eNews Archive Issue 18 - 13 June 2019

Exams are well and truly underway for most of our school community. I wish our students well with their assessment.

At St Margaret’s, student wellbeing is the top priority for all staff. Parents, teachers and students are all on the same page with regard to this. Wellbeing; however, does not mean that a student always gets what she wants; what it does mean is that decisions are made that we believe are in the best interest of that student at that time. Sometimes the student does not always agree. Often what they believe is best for them is the easy path, the comfortable routine, the less challenging subject. As adults, we know that these unchallenging situations won’t necessarily lead to success or development of skills and understanding.

At the end of term, I encourage all students to look after themselves, get ample amounts of food and nutrition and sleep, and to always give their best effort with their work.

Karen Gorrie 

Each year, I have the opportunity to travel with Lesa Fowler to visit current, past and new boarding families. This week, we have spent time in Mt Isa and Cloncurry – learning every day. We have been challenged by driving on outback roads and learning to ‘drop a wheel’ to being captivated by the Ardmore Cattle Station and being confused by ‘Tank’ the poddy calf who thinks he is a horse. But most of all, the experience has confirmed that we are indeed lucky to have such a vibrant boarding community who are so willing to share their time and experiences with us. Thank you to Nic and Col Kennedy for their hospitality and allowing this city dweller to learn from you and your classroom.

Nicole Devlin 

Over the two days, there will be opportunities for the Boarders to cook, dance, sing, play musical instruments, play games, do art and craft activities and get involved in team challenges. Saturday night will conclude with a live band where the girls relax, dance and celebrate the Boarding community.

The aim of the Closed Weekend is to expose Boarders to a wide range of cultural activities, helping them to appreciate their fellow Boarders who may have a different background from theirs. It is an opportunity for all Boarders to showcase their skills and talents, to learn from others and, of course, to celebrate. It is a very significant event on our Boarding calendar and we are all looking forward to it.

Fiona Spooner 

If you were unable to attend, please view the recording at:

https://www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au/community/trends-in-education

Phillip also referred to the following additional resources on the QTAC website:

1. Inter-subject scaling (White paper) is provided as a link at: https://www.qtac.edu.au/atar-my-path/atar
2. Pre-requisites for Tertiary Entrance are provided in links to each institution at: https://www.qtac.edu.au/atar-my-path/my-path

Information from Phillip’s presentation will also be provided at the Subject Selection Information Evening for Year 10 parents on Monday 5 August. If you have questions about the ATAR or Tertiary Entrance, please let me know and we can contact QTAC if necessary.

Jo Butterworth 

All bookings for Parent/Teacher Interviews will be facilitated via Parent Lounge. The booking system will be open to parents at 9:00am on Monday 17 June and close at 9:00am on Wednesday 10 July. Please be aware of the closing date for the booking system as no further bookings can be made after this date.

Please note, due to leave and other arrangements, the following staff are unavailable for Parent/Teacher Interviews: Kathy Thorne, Marilyn Ivers, Regina Brennan and Alina Layton.

For Boarder parents wishing to utilise SKYPE technology, please email: rparisi@stmargarets.qld.edu.au. This will ensure the system is available. You will then be placed on a booking sheet and receive the St Margaret’s ID number.

Anyone wishing to use SKYPE will need to be in possession of the following:

• Functioning microphone and speaker
• Webcam
• SKYPE software
• Have a registered ID

Please note: If you need assistance with Parent Lounge Access, please email School Support: schoolsupport@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Tom McCormick 

At St Margaret’s, we celebrate our rich cultural diversity as it is one of our main strengths which embodies our identity. Last Friday, a Cultural Diversity Day was held with lots of lunch time activities focussed around food and games. I would like to thank the Student Representative Council and Ms Matheson for organising such a wonderful event.

Reflection by Jenny Matheson
St Margaret’s is a local school with a global outlook. We aim to educate our young women to be citizens of the world and to view on a worldwide scale the opportunities available to them. To this end, we seek to assist them to engage with a wide range of different cultural perspectives and points of view, to see the richness inherent in a diverse community, and to become socially aware and open-minded.

China is well represented at St Margaret's

The diversity of our school community is an invaluable asset that continually broadens our girls’ perspectives. St Margaret’s students hail from many different countries, and our domestic students represent a broad range of cultural backgrounds and heritages, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Each year we welcome approximately thirty Year 10 Exchange students from all over the world, as well as many students on international school tours. Our staff, too, are a diverse group, with many hailing from overseas and bringing a wealth of experience and global perspectives to enrich our students’ learning. Too often, however, we take this beautiful mosaic of our community for granted.

Team PNG... and they brought their families!

On 7 June, in partnership with the international student group, the Student Representative Council (SRC) hosted “Diversity Day”, a celebration of the multiculturalism of the St Margaret’s community. Students were treated to a feast of beautiful food and snacks from a broad range of different cultures, much of which was donated by St Margaret’s students and staff. They also enjoyed music and games from many different cultures, and they decorated Circular Drive with drawings of their cultural symbols and messages of intercultural friendship. They also had the opportunity to indicate their cultural heritage on a map, thereby creating a visual representation of our school’s rich diversity.

Members of the SRC

The atmosphere was joyful and welcoming, and students’ enthusiasm could not even be dampened by some unexpected rain. It was wonderful to see students proudly displaying the symbols of their culture and dancing to their favourite music, and of course, students were particularly eager to sample the delicious treats from all over the world! As students were able to experience some of what their peers love most about their own cultures, we hope this will inspire their curiosity about different cultures and forge stronger connections, deeper understanding and appreciation amongst all members of our community.

Drawings on Circular Drive

Nikki Townsend 

The aim of the VCOP Program is to create a positive ethos towards writing, raise the standards of writing and motivate students. Through the Program, students know and are encouraged to ‘up level’ their sentences through improving vocabulary, this means replacing basic vocabulary with more sophisticated word choices, using metaphors or similes. Connectives are used to develop increasingly more complex sentence structures and paragraphs. Openers are the inclusion of phrases and clauses to make sentences more outstanding and to provide more detail in the text. Attention to correct punctuation makes the written word more powerful.

Embedded in these aspects of VCOP is the teaching of year level appropriate grammar and the opportunity to write a variety of text types (genre). A weekly ‘big write’ provides a context in which the student author communicates ideas centred around a prompt and a genre whilst applying grammatical and spelling skills. This writing opportunity helps the students develop writing endurance and engage in revision of text through the understanding of VCOP. During the writing process, teachers and peers offer formative feedback which will guide future writing. You too can play a role in your child’s writing, in the most recent edition of Families Magazine I have offered ideas. The full article is available on the POD Primary page. After the holidays, I will complete the communication puzzle with an article on oral language.

Angela Drysdale

Pre-Prep Parking Reminders
Four parking bays are allocated to Pre-Prep parents for drop off and pick up at the Advent Centre for a maximum of 10 minutes. We request that only Pre-Prep parents park in these bays with their permit on display in their car. The carparks are not to be used while dropping children to the Primary School. Please note, the Pre-Prep parks may be used by all other parents between 9:00am-2:00pm or after 3:00pm.

Upcoming Events
20 June: Grandparents, Godparents and Parents Morning
20 June: Interhouse Verse Speaking Competition
20 June: Last day of Term 2
First week of holidays: Semester 1 2019 Reports are available
15 July: Parent/Teacher Interviews for Pre-Prep to Year 6 

Barley Sugar Garden Performance
Thank you to Chamber Strings and their conductor Mr Jonny Ng for the entertaining performance given in the Barley Sugar Gardens last Friday during morning tea. The music was appreciated by all in attendance!

Encorah/Exultate Music Tour 2020 – France/Belgium
A reminder that deposits for the proposed Music Tour to France/Belgium are due this week by 5pm, Friday 14 June and can be made via Flexischools: www.flexischools.com.au. 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 Support Group – Bunnings Sausage Sizzle
The St Margaret’s Music Support Group will be running the sausage sizzle at Bunnings Newstead this Sunday 16 June. If you are in the vicinity on Sunday, please come along and support our dedicated team of parents. Thank you in advance to all those who have volunteered to be involved on the day!

Music Support Group
The next Music Support Group meeting will be held on Tuesday 30 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 Open Tennis Championships
The annual St Margaret’s Cup was played across last weekend at the Churchie courts on Friday 7 June and Sunday 9 June. It was great to see both our QGSSSA and social players out in force competing in the Singles, Doubles and Boarder Cup. There were great performances throughout the tournament, indicating St Margaret’s Tennis will have a terrific start to the upcoming Winter fixture season. Congratulations to all participants and special mention goes to the following players who won their divisions:

Junior (Years 7 and 8) – Camille Maunder

Intermediate (Years 9 and 10) – Gabriella Henzell

Senior (Years 11 and 12) – Isabel Vittone-Taylor

Boarders Cup – Camille Maunder

All Schools Touch Football Tournament
On Saturday 8 June, three St Margaret’s Touch Football teams competed in the Brisbane All Schools Competition at Whites Hill Reserve. The U13 team demonstrated some strong rucking through the middle by Elle Gordon and Grace Turnbull, with some amazing runaway tries by Tshia Nielsen and Isla Feek. Overall, the U13 team came 4th in their pool of six.

The U15 team worked hard in the lead up to the competition, putting together set plays that resulted in numerous tries against their opposition. Amelia Butler-Wood, Indiahna Frawley and Lucinda Bourke did a great job in leading the team to the finals. Our U15 team finished in the top six of eighteen teams.

Our Open team had a tough pool of seven teams. As the games progressed, the team demonstrated improvement in their skill, speed and strategies. Well done to all the students involved in the competition. Thank you to the coaches: Courtney Porter, Rachel Walsh and Tom Smithers.

Winter Sport Camps – Athletics/Hockey/Netball
This year, St Margaret’s is launching two new sports camps – a QGSSSA Netball and Hockey Camp. These camps will run simultaneously and in conjunction with the annual Athletics Camp, which will be held on Friday 21 June to Sunday 23 June at the BLK Performance Centre at Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast. The Athletics, Hockey and Netball camps will involve skill and team development sessions which will assist all girls in their preparation for the QGSSSA competition season in all three sports. Each sport will run separate programs; however, any multi-sport athletes will be able to cross-over between sports. Further details can be found via the POD sports pages.

Interhouse Athletics Carnival
The Interhouse Athletics Carnival will be held on the first day of Term 3, Tuesday 16 July for all students in Years 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. Many students have been preparing for the carnival by attending Athletics training. Girls who are in events they are not familiar with are asked to attend Athletics training.

All girls are to show their House spirit by wearing their House colours on the day and are asked to bring with them a drink bottle, sports hat, sunscreen and lunch. Girls will also have an opportunity to support their House by buying snacks and/or lunch at the charity House stalls.

The philosophy of participation and enjoyment is paramount to St Margaret’s Sport, therefore all events at this Athletics carnival have been designed to encourage student participation. We invite all parents and friends to support their daughters by 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 19 July and requires students to run a circuit around the school of approximately 600m in length.

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

• 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)

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…
Tahlia Thornton (Year 11) who competed at the 2019 Hancock Prospecting Swimming Trials and made her way into the final of the 100m Backstroke. Tahlia will contest the World Junior Swimming Championships in Budapest in August.

Helen Lobegeiger 

Coffee, tea and other refreshments will be served from 5:00pm-7:00pm.

Lisa Smith 

Students currently away on their Exchange:
We recently heard from Rosie Turnbull who is currently away on Exchange at Shawnigan Lake School in Canada:

I am back from Toronto and very happy to inform you that my crew made finals for both heavy weight and light weight divisions. Our light weight 4 had a very tough race coming 4th by 0.05 seconds, and our same crew came 3rd in the heavy weight division. This was an absolutely amazing way to finish off the exciting week and racing season for the team.

We left on Monday morning, training and sightseeing for three days before we started the main competition on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We were lucky enough to visit Niagara Falls, which was a breathtaking experience; the overall scale of the Falls is so gigantic.

All students are approaching their assessment week, so the stress levels are rising a little; however, I am hoping to help keep everyone calm.

I am having so much fun, experiencing the school life of Shawinigan and the many activities they have to offer. My time here is going very quickly, so I am definitely making the most of every single moment!

Angelin Achari 

St Margaret’s has been fortunate to have had five major paintings, by noted Queensland artist Ian Smith, hanging in three locations for the past six months.

‘Does a Bridge Exist Down Below’ 1993, looked so at home in its position in the Library, and with the Principal’s approval, the Friends of MAYO Committee recently purchased this artwork. The bridge, as a metaphor for the connection of two things or places, is a wonderful stimulus for all the students who pass through our school. It is such a strong image, so we hope everyone enjoys it as much as we do.

The artist has generously loaned us two new works to be hung in the Independent Learning Centre until the end of the year. ‘Go West’ and ‘Signs of Refreshment ahead if you are going the other way’ each have interesting stories about place and what we see (and don’t see) on our journeys. However, Ian is reluctant to intellectualise the imagery which will be recognised in most people’s experience; “Whilst the ideas are intriguing to me, there is no great personal mystery that the viewer needs to know before approaching.”

Please take the opportunity to view the works when you can. Should you be interested in purchasing either work, please contact me at: jlishman@stmargarets.qld.edu.au for Ian’s contact details.

Jenny Lishman 

Pre-Prep and Prep
Sports Uniform – Fleecy top and pants or jumper, brown socks and joggers from home (compulsory)

Year 1
Sports Uniform – Fleecy top and pants or jumper
Middy Uniform – Jumper

Year 2
Sports Uniform – Either fleecy top and pants or tracksuit jacket and pants or jumper
Middy Uniform – Jumper

Year 3 to Year 9
Sports Uniform – Tracksuit jacket and pants or jumper
Middy Uniform - Jumper

Year 10 to Year 12
Sports Uniform – Tracksuit top and pants or jumper
Middy Uniform – Jumper, blazer (compulsory)

Tights and scarf are available for all year levels.
Three-quarter length bike pants are available for Years 7-12 for before and after school training.

Trading Hours for end of Term 2
Thursday 20 June 2019: 8:00am-2:00pm
Friday 21 June 2019: 8:00am-12midday

Shop reopens:
Monday 15 July 2019: 12midday-3:00pm
Tuesday 16 July 2019: 8:00am-2:00pm
Wednesday 17 July 2019: 10:00am-5:00pm

Normal Trading Hours
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 8:00am-2:00pm
Wednesday: 10:00am-5:00pm

Terisa Arnold 

Bookings for the St Margaret’s OSHC June/July School Holiday Program has opened. If you require care for the upcoming school holiday period, please return your booking form by 17 June 2019.

How do I book?
Complete the official booking form attached to the program. For further details, please email: oshc@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

What is the cost?*
Fees: $65 per day*
*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 in the OSHC Room (Level 1 Primary Atrium, St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School).

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 

Anyone can bid from now until the close of bidding on Friday night. Many items have been designed for groups to bid on.

To register and start bidding, visit: https://www.fathersdinner-auction.com.

Don’t forget that you can bid on items even if you are not attending the dinner, so please support our fundraising efforts by registering and bidding today!

Trivia Night – reserve a table today!
The Trivia Night is back for 2019! Now in its 3rd year, this fun and frolicsome event hosted by the Netball Support Group is one of the most entertaining on the school calendar. So, gather your friends and book a table for some brain-scratching fun – this is a night out not to be missed.

Date: Saturday 3 August 2019

Time: 6:30pm

Venue: Eton Hall, St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School

Tickets: $25 per person

BYO food only – Eftpos/Cash Bar

RSVP: Wednesday 24 July 2019

To book your table of 10 or 12, please contact Megan Stanley, on 0434 212 247 or email meganstanley@live.com.au.

Tables MUST be pre-purchased through the Development and Community Office by calling 07 3862 0765 or emailing: developmentandcommunity@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

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 are 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 

Sunday 23 June: Brisbane to the US/UK: Everything you need to know about studying abroad: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brisbane-to-the-usuk-everything-you-need-to-know-about-studying-abroad-tickets-62183694103?discount=FREE.

Both links have the promo code FREE, so that students and parents can attend these events for free (when they follow the link).

Australian Defence Force
Interested in joining Gap Year or ADFA in 2020? For more information on the recruiting process for ADFA, visit: ADFA Dual Application Process.

Brisbane Defence Recruiting Information Sessions
If you would like to find out more about the opportunities in the Australian Defence Force, the list of upcoming events is available from the Careers POD page.

The University of Queensland
In 2018, UQ introduced a situational judgement test for the Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Honours). Registration will open shortly and will remain open until the day before the scheduled November exam date. Discover more

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. For more details and to register, click here.

Tertiary Studies Expo
Royal International Convention Centre, Brisbane Showgrounds
Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 July 2019, 10:00am to 4:00pm on both days. More details here.

Australian Catholic University: Community Achiever’s Program (CAP)
The program offers future students who are active in their community early entry to their undergraduate course of choice. Apply here - applications for 2020 close 30 July.

UNE
Year 12 students are invited to participate in our Early Entry Program for admission in 2020.

UQ International High School Students Showcase
For Years 11 and 12 international high school students - Monday 2 October, 9:00am-3:30pm at UQ St Lucia campus.

QUT International high school day
We welcome all international high school students who are currently studying Years 11 or 12 here in Australia. Gardens Point campus on Monday 21 October 2019 (student free day). Register here.

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

Scholarships in Australia
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 have 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/

University Open Days – details are available from the Careers POD page.

Elizabeth Johnston