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Sophie Butler (English and French) is leaving us on Friday 24 February. She will be replaced by Ms Jen Brown who commences with us on 27 February.

On Saturday 25 March, we will hold our Past Student Awards event in the evening. This is a wonderful opportunity for our current students to hear from our alumni. It is a lovely celebratory dinner; in fact, it is one of my favourite events in the school calendar. I would encourage any parent to bring their daughter to be inspired by the achievements of our past students. This is just one of the occasions that we honour the achievements of our past students and put up in front of our current students those who donned the middy and walked the campus before them. We believe that this role modelling by our past students is especially important. As the saying goes when it comes to choosing future careers, ‘if you can’t see it, you can’t be it!’ Tickets may be purchased here: 

Ros Curtis

Goal-setting is an important step in striving for improvement. They provide direction and purpose. Students should ensure that their goals are S.M.A.R.T. goals.

Specific goals are easier to accomplish. Whilst many students may say they wish to achieve a certain grade for their subjects, it would be better to hone in on a particular skill in order for that to occur. For example, using criteria from a subject as the skill that they would like to improve would be beneficial.

Goals need to be Measureable. Checking in to see if targets have been met with feedback on improvement being sought and supplied, will identify achievement and help encourage the student to continue to strive for more improvement.

Make sure the goal is Attainable. Almost any goal is attainable when a person plans their steps towards achieving that goal wisely. Reaching those milestones will provide positive affirmation and ensure they remain on track to achieve the ultimate goal.

Relevant goals ensure that improvement is sought for something that needs improvement.

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

Karen Gorrie

I acknowledge that many of our St Margaret’s boarding families are aware of the power and silence of the desert because for them it is home. Rowan Williams reminds us of the long tradition of spiritual leaders that hale from the desert and the great wisdom that their meditations bring to the church.

This week begins the season of Lent. Lent is a call into the desert. Not in a harsh, hot, arid sense but in the spiritual sense. A call to slow down, take time out for renewal, to put habits of prayer, meditation, and wellbeing into place, and to remember the ground of our being – the God who loves us through and through. It is also a time to remember our interconnectedness, that we are inextricably linked to our neighbour and our neighbour’s flourishing.

The Desert Waits
(Ruth Burgess)

The desert waits,

ready for those who come,

who come obedient to the Spirit’s leading;

or who are driven,

because they will not come any other way.

The desert always waits,

ready to let us know who we are –

the place of self-discovery.

And whilst we fear, and rightly,

the loneliness and emptiness and harshness,

we forget the angels

whom we cannot see for our blindness,

but who come when God decides

that we need their help;

when we are ready

for what they can give us.

Rev’d Jazz Dow

Academic success is not just about achieving the top ATAR but about the girls achieving their personal best in all that they do. Boarders often show that they have the confidence and enjoyment to fully support each other in the pursuit of academic excellence. Very important in this process are the staff in the boarding house and the wonderful teachers that give their time to help the girls in the evening. This has seen the girls developing the skills of asking questions, asking for help and having expert staff available to help them when they need it. Academic achievement for boarders is the norm.

Lesa Fowler

Last week I, along with members of our English and Science faculties, attended a two-day workshop at UQ where we worked with their research team to develop a focus for our project and then presented our project pitch to researchers and other Partnership Schools. We are excited to get started on our project focussing on investigating what self-regulated learning strategies our St Margaret’s students currently possess and implement in their learning.

Self-regulation is important for student success. Self-regulated students have more control over their learning, knowing themselves well as learners. They have developed effective strategies for time management and planning, active learning in class and goal setting. Helping students develop self-regulated learning strategies is one of our most important jobs as educators as it helps to set them up for success as life-long learners.

Caitlin McCluskey

Next Tuesday 28 February, both year levels will also undertake a practice NAPLAN Test in Eton Hall.

For the tests, girls are reminded that they must bring:

• wired headphones (no Bluetooth earphones or AirPods)
• fully charged laptops
• pens/pencils

If any parents have any questions or concerns about the NAPLAN testing process, please feel free to contact my office on 07 3862 0703.

Years 9 and 10 Study Hall

In Years 9 and 10, students will have Study Hall days scheduled into every term. During these days, normal classes are suspended for these year levels, and students may have examination and performance assessments scheduled (please refer to your daughter’s Assessment Calendar on the POD).

When girls are not sitting assessment during Study Hall, they are afforded time to undertake independent study, where they can continue with other schoolwork and assessments.

Term 1 Study Hall dates are as follows:

Year Level	Dates
9	Monday 13 March Tuesday 14 March
10	Friday 17 March Monday 20 March

Study Hall schedules have been made available to students this week through the Years 9 & 10 POD Pages.

Chris Dunn

Furthermore, Saturday 4 March is a day when we require all of our students to be present at school, in full uniform and either participating in curricular, co-curricular or community activities. Students should arrive no later than 9.15 am for the activities.

If, due to extenuating circumstances, a student is unable to be at school on Open Day, we require a written note or email requesting absence to studentleave@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Nikki Townsend

Each year’s program builds on the previous years by increasing the number of days and building on activities that require more self-regulation. The common threads for each year’s program are respect and responsibility which encompasses respect and responsibility for self, others and the natural world; that is, a person values, respects, cares for, and takes responsibility for herself, other people and the natural world.

Through the camp program, we provide many other opportunities to demonstrate respect and responsibility for self and others as students learn to live with students in cabins, sharing bathrooms and meals. Through such activities, the girls learn to develop a higher level of awareness of others as they live and work together in proximity. They also learn to demonstrate respect and responsibility for the natural world, which is why we have a natural world focus in each of the camps until Year 6.  When the girls participate in outdoor activities on camp, we aim for them to connect to and take care of the natural world. We believe this experience is such a vital part of a child’s learning, especially when children today have less experience with the outdoors. 

These outdoor experiences not only provide opportunities to interact with nature but also provide challenges and risks for the girls. As parents and teachers, we need to offer opportunities that are safe, but at the same time, challenging. Children need to take risks to investigate and push their limits to venture into new experiences. As the adults in a child’s life, we remove dangerous hazards, but not risks, which offer challenge. The camps in each of our year levels contribute to the development of the disposition of risk taking which sets the foundation for the challenge of learning.

On camp, our Year 4 girls were offered experiences which may have been new or challenging for some. These included playing in an Aqua Park and participating in beach activities at Alexandra Headland, all of which were passed through a strenuous risk assessment process and supervised by our teaching staff, qualified camp staff and lifeguards.

Thank you to the Year 4 teachers, Morgan Rowe and Kate Frewin for supporting the girls at camp. The girls are very fortunate to have dedicated and connected staff who selflessly rearrange their own personal lives, so they are available overnight to support your daughter on camp. As a school, we are grateful for their commitment.

  

  

Angela Drysdale

1. Understand the problem

   Describe the problem in your own words. Decide what information is needed.

2. Plan what to do

   Think of what you can do to help you solve the problem.

3. Work out the Answer

   Solve the problem using your plan in Step 2.

4. Check

   Check that your answer is correct or reasonable.

Problem-Solving Strategies

Students can use different strategies to plan what to do (point 2 above) when solving a problem. These include:

• Act it out – by carrying out the task.
• Draw a Picture/Diagram – to represent the given information.
• Make a List – to find all the different possible answers.
• Guess and Check – what the answer is and then check if your answer is correct.
• Draw a Bar Model – to represent the given information.
  
• Look for a Pattern – using the given information and extend the pattern.

Kate Frewin

Circular Drive Stage

9:30am            Sculthorpe String Quartet

9:50am            Stradivari Strings

10:05am          Strictly Ballroom Preview

10:25am          Exultate

10:35am          Chamber Strings

10:45am          Amati Strings

11:45am          Music Extension Performances

11:55am          Volare

12:05pm         Highly Strung

12:15pm         Secondary Rock Band

Eton Hall

9:30am            Chorale

9:40am            Speech & Drama Performances

9:50am            Elayne Jones Percussion Ensemble

10:05am          Serenata

10:15am          Belle Voci

10:40am          Jackson Wind Ensemble

10:50am          Sister Helen Wind Symphony

11:45am          Chaseley Concert Band

12:05pm         Stage Band

Toorak Courtyard

11:00am          Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone & Brass Ensembles

Primary Atrium

9:30am            Tutti Strings

11:20am          Beath String Quartet

Performance Uniforms

Students are required to wear a performance uniform for some senior auditioned music ensembles. Students are encouraged to purchase the uniform as soon as possible at the School Supply Shop in preparation for Open Day on Saturday 4 March. The following ensembles require performance uniforms:

Choral Ensembles: Volare & Exultate (Black performance uniform with black ballet flats)

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

String Ensembles: Chamber Strings & Sculthorpe String Quartet (Black performance uniform with black ballet flats)

Rock Bands: Secondary Rock Bands (Smart blue jeans, sneakers and ‘M Factor’ polo shirt)

Please note students may wear the school middy for all other ensembles.

Music Support Group – Musical donations

With the school musical Strictly Ballroom fast approaching, the Music Support Group will be running a series of raffles over the three performances to raise funds for the Music Department. They are seeking donations to place in hampers, such as champagne, dried fruit, nuts, confectionery, teas, small containers of fruit pastes, gourmet biscuits, crackers, chocolates, and other condiments or even a gift voucher would be appreciated. (Please avoid large tins of canned food, as these are difficult to pack into a hamper and are very heavy to transport, and please ensure that items do not require refrigeration.) If items can be delivered to Ms McLean in the Sister Helen Orchestra Room (SHOR) no later than Friday 3 March that would be very much appreciated. Thank you in advance for your support.

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

• Basketball (Autumn Sport) - (
• Soccer (Autumn Sport) - (
• Touch Football (Autumn Sport) - (
• Swimming -
• Cross Country -
• Artistic Gymnastic –
• Cricket -
• AFL (Years 10-12)) -
• Club Water Polo -
• Club Netball -

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 student on her recent achievements:

Ella Menigoz (Year 12) - We congratulate Ella on her recent success at the 2023 AusCycling Mountain Bike National Championships in Thredbo. Ella competed extremely well finishing 3rd overall in the Under 19 Cross Country Olympic Distance Long Course Race and 2nd overall in the Cross Country Short Course Race. We congratulate Ella on her outstanding performance.

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 contact myself via email lknight@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

GO MAGGIES!

Lloyd Knight

Blazer Pocket Embroidery

Blazers - must be submitted by morning tea on Wednesday and take approximately two weeks from collection.

Making purchases at the School Supplies Shop

In Store – Parents/Students can visit the Uniform Shop in person. We accept Visa, MasterCard and Amex.

Student Card Purchases – Students can also visit the Supplies Shop and make payment using their Student Card. This allows parents to budget a pre-loaded amount on their student's ID card for spending at the Supplies Shop. Students can make purchases at the Supplies Shop by swiping their card at the register. Parents can view their student’s purchases online and can set daily spending limits on the student’s card.

Important Note:

Please ensure the daily limit is set high enough to cover the uniform items being purchased. We will not be able to complete the purchase if there are insufficient funds available on the Student Card and will no longer be calling parents to secure payment.

Please allow up to 24 hours for student card top ups, as depositing funds onto student cards may not be instantaneous and varies from bank to bank.

Order Online via Flexischools - Parents/Students can place an order online via Flexischools (). Please click on 'Register' and follow the prompts. Payment can be made via credit card, paypal or direct debit. 

Delivery and Collection Details – Please allow a 24 hour turnaround time for all online orders:

Delivery

• Pre-Prep to Year 3 orders will be delivered to the Primary Reception, available for collection by the student or parent. 

  
  Collection

• Year 4 - 12 orders are available for collection at the Supplies Shop by the student or parent. 
• Mixed orders can be collected at the Supplies Shop by the senior student.

At After School Care we provided the opportunity for students to participate in mindfulness activities such as quiet reading, kids’ yoga and mindfulness colouring in. This gives the students the chance to pause after a big day of learning and practice deep breathing and relaxation techniques.

Palu Ingram

Event Details
Date:     Thursday 30 March 2023
Time:    6.45am for 7am- 8am 
Venue:  Circular Drive and Arts Centre Terraces
Cost:    $45 per adult /$32 per student (Years 7-12).

Tickets are available to purchase online now via TryBooking:

Past Student Awards

Nominations are closing this Friday for St Margaret’s Past Student Awards. If you know of an Old Girl deserving of recognition we encourage you to submit a nomination.

The Past Student Awards recognise the many achievements of St Margaret’s past students, both professionally and personally. We celebrate the diverse achievements of past students and provide an opportunity to share stories of success and increase connections between the school and past students to honour their legacy.

There are two award categories:

•           Distinguished Past Student (for alumnae who have passed their 20th reunion)

•           Young Past Student of Distinction (for alumnae in their 20th reunion year or younger) 

The link to nominate via the online form can be found here. Submissions close Friday 24 February 2023.

We look forward to announcing the winners and celebrating them at the Past Student Awards Dinner on Saturday 25 March 2023.

This is a wonderful evening to attend with your daughters where they will be inspired hearing from our award winners.

Event Details

Date:   Saturday 25 March 2023

Time: Pre-dinner drinks and canapes at 6:30pm

Venue: Arts Centre Foyer, St Margaret's

Cost:   $90 Adults | $60 Students 
            Adult ticket includes canapes, two course meal and drinks package
            Student ticket includes canapes, two course meal and non-alcoholic drinks package

Tickets: Available online via until Thursday 16 March, 2023 (unless sold out prior)

Mothers' Luncheon - Tickets on sale soon
Save the date for the St Margaret's Mothers' Luncheon! This annual event is a wonderful opportunity for members of the St Margaret’s community to come together and connect. 

Date:                 Friday 12 May 2023
Time:                 11.30am - 2.30pm
Venue:               Brisbane City Hall

Tickets will be available to purchase via TryBooking from Tuesday 28 February, with a presale for Year 12 families on Monday 27 February 2023.

This event is proudly supported by sponsors KLM Solicitors and UMS.

P&F Association AGM

Notice is given that the Annual General Meeting of the St Margaret’s P&F Association Inc.

Date:                     Monday 27 March 2023

Time:                     6.30pm to 7.30pm

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

Please note, at this Meeting the 2023 Executive and Committee Elect positions will be ratified and the P&F Financial Audit Report will be presented.

The 2023 Executive and Committee Elect were nominated at the General Meeting with the Special Election of Office Bearers on Monday 13 February.

Lara Pickering