eNews Archive Issue 28 - 8 September 2022

He has led the diocese exceptionally well through times which have been difficult, painful and demanding. It was the Archbishop who gave us this year’s theme for the school ‘Embracing Joy’, and we have appreciated very much his support for St Margaret’s and its Anglican mission.

Archbishop Phillip retires from his role and leaves this ministry with all our prayers of gratitude and our best wishes for this next phase of his life’s journey.

At the end of this term, we farewell and thank Mr Kirk West who has taught legal studies in the secondary school. In Term 4, we welcome back from maternity leave, Ms Emily Labinsky. Also joining us in Term 4, is Mrs Alison Ward in the role of Head of Faculty – Global Studies.

Term’s notice of withdrawal

This is another reminder to parents to notify us by the end of term if your child is not returning to St Margaret’s in 2023. We require one full school term’s written notice (or one school term’s fees in lieu of notice) when withdrawing a student from the school. In some year levels, we have waiting lists and we need to be able to contact those on the list who are hoping to secure a place at the school. To meet the requirement of a term’s notice, advice can be received up to the last Friday of the September school holidays. Advice may be emailed directly to me or to our admissions via  admissions@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Ros Curtis

At the presentation evening, I was happy to be able to say a few words on behalf of our school to our rowing community and I thought I would share some of those words in my article this week.

I was able to point out a few of the ways that I felt the rowing community at St Margaret’s encompassed this year’s theme of ‘Embracing Joy’ throughout the season.

• This year sees a record number of girls being involved in rowing. It is important to acknowledge their commitment to training and to the program, as well as achieving a balance between training and their academic studies. Special thanks must also go to their coaches and parent support.
• Earlier in the season our coaches were involved in the rescue of a kayaker who experienced a medical episode on the river. Rosie, Morgan, Laura, Lachie and Hamish were able to revive the kayaker and call emergency services. She would not be here today if it weren’t for their bravery and quick actions.
• The rowing community is such a strong community. This year the community spirit came into play early in the season when our new pontoon broke away in the Brisbane floods and floated down the river, and our shed was inundated. The community of coaches, parents and students came together to help secure the shed and its contents in order to minimise the damage.
• Our rowing captains and our first VIII team showed true leadership, being true role models for the rest of the team throughout the entire season. Every St Margaret’s student, parent and staff member were behind them during the race that day, and we were all thrilled to celebrate the win with them.

Karen Gorrie

Another gift of Prayer Space is the wisdom that students bring with them. During a session with one of the Prep classes this week, I asked the students, “what is prayer?” Most of the responses that were given were focussed on love and kindness, particularly the showing of love and the sharing of kindness in our communities and the world. Whilst prayer by its most simple definition is communication with God, the act of praying takes many different forms. These students were sharing the wisdom of lived prayers. Through showing kindness and sharing love in the world, we are expressing prayer-in-action, our actions live out our prayers. For example, if we pray for peace, then living this prayer in the world is to intentionally live peacefully and take actions toward peace.

As we move into the final week of term three, may you know God’s unending love for you.

“God loved us before he made us; and his love has never diminished and never shall.”

-- Julian of Norwich

Rev’d Jazz Dow

As a boarding community we have to allow the girls the opportunity to achieve in ways that best suit their style of learning. We must allow the girls to study in the way that best suits them. This can often mean that girls may not sit at their desk to study, some lay on the floor, others seek help from other girls. As long as this is done in a controlled manner and the girls are focused, we must allow them this freedom. Girls helping each other should not be frowned upon but encouraged. We do need to balance this by providing a quiet environment for those girls that need to study in silence.

Academic success is not just about achieving a high ATAR but about the girls achieving their personal best in all that they do. Boarders often show that they have to fully support each other in the pursuit of academic excellence. I saw a great example of this recently while watching a group of girls in the common room studying together. The girls sat together and analysed sources they had been given. They pulled the sources apart, debated ideas, shared thoughts and ideas and worked to help each other. The girls encouraged each other in the pursuit of academic excellence. Yes, they could be a little rowdy but this was as a result of debating ideas. This should be encouraged. The willingness to help and encourage each other was magic. Another very important aspect in the academic success of our boarders are the expert staff in the boarding house and the wonderful teachers that give their time to help the girls in the evening. This has seen the girls developing their skills in asking questions and asking for help. Academic achievement for boarders is the norm.

Lesa Fowler

Research has found that the human brain learns academic material faster and better if time is spent “preparing and reviewing” in brief blocks of time spread out, rather than long study sessions. For example, you have a better chance at performing on an exam if you spend one hour a day for 20 days than if you spend 10 hours studying each day for two days before an exam. Therefore, we need to encourage all our students to plan ahead, which includes dividing material into ‘chunks’. In the lead up to the exam and when studying, use time to develop and make study resources. But most importantly use study time to practice, recite and rewrite the content being covered. Below I have shared with you some specific strategies I share with the girls about ‘preparation and review’ techniques and the differences so you can also discuss with your daughters, if they need some extra guidance.

In the first week of the holidays, Year 12 students will have SWOTVAC. This is an opportunity to receive feedback on their completed Mock Exams and continue their preparation for External Examinations. Students are reminded to refer to the emails they have received from me to RSVP to the SWOTVAC Breakfast and Movie Afternoon events.

Caitlin McCluskey

Evidence for listening to music during study

• Listening to music during study can be helpful to certain students in distracting environments – for example, in a busy coffee shop. In this situation, music can replace irregular noises from the environment with a predictable, enjoyable source of stimulation.
• For some students, music can lower stress levels, which can help improve mood, motivation and study endurance.
• In some people, music has been shown to improve creativity and imagination during study sessions.

Evidence against listening to music during study

• Music with lyrics, or that is too fast paced, or that has a lot of changes in dynamics, has been shown to have a negative impact on study effectiveness.
• Research suggests that listening to some music has a detrimental impact on a student’s ability to undertake reading comprehension tasks or memorise content.
• Students who are musicians, or students who are introverted, often operate better without music during their study sessions.

How to choose music to help you study

If you are to study while listening to music, Olsen suggests you must consider the following points:

• Choose music with no lyrics and minimal amounts of abrupt and noticeable changes. “Distinct changes in music will capture your attention and become a source of distraction.”
• Keep the volume low so music is in the background. “People experience background music in a similar way to soft lighting – it can be relaxing and help you focus on your primary task without significant distraction.”
• Choose music that suits your personality – and what you’re working on.

Chris Dunn

References

Molloy, F., 2022. Please explain: Does music help you study?. [Online]
Available at: https://lighthouse.mq.edu.au/article/please-explain/february-2022/please-explain-does-music-help-you-study
[Accessed 2 September 2022].

It is not always easy for children and teenagers to always know how to manage friendships. Learning how to make new friends and keep them involves a number of skills every young person needs to understand and develop. For some, these skills will come very naturally, allowing them to easily move between different friendship groups, sharing their experiences and opening up to new people. For others, this can be much harder to navigate.

Belonging to a group that is like-minded with similar interests is highly beneficial to a child’s wellbeing. Friendships are full of ups and downs and it is better for kids to learn how to manage and build their own friendships, even though as an adult carer you may be tempted to interfere. The pastoral care team at the school assists girls to navigate friendships throughout their high school experience. It is ok for girls to move groups and we encourage the girls to have a lot of friends. This can be achieved through positive relationships being developed through our year level activities as well as our extensive extra-curricular program. For more information regarding this please visit our Parent Resource page on the POD.

Nikki Townsend

The Primary Breakfast was one such event where the children interacted with each other, their special male in their life and other visitors. The value this event holds was evident by the attendance numbers. Thank you to everyone who took the opportunity to be with their child at school. Each student was proud to create and give a tie to his or her special guest. Thank you to Mrs Rider for guiding the students in their creation. Once again, the appreciative audience was entertained by the Year 5 Verse Speaking choir under Maria Lakis’ direction. Thank you to Maria and the girls, the catering staff, and Annette Box for her organisation.

Our extracurricular program is also a learning opportunity for personal growth. Being a team member is a significant learning outcome of extra-curricular activities. As a team member, students learn to work together, follow the leader, and support each other. Importantly, it allows participants to practise the art of winning and losing graciously.

On Saturday the final round of club netball was held. Over a long season with thirteen (13) primary teams playing we had two Year 5 teams (Team 19 and 21) compete in the finals at Downey Park. It was a great achievement to make it to the final. They were exciting games to watch as the girls gave their all as they played in the rain. Congratulations to Team 19 Charlie Bain, Audrey Dean, Chloe Doyle, Maya Dwahan, Isabella Goodrick, Ivy Gough, Lulu Robson, Ava Smith, Alice Stuart and Ruby Burton (who played up a division), for winning their grand final. Congratulations to all the girls who participated in the netball club competition. They have learnt so much from being a member of a team.

Our extracurricular competition also includes activities that enhance academic growth. Chess, Optiminds, public speaking (Year 5) and debating (Year 6) are activities embraced by many students.  Many Years 5 and 6 girls chose to participate in these two activities through a two-round friendly competition with St Aidan’s this term. The final round was held this week. Many girls have taken the opportunity to participate in each of these activities as they relish the prospect to have their thinking challenged.

Angela Drysdale

Judith shares age-appropriate information with the girls relating to their development and growth during puberty while reinforcing the importance of personal protective behaviours. Many parents would have participated in Tuesday evening’s information session over Zoom before her discussions with the girls, enabling them to be better informed as to the nature of content to be covered and to assist them to engage in meaningful conversations at home following their session with Judith. If you were unable to attend this, it would be useful to have a conversation with your daughter over the weekend to assist her to unpack the topics covered.

One of the activities the girls will be asked to do after their first session is to submit any questions about topics they are curious about into an anonymous question box. These questions are then provided to Judith so that she can respond to them in her follow-up session next term. You can play an important role in being a sounding board for your daughter as she navigates her way through her thoughts and queries. You also do not need to have the answers to the questions posed and can leave that to Judith, a highly qualified clinical worker and therapist, but your willingness to participate in an open, transparent conversation will help to reduce any negative stigma or feelings of angst that are sometimes associated with these ‘big picture’ topics. Cultivating a culture of healthy curiosity encourages the girls to seek informed and educated responses to their questions and equips them with the confidence to face the changes that lie ahead.

Annette Box

The theme for the 2022 Music Dinner is ‘Iconic Songs’. Students (and parents!) are encouraged to choose an iconic song and dress in a costume that represents their chosen song. Music Dinner is an occasion for students and parents to celebrate a wonderful year of music-making at St Margaret’s with awards given, and presentations made to acknowledge the girls’ many achievements. It is open to students in Years 6-12 who have been involved in the Co-curricular ensembles throughout the year. It is always a very special night and we look forward to having many in attendance!

Stage Band Performance

Congratulations to the Stage Band who provided a wonderful performance for the Primary School during morning tea on Wednesday this week. The performance was highly engaging and loved by all in attendance. Thank you to Mr Sean Mackenzie for organising this!

Primary School Music News

As part of our Primary St Margaret’s Way assemblies this year, we have been inviting students to perform who are achieving a high standard in the instrument that they are learning. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to set goals to work toward achieving their full potential and is also an exciting and motivating experience for all students who are studying private music lessons. Music students are invited to perform a piece that they have been practising throughout the year that is polished and ‘performance ready’. This can be any instrument from strings, brass, woodwind, piano, guitar or voice and music teachers are asked to nominate a student who they believe has worked exceptionally hard, shown commitment to practise and demonstrates a high level of technical ability. Lily Tribe performed on oboe entertaining the staff, students and parents with the Toreador Song from the opera Carmen, Pendy Lin gave an impressive performance on the violin of Allegro Brillante by Willem Ten Have and Jemima Peck played a classical piece by JS Bach called Minuet in G. Congratulations to all the musicians on their hard work and excellent performances.

Auditions for 2023 Music Ensembles

Auditions will be held in Week 3 for students wishing to participate in Music Ensembles in 2023, with audition music available from the St Margaret’s Music POD page. 2023 Music Ensembles will then commence from Week 4 of Term 4. (Primary ensembles will remain as they are for the remainder of the year. If a Primary student is accepted into a Secondary Ensemble, eg Stradivari Strings, they will have the option of attending their new ensemble whilst still participating in their current ensemble.) Audition times are as follows:

Monday 17 October

7:00 - 8:20am String Auditions (current Primary students), SHOR

3:30 - 5:00pm Volare Auditions (current Year 6 and 7), SHOR

3:30 - 5:00pm Rock Band Auditions for guitar, bass guitar, and keyboard, J002/003 (Rock Band Room)

Tuesday 18 October

7:00 - 8:20am String Auditions (current Primary students), SHOR

10:25 - 10:50am String Auditions (current Secondary students), SHOR

3:30 - 4:30pm Chorale - Primary Sing Along – Get to know your voice (current Years 3, 4 and 5), Primary Music Room

3:30 - 5:00pm Rock Band Auditions for Vocals (current Years 9-11), J002/003 (Rock Band Room)

3:30 - 5:30pm String Auditions (current Secondary students), SHOR

Wednesday 19 October

7:15 - 8:15am Band Auditions for current Primary students, SHOR

7:15 - 8:15am Stage Band Auditions (all instruments) for 2023 Secondary students, J101

1:05 - 1:50pm Drum kit Auditions for Rock Bands and Stage Band, J002/003 (Rock Band Room)

3:30 - 4:30pm Highly Strung Auditions (Primary) for guitar, bass guitar, keyboard and drumkit, J002/003 (Rock Band Room)

3:30 - 5:30pm Band Auditions for woodwind/brass (current Secondary students), SHOR

3:30 - 5:00pm Band Auditions for percussion/drums (current Primary and Secondary students), SHOR Percussion Room

Thursday 20 October

7:00 - 8:20am Band Auditions for woodwind/brass (Primary and Secondary), SHOR

3:30 - 5:30pm Exultate Auditions (it is preferable for younger students to have been in Volare to show rehearsal commitment), SHOR

Music Support Group

The next Music Support Group meeting will be the AGM and will be held on Tuesday 8 November at 5.00pm in M’s Cafe. Parents from both the Primary and Secondary Schools are welcome to attend.

Brad King

While the 7As unfortunately lost 2-1, it was a close game and the girls have improved incredibly over the season. The 7As should be commended for their amazing teamwork and St Margaret’s spirit after an (almost) undefeated eight rounds. Similarly, the Senior As lost 2-1, but they fought extremely hard to win one set, and remained encouraging of one another throughout the whole game. The Senior Bs and 10As also lost their games; however, the girls in these teams have developed their skills tremendously over the season. This was showcased in both their skills as a team, but also the individual players who stepped up. Huge congratulations go to our 9As who played an amazing game, and while the St Hilda’s team was definitely a strong team, the girls managed to join together to bring home their first win. Unfortunately, the Opens team lost 3-0 after what has been a long season of close games. Nevertheless, the girls persisted, and all the players should be commended for their hard work throughout the season and development as a team. 

This weekend will be our last round of games against Ipswich Girls Grammar, in which we hope to see some wins. Following these games, the girls will enjoy a celebration of the season together. Well done to all volleyballers for your dedication over the season, most notably your enthusiasm which has been apparent in both trainings and games. We hope all volleyballers enjoy this last week of training and look forward to continued improvement in next year’s season!   

Maya Porras & Olivia Rasheed

Volleyball Captains

Sporting Achievements – Sport Awards Evening

Within our St Margaret’s Sport Awards Evening we recognise and acknowledge the achievements of students who represent team Queensland and Australia within their respective school sport and club sport pathways.

Given club sport is external to St Margaret’s, we do appreciate students and/or parents/guardians notifying the Activities Office of student representation at this level. Recognition is acknowledged of those students who are selected and compete within a representative Queensland or Australian team.

If your daughter has represented at this level, could you please notify the Activities Office by Friday 9 September, with the suitable details to assist. Please email Mr Lloyd Knight, Director of Sport (lknight@stmargarets.qld.edu.au).

QGSSSA Sport

For a full list of QGSSSA results please check out the following POD News post. and for future information regarding fixtures please see our Sport POD Page.

Further QGSSSA sport information can be found on the following POD pages:

• QGSSSA Hockey POD Page
• QGSSSA Tennis POD Page
• QGSSSA Netball POD PAGE
• QGSSSA Volleyball POD Page

GO MAGGIES!

Lloyd Knight

Year 8 Visual Art students have been working hard this term creating lino prints inspired by highly expressive artists like Pablo Picasso and the greater Expressionism art movement. Below are a snapshot of some of the students test prints and watercolour experiments that have been completed this week.

Adrian Walker

Current Year 11 Students only

Booklists for Year 11 Term 4 are now available on the St Margaret’s website and the POD. Orders can also be placed through Sequel School and Office Supplies at www.sequelbooks.com. Orders placed by Sunday 21 August will be delivered by Friday 30 September. Orders placed after 21 August will be packed and sent ASAP, but Sequel cannot guarantee delivery for commencement of Term 4.

Current Year 11 students will be required to have textbooks and stationery for the commencement of Term 4 2022.

Delivery is free within Queensland. If you are going to be away during the school holidays, you may nominate an alternative delivery address, i.e. a neighbour, relative or business address. Boarders only can have their book pack delivered to St Margaret’s for pickup on their return to school in Term 4 by confirming in the delivery address: Boarder – Deliver to St Margaret’s AGS.

All other year levels will have access to the 2023 booklists around mid-October 2022.

Uniform Fitting Appointments – Online booking system

Bookings for October, November & December 2022 and January 2023 are available online. We encourage families to book a fitting appointment as soon as possible as appointments are filling fast.

Book your appointment online via the school website http://www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au/admissions/supplies-shop

Appointment times are either 30mins or 60mins depending on your fitting type. Fitting types include: New Student, Existing Student, Boarder Only, Pre-Prep and School Blazer Fitting.

• One appointment = one student fitting
  If you are booking for two or more students, please book separate fitting appointments for each student. These can be at the same time if times are available.

• All fittings will take place in the Supplies Shop which is located onsite, just off Circular Drive through Gate 1, Petrie Street, Ascot.

We have fun-filled and exciting activities planned for our September School Holiday Program. Further details of the program can be found here (PDF 294.9KB). Boys and girls, siblings, friends and family welcome!

Please refer to the Information Guide (PDF 294.9KB) for full booking terms and conditions. We are unable to accept bookings via email or text message. The OSHC registration and Debitsuccess form must be completed, signed and sent back to us to finalise your booking. Please read the information guide carefully as some information has changed. OSHC Registration and Debitsuccess can be completed via the My Family Lounge.

PLEASE COMPLETE YOUR VACATION CARE BOOKING FORM VIA THE MY FAMILY LOUNGE APP

We are very excited to inform you that St Margaret’s OSHC has subscribed to a fantastic online Booking and Waitlist management program called QK Enrol. This program will give you access to manage your own account information, where you will have the ability to make booking requests and allows you to complete and submit an online enrolment form for your child. You can do this and much, much more all within a parent portal called ’My Family Lounge’.

How do I log in?

Please navigate to the link below and either sign in with your existing My Family Lounge account or Register for an account if you do not already have one. Please note all families who have previously submitted an enrolment form will have an account already set up; all you will need to do is click ‘forgotten password’ and use the email address you used to receive this form.

https://www.qkenhanced.com.au/Account/Embeddable/?databaseId=9385

When making a Vacation Care booking please select Casual bookings, not Permanent.

What is the cost?*

Early Bird Fees: $63 per day

Early Bird Bookings close: 5 September 2022

Fees: $68 per day*

Bookings close: 12 September 2022

*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.

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

View the full listing of services and providers online at: https://www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au/community/business-directory

Tickets are selling fast for our last Professional Women's Network Breakfast of 2022.

We welcome Amanda Johnston-Pell, Chief Digital Officer, Vice President Digital Sales Japan + APAC, IBM, who will share her inspiring journey from human movement studies into business leadership in-conversation with Sarah Clarke, Award-winning journalist and TV presenter.

This is a wonderful opportunity for you to attend with your daughter or to take a corporate table and host your colleagues or clients.

Amanda Johnston-Pell is global leader in the fields of Business Transformation, Digital Sales, Marketing, Brand and Entrepreneurship. Her career spans 25 years working across US, Canada, APAC and Japan markets in both Executive and Non-Executive roles. She currently serves as the Vice President Digital Sales, Chief Digital Officer for IBM Japan, Asia Pacific and Greater China.  Prior to this appointment, she held several executive positions within IBM, Telstra, where she was an Executive Director in the Brands + Marketing Communications Group, and BigPond, among others.

Amanda is a highly respected business leader and pioneer in her field, espousing an entrepreneurial spirit and an 'anything is possible' mantra. Her entrepreneurial credentials as Co-Founder and Founding Co-CEO of a New York City based start-up have helped drive agility, cohesion and a growth mind-set within the remits she has led.

She was the 2021 recipient of The University of Queensland Vice Chancellor’s Alumni Excellence Award and the inaugural Women’s College (at the University of Queensland) Alumna Award – awarded for outstanding leadership in business, and for services to community, education and private diplomatic initiatives.

Sarah Clarke is an award-winning journalist and TV presenter now based in Australia. She works for the international TV network, Al Jazeera English covering stories across the Asia Pacific region.

She returned to Australia in 2021 after 8 years living and working in Hong Kong covering the rise of the pro-democracy movement in 2014 and the more recent protests which saw hundreds of residents and journalists detained and jailed under China's national security law. Sarah began her career in Australia and spent 20 years with the ABC working out of Brisbane, the Canberra press Gallery and Sydney as the National Environment and Science Reporter.

Date: Wednesday 19 October 2022

Time: 6.45am arrival for 7.00am start. 8.45am finish.

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

Format: Sit down breakfast 

We also invite you to enjoy Barista Coffee from the Wolff Coffee Roasters cart, before and after the event!

Tickets: $85 Adult, $40 Student (Years 10-12/Tertiary)

Corporate tables: $850 (10 seats), includes company logo displayed on table and acknowledgement during event.

Book now via Try Booking: https://www.trybooking.com/CBLHB

We thank our 2022 PWN Series Sponsors for their support.

Major Sponsor: Pitcher Partners, Associate Sponsors: Programmed Property Services and Wolff Coffee Roasters, and Supporting Sponsors: Downer, Clear Insurance, Westpac, O’Reilly Shaw Lawyers, Uniform Link and Move Recruitment Solutions.

Lara Pickering