eNews Archive Issue 5 - 28 February 2019

One way that 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. 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 valued 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 2019 nominations close on Monday 18 March.

Ros Curtis 

It is important to distinguish between stress and being busy. Many of our students are now balancing their school work with other commitments such as music, sport and clubs as well as time to socialise with friends and spend time with their family. It can be difficult at times, but sitting down with family or with their Academic Advisor and Head of Year to schedule times appropriately to each of their commitments can help bring organisation and clarity to the day, and relieve the feeling of stress.

Stress can be beneficial, if the right dose is found. Stress is our body’s response to a challenge. I was reading this week that the key to good stress is to be challenged enough in something that can lead to growth and eventually mastery. That is the reason that teachers set challenging but doable tasks, to ensure that students are able to practice what they already know but also learn more and progress their skills. If tasks are too easy, a student cannot grow. Moderate amounts of stress can boost learning, memory, performance and resilience.

It is important for our students to know that they are welcome to talk about their workloads and commitments with their teachers. We are happy to work with them to ensure a balance is achieved.

Karen Gorrie 

A great short video, created by Busted Halo (a Roman Catholic online group) can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_KnntO9OWM.

Dadirri – a Lettering Space … encouraging and uplifting others one note at a time
From Monday 4 March until Wednesday 13 March, the School Chapel will again be the home of Dadirri in the form of a ‘writer’s centre’ complete with desks, tables, chairs, couches, pens, paper and envelopes! Dadirri means “inner deep listening and quiet still awareness” and our prayer spaces this Term will focus on the art of written encouragement, support, affirmation and love. Letters will be written – and received – by every member of the body of students and staff. Letter writing can be via a few options:

1. All who enter will take a name (and grade or role in the school) and anonymously write a letter of support and encouragement. Pop into an envelope, label clearly, place in the letterbox. These will be delivered to the person via our Year 11 ‘Posties’.
2. After completing #1, some may wish to write notes to literally anybody in the school. Again, this may be anonymous. Pop it into an envelope, post it.
3. After completing #1 - RANDOM – there will be a board in the Chapel foyer with notes for quite random people. Descriptions may be something such as, “for a girl who plays the saxophone”, or “somebody who has just started this year”, or “anyone who loves brussels sprouts”. If you choose to take a note with a description that describes you, you must replace it with a note for another random person on the board.

We hope you will call in on Open Day to see the Lettering Space in action!

Upcoming Services
Wednesday 6 March: ASH WEDNESDAY Service, Chapel, 7:30am, all are welcome

Monday 11 March: Mother Emma’s Day Service, Years 4 and 8, St John’s Cathedral

Tuesday 12 March: Boarders’ Mid-Term Service, 6pm

Wednesday 13 March: Years 4-6 Family Service plus Admission to Communion, 6pm

Sunday 17 March: All Ages Sunday Church, MESSY CHURCH! 9:30am

Wednesday 27 March: PP-3 Twilight Family Service, 6pm

With every blessing on you and your week ahead,
The Reverend Canon Nicki Colledge 

The two organisations implementing the changes have resources on their websites for parents and school communities as well. The Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) have prepared the new curriculum for schools and will administer the external assessment. They have information and resources available at: https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/information-school-communities. The Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) will calculate the ATAR score and more information is and will continue to become available via this link: https://www.qtac.edu.au/atar-my-path/atar.

We have invited parents from Years 5 to 11 to attend the information evening as you will begin to see and hear the language and format of Years 11 and 12 change. Our teachers spent much of 2018 mapping the changes in assessment and curriculum across the Secondary subjects so that your daughters are gradually introduced to the use of marks, different assessment types and subject matter. I will continue to provide a New QCE system update in each eNews as more information becomes available.

Jo Butterworth 

Our school curriculum is directed by the Australian Curriculum in Years 7 to 10, which is guided by the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. The Melbourne Declaration emphasises the importance of knowledge, understanding, skills and values a range of cross-disciplinary skills that will support all young Australians to become successful learners, confident and creative individuals and active and informed citizens. At St Margaret’s, it is acknowledged that academic knowledge is just one aspect of the foundation the girls need to be successful in school. Essential life skills like collaboration, organisation, responsibility, compassion, patience and communication are implicitly and explicitly taught through the St Margaret’s Framework of Quality Teaching and Learning.

By ensuring this whole-child approach to education, we can encourage and enhance the girls’ cognitive and social-emotional development, helping them to become well-rounded individuals who will, along the way, become prepared for personal success in school, life and the workforce. Therefore, as we move towards the end of the term and the girls are becoming tired and still have a lot to do, remind them this is life-learning. Don’t be tempted to jump in and save your daughter. Think about the essential life skills she needs to develop and assist her to look for ways that will assist her to develop these important skills.

Parent Teacher Interviews – Bookings close Friday 1 March, 9am
The first session of Parent/Teacher Interviews for 2019 will be held on Monday 11 March from 3:30-6pm and Thursday 14 March from 3:30-6pm. For this interview session, you will be able to book to see your daughter’s Form Teacher (Years 7 and 8) or Academic Advisor (Years 9-12).

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.

Nicole Devlin 

Open Day
On Saturday 9 March, St Margaret’s will host the annual Open Day from 9:30am-12:30pm. This is a day when we showcase our school and our community to potential students and their families, as well as opening our doors to the public. We welcome current school families and friends on the day.

We would very much appreciate your support in publicising the event to friends and colleagues who may be interested in seeking a St Margaret’s education for their daughter.

Saturday 9 March is a day when we require all of our students to be present at school, in full uniform and either participating in curricular, co-curricular or community activities. Students should arrive no later than 9:15 am for the activities.

If, due to extenuating circumstances, a student is unable to be at school on Open Day, we will require a written note or email requesting absence to: studentleave@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Nikki Townsend

Visiting Author
Next Monday and Tuesday, we will have an author in residence, Sarah Brennan visiting the Primary School. She will spend time working with the different year levels and sharing aspects of reading and writing. Most of her books are on display in the library and the girls received an order form to pre-order her books. Books may also be purchased in the Atrium on Monday and Tuesday afternoon or by clicking here. Sarah will also make herself available for signing at this time. The learning outcomes of her visit will be shared next week. 

Year 4 Camp
This week, the Year 4 girls headed off to camp. This camp marks the beginning of our sequential, structured program as outlined in the Camp Overview (PDF 192.1KB).

Each year’s program builds on the previous years by increasing the number of days and building on activities that require more self-regulation. The common threads for each year’s program are respect and responsibility which encompasses respect and responsibility for self, others and the natural world; that is, a person values, respects, cares for, and takes responsibility for herself, other people and takes responsibility for the natural world.

Through the camp program, we provide many other opportunities to demonstrate respect and responsibility for self and others as students learn to live with students in cabins, sharing bathrooms and meals. Through such activities, the girls learn to develop a higher level of awareness of others as they live and work together in close proximity. They also learn to demonstrate respect and responsibility for the natural world, which is why we have a natural world focus in each of the camps until Year 6. When the girls participate in outdoor activities on camp, we aim for them to connect to and take care of the natural world. We believe this experience is such a vital part of a child’s learning, especially when children today have less experience with the outdoors.

These outdoor experiences not only provide opportunities to interact with nature but also provide challenges and risks for the girls. As parents and teachers, we need to offer opportunities that are safe, but at the same time, challenging. Children need to take risks to investigate and push their limits in order to venture into new experiences. As the adults in a child’s life, we remove dangerous hazards, but not risks, which offer challenge. The camps in each of our year levels contribute to the development of the disposition of risk taking which sets the foundation for the challenge of learning.

On the Year 4 camp, the girls will be offered experiences which may be new or challenging for some. These included playing in an Aqua Park and participating in beach activities at Alexandra Headland, all of which were passed through a strenuous risk assessment process and supervised by our teaching staff, qualified camp staff and life guards.

Each of the camps require significant organisation. Thank you to Miss Richards who organises Years 3-5 camps and Mrs Stevenson for organising the Year 6 camp.

On camp, the girls are very fortunate to have dedicated and connected staff who selflessly arrange their own personal lives, so they are available overnight to support your daughter on camp. As a school, we are grateful for their commitment.

Angela Drysdale

Continuous Reporting
Once again, this year, Years 5 and 6 will continue to utilise Continuous Reporting. For our new parents, this is a process that enables teachers to provide timely feedback on assessed work. Throughout Semesters 1 and 2, parents of students in Years 5 and 6 will be provided with assessment grades on each assessment task their daughter undertakes in each subject area. Feedback on each task is provided to assist parents in 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 by entering the POD (click on Parent Lounge then Student Details and Curricular Activities). A description of the assessment task, dates when the assessment must be completed (this is listed as ‘Start Date’) and then dates when grades and feedback will be available (which is listed as ‘Due Date’) 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. The “Due Date’ is the date the results will be released in Parent Lounge. This is generally a fortnight after the start date listed, except when an assessment has been completed in the last week of term. Results will then be available in Parent Lounge early the following term. We recommend that you check in Parent Lounge on a regular basis from approximately the end of Week 5 this term to access results of assessments throughout the coming semester.

More detailed information regarding Continuous Reporting will be sent home via a letter to new parents in the coming days.

Any assessment results which have become available through Parent Lounge will be outlined in the eNews from this week. The following results will be available from Friday:

Year 5 English – Oral presentation: Treasure Box

Cathy Cox
Assistant Head of Primary

Upcoming Events:

Friday 1 March: P&F Mothers’ Luncheon, 11:30am to 3pm

Monday 4 to Friday 8 March: Careers Week (Author in Residence, Guest speakers)

Wednesday 6 March: Ash Wednesday Service, 7:30am

Thursday 7 March: Madonna King - Fathers and Daughters: Helping teen girls and their dads build unbreakable bonds. 6:30-8pm, Arts Centre Foyer

Friday 8 March: Free Dress Day – proceeds going to Flood Relief

Saturday 9 March: Open Day – Compulsory School Day, 9:30am-12:30pm

Students are required to wear a performance uniform for some of our music ensembles. With Open Day fast approaching, students are encouraged to purchase the uniform as soon as possible from the School Supplies Shop. Performance uniform requirements for Open Day are as follows:

Choral Ensembles

Serenata, Belle Voci: School Middy

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

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

Band Ensembles

Chaseley Concert Band, Jackson Wind Ensemble, Regale Percussion 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
Thank you to the parents who attended our first Music Support Group meeting of the year. It was wonderful to see so many parents in attendance. The next meeting will be on Tuesday 5 March at 5pm in the Primary Music Room (second floor of Chaseley). Parents from both the Primary and Secondary Schools are welcome to attend.

Brad King 

The results are as follows:

Thanks must go to all staff and families who supported the event.

QGSSSA Swimming 2019
Best wishes to the Secondary Swim squad who will be competing at the QGSSSA Championships on 6 March. Our swimmers will experience a Secondary school send-off on Circular Drive during morning tea, followed by team photos and lunch to send the squad on their winning ways. This lunch is supplied by parents and members of the Swimming Support Group. If you would like to get involved, please see the Swimming POD page or email the Swimming Coordinator, Phoebe Mawer: pmawer@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

To support our girls at this competition, all Years 7 and 12 students will be attending. Support at inter-school sporting events is an integral part of school life, providing students with significant opportunities to become involved in the school community. A permission letter has been forwarded to all families and can also be viewed here (PDF 85.7KB).

QGSSSA Swimming Presentation
A presentation afternoon, to celebrate a successful QGSSSA Swimming season, will be held on Sunday 10 March, 4pm on the Arts Centre Terraces. We welcome all swimmers and families to attend. For further information on this event, please see below:

Autumn Sports
The Autumn Fixture season which includes Touch Football, Basketball and Football (Soccer) is set to commence on Friday 8 March. St Margaret’s will play their first round of competition against St Hilda’s School at their competition venues. An early departure from school at 2pm has been organised for all teams. To view/download the draws for each individual sport, please visit the applicable POD pages.

Congratulations to …

• Annabel Bright and Matilda Lee who have been selected in the Met North Aquathon to compete at the State Championships on Saturday 9 March at Hervey Bay.
• Brogan Tomich who has been selected in the Met North Triathlon team to compete at the State Championships from Thursday 7 to Saturday 9 March at Hervey Bay.
• Pixie Carter and Imogen Simpson for being selected in the City District team for Hockey.

Upcoming Events:

• QGSSSA Swimming: Wednesday 6 March at the Sleeman Sports Complex
• QGSSSA Autumn Fixtures: Friday 8 March at St Hilda’s
• QGSSSA Swimming Afternoon: Sunday 10 March in the Arts Centre
• UQ Cross Country Invitational Meet: Wednesday 13 March at the University of Queensland

Helen Lobegeiger

You can visit the QTIX website to purchase tickets here, and if you want to book for groups of 10 or more, please call The Roundhouse Theatre on: 07 3007 8600.

We hope that you will join us for what promises to be an incredible show featuring so many of our talented students.

Annette Box
Director 

Current crossing time: 7:45am-8:30am and 3pm-3:45pm.

The current rate of pay is $30.34 per hour.

Commencement of work for the successful applicant is dependent on:

• The favourable outcome of a health assessment.
• A Positive Notice Blue Card (you do not need to have a blue card to apply for the position).

Those interested are encouraged to apply without delay as the position is to commence ASAP.

Completed applications should be returned via email to: employment@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or they may be dropped into the Primary Office. For enquiries, please contact Kate Curran, Director of Human Resources on 3862 0702. 

We provide a wide variety of activities over the term, including special themed days, drama, sport, art and craft, music, dance, indoor and outdoor activities, cooking, science and much more. During our Vacation Care Program, we go on excursions and have days full of fun and excitement. The program caters to children's age, development needs, skills and interests with a commitment of inclusion for everyone. Our activity program reflects and values the importance of play in middle childhood. Activities are provided to support children's social, emotional and life skill development.

Children are encouraged to grow and develop in a safe, compassionate and supportive environment where cooperation, friendship and mutual respect is fostered. Opportunities for children to complete homework are provided.

Before School Care
Before School Care runs Monday to Friday, from 7-8.30am. The morning program provides students an opportunity to relax before school, complete homework or have some breakfast provided by OSHC.

After School Care
After School Care runs Monday to Friday, from 2:30-6pm. The afternoon program provides students an opportunity to relax after school, complete homework, play with friends and have some afternoon tea provided by OSHC.

OSHC will also escort and collect the enrolled children from after school extra-curricular activities run on campus.

Bookings and information
Please email: oshc@stmargarets.qld.edu.au to make a booking and obtain an enrolment and Debitsuccess payment form.

St Margaret's OSHC accounts are payable by direct debit from your chosen bank account or credit card by Debitsuccess. We are unable to accept your booking until a completed enrolment and Debitsuccess form is received by the OSHC Coordinator.

If you would like further information regarding our Outside School Hours Care program, please contact Palu Ingram on 0423 547 653 or email: oshc@stmargets.qld.edu.au.

Palu Ingram

Susan has over 20 years of experience in accountancy and business management and served as chief of staff to the Minister for Natural Resources and Mines in the Queensland Government. Susan is a director of Beef Australia, a Queensland divisional councillor of the Retail and General Industry Group of Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC) and is treasurer of the Queensland RNA.

When: Thursday 21 March
Where: Arts Centre Foyer
Tickets: Corporate tables $800 for 10, $80 adult and $40 students (Years 10-12/tertiary)

Please click here (PDF 583.5KB) for more information.

Tickets are now on sale via Flexischools. Please click here to purchase your ticket.

We sincerely thank our corporate sponsors for their generous support of the Series.

Supporting Partners: Downer and Programmed Property Services

Do you know a St Margaret’s Old Girl who deserves recognition?
Nominations for the 2019 Past Students Awards are now open! There are two categories of Award: Distinguished Past Student and Young Past Student of Distinction.

These awards have been established to recognise the many achievements of St Margaret’s Past Students, both professionally and personally, and to celebrate the diverse achievements of our Old Girl community.

2019 nominations close on Monday 18 March 2019 at 5pm (AEST) and winners will be announced at the annual Past Student Awards Dinner.

Nomination forms can be found on the St Margaret’s website and the process of nomination is simple! Not to mention, your nomination is valid for two years. If you know someone deserving of recognition, nominate them today.

2019 Milestone Reunion Dates
We are pleased to announce the dates for our 2019 Milestone reunions!

10 Year Reunion – Class of 2009 – Friday 26 July

20 Year Reunion – Class of 1999 – Friday 26 July

30 Year Reunion – Class of 1989 – Friday 26 July

40 Year Reunion – Class of 1979 – Saturday 27 July

50 Year Reunion – Class of 1969 – Saturday 27 July

60 Year Reunion – Class of 1959 – Saturday 27 July

Old Girls’ Day (Chapel Service and Morning Tea) – Sunday 28 July

60+ Year Reunion – Monday 29 July

Lara Pickering 

Applications are open at: www.youngendeavour.gov.au. Voyage fees and conditions will apply to successful applicants, who must be aged 16-23 years on the day of departure of their selected voyage/s.

Scholarships in Australia
No matter what you are intending to study and where, you will be sure to find some financial assistance on offer to help you pay for it: https://www.gooduniversitiesguide.com.au/scholarships.

QUT New Double Degrees
Students can now expand their career options by studying the following double degree combinations at QUT:

• Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Justice
• Bachelor of Property Economics/Bachelor of Business
• Bachelor of Property Economics/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

Open days
Most tertiary providers hold open days in July and August each year for future students. If you can't make the open day, don't panic. Many universities, private colleges and TAFE Queensland also hold campus tours and information sessions throughout the year. A full list of current dates for Queensland universities is on the POD page eNews article.

UCAT
Who should sit UCAT?
Any Year 12 student who is seeking entry into medicine, dentistry and health science degree programs in 2020. Please note that some pathways to medicine/dentistry/clinical sciences will not require the UCAT. For more information about the new test, including price, testing dates, format and FAQs, visit https://www.ucat.edu.au.

Preparing for UCAT
You can find the official preparation materials at: https://www.ucat.edu.au/ucat-anz/practice-tests.

MedEntry UCAT Preparation
https://www.medentry.edu.au/our-services

University of Queensland: School Holidays 7-8 April 2019

The Glennie School, Toowoomba: Weekend Course 4-5 May 2019

Gold Coast Queensland Academies - Health Sciences Campus: 11-12 May 2019

University of Queensland: Weekend Course 29-30 June 2019

NIE UCAT preparation: https://www.nie.edu.au/ucat-courses/simulated-ucat-day-workshop

Crimson Education UCAT preparation: https://www.crimsoneducation.org/sg/standardised-testing/ucat

QUT Parent Information Seminar
Come along and here about the options available at QUT at the Gardens Point Campus.

Date: Wednesday 8 May 2019
Time: Campus tour: 5:15–5:45pm, Seminar: 6–7:30pm

TSXPO
The 38th annual Tertiary Studies Expo (TSXPO) will be held on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 July 2019.

KEY DATES:

1 March 2019: UCAT Registration opens

17 May, 11:59pm: UCAT Registration closes

24 and 25 May: The National Careers and Employment EXPO (Brisbane Convention Centre)

1 July: UCAT testing begins

 20 and 21 July: Tertiary Studies Expo (TSXPO) – Brisbane Showgrounds

31 July: UCAT testing finishes

Elizabeth Johnston