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Unfortunately, on the day, the St Margaret’s Run had to be cancelled, but we will look to put this on at a later date, if possible.

Excitement is building for the MAYO Arts Festival this weekend – a signature community event in our school calendar. Commencing with the Gallery Cocktail Party Friday evening, the event will showcase the three-dimensional works of emerging and established local and national artists.

On Saturday, the festival will open at 10am with a program full of things to see and do. Entry to the festival is free.

Creative workshops, gourmet food and drink, artisan markets and live music and performing arts displays will fill the day, while the gallery will again be open for those looking to wander and appreciate the art on display or even purchase a piece for their collection.

There are lots of activities for the young and young at heart – from rides to ‘fun of the fair’ games and side-show alley activities in the Barley Sugar Garden. The celebrations continue right through to “After Dark” on the terraces on Saturday evening with a band, BBQ and bar from 5pm to 7pm.  

A highlight of the day will be the raffle prize draw. The raffle is drawn at 3.30pm on Saturday and announced at 3.50pm centre stage. First prize is an exclusive Homestead Stay at Hinterland House, Byron Bay, with 4 bedrooms accommodating up to 8 guests, and enjoying exclusive use of the property and grounds, valued at $12,000. Thanks to our generous sponsors, there are another 20 prizes to be won, from beautiful artworks, homeware hampers, pamper packs and beauty treatments, jewellery, VISA card prizes, and more. The total prize pool is over $19,000.  If you haven’t already purchased tickets, you can do so , or staff can assist you at the Information stall on Saturday.

You can plan your day ahead by downloading the festival program here.  (PDF 1.8MB) 

Our school community including students, parents, teachers, and support staff have worked tirelessly to make this event a great success. Additionally, we are grateful to the support of our festival sponsors who have offered outstanding support to the event.

Schools are busy places and I know Saturday sport and other commitments will impact on some people’s ability to attend. However, I look forward to seeing many of you this weekend.

Ros Curtis

This week sees another major event in our school calendar – the MAYO Arts Festival. On the day prior to MAYO, we are also pleased to be celebrating our Soaring Upwards Festival. On this day, we will enjoy many music performances from both our primary and secondary students. Our students will gather on Circular Drive to enjoy the beautiful music and support their classmates.

Next Tuesday, we are looking forward to the Ponytail Project. Many of our students, staff and even our school dog, Luna, have signed up to have their hair cut to raise money for the Cancer Council and the Minotti Trust. I urge all in our school community to consider donating to this cause. Students have also been invited to enter a raffle to cut the prefects’ hair.

We are so fortunate that we are able to have these events in our school. They are great opportunities for our students to come together and to be involved and support their friends and classmates.

Karen Gorrie

It was a very special time, during which we witnessed the cross-generational community that St Margaret’s is, and the lasting impact that the St Margaret’s experience has on graduates. We are an intergenerational community, steeped in the history and philosophy of the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent.

Julia Baird, in her article published last Saturday, “Grandmother Hypothesis Revisited: the women who fill our children’s most human needs”, argues the importance of grandparents (particularly grandmothers for the purpose of the article) in the life of grandchildren. She recounted scientific studies that have proved the enormous capacity for empathy that grandmothers have for their grandchildren. The article, once again, cemented for me the importance of intergenerational community, connecting across the ages, knowing our stories, and the importance of all people on the journey, regardless of where they are on the path.

St Margaret’s Day celebrations, and Reunion Weekends, remind us of our story, a story of many generations, a story of young and old, and a story that is still unfolding.

Rev'd Jazz Dow

The boarders and Old Girls were sharing memories and history, discussing the changes and how much St Margaret’s has indeed flourished. There was much laughter, fascination, and, most of all, pride from all this weekend. The boarders returned and shared the joy with their peers in the hope this will be them as a returning group one day in the future.

It is also the season for our Year 11 students to apply for 2023 leadership positions. Leadership begins with identifying and understanding our values and fundamental beliefs we consider to be worthwhile and desirable. In boarding, we believe all members of our community should be capable of exercising leadership in different contexts. The more leadership is encouraged, the more it flourishes - leadership in everyday action, community culture and living, authentic and genuine relationship building, and great passion to serve others before them. We are excited for the leading group ahead.

We wish all of our Year 11 students the best in the coming weeks of leadership applications.  

Gracemere Mataia

Simple tips to assist with exam preparation:

• Identify how much time in your schedule is available for study. You might need to identify activities that can be removed from your schedule or changed.
• Construct a timetable that sets aside a time for homework and study, as well as revision, and time for yourself.
• Set study goals and stick to them.
• Establish good study habits early to help you cope with periods when you might be busy, tired, or just down on motivation.
• Use strategies that have worked for you in the past
• Remember the power of the collective, committing to a purposeful study group with peers is an excellent way to revise and help each other with topics and exam practice.

All Year 11 and 12 girls are encouraged to use these simple strategies as there is nothing stopping all students from doing these things each term to achieve the academic success they are after.

Year 12 Maths Exams

Year 12 students will have Exam Days for Maths Methods, Specialist Maths and General Maths on Tuesday 9 and Thursday 11 August. On these days, the girls are only required to attend school for their exams. When attending school for an exam or study all students must be in full school uniform.

Caitlin McCluskey

During the presentation, I also discussed the several pitfalls of plagiarism and how to best avoid them. My strongest piece of advice to them was to be discerning in the way they assist friends who ask for help with an assignment. Sending ones’ own work, for which they have worked hard, is never a good idea. Finally, I challenged the girls to consider whether the assistance they are receiving from siblings, tutors or friends is denying them the chance to think about and thus learn from their assessment experiences. It was pleasing to hear the excellent discussions this contention raised, and I was encouraged that many girls are already taking active steps to ensure the help they receive is always for betterment of their learning. I would welcome parents to continue these important conversations with their daughters over the remainder of this semester.

Trends in Education

This term sees St Margaret’s hosting the second seminar for Trends in Education on Thursday 25 August.

At this seminar, we will have two speakers – Dr Cam Brooks and Dr Natasha Matthews – who will discuss Self-regulation in the learning process.

Dr Matthews is a cognitive neuroscientist at UQ, and Dr Brooks is an education researcher, also at UQ. They will be responding to the question, “Why is self-regulation important, and can we teach our students to be self-regulated?” from their own fields of expertise. It should be a great afternoon, and all parents are very welcome to attend.

For more details, or to register, please click on the following link:

Chris Dunn

Well known writer and philosopher, Peter Drucker, researched and wrote extensively on the subject of leadership and by the end of his life had summarised what he believed to be the most important qualities exhibited by those who rise above the pack to assume the mantle of leadership. In an interview he did with Forbes Magazine in the year before he died, Peter Drucker listed the following as essential qualities for successful leadership:

Successful leaders don’t ask “What do I want to do?” rather they ask, “What needs to be done?” They are not afraid of strength in others. They don’t tackle things they are not good at, rather they delegate to others to make sure that things are done.

• Effective leaders check their performance. They write down “What do I hope to achieve?” and then check their performance against their goals.
• Leaders communicate, in the sense that people around them know what they are trying to do. Successful leaders also learn to say no. They don’t suffocate themselves with detail or try and do twenty-five different things and get nothing done.
• Charismatic leadership is greatly over-rated; instead successful leaders have to be absolutely trustworthy by not saying “yes” to one person and “no” to the next.
• Finally, Drucker believed that giving people experiences don’t develop an individual’s character; instead personal strength is built inwardly by overcoming set-backs in personal and professional life and increasingly improving on one’s ability to deal with that disappointment and redefine goals towards future success.

St Margaret’s encourages our students to undertake leadership in an array of different ways; through sporting teams, cultural and charitable clubs and activities as well as through leadership of their peers, culminating in Year 12 leadership positions. One way of developing future leaders is through the appointment of Form Captains and Form Vice-Captains each semester. The work undertaken by these students often goes unnoticed and can be at times unglamorous, but it is essential to the smooth running of the pastoral system and provides a good avenue for future leaders to exercise developing skills. The school is excited to announce our future senior leaders next week, on Monday 8 August, at a special assembly.

Nikki Townsend

MAYO Arts Festival is hours away with MAYO Arts gallery opening tomorrow night and the Festival on Saturday from 10am. Thanks must go to the committee who has worked tirelessly to curate such a fantastic, well respected, and highly anticipated gallery (3D sculpture, jewellery, ceramics) for our students and the wider community.

On Saturday, the school will be transformed with rides in Petrie Street. The Barley Sugar Garden will be full of activities, and food trucks will dot Circular Drive.

If you have purchased ride passes or Barley Sugar Bonanza passes, they can be collected from the ticket booth on Saturday where they can also be purchased on the day.

On the terraces there with be both a barbeque and a bar, making it the perfect spot to position yourselves to view and enjoy the student entertainment which runs throughout the day. 

Eton Hall and surrounds will be a hive of activity with 22 artisan market stalls available. These include homewares, fashion, handcrafted wares, and hamper delicacies to name but a few. M’s Café will be open for a cake and all things sweet and, of course, coffee.

We all know that parking can be a little difficult around the school surrounds so we will be offering a park and ride service from Oriel Park (Wren Street). Park your car near the park and pop on the shuttle bus to school. Passengers will be dropped at the Boarder Gate (2), and this will be the pickup area to return to your car. This service will run from 11.00am with the last bus departing the school around 3.00pm.

‘After Dark’ will be a new addition to our festival. At 5pm as the sunsets, you will be able to enjoy a barbeque, beer and a band. The sweet sounds of Stephanie Taylor Trio will entertain crowds until 7pm.

Over the past weeks, many families and community members have offered support for this event. Thank you to the Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsors, school partner sponsor Adrians, and to the year level ambassador stalls and the family businesses who have provided sponsorship for each of the year level stalls. 

Thank you to the many families who have contributed donations for the different school-based stalls.

MAYO is an important event for St Margaret’s, and we are so grateful to everyone who supports, attends, and contributes to the festival.  Please remember that all proceeds come back to the school, where they are used to help deliver valuable resources for our students.

Angela Drysdale

After a 12-month cessation of face-to-face friendly debates, it was wonderful to see and hear the girls engaging in robust, intellectual debates with their sister school peers. Ms Kimberley Bachmann is to be congratulated for not only coordinating this extra-curricular activity but also for collaborating with one of our secondary school debating experts, Ms Cassandra Argent, who assembled a group of Year 11 debaters to act as both coaches and mentors to the Year 6 girls. This added a layer of richness to the activity for the girls as they got a taste of what QDU competitive debating will be like should they wish to pursue this in 2023, as well as forming a bond with a future senior, an invaluable asset as they move towards their secondary years. Beyond this, the art of stating one’s case and being able to support an argument with well-rounded opinions underpinned by evidence is a skill that will serve them well in their schooling journey, as well as at home. Well done to all girls involved. We look forward to hosting the St Aidan’s girls at St Margaret’s at the end of this term.

Annette Box

10:15am           Sister Helen Wind Symphony

10:30am           Jackson Concert Band

10:45am           Chaseley Concert Band

11:00am           Elayne Jones Percussion Ensemble

11:15am           Belle Voci

11:30am           Chorale

11:45am           Serenata

12:00pm           Amati Strings

12:15pm           Stradivari Strings

12:30pm           Chamber Strings

1:00pm             Encorah

1:15pm             Volare

1:30pm             Exultate

2:30pm             Sculthorpe String Quartet

2:45pm             Stage Band

3:00pm             Highly Strung

3:15pm             Monday Rock Band

3:30pm             Tuesday Rock Band

ANGLICAN SCHOOLS MUSIC FESTIVAL

The Anglican Schools Music Festival is fast approaching. This event brings together the top musicians from Anglican Schools from around southeast Queensland to perform in the spectacular QPAC Concert Hall. Students will perform under the direction of guest conductors Loreta Fin (String Orchestra), Rob McWilliams (Symphonic Band) and Sandra Milliken (Choir). The students will also perform a work written specially for the event by famous Australian composer Paul Jarman who will conduct the performance on the night. For those who are interested in attending the Gala Concert, tickets are now available from QPAC ( or call 136 246) for $36. We are hoping to have many in attendance to support our student musicians.  

STUDENT PERFORMANCES

Thank you to all the students involved in musical performances at the St Margaret’s Day service. The Sculthorpe String Quartet entertained guests as they arrived. Lily Song and Tara Krakat provided a very humorous performance of Czardas on the violin, along with Mr Ng. Highly Strung combined forces with Belle Voci to give a wonderfully uplifting performance of Cloudy Day by Tones and I. All performances contributed to providing a joyous atmosphere throughout the service.

Thank you also to the Saxophone Ensemble and their director, Dr Camille Syntageros, for the fantastic contribution to the reunion event held last Saturday. The Saxophone Ensemble entertained guests as they arrived with everyone in attendance very much appreciative of their performance.

MUSIC SUPPORT GROUP

Thank you to all those who attended the last Music Support Group meeting. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 2 August at 5.00pm in M’s Cafe. Parents from both the primary and secondary schools are welcome to attend.

Brad King

After two rounds, our Open hockey and volleyball sit equal top of their respective ladders and our Open netball team remain undefeated, taking into account their bye. For a full list of results, please check out the following and for future information regarding fixtures please see our

Further QGSSSA sport information can be found on the following POD pages:

Tennis Report

Our Maggies tennis team has had a dream start to the QGSSSA season by playing some fantastic matches and showing wonderful team spirit. Following on from a super start to the season against Clayfield College in Round 1, the team jumped on the bus for a very early Saturday morning trip over to St Aidan’s at Corinda.  After a cold, wet, and windy week, it was a relief to see clear skies and dry courts ready for a big morning of matches. 

Congratulations to all our players who should be very proud of themselves and their performances. St Margaret’s came away with wins in Senior A, Junior A, Junior B and Junior C!  We are especially proud of our two players, Elyne T. and Leila M., who stepped up into the Open team (from Senior A and Junior A) to replace two injured Open players. Thank you both; you played so well!  Unfortunately, despite winning some matches, we couldn’t quite get the Open team win this time against very strong opponents.

We again thank Coach Dané and Mrs Eastland for their support and are looking forward to our next round against Brisbane Girls Grammar School this Friday.

Tennis Captains: Lara Charles, Gabriella Henzell

Coaches Corner

At St Margaret’s we have some outstanding coaches involved with our Maggies teams. This week we sat down with coach Karen Brown, our QGSSSA Open netball coach to get to know her journey and aspirations for the Maggies program.

• What do you enjoy most about coaching? What is your approach/philosophy towards coaching?

  To me coaching is about giving back. Coaching enables me to share my knowledge, experience, and passion for both netball and St Margaret's. It is about bringing together a group of individuals for a common goal. I strongly believe people want to belong to something bigger than themselves, so it is about creating an environment so that the students grow as players and as people.

• Could you share with us a little bit about your coaching and sport journey?

  My playing career started here at St Margaret’s, before going on to represent both Queensland and Australia and play professionally for the Queensland Firebirds 2000-2002. I was also a Queensland Academy Sport Scholarship Holder from 1998-2003.

  My transition and experience in coaching has included coaching at Maggies for 10 years, as well as coaching Downey Park Rep Teams, Open State League Teams and assisting with Queensland Underage Teams.

• What are some of the aims and objectives you hope to achieve within the program?
  I am keen to bring a fresh set of ideas, experiences, and connections to build on the strong foundations already in place, and as a Maggies Old Girl, to belt out the war cry after a win! Ideally every game!

Sporting Achievement

It’s with great pleasure that we can recognise the outstanding sport performances and representation of St Margaret’s students. This week I would like to highlight those secondary students who have been selected to represent Metropolitan North School Sport at their respective Queensland School Sport State Championships so far this year:

TEAM NAME

Tennis 13-19 Years Lara Charles

Swimming 10-12 Years Adelaide Bothwell

Swimming 10-12 Years Charlotte Rhode

Swimming 10-12 Years Gloria Finselbach

Swimming 10-12 Years Mena Bertinato

Softball 13-19 Years Milli Watson

Swimming 13-19 Years Adel Kusztor

Swimming 13-19 Years Ruby Gowns

Swimming 13-19 Years Samara Holmes

Swimming 13-19 Years Sophie Hebron

Swimming 13-19 Years Cosette Cooke

Swimming 13-19 Years Abigail Anderson

Cricket 16-19 Years Lucy Bourke

Cricket 16-19 Years Bree Craven

Water Polo 13-19 Years Mary Comiskey

Water Polo 13-19 Years Emma Pickering

Water Polo 13-19 Years Chelsea Johnson

Football 16-19 Years Jordy Wright

Rugby League 16-18 Years Sarah Clark

Rugby League 16-18 Years Ella Nona

Basketball 16-18 Years Grace Marchant

Hockey 13-19 Years Grace Shearer

Hockey 13-19 Years Bless Daly

Touch Football 16-18 Years Caroline Williams

Touch Football 16-18 Years Indiahna Frawley

Touch Football 13-15 Years Milli Watson

Rugby 7s 15-16 Years Indiahna Frawley

Rugby 7s 15-16 Years Hadassah Todd

Please note, the following list has been provided by Met North. If any information is incomplete or incorrect, please contact Mr Lloyd Knight (e) lknight@stmargarets.qld.edu.au to ensure he can correct Met North records.  

Congratulations to all students highlighted above on their outstanding achievements. We look forward to further representation of our Maggies throughout the year.

GO MAGGIES!

Lloyd Knight 

Elizabeth and Charlotte joined other Years 11 and 12 students from Brisbane and surrounds to speak on the topic: “The duty of a newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable” - Anon.

Both students crafted compelling speeches which they rehearsed with steady enthusiasm and delivered with impact. Competition adjudicators provided the students with very positive, detailed feedback to help further develop their public speaking skills. Well done, Charlotte and Elizabeth!

Maria Chamberlain
Private Speech and Drama Coordinator

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Nikki Anderson

On these incursions it was wonderful to see the children trying new things and overcoming some of their fears. We were lucky enough to have an interactive drumming workshop where the children were taught how to drum on traditional African drums and able to explore the traditions of music and rhythm while having fun and creating as much noise as they could.

Palu Ingram
Outside School Hours Care Coordinator

PWN 3 with Heidi Cooper, CEO of Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ)

Join us for our third PWN Breakfast on Thursday 18 August, with guest speaker, Heidi Cooper, CEO of Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ).

This is a wonderful opportunity for you to attend with your daughter or to take a corporate table and host your colleagues or clients.

Heidi Cooper is the CEO of CCIQ and is passionate about driving Queensland’s strategic growth.  Throughout her career, Heidi has worked extensively for the advancement of business in Queensland. With over 20 years’ experience in law, corporate affairs and policy making, Heidi has successfully driven strategies for major ASX companies. She has specialised in leading sustainable business initiatives with a key focus on economic growth, job creation, education, sustainability and community engagement. Heidi is currently a member of the Jobs Queensland Board and Brisbane Festival Giving Committee. She also has a longstanding commitment to community and not-for-profit initiatives and is a member of the St Margaret’s Foundation Board and the St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace School Advisory Council.

Date: Thursday 18 August 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 now via the Try Booking link:      

We thank our series sponsors for their support. 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.

Tickets are still available for the Netball Support Group’s annual Trivia Night!

Date:               Saturday 20 August 2022

Time:              6.30pm

Venue:            Eton Hall, St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School

Tickets:           $600 per table - includes dinner.

Table Captains are invited to purchase a table for their team of 8 guests:

RSVP:             Ticket sales close 9pm Thursday 4 August 2022, unless sold out prior

Enquires:        aandkcarrick@optusnet.com.au

Lara Pickering