eNews Archive Issue 18 - 10 June 2021

Exams are well and truly underway for most of our school community. A good study schedule maintains steady progress towards academic goals through adequate time allocation throughout the course of study (and not just leaving it all to the end!).

Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on student achievement. It is important for students to access feedback through the various means we have available. Some of their courses of study offer drafting feedback if they are undertaking an assignment. Teachers give feedback in classes about homework tasks or set activities. Students also have access to continuous reporting comments that can help inform them on improvements they can make for subsequent assessments.

The influence of feedback only works if students use that feedback for future development or maintenance of their work. We encourage students to engage with this feedback within our Academic Advising and Form classes, in order to inform specific goals for improvement. Now is the perfect time to revisit those goals to inform their study habits moving into assessment.

Please note that other sources of feedback to parents in the form of reports and the parent teacher interviews are coming up, and more information about these can be found in this newsletter.

Karen Gorrie

We are constantly reminded about the value of reflective practice, and I have found myself doing much reflection over the last few weeks. Reflection is the one quality above all that makes for positive change and action. Reflection is the key to successful learning for teachers and for learners - the ability to reflect on what we do; why and how we do things and to adapt and develop our habits. As we move into Semester 2, I encourage all students to continue to develop the skills to become life-long learners and to reflect upon and reinforce the positive skills that have developed out of the activities of Semester 1.

Subject Selection Process

Please note that on 7 June, all Years 8, 9 and 10 students received an email with information required for entering their subject selections. It is very important that these are completed by the required closing date.

• Years 9 and 10 student subject preferences due by 4:00pm on Thursday 17 June
• Year 8 student subject preferences due by 4:00pm on Friday 11 June

If there are any difficulties with the online process, please contact the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Principal, Ms Lisa Watson on 3862 0771. If you have any questions in regard to the curriculum, please contact Ms Rosie Parisi on 3862 0826.

Nicole Devlin

If you know of anyone in need, please let them know. Leeanne from Anglicare says, “As well as our mobile wardrobe, Thread Together offers a couple of other ways to get clothing to people who need it. People can register on their portal and order as needed for clients or, if organisations have a spare cupboard for storage space, we can provide a range of stock for clients/students to choose from when needed – jeans, Ts, jumpers, sneakers, underwear etc. (see attached (PDF 255.2KB).”

You can contact Leanne Wood via email: lwood@anglicaresq.org.au or mobile: 04078 301 001.

Thread Together 2021 - Anglicare Southern Queensland (anglicaresq.org.au)

Susan Crothers-Robertson

Team sport gives the girls a sense of responsibility as they are required to attend training sessions and go the extra mile. They are not just letting themselves down if they don’t, they let their team down as well. There is always such a happy vibe around the Boarding House following the girls’ return from their fixtures, even if they haven’t won, they always have a story to tell.

Last week, I asked a few of our senior girls to sum up the last term of QG sport:

Gabby pointed out that Basketball trainings “were always so much fun and we got to hang out with people in different year levels and make new friends along the way.”

“Although results were not always as we aspired, resilience shone through and we finished every game with a smile on our faces” Priscilla and Ruby commented about Soccer.

Liv noted that over 200 girls signed up for Touch Football and “It has been great to see the huge improvement all the girls have made in their touch skills this season and the fun they had doing it!”

The emphasis on fun and enjoyment from our senior girls highlights that whilst it is great to win along the way, it is the enjoyment the girls all have participating that makes it worthwhile.

Term 3 trials have commenced with QGSSSA Netball, Hockey, Tennis and Volleyball currently taking place and the return of Athletics, ready for our Interhouse Athletics Carnival coming up on the Tuesday 13 July (first day of Term).

Angela Crowe

Year 12 Road Map to External Assessment

Next week, all Year 12 students will receive a calendar that will provide information for their final semester at school. The calendar will outline dates for events, assessments (both internal and external), the end of Term 3 external exam practice and details regarding the organisation and planning for the first week of the September Holidays. We will also send a copy home via email for all Year 12 parents.

Year 10 Subject Selection for 2021

As mentioned earlier in this newsletter, subject selections are due next Thursday 17 June for all Year 10 students. Over the past 2 weeks we have met with Year 10 students who are finalising their decisions, and a few common themes have arisen out of these conversations. It is important to remember, it is better for students to be working in subjects they enjoy and are good at, rather than being in subjects they find hard and demotivating. In Years 11 and 12, each student needs to work and maintain a sustained effort in all their classes, and this is easier if they are subjects they enjoy and are good at. I have found in my conversations with the Year 10 students that this has been clouded by the concept of Inter Subject Scaling. I have been advising all students to concentrate on the subjects they enjoy and will achieve well in. For example, you would not choose all the maths and science subjects to study if they are subjects that you don’t enjoy or don’t achieve well in. An example of this is, if I am a very talented artist and it is my passion and I am ok at Maths, I would not choose Specialist Maths over Visual Art because Specialist Maths ‘scales’ better.

Selecting subjects for Years 11 and 12 is a very exciting and daunting time. Please be reassured that we will continue to support you and your daughter through her senior schooling to ensure the subjects she chooses now are the best for her are she moves through Years 11 and 12.

Nikki Townsend

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: XBZ706

Science: 9/08/2021 - $17.05

English: 16/08/2021 - $17.05

Mathematics: 23/08/2021 - $17.05

Writing: 30/08/2021 - $21.45

Parent Teacher Interviews

All parents will have received a letter regarding Years 7-12 Parent Teacher Interviews being held on Monday 12 July, the Student Free Day at the beginning of Term 3. Bookings open for parents this week and you can book in to see each of your daughter’s subject teachers. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact myself or Rosemarie Parisi at: rparisi@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Caitlin McCluskey

Guiding students to manage their time so that they can participate in a broad range of activities is necessary. Writer, Anne Fein believes that as students understand the key aspects of executive functioning, they can plan their time well. She suggests several helpful strategies:

• Develop flexible thinking through brainstorming and break large tasks into smaller sections
• Develop self-regulation skills by identifying urgent tasks verses important ones
• Strengthen working memory though repetition, visual cues and explaining concepts to others.

Reference: Fein, A.M. 2021, ‘Guiding Students to Improve Executive Functioning Skills’, Edutopia.

Nicole Walker

The report card results are the outcome of summative assessment or the evaluation of student progress. Throughout the semester we have also collected data through formative assessment of what students know and are yet to learn. This will inform the basis of Term 3 teaching and learning. As a school, this semester we have not just been locked into these two types of assessment but have drawn on collecting a body of evidence of student learning which we refer to as a photo album approach. Student ownership of learning is an important aspect of this type of assessment as it includes self-assessment and self-reflection.

Self-reflection provides the potential for improved learning and increase a student’s self-regulation. It achieves this by providing opportunities for students to share with each other and their teacher their thoughts and feelings about learning. Students are encouraged to reflect regularly on:

• What they are learning
• How they are learning
• What they are achieving
• How they view themselves as a learner

Such reflection can provide critical feedback to your child’s teacher about whether your child is engaged with her learning and how she sees herself as a learner. It can also help focus students’ attention towards classroom processes by encouraging them to continually think about learning. I would encourage you to discuss these elements of learning with your child when you share their report card.

Angela Drysdale

Music Tour 2022

Thank you to all those who have paid deposits for the proposed tour to Rotorua, NZ in 2022. There has been a significant amount of interest in the tour. Further information will be sent out soon to all families who have shown interest.

Open Mic Sessions

Our second Open Mic Session was held on Thursday this week. Congratulations to all girls who performed. It was another fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their musical talents. Videos of the performances will be made available for viewing soon on the St Margaret’s Music POD page.

Private Music Students’ Recital

Thank you to all students who performed at the Private Music Students’ Recital held on Wednesday afternoon. It was wonderful afternoon of music and all students who performed are to be congratulated on their entertaining performances!

Date Claimer

On Saturday 31 July, the St Margaret’s Music Festival will be held on Circular Drive from 12pm onwards. A special stage will be set up for students in all ensembles to present performances in a fun and informal environment, with the Music Support Group making refreshments available. This promises to be a wonderful afternoon of musical entertainment and we look forward to having many in attendance!

Music Support Group

The next Music Support Group meeting will be held on Tuesday 13 July 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

St Margaret’s won the top level Open Grade. Team members were Lucy White (Year 10), Stephanie Gerber (Year 9), Madison Jones (Year 8) and Miller Enders (Year 7). St Margaret’s also placed first in the B, C and Di Grades and 3rd in A Grade and Year 7i Grade, with the Year 7ii team placing 5th. These results are a testament to the level of skill of our students, their commitment to St Margaret's Artistic Gymnastics and the expertise of our coaches who were led by Ms Laura Lancaster and Coordinator, Ms Louise Burgman.

Olympic Swimming Trials

On Saturday 12 June to Thursday 17 June, the Olympic Swimming trials will commence in Adelaide. St Margaret’s has three swimmers, Sienna Timms (Year 10), Sophie Martin (Year 10) and Isabella Martin (Year 11) attending and competing at these trials. We wish our girls all the best and an enjoyable experience.

Secondary Interhouse Athletics

The Secondary Interhouse Athletics Carnival will be held on the first day of Term 3 - Tuesday 13 July for all students in Year 7-12 at Windsor Park. The carnival will commence at 9:00am and will conclude at approximately 2:30pm with all girls being transported to and from the carnival via school buses.

The philosophy of participation and enjoyment is paramount to St Margaret’s Sport therefore this carnival has been designed to encourage student participation. Students will compete in all throwing events and have an opportunity to nominate for a variety of track events. Please note, not all requests can be met due to event limitations.

Lastly, I invite all parents and friends to support their daughters in attending this event to develop not only House spirit but wonderful school spirit.

St Margaret’s Run

The St Margaret's Run is a tradition that commenced in 1999 and is based on the famous ‘Great Court Race’. The Great Court Race was made famous in the movie ‘Chariots of Fire’ where students at Cambridge attempted to complete a circuit around a court within Cambridge University. The St Margaret's Run will be held on St Margaret’s Day, Friday 16 July and requires students to run a circuit around the school of approximately 800m in length.

The event includes both Primary and Secondary students competing in year group divisions with the overall fastest time within the Secondary Divisions crowned ‘The St Margaret’s Run Champion’ and a trophy being awarded on Speech Night. The divisions are as follows:

• Pre-Prep Race
• Junior Primary Division (Years 3 and 4)
• Upper Primary Division (Years 5 and 6)
• Junior Division (Years 7 and 8)
• Intermediate Division (Years 9 and 10)
• Senior Division (Years 11 and 12)
• Prefects Race

Entry forms for the Primary divisions are available through Ms Rowe, while all Secondary students must register online by clicking on the following link: St Margaret’s Run Online Registration.

Congratulations to…

Lucinda Bourke (Year 10) and Indiahna Frawley (Year 10) who have been identified as talented Rugby 7s players and will now trial to be a part of the QAS7s Emerging Squad which is designed to support the state’s top Under 15-17 years-old female Rugby 7s players.

Arabella Wilson (Year 10) who recently competed in the Coffs Harbour Winter Show Jumping Classic and placed 1st in the Open 65cm class, 2nd in the 70cm class and 3rd in the 60cm class events. We wish Arabella continued success in upcoming events.

Netball Trivia Night

The Netball Support Group is running its annual Trivia Night on Saturday 31 July at Norths Rugby Club. All friends and family of St Margaret’s are invited to get a team together and enter a table. This is bound to be a terrific night of fun and frivolity all in the name of Netball! For more information, please click here (PDF 685.7KB) to download the flyer.

Helen Lobegeiger

Each year, the Barbara Sisley Awards acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of those students who top the state of Queensland in AMEB Speech and Performance exams and Trinity College of London Speech and Drama exams in the previous year.

Both Emi and Mana achieved the highest result in Queensland for their respective AMEB Speech and Performance exams in 2020. An outstanding achievement!

On Saturday night, Emi joined other very talented students from throughout Queensland in performing to a captivated audience of 168 guests at the 75th anniversary of the event.

The Communication, Speech and Performance Teachers Inc. first established the Barbara Sisley Awards in 1947 to honour the outstanding contribution Miss Sisley made to teaching and the Arts in Queensland over many years. Barbara Sisley was a creative and dynamic actor, director, producer and teacher of Speech and Drama who taught here at St Margaret’s for some time during her early career.

Maria Chamberlain

If you are unable to attend, please remember that you can support this fundraising initiative by purchasing raffle tickets. There are some excellent prizes on offer including an 85L Evacool esky filled with assorted local and international beers and spirits, a drinks and dining in Ascot experience, Queensland Cricketers Club Game Day experience and Athletes Foot Vouchers. Don’t miss out, tickets available by clicking here.

Reunion Weekend – Friday 23 – Monday 26 July

Invitations to our Reunion weekend have been sent out, these should be arriving soon in your letterbox or email inbox. A reminder about the events and dates:

10 Year Reunion – Class of 2010 – Friday 23 July 2021

10 Year Reunion – Class of 2011 – Friday 23 July 2021

20 Year Reunion – Class of 2000 – Friday 23 July 2021

20 Year Reunion – Class of 2001 – Friday 23 July 2021

30 Year Reunion - Class of 1990 – Friday 23 July 2021

30 Year Reunion – Class of 1991 – Friday 23 July 2021

40 Year Reunion – Class of 1980 – Saturday 24 July 2021

50 Year Reunion – Class of 1970 – Saturday 24 July 2021

60 Year Reunion – Class of 1960 – Saturday 24 July 2021

40 Year Reunion – Class of 1981 – Sunday 25 July 2021

50 Year Reunion – Class of 1971 – Sunday 25 July 2021

60 Year Reunion – Class of 1961 – Sunday 25 July 2021

VIP 60+ Year Reunion – Monday 26 July 2021

If you have any queries or questions, or are having trouble booking your tickets, please contact the Development Office on 07 3862 0768.

Lindsay Khushal

Early Entry for 2022 has opened for several universities

Southern Cross University STAR Early Offer

University of New England Early Entry - University of New England (UNE)

Griffith University https://www.griffith.edu.au/apply/guaranteed-admission-scheme/early-offer

Australian Catholic University ACU Guarantee

Bond University Click here for more information.

University of Melbourne

Victorian Indigenous Engineering Winter School (VIEWS) is being held in July 2021, applications close at 5:00pm on 14 June. Please see Ms Johnston if you are interested in this opportunity.

Monash University: Choose your Open Day experience

This year, you’re able to choose the Open Day experience that's right for you. We’re bringing you three different events to help you get a taste of everything Monash has to offer. You can attend just one or attend all three. It's up to you! We’ll open registrations soon, but you can find out more about the events and sign up for updates via the stay connected link.

Open Days scheduled for 2021

QTAC has now updated their Open Days and Expos page. Click here to find out when the tertiary institution/s you are interested in attending has/have scheduled their Open Day.

GUESTS applications for Trimester 2 now open

Griffith University Early Start to Tertiary Studies (GUESTS) program is a great opportunity for motivated Years 11 and 12 students to sample their desired degree and make a start on their university studies. Benefits of the GUESTS program include two adjustments per course completed when applying for a Griffith undergraduate degree, academic credit and Griffith Credentials. Trimester 2 study will commence in July. Interested students should submit an online application by Tuesday 15 June. Click here to complete the application form.

The Griffith University 2022 undergraduate study guide is available on line.

UQ Provisional entry – Doctor of Medicine (MD)

Applicants are now selected for full offers into the Provisional entry to Doctor of Medicine (MD) using a merit order rank which is derived:

• percentile rank in the MMI (Multi-mini interview) = 50%
• percentile rank in the UCAT = 25%
• percentile rank in the Adjusted ATAR = 25%

2021 Tertiary Studies Expo reminder

The annual Brisbane Tertiary Studies Expo (TSXPO), Australia's largest tertiary studies expo, offers a unique opportunity for anyone interested in starting, changing or upgrading their career. It will be held at the Royal International Convention Centre, Brisbane Showgrounds on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 July 2021 from 10:00am to 4:00pm.

Liz Johnston