order to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our young people in regard to student protection. Although we officially review the strategy with the School Council in October each year, we continue to adjust the document to best suit the needs of the young people in our community.

I urge all members of our school community to read this document. Feedback is encouraged; please feel free to email me at: ndevlin@stmargarets.qld.edu.au with any suggestions or additions you may wish to see reflected in this document.

Nicole Devlin 

One of the most significant lobby successes of ICPA was the introduction of the Living Away from Home Allowance Scheme (LAFHAS) in 1985. This allowance is still in place today and provides financial assistance for students who have no reasonable access to a school and need to live away from home. ICPA continues to fight for an increase in the allowance in line with the cost of educating children away from home.

The work of the ICPA has also resulted in improvements to bus services, access to a wider curriculum such as music and sport delivered by visiting specialist teachers and an improvement in the understanding of the needs of children and teachers in small country areas. At St Margaret’s, we work continually to support and understand the educational issues that face some of our rural and remote areas which some of our girls come from. By attending this conference, we have a greater understanding of the needs of our students and families.

Lesa Fowler 

Students have been provided with a range of times before, during and after school and you are welcome to attend the interview. The PowerPoint presentations from Transition Day provide useful information from Heads of Faculty and me and can be located on the Careers Page of the POD.

QTAC is presenting for Trends in Education
If you would like to know more about the process of calculating the ATAR, you are invited to attend a presentation by the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) on Wednesday 5 June. We have organised this presentation for parents and teachers to assist us in understanding the ATAR calculation and changes to tertiary entrance procedures that have been introduced as part of the new QCE system in Queensland. The presentation will be one hour beginning at 5:50pm in the Arts Centre Foyer with nibbles starting at 5:30pm. Please RSVP to Rosie Parisi at: rparisi@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

QCS Tutorials
There are only 13 weeks and 4 days to go until the QCS Test, so there is plenty of time to fine tune those literacy and numeracy skills. We have tutorials each Tuesday during Lessons 4A and 4B, as well as Friday morning from 7:30-8:15am. So, if your daughter sounds as though she needs a confidence boost please encourage her to come along. Here is an example of a multiple-choice question for the whole family to try.

Jo Butterworth 

Below are the dates for the upcoming Study Hall and Exams:

• Year 10 Study Hall and Exams – Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 June
• Year 9 Study Hall and Exams – Thursday 6 and Friday 7 June

On these days the girls will complete their exams as per the Years 9 and 10 Assessment Calendars, which are available on the POD. During the non-exam time they have the chance to study and meet with teachers to ask questions and check for understanding as they go over concepts for their upcoming assessments. Students are encouraged to use Academic Advising time this week to work with their Academic Advisors to devise a study plan for the two days to assist them to manage their time effectively.

Tom McCormick 

We would like to thank the following staff: Nicole Walker (Head of Year 8), Nikki Anderson and Talia O’Callaghan and parents: Libby Douglas, Louise Campbell, Ely Bluett, Jen Slatter, Gillian Samuels, Lucy Evans, Robert Swan, Mandy Kennedy, Anna Harte and Sam Lahy for helping to supervise this event.

Reflections
Our community was very generous, and we thank the parents, staff and students for their involvement which made this day possible. Organiser, Major Neil Dickson commented on the “…. loyal, passionate commitment offered by all the staff and parents … and the cooperation of the students”. We are looking forward to strengthening these connections in the future. Some reflections:

I really enjoyed the day and it was really humbling to help the wider community. I think sometimes we all get so consumed in our busy lives that we all need to find time to give back. The Salvation Army is a great organisation and I was so happy to volunteer for them. It was also a great opportunity to work with other girls that we don’t normally get the opportunity to see and work with. Julia White – Year 8

The sun was shining as we embarked on our journey up the street. It was a great opportunity for the girls to make new friends, but also to give back to the community. As a supervisor, I had the pleasure to watch the girls interact with members of the public with both confidence and graciousness. Miss Bridie Rawlins, Pre-service Teacher

Nikki Townsend 

At camp, the girls experienced activities that challenged their physical fortitude and by all accounts were tackled with enthusiasm and grit - qualities that contribute to leadership abilities. Thank you to the Year 5 teachers; Kate Porter, Evan Chia, Lucardia Moulton, Suzy Edwards, Michael Crowe, Mary Surtees and Cathy Cox for supporting the girls on this camp. Thank you also to Lauren Richards for her preparation of this camp.

While the Year 5 girls and staff were on the Gold Coast Hinterland, the Year 6 girls headed to Canberra. It was impressive to watch them relish the long days of exploring new places and learning new things and to observe their interest, enthusiasm, support and friendship for each other.

Year 6 students on the stairs of New Parliament House

The girls reported the most exciting activity was Questacon and the most lasting will be standing in the Cabinet Room around the table with Minister Dutton. The girls were grateful for his time and the opportunity to ask him questions. They ably represented the School and were a credit to their families and themselves. Well done girls! Thank you to the teachers who accompanied them, Georgina Stevenson, Kimberley Bachman, Jess Fumar and Marilyn Ivers. Thank you to Georgina for her planning and organisation. It is a huge effort to plan the trip and I know she has now commenced planning for the 2020 and 2021 camps.

Angela Drysdale

Continuous Reporting
The following results will be available this week through Parent Lounge:

Year 6

• Maths: Inquiry – 31 May
• English: Listening Task – 31 May

   

  Year 5

• HPE: Softball – 29 May

Cathy Cox
Assistant Head of Primary

Upcoming Events:

31 May: Student Free Day (Day/Border Weekend)

6 June: Pre-Prep Excursion to QPAC

20 June: Grandparents, Godparents and Parents Morning

20 June: Interhouse Verse Speaking Competition

20 June: Last day of Term 2

Encorah/Exultate Music Tour 2020 – France/Belgium
A reminder that deposits for the proposed Music Tour to France/Belgium are due by Friday 14 June and can be made via Flexischools: www.flexischools.com.au. A draft itinerary and letter with further details are attached below. The deposit is fully refundable if insufficient numbers sign up for the tour. The tour is open to all students currently in Years 8-11.

Music Tour 2020 Itinerary (PDF 1.2MB)

Music Tour 2020 Initial Deposit and Information letter (PDF 287.9KB)

Music Support Group
The next Music Support Group meeting will be held on Tuesday 4 June 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 

• Milla Roberts (12 years) – 1st place
• Annabel Bright (12 years) – 3rd place
• Matilda Lee (12 years) – 4th place
• Isabella Harte (16 years) – 1st place
• Chloe Fenwicke (16 years) – 2nd place
• Bella Donaldson (17 years) – 1st place

Autumn Fixtures
Last week, our Touch Football, Soccer and Basketball teams played against St Aidan’s with some resounding success. Our Soccer girls showed some great skill with our Open Team winning 1-0. Our Touch teams had some fantastic wins, with 4 out of the 9 teams winning. Special mention goes to the Years 8A and 7B teams who are on track to claim the Premiership team. Meanwhile, the Basketball teams experience similar success with the Open, Snr A, 9A and 7As all having great wins.

This week signals the end of the Autumn Fixture season with our teams taking on Brisbane Girls Grammar School at our own home venues on Thursday 30 May due to the Boarder/Day Girl long weekend. Please check the Sport POD page for further details on times and venues.

Club Netball
St Margaret’s Club Netball is at record numbers - 19 Teams (Years 2-12) take the court each Saturday at Brisbane’s biggest Netball competition at Downey Park - all teams are training hard with attendance at training over 95 percent. We currently have teams 1, 2, 4 and 7 sitting on top of the ladder and our youngest teams are doing an amazing job both on court and at training.

Athletics
The Athletics season is underway! Training occurs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the morning at 6:30am and Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon at Windsor Park. In readiness for the competition season, relay trials will be held for all girls wishing to be a part of the age group relays on Monday 10 June for all girls in the 12, 13 and 14 years age groups and Wednesday 12 June for the 15, 16 and 17 years age groups.

Congratulations to…

Lucy White (Year 8) who recently competed at the Australian Gymnastics Championships in Level 10 U14-16 over a two-day event, placing 12th in Australia.

Helen Lobegeiger 

You are reminded that smART Holidays is a great opportunity for your daughter to share the creative fun with her friends from other schools; you do not have to be a St Margaret’s students to enrol for our program.

Please direct your enquires to me at: jlishman@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or phone: 3862 0791.

Jenny Lishman 

Students currently away on their Exchange
We recently heard back from the following students:

Rosie Turnbull, Shawnigan Lake, Vancouver, Canada
We had a long weekend last week from Thursday to Tuesday where I went to visit Charlotte and Enna in Vancouver (Charlotte is currently on Exchange at Crofton House). I caught the ferry, where Enna’s dad picked me up and took me to Crofton House for a tour of the school with Charlotte and Enna. It was very exciting to see their school, as it was very different from Shawinigan. That afternoon, Charlotte took me into Vancouver where we did some sightseeing and shopping.

The next day we drove to Seattle with Enna’s family, stopping by some outlet stores to do some more shopping before heading to Seattle. In Seattle we visited the Amazon head office, an Amazon Go store, Starbucks Roastery and Pike Place Market. The market was very busy and it was very interesting to see a variety of stalls, shops and art showcased around the market. On Saturday we went back to the outlet stores to do even more shopping, then returned to Vancouver. That night, Charlotte, Enna and I went to the Richmond night market, which had a variety of international food stands. It was absolutely amazing to visit Vancouver and Seattle on this trip as both destinations are very different to Vancouver Island! On the Sunday I caught the ferry back to Shawinigan where I started Rowing camp, training 5 times over the next 3 days.

I received the official email from the school that I had been selected to represent Shawinigan at Canadians Nationals at St Catherine’s, Toronto, Ontario, racing from 31 May- 2 June. We leave on Monday (27 May) and return the following Monday (3 June). I am very excited to see Toronto and travel with the school. The group going are all so nice and we are sure to have a good time! We are training very hard at the moment, so I am making sure I get to sleep early! I have arranged to sit my Maths fluency quiz next week, so I will be studying hard for that! The weather is slowly getting warmer; however, not yet warm enough for me to swim in the lake yet. Hope everything is going well in Brisbane.

Estella Caro (on behalf of Celia Quinn and herself), Pensionnat du Saint Nom de Marie, Montreal, Canada
I can’t believe we are more than half-way through our sixth week! We are enjoying and making the most out of every day. We got back from Quebec on Tuesday night after two days in the city. We walked around old Quebec, saw the beautiful Chateau Frontenac, did some shopping, saw a couple of historic sites and had a beautiful dinner to end the day. The next day we went to Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and afterwards went to the impressive Montmorency Falls (and got a little wet). Hope all is well in Brisbane.

Angelin Achari 

Date: Friday 14 June 2019
Time: 6:30pm pre-dinner drinks on the Arts Centre Terraces, 7:00pm Dinner
Venue: Arts Centre Foyer (ACF)
Cost: $100.00 per person, includes Southern American style barbecue dinner and drinks

This annual event is proudly sponsored by Morgans.

Professional Women’s Networking Breakfast
Join us for the Professional Women’s Networking Breakfast with special guest speaker, Julieanne Alroe, Chair of Infrastructure Australia and Inaugural President of the Queensland Futures Institute.

Julieanne is one of only a handful of women in the world to run a privatised airport, having retired as CEO and Managing Director from Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) in June 2018 after 10 years in the role. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of the Chief Executive Woman (CEW).

Join us for our third breakfast in 2019 as Julieanne shares highlights, challenges and the lessons learned from more than 40 years in the aviation industry!

Date: Tuesday 20 August 2019
Time: 7:00am arrival for a 7:15am start - 8:45am finish
Venue: Arts Centre Foyer, St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School
Tickets: Corporate tables $800 for 10, $80 adult and $40 students (Years 10-12/tertiary)

Please click here (PDF 579.4KB) for more information.

Limited tickets still available via Flexischools. Please click here to purchase your ticket.

We sincerely thank our corporate sponsors for their generous support of the Series:

Associate Sponsors: Pitcher Partners and McCullough Robertson
Supporting Partners: Downer, NAB, Programmed Property Services, Clear Insurance and Red Oak.

Reunion Weekend 2019
We look forward to welcoming those celebrating a milestone reunion back to the campus in July. Reunion invitations have been sent via email and post for those that we have current addresses for. Please continue to contact the Development Office with any address updates you may have.

10 Year Reunion – Class of 2008 – Friday 26 July

20 Year Reunion – Class of 1998 – Friday 26 July

30 Year Reunion – Class of 1988 – Friday 26 July

40 Year Reunion – Class of 1978 – Saturday 27 July

50 Year Reunion – Class of 1968 – Saturday 27 July

60 Year Reunion – Class of 1958 – Saturday 27 July

Chapel Service and Morning Tea – Sunday 28 July

60+ Year Reunion – Monday 29 July

Lara Pickering 

Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University
Tertiary Preparation Workshop 2019 is being held at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, South Bank campus, Brisbane. The workshop runs Monday 1 - Friday 5 July 2019 and provides prospective instrumental and vocal students with an opportunity to work closely with Queensland Conservatorium staff and music industry professionals in state-of-the-art facilities at South Bank in Brisbane, Queensland. For more details and to register click here.

Tertiary Studies Expo (TSXPO)
Royal International Convention Centre, Brisbane Showgrounds - Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 July 2019, 10:00am to 4:00pm on both days. FREE ENTRY. TSXPO is a fantastic opportunity to find all the information you need to kick-start your career and find information all under the one roof! Find more details here.

University Open Days:
Australian Catholic University Brisbane: Saturday 27 July
Bond University Gold Coast: Saturday 27 July
Griffith University Gold Coast, Nathan and Southbank: Sunday 11 August
University of the Sunshine Coast Sippy Downs: Sunday 21 July
Queensland University of Technology Gardens Point: Sunday 28 July

The University of Queensland: St Lucia: Sunday 4 August 2019, 9:00am–3:00pm, Gatton: Sunday 18 August 2019, 9:00am–3:00pm

University of Sydney
Students are invited to join us at the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies’ Year 11 and 12 Information Evening. This event is suitable for parents, students and teachers. Wednesday 5 June, 6pm (for a 6:15pm start)–8:00pm. Register here (registration essential)

UNE
Year 12 students are invited to participate in our Early Entry Program for admission in 2020. UNE's Early Entry application process is fully online, it’s free to apply and you can submit your Early Entry applications now.

Griffith University
Griffith university has developed a website to assist you to decide on a study pathway: https://www.griffith.edu.au/study.

UQ
Experience Science is a free event open to students in Years 10-12. Programs will be held on 12 July (last week of the holidays) and in the first week of Term 3 (16-18 July). Discover more here

Scholarships in Australia
No matter what you are intending to study and where, you will be sure to find some financial assistance on offer to help you pay for it: https://www.gooduniversitiesguide.com.au/scholarships

QTAC Year 12 Tertiary Applications
The Educational Access Scheme (EAS): https://www.qtac.edu.au/applying/educational-access-scheme can help you if you have experienced circumstances that negatively affected your most recent studies. If you are eligible for EAS you may get OP or rank adjustments which improve your chances of getting an offer. Apply when you complete your QTAC application in August.

QUT Match My Skills
Looking for some inspiration on what to study? https://match-my-skills.qut.edu.au/

Elizabeth Johnston