eNews Archive Issue 3 - 13 February 2020

The Festival is named in honour of St Margaret’s Old Girl, Daphne Mayo, a leading Australian sculptor. Daphne attended St Margaret’s in 1907 and 1908 and, after graduating, studied art in both Brisbane and London. She completed her most significant works here in Brisbane, including the Tympanum on the exterior of Brisbane City Hall and the Queensland Women’s War Memorial in Anzac Square. She carved these incredible works in situ, undertaking extraordinary physical labours and a challenging climate for her craft.

Daphne, who was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to art, was committed to the promotion of art in Queensland, becoming the first female Trustee of the Queensland Art Gallery. She has also been honoured as a St Margaret’s Notable Past Student, among 124 other St Margaret’s women who have achieved great success, professionally and/or personally.

The MAYO Arts Festival is borne out of a commitment to the significance of arts in education. Exposure to the arts develops a child’s creative and critical thinking skills, important proficiencies that contribute to their learning in all other fields and necessary traits required for the future workforce. The arts can also encourage and help develop teamwork and collaboration.

It is through the MAYO Arts Festival and the work of Friends of MAYO that Daphne’s strong legacy will endure for future generations of St Margaret’s girls. These events, in conjunction with the much-appreciated generosity of donors, assists the school to continually grow our art collection to inspire today’s generation of St Margaret’s students.

The Festival will be held on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 May and will feature an art exhibition of three-dimensional works, creative workshops, artisan market stalls, food trucks, live music and performing arts displays and carnival rides. There is something for all ages to enjoy, so please attend with your families and friends.

There are many opportunities for families to support the Festival and I would urge you to consider making a contribution to this noteworthy school event. From manning stalls, to donating goods or services or sponsorship, we rely on and value the support of our community to make the event a success.

Further information is available on the school’s website.

Ros Curtis

There should be very few subject changes from now on, as it becomes increasingly difficult for students to catch up on work that has been missed in subjects they enter from this point. Any students who have or are changing subjects must send confirmation of this request from their parents, either through a form sent home with the student that is collected from the Acting Dean of Academic Performance, or via email to the Acting Dean of Studies or me on kgorrie@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Your daughter should now be making some academic goals for 2020. In Years 9-12, this will be done in consultation with their Academic Advisor and submitted through Learning Analytics, and with younger year levels, they will be discussed with Form teachers, Heads of Year and classroom teachers. It would be worth discussing these with your daughter and talking through what is going well and what she needs to develop further.

Goal-setting is an important step in striving for improvement. They provide direction and purpose. Students should ensure that their goals are S.M.A.R.T. goals.

Specific goals are easier to accomplish. Whilst many students may say they wish to achieve a certain grade for their subjects, it would be better to hone in on a particular skill in order for that to occur. For example, using criteria from a subject as the skill that they would like to improve would be beneficial.

Goals need to be Measureable. Checking in to see if targets have been met with feedback on improvement being sought and supplied, will identify achievement and help encourage the student to continue to strive for more improvement.

Make sure the goal is Attainable. Almost any goal is attainable when a person plans their steps towards achieving that goal wisely. Reaching those milestones will provide positive affirmation and ensure they remain on track to achieve the ultimate goal.

Relevant goals ensure that improvement is sought for something that needs improvement.

Timebound goals provide a deadline for actions to occur to see movement towards improvement. Deadlines need to be given short timeframes to ensure step-by-step progress is made.

In summary, S.M.A.R.T. goals are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Timebound

Karen Gorrie

We are God centred, meaning we love God, love others and love ourselves.

Our School worship is based on the Anglican Prayer Book which includes creative and inclusive worship. Worship is a regular part of our school life for staff, students and families.

Baptism and Admission to Holy Communion will take place in Term 1 for Years 7 and 8. These students are invited to participate in preparation for Baptism and/or Admission at the Years 7 and 8 Family Service on Tuesday 18 February, 6:30pm in the School Chapel.

The Pre-Prep to Year 3 Twilight Family Service will be held on 25 March, 6:00pm. Families and their children are invited to attend.

Other qualities that identify St Margaret’s and Anglican School are:

Community Life - which includes reflection and prayer, honours and nurtures the whole being - the whole child, body, mind and spirit.

Religious Formation and Study - St Margaret’s values academic rigour which is reflected in our Religious Values Education (RVE) classes. Students are encouraged in their spirituality which is an important part of a student’s wellbeing.

Social Justice - St Margaret’s is a diverse community and we endeavour to be welcoming and supportive of all people. This is the Anglican way - to be inclusive of all people. We encourage our students to serve others through service learning, fundraising and going out into the community to support people.

Our School’s foundation is that of Christian love and this guides all that we do. Anglican schools are welcoming of all Christians, people of other faiths and those still exploring.

Above all, Anglican schools exist not merely to educate, but to demonstrate and proclaim the unique worth and beauty of all human beings as creations of a loving, empowering God.

Susan Crothers-Robertson

Thank you also to the Boarding Staff who helped manage essentially two Boarding Houses for two weeks; the teaching staff and Heads of Year for sending work over to the girls to keep them busy and engaged and to Emily Labinsky for checking in on them.

Our St Margaret’s community has a very strong support structure, it was a true team effort. Below we leave you with a couple of our favourite quotes:

“One of the most important things you can do on this earth is to let people know they are not alone.”

Shannon L. Alder

“One of the marvellous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn't as individuals. When we pool our strengths and share the work and responsibility, we can welcome many people, even those in deep distress, and perhaps help them find self-confidence and inner healing.”

Jean Vanier

Gracemere Mataia

Dates still available are listed below:

• Saturday 15 February – 8:00am-12:00pm
• Monday 17 February – 4:00pm-6:00pm
• Wednesday 19 February – 3:00pm-6:00pm
• Thursday 20 February – 7:00am-10:00am
• Friday 21 February – 7:00am-8:30am and 10:30am-12:00pm

Careers Information and Portfolio Pathway

Ms Naomi Holley, Director of Careers and Portfolio Pathways and Ms Elizabeth Johnston form the Careers and Pathways team. Both staff members are available to meet with students who are looking for direction for 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. This is a wonderful addition to the school so please refer to the Careers and Portfolio Pathway section of the eNews for more information about how they can assist your daughter.

Goal Setting

In your daughter’s academic advising meetings over the past week there has been a lot of discussion about setting goals. Setting goals can sometimes be a daunting task when you have only just started the year and may be studying a completely new suite of subjects with new teachers. Therefore, your daughter’s goals may change or become more specific over time; however, the purpose of thinking about some goals now is to enable your daughter to focus her attention on specific areas of strength or weakness. To set realistic goals, I encourage your daughters to read their continuous reporting comments from last year, think about their own study habits and consider the range of activities in their life that they need to balance.

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 on the Pod by this Friday. 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. This year, 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 begin preparing a study schedule in the lead up to exams and making sure your assessment is a priority during this time.

Nicole Devlin

The Interviews are being held on Monday 9 March and Thursday 12 March from 3:30-6:00pm in Eton Hall. Further information will be emailed to parents.

Term 3 Parent Teacher Interviews for Years 7-12 will give you the opportunity to meet with your daughter’s subject teachers. The Term 3 Interviews will be held on Monday 13 July from 10am-8pm.

For Boarding parents, both interview sessions (Terms 1 and 3) will offer Skype interviews.

It is important to note you can contact your daughter’s Subject Teachers, Form Teacher or Academic Advisor via email if you have any questions at any time throughout the year.

Supervised Study Sessions

Supervised Study Sessions (SSS) will operate out of the senior library on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Each session runs from 5pm-7:30pm, with students having the option of purchasing dinner from the Boarding House for $10 (served at approximately 6pm).

For students attending these sessions after an afternoon of sport, transport is available to and from Windsor Park. For those staying on after school to attend SSS, the senior library is open until 5pm prior to the commencement of the study sessions.

Parents who book their daughters in via Flexischools can feel comfortable knowing that their daughters are receiving academic support and are also interacting with peers in a physically and emotionally safe environment.

Dates for the 2020 Supervised Study Sessions and when bookings open are below:

Term 1: 3 February – 26 March (except 19 February due to Interhouse Swimming)

Term 2: (Bookings Open 22 April) 27 April – 11 June

Term 3: (Bookings Open 14 July) 20 July – 10 September

Term 4: (Bookings Open 6 October) 12 October – 19 November (except for 13 October due to Speech Night)

To book, parents will need to log into Flexischools and select ‘Supervised Study Sessions’. Bookings are limited to 25 participants each night and when a session is full no further bookings can be made. Bookings are essential and should be made in advance to ensure a place is available. If dinner is required, payment must be paid at the time of booking and this option selected in Flexischools. Please note, if you are booking dinner for your daughter and she has special dietary requirements can you please email Rosemarie Parisi: rparisi@stmargarets.qld.edu.au with the date and any dietary requirements.

During these sessions, girls work with tutors to organise a plan of study for the term. This involves them looking at their Assessment Calendar and planning how to ensure they are ready for the next lesson and assessment. The main goal of SSS is to assist students to revise work covered so far, support and extend their understanding of learning from lessons so they are prepared for assessment.

Tom McCormick

Author, Stephen Covey says that instructional feedback should accompany praise, so the young person knows what they are doing well and how this is assisting them to become more successful in what they are aiming to accomplish, and more successful in managing themselves.

Feeling good about yourself predominantly comes from within - but we can be active in assisting young people to discover more about what they are good at and the deep satisfaction that comes from this knowledge. Covey focuses on the partnerships which need to be created among teachers, parents and students if we are to be successful in helping all students to lead their lives positively, based on knowledge of self and the contribution they can make to the world we live in.

I would recommend to you: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey.

Nikki Townsend

I believe our sporting competition, Andrews Cup, provides a balanced approach. Children from Year 4 compete in team sport with scores kept, identifying the winners of the games throughout the competition and then an overall winner and places are named.

For me, the key issue that arose from this article, is the need to build resilience. As Carr-Gregg states a confronting statistic, one in seven Primary school children has some form of mental health problem. As a school we focus on many skills to help children develop resilience. The specifics will be shared in the upcoming weeks. In terms of building resilience through competition, I would suggest playing board games. Playing board games not only offers competition but encourages coping skills, promotes resilience and contributes to many other aspects of social and emotional growth and cognitive development.

Social and emotional development

Develop Character Traits

• empathy, understanding of others, tolerance, persistence, decision making, concentration (helps lengthen attention span)
• turn taking, team work, including others
• develop coping skills and promote resilience
• responsibility and respect for the equipment
• build interpersonal relationships - with peers, child/adult, structure of the game helps soothe anxiety

Sportsmanship

• understanding the concept of rules, learn rules, play by the rules
• how to win-and lose with grace and good manners (can help young children develop respectful responses to losing)

Cognitive Development

• logical reasoning, critical thinking skills, problem solving, quick thinking, tactics, deduction, memory
• Maths skills – early mathematical skills, counting, categorising, spatial reasoning
• Executive functioning – planning, organising

We acknowledge the value of playing board games, so this year we are offering students a variety of opportunities to play them regularly. Large games will be available in the Atrium each lunch hour. Board games will be available for the P-2 students during their lunch time library times. Students in Years 3-6 will be offered games in Strategy Club; students elect to participate in this club and meet each week on Tuesday. Strategy games are useful in helping the frontal lobes of the brain which support the development of executive function skills, which include planning, organising and making good decisions. I encourage you to join us by making board games a part of your family life as their value provides important lessons that serve children far beyond the living room.

Angela Drysdale

Performance Uniforms

For many of the music ensembles at St Margaret’s, students are required to wear a performance uniform. Students are encouraged to purchase the uniform as soon as possible from the School Supplies Shop in preparation for Open Day (7 March). Performance uniform requirements are as follows:

CHORAL ENSEMBLES

Serenata, Belle Voci: School Middy

Chorale: School Middy (but required to purchase a white church dress for future performances)

Elevarsi: School Middy

Encorah, Volare: Black performance uniform with black shoes (ballet flats)

Exultate: Black pants with a plum coloured shirt and black jazz shoes

BAND ENSEMBLES

Chaseley Concert Band, Jackson Wind Ensemble: School Middy

Sister Helen Wind Symphony, Stage Band, Saxophone/Clarinet/Flute/EJ Percussion Ensembles: Black performance uniform with black shoes (ballet flats)

STRING ENSEMBLES

Tutti Strings, Amati Strings, Beath String Quartet: School Middy

Stradivari Strings, Chamber Strings, Sculthorpe String Quartet: Black performance uniform with black shoes (ballet flats)

ROCK BANDS

Highly Strung: School Middy

Secondary Rock Bands: Smart blue jeans, sneakers and ‘M Factor’ polo shirt

Thank you to Chorale

Last Friday, a service was held in St John’s Cathedral celebrating St Margaret’s 125th Anniversary. Thank you to Chorale who made a beautiful musical contribution to the service. The performance was appreciated by all in attendance.

Music Support Group

Thank you to all those who attended the recent Music Support Group meeting. The next meeting will be on Tuesday 21 April 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

While we continue to face further uncertainty surrounding the weather conditions, information regarding any changes such as venue changes or cancellations will be communicated via the POD.

Swimming Program

The swim team, consisting of 86 members, participated in the first swim meet of the season at Centenary Pool last Friday night. All girls were ready to go after a team meeting and a carbo load of pasta, supplied by the wonderful Years 8 and 9 parents. Many of the girls not only swam extremely well with many recording a ‘Personal Best’, but the team also demonstrated exceptional spirit throughout the evening.

This Friday 14 February, St Margaret’s with Clayfield College will host the second invitational swim meet at The Valley Pool. All girls are asked to register their attendance at this swim meet via the Swimming POD page.

Thank you to all parents who assisted and supported the Bunnings Barbecue at Newstead on Sunday 9 February. It was well supported by the wider community and we are appreciative of all our wonderful parents who served, cooked and purchased a sausage throughout the day in support of the St Margaret’s Swimming Program.

Water Polo

The eight Water Polo teams representing St Margaret’s are gaining momentum within the Brisbane Water Polo Competition. The U13A, 14B, 16C and 18Bs all had a win on the weekend, with the 15C team drawing 6-6 against Mt St Michael’s. For this weekend’s schedule, please visit the Water Polo POD page.

Interhouse Swimming

House spirit will be on the line on Wednesday 19 February at The Valley Pool as all Secondary students swim, cheer and march for their House.  All girls are required to wear their House colours on the day which includes their House coloured polo shirt, PE skirt, coloured socks, panama and coloured swim cap for competition.

All girls are to report to their year level areas at 8:20am and wait for departure via bus to The Valley Pool. Sun safe practices must be adhered to by applying sunscreen throughout the day and wearing a hat when not in the water. A good level of hydration should be maintained as well as sound nutrition for both morning tea and lunch. A charity barbecue and The Valley Pool’s kiosk will be available for students to purchase items.

The focus of the day is enjoyment and fun within a safe and competitive environment, with students aiming to perform their best for themselves, their House and St Margaret’s. We look forward to another successful day and invite any parents and families interested in attending.

Tennis Support Group Meeting

All parents with daughters involved or interested in being involved in Tennis are invited to attend the first Support Group Meeting on Monday 24 February in M’s Cafe at 5:30pm.

Congratulations…

Isabella Harte (Year 9) who created Queensland Athletics history over the weekend when she became the youngest ever to win the state 3000m Under 20 and Open Championship race at just 14 years of age.

Helen Lobegeiger

Do you worry about how to keep your kids safe online - when you have no idea what they’re up to?

A new program from Kirra Pendergast, cyber safety expert and CEO of Safe on Social Media, aims to help that.

We have had Kirra to speak at St Margaret’s last year about cyber safety and thoroughly recommend any parent listen to what she has to say!

Her new program is called the “Safe on Social Toolkit”. It’s a digital ‘survival kit’ for parents, with everything they need to know to keep kids safe online - videos, cheat sheets, email support and at a fraction of the cost of her online safety seminars.

Parents of St Margaret’s are invited to use their school code and for each sign-up $5 from the sale will be donated back to the school as a fundraiser.

Go to: https://www.safeonsocialtoolkit.com/ and use the code STMARGARETS at checkout in the 'Coupon Code' field.

Mary Surtees

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 2020 will be elected.

Nominations can be made by downloading and completing this Nomination for Position form (PDF 75.6KB). All nomination forms must be returned to: P&F@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or via School Reception by Friday 14 February 2020.

Professional Women’s Network Breakfast – Thursday 19 March 2020

Join us for our first Professional Women's Network Breakfast in 2020 with leadership expert and trailblazer, Dr Robyn Wilson, Founder and Managing Director of Praxis Management Consulting.

Date: Thursday 19 March 2020

Time: 7:00am arrival for 7:15am start - 8:45am finish

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

RSVP: Friday 13 March 2020 (unless SOLD OUT prior)

Individual tickets: $80 Adult, $40 Student (Tertiary, Years 10-12)

Corporate tables: $800 (10 seats)

Dr Robyn Wilson, Founder and Managing Director of Praxis Management Consulting

Dr Robyn Wilson (’77) is the Founder and Managing Director of Praxis Management Consulting, a Singapore-based firm that provides facilitated strategy and leadership-related services to the greater Asia Region (covering Japan, Australia and the Middle East and everything in-between).

Regarded as a leadership expert, Robyn has been based in Singapore for 25 years and has worked across industries and a range of organisations from global multinationals including BHP, Hilton, Barclays and Singtel, to start-ups, government entities to development banks.

Believing in championing young women, Robyn is currently an Ambassador for WomenLEAD Nepal. She also actively mentors younger women who are at various stages in their careers. Robyn’s career started in IT and engineering. Amongst other qualifications, Robyn has a PhD from the National University of Singapore, a Masters of Engineering from UWA and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from The University of Queensland.

To buy tickets to this event, please click here.

2020 Milestone Reunion Dates

We are pleased to announce the dates for our 2020 Milestone reunions!

10 Year Reunion – Class of 2010 – Friday 24 July

20 Year Reunion – Class of 2000 – Friday 24 July

30 Year Reunion – Class of 1990 – Friday 24 July

40 Year Reunion – Class of 1980 – Saturday 25 July

50 Year Reunion – Class of 1970 – Saturday 25 July

60 Year Reunion – Class of 1960 – Saturday 25 July

Old Girls’ Day (Chapel Service and Morning Tea) – Sunday 26 July

60+ Year Reunion – Monday 27 July

Lara Pickering

This workshop will provide you with a Terms 1 and 2 time-line, including weekly preparation goals, time allocations and study milestones to help keep you on track. It will also identify the most common mistakes that cause students to waste valuable UCAT time and outline optimal methods for preparing for the UCAT (minimum time, maximum return). In addition, you will sit a short mock test reflective of the 2019 UCAT exam, followed by live step-by-step teaching of the most commonly asked Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 questions. If you want to get ahead of the competition and maximise your chances of medical/dental entry, you can't afford to miss this workshop! Book your place here: iCanMed

Students in Years 10, 11 and 12 interested in medicine or dentistry will need to sit the compulsory UCAT when applying for one of the above career choices. On 16 February (in Brisbane) and 29 March (in Rockhampton), NIE will be conducting a full-day intensive UCAT preparation workshop. Tickets are limited. All details are available via: www.nie.edu.au.

Visit the Careers page on the POD for the latest information on:

• Australian Defence Force
• Financial Assistance and Scholarships
• Gap Year Program News
• Miscellaneous
• Open Days, Expos and Career Markets
• Private Provider Updates
• QTAC and Tertiary Entry
• Universities
• Upcoming Events

Elizabeth Johnston