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At last week’s P and F meeting, parents were asking me how we went in the school leagues table. We no longer have comparative data to report against, however, we believe our consistently good results would be commensurate with previous years, where we have ranked in the top 15 schools in Queensland across all categories (as we did from 2017 to 2019). 

St Margaret’s maintains a strong focus on literacy and numeracy as the foundation of all good learning and these results reflect the school’s commitment to ensuring all students have the best opportunities to develop these skills.

NAPLAN results are used both individually and collectively. Individually, they provide important insights to a child’s progress, strengths and areas requiring further development. Collectively, the results ensure we are meeting our commitment to developing strong foundational skills and are used to further inform curriculum programs and delivery throughout the school.

These results are but one measure among many that contribute to the well-rounded education St Margaret’s seeks to the provide to the wonderfully multi-faceted individuals we have the joy to teach. For details of each year levels and each sub test results please refer to the website: Academic results - St Margaret's (stmargarets.qld.edu.au)

Ros Curtis

The Key aspects of Alignment and Accountability are:

 Self:

• We align ourselves with the values of St Margaret’s and endeavour to fulfil the ethos and vision of the school.
• We are accountable to ourselves through the way we behave, fulfilling our positive roles as students, teachers or parents.
• We take responsibility for our actions and do not seek a place to blame.

Community:

• As a community we operate through the six core values, thus ensuring a strong sense of cohesiveness through alignment and accountability to a common cause.
• We are aligned towards achieving our key goals – academically, pastorally and philanthropically – in order to ensure key outcomes for all students.
• We actively choose to give our best to all members of the community, and, in times of challenge, seek out solutions together.

Since the formation of the language around the St Margaret’s Way five years ago, it has truly been embedded into what we do, what we say and how we behave each day. When new students, staff and families join our school, we are excited to share St Margaret’s Way with them as a way of explaining how our interactions with each other count and what our responsibilities are in ensuring that others feel the way that we wish to feel here at school.

Karen Gorrie

I think Soren Kierkegarrd’s poem on prayer, reveals other ways we can pray, he suggests that sometimes words are not needed, and we need to listen.

As my prayer became more attentive and inward

I had less and less to say.

I finally became completely silent.

I started to listen

-which is even further removed from speaking.

I first thought that praying entailed speaking.

I then learnt that praying is hearing,

not merely being silent.

This is how it is.

To pray does not meant to listen to oneself speaking,

Prayer involves becoming silent,

And being silent,

And waiting until God is heard. 

Students often ask how we can hear God. We can hear God through others, or through the still small voice trying to get our attention. We can hear God, through other’s actions, or through nature. Last week we saw prayer, being still, and listening demonstrated in the Prayer Space, as the students interacted with the activities, and gave themselves permission to be still.

Rev Susan Crothers-Robertson

Unlike the advent calendars you see at the shops there won’t be a chocolate for the girls each day instead there will be activity to take part in, a guess the Christmas song competition and even a Christmas colouring in competition. The girls will be sent a weekly email which will outline each days event in order for them to prepare any items or supplies they might need. Below is what is happening this week.

Monday 1st November: Year Level Christmas Tree Set Up
Tuesday 2nd November: Christmas Tree Craft - Outline your handprint, add your name and one thing you're grateful for in 2021 and contribute it to the Community Christmas Tree.
Wednesday 3rd November: Guess the Musical Jingle over the loud speaker- keep an ear out and be the first to the Garden Room to correctly guess the jingle to win a prize.
Thursday 4th November: Write a Christmas Card for a member of school staff (teacher, admin, boarding staff, etc).
Friday 5th November: Colouring In Competition - Collect a colouring in from your House Mother, colour in and submit before 14th November for your chance to win a prize.
Saturday 6th November: Christmas Movie with Miss Grace
Sunday 7th November: Christmas Cookie Decorating with Miss Calcino

The culmination of calendar will be the Boarding Christmas Concert and the Christmas Dinner leading into the final week of the Term 4. We hope that this will be a great opportunity for the girls to have a lot of fun and be a way for all of us to start the holidays on a happy note.

Angela Crowe

At this evening the following topics will be discussed

• The Queensland Certificate of Education/ATAR
• Internal and External Assessment
• SWOTVAC and End of Year Celebrations

An invitation with RSVP information has been sent to all parents. Please note also that this information evening will be recorded for parents who can’t attend.

Year 11 Exam Block and End of Term Assessment

The year 11 Exam block will begin on Tuesday 16 November with a Study Day and conclude on Monday 22 November. All Biology students have a compulsory excursion on Tuesday 23 November in preparation for their next Internal Assessment. Along with this, English, English as an Additional Language, Literature, Digital Solutions and Physical Education all have assessment due after the Exam Block. Therefore, it is important that no Year 11 student leave early for holidays as all lessons will continue to teach and assess Unit 3 which contributes to student results for their QCE and ATAR.

Nicole Devlin

2019 saw the introduction of the “Born to Fly” Scholarship, a joint initiative by St Margaret’s and St Aidan’s that allows us as an educational institution an opportunity to give back to our profession. The partnership with the Queensland University of Technology enables us to provide a student with the opportunity to immerse themselves into a school community and experience the myriad of roles a teacher plays in the school setting. 

This year, the scholarship continued, and the recipients were Giaan Keir who has been working in the Primary School and Sophie Taylor who completed her placement in the Sociocultural and English Faculties.

This scholarship has provided both recipients with many opportunities from writing assessments and units of work, reporting and learning the QCE system. They have also had the opportunity to attend excursions and be a part of the Extra-Curricular life of the school while completing the final year of their education degree.

I would like to acknowledge the work that Giaan and Sophie have done in 2021. We have enjoyed having them be part of the school community, and we have appreciated their enthusiasm to learn and develop new skills as educators.

In 2022, we will welcome another “Born to Fly” Scholarship recipient as we continue this productive relationship with QUT.

Caitlin McCluskey

Unfortunately, our brains have not evolved fast enough to adapt to this digital landscape. The combination of constant access to information and having little control over the situations presented, can be stressful and overwhelming. It is therefore important for adult carers to check in with their children and be aware of what information they may have been exposed too. It may not necessarily be the information itself that is harmful, but more their inability to process and make sense of it. Providing children with the skills and strategies to cope will enable them to flourish and thrive, socially, emotionally and academically.

The blueprint for parenting, based on our own experiences, is no longer fit for purpose in raising kids as citizens of tomorrow. This can be inherently stressful and overwhelming, not only for parents and carers, but children alike. If left untreated or unmanaged, constant stress and anxiety can lead to a number of behavioural issues or health consequences.

School TV suggests a number of strategies to help manage any feelings that overwhelm you or your child may be experiencing. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help. Please visit the Parent Resource page, School TV, Managing Overwhelm on the POD for more information.

Nikki Townsend

It has been a great year of participation in the ten Andrews Cup sports with swimming being the most successful team sport for the school.  For the second year in row, we brought home the aggregate trophy and, for the first time, this was combined with bringing home the Springfield Cup. This was after the Springfield Cup returned to St Margaret’s in 2019 after fifteen years.

Sporting events this year were not limited to Andrews Cup.  We had ten primary school teams compete for St Margaret’s netball club as part of the Downey Park Netball Association.  The five non-competitive teams 19-23 functioned extremely well; organisation and performance at both training and games was evident throughout the season. The five 10 and 11-years teams all finished the season showing great improvement. Importantly, attendance at games and training was commendable. Team 16 was the top 11 years team and they made it all the way to the grand final after being moved up a grade mid-season.  This special group of talented players finished as runners up.  Congratulations to all girls, parents, and coaches for their commitment this season.

Girls in Years 4 to 6 can partake in another sporting event before the end of term - they can train and then participate in two AFL gala days.  The primary girls involved are very lucky to have Queensland AFL staff to lead them through a series of skill development sessions in preparation for participating in the gala days.  The two skill training sessions will occur on Monday 1 and 8 November at Windsor Park 3.30 – 5.00pm.  AFL Queensland will also run a gala twilight competition which will be held with on Friday 19 November from 4.30pm -6.30pm.

Congratulations to all girls who participated in the sporting teams this year.

Angela Drysdale

NAPLAN

In May, students at St Margaret’s sat the annual NAPLAN tests. We are extremely proud of our students whose results continue to be well-above both State and National averages. NAPLAN results are another form of data that allow parents and educators the opportunity to see how students are progressing in literacy and numeracy over time – individually, as part of their school community, and against national standards. 

Reading was a particular strength in Year 3, 85% of all students achieving in the top 2 bands and 70% in Band 6, 11 students achieved outside of the top band which is an excellent achievement. Reading in Year 5 was also very strong with 79% of students achieving in the top 2 bands, 50% in Band 8. Congratulations to our students and teachers.

ICAS

The International Competitions and Assessments for Schools, or ICAS, is an independent, skills-based assessment program. ICAS recognises and rewards student achievement in English, Mathematics, Science, and Writing. Congratulations to the following students who have achieved High Distinction and Distinction results. These will be awarded at the Acknowledgment Assembly in Week 8 in the Primary School.  Credit, Merit and Participation awards will be presented in the classrooms.  

English

Lily Williams – Distinction Year 3

Piper Chalmers – Distinction Year 5

Emma Kardooni – Distinction Year 5

Natascha Zdravev – Distinction Year 5

Isobel Stobie – High Distinction Year 5

Madeline Renwick – Distinction Year 6

Mathematics

Charlotte Laherty – Distinction Year 4

Christy Lok – Distinction Year 4

Ritz Fu – Distinction Year 5

Isobel Stobie – Distinction Year 5

Minuli Ilangamage – Distinction Year 6

Cherry Lok – Distinction Year 6

Madeline Renwick – Distinction Year 6

Science

Sofia Wang – Distinction Year 3

Abigail Kho – Distinction Year 4

Charlotte Laherty – Distinction Year 4

Piper Chalmers – Distinction Year 5

Isobel Stobie – High Distinction Year 5

Ritz Fu – High Distinction Year 5

Minuli Ilangamage – Distinction Year 6

Kate Frewin

2022 Private Music Tuition

If your daughter is currently undertaking private music tuition, she will automatically be placed on her current teachers’ roll for 2022. Parents do not need to fill in a new application form. However, if your daughter is wanting to discontinue lessons in 2022, we ask that you please email directly to the Music Department at music@stmargarets.qld.edu.au prior to the end of the school year.

Music Support Group

The next Music Support Group meeting will be our Annual General Meeting and will be held on Tuesday 9 November 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

Knowles Cup Tennis

Congratulations to all our Semi Finalists from Saturday 30 October. It was an exceedingly hot day, especially on the court. Both our Open A and Open B teams played very strong competition in the Semi-finals and our Open A team managed to edge out Somerville House to play the Finals against St Rita's. This was a very tough match up and the Open A team were Runners-up on this occasion. Well done to all players on the day. Many thanks to coaches Beck Meares and Skye Littlewood. 

Final Placings for St Margaret's Teams

• Open A - Runners-up
• Open B - 3^rd
• Intermediates - 5^th
• Juniors - 8^th
• St Margaret's Overall - 5^th

St Margaret’s athletes’ triumph at the Queensland Athletics All Schools 10 – 14 years Championships

Last weekend was Part two of the All Schools State Championships and once again there were stellar performances from competing St Margaret’s Athletes.

Congratulations to Ebony Okonkwo, Matilda Lee, Milla Roberts, Georgia Hopwood and Ashley Blackman for a sensational weekend of Athletics.

Ebony, Matilda, Milla and Ashley all came away with State medals.

Ashley Blackman: 2^nd High Jump (U14)

Ebony Okonkwo: 1^st 200m and 2^nd 100m (U15)

Matilda Lee: 2^nd 1500m and 2^nd 800m (U15)

Milla Roberts: 1^st 800m and 3^rd 400m (U15)

Best of luck to all athletes for the remainder of the Summer Club Track Season.

QGSSSA AFL

The QGSSSA AFL Gala competition will launch on Friday 5 November.  St Margaret’s will field 9 teams across Year 7 to Year 11 and play against Moreton Bay College in a series of matches commencing at 4.30pm concluding at 6.30pm.  Whilst it is the first collision sport to be played in the QGSSSA competition, the girls will be eased into this contact by playing modified rules.  All girls are excited by the introduction of AFL and will be part of history on Friday.

When booking your appointment please consider the following:

• Appointment times are either 30 minutes or 60 minutes depending on your appointment type.
• Available appointment types include:
  • New Student – for students who are about to start at St Margaret’s and require a full uniform fit out (60-minute fitting).
  • Existing Student – for existing students who require a uniform 'top up' (30-minute fitting).
  • Boarder Only - several times a year we offer Boarder Only fitting days for students who are or will be boarding at St Margaret’s. Their families have often travelled long distances and are only at the school on select days when the students are returning from or departing for school holidays (60-minute fitting).
  • Pre-Prep / Prep – for little ones who will be starting in Pre-Prep or Prep at St Margaret’s (30-minute fitting).
  • School Blazer Fitting – for any student who requires a new school blazer, compulsory for students in years 10, 11 and 12 (30-minute fitting).
• 1 appointment = 1 student fitting
  If you are booking for two or more students, please book separate fitting appointments for each child. These can be at the same time if times are available.

• All fittings will take place in the Supplies Shop which is located onsite, just off the Circular Drive through Gate 1, Petrie Street, Ascot.

Book your appointment online via the school website

EXTENDED TRADING HOURS **

2021 – ** APPOINTMENTS ONLY

Monday 29 November  8:00am – 2:00pm

Tuesday 30 November 8:00am – 2:00pm

Wednesday 1 December 11:00am – 5:00pm

Thursday 2 December  8:00am – 2:00pm

Friday 3 December       8:00am – 2:00pm

Monday 6 December    8:00am – 2:00pm

Tuesday 7 December    8:00am – 2:00pm

Wednesday 8 December 11:00am – 5:00pm

Thursday 9 December  8:00am – 2:00pm

Friday 10 December     8:00am – 2:00pm

2022

Please note: Customers without an appointment in January will be required to take a number and will be served as soon as a staff member is available.

Wednesday 12 January 8:00am – 2:00pm

Thursday 13 January     1:00pm – 6:00pm

Friday 14 January          8:00am – 2:00pm

Monday 17 January       8:00am – 2:00pm

Tuesday 18 January       8:00am – 2:00pm

Wednesday 19 January 8:00am – 2:00pm

Thursday 20 January     1:00pm – 6:00pm

Friday 21 January          8:00am – 2:00pm

Saturday 22 January      9:00am – 11:00am

                                   1:00pm – 3:00pm - BOARDERS ONLY

Sunday 23 January        1:00pm – 3:00pm - BOARDERS ONLY

Monday 24 January    Regular trading hours resume

TRADING HOURS (Term Time)

Monday                        8:00am – 2:00pm

Tuesday                       8:00am – 2:00pm

Wednesday                 10:00am – 5:00pm

Thursday                      8:00am – 2:00pm

Friday                           8:00am – 2:00pm

Public Holidays Closed

PURCHASING LIMITS 

The global pandemic has resulted in supply chain disruption around the world and unfortunately we are starting to feel the impact of this in our Supplies Shop. Overseas production and freight delays, means we are currently experiencing difficulty in replenishing stock levels.

Due to these extenuating circumstances which are beyond our control, purchasing limits will be in place for all new and existing families throughout Nov 2021 to Feb 2022.

For in stock uniform items:

• Day students will only be permitted to purchase two of the same item, and
• Boarding students will only be permitted to purchase three of the same item (due to shared washing facilities).
• For uniform items that are out of stock at the time of fitting, parents will be able to order and pre-pay for these items with collection from the school scheduled from the 12th Jan 2022.

Kielee Alcantara

It is a fantastic opportunity to ensure you reach our entire St Margaret’s community which includes current parents, students, staff, prospective parents and students, as well as all Old Girls (alumni).

The 2021 Business Directory can be viewed via this link:

Pricing for an advertisement in the 2022 Online Business Directory will be $500 per listing and this will include:

• Listing for the 2022 school year
• Company Logo
• Summary of your business – max 100 words
• Hyperlink to your website
• Contact details
• Opportunity to offer special discount on offer to St Margaret’s community
• The ability to update the advertisement at any time
• Links to the directory from the POD, as well as promotional posts for the Online Business Directory via St Margaret’s social media channels once per quarter
• Advertisement promoting the Online Business Directory will appear in St Margaret’s Flyer Magazine – The Flyer magazine is St Margaret’s flagship biannual publication for past students, current and future parents, distributed to over 8,000 contacts.

To register your business in the 2022 Business Directory, please click on this link:

Lara Pickering

Why you should set goals

Planning for your future or just wanting to get the most out of your year? Gain long-term vision and short-term motivation by setting some goals.

Bond University Medical Program Information Session - Webinar

Monday 22 November 2021, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm, Online

The Bond University Medical Program offers students opportunities to bring to life their ambitions to become outstanding practitioners, thinkers, and leaders, well equipped to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered health care that meets the needs of a diverse community.

We invite you to join the Dean of Medicine who will provide an overview of the Medical Program at Bond University via a webinar. Get the answers to all your questions during this live information session. 

ACU / Pathways to ACU 

Thursday 9 December 2021, 1:00 pm - Online

If you didn’t receive the ATAR you wanted, don’t worry, there’s more than one way into university. We’ll take you through the entry pathways to ACU, including diplomas and Foundation Studies that can give you access straight into the second year of your preferred bachelor degree.

Find out more:

QSFT / FILM IT! - Introduction to Video Production Workshop

Saturday 20 November 2021, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Queensland School of Film & Television

QSFT’s FILM IT! – Introduction to Video Production workshop offers an ideal introduction for those who desire a better understanding of the principles behind shooting video.

Trained by industry professional, this four-hour workshop is designed for everyone and covers all basic areas in digital video production.

Topics Covered:

• Exposure (Aperture & Shutter Speed)
• Focus (Depth of Field)
• White Balance
• Framing and Composition
• Basic Sound Recording

Find out more:

ANU 2021 STEM Challenges

This event series is an opportunity for high school and college students to participate in fun and hands-on weekly challenges on a range of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics. The competition is being organised by the Australian National University (ANU).

How it works:

• Students need to .
• Every Monday, challenges will be released by email to all registrants and will also be published on this website. Students will have one week to complete each challenge(s), with answers/photos due on Sunday of the same week.
• Each of the challenges will draw on a different element of STEM and may require you to take photos, answer questions or build/design something to complete the challenge.
• In some weeks, there might be two challenges with different STEM topics released, students can choose to do one or both.
• Only one submission per challenge will be accepted and counted for each participant.
• Each week, the submissions will be judged by a panel of ANU staff and voted on.
• Winners will be announced on the Tuesday following the submission deadline and will be notified by email and will also appear on our social media pages.

Prizes:

• Winners will receive a Winner’s Certificate and a surprise prize.
• All registrants who submit at least one challenge over the 7 weeks of challenges will also receive a printable online Certificate of Participation from the Australian National University. The certificate of participation is not part of the AQF.

The challenge will run from 2 November to 19 December.

Find out more and register here:

Naomi Holley