eNews Archive Issue 2 - 4 February 2021

We are encouraging all staff, students and parents to read the book and to indicate their participation by going on to the POD where you can record that you have read the book by posting a comment or an interesting quote from the book. You may wish to respond to someone else’s comment. I do hope that you will participate.

We will be referring to the book throughout the year on several occasions and it would be great if you could read the book and let us know that you have. Happy reading!

At the beginning of each year, I publish the names of staff who are undertaking further study. I do this as it is one of the key indicators of the commitment of our staff to higher learning.

The following staff are currently studying in 2021 towards their Masters or an additional qualification. You will note the focus on leadership and management in education by our teachers. It is heartening to see this demonstration, at a high level, of professional engagement and a commitment to lifelong learning.

• Annette Box - Master of Education (Leadership and Management), QUT
• Louise Brown - Master of Education (Leadership and Management, QUT
• Kerry Daud - Master of Education (Innovative Learning Design), QUT
• Chris Dunn - Master of Education (Leadership and Management), QUT
• Naomi Holley - Graduate Certificate in Career Development, ISQ/CEAV
• Amanda Jansen - Master of Education (Leadership and Management), QUT
• Caitlin McCluskey – Master of Education (Leadership and Management), QUT
• Hetal Raniga - Master of Education (Leadership and Management), QUT

Other members of staff studying:

• Anna Siddans - Bachelor of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University
• Claudia Mazzotta - Master of Arts in Visual Arts, Griffith University
• Hannah Calcino - Master in Education, Christian Heritage College
• Jared Bidwell - Master of Teaching (Secondary), Charles Sturt University
• Kari Potts - Master of Teaching (Primary), QUT
• Shendelle James - Bachelor of Information Technology (Data Analytics), University of Southern Queensland
• Wendy Johnston - Graduate Certificate in Writing, Editing and Publishing, University of Queensland
• Sophia Taylor - Graduate Certificate in Business (Strategic Advertising), QUT
• Delia Eastland - Master of Business (Sport Management), Deakin University

Safer Internet Day on Tuesday 9 February 2021 is an opportunity to raise awareness about the role we can all play in creating a better internet. I would encourage you to take the time to visit: www.esafety.gov.au/SID and sign up for the Safer Internet Day webinar for parents and carers, eSafety’s guide to cyberbullying and online drama. Help us make every day a Safer Internet Day!

The eSafety website: www.esafety.gov.au is an excellent resource for parents, carers and teachers. It offers user-friendly advice on all matters relating to internet safety.

Ros Curtis

In Academic Advising groups and in Form Classes across the school, students have been discussing making goals for the year. Such goals can be academic goals, or for some of our students they may be much broader than that.

Our students’ thinking and constructing their goals coincided really well with the Scholars’ Assembly on Tuesday. At this assembly we were able to congratulate and celebrate with those students who received an ATAR of 90 and above.

I was able to chat with a number of those students myself on that day. In those conversations the overriding theme was that they were pleased with the effort they had put into their studies, and that all did so in different ways.

Not all of them described themselves as ‘fast learners’. This is an interesting term in itself, as describing someone as a ‘fast learner’ is intended to suggest that the person is smart because we believe that speed tells us something about ability. But this is not actually true. Speed is not the indicator – mastery is. When students allocate themselves enough time to truly understand what is taught, they perform better. Some students take longer than others to attain mastery and that is okay. In fact, this difference is a function of the tremendous variability in any group of people.

So, I hope that one of the goals that our students set for themselves is to allocate enough time to their revision and study, to allow themselves whatever time they need in order to understand their work.

Karen Gorrie

Throughout the year there are also opportunities for families to gather with their children for our school services. Please see below some of our family services for Terms 1 and 2. It is desirable that all students and their families attend these services. There are also services where students can be Baptised, Admitted to Holy Communion or be Confirmed.

Term 1

Baptism and Admission to Holy Communion will take place in Term 1 for Years 7 and 8. There will be preparation classes during lunch time on 2 and 10 March in the school chapel. Students from Years 7 and 8, are invited to participate in preparation for Baptism and/or Admission at the Year 7 Family Service to be held on Wednesday 10 March at 6:00pm in the School Chapel (Year 8 Family Service date is to be advised).

If your child would like to be baptised and/or Admitted to Holy Communion, please contact me.

Confirmation is considered a mature, more adult rite. In 2021, Confirmation is open to students from Year 9 and above or other members of the school community. We will be holding our Confirmation preparation classes during lunch time on 16 February, 2 and 16 March. The service of Confirmation, with Bishop Jeremy Greaves, will be held on Wednesday 17 March at 6:00pm in St Margaret’s Chapel.

Please find the letter and form attached (PDF 438.5KB) regarding Confirmation. Please complete and return School Support or me.

The Pre-Prep to Year 3 Twilight Family Service will be held on 24 March at 6:00pm. Families and their children are invited to attend this special Family Service.

Term 2

Students in Years 4-6 are invited to participate in preparation for Baptism and Admission to Holy Communion (preparation is done during class RVE lessons). The service will take place at the Years 4-6 Family Service to be held on Wednesday 28 April at 6:00pm in the School Chapel. Please note, those Year 4 girls and families who were not baptised and admitted to Holy Communion due to the cancellation last year, will be invited to participate this year. More information will be coming home during the term.

For any further information, please do not hesitate to call me on 3862 0716 or email: scrothers-robertson@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Susan Crothers-Robertson

On Saturday night, competition was fierce with a Dodgeball tournament that had to be seen to be believed. The Philip Harris Sports Centre was transformed into a sea of green, pink, white, black and blue as the girls dressed up in the colours of their teams. They battled it out and even the staff were ducking for cover. To finish the night, the girls boogied away to “Just Dance”, where the girls’ moves were impressive.

To wrap up our weekend, we headed to Wet ‘n’ Wild on Sunday. The girls loved this outing as we were joined by other Boarding schools where they were able to catch up with family and friends while enjoying the rides and thrills at the theme park. It is not surprising that we had some very tired girls on Sunday night in the Boarding House.

Our next Closed Weekend will be held in Term 3 where we look forward to another busy and engaging weekend for everyone.

Fiona Spooner

• Tuesday 9 February 10:00am-12:00pm
• Thursday 11 February 7:00am-5:00pm
• Friday 12 February 3:00-5:00pm
• Saturday 13 February 7:00am-1:00pm
• Tuesday 16 February 10:00am-1:00pm
• Wednesday 17 February 7:00-8:00am, 9:30am-12:30pm, 5:00-8:00pm
• Friday 19 February 7:00-8:30am, 3:00-5:00pm

Careers Information and Portfolio Pathway

Ms Naomi Holley, Director of Careers and Portfolio Pathways and Ms Liz Johnston form the Careers and Pathways team. Both staff members are available to meet with students who are looking for direction in study and work post school. Their office is located in the Senior Library and is open to all year levels. Students are most welcome to drop in before and after school or during break times. Parents and students requiring a longer meeting, or specific time, should email either Ms Johnston (Careers Counsellor): ejohnston@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or Ms Holley (Director of Careers and Portfolio Pathways): nholley@stmargarets.qld.edu.au to arrange an appointment. Please refer to the Careers and Portfolio Pathway section of the eNews for more information about how they can assist your daughter.

Year 12 - Term 1 Exam Morning and Day

This term, the Year 12 students have an Exam Morning on Tuesday 16 February. Year 12 Chemistry students are required at school at 8:00am on this morning, with all other Year 12 students not required at school until 9:50am for the start of the Prefects Assembly.

Please note also that due to the date change of the Interhouse Swimming Carnival the Year 12 Exam Day has been moved to Monday 8 March. On this day only Mathematical Methods and Design students are required at school. The girls involved will be sent the organisation for this day.

Years 11 and 12 Exam Block

The schedule of exams for the Term 1 Years 11 and 12 Exam Blocks will be made available on the year level pages of the Pod by the end of Week 4. If your daughter is unable to complete an exam, the ‘Request for an Extension’ form is located on the Academic Hub page on the POD. The list of exams that will be included in the Exam Blocks are recorded on the Assessment Calendars. Both Years 11 and 12 students have been provided with a study day to enable them to prepare for their exams. Now is a perfect time to ensure your daughter is preparing a study schedule in the lead up to exams and making sure their assessment is a priority during this time.

Nicole Devlin

Additional information I will be discussing is included below. If you have any questions, please email me at: cmccluskey@stmargarets.qld.edu.au, or if you are having trouble accessing the POD and Parent Lounge, please email: schoolsupport@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Years 7-12 Continuous Reporting

The aim behind Continuous Reporting is to provide valuable and informative reporting to parents and students in a way they can understand and work in partnership with teachers to support their learning.

For parents, Continuous Reporting will provide:

• Results in a working context – individualised to their daughter.
• Up to date information about how their daughter is performing, rather than waiting for the end of semester report or parent teacher interview.
• All results to parents though Parent Lounge, including results from previous assessment and years.

  Continuous Reporting will provide students with:

• Improvements in feedback to students for assessments – focus on improvements.

• The opportunity to own their results and look for areas of improvement.
• Access to an Academic Goal Setting process through Learning Analytics to allow the girls to analyse their results, engage in feedback and set goals for their learning path.

Assessment Calendars

All students have been provided with a copy of their Semester 1 Assessment Calendar. These have also been uploaded to the POD for student reference. Parents will be able to access the list of assessments and due dates after the 21 February through Parent Lounge by accessing ‘Curricular Activities’ (in the drop-down box under student details in the top menu).

Caitlin McCluskey

Whether it is starting at a new school or moving up to a higher grade and embarking on the journey through Secondary school, there is no doubt that any school transition is a very exciting time for children and parents. It means that the children are growing up!

However, for many, it may also be a very anxious and stressful time for both parents and children. Parents need to be aware of their child’s feelings during any school transition and minimise anxiety, so the process is an enjoyable experience for all. Familiarisation is often key to reducing stress levels. It is also important for parents to talk to their children about their expectations and being more responsible for their own needs. For more resources regarding this topic, please go to Parent Resources on the POD and Click on School TV.

I would also like to extend an invitation to parents to attend the Secondary Parent Information Evening this Thursday 4 February, in the Philip Harris Gym from 6:00-8:00pm to hear from key staff members information regarding the year ahead. This is an excellent opportunity to meet your daughter’s teachers and other parents.

Nikki Townsend

These include:

• Higher motivation and self-efficacy for learning
• Better school connectedness
• Improved behaviour
• Better overall wellbeing

More recent research has found parent involvement is a two-prong approach:

1. Family-school partnership
2. Family-led learning

The components of these areas are:

Family-School Partnership

• Parent-teacher communication – regular positive channels of communication are essential to building a strong partnership
• School-based involvement – attendance at events helps a child develop a sense of connectedness to and value of the school community. Connectedness influences academic outcomes.
  
  

Family-led Learning

• Setting a high bar – expectations
• Conversations – about learning, relationships
• Reading together
• Creating a learning environment
• Supporting wellbeing
  
  

One of the areas I spoke about at the evening was expectations, which is setting the high bar. These are influential in a child’s own value of learning and their sense of academic competence. Conversations is talking to your child about learning, relationships with others, what they like to learn, what they’re good at and not so good at. These two things (setting the bar and conversations) have an immediate impact on your child’s learning dispositions: that is, their attitudes and habits of mind which contribute to their self-efficacy, one’s belief in one’s ability to succeed in tasks and situations. Self-efficacy impacts how one approaches life and learning.

There has been a lot of research about how children learn and the dispositions they need to be successful learners. James Nottingham has developed a powerful approach to learning for children. He uses the analogy that deep learning is like going into a pit or chasm of the unknown - you end up in the bottom in a cognitive conflict state. With dispositions of learning, you work your way out as you think through the learning challenge.

As adults, we tolerate frustration as part of our learning process, we are not rescued when we can’t do something: this is what we need our children to learn. Feeling uncomfortable when learning, is learning.

As a school, we have identified learning dispositions, that is, the attitudes and habits of mind we believe students should possess to be a learner with self-efficacy.

• Optimism - positive self-talk - I can do this!
• Perseverance/Persistence - giving effort (growth mindset) within your control: working through, ‘I can do it’. Keep trying - you start to make sense of it.
• Responsibility for own learning – resourcefulness - taking initiative.
• Independence
• Self-regulation – organised - planning time, setting goals.
• Resilience - ability to cope and bounce back after setbacks.
• Confidence - is not being concerned with what others think if you make a mistake. If we believe in our capabilities, then we have a greater ability to go through tough times.

I look forward to working alongside parents as the children build these dispositions for not only learning, but life.

Angela Drysdale

Continuous Reporting

Once again, Years 5 and 6 will continue to utilise Continuous Reporting. For our new parents, this is a process which enables teachers to provide timely feedback on assessed work. Throughout Semesters 1 and 2, Years 5 and 6 will be provided with assessment grades and feedback on assessment tasks in every subject. Feedback on each task is provided to assist parents when talking with their daughter to address any areas identified for improvement and to acknowledge success. Given that feedback has a very high effect size in relation to student achievement, this initiative supports our commitment to evidence-informed teaching.

As parents, you will be able to access the results of your daughter’s completed assessment tasks through the POD, via Parent Lounge then Student Details and finally Curricular Activities. A description of the assessment task, dates when the assessment is started and completed is outlined. All students are given the same amount of class time to complete assessment tasks irrespective of the day it is due.

As all assessments are done in class, the actual task may be due on a Monday for one class, and a Wednesday or Friday for another class, depending on the day/s that each student has the specific subject. As assessment and feedback become available in Parent Lounge you will be notified via the POD.

Kate Frewin

Assistant Head of Primary School - Curriculum

Music Day Camp

On Sunday 7 February, the Music Department will be holding a Day Camp for students involved in the following Secondary Music Ensembles: Stradivari Strings, Chamber Strings, Jackson Wind Ensemble, Sister Helen Wind Symphony and Exultate. The focus of the Day Camp is two-fold; the day is an opportunity for students to spend time rehearsing new repertoire in the lead up to Open Day, and it will also allow students to further build friendships with others in the Music Program. The day will run from 9:00am-3:30pm and we will look forward to having all girls involved. A letter with further information is attached (PDF 139.2KB).

Music Staff News

During Term 1, Mr Michael Gillespie will be away on leave and we welcome Mr Wesley Taylor who will take guitar/bass guitar lessons and will also rehearse our Rock Bands. We welcome Mr Taylor to the St Margaret’s Music community!

Boarder Music Practice

The Boarder Music Practice Program has now re-commenced. All boarders undertaking private music lessons will have access to the Darnell music rooms from Monday to Thursday evenings, where they can sign up for thirty-minute practice sessions. All boarders who are learning musical instruments are encouraged to sign up to these sessions. The sign-up sheet is available in the Boarder Reception Area (Garden Room).

Music Support Group

The St Margaret’s Music Support Group is a committee of dedicated parents who meet regularly to support the girls who participate in the school’s Music Program. The Music Support Group organises and assists with refreshments at school concerts and fundraises to purchase a range of instruments/equipment to enhance the department’s resources. Thank you to all parents who attended the meeting held this week. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 2 March 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

Activity and Coordinator details:

Artistic Gymnastics - Mrs Louise Burgman: lburgman@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Basketball - Ms Jess Galpin: jgalpin@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Cricket - Mr Noel Peinke: npeinke@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Cross Country - Ms Susan Uhlmann: suhlmann@stmargarets.qld.edu.au  

Soccer - Mr Chris Forster: cforster@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Swimming - Ms Susan Uhlmann: suhlmann@stmargarets.qld.edu.au  

Touch Football - Ms Sarah Harre (Years 8, 9 and 10): sharre@stmargarets.qld.edu.au and Mr Tom Smithers (Years 11 and 12): TSmithers@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Water Polo - Ms Talia O’Callaghan: tocallaghan@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

QGSSSA Swimming – Swim Meet – Centenary Pool

Our swimmers are ready to make a splash at the first swim meet this Friday 5 February, hosted by Brisbane Girls Grammar School at the Centenary Pool. All swimmers are required to sign on via the Swimming POD page.

The swim meet will adhere to COVID-19 precaution guidelines, therefore there will be NO SPECTATORS at this event, unless you are assisting with timekeeping. All volunteers are asked to contact Coordinator, Susan Uhlmann.

The program of events for Friday 5 February is available via the Swimming POD page.

Swimming Club and Learn to Swim

St Margaret’s is proud to announce the launch of our very own Swimming Club and Learn to Swim program commencing this term. Both the Swim Club and the Learn to Swim program offers a seamless pathway for all students looking to develop their swimming skills at all levels.

St Margaret’s Swimming Club

There are six squad levels offered: Ruby, Bronze, Sapphire, Silver, Gold and Orange.

Ruby: An introductory squad for swimmers aimed at building on distance and strength in freestyle, backstroke, butterfly and breaststroke.

Bronze: This is an intermediate level squad with a focus on improving technique and increasing distance.

Sapphire: Designed for our emerging junior competitive swimmers.

Silver and Gold: These squads are our State Development squads, with a focus on developing race skills, endurance and training volume. The recommended number of training sessions is 7-9 per week.

Orange: This squad is a fitness squad for our Secondary students who wish to build on their fitness in the water.

For more information, contact Swimming Club Coordinator, Amanda Rhode: aquatics@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Learn to Swim

St Margaret’s will be providing Learn to Swim for all ages at our state-of-the-art swimming pool. Lessons will be driven by our desire to ensure that every student feels confident and comfortable in the water. It is our goal to instil a love of the water and for the sport of Swimming, which will continue throughout each student’s life.

St Margaret’s will offer a 5-level program catering to all abilities, ranging from basic learn to swim skills up to advanced stroke correction. Lessons will be 30 minutes long and will be available on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 2:45pm-5:15pm. For more information on how your child can access these lessons, contact Learn to Swim Coordinator, Amanda Rhode: aquatics@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

We look forward to seeing you in the pool.

Water Polo

The Water Polo season recommenced last weekend with a number of teams kick-starting the second half of the season with a win, including U12B, U13B, U14B, U15B and U17C. We are looking forward to a great season of Water Polo.

Support Group Meetings

Cross Country/Touch Football/Athletics – Tuesday 9 February at 6:00pm in Ms Café. All welcome.

Water Polo Support Group – Tuesday 9 February at 6:00pm in the HPE classroom, Sports Precinct. All welcome.

Congratulations…

Lucy White (Year 10) who has recently been selected to attend the Birmingham and Beyond National Team Camp for Artistic Gymnastics, held at the AIS in preparation for selection to the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Helen Lobegeiger

NOMINATION FOR POSITION

Any one member of the P&F shall be at liberty to nominate any other member to serve as an officer or other member of the Management Committee.

If you are interested in joining the P&F Association, all positions of the Management Committee will be declared vacant at the AGM and a new committee for 2021 will be elected.

Nominations can be made by downloading and completing this Nomination for Position form (PDF 71.8KB). All nomination forms must be returned to P&F@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or via School Reception by Friday 12 February 2021.

St Margaret’s 2021 Mothers’ Luncheon – Tickets on Sale 9:00am, Tuesday 9 February 2021

You are warmly invited to join us at the St Margaret's Mothers’ Luncheon on Friday 12 March 2021.

Time: 11:30am arrival for 12:00-3:00pm event

Venue: Gambaro Hotel Brisbane, 33 Caxton Street, Petrie Terrace, QLD

Tickets: $150 on sale at 9:00am on 9 February 2021 and can be purchased via this link: https://www.trybooking.com/BOHEL. Numbers are strictly limited, so get in fast to avoid disappointment!

Professional Women’s Network Breakfast – Thursday 18 March 2021

You are invited to join us for our first Professional Women's Network Breakfast in 2021 with St Margaret’s Notable and third generation student, Jenny Stevens. Jenny is the CEO/Clinical Director at Attune Hearing and has been a Clinical Audiologist for over 25 years. We are privileged to be welcoming her as keynote speaker for this event.

Date: Thursday 18 March 2021

Time: 7:00am arrival for a 7:15am start

Location: St Margaret's Anglican Girls School, 11 Petrie Street, Ascot

RSVP: Friday 12 March 2021 (unless SOLD OUT prior)

Tickets: $80 Adult, $40 Student (tertiary, Years 10-12)

Tickets will be available for purchase via Flexischools at the end of this week, or alternatively, please contact the Development Office on: developmentandcommunity@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or 07 3862 0767.

Reunion Weekend

Planning is well under way for our 2021 reunion events, where we will run both our 2020 and 2021 Milestone Reunions over one weekend.

We are delighted to announce the following 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

Melbourne Reunion - Friday 29 October 2021

Sydney Reunion – this usually takes place in March; however, due to recent disruptions, the decision has been made to postpone this event to later in 2021. Please look out for further communication on this.

Lindsay Khushal

UCAT

Who should sit UCAT? Any Year 12 students who are seeking entry into medicine, dentistry and health science degree programs in 2021.For more information about the new test, including price, testing dates and format visit: https://www.ucat.edu.au/ucat-anz/ucat-anz-2021/.

The University of Queensland

2021 UQ Science Ambassador Program

Through this program, science teachers nominate Year 11 students to interact with UQ and assist their school's science teachers to raise the profile of science in the school. If you are in Year 11 and are interested in being a part of this program, talk to your science teacher and visit the website. Applications are open now and close on 1 April 2021.

What’s on in 2021 for QUT Young Accelerators

QUT's Young Accelerators program offers on-campus curriculum-mapped STEM workshops and events that aim to excite and inspire learning by combining STEM with creative learning and entrepreneurship. Take a look what’s on in 2021.

TSXPO

Find your passion this July at the 40th annual Tertiary Studies Expo (TSXPO) in Brisbane, incorporating the Queensland Work and Skills Expo. The 40th annual Tertiary Studies Expo (TSXPO) will be held on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 July 2021, from 10:00am-4:00pm. Australia's largest tertiary studies expo features many local, interstate and overseas education providers, student services and support agencies.

Melbourne University

The University of Melbourne study opportunities

Are you thinking of studying interstate? Now is a good time to start your research as you will probably need to put in several Tertiary Admissions applications. Find out more about the opportunities at Melbourne and subscribe to the MyMelbourne monthly newsletter on the Future Students website.

Liz Johnston