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Over the past two decades, Kev has been the inspiration to many talented swimmers, including Olympic medallists. He is known particularly for this focus on developing a team spirit, an encouraging and friendly culture where students are passionate about swimming and motivated to do their best, and for his famous quote, ‘It’s a beautiful day and it’s great to be alive.’

Kev’s service to St Margaret’s has been far more reaching than the mark he has left on the school’s swimming program. In charge of transport logistics for about 15 years, Kevin facilitated buses to transport students to and from activities, camps, training sessions and excursions, and often drove the buses himself.

He has been to every rowing camp, transported rowers to and from the shed and assisted with cross country. He also spent a long time transporting the Sisters to their home in Crow’s Nest and fondly remembers their morning tea stopovers in Esk on the way.

He has, without doubt, left an indelible mark on the community at St Margaret’s, and we wish him well in retirement.

Ros Curtis

These networking breakfasts provide our students with the wonderful opportunity to listen and learn from women who are leaders in their field. A particular message that Genevieve emphasised during her address was the importance of the school’s values and always ensuring that your values underpin your decisions in your career and life.  At St Margaret’s, we continually speak to the girls about the values of the school and Genevieve provided examples of how these have helped her throughout her career. She also spoke passionately about championing women in the workplace and supporting them in their career development. 

Lesa Fowler

Mother Emma was the founding Sister of our school and we celebrate her commitment to the education of girls and women, and her strength, courage, and creativity in the face of challenges.

Over the coming weeks, there are some important events happening in chapel life. Tomorrow night, Pre-Prep to Year 3 will gather with their families for the Twilight Service and Family Picnic on Circular Drive at 5.30pm. The theme of the night will be joy, and each year level will perform a song.

On Wednesday 23 March, at 6pm in the School Chapel, Years 7 and 8 students will gather with their families for their Family Service. During this service there is the opportunity for Baptism and Admission to Holy Communion. Years 7 and 8 families will have received a letter from their Head of Year regarding the service.

Another date to draw your attention to is Wednesday 27 April, 6pm, when we will celebrate the Years 4 to 6 Baptism and Admission to Holy Communion Service. A letter will be sent out next week regarding this service.

Rev’d Jazz Dow

With the hustle and bustle of the end of term, the assessments, and all the girls madly packing to return home for the holidays, we often forget to reflect on the term that’s been. This term, in particular, it would be easy to focus on all the things that have been hard or gone wrong. Online school, cancelled events, time in quarantine and isolation and a fair amount of rain and tripped fire alarms are just a few of the challenges that our boarders have had to face in the past eight weeks. But in the spirit of the Archbishop’s theme ‘embracing joy’, I asked some of our boarders what the highlight of their term was in the boarding house. The messages I received highlighted the core boarding values of community and kindness and made me smile. I hope they bring a smile to your face, too, and allow you to reflect on all the good things that this term has brought.

“My favourite thing about boarding this term has been connecting with girls from the older grades at dinner sittings.” – Evie, Year 9 

“My favourite thing about boarding this term is getting to know all the girls, where they come from and whether they live on a farm or in town. I also really love sharing a room with my friends” – Audrey, Year 8

“Coming back together as a boarding community after a rocky start to the year has been my favourite thing about the term” – Gabby, Year 11

Hannah Calcino

When attending exams, all students need to have the following equipment:

1. Their Student ID to be presented to the supervisor on entry into the exam room.
2. Approved equipment in a clear, sealed plastic bag, this includes:

• Black or blue pens
• 2B pencils, sharpener and eraser

• Note: a 2B pencil is only required for multiple choice questions and drawing graphs or diagrams. Black or blue pens must be used for all other written responses.

• Highlighters
• Clear plastic ruler
• Water in a clear unlabelled bottle
• Asthma inhaler
• A QCAA approved calculator with memory cleared and ready for checking prior to entering the exam room (if required).

1. Please note that white out and erasable pens are NOT permitted into the exam room.
2. Mobile phones and Smart Watches are NOT permitted in the exam room.

Finally, can I please remind all Years 11 and 12 day students if they are attending school during the exam block to study or meet with a teacher, they need to be in full school uniform and all other school rules apply, including the use of mobile phones. Years 11 and 12 boarding students also need to be in full school uniform if they are meeting with a teacher.

Caitlin McCluskey

Becton Loveless (2022) from The Education Corner, writes about the benefits of joining, and the characteristics of, an effective peer study group. Below are the takeaway points.

Benefits of an effective study group

1. It helps to improve the quality of your revision notes.
2. It allows you to tap into the talents and knowledge of your peers.
3. It creates a support system for you, particularly during the more stressful moments of the term.
4. It allows you to cover more material in a session than if you were on your own.
5. It can make the learning process more engaging and interactive.

How to establish an effective study group

1. Limit the amount of people – between 4 to 6 people maximum.
2. Choose your group members wisely – make sure the people you work with are interested in achieving their best academic outcomes as well. Don’t choose people who don’t have the same academic intentions as you.
3. Choose an appropriate meeting place – meet in an area that is conducive to good study (e.g. a library or study centre).
4. Have a realistic amount of time allocated – don’t meet for more than 2 to 3 hours. The shorter time frame will encourage more productive use of your time.
5. Have a good routine for meetings – try to schedule in clear meeting dates and stick to them as best as possible.

Chris Dunn

References

Spedding, J., Hawkes, A. J., & Burgess, M. (2017). Peer Assisted Study Sessions and Student Performance: The Role of Academic Engagement, Student Identity, and Statistics Self-efficacy. Psychology Learning & Teaching, 16(1), 144-163.

Loveless, B. (2022). Using Study Groups. Education Corner.

Furthermore, there are posters around the school regarding bullying which pose the following questions: You need to ask yourself is this bullying? When someone says or does something unintentionally hurtful and they do it once, that’s rude; when someone says or does something intentionally hurtful and they do it once, that’s mean; but when someone says or does something intentionally hurtful and they keep doing it – even when you tell them to stop or show them that you’re upset, that is bullying!

At St Margaret's, we define bullying as the repeated oppression, psychological or physical, of a less powerful person by a more powerful person or group of persons. Further information about the St Margaret’s definition of bullying, and suggestions for appropriate action if you are being bullied, or witness bullying taking place, can be found in our Antibullying Policy on your daughter’s year level page on the POD.  In short, bullying is ongoing physical and/or emotional torment of an individual by a group or another individual, including cyberbullying, and we say a resounding 'NO!' to that here at our school.

To further show our support, students will wear an orange ribbon in their hair for Friday only. Students will have the opportunity to write messages regarding anti-bullying in chalk on Circular Drive.

Last Day of Term

The last day of Term 1 is Thursday 31 March, 2022 concluding at 3 pm. Year 11 students will finish the school day at 1:05 pm. Please note that the school does not condone early student departures. In the last week there is still valuable learning occurring in our classrooms and students are receiving important individual feedback regarding their exams. If you do require leave for any unforeseen circumstances, please email studentleave@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Nikki Townsend

This term, many year levels have engaged or will engage in authentic learning experiences.

Both Years 4 and 5 students are engaging in experiences to enhance their understanding of early Australian history – their current area of study in HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences). Year 5 students experienced life as a convict when they visited St Helena Island and Year 4 students – thanks to actors – will be transported back in time to the industrial revolution.

In Year 6 HASS, the girls are learning about the history of Australian federation and systems of government. Alongside this classroom learning, plans are underway for the Year 6 students to visit Canberra next term. A visit to the national capital provides an opportunity to experience the curriculum in context.  While there, the students will visit many important landmarks in Australia’s history. Experiencing these places firsthand will provide learning opportunities for the girls to transfer their thinking and understanding.

In the upcoming weeks, all students will leave their classrooms to experience maths through an interactive travelling maths show.  Each class will participate in activities that reinforce maths concepts and encourage participation while boosting the students’ confidence.

This week, we launch Spotlight on Primary on the POD, which is accessible via the tile on the Primary POD page. Regularly, examples of student learning in the primary school will be available for all members of the primary school community to read about. Be sure to learn all about the mystery readers in Prep. Thank you to Georgi Eadie for overseeing this POD page.

The examples of authentic learning experiences shared in this article highlight how we as a school value and seek out such learning. We see it as a vital component of holistic learning and believe deep learning is truly gained when students are exposed to real, authentic, and meaningful learning experiences.

Angela Drysdale

By creating a ‘Kindness Culture’ together, we can promote inclusion, respect and community belonging for all students in our school. This year’s focus also encompasses a ‘Be Kind Online’ approach to include cyber and digital bullying. A range of age-appropriate resources have been designed to help explore these concepts in classrooms and across the school this week and especially on Friday; however, this needs to be an ongoing focus both in the classroom and beyond. You can access resources to support you to find workable solutions as we collaborate to prevent bullying, promote kindness and find joy.

One way to encourage joy is to make time to come together to forge meaningful connections face to face and offline. This Friday, the PP-Year 3 Twilight Service and Family Picnic is the perfect opportunity to gather to enjoy food and drinks with friends, both old and new, and be entertained by student performances and a blessing of the teddies on Circular Drive from 5.30 pm. The event’s theme ‘Light Up with Joy’ is the perfect finish for a day about building a ‘Kindness Culture’ which does, ‘Start With You’! We hope to see you there.

Annette Box

Circular Drive

9:30am                 Sculthorpe String Quartet

9:50am                 Amati Strings

10:05am               Stradivari Strings

10:20am               Chamber Strings

10:35am               Chorale

10:45am               Volare

10:50am               Exultate

11:45am               Music Extension Performances

12:00pm               Rock Band Performances

Eton Hall

9:30am                 Chaseley Concert Band

9:40am                 Sister Helen Wind Symphony

10:05am               Elayne Jones Percussion Ensemble

10:20am               Jackson Wind Ensemble

10:35am               Stage Band

10:50am               Speech & Drama Presentation

11:45am               Encorah

Toorak Courtyard

10:50am               Saxophone Ensemble

11:00am               Clarinet/Flute/Brass Ensemble Performances

Primary Atrium

9:30am                 Beath String Quartet

9:50am                 Tutti Strings

Soloists Recital Series 1

Congratulations to all students who performed in our first Soloists Recital on Wednesday afternoon. It was a fantastic afternoon of music with a wide range of styles performed on a variety of different instruments. All girls should be exceptionally proud of their performances!

Encorah Rehearsals have now commenced

It was fantastic to see so many girls come along to our first Encorah rehearsal last Thursday afternoon. Encorah is an ‘all-comers’ choir open to girls in Years 7-12. All those who enjoy singing are welcome to attend with no audition required. It is not too late to join, so if students missed out last week, they are more than welcome to come along this Thursday!

Performance congratulations

Thank you to the Sculthorpe String Quartet and Nadia Charoensuk for their performances at the Professional Women’s Networking Breakfast held on Tuesday morning. Thank you also to the Saxophone Ensemble for the performance of ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’ at assembly to celebrate Mr Kev Sargent’s contribution to St Margaret’s. These performances were greatly appreciated and enjoyed by all in attendance.

Music Support Group

Thank you to all those who joined our recent meeting via Teams. The next Music Support Group meeting will be on Tuesday 19 April at 5.00pm in M’s Cafe. Parents from both the primary and secondary schools are welcome to attend.

Our Opens team played two nail-biting games against Moreton Bay College (MBC) and Somerville House. Our first match against MBC resulted in a loss but we were incredibly proud of our efforts as we were able to keep MBC from scoring any goals in the second half.

We ended our final game of the AFL season with a bang! The opens team had an amazing win to Somerville House with a final score of 24-14. All girls played exceptionally well, encouraging and supporting each other on and off the field. 

Overall, this short but jam-packed season has been so much fun and it was fantastic to see everyone giving it their all, trying out this new sport. The whole team felt incredibly proud to be the inaugural St Margaret’s QGSSSA  AFL Open team and hope that AFLW can continue to grow in passion and engagement throughout the school for many years to come. 

Big thanks to our coaches Ange and Scotty for all their time and effort that went into this season, as well as Ms Lobegeiger and Mr Grant for their leadership of the program.

Ella Counsell

AFL Captain

Cricket Match Report

Our QGSSSA cricket teams got back into action this week with several games being played.

Our Open team hit the wicket at Shaw Park on the prestigious Cricket Queensland Alan Pettigrew Oval, a ground that has played host to a number of first-class Australian men’s and women’s matches. The team opened the batting against Moreton Bay College. Unfortunately, Moreton Bay proved to be too strong for our team. Their score was MBC 3/66 def. STM 9/62.     

Our Division 1 team has played two games in the last seven days. Although both losses, the team showed remarkable improvement in their second game against Moreton Bay, falling short by only 5 runs. Co-captain Romy Faller was proud of her teams’ spirit and encouragement of each other. She also praised the skill of Claire Crossley (Year 12) in her “impressive performance managing to bowl a player out and throw in a direct hit for a run out”.

Water Polo Semi Finals

In an exciting update, eight of our Water Polo teams have made it through to the Brisbane Water Polo Associations Semi-Finals this coming Saturday 19 March.

This is an outstanding effort by all teams involved, making it one of the largest contingents of teams to progress through to Semi-Finals in St Margaret’s history. Water Polo Coordinator Ms Talia O’Callaghan praised the efforts of all students involved, highlighting the sense of excitement and spirit as our teams prepare for the challenge ahead.

The majority of games will be played at our home venue at St Margaret’s pool, and we encourage as many of our community members as possible to come along and support our girls both at home and those teams playing away. The timetable can be found below and on the .

We wish these teams all the best.  

Autumn Fixture

QGSSSA Autumn Sport will roar into action this coming Friday, 18 March. The majority of our matches will be played against St Aidan’s. Our Autumn Sport Coordinators have been incredibly proud of the adaptability and resilience of all our teams as they prepared for the season ahead. Information regarding Autumn fixtures can be found on the respective sport POD pages:

QGSSSA Swimming

It was an exciting night in the pool for our swimmers at the QGSSSA Swimming Championships and a better send off for retiring Head Coach Kev Sargent could not have scripted. In a nail-biting down to the last race result, St Margaret’s placed second behind St Peter’s and just one point in front of Moreton Bay College!

Our 12 year old age group won their division, 13 years and opens placed second and 15 years placed third. St Margaret’s also placed 3rd in the percentage cup. This is the best aggregate cup result in at least the past 10 years, with a third place in the past three years, and before then hovering at 4th or 5th place. Congratulations swimmers, coaches, parents and of course - Kev!

The Activities Office extends a heartfelt thanks to Kev and wish him all the best for his retirement. 

GO MAGGIES!

Lloyd Knight

We have fun-filled and exciting activities planned for our Easter School Holiday Program. Further details of the program can be found here (PDF 295.3KB). Boys and girls, siblings, friends and family welcome!

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?*

Early Bird Fees: $61 per day

Early Bird Bookings close: 18 March 2022

Fees: $66 per day*

Bookings close: 28 March 2022

*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 special thank you to our sponsors for their support of this event including major sponsor Pitcher Partners, associate sponsors Programmed Property Services and Wolff Coffee Roasters and supporting partners Downer, Westpac, Clear Insurance, O'Reilly Shaw Lawyers and Uniform Link.

Tickets for the 2022 Father Daughter Breakfast (Years 7-12) are on sale

Join us for the 2022 P&F Father Daughter Breakfast for students in Years 7 to 12. An annual favourite on the last day of Term 1, this sell-out breakfast will be held on Circular Drive and the Arts Centre Terraces.

Date: Thursday 31 March 2022

Time: 6:45am for a 7:00am start. Concludes at 8:00am

Location: Circular Drive and Arts Centre Terraces

Cost: $40 per adult /$30 per student (Years 7-12). This includes a selection of individual hot breakfast boxes, fruit and yoghurt cups, tea, coffee and orange juice

RSVP: Strictly Thursday 24 March 2022

Enquiries: Tom Reddacliff, P&F President via p&f@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or 0428 631 707.

Tickets are on sale via

Don’t forget to purchase your raffle tickets online, we have a great offering of prizes including a Surface Go 3 Platinum tablet, cover and pen valued at $1,000 which has kindly been donated by Datacom.

St Margaret’s 2022 Mothers’ Luncheon

The Parents and Friends' Association warmly invites you to join us at the 2022 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.

Tickets will be available to book from 9.30am Tuesday 22 March 2022.

Event details

Date:        Friday 6 May 2022

Time:       11.30am - 2.30pm

Location:  Main Auditorium, Brisbane City Hall (entry via King George Square).

Tickets:    $150 per person - includes 2 course lunch and 3 hour drinks package.

All tickets will be sold individually and will require full name, email address, postal address and mobile phone number to be entered at the time of booking.

On sale:    Online only via Try Booking from 9.30am Monday 21 March 2022 until 9.30am Thursday 21 April 2022 (unless sold out prior).

Tables:      Maximum table capacity is 10 people.

Seating requests can be made by nominating a Table Captain or Year Group at the time of booking. Best efforts will be made to meet any requests.

Event enquiries: P&F@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

New to St Margaret's?

New Mothers are encouraged to attend.

If you are not part of an organised table, please enter your daughter’s current year level when booking and we will endeavour to seat you with attendees in the same year group.

Accommodation

Major sponsor, Hotel X is providing event attendees a 20% discount on any room on the night of the event. If you are travelling to Brisbane for the event or would like to enjoy a "staycation". to book.

Thank you to our Major Sponsors, Qscan, Hutton & Hutton, KLM Solicitors and Hotel X; and Supporting Sponsor, UMS, for their support of this event.

Lara Pickering

Have you ever wondered what the day-to-day life of a veterinarian is like? And how you would become one? Join this session and learn about what veterinary medicine is about, what an average day of work might be like for a veterinarian and how you can pursue studies towards becoming a vet yourself.

Join this session to discover what studying psychology involves, what an average day for the different types of psychologists is and how you can pursue studies towards becoming one yourself.

Bond University

ONLINE ATAR INFORMATION EVENING

When registering, please select one of the below dates.

When: Wednesday, 23 March 2022 OR Thursday, 28 April 2022

Time: 5:30pm - 6:30pm. Where: Online - access links provided upon registration

is now open. Applications close 23 May.

Griffith | Creative Arts Open Day

Sunday 12 June 2022, 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Griffith University, South Bank Campus

Get expert advice on your study options at our Open Days. You’ll find information about our degrees, as well as essential details on student support services, admission pathways, applying to study and scholarships. Get a taste of life at Griffith and chat with our study advisers.

Women in Engineering opportunities

The University of Queensland (WE) team are happy to offer these opportunities to educate your students on the diverse careers an engineering degree can lead to:

Online Trust Me, I'm an Engineer presentation - March 28 4-5pm

School holiday tour of Engineering precinct at UQ - April 12 and April 14 2-4pm

UQ: What can I do with my ATAR?

This link can provide students with more information about ATAR requirements, and which courses they might want to study.