Serving the community

Through the many philanthropic endeavours in which the school is involved, students develop their social awareness of current community issues and are encouraged to give in ways that are more than just financial, through the donation of their time, knowledge or goods.

Service Learning is sequential from the primary years through to secondary.

Primary students commence their servicelearning journey by developing their sense of social responsibility through Year Level Service-Learning Projects and through the Year 6 Cornerstone Project, which requires students to plan and conduct a fundraising venture.

In Years 7 and 8, students are supported to complete their community service through activities coordinated by the ServiceLearning Coordinator. In Year 7, students write letters to the elderly, while in Year 8, students participate in the Red Shield

Appeal in addition to serving a faith-based community, whether at St Margaret’s, through Anglicare or their local parish. Last year, Year 8 students were also given the opportunity to make cheese sandwiches and donate snacks to the charity Eat Up Australia, which delivers sandwiches and snacks to schools where children frequently arrive without lunch.

By the time students reach Year 9, they are encouraged to think critically and creatively about how they can make a difference in the wider community. They may choose to become a reading buddy, helping and encouraging disadvantaged children with their reading through The Smith Family’s student2student program, or alternatively, they can seek out their own volunteer opportunities.

In the senior years, students are given full control over the community issues and organisations they choose to support through volunteer work.

School coordinated opportunities include fundraising at the Year 10 Lunch, the Viking Run with Churchie, supporting elderly veterans to access vehicles at the ANZAC Day parade, the Red Shield Appeal in collaboration with Churchie, and caring for children with a disability as part of the Sony Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp.

For students in Years 7 to 9, the Service Learning Passport documents their service in action and the hours devoted to assisting others in the broader community, while for students in Years 10 to 12, voluntary service is documented within St Margaret’s Plus. Each year, Philanthropy Leaders are elected among the Year 12 cohort to galvanise the school community to support various philanthropic endeavours throughout the school year. These students are empowered to demonstrate their agency through recognising and researching issues, causes and charities, taking ownership of their ideas, confidently expressing themselves and taking actions to make a difference. The 2023 Philanthropy Leaders have sought to select just one cause to support, undertaking a considered process to identify community needs, meeting with local charities and casting their vote. All of their annual fundraising efforts will contribute to the one charity.

The 2022 school charity was Stride (for better mental health), and through activities including free dress days, Valentine’s Day, bake sales and a stall at MAYO, the school collectively raised $8175 towards the prevention and treatment of mental health conditions. In 2023, the school’s chosen charity is Zig Zag, which is a Young Women’s Resource Centre that provides services to young women who are homeless or at risk of homelessness aged 12 and 25.

According to St Margaret’s ServiceLearning Coordinator Katie Flanagan, involving the students in choosing a cause to support has significant impact on their motivation to make a difference.

‘When the students have input and involvement into the decision-making process around the charities we are supporting, they invariably spread their knowledge and passion to the rest of the school. What transpires is greater awareness of and connection to the cause and to volunteer work overall.

‘The leaders “lead by example”, role modelling to the whole school the importance of identifying when there is a need and volunteering to help in order to make a positive and powerful difference to the lives of those who are not as fortunate as we are,’ Katie said.

By raising the profile of philanthropy among the students at St Margaret’s, we aim to encourage them to begin a life-long commitment to giving through activities that positively impact their communities.

Ponytail Project

One of the most significant whole school philanthropic endeavours undertaken at St Margaret’s each year is the Ponytail Project. It combines service in action and fundraising, and last year, almost 100 students and six St Margaret’s teachers volunteered to cut their ponytails, donating their hair to be made into wigs for those suffering from hair loss due to cancer treatment or other medical conditions. Through their actions, they raised just short of $100,000, adding to an eight-year tally that has now exceeded an incredible half a million dollars in financial donations to the Cancer Council Queensland and the Minotti Trust.

The Ponytail Project is a whole school effort, with the primary students showing their support through wearing crazy hairstyles for the day not to mention St Margaret’s school dog, Luna, and Head of Primary Mrs Drysdale’s dog Daisy being clippered and coiffed during the event. Luna raised $700 towards the overall fundraising tally.

St Margaret’s is appreciative of hairdressers Ink for Hair and local groomer CC’s Pampered Pups, who volunteered their time and skills in support of the 2022 Ponytail Project.