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According to the World Economic Forum, the skills that will build resilience of the workforce (and, therefore, reduce anxiety) include developing empathy, people skills, complex problem solving, coordinating with others and creativity. The trick is to ensure that parenting and schooling build these qualities. In Denmark, I have read that they purposely build dangerous playgrounds by Australian standards, including a whole lot of natural elements like water, rough branches, trampolines and high peaks with no safety net or soft fall surface. This accords well with what I saw myself in Denmark; young mothers meeting in a coffee shop left their prams (with the children in them) outside and it was snowing. Clearly, I am not advocating taking off my Health and Safety hat and adopting risky playgrounds or leaving young children exposed to the elements. However, it does make us all think about the very high rates of anxiety in young people in Australia, and when or how our efforts to protect our children become counter-productive and nurture the development of unhelpful mindsets.

 Ros Curtis 

We spend a lot of time with our students talking about setting goals. We use the language of learning goals, and we always talk about students reaching their potential.

It is really important for students to strive for their personal best (PB) in their learning and achievement. We often hear about ‘PBs’ when talking about sport, but this can also be applied to academics.

Many people assume that great sports people achieve success through talent alone, or that talent is what gets us those good results on our assessment. However, it is hard work and not talent that gains those results.

Focussing on gaining a PB in academics can maintain engagement and motivation, both in the classroom and outside it with homework and assessment.

Some thoughts for our students may be:

• In striving for a PB, the focus must be on the effort. Just like training for a sport to perform at an event or a race, focusing on effort can mean greater success on the assessment piece.
• Students can over or under estimate their ability at any given time. It is important to set reasonable goals that are not too hard or too easy and reflect the ultimate challenge.
• Students need to identify what skills they need to improve the most and take steps towards allocating time and energy to these skills.
• Students need to seek feedback on their progress. They can track this at school through Learning Analytics where they can access teacher comments and results. 

Karen Gorrie 

Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, spoke of loving the questions, “Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves". Sometimes we are in a hurry to find solutions, to answer the questions. Yet Rilke suggests we need to give ourselves space to live the questions. Faith is about living the questions. There are often times in our lives, when we question God, why did this happen, why did that happened, or why are there so many bad things happening? If there was a God, how could God let this happen? It is comforting to know that we are not the only ones to question God. In the Bible, in Psalm 10:1, the author questions God saying, “Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”.

Questioning and questing is an important part of faith. Sometimes there are no easy answers, if at all. When an answer cannot be found, this is the time to live the questions, to be patient with ourselves and with the world around us. This is the time to have faith. Not blind faith, but a faith that allows us to live with the questions, knowing that God is a God of love, and loves us, as a parent loves their child, even when we repeatedly ask questions.

The Reverend Susan Crothers-Robertson 

We would like to acknowledge the families who donated prizes for the raffle which was held on the night. The money raised from the raffle goes into providing extra items for the girls to enjoy in the Boarding House, so we are very grateful for the support.

A big thank you to the following families:

• Genevieve and William Behrend
• Jane and Russell Edwards (Black Toyota)
• Amy and Ross Clarke
• Vicki and Chris Fenwicke
• Wendy and Charlie Mort
• Lavinia and David Mackenzie
• Kate and John Scott
• Alice and Rick Greenup

Lesa Fowler 

Over the past week, our Secondary teachers have been finalising their assessment for Unit 3 and they will be submitted by this Friday for the first round of endorsement. Groups of trained teachers (assessors) will evaluate each assessment instrument submitted by all schools around Queensland and decide whether it provides evidence of the endorsement criteria.

So, why is this an important process for schools? Very importantly, it allows schools and students to be confident that their internal assessment is assessing what it needs to assess based on the requirements of the syllabus. Additionally, the assessment is reviewed to ensure that it provides a suitable context, is accessible to learners and is comparable across schools. As I have worked with our teachers to prepare their assessment, it has highlighted how lucky our girls are to have teachers who are experts in their subject area and to have the opportunity to study such a diverse range of subjects.

Year 11 Exam Day
Year 11 students will have an Exam Day on Tuesday 20 August. On this day, the girls are only required to attend school for their exams and they must be in full school uniform if they are attending for the exam or to study.

Jo Butterworth 

Thursday 5 September - Science, cost (including GST) $15.00, 7:00am in Eton Hall
Tuesday 10 September - Writing, cost (including GST) $15.00, 7:00am in Eton Hall
Tuesday 17 September - English, cost (including GST) $15.00, 7:00am in Eton Hall
Thursday 19 September - Maths, cost (including GST) $15.00, 7:00am in Eton Hall

If you wish to enter your child in any or all the competitions, please pay via Flexischools through the school website by Monday 19 August 2019.

Nicole Devlin 

Students met with paramedics, witnessed life-like simulations in the Emergency Trauma Room and Intensive Care Unit, and undertook hands-on activities in the area of trauma rehabilitation with physiotherapists, occupational therapists and dietitians. However, the part of the program which they found the most memorable and moving was meeting a trauma patient in his 20’s, whose life had changed in the moment he misjudged a corner whilst riding his motorbike home one night.

Student Reflections:

“The most impactful part of the day for me was seeing the young man who had crashed his motorcycle and is now in a wheelchair. Talking with him about his dream to walk again after the accident had an emotional impact on me. Seeing the catheter bag, the replica metal rods that were used in his arm and leg was also visually impactful”.

Monique Dodd

“The most impactful part of the day for me was when we were learning about rehabilitations. I was in the group that experienced the neck braces that would have to be worn by someone who had sustained a spinal injury. The man related the experience directly to us, for example, he talked about the struggle it would be for me to go to university as a quadriplegic. This had a direct impact on me as it forced me to consider what consequences my choices would have in the long term. As well as this, he highlighted many issues for people with these types of injuries that I never would have considered, such as the struggles to maintain a friendship.”

Olivia Donoghue

“For me, I felt that the most impactful part of the day was seeing all of the P.A.R.T.Y. Program ambassadors being so passionate about what they were talking about. This really put into perspective how much it impacts them and other people when people in our generation and generations before us come in to their care, whether it be in the ICU or other areas in the hospital. The way in which they spoke, you could tell in their voice that they weren’t there to lecture you, but to educate you. They seemed to genuinely care about you and your safety.

Not only did I take away the message that I need to be careful when I become involved in activities where there may be drugs and alcohol, but I really had a different outlook on contacting emergency services and my parents, because at the end of the day, they just want you to be safe and come home unharmed.

The message that I would really love and will continue to pass on to other girls is that, stop taking so many things for granted, some people that we encountered today will never be able to do half the things we all take for granted.”

Holly Watts

Nikki Townsend 

In different year levels, the skills focus is different although the learning experiences offered require the use of all the Pillars. Students in Prep-Year 2 participate in whole class lessons focusing on Pillars 1 and 2 and guided reading groups which address the other Pillars. Students in Years 3-6 cluster meet four times a week for literacy rotations with a focus on applying the final three Pillars.

The Pillars are:

1. Phonemic Awareness: understanding that words can be broken into separate sounds (phonemes).
2. Phonics: learning and using the relationships between sounds and letter-symbols to sound out (decode) written words.
3. Vocabulary: the words students need to know in order to comprehend and communicate.
4. Fluency: the ability to read accurately, quickly and expressively.
5. Comprehension: extracting and constructing meaning from written text using knowledge of words, concepts, fact and ideas (DEST, 2005 NICHD, 2000: Rose, 2006).

The Accelerated Reader (AR) program provides the stimulus for students in Years 3-6 to be active readers. This is certainly evident through the 130 million words read so far this year. We look forward to seeing many parents next week to help the girls celebrate their love of reading. Book Week will be launched with the Book Character Parade (PDF 169.7KB) for Pre-Prep to Year 4. Next week also includes Arts Spectacular (PDF 1.5MB) which embraces the Book Week theme. Families are invited to attend the matinee to experience “The Power Within” classic stories through dance and song.

Angela Drysdale 

Private Music Students’ Recital
A number of students who are undertaking private music lessons will perform at a recital to be given in the Arts Centre Foyer next Wednesday afternoon, 21 August at 3:30pm. All welcome to attend.

Student Congratulations
Congratulations to Annette Chan (Year 9) who recently competed at the Quota Beenleigh City of Logan Eisteddfod. Annette performed on the marimba in the Grade 8 - All Instruments except Piano category and achieved first place. This is an outstanding achievement. Well done Annette!

Open Morning Performance
Thank you to the Sculthorpe String Quartet, Meleia Richardson and Akari Komoto for their musical contribution to Open Morning held this week. They gave wonderful performances and assisted in showcasing the many wonderful opportunities available at St Margaret’s.

Music Support Group
The next Music Support Group meeting will be held on Tuesday 27 August at 5:00pm in the Primary Music Room (second floor of Chaseley). Parents from both the Primary and Secondary Schools are welcome to attend.

Brad King 

The results of the day are as follows:

• Year 7i - 6th
• Year 7ii - 4th
• Year 7iii - 1st
• Year 8i - 3rd
• Year 8ii - 4th
• Year 8iii - 6th
• A Grade - 5th
• Open Pairs - 4th
• Open Group - 4th

A huge thank you to Ms Nikki Anderson for her coordination of all teams, all Coaches and Captains, Hannah Newton and Kelsey Booth for their tireless effort with the girls.

Winter Sports

Winter Fixtures
Round 4 of Winter Fixtures saw our teams take on St Peter’s Lutheran College at our home venues. Our Tennis girls had their most successful round with five out of six teams winning or drawing their games. Our Hockey teams won 50% of their matches. The Netballers had mixed results with four teams recording a win and one draw. Unfortunately, the Volleyballers did it tough and were unable to secure a win. Special mention must go to our Senior C Tennis team who continues to remain undefeated, resulting in being granted ‘Team of the Week’.

This weekend’s fixtures will be held at our home venues against St Hilda’s. Please check the game schedule via the Secondary Sport POD page, as well as the individual POD pages for individual game times.

Water Polo
Registrations for the 2019/20 Water Polo season are now open. St Margaret’s is inviting all girls from 10 years to 17 years to register to play in the Brisbane Water Polo Incorporated Junior 2019/20 Season for St Margaret’s. For further information, please visit the Water Polo POD page for information regarding fees, a ‘Come and Try’ day, as well as the upcoming trial dates.

World Junior Swimming Championships
Tahlia Thornton (Year 11) joins twenty-nine of Australia’s most talented young swimmers to compete at the 2019 World Junior Swimming Championships in Budapest from Tuesday 20 August to Sunday 25 August.

Tahlia earnt her place on the team through her success at the Hancock Prospecting Australian Age Swimming Championships earlier this year in Adelaide. History shows that competing at this prestigious international event marks the beginning of a swimmer’s journey on the international stage. We wish Tahlia well and are very proud of her achievements as she represents the nation over the coming week.

Good Luck…
Annabel Bright (Year 7), Matilda Lee (Year 7) and Milla Roberts (Year 7) who will contest the Queensland School Sport 10-12 Years Track and Field State Championships on 15-16 August 2019.

Helen Lobegeiger 

You can purchase your . The St Margaret's Raffle will close at 2:30pm on Saturday 7 September. Draw will take place at 3:00pm on Saturday 7 September 2019 at The Birdcage, Eagle Farm. Winners will be notified in person or by email or telephone.

2019 St Margaret’s Race Day
The 2019 St Margaret’s Race Day tickets are now on sale! This is always one of the most popular events on the P&F calendar, so be sure to purchase your tickets early to avoid disappointment.

Date: Saturday 7 September 2019
Time: 11:30am to 5:00pm
Venue: The Birdcage, Eagle Farm Racecourse
RSVP: Friday 23 August (unless SOLD OUT prior)
Dress code: Racewear
Tickets: $180 per person Includes admission to The Birdcage, Eagle Farm Racecourse, canapés, lunch and a 5-hour drinks package.

To view the formal invitation, please click here (PDF 519.7KB).

Important Information:
The Birdcage has two separate levels for this event. Regulations at Eagle Farm are such that patrons are not allowed to move between levels. It is therefore very important that you tell us who you would like to be grouped with. When you purchase your tickets on Flexischools you will be asked to nominate other parents, or a year level, so we may allocate you appropriately.

Please note that there is no difference between the levels with respect to the food and drinks on offer, and other facilities.

Save the Date: 2020 Women’s Luncheon
Date: Friday 13 March 2020

All women of St Margaret’s past and present are invited to join us in celebrating our 125-year anniversary.

Hosted by the P&F Association, our annual luncheon will be a wonderful opportunity for our current mothers, past mothers and grandmothers, past students and past staff members to come together and mark the occasion with a sumptuous 2-course dinner with drinks.

Please visit our to register your interest and save the date in your diaries.

Lara Pickering 

Durack College
Applications for Durack College are now open for 2020. Durack College offers a boutique residential experience, with a personalised focus on educational success. We work hard to create a culture and environment based on academic excellence. The small but vibrant community of female learners is offered a tailored living environment, making the transition to new routines easier and more rewarding. There are only 25 residency places, allowing Durack College to be both a private sanctuary and a busy and exciting community.

Griffith University - Queensland Conservatorium
Application requirements: Domestic applicants

1. Register and pay for your QCGU audition through GriffithPAY by 6 September 2019. 

2. Submit your QTAC application between 1 August and 6 September 2019.

Find out more or submit your application online at

The University of Queensland
Key academic and sporting scholarships open soon. 

UQ - LEAD Scholarships
Students who experience difficult circumstances or setbacks during their schooling can now apply for UQ's Leadership, Excellence and Diversity (LEAD) Scholarship. Applications for the LEAD Scholarship close on 15 November 2019.

UQ - The Liveris Academy Undergraduate Scholarship
For students enrolling in the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) or in the integrated Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)/Master of Engineering program at UQ.

Griffith University – International student scholarship
More information is available here

QUT Scholarship opportunities
Explore (academic and creative industries), and , or .

QUT Creative industries course updates
Applications for creative industries courses with auditions or portfolios close at 5:00pm on Friday 20 September. Details are available from the .

QUT Meeting assumed knowledge and prerequisites
QUT offers bridging programs in Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics.

UQ College is offering University Prerequisite Courses in Mathematics B, Chemistry or Biology. They will be delivered face to face on St Lucia Campus over a four week period.

QTAC Key Dates
QTAC’s admissions period runs from 1 August 2019. The cost will be $44 which includes three changes of preferences.

1 August: Applications for 2020 opened
6 September: Register, pay for audition and complete QTAC application for Queensland Conservatorium courses at Griffith University
20 September: Applications for creative industries courses with auditions or portfolios close at 5:00pm
28 September: Early closing date some courses
28 September: Scholarship Applications due
October: Submit EAS and supporting documents
15 November: First offer round Year 12
14 December: OP’s released
23 December: QTAC Offer Round
7 January: Last day to change preference
15 January: Offer Round
24 January: Top Up round
31 January: Top Up Round

The University of Queensland
The UQ situational judgement test for the Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Honours) must be completed by students (domestic and international) who plan to enrol in this degree from 2020.

The University of Queensland Open Day
Gatton: Sunday 18 August 2019, 9:00am-3:00pm

UQ International High School Students Showcase for Years 11 and 12 International high school students - 2 October (Monday) 9:00am-3:30pm at UQ St Lucia campus.

QUT International high school day Gardens Point campus - Monday 21 October 2019 (pupil free day). Register .

UNE
Year 12 students are invited to participate in our for admission in 2020. UNE's Early Entry application process is fully online, it’s free to apply and you can submit your Early Entry applications now.

Griffith University
Griffith university has developed a website to assist you to decide on a study pathway: .

QTAC Year 12 Tertiary Applications
The Educational Access Scheme (EAS) can help you if you have experienced circumstances that negatively affected your most recent studies.

Elizabeth Johnston