eNews Archive Issue 7 - 9 March 2023

The 2022 Income of Families with Students Attending Schools in Queensland report looks at the data from the 2021 Australian Census of Population and Housing to obtain an accurate and objective picture of the income profile of Queensland families and their school choices. This report highlights a truth that is already well known within the sector: independent schools cater for families from right across the socioeconomic spectrum. The analysis also confirms that independent and Catholic schools, both serve families in similar socioeconomic circumstances.

More families are choosing independent schools in Queensland; these schools educate 15.9% of all school-age children and in doing so save governments a lot of money. They are as diverse as the communities they serve and offer parents’ choice in the education of their children. Analysis of the 2021 Australian Census of Population and Housing data provides insight into the income backgrounds of families and their school choices; some of this information may surprise you.

Queensland independent schools serve families from every income level – from those with the lowest weekly earnings to the highest.

The fact that may surprise you is that government schools educate the highest proportion of students whose families earn weekly wages that put them in the highest three income brackets: – Government schools catered for 54% – Catholic Schools catered for 26% – Independent schools catered for 20%.

Independent and Catholic schools serve families with broadly the same financial profile and capacity to pay fees. Of those students from families with incomes in the lowest three deciles (less than $1,625 per week): – Independent schools catered for 10%. – Catholic schools catered for 11%. – Government schools catered for 79%.

Ros Curtis

Studies suggest that students are more likely to engage in school, succeed academically and enjoy their learning if they adopt the following four positive mindsets:

1. I belong in this learning community
2. I can succeed at my schoolwork
3. My ability and confidence will grow with my own efforts
4. The work has value for me

Academic mindsets can vary throughout the school day and can be affected by so many variables. For example, some students feel more positive at the beginning of the day or at the end (usually due to fatigue), and some can even be very affected by fluctuations in temperature.

Equally, the work that students do at home on things such as homework, assessment and study can also be enhanced by having a positive mindset, and variables such as the time they are able to do their work, noise distractions and the set-up of their study environment at home can also have an effect on this.

Parents can help foster a positive academic mindset at home. Taking an interest in what they have learnt each day can help. Having a conversation about it and asking just a few questions can help, but ultimately letting students be in control of their own learning is important, particularly the older they get.

It was wonderful to see so many parents engaging with teachers at parent teacher interviews in the primary and secondary school over the past few weeks. We welcome open communication about your daughters and how best we can support their social, emotional and academic development.

Karen Gorrie

“Mother Emma was renowned for her love of children and her gentle nature, and was considered a bastion of calmness and serenity, although underneath that exterior…was a strength and determination to face challenges and expand the Society of the Sacred Advent and its reach,” says Archives Researcher Adrian Gibb on Mother Emma Crawford SSA, who is commemorated in the Lectionary on 9 March.
(Mother Emma’s Day (anglicanfocus.org.au)

Mother Emma was the founding sister of our school, and we celebrate her commitment to the education of girls and women, and her strength, courage, and creativity in the face of challenges.

Prayer for the SSA:

God of Grace,

We give thanks for the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent.

We are thankful for their presence within our schools,

St Margaret’s and St Aidan’s.

Bless their work amongst us and within the community.

May we look to the Sisters

as a source of inspiration and encouragement

to live a life of dedication and faith. Amen.

Upcoming Events:

Pre-Prep – Year 2 Twilight Service and Picnic: Friday 17 March, 5.30pm, Circular Drive

Years 9 and 10 Family Service: Wednesday 22 March, 6pm, School Chapel, RSVP here.

Years 4-6 Admission to Holy Communion (and Baptism): Wednesday 19 April, 6pm, St John’s Cathedral, RSVP here.

Rev’d Jazz Dow

The evening starts with the girls arriving at the ACF in their beautifully put together outfits to have sunset photos with the Brisbane River as the backdrop. It is always fascinating as a staff member to look back at these photos from over the years to see how much the girls have changed and grown. On 14 February we celebrated the Year 12 Formal Dinner, appropriately themed Galantines Day. The catering staff did a magnificent job and prepared a delicious main course followed by a heart shaped dessert. Our Styling Club dressed the room to theme and when Ms Gorrie addressed the girls, she reminded them to enjoy all of the lasts and that the end of the year will be upon them before they know it.

This week we have had the pleasure of celebrating with the Year 7’s at their dinner. In keeping with the Archbishop's theme of Flourish, a flower garden has been chosen as the theme for the evening. It will be lovely to look back on this in six years’ time to see how the girls have grown and flourished as Maggies Boarders.

       Year 7 2018 Year 12 2023 

Angela Crowe

1. The Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) pathway will provide students with an ATAR to seek entrance to tertiary study in Australian Universities. Students selecting this pathway must select five or six General subjects. All students must select at least one subject from the English discipline. The calculation of an ATAR will be based on a student’s best five General subject results. Results in General subjects also contribute to the award of a QCE.
2. The portfolio pathway gives students qualifications that allow access to work, apprenticeship and study options. Students selecting this pathway are not eligible for an ATAR. All students must select three General subjects, including one subject from the English discipline. Students selecting the Portfolio pathway will be eligible for a QCE.

Both Naomi and I are looking forward to working with the Year 10 girls throughout this year to help them plan for Year 11 and 12.

Year 11 Academic Progress Meetings

Next term, I will be meeting with all Year 11 students to discuss their academic progress to date. Students will be able to book in times and parents are welcome to attend. In Term 4, all ATAR-eligible students will receive an ATAR indication based on their Unit 1 and 2 results. In calculating these, we do not use the many ATAR calculation sites that are available online. We use an external organisation who provide estimations based on collected data from the current Year 11 cohort. It is important to be aware that ATAR calculation sites are NOT official nor is their accuracy guaranteed. Students are not recommended to use these sites as a means of determining subject selections.

Caitlin McCluskey

A reminder to students that they must bring wired headphones and a fully charged laptop to school every day of NAPLAN.

Medical Information on Parent Lounge

This is just a gentle reminder for new parents who are filling in medical information about their daughters on Parent Lounge. If any medical diagnoses or conditions have academic implications for your daughter (i.e. require special provisions for assessments or the development of a learning plan), could you please also send this information through to our Learning Enhancement Department?

The best people to contact are:

• Ms Margot Johnston (Head of Learning Enhancement – mjohnston@stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
• Mr Jonathan Cox (Learning Enhancement Coordinator Year 7/8 – jcox@stmargarets.qld.edu.au).

Chris Dunn

St Margaret’s in many respects allows students and staff to build authentic relationships which are essential if students are to develop a sense of belonging and a positive sense of place. The positive school environment we deliver is sustained by all stakeholders focussing their attention on building relationships within the school and maintaining our commitment to the School's mission and St Margaret’s Way. Parents are encouraged to communicate immediately to their student’s Head of Year if there is an issue of concern.

Nikki Townsend

In the primary school each year, IWD is the time we launch our Career Education Program for the year. This year’s theme of equity is appropriate as Careers Education is about highlighting that all careers are relevant and attainable for women. We believe this is important as research reveals that young children “grasp the concept of a set of behaviours, belonging to each sex and therefore seeing jobs intrinsically gendered” (Kashefpakdel, Rehill & Hughes, 2018:3).  

Within our school program, the teachers find opportunities for students to hear about careers related the learning e.g. in library lessons, the role of author and illustrator is discussed and offered as a potential career for a female. We would also like to offer our students an opportunity to hear firsthand from mothers about their careers. If you are interested in sharing your career with our students, please contact me. Careers education is a very deliberate decision as research has identified career-related learning in primary school benefits children in the development of a healthy sense of self and helps them achieve their full potential, while allowing for connection with the wider community and helping to gain a sense of what they could do in the future.  

Andrews Cup Swimming

This week, the girls participated in their first Andrews Cup competition for the year. On Monday the swim team headed off to Chandler to compete against nine other schools. This day followed many training sessions for over seventy girls with fifty-eight girls going on to represent the school at this event. The team was committed and supportive of each other, achieving third place overall and retaining the Springfield Cup, the final event of the carnival (50 m freestyle relay). The team, Charlotte Roy, Charlotte Beirne, Minti Barnier and Anya Fludder did a remarkable job to bring home the trophy for this elite event. Congratulations to all girls who trained with the goal to be a member of the team and to those girls who were in the team, each of you achieved personal goals.

Angela Drysdale

Multiple Exposures / Spaced Practice presents the student with more opportunities to experience, connect with and elaborate on skills and knowledge to enhance mastery and fluency. Students have access to a range of online and written resources which provide interesting and effective ways to practise and master English and Mathematical skills.

Previewing – Home Preview is preparation at home where the student previews the next topic to be studied in class. Students might be required to find three interesting things about the topic and/or identify two questions. The Big Talk is discussing and modelling the use of vocabulary, ideas and understanding in relation to a writing stimulus.

Home Preview and Big Talk are perfect opportunities for adults to engage in discussions about writing tasks and/or topics of study.

Students are required to read their home reader, library or AR book nightly.

All students in Years 3-6 use the Accelerated Reader Program. This program assists teachers to monitor students’ comprehension of texts read and provides data which outlines the number of words read. This program enables students to access books at their readability level and can also motivate students towards attaining term goals related to the amount of reading.

Lastly, students are required to practise their musical instrument to ensure mastery of learned instrumental skills.

Further information about Home Learning can be found on the relevant Year Level POD pages.

Kate Frewin

Music Camp

The Music Department is very excited to invite secondary students involved in music ensembles to a music camp that will take place on the weekend of Friday 5 to Sunday 7 May 2023 at Sunshine Coast Recreation Centre, 80 Currimundi Road, Currimundi. The camp will be open to students in Volare, Exultate, Jackson Wind Ensemble, Sister Helen Wind Symphony, Stradivari Strings and Chamber Strings, and it is an expectation that students in these ensembles attend. Time will be spent rehearsing in music ensembles improving musical skills and participating in other fun activities. This will be an excellent opportunity for girls to not only learn new music repertoire within music ensembles but also build relationships with other students in the music program. The cost for the weekend will be $230 for each student, which includes bus travel, t-shirt, meals, accommodation, tuition and activities. Registration and payment for the Music Camp can only be made via Parent Lounge. To assist in the organisation of the camp, please register as soon as possible, and no later than Friday 31 March 2023. A letter with further details is attached here. (PDF 261.5KB)

Musical

‘Chookas’ to all students involved in the upcoming performances of the school musical Strictly Ballroom. Students in both the cast and orchestra have been working very hard in preparation for the upcoming performances to be presented at La Boite this week. The school musical is a very special event within the school’s calendar, bringing together many different parts of the school community, and providing a unique performance opportunity for students to experience the magic of live theatre. We hope that it will be enjoyed by all those who come along to watch the show and become a treasured experience for all students involved.

Music Support Group – Next meeting

The next Music Support Group meeting will be held on Tuesday 18 April 2023 at 5:00pm in M’s Cafe. We encourage parents from both primary and secondary schools to become involved.

Brad King

Under the leadership of new Head of Swimming, Matt Brown, a well-crafted plan was hatched to start fast in the medley relays. Our swimmers went on to win three out of the five races. This gave the team a great start and boosted their confidence, instilling in them a sense of excitement and belief.

Across the night there were many outstanding performances including several podium finishes and countless personal bests. A special mention must be made to our Open Brockway Cup Relay Team of Ruby Gowns (Year 9), Cosette Cooke (Year 10), Sienna Timms (Year 12) and Sophie Martin (Year 12) who finished 2^nd overall in this historic race. Acknowledgement must also be given to the 13 Years team who won the age group pennant.

A big thank you and congratulations must be given to our team captains, Charli Fahrensohn and Sophie Martin who led our team superbly both on and off pool deck. Thanks must also go to our knowledgeable and passionate staff and coaches, Mr Mandla, Ms O’Brien, Ms Cescotto, Boo and Matt. A special thank you must also be given to the St Margaret’s cheers squad, made up of our Year 12’s and Year 7’s and led by our Dragonettes who brought so much spirit and support to the evening.    

Overall, our team's performance was impressive, and their hard work and dedication paid off. All team members should be extremely proud of their achievements. We are already looking forward to the 2024 season.

Autumn Sport

Autumn Sport (Basketball, Soccer & Touch Football) commences this coming Friday 10 March. Our teams have been training hard across the pre-season and we look forward to seeing them all take to the park this coming Friday.

All teams, fixtures and season information can be found on the respective Sport POD Pages. If your daughter is involved in one of these we encourage you to come along and support your daughter and her Maggies teammates.

Please be reminded, if picking up your daughter directly from Autumn Sport on Friday night match it is expected that both student and parent must sign out with a member of the St Margaret’s teaching staff.     

Latest Sport News and Information

For the latest sport news and information please check out the following Secondary School Sport POD Pages:

• Basketball (Autumn Sport) - (The POD - Secondary Basketball (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
• Soccer (Autumn Sport) - (The POD - Secondary Football (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
• Touch Football (Autumn Sport) - (The POD - Secondary Touch Football (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
• Cross Country - The POD - Secondary Cross Country (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
• Artistic Gymnastic – The POD - Secondary Artistic Gymnastics (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
• Cricket - The POD - Secondary Cricket (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
• AFL (Yr 10,11&12)) - The POD - Secondary AFL (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
• Club Water Polo - The POD - Club Water Polo (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)
• Club Netball - The POD - Club Netball (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)

Sporting Achievement

It’s with great pleasure that we can recognise the outstanding sport performances and representation of St Margaret’s students at a national and international level. I would like to highlight and congratulate the following students on their recent achievements:

Bless Daly (Year 9) & Lucy Stuart (Year 9) who have both been selected to attend the Water Polo Australia 16 Years and Under Girls Camp at the Australian Institute of Sport. This camp is aimed towards the ongoing talent development and team selection of the Australian U16 Team. We wish both girls all the very best and look forward to hearing of their experience.  

We would like to continue to recognise the outstanding achievements and representation of students’ participating a national level, outside of the school sport pathway. I look forward to continuing to hear from our community regarding such outstanding achievement. Please send me an email - lknight@stmargarets.qld.edu.au 

GO MAGGIES!

Lloyd Knight

Blazer Pocket Embroidery

Blazers that require pocket embroidery must be submitted by morning tea on a Wednesday and take approximately two weeks to returned to the Supplies Shop from collection.

Student Card Purchases at the Supplies Shop

Student Card Fund Top Ups

Please allow up to 24 hours for funds to clear when depositing funds onto student cards.

Flexischools Daily Limit

Please ensure the daily limit is set high enough to cover the cost of the uniform items being purchased. We will not be able to complete the purchase if there are insufficient funds available on the Student Card.

We have fun-filled and exciting activities planned for our April School Holiday Program. Further details of the program can be found here (PDF 298.8KB). Boys and girls, siblings, friends and family welcome!

Please refer to the attached Information Guide 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 bookings 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: 10 March 2023

Fees: $68 per day*

Bookings close: 24 March 2023

*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

The event raised over $37,000 which will support the school with upcoming projects designed to enrich the student experience - including the Forest and the new cafeteria, which will benefit both primary and secondary students. We thank our event sponsors and prize donors for their support - our fundraising efforts would not be possible without them.

Thank you to our 2023 Fathers' Dinner Supporting Sponsors, Morgans and Maserati; and Maggie’s Supporters, Wheelchair Vehicle Sales and Belbaker Bus Charter.

We also thank the businesses and people within our community who kindly donated prizes to the raffle and auction: 5 Boroughs, ARB Capalaba, B Select – Bridgestone Hendra, Breakfast Creek Hotel, City Cave, Dixon Estate Agents, Dolphins NRL Football Club, Go Boat, Golf Central, Granddad Jacks, Harrisons Menswear, Herves Restaurant, Kalio Wellness Medispa, Mitchell Ogilvie, One Fifty Racecourse Road, Police Medal Frames, P&F Association, Queensland Cricketers' Club, Wayne Bennett, River to Bay, Sign Artist, Fuller Family, Nash Family, McDonnell Family and the Reddacliff Family.

Aspiring Young Women’s Network Breakfast
Join us for the first Aspiring Young Women's Network breakfast for 2023 with guest speaker Clare Sheng ('00). The Aspiring Young Women’s Network Breakfast (AYWN) Series provides an opportunity for secondary school students, from Years 9-12, to hear firsthand from alumni who have recently transitioned to university or their chosen career at these networking breakfast events. 

Parents are welcome to attend these events with their daughters.

Date:              Thursday 16 March 2023
Time:              6:45am arrival for 7:00am start
Where:           Arts Centre Foyer, St Margaret’s AGS
Cost:               $38 Adults/Students
Tickets:           https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing?eid=993182&

Past Students Awards Dinner
The Past Students Awards Dinner is a wonderful evening to attend with your daughters where they will be inspired hearing from our past students who have made outstanding contributions to our society and achieved great success in their chosen field.

Date:               Saturday 25 March 2023

Time:              Pre-dinner drinks and canapes at 6:30pm

Venue:            Arts Centre Foyer, St Margaret's

Cost:               $90 Adults | $60 Students 
Adult ticket includes canapes, two course meal and drinks package
Student ticket includes canapes, two course meal and non-alcoholic drinks package

Tickets:           Available online via https://www.trybooking.com/CEFBD until Thursday 16  March, 2023 (unless sold out prior)

We look forward to announcing the winners and celebrating them at the Past Student Awards Dinner on Saturday 25 March 2023.

P&F AGM
Notice is given that the Annual General Meeting of the St Margaret’s P&F Association Inc.

Date:                     Monday 27 March 2023
Time:                     6.30pm to 7.30pm
Location:               Arts Centre Foyer, St Margaret's Anglican Girls School or online
RSVP:                    https://www.trybooking.com/CFXRP

Please note, at this Meeting the 2023 Executive and Committee Elect positions will be ratified and the P&F Financial Audit Report will be presented.

The 2023 Executive and Committee Elect were nominated at the General Meeting with the Special Election of Office Bearers on Monday 13 February.

Lara Pickering