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With Term 2 almost here, I will just alert you to a few events which are in Weeks 1 and 2.

• Secondary Interhouse Cross Country in the afternoon 18 April.
• Admission to Holy Communion (a joint service between St Margaret’s and Churchie) will be held at the St John’s Cathedral on Wednesday 19 April at 6.00pm.
• Paul Paulson, Director of Indigenous Education at the Anglican Schools Commission, will address staff and any interested community members on Thursday 20 April at 4.30pm.
• The School’s Anzac Day Service will be held in the Philip Harris Gym on Monday 24 April at 9.45am. Parents are very welcome to attend.

Congratulations to Margot Shave (Secondary English Teacher) who has been awarded by the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia, The Roslyn Otzen Award for Exceptional Teaching.

From Week 2 to Week 5 of Term 2, I will be on sabbatical leave, visiting our current exchange schools in the United States and visiting other girls’ schools with a view of setting up exchanges with them. During this time, Karen Gorrie will be Acting Principal, Nikki Townsend, Acting Deputy Principal, and Kelly Alford (our current Durack College Director), Acting Dean of Students.

I wish you all a holy Easter and a safe holiday break.

Ros Curtis

I hope that all can use the Easter break as a time to rest and recharge our batteries to be ready for the next term. Easter holidays are a great time for us all to reboot, to reassess where we are with our goals, and to be thankful and proud of what we have achieved so far.

I encourage our students to pick up a book and continue reading over the holidays. Our librarians in the primary and secondary libraries would be more than happy to recommend titles for students to borrow. Reading is one of the best forms of learning for children – it develops language skills, literacy, supports their writing and helps exercise their imagination. Reading can also aid relaxation and reduce stress and anxiety, increase empathy, and promote good sleeping habits. “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body” – Joseph Addison.

I wish all a happy Easter and safe travels to those who are either returning home or taking a holiday elsewhere.

Karen Gorrie

He shared a quote by ethicist and theologian, Andrew Decort, to illumine the path to flourishing:
“A life that is growing in being more fully alive. It’s deeply rooted, increasingly open, and courageously energized with a radical love that can endure through our most distressing experiences of pain, conflict, and death.”                                  Andrew Decort, Flourishing on the Edge of Faith

It is in accepting and giving love that we flourish. As we approach the end of term, with all of its busyness, I pray that during the holidays you may find the energy you need in the radical love of God, from which nothing can separate us.

The Monthly SSA Service will take place in the Sisters' Chapel this Sunday, 2 April at 4pm, celebrating Palm Sunday. All are welcome.

As we begin our school holidays, and celebrate Easter, the surrounding parishes to our school have shared their Holy Week and Easter Service times:

St Mark’s Clayfield	St Augustine’s Hamilton	St Alban’s Wilston
Sunday April 2 Palm Sunday 9.15am Family Service with Palm Procession Thursday April 6 Maundy Thursday 6:00pm Agape Meal Liturgy in Garden and Church 7.15pm (approx.) Friday April 7 Good Friday The Way of the Cross Service 8:00am Family Good Friday Prayer Stations 10:00am Sunday April 9 Easter Day Lighting the Easter Fire 6.30am Holy Communion 7:30am Holy Communion 9:15am followed by Easter egg hunt	Sunday April 2 Palm Sunday 8:30am Liturgy of the Palms, Procession & Sung Eucharist Thursday April 6 Maundy Thursday 7:00pm Eucharist of the Last Supper & Watch Friday April 7 Good Friday Reflections at the Foot of the Cross 12:00-2:00pm The Liturgy of the Passion 2:00pm Saturday April 8 Holy Saturday Children's Easter Celebration 3:00pm Telling the Story of our Salvation 6:00pm Sunday April 9 Lighting of the Paschal Fire 5:00am Sung Eucharist for Easter, with Baptism 8:30am	Sunday April 2 Palm Sunday 8:00am Family Communion, followed by breakfast Thursday April 6 Maundy Thursday 5:30pm A shared family meal, with prayers and readings Friday April 7 Good Friday Self-guided Stations of the Cross 10:00am Family Activity 12:00pm Tenebrae 6:30pm Sunday April 9 Easter Day Holy Communion 7:00am and 9:00am

Rev’d Jazz Dow

The end of term always brings a time of reflection, and for many, provides an opportunity to look back on the highs, lows and challenges overcome during the last ten weeks. I always enjoy hearing how our youngest boarders, our Year 6s and 7s, have managed the transition to both secondary school and boarding and I know I can speak on behalf of all the boarding staff when I say that we are proud of the tenacity and grit they have demonstrated while navigating the unfamiliar terrain of secondary school, communal living and for some, living in the ‘big smoke’ for the first time.  

To fulfil this yearning for reflection (and invite them along for the ride), I asked the Year 6 and 7 boarders what their favourite moment and biggest lesson has been this term. While the activities and spending time with friends were a common highlight, there was an echoing sentiment that one of the greatest (and unsuspecting) treasures of the boarding house is the support they receive from not merely their close friends, but from the whole community. From House Mothers who will spend their time scrubbing a stain from their favourite shirt or the older boarder who gives them a hug when they’re feeling homesick, to the peers who decorated the dorm for their birthday. The overwhelming theme of what makes boarding great is simple – it’s the wholesome, connected and serving community.  

May all boarders, their families and the wider St Margaret’s community have a very happy holiday and may this season provide rest and quality time with loved ones (and who knows, maybe you’ll do some reflection on a fabulous Term 1 yourself…).

Hannah Calcino

The holidays are also an important time to relax and recharge. Recharging is crucial for building resilience as it allows us to replenish our physical, emotional and mental resources after a period of stress or depletion. Just like a battery needs to be recharged to continue functioning optimally, we also need to recharge to maintain our overall well-being and function at our best. Recharging can take many forms, such as engaging in activities that bring joy, practicing self-care, getting enough sleep, eating healthy food, and taking breaks to relax and recharge. When we prioritise recharging, we can enhance our resilience, improve our ability to cope with challenges, and reduce the risk of burnout.

These holidays, you will find me spending time with family, reading books and exercising outside. I hope that you are able to find time for the activities that will recharge you.

Caitlin McCluskey

Holidays provide us all with opportunity for quiet, unstructured time. It is through enabling the girls time for personal choice, solitude, reading for pleasure, and informal activity, that they can make sense of what happens to them at school, and of their continually changing perception of what life means and their place in it.

If you are fortunate to have time with your daughter during the holidays, I encourage you to provide periods of unstructured time to help her rest, rejuvenate and reflect.

Continuous Reporting

This week, I have included a reminder of the instructions of how to access Parent Lounge through the POD and then how to engage with Continuous Reporting. Some results have been released; however, if your daughter has completed assessment this week or late last week her results will not be released until early Term 2.

How to access Continuous Reporting (PDF 424.1KB)

I wish all St Margaret’s families a safe, happy and holy Easter.

Chris Dunn

At the beginning of the term all girls set SMART goals as part of either Form class or Academic Advising. While the Easter break allows for rest and recuperation and time with family, I strongly suggest that you speak to your daughter about her goals and, if needed, review them for the beginning of Term 2. It is easy to lose sight or forget about our goals when we are so busy moving from one task to the next in a bid to ‘fit it all in’. These conversations may have already evolved from discussions at Parent/Teacher interviews this term. Linking teacher feedback to student actions usually sees improvement in practice and often, academic achievement.

I do hope you have a restful break over Easter and enjoy some time with those you care about and I look forward to another great term.

Nikki Townsend

The many competitions (Andrews Cup Swimming, Chess and Interhouse Swimming) each provided the opportunity for students to train and aim for personal best results, develop the opportunity to bounce back from disappointment, to win gracefully, to share in other’s success and be a team member. Thank you to Morgan Rowe, Suzy Edwards and Lauren Richards for their preparation of the Interhouse Swimming Carnival and to the staff for their commitment throughout the day.

  

  

In the cultural arena, many students practised the skills of performing both as an individual and as members of a performance group. The groups performed at assemblies and Open Day.

Developing relationships with others was offered and tested during the first camp of the year. It presented a myriad of life experiences for all Year 4 girls as they learnt to get along with others, adapt to new situations and work together. The Year 6 leaders practised their leadership skills daily which were ably shared at our assembly this week. Pre Prep to Year 4 expanded their experiences by attending their evening events (Twilight Service and Picnic and Disco).

Thank you to the primary staff for their dedication and commitment, the girls are very fortunate to have these adults in their life. Together, with all the experiences that been offered in the past term, your child has had the opportunity to develop attributes that will help them on their journey in life.

The Easter period provides a wonderful chance to spend time as a family, although this is not always the case for everyone. Thanks to primary families and their overwhelming donations of Easter eggs, children in foster care will experience the generosity of our families. This simple act of giving speaks volumes for those receiving and sends an important message to your child.

I wish everyone a safe and Holy Easter break.

Our assemblies also allow for student achievement to be shared in multiple forms; from sporting successes to musical prowess to highlighting learning adventures through videos, photos, performances and more. One of the activities we have also undertaken at our recent assemblies has been to ‘use our voice’ through the practice of our school War Cry, led by the Primary Captains and Student Representative Council (SRC) members. Practising the War Cry with all primary students was one of the first initiatives proposed by our 2023 SRC members. The SRC group includes the two captains and an additional ten students who meet together regularly throughout the year to explore ways to enhance and support the schooling experience for all girls in the primary school. Another initiative we have introduced for the SRC this year has been to allocate the members to a specific ‘portfolio’ that they oversee, to focus their contributions and enhance their impact. These portfolios are as follows:
Olivia Robson and Charlie Bain: Clubs
Clara O’Gorman and Thamanna Akash: Communications
Minti Barnier and Ruby Burton: Sport and House Activities
Ally Cowley and Nila Vahabi: Entertainment and Events
Ishani Murugan and Chloe Doyle: Philanthropy and Fundraising
Chloe Jenyns and Isabella Goodrick: Buddies and Younger Years

We look forward to them leading us in some wonderful primary assemblies throughout the year, representing the student voice and helping to make St Margaret’s a place we all look forward to coming to every day.

Annette Box

Encorah

We are very excited to announce that Encorah, our secondary all-comers choir, will recommence rehearsals from Week 1, Term 2. Encorah is open to all students in Years 7-12 who enjoy singing. All are welcome to attend with no audition required. The choir will sing a wide range of repertoire from a variety of genres including music theatre, pop, jazz and folk styles. The choir will rehearse with Ms Stephanie Taylor from 3:30-4:30pm every Thursday afternoon in the Arts Centre Foyer with the first rehearsal to commence on Thursday 22 April. There is no need to sign up – students are asked to just come along to the first rehearsal where their details will be taken down for future rolls.

Please note that students in Volare will now rehearse immediately after Encorah from 4:30-5:00pm (in the ACF) and Exultate will rehearse from 4:30-5:30pm (in SHOR).

Combined St Margaret’s/Churchie Music Event

On Friday 21 April, Jackson Wind Ensemble and Stradivari Strings have been invited to participate in a combined rehearsal and performance with Churchie. The students will rehearse with Churchie students to perform a selection of repertoire. Parents are invited to attend an informal performance in Morris Hall at Churchie, Oaklands Parade, East Brisbane at 6:00pm which will conclude at approximately 6:30pm. Students will travel to Churchie by bus and may be collected from Churchie at 6:30pm. Boarders will be transported back to St Margaret’s at the conclusion of the event. If day girls require transport back to St Margaret’s, please email music@stmargarets.qld.edu.au for this to be arranged.

Music Camp

A reminder that registrations for the upcoming Music Camp will close this Friday. Registration and payment for the Music Camp can only be made via Parent Lounge.A letter with further details is attached here. (PDF 261.5KB)

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

If the Division 1’s team season could be summed up in one word, that word would be spirit. This team, no matter the result, found a way to look to the good first and find the positive in supporting their teammates and having lots of fun in the process. This positive energy found a way to win, with several close wins coming late in the season thanks to their pressure on the bowling crease. The Division 1 team finished the season in 5th place with three wins and draw.

A big thanks must be given to Cricket Coordinator, Mr Adam Hand and his able assistants, Mr George Higgins and Dr Dirk Wellham. We must also thank our coaches of the Wilston Norths Junior Cricket Club. We look forward to next season.

  

Club Swimming – Join the program

The vision for the St Margaret’s swim community is to develop a thriving program that all swimmers will want to train and compete within. In doing so, building the St Margaret’s program into a seamless pathway from beginners through to National representatives and along the way, giving our girls the best possible chance of pursing excellence and connection to school through our milestone meets - Andrews Cup and QGSSSA Championships.

For this vision to come to fruition, we need to provide a program that will cater for swimmers of ALL levels, especially those swimmers who are aspiring to represent, not just our school, but Queensland and Australia.

Our program aims to encourage ALL levels of squad swimmers, this includes those who seek to train for fitness and fun, while also those who aspire to achieve in the sport of swimming through their participation in the St Margaret’s Swimming Club.

Our squad program will continue to operate throughout the winter months of Terms 2 & 3. Winter squads, operating with a small user-pays fee, open the door to continued development and competition opportunities.

If you are interested to find out more regarding our swimming program offering please head to the Club Swimming POD Page The POD - Club Swimming (stmargarets.qld.edu.au).

Click here to register for Winter Swim Squad.

Autumn Sport Term 2 Fixtures

It's has been a great start to our 2023 Autumn Sport Fixtures. After 3 rounds many of our Touch Football teams remain undefeated on top of their respective ladders, our soccer teams have recorded back-to-back wins to conclude the term and our basketball teams, despite tough competition have continued to build cohesion and confidence into their season. To keep this momentum flowing into Term 2 it’s important that all community members are aware of the dates and commitments our teams have amidst a busy start to the term. Please note, the following special dates:

Monday 24 April (day before Anzac Day)

Thursday 18 May

Round	Date	Opponent	Basketball	Soccer	Touch Football
Round 4	Friday 21 April	BGGS	HOME	HOME	HOME
Round 5	Monday 24 April	St Aidan’s	HOME	AWAY	AWAY
Round 6	Friday 5 May	BSHS	HOME	HOME	HOME
Round 7	Friday 12 May	Ipswich	AWAY	AWAY	AWAY
Round 8	Thursday 18 May	St Hilda’s	AWAY	HOME	AWAY
Round 9	Friday 26 May	Moreton Bay	AWAY	AWAY	AWAY

Please mark these dates in your diaries. We cannot wait to tackle the second half of the season.

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:

• Ashley Blackman (Year 9) who has been selected to represent the Queensland Little Athletics Team at the inaugural Australian Junior Athletics Championships 2023. Ashley will be competing in the High Jump event. We wish Ashley all the very best for the championships.  
• Sophie Hebron (Year 8) who returns from the 2023 Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships with two gold medals and a bronze. Sophie achieved gold in the U13 2km Ocean Swim and U13/14 Surf Teams, while also finishing 3^rd in the individual Surf Race. Well done Sophie on a successful championships.

 

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

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) -

Soccer (Autumn Sport) -

Touch Football (Autumn Sport) -

Cross Country - The POD -

Rowing - The POD -

Rhythmic Gymnastics -

Club Netball -

Club Swimming -

GO MAGGIES!

Lloyd Knight

Blazer Pocket Embroidery

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

Student Card purchases at the School 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 are unable to complete the purchase if there are insufficient funds available on the Student Card.

Winter Items

The School Supplies Shop now has supply of the following winter uniform items in preparation for the cooler months:-

• Formal jumper – both poly/cotton and wool/nylon
• Pre-Prep/Prep fleecy tracksuit
• School tracksuit jacket and pants
• Blazers – compulsory for Years 10 to 12
• School Scarf

We would encourage all families to call into the shop as soon as possible to avoid missing out on your preferred size.

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.

When making a Vacation Care booking please select Casual bookings, not Permanent.

What is the cost?*

Fees: $68 per day*

*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

A recording of her speech can be accessed on the PWN webpage via this link: /community/professional-womens-network

Tickets are available for our next Professional Women’s Network Breakfast with Guest Speaker, Tracy Cooper-Lavery ('87), Director, Gallery & Visual Arts at HOTA, Home of the Arts Gold Coast; Australia’s largest public gallery outside a capital city. She is an arts museum leader with a career spanning 25 years including Director of Rockhampton Art Gallery where she was responsible for transforming the Gallery’s profile on a local, state and national level; and Senior Curator at Bendigo Art Gallery. She has curated numerous exhibitions on Australian and international art and is the curator of the forthcoming international exhibition Pop Masters: Art from the Mugrabi Collection, New York; a world exclusive for the Gold Coast.

This event is a fantastic opportunity to host a corporate table of staff as a professional development opportunity, to host a table of clients, or to attend with your daughter.

Date: Wednesday 10 May 2023

Time: 6:45am arrival for 7:00am-8:45am. Enjoy barista coffee from a Wolff Coffee Roasters cart, before and after the event.                                       

Venue: Arts Centre Foyer, St Margaret's Anglican Girls School

Tickets: $85 adults, $40 students (Years 10 to 12/tertiary), $850 corporate table (10 seats)

Available online via

We thank our series sponsors, Major Sponsor: Pitcher Partners, Associate Sponsors: Programmed

Property Services and Wolff Coffee Roasters, and Supporting Sponsors: Downer, Clear Insurance,

Westpac, O’Reilly Shaw Lawyers, Uniform Link and Move Recruitment Solutions.

We hope that you have enjoyed engaging with fellow parents, Old Girls and members of the broader St Margaret’s community this term. There have been some wonderful events and opportunities hosted and we acknowledge and thank those who have donated, sponsored and supported the school through volunteering to make these possible.

We look forward to an equally exciting calendar in Term 2, including the St Margaret’s P&F Mothers’ Luncheon and our annual Giving Day in May, and our second PWN Breakfast.

If it has not yet landed in your mailbox, you will shortly be receiving your St Margaret’s Flyer magazine which contains our annual Donor Impact Report. This Report is prepared annually and showcases what has been achieved through philanthropy in the last calendar year. I hope you enjoy reading about what we achieved together through donations to St Margaret’s Foundation in 2022.

If you are interested in supporting the school or our activities and would like to discuss making a donation or sponsorship, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email developmentandcommunity@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Wishing you all a safe and happy Easter break.

Lara Pickering