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The Festival is named in honour of renowned Australian sculptor and St Margaret’s Old Girl, Daphne Mayo MBE who made an indelible contribution to the arts in Queensland and whose work can be appreciated on prominent Brisbane landmarks including Brisbane City Hall (the tympanum) and the Women’s War Memorial in ANZAC Square. The festival is borne out of a commitment to the significance of arts in education. Exposure to the arts develops a child’s creative and critical thinking skills, important proficiencies that contribute to their learning in all other fields and necessary traits required for the future workforce. The arts can also encourage and help develop teamwork and collaboration.

This year’s event theme “Kaleidoscope” will set the tone for an atmosphere of colour and light. The Festival program will showcase the work of emerging and established local and national artists, offer creative workshops, gourmet food and wine, artisan markets and live music and performing arts displays.

There are many opportunities for families to support the Festival and I would urge you to consider making a contribution to this noteworthy school event. From staffing stalls, to donating goods or services or sponsorship, we truly rely on and value the support of our community to make the event a huge success.

Further information is available on the school’s website.

It was lovely to welcome back to the school some of our OP 1 – 5 scholars for our assembly this week. What an interesting group of young women, intending to complete a variety of university courses; some were unavoidably absent, already into their journey by travelling overseas or commencing their ‘gap’ year. The students at the assembly received good advice from the past students; advice is always better received from peers than adults. There were common themes in the advice given by the graduates of 2017; they spoke about the necessity of balance, of reducing stress, of organisation and preparation and, of course, of not being distracted by social media. The Scholars Assembly last Tuesday is held, not just to celebrate the high achievement of the previous years’ seniors, but also to provide strong academic role models to younger students.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind parents that the P and F will host welcome drinks and conduct its Annual General Meeting on Monday 26 February in the Arts Centre Foyer at 6:30pm. I encourage parents to attend and perhaps consider being involved in this organisation which is a great supporter of the school.

Ros Curtis 

School for some children can present challenges that cause them to become anxious, and Andrew walked us through indicators of anxiousness in children through to those that have a resilient mindset. I thought it would be good to share this with you this week. 

Source: Andrew Fuller, staff presentation, January 2018 

Our staff across the school in all year levels from Pre-Prep through to Year 12, work hard to create safe environments where students can take risks with their academic work, where they can make mistakes and learn from them, and where they can ‘fail forward’. The goal for our classrooms is to assist students reach a resilient mindset, being able to demonstrate the characteristics as seen in the middle column of the previous table devised by Andrew Fuller.

On Monday 26 February and Thursday 1 March, Academic Advisors and Form teachers will have interviews with families about the year ahead for their daughters. They will discuss each students’ academic achievements so far, their goals, and work with families to assist each student throughout the year (and beyond). Discussions around building resilience in students may also occur, and we look forward to building those connections with students, their Academic Advisor or Form teacher and their families to help students achieve this.

Karen Gorrie 

On Wednesday, the school community had the opportunity to share in marking the beginning of the season of Lent with an Ash Wednesday Service. At this service, ashes were distributed on foreheads, or the backs of hands, as a reminder that we are neither perfect nor clean without God’s help. The ash reminds us of those things for which we are sorry.

As is tradition during Lent, many Christians choose to go without or ‘fast’ as a way of reflecting on God’s place in our hearts. I encourage students and staff to consider a ‘doing’ or ‘giving out’ rather than a ‘giving up’. Perhaps something positive for building friendships and understanding, something consciously difficult that may help out another person in need, or perhaps simply small acts of kindnesses and generally improving certain behaviours.

Fun songs? Kids’ Activities? Adult time? Come to a family-focussed church service right here at St Margaret’s on Sunday 25 February at 9am.

What if you came to a church service in the School Chapel especially designed for children and their parents? Imagine feeling relaxed and at ease knowing that ALL of you are more than welcome, knowing that the songs will be child-friendly and engaging? I am planning for a service where adults may find spiritual nourishment as well!

Each month, a service will be held in the School Chapel at 9am that will be an all-ages family church service. It will be a blend of both traditional liturgy (Communion Service) with an element of family gathering.

Our first All Ages, All Welcome @ Church service is on Sunday 25 February. We will begin with a look at the Lent Journey of Easter Preparation! Please come along and bring some friends. Contact Rev Nicki for more information: ncolledge@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or 3862 0716.

Upcoming Services – Family Services

Years 7/8: Wednesday 21 February, 6:30pm in the School Chapel

Years 9/10: Tuesday 1 May, 6:30pm at St Mark’s Anglican Church, Clayfield

Years 11/12: Thursday 17 May, 6:30pm at St Augustine’s, Hamilton

Upcoming Services – Other

Sunday 25 February - All-Ages Sunday Service, 9am

Wednesday 28 February - Boarders’ Mid-Term Service, 6pm

Reflection words taken from our Ash Wednesday Service

Loving God, you have planted in our heart a desire to return to you.

You hold out before us your open, welcoming arms.

Let us return, and allow our heart to find peace.

Amen.

With every blessing on you and your week ahead,

The Reverend Nicki Colledge 

A mother herself to two current students and aunty to another, Fiona has extensive experience working with boarders across Years 6 through to 12. Given her rich history with the school, it’s always a treat to hear her many and varied stories, not only from her days as a Maggies’ girl, but also her time living in Texas, Queensland, where she came to realise that through her job at Texas State School, that schools are very positive places to work.

With an elder sister appointed as School Captain, Fiona and her twin sister report they had a hard act to follow but nonetheless began their own adventures. Fiona’s mother was a St Margaret’s boarder in the 1950’s and can’t believe the freedom and varied privileges offered to the girls compared to her day, especially as so much wasn’t even in existence; mobile phones, extensive food choices, plethora of leave entitlements and differing dress codes. Fiona’s job as House Mother provides her with the opportunity to create a nurturing environment for girls in her care. She often asks herself, ‘If I was a boarding parent, what would I expect?’ This very question helps to navigate Fiona through her practice in developing a safe, happy and supportive environment in the Boarding House.

Beginning her St Margaret’s journey in Prep, Adele Congram, currently employed as a Boarding Assistant, spent her senior years as boarder. Adele, recipient of the Old Girls’ Prize 2015, naturally felt the immense importance for her to stay connected to the St Margaret’s community. Adele’s House Mother, knowing her strong integrity, school spirit and ability to mix with the girls while being more than capable of maintaining her professionalism, suggested she join the team. What a better way to stay connected to the white and blue than working with our boarders whether it be during the week, helping the girls prepare for their school day or on the weekends engaging in activities and assisting our daily operation of establishing the boarding routines across all year levels.

Adele loves the fact that during every shift girls continue to entertain and teach her something. Studying a Bachelor of Business Management at the University of Queensland, Adele also busies herself with tutoring and some nannying outside of St Margaret’s. When I asked her what she would say to her teenage self, Adele reflected upon her time as a student and wished she didn’t stress so much. She has learnt that the ‘small stuff’ in life isn’t worth worrying over. If she could go back, she would say yes to absolutely every opportunity and make the most of high school – knowing now how fleeting a time your high school years are.

Natalie Charlton, graduating as a day girl in 2012, loved being a Maggies girl because of the amazing school community. When there was an offer to be involved in boarding, which was something she hadn't previously experienced, Natalie jumped at the chance. Recently graduating from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Business Management and Bachelor of Arts - Sociology, she is now interested in working towards gender equality within the professional sports industry. Natalie, a well-travelled person herself, loves that the Boarding House is filled with girls from such diverse backgrounds and places so there are always interesting stories to share. Continually impressed by how the boarders come together to support one another, Natalie recognises the special culture which brings warmth to our community.

Girls love it when Adele, ‘Miss Nat’ or ‘Ms Spooner’ greet them at the start of a shift, largely due to their familiarity with the place as well as their compassion and genuine interest in the individual journeys the girls are on, whether it be their homesick beginnings or their victorious finale.

Other former students who we have working with us: Eliza Ferrier and Prudence Burnett (‘13), Bridgette Court and Brianna Rankin (‘14), Nina Wildman (‘15) and Katherine Williams (’12).

Dimity Harris

At school, the voice of your inner advocate, that Ms Curtis spoke about at our previous assembly, has probably said to you things like ‘I know I can do it if I really set my heart on it’ or ‘I have to confess that my heart just simply wasn’t in it’. And we all use our heart to make decisions about the subjects we choose, the extra-curricular activities we participate in and even the food we eat. I even remember the very lecturer at University who inspired my heart enough about education that I changed my original university studies to teaching. The heart is a powerful organ. However, the Dalai Lama challenges us by saying that educating the heart is about learning empathy which comes from being compassionate to others.

So, to our scholars as you prepare for the world beyond school, I urge you to enter with compassion, acceptance and tolerance. This may be by simply accepting others without trying to fix them, putting down your mobile phone to listen and connect with someone else or even taking the time to listen to your own heart when making decisions about your future. Use all of the qualities you have developed at school to think about how you can, in some small or significant way, create a society where people connect and show compassion.

Scholars’ Assembly Roll Call for 2017:

Isabella Burdon

Chi Ting (Kelly) Chan

Phoebe Coates

Charlotte Cosgrove

Lucinda Crouch

Georgia Duhig

Zoe Giles

Lucy Herring

Arisa (Alyssa) Ihara

Annabel Kennedy

Allison King

Hannah Lane

Isabella Montagu

Niamh Reid

Sophie Ryan

Gi Young Seo

Charlotte Traves

Ella van den Berg-Leaney

Huiling (Linda) Wang

Eloise Whittaker

Edwina Whyte

Hannah Witenden

XiaoWei (Katrina) Zhang

New Senior Assessment Information Evening

On Thursday 22 February, 6:30–7:30pm in the Arts Centre Foyer (ACF), parents of students from Years 6 to 10 are invited to our New Senior Assessment Evening. During this evening we will discuss the key features of the changes, including the introduction of common external assessment, the replacement of the Overall Position (OP) with the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) and the improved quality and comparability of school-based assessment.

OP calculations

OP calculation involves making comparisons of the achievements of students who have studied different Authority subjects at different schools. Students are placed into a statewide rank order of all OP-eligible students, which is then broken up into OP bands. In order to make these comparisons fairly, the QCAA uses different procedures for students who are part of large subject groups (14 or more OP-eligible students) and small/intermediate subject groups (13 or fewer OP-eligible students). This is to keep things fair and equitable because the scaling procedures used for large groups are not appropriate for small/intermediate groups. The QCAA has extensive checking processes to ensure OP calculation is fair no matter what sized subject or school group students are part of. The only difference students will notice is that at the end of Year 12, those in large subject groups will receive a Subject Achievement Indicator (SAI) which is a number from 400-200 showing their position in the rank order of students who studied the subject at St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School, whereas those in small or intermediate groups will receive a “rung placement” e.g. VHA5 or VHA8 to indicate their position in the group. Many students every year are part of small/intermediate subject or school groups and the QCAA’s OP calculation and checking procedures are well-refined to deal with this and ensure fairness. In all cases, to get the best possible OP, students need to achieve as well as they can in their Authority subjects and on the QCS Test.

Jo Butterworth 

As we are heading towards the middle of the term, all students have been gathering information through Ó£ÌÒ¸£ÀûÊÓƵ Analytics about their academic outcomes, attitude to learning, self-efficacy and engagement in class and discussing this with their Form Teacher (Years 7 and 8) or Academic Advisor (Years 9 to 12). To allow for feedback from these interactions between students and teachers with parents, interviews are being held on Monday 26 February and Thursday 1 March between 3:30pm and 6:00pm. At these interviews, parents will have the opportunity to meet with Form Teachers and Academic Advisors to allow for open dialogue for parents to be part of their daughter’s learning journey. Bookings for these interviews close on 21 February.

It is hoped that from these interviews you and your daughter/s will have time to reflect on the feedback given and, along with the teachers, can work towards developing the traits of academic resilience, self-management and self-efficacy within your daughter/s.

Academic resilience or ‘Grit’, is about students who bounce back, hang in there and those who never stop trying when they are working on developing the areas of learning that challenge them. It is important for your daughter/s to enjoy school; however, sometimes your daughter is going to encounter failure and frustration at school. St Margaret’s teachers strive to provide support and encouragement to develop ‘grit’ in all the girls. As a group, we understand the importance for students to work outside their comfort zone and not to give up in the face of failure or disappointment.

Thank you in advance for showing your support by attending the interviews and I look forward to watching your daughters become resilient and robust scholars.

Assessment Calendars

All students have been provided with a copy of their Semester 1 Assessment Calendar. These have also been uploaded to the POD for student reference. Parents will be able to access the list of assessments and due dates after the 23 February through Parent Lounge (by accessing Curricular Activities under Student Details in the drop-down box).

Supervised Study Sessions

A reminder that bookings are essential for Supervised Study Sessions to ensure the safety of the girls. Thank you to the parents who are booking their daughters in via Flexischools; however, we are experiencing some difficulty in managing attendance due to girls turning up and not being booked in.

To book, parents need to log into Flexischools and select ‘Supervised Study Sessions’. Bookings are limited to 25 participants each night and when a session is full no more bookings can be made. Bookings are essential and should be made in advance to ensure a place is available. If dinner is required, payment must be paid at the time of booking and this option selected in Flexischools.

Nicole Devlin 

Today, women are often negatively portrayed as being discouraging, vindictive and unkind to each other. We need to change that perception of women. We need sisterhood. It is with great excitement that we introduce the Seniors’ theme for 2018 – St Margaret’s Sisterhood.

Developed by the Year 12 cohort and Prefects, this theme highlights the importance of connecting and communicating with girls from different year levels in order to empower each other and create a united community. We define our sisterhood as an inspiring, positive and unbreakable bond between the women who attend St Margaret’s.

To be a “sister” is to be a friend. It is to be loyal, to encourage, to give a smile, lend a hand, support your fellow peers and spread kindness like confetti throughout the entire school community. As “sisters” we are forgiving, we are fierce advocates for each other and we build each other up to achieve overall success. Being a “sister” means you value other women as you value yourself. To be part of the St Margaret’s Sisterhood is to contribute to an environment whereby each girl feels comfortable to express herself and can thrive as a Maggies Girl.

Through our leadership positions this year, we aim to create this sisterhood of girls who feel inspired, accepted and empowered. We strongly believe our St Margaret’s Sisterhood knows no boundary, no race, no class or geography. Sisterhood transcends and it transforms us all for the better. Sisterhood is from the heart. In the words of Robin Benway, “there is one thing stronger than magic; sisterhood.” 

Annie Garland and Xanthe Lowe-Brown

Year 7 Camp Reflections 
Year 7 Camp was a wonderful experience for me. I participated in all the activities on the list, but my favourite, of course, was the Giant Swing. I could feel my heart in my throat and the wind was whooshing past my ears, and for half a second I felt like the cables and helmet were useless and I would fall the whole fifteen metres and land on the ground in a mess! But then … I felt the cables above tugging on the straps on my harness and I screamed. I screamed so loudly that the wind was drowned out for just a moment! When I finally recovered some of my senses, I realised I was swinging faster than I’d ever been and that there was a forest under me. It was one of the most memorable moments of my whole life!  Ha-Vy Hoang

We participated in an environmental study which was one of my favourite activities! We heard the sounds of native birds, saw pristine tress in the bush, ventured over old mossy bridges, saw waterfalls and the youngest leaf ever. We witnessed beautiful starlit skies in the clear night and explored the wonders of nature in a fascinating exhibition in the nature room. We then had a difficult experience of setting up our own tents! I grew from this experience and now can confidently set up a tent! Charlotte Nehill

On camp, I made quite a few new friends and met lots of new people. I know a lot of people in our grade now compared to when I first came to St Margaret’s I only knew one person. Now it’s really nice seeing familiar faces that I can talk to. Georgia Warby

Congratulations to all our Year 7 campers!

Nikki Townsend

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At the induction, I spoke to the girls about how they will demonstrate their leadership. As part of the Leadership Preparation Program many girls learnt in Year 5 that they can demonstrate their leadership by stepping up, stepping back and encouraging others.

As leaders, the girls step up by helping and supporting others, including their teachers, Year 6 peers and all the other girls in the Primary School, especially those in their House. By contrast, the girls are also encouraged to step back which refers to encouraging others to step forward and show their leadership as they step back while supporting those stepping forward. Whilst stepping up and stepping back, the leaders will encourage others.

Through adopting The St Margaret’s Way, the leaders can also encourage by inspiring positivity and gratitude. Through their leadership in the Primary school, the Year 6 girls will “demonstrate respect for, and appreciation of, ourselves by always acting with integrity, consideration and compassion.”

Our leadership program begins in Year 4 with the girls participating in service activities. Service by leadership is very important in our school, as our school was built on a foundation of service by the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent. As the students progress through the year levels, their service program changes to reflect their year level and capabilities. This week, the students in Years 4 to 6 will be issued with their passport which they will complete each year until the end of their Primary schooling. The aim of this passport is for the girls to develop an understanding of leadership by service, whilst completing activities for others.

The induction on Monday was a wonderful celebration and way, not only to acknowledge the leadership of the Year 6 girls, but also to mark the beginning of their final year in Primary School. The staff and I look forward to working with the girls. Thank you to Miss Surtees for her organisation of the event and to the many parents who attended and celebrated with the girls.

Open Day - Saturday 10 March

Open Day will be held on Saturday 10 March from 9:30am – 12:30pm. This is a wonderful morning where the students have the opportunity to share their academic, cultural and sporting talents with family and friends. All students from Prep – Year 6 are expected to attend Open Day. Pre-Prep students are welcome to attend as the Advent Centre will be open.

Upcoming Events:

21-23 February - Year 4 Camp

Friday 2 March - P&F Mothers’ Luncheon

Saturday 10 March - Open Day, Compulsory School Day, 9:30am - 12:30pm

Angela Drysdale

Baptisms (Christenings) at St Margaret’s!

If you or any family member would like to have a conversation about Baptism here at the school, please don’t hesitate to contact me on 3862 0716 or ncolledge@stmargarets.qld.edu.au. Babies, current students of all ages, staff and other family members are all welcome receive the Sacrament of Baptism here in our school Chapel. There are opportunities to participate during our regular Sunday morning service, or at another time. Sometimes a couple of school families have joined together to make quite a celebration out of it all!

Admission to Communion 2018

All members of the school community are invited to consider being active participants in the School’s worshipping life. Any student or sibling aged from Year 4 and above may choose to be formally admitted to receive the Sacrament of bread and wine (Communion). Our Admission to Communion service will be held on Wednesday 2 May at 6pm in the School Chapel. Some sessions of preparation will be required, either during lunch, before or after school, and the only ‘pre-requisite’ is that one is already baptised (see above if you would like to also consider Baptism). More information regarding Admission to Communion will be coming to you in the weeks ahead.

Fun songs? Kids’ Activities? Adult time? Come to a Family-Focussed Church service right here at St Margaret’s Sunday 25 February at 9am.

What if you came to a Church service in the School Chapel especially designed for children and their parents? Imagine feeling relaxed and at ease knowing that ALL of you are more than welcome, knowing that the songs will be child-friendly and engaging? I am planning for a service where adults may find spiritual nourishment as well!

Each month, a service will be held in the School Chapel at 9am that will be an all-ages family church service. It will be a blend of both traditional liturgy (Communion Service) with an element of family gathering.

Our first Young Families’ All Ages Service is on Sunday 25 February. We will begin with a look at the Lent Journey of Easter Preparation! Please come along and bring some friends. Contact Rev Nicki for more information: ncolledge@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or 3862 0716.

Nicki Colledge

Chaplain 

Performance Uniforms

For many of the music ensembles at St Margaret’s, students are required to wear a performance uniform. With Open Day fast approaching, students are encouraged to purchase the uniform as soon as possible from the School Supplies Shop. Performance uniform requirements for Open Day are as follows:

CHORAL ENSEMBLES
Serenata, Belle Voci: School Middy
Primary Chorale: School Middy (but required to purchase a white church dress for future performances)
Elevarsi Voices: Black performance uniform with black shoes (ballet flats)
Encorah: Black pants with a plum coloured shirt and black jazz shoes

BAND ENSEMBLES
Chaseley Concert Band, Jackson Wind Ensemble, Regale Percussion Ensemble: School Middy
Sister Helen Wind Symphony, Stage Band, Saxophone/Clarinet/Flute/EJ Percussion Ensembles: Black performance uniform with black shoes (ballet flats)

STRING ENSEMBLES
Tutti Strings, Amati Strings, Beath String Quartet: School Middy
Stradivari Strings, Chamber Strings, Sculthorpe String Quartet: Black performance uniform with black shoes (ballet flats)

ROCK BANDS
Highly Strung: School Middy
Secondary Rock Bands: Smart blue jeans, sneakers and ‘M Factor’ polo shirt

Music Support Group

Thank you to the parents who attended our first Music Support Group meeting of the year. It was fantastic to see so many parents in attendance. The next meeting will be on Tuesday 13 March 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 

To keep up to date with the all sports please make sure you join the St Margaret’s Sports group via the as well as your daughter’s individual sports groups. 

Cricket
Our cricket teams had continued success in Round 2, with Division 1 recording a convincing win against Brisbane Girls Grammar, scoring an impressive 96 runs for the loss of only two wickets. Highlights from the game include Cricket Captain, Caitlin Nankivell hitting six fours and Tyeena Pang scoring a blistering 26 runs which included three sixes and two fours. The Division 2 team had an equally good game beating Somerville House 72 runs to 44. Our bowling was impressive, with Charli Stafford having the best bowling figures with two wickets for only nine runs.

Softball
Last weekend saw the Open softball team compete in their first round of games. With only a couple of training sessions under their belt, the team was impressive recording a draw against Somerville House and a win against St Peter’s Lutheran College. The highlight of the games was pitcher Tyeena Pang with her scorching pitches and home runs.

Games on 17 February are as follows:

Game 1: Opens v St Hilda’s, 7:30am

Game 2: Opens v Clayfield College, 8:50am

Water Polo
The action in the pool is heating up with the water polo season nearing finals. Three out of the five teams had a win, with all teams playing with a level of commitment and determination not yet seen in the season. Special mention to the 18 Blue team who won 27-1 which is almost a goal a minute! Well done to all teams for their commitment to training and perseverance seen out on the field. Games on Saturday 17 February are as follows:

• 18 Blue: Bye
• 18 Brown: Brigidine College, 12:40pm (St Rita’s)
• 15 Blue: Brisbane Girls Grammar School, 2pm (Stuartholme)
• 15 Brown: St Rita’s, 12.40pm (Stuarthome)
• 13 Blue: Brisbane Girls Grammar School, 10:40am (Stuartholme)

Ó£ÌÒ¸£ÀûÊÓƵ and Clayfield College Swim Meet – 16 February
Every year, St Margaret’s and Clayfield College host an annual swim meet at the Valley Pool from 4:30pm – 6:30pm in the lead up to the QGSSSA Carnival on Wednesday 7 March. The Ó£ÌÒ¸£ÀûÊÓƵ swim team has been one of the largest swim teams at every swim meet thus far, which is a credit to the spirit which surrounds the swimming program. This Meet is a major fundraiser for the Swimming Support Group and therefore needs all swimming families to get involved by lending a hand and providing gift cards such as Coles, iTunes, Sportsgirl etc. for a raffle which will be sold at the competition. If you are a swimming family your help is also required to fulfil one of the below tasks this week:

• Pasta Making (Years 7 and 8 only)
• Gift Card donation
  
• Timekeeping 

All Gift Card donations can be left in the Activities Office and delivered on or before Friday 3:00pm.

Good luck to…
Lara Crouch (Year 12) who will compete at the Australian Athletics Championships and trial for the Commonwealth Games trials on Thursday 15 February on the Gold Coast.

If you have any sporting success stories please let the Activities Office know by emailing: Activities@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Helen Lobegeiger 

St Margaret’s Club Netball

Thank you to all who have signed on and registered for St Margaret’s Club Netball this year. Just a reminder with trials coming up on the 17 and 24 of February, players need to have completed the

To register and pay, you must use the following links. Please DO NOT go onto ‘MyNetball’ first. Click on the link and scroll to the very bottom and hit “Get Started”. From there you will login to MyNetball, sign up and pay. If you run into any difficulties or require more information please call Gayle Coutts on 0403 262 840.

St Margaret’s Club Netball is a fantastic way to make friends and have fun.

Congratulations to Alana Cockle (Year 12) whose Visual Art Journal title page for the Year 12 ‘Evolve’ unit is our Artwork of the Month for February. Secondary Visual Art Captains, Charlotte Caro, Isabel Haqqani and Luca Masnata will select a student artwork to be acknowledged once a month during 2018.

"We love Alana’s linear interpretation of the theme ‘Evolve’. Her use of repetition and contour line beautifully describes the two portrait images."

Can you help? We will be working with artist Larissa Warren to produce student work for the MAYO Festival. Girls will need to keep their clay sculpture damp for several weeks so we are looking for broccoli boxes with lids. If you can assist, please contact the Art teachers on 3862 0867.

Lisa Smith 

We spent many hours looking at the shorelines of the New South Wales coast, even had a sighting of a shark! At this camp, we were joined by two Year 10 STEM students and Mr Farrelly who were flying drones and recording the spectacular surroundings of this area. The girls also had a great experience meeting our new Head of Faculty - Science, Mr Dunn, who joined our hands-on experience.

We’d like to thank Mr Graham for his insightful knowledge on the organisms inhabiting the rocky shore. He was a great help to all the girls. We also thank Ms Mawer for accompanying us on this trip. It was a privilege to learn about this amazing land scape, with special thanks to Mrs Kelly for organising this exciting fieldtrip.

Amelia Stapley

Year 11 Biology Student 

We thank the Garland Family for inviting the Crofton House girls and their partners to Goondiwindi for a fantastic Australia Day weekend.

Outgoing Exchange Students

Margot Lisle and Olivia Magnay are currently on their rowing exchange at St Margaret’s College in Christchurch, New Zealand and have already been instrumental in winning the bronze medal at the South Island Rowing Championships. They have been to two rowing camps and are having a fantastic exchange experience so far.

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Exchange Meetings

Our weekly global exchange meetings commenced this term with a lot of excitement and positive energy. At this week’s meeting, we invited Ms Strid, Head of Faulty – Mathematics, to speak to the girls about expectations and requirements for Maths while they are away on exchange.

Students away on exchange are required to keep up-to-date with their Maths work. Throughout this term, we will be inviting the 2017 exchange students to the meetings to share some useful tips with our 2018 exchange cohort, especially those who will be away on their exchange in Term 2.

At the meeting to be held on 27 February, we will be having a combined planning session with Ms Labinsky (International Pastoral Care Coordinator) and the International Captains regarding Open Day as we will be hosting the Exchange and International stalls to showcase ‘a local school with a global outlook’.

Upcoming Events:

• 27 February and 13 March - 2017 students who were away on Exchange in Terms 3 and 4 last year will be presenting at a whole school assembly
• 1 and 2 March - visiting Exchange students go on a cultural excursion to Sydney
• 8 March - visiting Exchange students present at the Year 9 level assembly
• 10 March - Exchange Stall - Open Day
• 15 March - visiting Exchange students enjoy a meet and greet lunch with the Principal and Deputy Principal

• Over the next 6 weeks, St Margaret’s Exchange students from the 2017 program will have feedback sessions with Ms Gorrie and Ms Achari.

Angelin Achari 

Katie Flanagan

In 2017, Bobbie was received an Officer in the general division of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to tertiary education governance, and for service to women in rural and regional areas.

Be inspired by this amazing woman, an extremely generous philanthropist, who will share some of the highlights, challenges and the lessons learned from her long and distinguished career.

When: Wednesday 14 March

Where: Arts Centre Foyer

Tickets: Corporate tables $800 for 10, $60 adult and $40 students (Years 10-12/tertiary)

Please click here (PDF 418.7KB) for more information.

Tickets are now on sale via Flexischools. Please to purchase your ticket.  

ST MARGARET’S P&F ASSOCIATION INC.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

NOTICE is given that the Annual General Meeting of the St Margaret’s P&F Association Inc. is to be held on Monday 26 February 2018 in the Arts Centre Foyer at 6:30pm.

NOMINATION FOR POSITION

Any one member of the P&F shall be at liberty to nominate any other member to serve as an officer or other member of the Management Committee. If you are interested in joining the P&F Association, all positions of the Management Committee will be declared vacant at the AGM and a new committee for 2018 will be elected. Nominations can be made by downloading and completing a Nomination for Position form (PDF 149.8KB).

All nomination forms must be returned to P&F@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or via School Reception by Friday 16 February 2018.

2018 P&F Mothers’ Luncheon

Have you booked your tickets to the P&F Association's Mothers' Luncheon? Tickets are selling fast! If you have nominated to sit with a friend, please remind them to buy their tickets if they haven't already done so.

To view the formal invitation, and for more information on the event, please click here (PDF 1.2MB).

Date: Friday 2 March 2018

Time: 11:30am arrival (for a 12noon start), 3:00pm finish

Venue: Hotel Grand Chancellor, 23 Leichardt Street, Brisbane

RSVP: Tuesday 21 February 2018 (unless SOLD OUT prior)

Tickets: $100 per person - Includes drink on arrival, two course lunch and drinks with lunch, followed by a cash bar.

Tickets sales are only available through .

Nominations for the 2018 Past Students Awards are now open

These awards have been established to:

• recognise the many achievements of St Margaret’s Past Students, both professionally and personally,
• 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
• Young Past Student of Distinction

2018 nominations close on Monday 12 March 2018 at 5pm (AEST) and winners will be announced at a dinner to be held on Friday 20 April 2018. Nomination forms can be found on the St Margaret’s website.

Melbourne Reunion Event

Hosted by the Principal, Ms Ros Curtis

Date: Friday 23 February 2018

Time: 6:00pm – 8:30pm

Venue: Kirk's Cellar, Corner Hardware Lane and Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

RSVP: Online via this link

Old Girls' Events 2018

OGA Annual Brunch – Sunday 3 June

10 Year Reunion – Class of 2008 – Friday 27 July

20 Year Reunion – Class of 1998 – Friday 27 July

30 Year Reunion – Class of 1988 – Friday 27 July

40 Year Reunion – Class of 1978 – Saturday 28 July

50 Year Reunion – Class of 1968 – Saturday 28 July

60 Year Reunion – Class of 1958 – Saturday 28 July

Chapel Service and Morning Tea – Sunday 29 July

60+ Year Reunion – Monday 30 July

AGM – Tuesday 27 November

Lara Pickering

This new entry requirement, a Situational Judgement Test (SJT), is an on-line, video-scenario based test with 12 sections and open-ended questions.

The University recognises that attributes such as resilience, critical thinking and communication skills that are essential for veterinarians are not reflected in academic performance alone. The SJT will be used to assist in the selection of a student cohort best equipped for the rigours of the profession.

The test will be held between July and September 2018 with multiple tests dates. Students need to have access to a computer with reliable internet connection, a web-cam and hold photo identification and can be completed at home or at a library/community centre or another suitable location. The cost to complete the test is approximately $80 and students should allow 90 minutes to complete the test.

Further details about how and when to complete the SJT will be available soon on .

Where can I go for more information?
Visit the CASPer website and view the FAQs: .

2018 FEAST Program
Expressions of Interest for the 2018 FEAST Program are now open. Future Experiences in Agriculture, Science and Technology (FEAST) is a five day residential program designed to inspire and inform high school students of the range of exciting and rewarding science careers in the agriculture, animal, plant and food sectors.

Why attend FEAST?

• test drive university and meet other students with similar interests
• explore science disciplines through hands-on activities and workshops
• attend industry run sessions reinforcing the many exciting career outcomes on offer to graduates
• experience living in the Halls of Residence and take part in fun, social and sporting activities
• chat with current university students and staff and have all your questions answered
• expand your knowledge of UQ study options and programs, careers and campus life

Cost: $450.00, price includes 4-nights accommodation, all meals, program activities and bus tours.

Where: The University of Queensland
When: 1 July - 5 July 2018
Enquiries: science.events@uq.edu.au

FEAST is open to students in Years 10, 11 and 12, however, preference will be given to Years 11 and 12 students if numbers are limited.

Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
New opportunities in creative industries
Design degrees
From 2019, we will introduce a three-year Bachelor of Design, replacing the four-year Bachelor of Design (Honours) and offer many new double degrees. Further information about these new offerings for 2019 will be available on our study website from late March 2018.

QUT event date claimers
We offer many opportunities for students to talk to QUT and make sure they have all the information they need to make decisions about their future. Events for your students' calendars include (9 May), (15 May).

Students can gain assumed knowledge or prerequisites
Students who didn't select subjects to meet assumed knowledge or prerequisites for their preferred university courses can pick up this knowledge, while at school or during summer before they start university, by studying a in Maths B, Chemistry or Physics.

Tertiary Open Days
There are many benefits to attending an Open Day:

• See the facilities
• Collect information on courses
• Talk to current students
• Find out about the local area (if you are moving away from home)
• Investigate available funding
• Make new friends

Questions to ask yourself:

• Do you like the feel of the university?
• Are the courses right for you?
• Do you feel comfortable with the facilities and the lecturers?
• Can you see yourself studying here for the next few years?

University Open Days:
Australian Catholic University (ACU)
28 July 2018 (Saturday) - Open Day Brisbane, 9am-2pm

Bond University (BOND)
28 July 2018 (Saturday) - Twilight Open Day Gold Coast

CQ University (CQU)
9 August 2018 (Thursday) - Brisbane Open Day, 3pm-6pm
11 August 2018 (Saturday) - Bundaberg and Mackay

Griffith University (GRIFFITH)
12 August 2018 - Open Day Gold Coast, Nathan and South Bank Campuses

James Cook University (JCU)
19 August 2018 (Sunday) - Townsville Campus
26 August 2018 (Sunday) - Cairns Campus

Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
29 July 2018 (Sunday) - Open Day Gardens Point (City) campus

Southern Cross University (SCU)
29 July 2018 - Gold Coast Open Day, 10am-12pm

The University of Queensland (UQ)
5 August 2018 (Sunday) - St Lucia campus, 9am - 3pm
19 August 2018 (Sunday) - Gatton campus, 9am - 3pm

University of Southern Queensland (USQ)
19 August 2018 (Sunday) - USQ Toowoomba
1 September 2018 (Saturday) - USQ Ipswich
7 September 2018 (Friday) - USQ Springfield

UMAT

UMAT is developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) on behalf of the UMAT Consortium universities. The test is used specifically to assist with the selection of students into the medicine, dentistry and health science degree programs at undergraduate level at the universities listed on this website: .

Registrations for UMAT 2018 are now open. Copies of the Information Booklet can be downloaded from the UMAT website. Please note, that before registering for the test students are required to carefully read the UMAT 2018 Information Booklet, which will only be available online from the UMAT website.

UMAT 2018 Key Dates:

Registrations opened first week in December 2017

Registrations close Friday 1 June 2018 - 5pm AEST

Late registrations close Friday 15 June 2018 - 5pm AEST

Applications for Special Testing Conditions close Friday 15 June 2018

UMAT test date Wednesday 25 July 2018

Results released Mid-September 2018

UMAT is only available once every year. If you do not register by the due date, you will have to wait until 2019 to sit the test.

UMAT Preparation
MedEntry: If you are interested in studying Medicine or a career in health that requires sitting the UMAT test, visit the MedEntry website for assistance in your preparation: . MedEntry is the only government accredited training organisation for UMAT preparation.

MedStart: is an organisation that assists students to prepare for UMAT. Courses are available in Brisbane. Check the MedStart website: for more details.

KEY DATES:

Friday 11 and Saturday 12 May 2018
The National Careers and Employment EXPO (Brisbane Convention Centre)

Friday 1 June
UMAT Registrations close 5pm

Wednesday 25 July
UMAT Exam

Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 July 2018
The 37th annual Tertiary Studies Expo (TSXPO), Australia's largest tertiary studies expo, offers a unique opportunity for anyone interested in starting, changing or upgrading their career! Featuring many local, interstate and overseas education providers, student services and support agencies. Don't miss this great opportunity to map out your future, all in the one location! 8am – 4pm, RICC Brisbane Showgrounds. A great opportunity for students to collect information from a huge number of exhibitors.

Elizabeth Johnston