̨ž³UUÖ±²¥

Several members of the teaching staff have been nominated by the community for the National Excellence in Teaching Awards (NEiTA). Congratulations to the following teachers in the primary school:

Melissa Garbut, Regina Brennan, Belinda Knowles, Brooke Calcutt, Thea Cowdroy-Ling, Sarah Singleton.

Congratulations also to the following teachers in the secondary school who have been nominated:

Alison Davis, George Higgins, Clare O’Brien, Grace Shepherd, Colette Anderson, Helen Philp, Sarah Harre, Courtney Burton, Brian Lovett, Jolie Cowen, Tom Smithers, Lara Montgomery, Amanda  Jansen, Kate Wiedemann, Brad King, Georgia Nankivell.

These awards are designed to encourage and support educators through recognising those who are examples of excellence in their profession. It is a wonderful way to recognise the fantastic and important work of our teachers and is a great reflection on the quality of the whole school teaching and learning community.

On Friday night we eagerly await the result of the Australian Education Awards in which the school and staff members are nominated in the following categories: 

• Secondary School of the Year – Non-government
• Sarah Singleton for Primary School Teacher of the Year – Non-government
• Georgi Eadie for Rising Star of the Year – Non-government

Term’s notice of withdrawal

Currently, we are working on the 2024 timetable and staffing, and it is important that we have accurate enrolment numbers. This is just a reminder to parents that if your child is not returning to ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥â€™s in 2024, we require one full school term’s written notice (or one school term’s fees in lieu of notice) when withdrawing a student from the school. In some year levels, we have waiting lists and we need to be able to contact those on the list who are hoping to secure a place at the school. To meet the requirement of a term’s notice, advice can be received up to the last Friday of the September school holidays. Advice may be emailed directly to our admissions team via admissions@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Karen Gorrie

In a risk-adverse society, it can be hard for students to find themselves in challenging situations which are necessary to build resilience and confidence. Students need to learn the skills to live with a bit of discomfort and know everything is not going to be sweet in their lives.  

Through our Prep to Year 12 Pastoral Care program and daily interactions, our teachers help students build social and emotional growth. In a safe psychological environment that doesn’t allow for ‘put downs’, students learn to stand up for their beliefs, communicate with respectful disagreement and are encouraged to be accepting of differences.

In the primary school, students are encouraged to feel discomfort when learning. The analogy of the learning pit is a way for girls to develop dispositions or attitudes and habits of mind, many of which require resilience. 

The different environments students belong to need to promote resilience; the school environment of peer and teacher, the family and community. These environments help build a sense of connectedness which also leads to resilience.  

Resilience is not a trait that people either possess or not. It involves behaviours, thoughts and actions that can be learned and developed in anyone. It helps build a healthy self-esteem: a sense of personal competence and self-knowledge.

Parents and teachers have a role to play and responsibility for teaching and modelling resilience to the children in our care. We encourage parents to work in partnership with us so that students will be more likely to attain greater emotional wellbeing. The skills we focus on and build, include personal coping skills, using helpful thinking, social skills, emotional literacy, and healthy self-esteem.

Personal coping skills

Coping skills provide the cognitions, behaviours and attitudes for making their lives in the classroom and playground happier and more productive; they also give life skills for coping with difficult times in their future careers and relationships. The skills include:

• Optimistic thinking
• Having a sense of purpose and future
• Normalising negative events rather than personalising.

Using helpful thinking/evidence-based rational thinking

Resilience builds a stronger sense of self confidence in dealing with problems (resourcefulness and adaptivity)

• Talk to trusted people to check perceptions, seek assistance with problem-solving.

• No one is perfect
• Powerful feelings can be managed.
• Take responsibility for own actions and the part you contributed.

Social Skills

• With well-developed social skills, students are more likely to be resilient.
• Relationships really matter – starting point of social skills, friendship skills, conflict management skills, help-seeking skills.

Emotional Literacy

• Recognise, name and manage own emotions and other people’s emotions.
• Respond empathically to others.

It has been wonderful to watch the resilience exhibited by girls over the past few weeks as they have engaged in activities outside their comfort zone. For example, QGSSSA sport, rowing, global exchange interviews and the announcement of the 2024 leadership positions.

“Resilience makes it easier for us to navigate the difficult and dark times. It empowers us to sift the important from the bucket-load of trivial, to work out what we can control, what we can and should take responsibility for”. (Janet Albrechtsen)

Angela Drysdale

The Final Year 12 Chapel is a special service called the “Knot Service” and is a tradition we have each year to celebrate the students, pray for them as they embark on their exams, and think about what their next steps are into the future.

Next steps and new chapters can be daunting, exciting, but also filled with uncertainty. We hold all of these emotions before God in the Knot Service and ask God to grant the students peace and clarity, and the assuredness that each one of them is loved and gifted by God.

The Knot Service is crafted around a prayer that acknowledges that there are many things that tie us up in knots, fear of not being good enough, etc. As we arrive at the mid-term mark, may the Knots Prayer be a source of encouragement and inspiration for you all.

Dear God, please untie the knots that are in my mind, my heart and my life.

Remove the have nots, the can nots and the do nots that I have in my mind.

Erase the will nots, may nots, might nots that may find a home in my heart.

Release me from the could nots, would nots and should nots that obstruct my life.

And most of all, dear God, I ask that you remove from my mind, my heart and my life all of the ‘am nots’ that I have allowed to hold me back,
especially the thought that I am not good enough.

Amen.

Rev’d Jazz Dow

Tomorrow night we are looking forward to hosting the annual Boarder Parents’ Cocktail Party. This event is a wonderful opportunity for boarding parents to thank day parents for supporting their daughters. We look forward to seeing many of the ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥s community at this event on beautiful Circular Drive.

Fiona Spooner

It is expected that in the next three weeks, the Year 12 students maintain a committed approach to both attendance and engagement in their classes. Students are encouraged to ensure they are arriving at school with sufficient time to get to their classes with all required equipment. They should not be booking Careers meetings during lessons and instead should use their break time or ILOs for these bookings. While External Exams seem to be a long way away, this time passes quickly, and the girls are encouraged to take advantage of all the support that is in place to ensure they are well prepared for the last steps of their secondary school journey. We know they have worked so hard to get to where they are now, and we are here to encourage and support them to the end.

Caitlin McCluskey

While at ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥’s, these pre-service teachers will be teaching classes under the supervision of a ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥’s teacher; receiving feedback on their pedagogical practice, and ways to develop it in new and innovative ways; observing lessons across a diverse range of subject disciplines; and taking part in the school’s professional development days and afternoons. Further, ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥’s runs pre-service teacher-specific professional development sessions to assist them prepare for their first year of full-time teaching.

For all the following pre-service teachers, this is their final university placement, and on behalf of the school community, I warmly welcome them to ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥’s this semester, and wish them every success in their time with us:

• Christina Dobson – Mathematics and Science
• Jack Greentree – Mathematics and English
• Travis Reynolds – HPE and Food & Design Technologies

Chris Dunn

Research suggests that in the future, leadership will undergo a profound transformation, adapting to the dynamic and complex nature of the evolving world. Traditional top-down hierarchical models will give way to more decentralized and collaborative approaches. “COVID also accelerated the trend in leadership attributes towards the empathetic, open, transparent and inclusive,” says global leader – leadership, people and culture for Grant Thornton International. “This shift is significant, and long-term.” Leaders will embrace empathy, inclusivity, and diversity, recognizing that harnessing the collective intelligence and unique perspectives of a diverse workforce yields innovative solutions.

Technological advancements will shape the leadership landscape, with leaders required to navigate the complexities of artificial intelligence, automation, and big data. They will need to possess a strong digital acumen and be adept at leveraging technology to drive organizational success. Furthermore, the future leader will be characterized by adaptability and agility. They will embrace change and uncertainty, inspiring their teams to do the same. They will foster a culture of continuous learning and experimentation, encouraging their employees to push boundaries and challenge the status quo.

Bazerman for the Harvard Review suggests, “New ethical challenges confront us daily, from what algorithm to create for self-driving cars to how to allocate scarce medical supplies during a pandemic. As technology creates amazing ways to improve our lives, our environmental footprint becomes a bigger concern”. Ethical leadership will also gain prominence, as leaders navigate the ethical implications of emerging technologies with AI and global challenges. They will prioritize sustainability, social responsibility, and ethical decision-making, driving positive change in their organisations and communities.

As a school it is imperative that we allow our girls to have an opportunity to practise these evolving leadership skills. ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥’s encourages our students to undertake leadership in an array of different ways; through sporting teams, cultural and charitable clubs and activities as well as through leadership of their peers, culminating in Year 12 leadership positions. One way of developing future leaders is through the appointment of Form Captains and Form Vice-Captains each semester. The work undertaken by these students often goes unnoticed and can be at times unglamorous, but it is essential to the smooth running of the pastoral system and provides a good avenue for future leaders to exercise developing these soft skills.

On Monday the school was excited to announce our future senior leaders at a special assembly. Congratulations to all the girls for having the courage to put their name forward. We look forward to working with the girls in their senior leadership roles.

Bazerman M. The Havard Review. (2020, October) A New Model for Ethical Leadership

Grant Thornton Global. (2019, May) The future of leadership: anticipating 2030.https://www.grantthornton.global/en/insights/articles/leadership-2030/

Haynes, H. (2021, June) Inclusively leading through change. https://www.grantthornton.global/en/insights/articles/Inclusively-leading-through-change/

The Spirit of ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥'s Award

The Spirit of ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥’s Award is awarded to one student in each class in Years 5 and 6 who is most outstanding in exemplifying the school values and the philosophy of ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥’s Way – Spirit, Inclusivity, Integrity, Courage, Respect and Passion.

Years 5 and 6 Honours Award

These are awarded in both Year 5 and Year 6 to those students who have received the highest overall grade calculation across subjects. Students receiving an Honours Award need to have achieved nothing less than an overall grade of A- across Terms 1, 2, and 3 in both English and Mathematics and nothing less than a B- in all other subjects. Students receiving an Honours Award are ineligible for a Commendation Award.

Commendation Award

Commendation Awards are awarded in recognition of exceptional engagement in learning across the range of subject areas to students in Years 5 and 6. Students who achieve the highest overall Attitude to Learning results across all subject areas on Student Reports are considered for Commendation Awards.

Determination of the Dux and Proxime Accessit of the Primary School

The Dux of the Primary School is presented to a Year 6 student who has attained the highest, overall grade calculation, as per the Honours Awards calculation. The Proxime Accessit to the Dux of the Primary School is the Year 6 student who is second to the Dux, having attained the next overall grade Honours Awards calculation in the Year 6 cohort. The recipients of the Dux and Proxime Accessit shall remain confidential until the presentation on Speech Night.

Kate Frewin

The benefits of reading for students’ long-term academic success are well-known, however, developing a habit of reading for pleasure is also important and offers far-reaching benefits that are visible from the early primary years and remain well into adulthood. Reading for pleasure has been linked to improved academic achievement, increased reading stamina, the development of empathy and knowledge, and offers opportunities for relaxation and stress reduction (National Library of New Zealand, 2023). Increasing the frequency of students’ reading has been associated with positive effects on their enjoyment of reading and academic attainment (UK Department of Education, 2012). It is hoped that the reading challenge will further our young learners’ love of reading and will encourage more frequent reading for pleasure, both now and as they grow.  

Our youngest readers have taken to the reading challenge with passion and enthusiasm, with many having already completed their first reading record sheet! The reading challenge will culminate with the girls marking their reading achievements in a class celebration toward the end of the term. The focus of the challenge will then shift outwards, with students working to share their passion for reading with those less fortunate. In the final weeks of the term, we will be holding a book drive to collect pre-loved books for children who do not have ready access to books in the early years of their schooling. The girls will receive more information about our ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥’s Pre-Prep to Year 2 Book Drive in the coming weeks, however, we will aim to gather as many books and other essential learning resources as possible. These will be packaged and donated to children in neighbouring Papua New Guinea, whose road to reading is made more difficult through a lack of accessible resources.

How many books will you be able to read or experience before the challenge ends in Week 8?

Happy reading everybody!

Sarah Singleton

From over 1000 nominations annually, students are invited to audition for this highly sought-after program. Students who are successful have the opportunity to work with world-class conductors in an intensive environment that challenges and encourages them to extend their pursuit of musical excellence. Students are also provided with a workshop, within their instrument area, with select staff of the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. Congratulations to the following students who have been accepted into the AHEP program: Ava Barber (Flute), Sofie Gustafsson (Voice), Abigail Kho (Viola), Tram Thuy Tran Nguyen (Cello).

Classics in the Cathedral

The ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥’s Music Department is very excited to be presenting Classics in the Cathedral in St John’s Anglican Cathedral next week on Tuesday 15 August. This is an evening of beautiful music, performed by ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥’s Music ensembles within a spectacular setting and is one of the school’s very special performance events. Tickets are now on sale and must be purchased online via TryBooking (). The cost for an adult ticket is $30 with no charge for children/students (all attending the concert however must be registered on TryBooking, including children/students). Please print your ticket or download on an electronic device (e.g. mobile phone) to present upon entrance at the concert. All tickets must be pre-purchased as tickets will not be available at the door. A letter with more details is attached. (PDF 450.9KB) We look forward to having many in attendance at this special event.

Additional rehearsal for Classics in the Cathedral

Please note that an additional rehearsal has been called for Monday afternoon 14 August for students in Sister Helen Wind Symphony, Chamber Strings, Exultate, Volare and Primary Chorale. The rehearsal will be from 3:30-4:30pm in the Sister Helen Orchestra Room.

Callout for parent assistance at Classics in the Cathedral

The Music Support Group is calling for volunteers from the music community to assist with donations of food, as well as for volunteers to man the bar, raffle stand and door on the night of Classics in the Cathedral (Tuesday 15 August). If you are able to assist, please sign up via the links below (one for food donations and one for volunteering tasks). All support will be greatly appreciated.

Food:

Volunteers:

Music Support Group – Next Meeting

The next Music Support Group meeting will be held on Tuesday 5 September at 5:00pm in M’s Cafe. We encourage parents from both Primary and Secondary schools to become involved. The following meeting will be the AGM and will be held on 24 October.

Brad King

̨ž³UUÖ±²¥’s was proudly represented by 12 teams across the championships with the A Grade, B Grade and Year 7(i) teams all finishing top four in their respective divisions. We are extremely proud of the teamwork, discipline and spirit displayed by all teams in the performance of their routines.

I would like to thank our Rhythmic Gymnastics Captains, Gabrielle Butcher & Sophia Connor for their leadership and spirit throughout the season. I would also like to thank our coaches, led by Ms Heather Lane, for sharing their knowledge and passion for the sport and our teachers, led by Rhythmic Gymnastics Coordinator Nikki Anderson, for their organisation.

Lloyd Knight

Director of Sport

Netball Parent Support Group

The Netball Parent Support group cordially invite the wider ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥’s school community to attend the 2023 Netball Trivia Night on Saturday 19 August.

The Netball Trivia evening is a great night on the school calendar, strengthening our community and raising funds to support our Netball program.

All members of the community are welcome. Please, grab a group of friends and book a table today: 

Sporting Achievement

It’s with great pleasure that we can recognise the outstanding sport performances and representation of ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥’s students at a national and international level. I would like to highlight and congratulate the follow student on her recent achievements:

• Sophie Hebron (Year 8) recently competed at the 2023 Australian Pool Rescue Championships. Sophie represented her Maroochydoore club and, together with her teammates, achieved 3 gold medals and 1 silver medal. We congratulate Sophie on her achievements.

Sport Awards Evening – Representative Achievements

At our ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥’s Sport Awards Evening we recognise and acknowledge the achievements of students who represent team Queensland and Australia within their respective School Sport and Club Sport Pathways.

Given club sport is external to ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥’s we do appreciate students and/or parents/guardians notifying the Activities Office of student representation at this level. Recognition is acknowledged of those students who are selected and compete within a representative Queensland or Australian team.

If your daughter has represented at this level, could you please email me by Friday 8th September, with the suitable details to assist - lknight@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

GO MAGGIES!

Lloyd Knight

Awarded by the Visual Art Captains, Georgia Barrett and Phoebe Zavros, Millicent’s painting shows women under pressure to conform to society’s ever-growing demands. This theme is creatively expressed through beautiful painting techniques and mixed media. The clever use of blue to represent coldness and sadness works towards the social comment concept.

Senior Showcase

The Year 12 Visual Art students had their wonderful Senior Showcase on Monday 31 July. The exhibition revealed their many talents and hard work leading to their final body of work. The range of art media used throughout the pieces of submitted work was impressive. The personal connection that each student demonstrated through their Artist Statements made each piece unique and thought-provoking. The young artists were able to celebrate their brilliant works with invited family and friends, along with members of the ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥’s community. Congratulations to Georgia Barrett who received the ‘People’s Choice Award’ for her two pieces, ‘Mind Games’ and ‘Don’t Forget Me’ from her body of work.

Congratulations to the Year 12 Visual Arts class for their fantastic work and for completing their final Visual Art assignments. Special thanks are extended to our Senior Art teacher Brianna Shaw and Art Technician Claudia Mazzotta for their hard work, commitment, and support. We appreciate the attendance of everyone at the event.

Rowena Bracken  

Year 9 Visual Art

Year 9 Visual Art students have been exploring the Sustainable Art genre through the lens of sculpture. Given the challenge of educating the ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥’s community about the loss of insects and the impact this has on society, students are creating insects from a variety of different materials. Charlotte Ball has completed her piece made from old items of cutlery to help illustrate that without certain insects, certain foods would be lost from our plates.

Trading Hours (Term Time)

Monday               8am – 2pm
Tuesday               8am – 2pm
Wednesday        10am – 5pm
Thursday              8am – 2pm
Friday                   8am – 2pm

Public Holidays Closed

As the sun graces us with longer days and warmer weather, we've been taking the opportunity to engage in more outdoor play. Our afternoons are now filled with group games, sensory play in the sandpit, adventures on the playground and rock-climbing wall, and, most importantly, lots of fun.

The children have been incredibly creative with a wide range of craft projects, allowing them to explore different areas and build upon their interests and strengths. Sustainability remains a top priority for us reflected in our crafts and our composting/recycling efforts. We're thrilled to see our older students doing an excellent job in guiding and inspiring the younger ones to get involved and make a positive impact!

Thank you for being part of our OSHC community.

This new event on the ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥'s calendar is not to be missed, and will feature guest speaker, Shea Morrison ('96), co-founder of The Goodnight Co., live music and a photo booth. 

Event Details

Date       Sunday 10 September 2023

Time        11:00am - 3:00pm

Venue       Rivershed at Howard Smith Wharves

Cost         $150 Adult (includes a glass of Chandon NV Brut on arrival)

                  $130 Student (includes four-hour soft drink package)

Your package includes:

• Equivalent three course Italian grazing luncheon with dessert, tea and coffee.
• Guest Speaker, Shea Morrison, co-founder of The Goodnight Co and host of successful podcast ‘Sleep with Shea’ with Q&A session hosted by Jo Stone, former ABC journalist.
• Live music
• Photo booth with unlimited prints
• Additional beverages are available for purchase.

Dress      Cocktail/garden party

Tickets    On sale from 9.30am Friday 11 August via this link: (Year 12 families will be given early access to purchase tickets from 9.30am Wednesday 9 August).

Tables of 10 - please nominate a table captain or preferred year level. We will do our best to accommodate all requests.

Please note, no refunds will be provided after the RSVP date.

RSVP        5pm, Thursday 31 August 2023 (unless sold out prior)

Enquiries    p&f@stmargarets.qld.edu.au 

This event is proudly supported by Major Sponsor; KLM Solicitors and Maggie’s Supporter; Shingle Inn.

Professional Women’s Network Breakfast with Jane Carland, General Manager, Castrol (Australia and New Zealand) – DATE CHANGE

Due to a change in circumstances for our Guest Speaker, our upcoming Professional Women's Network Breakfast will now be held on Tuesday 12 September 2023.

We hope that you can join us on the revised date for PWN 3 with Jane Carland, General Manager, Castrol (Australia and New Zealand).

Jane has over 25 years’ experience in the energy sector across ANZ and Asia Pacific having worked in most aspects of the energy value chain including Operations, Marketing, Sales, Strategy and Business Development. She also holds several Director roles.

Jane has had the opportunity to be at the forefront of innovation and energy transition initiatives, providing customers with alternate, lower emission energy options. Prior to her current role, she led the development of LNG as an alternative fuel across Asia Pacific which provided her and the family an amazing cultural experience. She is passionate about customers and seeing people achieve their potential.

Event Details

Date                Tuesday 12 September 2023
Time               6.45am arrival for 7.00am - 8.45am
Location         Arts Centre Foyer, ̨ž³UUÖ±²¥'s Anglican Girls' School
Format           Sit down breakfast  
We also invite you to enjoy Barista Coffee from the Wolff Coffee Roasters cart, before and after the event!
Tickets           $85 Adult, $40 Student (Years 10-12/Tertiary).  
Corporate tables $850 (10 seats), includes company logo displayed on table and acknowledgement during event.

To purchase tickets or a corporate table: 

We thank our series sponsors, Major Sponsor: Pitcher Partners, Associate Sponsors: Programmed Property Services and Wolff Coffee Roasters, and Supporting Sponsors: Downer, Clear Insurance, Westpac, O’Reilly Shaw Lawyers, Uniform Link and Move Recruitment Solutions.

Lara Pickering