eNews Archive Issue 4 - 18 February 2021

I would like to follow up on the request I made at the Parent Information Evenings to ensure that no student has to walk behind your car (and therefore, in between cars) in order to retrieve their school bags/instruments. Please help keep our students safe by ensuring that bags can be retrieved from the back seat of the car, on the footpath side. It has also been suggested by parents that Learner Drivers should not park in the drop offs/pick-up zones and then have to walk around the car for the changeover of drivers. We ask you to consider doing the changeover further down Towers Street or in one of the side streets. The good news for parents is that you can do a legal U-turn and not get caught in the pick-up and drop-off traffic!

Another way St Margaret's recognises the achievement of its Old Girls is through the Past Students Awards. Anyone can nominate a Past Student for either the Distinguished Past Student Award or the Young Past Student of Distinction Award. Nominations for both awards will be reviewed by a selection panel and assessed on their significant contribution or achievements in their profession, the community or through volunteer work.

The St Margaret’s Past Students Awards program has been established to:

• recognise the many achievements of St Margaret’s Past Students, both professionally and personally;
• celebrate the diverse achievements of Past Students and provide an opportunity to share stories of success;
• increase connections between the School and Past Students to honour their legacy.

Engaging with our Old Girls’ community and recognising the achievements and contributions of Past Students creates a significant impact on our current students, as they seek and gather the inspiration they need to fly upwards.

Please draw this to the attention of our Past Students or act by nominating a past student for the award. Details on how to nominate are on the Community section of the website and are outlined in the Nomination Forms which can be downloaded here. Please note that 2021 nominations close on Friday 26 March. It is very easy to nominate and anyone can nominate.

We will celebrate the achievements of these past students at a Cocktail Evening on Saturday 24 April at 6:30pm. Students and parents are invited to attend and we will advise when registration for this event is open.

Ros Curtis

Quality Teaching Rounds involve teachers working in Professional Learning Communities of three to four people to observe, analyse and discuss effective teaching. Classroom observation makes teaching and learning more visible. It encourages colleagues to collaborate to improve teacher practice and student learning. Research has found that this approach builds improvements in the quality of teaching and has positive impacts on teacher morale and school culture. It gives teachers an opportunity leading to powerful conversations about teaching practice.

The focus of this program is for teachers to continue to learn from and with each other, through a process of observation and feedback and collegial professional conversations. The primary purpose of Quality Teaching Rounds is for teachers making the observations to compare their practices with those observed in the classrooms they visit. It is the discussion at the end of the observation and subsequent self-reflection by observer teachers that is the chief benefit of this model of professional learning.

Quality Teaching Rounds are just one way that we focus on continued professional development of our teachers and ultimately improving the outcomes and experience of our students here at St Margaret’s.

Karen Gorrie

The Ash cross symbolises the beginning of the Lenten journey and the promise of new life in Christ. For Christians, this interweaving of symbols and traditions is a way of keeping the Christian story alive. A way of keeping the Christian story alive is for us to join together as we journey the six weeks of Lent. Lent is a time to commit ourselves to a journey of reflection and discovery. Traditionally, Lent was a time when people gave things up. In more modern times, people are challenged to take something up, for instance caring for each other and the world, finding more time for silence and reflection, more time to read inspirational books, the Holy Bible, or to journal. Lent is a journey of going inward and asking ourselves, “how is our relationship with God - Divine Love?”, “how is our relationship with ourselves and others?”. “How is our relationship with the world around us?” I invite the community to use this time of Lent intentionally. There may a symbol that we would like to use, to help us to reflect, it may be a candle, a cross; what is it that will help us to centre and reflect?

Term 1

Year 7 Family Service – Wednesday 10 March, 6:00pm, St Margaret’s Chapel.

Confirmation - Wednesday 17 March, 6:00pm, St Margaret’s Chapel.

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

Term 2

Looking ahead to Term 2; Years 4-6 students 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. 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.

Our Year 8 Family Service will be in Term 2, Tuesday 18 May at 6:00pm.

Susan Crothers-Robertson

Be a friend - you are a role model and can provide support and gentle guidance.

Have realistic goals and expectations - Developing a trusting relationship can take time and patience.

Have fun together - Having fun together shows your little sister that you are reliable and committed.

Be Positive - This helps to develop self-esteem and self-confidence in your little sister.

Let your little sister have most of the control over what the two of you talk about and how you talk about it - Listening and talking are at the heart of your relationship. The communication patterns you establish early on will be key to the relationship’s development over time.

Listen - Reassure your little sister that you will be there for her.

Respect the trust your little sister places in you - Be supportive.

Remember that you are responsible for building the relationship - Building a relationship cannot be rushed.

Twice a term we have buddy get-togethers. To help build strong relationships, these activities are either Boarder-Buddy breakfasts, afternoon picnics or ballgames on Circular Drive.

Sandra Johnson

When such challenges arise, and decisions are made that we cannot control, we as humans need to assess our approach to difficult and challenging situations. I have found myself speaking to Year 12 girls about working on what they can control and with other students about the value of sitting in the uncertainty of subjects and working through the ‘hard stuff’. We all need to learn our strengths and weaknesses and become comfortable to be in the ‘hard stuff’. By understanding and reflecting on these, we can learn ways to address our own needs and we are more likely to become self-starters and resilient.

As parents, you can meet with Academic Advisors and Form Teachers at the upcoming Parent Teacher Interviews to discuss your daughter’s goals and plans for learning. Form Teachers and Academic Advisors have been working with students to address their learning and look for ways to become more self-regulated learners. It is important to remember that young people who are self-starters, resilient and robust in terms of academic and social adjustment, are also likely to be on track for success in their learning journey.

Nicole Devlin

For this interview session you will be able to book in to see your daughter’s Form Teacher (Year 7 and 8), Academic Advisor (Years 9-12) and Year 12 Subject Teachers.

These interviews provide parents with an opportunity to speak with their daughter’s Form Teacher, Academic Advisor and Year 12 Subject Teachers who will share with you the work they and your daughter have been discussing to personalise her learning path in order to develop independent and resilient learning dispositions.

To access these interviews in Parent Lounge, please log into The POD to access Parent Lounge and click on the link for Parent Teacher Interviews. The booking system opened at 9:00am Wednesday 17 February and will close at 5:00pm on Wednesday 3 March. No further bookings can be made after this date. Please ensure that you book the correct evening for your preferred method of Parent Teacher Interview.

After you have finished booking your times you will be able to view and print a schedule of your interview times.

We look forward to meeting with parents and carers as we commence the 2021 learning journey with your daughter/s.

Years 9 and 10 Study Hall

Study Hall days for Years 9 and 10 are as follows:

Year 9: 16-17 March 2021

Year 10: 22-23 March 2021

The Study Hall schedules will be released in the coming weeks.

Caitlin McCluskey

During the Christmas holidays, the prefects were given the opportunity to be involved in a ‘prefect retreat’ held on campus at Durack College. We all really enjoyed the weekend and learnt many skills that will help us greatly this year. Throughout this experience the group learnt about different leadership styles, communication, teamwork and planning through seminars, activities and group discussions. At the end of the weekend we were given some time to put all of our newly learnt skills into action by starting to plan the two first prefect run events for the year. We would like to extend our gratitude and thanks to Ms Montgomery and Ms Matheson for organising and running this experience.

The challenges of COVID last year prompted many of us to revisit and appreciate what is truly important in life. In particular, the importance and value of connection. During our prefect retreat we learnt about the importance of having common values and goals. From these reflections, the prefect body captured this sentiment with our nominated motto for the year ‘through our spirit, we create a unified culture built on integrity, respect and effort’.

In 2021 we want to revisit the importance of connection, reunite our school and reignite our spirit. These are things that we all identified as integral to our special school community. However, we felt the loss of this connection during online learning. This led us to our theme for 2021, “Roar as 1”. Our theme will be formally revealed to the rest of the school during our first Prefect Assembly. We are very excited to share our vision with the rest of the school and can’t wait to see it ignite enthusiasm during 2021!

Nikki Townsend

For many girls, their leadership journey began in Year 5, but for all the girls their leadership will be developed by stepping up by helping and supporting others, stepping back by supporting others to step forward and demonstrate their leadership and by encouraging others by inspiring positivity and gratitude.

Another component of the leadership journey begins in Year 4 with the Leadership through Service Passport. Students are issued with a passport and complete it individually. Each year level has a focus program and is reflective of their understanding and is used as a tool to enhance and enrich classroom learning.

Year 4: Gift of Giving time (individual)

Year 5: Leadership ‘I Can’ report card (individual)

Year 6: Cornerstone Project (year level) - this project is for students to plan and conduct a project which contributes to the wider community.

This leadership program provides the opportunity for students to develop responsibility to contribute to the community rather than a focus on one’s self.

Respect is a core value and part of the St Margaret’s Way. Through their leadership, the Year 6 girls will “demonstrate respect for, and appreciation of, us by always acting with integrity, consideration and compassion.” They will also be role models of respect by acknowledging the rights of others and authority.

The induction was not only to acknowledge the leadership of the Year 6 girls, but also to mark the beginning of their final year in Primary School. The staff and I look forward to working with the girls. Thank you to Miss Surtees for her organisation of the event and to the many parents who attended and shared the celebration.

Open Day Saturday 6 March

All students from Prep - Year 6 are expected to attend Open Day. Pre-Prep students are welcome to visit Pre-Prep and other parts of the school with their family during the morning.

If your child is unable to attend, a request is to be made to Mrs Drysdale via email: primaryreception@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

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 (6 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)

Encorah, Volare (yet to commence rehearsals): 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

Music Support Group

The next Music Support Group 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

All girls are to report to their year level areas at 8:20am and wait for departure. 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 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.

Please note, due to the Valley Pool operating under the Swimming Pool and Aquatic Centre Industry plan ONLY students and staff can be in attendance. Thank you in advance for your cooperation with this matter.

St Margaret’s and Clayfield College Invitational Swim Meet

On Friday 19 February, St Margaret’s with Clayfield College will host an invitational Swim Meet in the lead up to the QGSSSA Championships on Wednesday 3 March. Please note, there are NO spectators at this event as part of the COVID Safe plan. All girls will be transported to and from the event. Parents and caregivers are welcome to collect their daughter from the venue; however, it is important the student notifies a staff member prior to leaving. For the program of events, please see the Secondary Swimming POD page.

Autumn Fixtures

Teams for the Autumn fixture sports of Touch Football, Soccer and Basketball have been finalised. The training schedules for each individual sport can be found on the POD pages. All sports train twice weekly and the expectation is that all girls attend both sessions. If a player has an unavoidable clash, illness or injury they are required to contact the coordinator in charge of that sport to advise they will not be attending. All contact details for each sport can be found on the individual sports POD pages.

Club Netball

St Margaret’s Sport is pleased to have over 250 netballers trialling and training over the last 3 weeks. Teams are being formed, coaches appointed and training schedules finalised. All information regarding the season can be found via the Club Netball POD page or alternatively through the Head of Netball, Gayle Coutts. We look forward to a terrific season commencing on Saturday 20 March.

Cross Country Events

The Cross Country squad will participate in their first competitive meet of the season at Nudgee College on Friday 26 March. This is a terrific event whereby the squad experiences racing against a variety of different schools, including Nudgee College, Stuartholme School and Gregory Terrace. More information will become available via the Cross Country POD page next week.

Congratulations…

Lara Charles (Year 11) who was selected as reserve for the 13-19 Years Metropolitan North Tennis team.

Helen Lobegeiger

‘A well lived life involves risk and I encourage you, the women of the future, to embrace fear of failure and make it your friend.’

Per Volar Sunata – Born to Fly Upwards. Jenny Stevens firmly believes in St Margaret’s motto and all young women embracing their full potential. In this first breakfast event of 2021, Jenny will talk about how she has fought her fear of failure, and how young women can live the lives they deserve to live. Jenny has grown Attune Hearing to over 65 clinics servicing the medical community across 5 states. She is an advocate for patient care and innovation and has worked extensively on a number of fundraising committees for children with special needs. Jenny holds a Teaching Degree, a Bachelor and Master of Educational Studies, a Bachelor of Special Education and a Master of Audiological Studies from UQ.

Date: Thursday 18 March 2021

Time: 7:00am arrival – 8:45am finish

Enjoy Barista Coffee from a Wolff Coffee Roasters cart, before and after the event

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

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

Tickets are available for purchase via Flexischools, 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.

Invitations will be sent out very soon, but please note of 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 but due to recent disruptions, the decision has been made to postpone this event to later on in 2021. Please look out for further communication.

Interested in joining the Parents & Friends’ Association?

NOTICE is given that the Annual General Meeting of the St Margaret’s P&F Association Inc. is to be held next Monday 22 February 2021 in the Arts Centre Foyer at 6:30pm.

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.

If you have an accounting background, the P&F are particularly interested in nominations for a Treasurer.

Nominations can be made by downloading and completing this Nomination for Position (PDF 71.8KB) form. All nomination forms must be returned to P&F@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or via School Reception by close of business, Friday 19 February 2021.

St Margaret’s 2021 Mothers’ Luncheon - Friday 12 March 2021

The P&F is delighted to announce that more tickets to attend the 2021 St Margaret's Mothers' Luncheon have now been released.

We were overwhelmed by the response to ticket sales and thank the St Margaret's community for their support of this event and their understanding regarding the necessary restrictions imposed on us this year. We have worked with our venue partner to allow us to meet the extra demand and increase our ticket sales.

We encourage everyone in the St Margaret's community to be part of the Luncheon or support the P&F Association by purchasing raffle tickets. Please find below event details and links for purchase.

Date: Friday 12 March 2021

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

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

Thank you to our Supporting Sponsors: Qscan, KLM Solicitors, UMS and Adrians.

Lindsay Khushal

Griffith Sports College

Griffith Sports College plays a vital role in fostering students who are also elite athletes, helping them devote time to training and competition while they complete their tertiary studies. As part of the Elite Athlete Friendly University Network, the Sports College integrates sporting and academic aspirations. Through dedicated assistance from Griffith Sports College, over 550 student athletes successfully balance the high demands of elite sport and university life each year.

Brisbane Careers and Employment Expo

The Brisbane Careers and Employment Expo is a leading careers, training and education event in Queensland. The event offers the opportunity for students, job seekers and career changers of all ages to connect with organisations for guidance, clarity and opportunities in relation to career options. The Expo will be held on 21 and 22 May 2021 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre and entry is free. Find out more information here, including a list of exhibitors and registrations.

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, please visit: https://www.ucat.edu.au/ucat-anz/ucat-anz-2021/.

Attention students who are preparing for the UCAT, on 21 February 2021, the National Institute of Education will be conducting a UCAT Verbal Reasoning subtest advanced skills webinar. Spots are limited. All details are available via nie.edu.au.

University of Melbourne

Aspiring Scholars Program for interstate and NZ Year 12 students, Aspiring Scholars is a community-focused program that brings together ambitious students interested in studying at Melbourne. Visit here for more information.

Australian National University

We encourage all domestic school-leavers interested in studying at ANU in 2022 to apply directly to us in March 2021. Within this free application, students apply for admission, guaranteed accommodation and over 200 scholarships. Stay in touch by completing this form.

START QUT Information Webinar

When: 5pm-6pm, Tuesday 30 March

Are you a Year 11 or 12 student, or a parent of a student, who's interested in finding out more about the START QUT program? Find out about studying a university subject while still in high school and hear from past START QUT students about their experiences from the program. Register here

Liz Johnston