St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School has been recognised as an Employer of Choice for the third consecutive year by The Educator.
Principal Ms Ros Curtis said the award was validation of the school’s positive work environment that focuses on supporting staff as well as students.
“At St Margaret’s, staff are guided and mentored to achieve their individual career and professional development goals.
“The school’s unique Centre of Teaching and Learning Excellence (CeTLE) is dedicated to the growth and leadership of educators, offering a range of professional development opportunities to teaching staff, including those aspiring to become senior leaders and teachers looking to move into middle management.
“The professional development opportunities available through CeTLE are not just for St Margaret’s staff, but for educators from other schools in South East Queensland too, and the collegial collaboration, sharing and exchanging of ideas nurtured through these opportunities further enhances the benefits for all involved,” Ms Curtis said.
Other learning opportunities for teachers and staff include international/interstate exchanges and financial and study leave support for master’s degree study. The school also offers a Born to Fly scholarship for undergraduate teachers looking to gain real world work experience and mentorship during their final year of studies.
St Margaret’s aims to support the health and wellbeing of its employees through initiatives such as flexible work arrangements and bonus leave days for special personal events and over Christmas; professional counselling through Employee Assistance Programs; a Staff Wellbeing Committee which regularly hosts initiatives such as art classes and bake offs; and an online portal which shares wellbeing information.
“It is an incredible honour to be recognised as a workplace where people want to come to work every day and where collectively everyone is focused on strengthening the St Margaret’s experience.
“We are very proud of our positive work culture which has been actively cultivated through St Margaret’s Way, a philosophy guided by two motivating questions: ‘How do I want to feel when I come to school every day?’ and ‘What am I doing to help others feel that way?’ This practice has been promoted to and embraced by the entire community from our staff through to students and provides a framework, complemented by our school values, to inform and align our culture,” Ms Curtis said.