eNews Archive Issue 6 - 3 March 2022

WHOLE SCHOOL

From the Principal

Our thoughts are with members of our community affected by the unpredictable extreme weather event earlier in the week that caused widespread flooding and water damage.

Karen Gorrie, our Deputy Principal, is going on long service leave for four weeks until the end of term. Lesa Fowler, our current Head of Boarding, has agreed to step into the role of Acting Deputy Principal for this time. Gracemere Mataia will take on the role as Acting Head of Boarding until the end of term. We wish Ms Gorrie a very restful and happy four weeks of leave.

The government’s COVID-19 restrictions in the Back-to-School Plan cease from 6.00pm on Friday 4 March. This basically means that:

face masks will no longer be required to be worn by staff or students in schools, on dedicated school transport or at other education workplaces. If individual staff or students wish to wear a face mask while at school, they are more than welcome to do so.
schools can resume assemblies and other large gatherings from 6pm on Friday 4 March.
parents, carers, volunteers, contractors, and other external workers will also be permitted on school sites from this date.
anyone who is working or volunteering at a school is still required to be fully vaccinated. Schools are also still required to seek proof of vaccination for visitors and are recommended to continue using the Queensland Check-in app to do so.

If you are looking for another way to support the school, you may be interested in attending the Professional Women’s Network breakfast or in sponsoring a corporate table at this event. I alert you to the Development and Community section of the eNews for further details and encourage you to think about buying a ticket for you and your daughter or inviting a group of people from your work to the upcoming Professional Women’s Network breakfast on Tuesday 15 March. This is an opportunity for you to be inspired by the experiences of our guest speaker and past student, Genevieve Gregor (’86). I look forward to seeing you there.

The St Margaret’s Plus Mentoring Program is an exciting new initiative being introduced this year to St Margaret’s students in Years 11 and 12.

The program will be managed and facilitated by Ms Danielle Guinea, Relationships and Mentoring Manager, and will match and link students with an appropriate mentor in the field they’re aspiring to study or enter when they graduate. The structured sessions will be conducted online, and mentors will be sourced from the wide, supportive, and diverse St Margaret’s community.

It is hoped that students will embrace the opportunity to gain insights, knowledge, and experience from those studying and working in the areas they hope to pursue. The response from Old Girls to participate in the program as mentors has been overwhelmingly positive.

Further information will be available on the website and through year level assemblies in the coming weeks.

Just a reminder that the school Open Day has been postponed from Saturday 5 March to Saturday 26 March from 9.30am – 12.30pm.

Ros Curtis

From the Deputy Principal

Now that we are half way through the term and completing or heading towards assessment, it is timely for our students to revisit their goals that they made at the beginning of the year. Goals are useful for students of all ages. With the recent Primary Parent Teacher Interviews and the upcoming Secondary Parent Teacher Interviews, I’m sure goals for your daughter’s learning has been a topic of discussion. If not, it would be worth discussing these with them 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. While 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.

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

Karen Gorrie

Chaplain

My prayers and thoughts are with you all this week. As my daughters and I drove home on Monday morning to assess the damage to our property, my five-year-old looked out over the Brisbane River and asked, “if God made the rain, why did he let it flood?” I had had very little sleep and not sure my theological sensibilities were at their finest, but I was able to respond. I told her that God gives us great freedom, the earth and humanity. Sometimes we use that freedom to care for the earth and our communities, and sometimes we use that freedom to hurt the earth and others. We need to care for the earth and all that is in it. She responded, “well I am glad that God didn’t cause this flood.” Me, too.

I will need to continue the conversation with her, but for now, I am very glad that she is not imagining God as a God who floods her home. If your child is asking these questions as well, please feel free to send me an email. There are big questions that remain mysteries. One thing I am sure of is that God does not cause bad things to happen because God is pure love.

Over the coming weeks, I will be praying for you all, particularly those of you who are facing the aftermath of the flooding.

Let us, too, continue to remember Ukraine. I offer (below) a prayer from the Archbishop of Canterbury.

In peace,
Rev’d Jazz (jdow@stmargarets.qld.edu.au)

eNews_MATAIA Gracemere_AD8V5710VN_Low Res

Head of Senior House

The weather over the weekend meant we were unable to hold our traditional Closed Weekend for this semester. We look forward to future opportunities to come together and reconnect soon as a whole boarding house. Some of the planned events included the Big Sister Brunch and the Year 12s leading many fun and exciting games for groups of mixed year levels. We will keep you informed of future plans for all events as they are very important events for our students, parents and staff. In the meantime, our current climate of events has brought our cohorts closer together, celebrating house spirit and understanding key messages for 2022.

Unfortunately, the impact of COVID and the spread of Omicron is still presenting many challenges around staffing and student absences, and we expect this to continue during 2022. Cairnmore House and Albion Manor Motel are an extension to the boarding houses off campus. We will continue to keep you informed of any developments and our staff are working hard to ensure there is continuity of learning. Each scenario presents different challenges, and we assure you, that we will always put your daughter’s wellbeing, health and safety and learning needs at the forefront of our decision making.

We are certainly navigating unique and challenging times as we learn to live with the pandemic while we make every effort to ensure continuity of learning and living arrangements for your daughters. It takes a village to care for the boarding house. We thank all staff who have been heavily involved in our everyday operations and we thank our boarding parents who have been very understanding with our procedures. Our highlight is our resilient boarders who have shown great unity and positivity each day.

"There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about." – Margaret J. Wheatley

Gracemere Mataia

Dean of Academics

As we reach the second half of Term 1, all students in Years 7 to 12 are submitting assignments and completing a range of exams. Please see a few reminders below regarding assessment and exams.

Extension Forms

On each year level POD page, there is a link to the extension procedures page. This page contains two forms: one for an unexpectedly missed exam (when sick/isolating for COVID etc) and another for planned absences or extended sickness in the lead up to a due date. Both the page and the relevant forms contain the procedures for applying for these extensions.

Please note that in Years 7 to 9, requests for an extension must be accompanied by a parent letter or a medical certificate. In Years 10 to 12, requests for an extension must be accompanied by a medical certificate or, if absent for commitments such as representative sport, formal documentation outlining these dates.

When an exam is unexpectedly missed, the procedure in Years 7 to 11 is for the student to complete this exam in the library in lesson 1a/b on the day of their return to school. In the event that the student has been absent for a period of time and has multiple exams to catch up on, this schedule will be managed by the Academic Studies Office: Dean of Studies (Years 7-9) and Dean of Academics (Years 10-12). All adjustments to Year 12 assessment are managed by the Dean of Academics.

Special Provisions or Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments

Students with disability, a medical condition or other circumstances may require reasonable adjustments to assessment conditions. Special provision involves making reasonable adjustments, such as providing alternative arrangements for seating, equipment or time. If your daughter requires special provisions, Stephanie Cowie, the Assistant Head of Faculty Student Pathways and Futures, will have communicated with you about a learning plan. If you have any questions about these provisions, please contact us prior to exams.

Caitlin McCluskey

Dean of Studies

The importance of sleep to one’s learning and wellbeing cannot be understated. Over the past two decades, a great deal of literature has correlated poor sleep routines with reduced academic performance, as well as lowered wellbeing outcomes in students. One peer-reviewed US study went so far as to conclude that sleep behaviour accounted for nearly 25% of the variance in academic performance of 100 students in tests (Okano, 2019).

Alarmingly, a recent article from Brett Henebery in The Educator also reminds us that Australian teens are the third-most sleep deprived in the world, and that 70% of Australian high school students experience regular sleep deprivation.

So, what can we do?

Henebery (2022) puts forward some clear evidence-based suggestions that students can take on to improve their ‘sleep hygiene’ – as he puts it. With the assessment-heavy weeks of Term 1 just around the corner, I hope this advice proves useful to many of our girls at St Margaret’s.

Ways to improve your ‘sleep hygiene’

Exercise regularly every day, preferably in the morning – this will naturally reduce stress hormone levels and help you sleep more soundly.
Avoid bright lights in the evening – don’t have all the lights on until you’re about to go to bed. Reducing light will help your body and brain wind down.
Cut technology late at night – blue light from technology screens impedes sleep. Try putting laptops, phones and iPads outside your bedroom to avoid the temptation.
Reduce caffeine levels late in the afternoon or at night.
Keep the bedroom dark, cool and quiet.
Set a good sleep routine and stick to it – for example, shower followed by reading every night.

Chris Dunn

References

Henebery, B. (2022, February 17). The importance of promoting a better sleep routine. The Educator.

Okano, K., Kaczmarzyk, J. R., Dave, N., Gabrieli, J. D. E., & Grossman, J. C. (2019, 2019/10/01). Sleep quality, duration, and consistency are associated with better academic performance in college students. Science of Learning, 4(1), 16.

Dean of Students

Open Day Postponed

Due to Open Day being postponed this weekend the school has now been moved this event to Saturday 26 March 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 to attend 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.

Furthermore, Saturday 26 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.

eNews new feature photo 11 June 2019 Angela Drysdale_HoP

Head of Primary

In this 21st century society when we converse about ‘being connected’, the topic is more likely to focus on being connected in a virtual world where lives and relationships are played out through online interactions. These interactions can cause negative outcomes for all ages but particularly can have harmful effects for students who do not have the social and emotional development to manage difficult conversations between peers online. This week, Annette Box shares resources parents can use to support their child online.

Society’s obsession with the online world makes connecting with people face to face more important than ever. Schools are centres where the skills of connection are formed, and we encourage our girls to use the social situation of school as the time to interact and form friendships individually and as part of a group rather than online. This is a much more positive and authentic way to make connections and build relationships.

In our school, the skills of connection are taught and learnt through our pastoral care program using the social thinking skills program as a base. Our service-learning program helps build empathy, that is to understand and feel from another’s point of view, often seen as the pinnacle of connection. We also regard connection as an important aspect of academic growth and is identified in our Framework of Quality Teaching and Learning as one of the five pillars upon which an effective learning environment is based. Connection is vital for both a student’s learning success and achievement as a human.

“We are more of who we are because of the connections we have made.” Adele Basheer

Angela Drysdale

Assistant Head of Primary - Wellbeing and Operations

Online Resources to support your daughter’s digital journey and wellbeing
Navigating the online world can be an exciting but often confusing pursuit for your daughter. However, there are several platforms to which the school provides access, designed to generate conversation, provide education and support you at home. Safe on Social is an Australian-based cyber safety training company specialising in delivering training for schools and organisations. St Margaret’s subscribes to the Safe on Social Toolkit Platinum Package which you can access via . Use the login details to access age-specific video presentations and online workshops, which cover topics such as group chats and strategies to manage them, online stranger danger, using social media with awareness, and strategies to build resilience online.

SchoolTV, also accessible via , is a resource for schools, created to educate parents and support families across all areas of mental health and wellbeing so that our young people are given every opportunity to not only succeed but thrive. Renowned psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg has designed this online resource to empower you as parents with credible and sound information with realistic, practical ongoing support strategies, and again access is provided free for parents through the school.

Finally, please ensure that you take the time to complete the Parent St Margaret’s Primary Laptop User Agreement with your daughter, located in the Events and Payment section of Parent Lounge. This will ensure that you and your daughter are aware of the expectations and responsibilities she has when engaging online in any capacity on a school-owned device both at home and at school.

We highly recommend taking the time to explore these excellent resources with your daughter to support the work being done in class at school.

Annette Box

Music Issue 17 Feature photo for website

Head of Performance

STOP PRESS: Open Day: Postponed to Saturday 26 March

The St Margaret’s music ensembles are very much looking forward to performing at Open Day, on the new date of Saturday 26 March 9:30am – 12:30pm. The performance schedule is confirmed as follows:

Circular Drive

9:30am Sculthorpe String Quartet

9:50am Amati Strings

10:05am Stradivari Strings

10:20am Chamber Strings

10:35am Chorale

10:45am Volare

10:50am Exultate

11:45am Music Extension Performances

12:00pm Rock Band Performances

Eton Hall

9:30am Chaseley Concert Band

9:40am Sister Helen Wind Symphony

10:05am Elayne Jones Percussion Ensemble

10:20am Jackson Wind Ensemble

10:35am Stage Band

10:50am Speech & Drama Presentation

Toorak Courtyard

11:00am Clarinet/Flute/Saxophone/Brass Ensemble Performances

Primary Atrium

9:30am Beath String Quartet

9:50am Tutt Strings

Performance Uniforms

Students are required to wear a performance uniform for some senior auditioned music ensembles. Students are encouraged to purchase the uniform as soon as possible at the School Supply Shop in preparation for Open Day (26 March). Performance uniform requirements are as follows:

Choral Ensembles

Serenata, Belle Voci, Chorale, Encorah: School middy

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

Band Ensembles

Chaseley Concert Band, Jackson Wind Ensemble: School middy

Sister Helen Wind Symphony: Black performance uniform with black shoes (ballet flats)

Stage Band & Saxophone/Clarinet/Flute/Brass/Elayne Jones Percussion Ensembles: If students are in the Sister Helen Wind Symphony, they may perform in the black performance uniform; however, students who are not in those ensembles may perform in school middy.

String Ensembles

Tutti Strings, Amati Strings, Stradivari Strings, Beath String Quartet: School middy

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

Soloist Recital Series 1

The Music Department will be hosting its first Soloist Recital Series for 2022. These recitals are open to all students at St Margaret’s who would like to present a solo performance in an informal and supportive setting. The recital will be held on 16 March in the Arts Centre Foyer from 3:30pm. If students are interested in performing, they are encouraged to speak to their private music teachers at St Margaret’s who can then facilitate the process. Alternately, students may speak with Mr King.

Encorah Commences in Week 7

Encorah is an all-comers choir open to all girls in Years 7-12 and will recommence rehearsals from Thursday 10 March 3:30-4:30pm. All who enjoy singing are welcome to attend with no audition required. The choir will sing a wide range of repertoire from a variety of genres ranging from contemporary music to music theatre and more traditional styles. We look forward to having many students involved! Please note that from next week Exultate will rehearse from 4:30-5:30pm and Volare from 4:30-5:00pm.

Music Support Group

Thank you to all those who joined our recent meeting via Teams. The next Music Support Group meeting will be on Tuesday 19 April at 5.00pm in M’s Cafe. Parents from both the primary and secondary schools are welcome to attend.

Head of Sport

School Sport Representative Pathways

It has been a busy few weeks for our girls participating in their respective secondary school sport representative pathways. This year we have already seen several trials occurring across our region and district. St Margaret’s has been strongly represented by our girls at many of these.

The Sport and Activities office would like to acknowledge the following students who have been selected to advance across their respective pathways:

Cricket

16-19 years North Independent Team Lucy Bourke (Year 11) and Brea Craven (Year 11)

Tennis

13-19 years Met North Lara Charles (Year 12)

Netball

13-15 years North Independent Team Lucy Cameron (Year 9) and Ruby Gowns (Year 8)
16-19 years North Independent Team Lauren Packer (Year 10), Sienna Small (Year 11) and Chelsea Uisa-Kainiu (Year 12)

Football

13-15 years North Independent Team Kiara Pedroni (Year 8) and Ruby Reilly (Year 8)
16-19 years North Independent Team Jordy Wright (Year 10)

Triathlon

Queensland Team Addison Houslip (Year 7)

A big congratulations must also be given to our contingent of Maggies girls who competed at the Met North Swimming Trials last week. The event saw great results as our girls continue to prepare for the QGSSSA Championships. The swimming team, in addition to teams in water polo, touch football, softball and AFL, will be nominated in the coming weeks. We look forward to acknowledging these students.

Should you seek to find out more information regarding our secondary school sport representative pathway, please ensure you keep up to date with the .

Sport Program Operations and Logistics

Given the unfortunate circumstances of the weekend, significant damage has occurred across St Margaret’s outdoor training venues at Windsor Park and Brisbane City Football Club, along with other QGSSSA school venues. This damage has impacted both grounds and equipment.

The Sport and Activities Office are currently working through the impact for each sport and ask that our community stay informed through the scheduled to take place.

We thank you for your understanding.

QGSSSA Swimming Championships Postponed

The QGSSSA Swimming Championships have been rescheduled to Wednesday 16 March. Further information will be on the POD regarding the evening’s proceedings.

All QGSSSA swimming will return to pre-event scheduling, including our compulsory Sunday morning training session on Sunday 13 March, as we lead-up to the championships.

Please ensure you continue to stay up to date with the for all details.

Lloyd Knight

Toc H

Toc H is an organisation dedicated to offering service throughout the community, with the purpose of helping disadvantaged members of society. This term, Toc H are collecting Easter eggs and paraphernalia (e.g., soft toys, colouring in activities, story books) to donate to the Goodna Anglican Welfare Ministries. This service offers emergency relief and food packages to vulnerable members of the community.

The Toc H group is also asking for donations of old sport shoes to give to communities in need. Like the Easter donations, anything will be greatly appreciated. Please bring all donations to Ms Stone’s room (Level 3 Avoca).

Eleanor Jewell, Jessica Norvill – Toc H Captains

Sharon Stone, Shirley Patton – Toc H Coordinators

Lara Pickering Development and Community 2018

Director of Philanthropy and Stakeholder Engagement

A friendly reminder that our first Professional Women’s Network Breakfast for the year will be hosted on Tuesday 15 March with guest speaker Genevieve Gregor (’86). Registrations are closing soon.

This event is a fantastic opportunity to attend and listen to an inspirational Old Girl with your daughter, host a corporate table of staff as a professional development opportunity, or host clients.

Genevieve is a Founding Partner of Colinton Capital Partners, a mid-market private equity firm investing in Australian growth companies. Prior to this, Genevieve was the co-head and Managing Director of the Asia Special Situations Group in Australia for Goldman Sachs for eight years. Genevieve has had over 25 years’ experience working in banking and finance. She has completed numerous major financing transactions for the Australian corporate market over her career and been involved in several high-profile investments.

Genevieve is passionate about empowering women to invest and believes that investing is not just about the money, it’s about investing in yourself and people. She will share her extensive experiences and expertise in the industry, and her knowledge and understanding of what makes a good financial investment.

Date: Tuesday 15 March 2022

Time: 6.45am arrival for 7.00am - 8.45am

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

Format: Sit down breakfast

We also invite you to enjoy Barista Coffee from the Wolff Coffee Roasters cart, before and after the event!

Tickets: $85 Adult, $40 Student (Years 10-12/Tertiary).

Corporate tables: $850 (10 seats), includes company logo displayed on table and acknowledgement during event.

Book online via

We have an excellent line up of speakers this year and we encourage you to mark the following dates in your diary:

PWN 2: WEDNESDAY 11 MAY 2022

Jane Campbell, Manager and General Counsel, Manana Pastoral;

former General Manager and Co-Founder, Barambah Organics

PWN 3: THURSDAY 18 AUGUST 2022

Heidi Cooper, Head of Corporate Affairs & Strategic Projects, Transurban;

Chief Executive, Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland

PWN 4: WEDNESDAY 19 OCTOBER 2022

Amanda Johnston-Pell, Vice President, APAC + Japan Digital Sales, Chief Digital Officer, IBM; interviewed by Sarah Clarke, senior journalist and TV presenter.

If you would like to discuss sponsorship opportunities, please do not hesitate to reach out to me via email LPickering@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or phone 07 3862 0884.

Lara Pickering

Careers

Please check the Careers News page for more information about upcoming Career events.

Considering a Career in Medicine or Dentistry?

UCAT, Interviews, Med School Applications, Pathways into Medicine and Dentistry (for universities in Australia)

Free Webinar

~ 13 March 2022 (Sunday), 10.00am – 12.00pm (AEDT) ~

UCAT registrations for 2022 have opened.

To help students register correctly and pick the best date and venue, we've compiled a quick guide to 2022 UCAT registrations that includes the full instructions (with links), as well as advice/recommendations based on experiences of students in past years. This is the link to the guide:

USC | Headstart Information Evenings

Online: Tuesday 22 March 2022, 4:30 pm - 6:15 pm

gives Years 11 and 12 students a real university experience and sets you up for your future, allowing you to study first-year uni subjects and receive credit to take time off your degree.

Find out more:

QUT | A quick guide to QUT: for Years 9–10 students and parents

Wednesday 27 April 2022, 5:30 pm - 6:45 pm

Find out more:

Bond | Year 12 Extension Program 2022

Monday 11 April 2022, 8:30 am - Saturday 7 May 2022, 3:00 pm

Bond University, Robina

Find out more:

Women in Engineering opportunities

The University of Queensland (WE) team is happy to offer these opportunities to educate your students on the diverse careers an engineering degree can lead to:

Online Trust Me, I'm an Engineer presentation - March 28 4-5pm

School holiday tour of Engineering precinct at UQ - April 12 and April 14 2-4pm

UQ: What can I do with my ATAR?

This link can provide students with more information about ATAR requirements, and which courses they might want to study. .

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