St Margaret's Flyer Autumn/Winter 2020

St Margaret’s

Issue 20 Autumn/Winter 2020

Contents From the Principal

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STAFF Kate Frewin, Assistant Head of Primary – Curriculum 04 Staff Awards 05 Leading Innovation at St Margaret’s 06 Aspiring Leaders Program for Middle Leaders 07 Leading the way 08 George the Giant and the Missing Tooth 09 WHOLE OF SCHOOL 2020 Open Day Weathering Global Challenges Education in a pandemic

BOARDING Living and learning in lockdown Australia Day Award for Year 12 Boarder

STUDENTS Helping for Hundreds for COVID-19 vaccine Listening to Your Heart proves a winning strategy The beat goes on 125 YEARS ‘Inspired to Fly’ Book Launch 125th Anniversary Eucharist Something St Margaret’s Art Competition Lunch, Laughter and Lifelong Camaraderie The History of the Canberra Trip

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WELLBEING Wellbeing in lockdown Virtually Fit

SPORT In the swim: Andrews Cup Victory ART Creative collaboration

OLD GIRLS Celebrating our Past Students

FOUNDATION DONOR IMPACT REPORT St Margaret’s in the USA Foundation Prize supports Aussie Farmers Team St Margaret’s Thank you to our students and Giving Day donors.

Thank you to our 2019 donors 125 Year Anniversary Gifts and Merchandise

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Flyer Issue 20 Autumn/Winter 2020 Principal: Ros Curtis Editor: Wendy Johnston Journalists: Pru Reed; Wendy Johnston; Victoria Nikolova Graphic Designer: Pam Smiles Photography: Victoria Nikolova; Miranda Everett; Michael Marston; Wendy Johnston Printing: Allclear Print & Signs

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From the Principal

• Associate Professor Susan Pendlebury (’78) recalls her time at school very fondly and, particularly, the love of reading and literature engendered by wonderful English teachers.

• Geraldine Turner OAM (’67) recalls St Margaret’s as a memorable time of her life, not just because of her friendships but also because she knew she could achieve anything, as those values were instilled in her by her wonderful teachers.

Looking for inspiration for my introduction to this edition of the Flyer, I thought I would take the time to read about our notable past students on our 125th anniversary pages on the school website. We intend to publish at least 125 notables by the end of the year. At the time of writing, the profiles of approximately 80 past students are on the website. These profiles provide insight into the key aspects of a St Margaret’s education. The collective reading of the 125 notables reveals a wide variety of interests and passions and, of course, an appreciation of the influence of the school on an individual’s life, both professional and personal. Not all the past students specifically reference an aspect of their education in their profile, and I could not list everyone who has in this short editorial. However, I have just chosen a few from the suite of biographies for your interest, hoping you too will be encouraged to read about and be inspired by the women and their achievements.

• Prue Galley (’61), an internationally recognised leader in her field of physiotherapy, says that she values her years at St Margaret’s for encouraging independent thinking, compassion, leadership and teamwork.

• Sally Kehoe (’03) indicates that her whole international rowing career had its foundation at St Margaret’s as she had never rowed until she arrived at the school as a boarder.

• The Reverend Canon Sarah Plowman (’90) was influenced deeply by the prayerful life of the Sisters while a member of the St Margaret’s boarding community.

• Kate Gibson (’96), an international lawyer, writes that upon leaving school she was imbued with an unshakeable faith that she could do anything she wanted in life, ‘never accepting that we could be limited because we were girls’.

The drive to succeed in any chosen endeavour is very much part of the St Margaret’s story for each past student, and even for the school itself. The school’s early growth and development in the first 25 years occurred while Australia was in its infancy as a nation, against the backdrop of the second Boer War, Federation in 1901, Conscription, World War One, and the Spanish Flu epidemic. There was no electricity, no telephone, and for some of that time (until 1914 at least), no uniform. The first 25 years was a precarious time and not all schools which were started in this era survived. However, on the part of our founders, The Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent, there was an enormous amount of hard work, commitment and service that ensured St Margaret’s not only survived but flourished.

The 125 Notables project, as does this edition of the Flyer, celebrates achievement and service of past and current members of the community and the solid foundation provided by a St Margaret’s education.

Ros Curtis Principal BA(Hons), DipEd, MLitSt,MEd(Leadership and Management), ASDA, FACE, FACEL, FIML, GAICD

• Merilyn Luck OAM (’51) feels that the school’s core values have significantly helped to give her and her family direction for their life journeys.

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Kate Frewin, Assistant Head of Primary – Curriculum

Kate Frewin commenced as Assistant Head of Primary – Curriculum at the beginning of 2020. She brings a rich skill set to her role with significant experience in designing innovative, progressive and balanced curriculum.

Excited to contribute to the strategic development of the Primary School, Kate says: “St Margaret’s prioritises and promotes rich learning opportunities which foster curiosity and deep thinking while ensuring learning is rigorous and challenging.

“My role as Assistant Head of Primary oversees all curriculum related matters.

This involves a significant amount of research analysis and development of systems and processes focused on continuous improvement.”

Kate brings to St Margaret’s her experience leading the development and implementation of transdisciplinary learning projects, including projectbased learning and STEM, as well as designing flexible and collaborative learning models, a mission, Kate says, “aligns with St Margaret’s commitment to ensuring the diverse needs of our students are met”.

While Kate believes academic outcomes are highly desirable, and a priority in education, she sees the development of the whole child is what sets St Margaret’s apart.

“I have been most impressed with the holistic view to learning and development of young women that is at the core of St Margaret’s. The school has a climate that is warm, nurturing, and supportive. These traits develop a culture of excellence across all domains of learning, resulting in intelligent, healthy and confident young women, ready to face the challenges of a constantly changing world.”

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A personal history of educational endeavour Education has, and continues to be, at the core of Kate’s existence. Originally from Victoria, she was raised in a family of educators, her father a principal and mother an early years’ educator.

“Both were leading examples of best practice in education and perhaps, indirectly, very influential in my decision to pursue a career in education,” she said.

Completing dual degrees (Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Teaching) at the University of Ballarat, Kate and her husband – also a highly accomplished educator – moved to Queensland where she served The Springfield Anglican College for fifteen years across numerous, roles including classroom teacher, academic extension teacher, pedagogy coach, digital and design technologies specialist, and – for the last four years of her tenure – Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning P-6.

As Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning, Kate was responsible for the design and implementation of curriculum across Prep to Year 6, where she developed learning programs, delivered professional development, built teacher capacity and efficacy with digital and contemporary pedagogies, and was responsible for the academic administration of students.

At St Margaret’s, Kate’s role also involves working with and supporting teachers with their practice and pedagogy to ensure accountability for the school’s alignment with the Australian Curriculum and assessment and reporting processes.

“I work with teams and individuals to develop rigorous learning opportunities that are data informed and reflective of contemporary and advanced pedagogies,” she says.

Not your typical ‘Day in the life of …’

Term 1 offered a few weeks of normalcy for Kate to settle into her role and although a ‘typical day’ varied according to her timetable, Kate says it was the opportunity to greet the happy faces of the girls as they arrived and passed through the Atrium that was a highlight of her morning.

As the threat of school closures became a reality, the 2020 academic program had to undergo substantial changes and online learning became the primary mode of lesson delivery, in the short term.

“In this especially unusual period, I would have to say that the professionalism of my colleagues has been exceptional. They have been steadfast in their commitment to providing the very best education they can for the girls.”

Teaching in the midst of social distancing regulations brought a raft of challenges.

“The staff at St Margaret’s have had many requests made of them and they have continued to remain positive and solution-focused the entire time. I feel proud to be part of such a caring and committed community.

“A school’s climate and its culture are perhaps the two most important features, but neither would exist without the community that builds them and the community they reflect. In this unprecedented and challenging period, I have been so impressed with the community and I see that St Margaret’s success is the product of a community whereby staff, students and parents strive for excellence through support, consideration and compassion for others,” Kate said.

STAFF AWARDS Each year, St Margaret’s recognises the dedication and commitment of two staff members: a teacher who demonstrates excellence in teaching and learning; and any staff member for their service to the school community. Staff are nominated by their peers and reviewed through an award process conducted by the Principal. The awards are announced to the community in a special presentation on Speech Night.

Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning CASS ARGENT Cass Argent teaches secondary English and History. In 2019 she coordinated the Philanthropy Group and was also Acting Head of the English Faculty (until Term 2, 2020).

Cass has been recognised as an outstanding role model in her dedication to the school’s mission and values and for demonstrating excellence in supporting students to achieve their potential. She consistently shows a generosity to assist others outside her duties.

“I was greatly humbled by the award and consider it a personal career highlight. That it even exists is testament to the emphasis that St Margaret’s places on our goal of consistently delivering outstanding teaching every day, as well as highlighting the importance of recognising teachers who love what they do.

“As someone who is dedicated to the study of pedagogy, it was a great compliment and one that further consolidates my passion and purpose for this vocation. I love being in the classroom now as much as I did on my very first day of teaching and I was delighted to see that celebrated and thank Ms Curtis and our community for their support,” she said.

Award for Service to the School Community ELISE MARTIN Elise Martin has served the St Margaret’s community for over 10 years, firstly in the Primary School, and now serves as Assistant to the Dean of Students within the Secondary School.

Elise is a well-respected staff member and is recognised for her enthusiasm, cheerful disposition and dedication to all school activities. She goes above and beyond what is expected of her, showing initiative and professionalism in all her dealings with others.

“I was honestly so touched and humbled to receive the St Margaret’s Staff Award for 2019. I feel very lucky to have worked at St Margaret’s for just over 10 years and I honestly love coming to work every day and working in such a positive environment.

“I love the variety of my position and the interaction I have with all the girls.

It makes me feel proud to know in some small way I am helping them on their journey through their schooling years,” she said..

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Leading Innovation at St Margaret’s Since 2013, St Margaret’s has offered a ‘Leading Innovation at St Margaret’s’ award to encourage individuals or groups in the school to advance their practices for the benefit of students.

Funds of up to $5000 are available and more than one award can be given. In 2020, there were two successful applicants: Jane Martens (Secondary Art Teacher) and Kimberley Bachmann (Primary Teacher / Literacy Coach).

KIMBERLEY BACHMANN

JANE MARTENS

In alignment with St Margaret’s strategic focus on literacy, during 2020, the Year 6 teaching team is trialling an online writing assessment and reporting tool called Brightpath.

This follows on from a successful pilot project undertaken with Independent Schools Queensland last year.

Students will be provided with opportunities to create virtual reality and augmented reality artworks, engaging with innovative technologies in the context of Visual Art. The acquisition of virtual reality headsets and accompanying software enables students to combine drawing, painting and sculptural skills to create immersive, three-dimensional artworks within virtual spaces. In essence, students are able to design and construct environments and alternate worlds that viewers can then walk through and physically experience.

The Brightpath tool is the product of a decade of research conducted by The University of Western Australia.

Researchers were attempting to ascertain a method of successfully obtaining reliable teacher judgements.

Hundreds of teachers were involved in comparing samples of student writing and rating these on a calibrated scale.

With Brightpath, teachers can compare their students’ writing to exemplar texts and reliably make judgements about achievement. Groups of teachers are supported to have rich conversations about the needs of individuals, groups and the next steps for the learning program. The electronic reporting capabilities of the software also allow for rigorous data analysis and tracking of writing growth.

Over the year, Year 6 teachers will work in a collaborative team to use the tool and make judgements about their students’ strengths and needs. This valuable information will also be shared with the Secondary English Faculty to facilitate a flying start to their high school education.

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Combined with augmented reality technology, those threedimensional artworks, created within virtual spaces, can also be viewed by audiences in our real, lived environment.

Augmented reality superimposes digitally-created images and artworks on the user’s view of the real world. Using augmented reality applications, viewers can scan the camera of a laptop or iPad over a two-dimensional artwork, such as a painting or photograph, to activate and view threedimensional virtual artworks, or two-dimensional moving graphics and animations, through their screen.

These technologies will be utilised by senior Visual Art students and Digital Art Club students. A virtual reality story-telling project will commence in 2020, wherein students illustrate selected narratives using virtual reality and augmented reality technologies.

ceTLe Centre for Teaching and Learning Excellence

ASPIRING LEADERS PROGRAM for Middle Leaders Targeted professional development of a school’s middle leaders is critical to a school’s operations as well as the future of the teaching profession and healthy educational institutions, says St Margaret’s Principal Ros Curtis.

To this end, Ms Curtis, together with Deputy Principal Karen Gorrie, developed an 18-month in-house program for aspirant middle leaders across sister schools St Margaret’s and St Aidan’s.

Part of the St Margaret’s CETLE initiative, the program commenced in Easter last year and will be completed virtually in Term 2 2020. Interested middle leaders applied for a position in the program and nine were selected based on both their capacity and aspiration to advance their school leadership careers.

Commencing with a two-day residential program, the group subsequently met each term. The program aims to impart to middle leaders – such as Heads of Faculty and Heads of Year, which are narrower in focus – the broader skills, knowledge, and mindset required to lead a school.

The program encompassed everything from scenario analysis, stakeholder engagement, school governance, decision making frameworks, managing staff and difficult conversations to newsletter writing, drafting school policies, and reviewing leadership books.

Participants also engaged directly with senior leaders through shadowing, and panel discussions with current school principals and deputy principals from across Brisbane.

Dr Steve Bagi, consulting psychologist and adjunct lecturer at Bond University, who specialises in strengths-based leadership and team building, also addressed the group.

Ms Curtis said middle leaders held some of the most important positions in the school and were pivotal in achieving the school’s strategic intent.

“The development of their leadership capacity in this manner not only benefits their career, but also assists the school as they better understand its broader operations and this can only enhance the delivery of the school’s strategic goals and objectives,” Ms Curtis said.

“The workplace has an obligation to develop capacity in their employees and those that demonstrate potential for leadership need to be nurtured.

“This program also has much broader implications in that it strengthens the teaching profession and in turn our educational institutions.”

The program has already paid dividends for three applicants, with two securing promotions to more senior leadership positions in other schools and Tom McCormick being promoted to Acting Dean of Studies within St Margaret’s.

“Even if we develop our leaders to the extent they are successful in procuring a promotion elsewhere, they may return to St Margaret’s one day when a suitable opening arises,” Ms Curtis said.

In their words: Nicole Walker This program has been of great benefit to me as I have not only gained invaluable leadership insights, but I’ve developed a deeper understanding of myself. Having such knowledgeable, kind, humble principals and senior leaders invest their time into my leadership journey has been so inspiring. I believe this program has also enabled me to fulfil my current role with increased effectiveness. Some key takeaways from the program were: being ‘present’ is always needed – it’s a purposeful choice; be futurefocused, intentional and stay connected with staff; be organised in advanced as each day can be unpredictable; consider all angles when making decisions; and reaching short and long-term goals is significantly aided by a mentor.

Chris Dunn The Aspiring Leaders Program has been a wonderful opportunity for me to have meaningful and inspiring conversations with educational leaders from right across Brisbane. While I have studied many theoretical models of leadership in my Masters of Education, this program allowed me to engage with leaders, and gain practical tips and insights into what style of leadership works for them. Exercises like the scenario analysis tasks allowed us to assume the role of school leaders and experience the process and pressures of decision-making at this level. It certainly did open my eyes to the significant amount of work that occurs before school-based decisions are made and I feel I have a greater appreciation for the important role good governance plays in a school community.

Ysabella Dawson One of the aspects of working at St Margaret’s I value most is the opportunity for professional development that allows me to authentically refer to myself as a ‘lifelong learner’. My involvement in this program taught me much in the way of school process, governance and leadership, and has led me to consider my aptitude, desire and potential for future senior positions and as well as providing me the opportunity to reflect and consider how best I can contribute to the school community now. I am incredibly grateful to Ros and Karen for their facilitation of this program; they have demonstrated what I believe are some of the most important characteristics of educational leadership – they work with their team and build trust, they remain curious and share the passion and commitment of those around them.

Tom McCormick I was fortunate to engage in this program at a time in my career when I was transitioning from a middle to senior leadership position, so the learning has been both timely and deeply relevant. I have really enjoyed the opportunity to engage candidly with other educational leaders, and to understand the personal nature of leadership beyond policy and theory, which I am currently studying as a part of my Masters degree at QUT. While tenets of the program have required the reviewing of literature, and a keen focus on governance and policy, what has struck me is the centrality of authentic experience of highly-effective leaders as a springboard for our professional learning.

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Leading the way St Margaret’s teachers are dedicated to inspiring student engagement, improving student outcomes and enriching lives through learning. Teachers themselves are lifelong learners, always developing their skills as educators.

The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) have developed a nationally recognised certification that acknowledges teachers who are highly effective in improving student outcomes. The certification of excellence aims to encourage teachers to engage in a process that develops ongoing, collaborative learning professionals who strive to reflect upon and improve their practice.

The accreditation process is built on nationally and internationally recognised best practice and is awarded in two forms – Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) certification – which is administered by Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) and is recognised as the highest career stages of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

Evidence of student outcomes and performance against teacher professional standards is central to the certification process and, as such, St Margaret’s is proud to have an increasing number of teachers qualifying for this rigorous new standard of professional development.

Alison Davis has been teaching for 20 years. Now serving as Assistant Head of Science and Technology at St Margaret’s, she recently achieved Highly Accomplished certification.

Alison says she valued the reflective method of the certification process.

“Teaching is a constantly changing environment that requires life-long learning and commitment. The accreditation process to become a Highly Accomplished teacher was a valuable professional learning tool. I find I am more reflective and continually striving to develop.

“It has encouraged me to think more about my teaching practice and fully understand each of the teaching standards and what they represent in the classroom.”

Michael Crowe has been teaching for 12 years and serves in the Primary School as the Maths Specialist and Numeracy Coach. He recently achieved Lead Teacher certification.

Michael says the certification process provided the opportunity to reflect on his teaching practice and evaluate its impact on improving learning outcomes for his students. For Michael, there was a reflective element that involved applying developments in his own professional knowledge for the benefit of assisting and advising his colleagues to improve their own pedagogy and practice.

“Teaching is a vocation that requires us to always be reflecting to find out how effective our actions are in relation to the development of the students in our care. The key to personal growth is working with others to develop yourself both professionally and personally. I have been fortunate to work with some exceptional colleagues during my teaching career.

This has led me to learn a lot about what great teaching looks like and how I can maximise my potential as an educator.

“The evidence I gathered as a reflection of my teaching practice was developed through leading teachers in collaborative processes with the aim of developing them and the students they teach. I believe teachers have a responsibility to model the process of learning and embrace new ideas and initiatives that support student learning. This accreditation process has been one of those learning opportunities that I believe has enabled me to develop and positively change as a teacher.

“By working together and supporting students in their learning journey, it enables them to build confidence in their own learning and allows them to see that we are all working together for their benefit.

“The process was undoubtedly a thoroughly worthwhile exercise that has enabled me to take account of the ways in which I am developing my own career and ways in which I can continue to improve.”

Acting Dean of Studies Tom McCormick, himself an accredited Lead teacher in the 2017 pilot program, mentored the teachers last year and in 2020 is overseeing the St Margaret’s program and guiding Meredith Morris and Natalie Grant (Highly Accomplished) and Kate Wiedemann (Lead) through the accreditation journey.

Tom said he was very proud of the efforts of Alison and Michael.

“The HALT program is rigorous and rewarding to both individuals and the profession. It offered them the opportunity to recognise their own pedagogical strengths and ability to lead curriculum. It has also undoubtedly enhanced their confidence in their own practice, which is crucial in improving student learning as both teachers and Faculty leaders. They now have the opportunity to join a network of over 600 other HALTS who have certified across Australia in recent years and attend the annual HALT summit to continue to learn, share and develop.”

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GEORGE THE

AND THE

MISSING

The tooth fairy had to call in specialist reinforcements in the shape of groundsman ‘George the Giant’ early in Term 1. Year 2 student Melissa Clarke was eagerly awaiting the moment her first wobbly tooth would come free, only to lose it down a drain at school.

Groundsman George Mogilski has been dealing with all manner of maintenance requests for the staff and students of St Margaret’s for 25 years.

George fondly recalls incidents over the years where students have had to call on his specialist help in order to retrieve lost items that have been stuck in trees, gutters and rooftops. He says retrieving a lost tooth was ‘all in a day’s work’.

Not only was the tiny tooth retrieved, but the Year 2 girls were treated to a celebratory classroom visit from their new hero who quickly earned the title ‘George the Giant’ when he stooped down from his towering height to take a seat in a tiny Year 2 chair beside Melissa.

Melissa and her classmates were thrilled by the special visit. Head of Primary Angela Drysdale says she saw the opportunity to let the girls know how dedicated each staff member is to the welfare of St Margaret’s students.

The classroom visit from George was a unique and fun opportunity to demonstrate to the girls what wonderful people they have supporting them, in and out of the classroom.

The story of ‘George the Giant’ spread beyond the St Margaret’s community and ABC breakfast radio interviewed him the following morning. The good news story made it all the way to the Archbishop of Brisbane, The Most Reverend Dr Philip Aspinall, who wrote to George thanking him for going ‘beyond the call of duty’.

“I congratulate you on your good deed and for going the extra mile in the service of the school community. You lifted the spirits of many,” the Archbishop’s letter said.

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2020 OPEN DAY St Margaret’s was delighted to host more than 2000 current and future families, students, staff and alumnae for Open Day 2019 on Saturday 7 March. We were fortunate the event occurred prior to the implementation of strict social distancing measures and are grateful to have had the opportunity to welcome our extended community into our school.

Thank you to the students, staff, volunteers, the P&F Association, St Margaret’s Foundation and parent support groups who were integral to this being such an enjoyable event.

Open Day highlights included school tours, interactive academic and co-curricular displays, an information session with our Principal, and performances by the school’s music and drama ensembles.

Our students are always the stars at our Open Day events, and here are some of the many positive comments we received from attendees: It was great to see the students be so interested and involved. My daughter very much enjoyed having Annie, a Year 5 student take us around the school for a tour of the primary areas. She was extremely well mannered, kind and well informed.

Wonderful atmosphere. Great having the classrooms ‘live’. Girls and staff were all very interactive and friendly.

An absolutely inspiring morning for all of us – Olivia (Year 11 tour guide) was a perfect role model for St Margaret’s students. What a delightful, mature and intelligent girl and what patience with our multitude of questions!

Please look out for information on our Open Morning, currently set to take place on Thursday 13 August 8am to 11am, depending on the advice of health and government authorities around that time. Please contact our Admissions team for further information on admissions@stmargarest.qld.edu.au. In the meantime, you can take a 360 virtual tour of our school via the website at https://www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au/admissions/ visit-us/virtual-tour. We look forward to welcoming you to St Margaret’s soon.

Meeting the exceptional staff and students left all of us feeling very inspired about the future of my daughter’s education if she joins St Margaret’s.

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St Margaret’s in 1916 outside St Margaret’s House

Weathering Global Challenges From world wars to global pandemics, in its 125-year history, St Margaret’s has weathered many challenges, which have resulted in closures, a hastily convened correspondence school and evacuation. What is significant, when reading through the annals of the Link, is that even in these times of hardship, the school community has banded together to support both the school and those in need across the globe and has always emerged, if not stronger, then fully focused on a brighter future.

World War I was declared on June 29, 1914, ending in 1918 with the signing of the Armistice at 11am on the 11 November. Over 58,000 Queenslanders fought in the war and over 10,000 of them died. The June 1916

Link recounted the first ANZAC day service held at the cathedral, saying, “… the sound of familiar names in the Roll of Honour – names known to our own school chapel.

Surely, they are with us now, those loyal hearts and true … the bugle-call of the last Post peals out in piercing, longdrawn notes, which grip our very heartstrings, which haunt our memory afterwards …”.

Sadly, a Roll of Honour started to be published in the Link from November 1916, just names at first and in later issues their relationship to the community … brother of … uncle of …

Throughout the war, students and Old Girls were very active, sewing and knitting socks and other comforts to be sent to the front, and held concerts and auctions to raise money for wounded soldiers.

The December 1918 Link editorial was joyous: “What a Christmas it will be, this of 1918. For the last four years of our Lord, the church, holding fast to the eternal truth, has lifted her voice to proclaim her message of peace amid a welter of war and tumult that verily seemed to give it the lie.

And now – ‘peace on earth’ rings true in every sense.”

But it was not long before the next challenge made its way across the oceans in the form of the Spanish Flu. The government decreed that schools be shut for a month from May 6 to June 3, after 700 cases of influenza were recorded in Brisbane. Most boarders were isolated in the boarding house.

St Margaret’s House (now Community House) in 1916 Autumn/Winter

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St Margaret’s was able to fund and build a new art room and pool during the Great Depression, both opening in 1933 In the Dec 1919 Link, a student recounted isolation measures which sound all too familiar.

“Everyone was to keep five feet – no, fifty feet – away from everyone else, and Miss Hart would supply compasses to ensure accurate measurements.

Everyone was to be rationed; the butcher and baker were to come only once a week and would be allowed to deliver their goods only after being inoculated and passing through an inhalation chamber at the front gate.

Sneezing was to be reckoned a capital crime – worse even than stealing from the tuckshop.”

This student had some insightful reflections about being in lockdown.

“The ill wind of that dreadful epidemic blew the school much good. All who spent that period at St Margaret’s agreed…. We have to be very thankful indeed, not only that we were mercifully preserved from any illness whatsoever, but for many invaluable lessons learnt….

The school work of those girls who were in residence benefited very much indeed by those weeks of concentrated effort. We learned, too, lessons of good comradeship and unselfishness.

If we felt homesick or anxious we kept quiet about it, lest our fears or sadness should do harm to others. We remembered that all were living in a cloud of anxiety….

Looking back, we can say that all “played the game” splendidly. It was not easy for the girls to stay at school when holidays at home were possible, and to hear little news of their people in those anxious days. The staff in utter self-forgetfulness worked early and late, often hours overtime, always ready to propose or further any plan to help, and they had no chance of throwing off their worries by escape from daily routine.”

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She goes on to say that “such an experience is not likely to occur again”, yet here we are a century later, faced with a similar crisis.

The school had a reprieve for another ten years, before being dealt a double blow of the Depression and polio epidemic. Enrolments were fairly steady from 1929 to 1932 but then slowly declined, starting to rise slowly again from 1936.

The June 1932 Link reported: “Our numbers have remained steady throughout the year, about 60 boarders and 200 day-girls, a decrease of only 10 from last year’s total, a feat for which we are exceedingly thankful in these days of depression. One cannot help noting with admiration what wonderful sacrifices many parents make in order to give their children the advantages of education and the corporate life of a big school.”

The polio epidemic closed the school to children under 12, resulting in no junior school at all for the first month of 1932 and a much-depleted middle school.

Junior staff created a correspondence school and books and work were sent out to as many as possible. The epidemic also revived the old question of public swimming baths and the germs likely to be picked up there. All school swimming was stopped for the 1932 season, but the school was determined to have its own swimming pool without delay. Construction began over the 1932 Christmas break and the pool was opened on 28 April 1933 with the Darnell Art Room also being opened in the same year by Daphne Mayo on 9 September.

These additions were made despite the difficult conditions of the Depression and exemplify the Sisters’ faith in the St Margaret’s of the future.

1941 Wartime Boarders

and cottonwool for ears. It was all a game until the sirens wailed for real when an unidentified plane was spotted approaching Brisbane.

The Old Girls’ Association was active in assisting others less fortunate during the depression with the June 1931 Link reporting there had been a good response to Lady Goodwin’s appeal for helpers for the Sewing Guild, the members of which made clothes for relatives of the unemployed.

“We are making a special request to all members of the OGA in this period of depression for gifts – either one new garment or some old clothes – which will go towards a donation to the Social Service League.”

Schools were closed for the first few weeks of 1942 as the enemy threat drew closer. Boarders were evacuated to St Catharine’s in Warwick and some to St Michael’s Clayfield, while day classes were held in small private homes.

St Margaret’s became a correspondence school once again with staff ‘dashing from group to group’.

For Australia, the war was finally over on 14 August 1945 when Japan accepted the Allied demand for unconditional surrender, but school philanthropy continued with the December 1945 Link reporting that the school community was knitting jumpers, socks and caps for the U.N.R.R.A. appeal (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration).

Many in the school community suffered hardship and tragedy throughout these trials; in turn members of the school community played their part where

The school was again shut in 1933 to children under 10, due to a second polio outbreak, but many parents kept older children away as well. Every effort was made to keep in touch via correspondence once again, with most children returning by Easter.

Australia entered World War II on 3 September 1939, and it was to make its presence felt closer to home.

Australia came under direct attack for the first time in its post-colonial history. Its casualties from enemy action during the war were 27,073 killed and 23,477 wounded.

Again, past and present students all started knitting socks, balaclavas, scarves and mittens. To aid the National Comforts’ Fund, a school club was formed for procuring and distributing wool and forwarding finished garments to the various associations. A variety of competitions, entertainment and exhibitions were organised by individual forms and nearly 20 pounds was donated to the Comforts Fund.

Many Old Girls were to serve as nurses in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F).

By December 1941, the Roll of Honour was once again appearing in the pages of the Link – the first casualties listed were the husbands of three Old Girls.

1944 School Captain Dawn Rees (centre) Old Girl Dawn Rees recalled in the 1964 they could, keeping education alive and doing all they could to assist others, here Link that they ‘wore plain clothes and and across the globe, as they do today. started showing our legs and using leg paint to give a smooth tanned look’!

The 1945 December Link editorial is as She said when school reopened on 10 March it had a very different look – windows sandbagged, others taped and black out curtains in classrooms.

Two girls had to learn to operate the switchboard and memorise all emergency numbers. Two zig zag air raid trenches had been dug and drills commenced.

Three slow rings of the bell was the call to head to the trenches with green and brown capes to cover collars and blouses, carried in bags that contained pegs to put between teeth

relevant in our current crisis as it was 75 years ago.

“We must gain confidence to face what appear to be insurmountable difficulties strengthened by the knowledge that resolution and energy overcome all obstacles. Though the part which the individual can play in this effort may seem infinitely small, yet on each lies a responsibility within the limits of her capacity.”

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Education in a pandemic Nothing Distant about Remote Learning As the COVID-19 crisis deepened in Australia throughout Term 1, it became a case of not ‘if’ but ‘when’ schools would close to students.

Our IT team also worked hard to ensure all systems were sufficiently robust and have been on hand to troubleshoot any issues with students, staff and families,” Ms Curtis said.

As this scenario unfolded, planning for online learning was quickly implemented and St Margaret’s staff responded to the challenge with dexterity and fortitude to adapt their practices for the online space.

When Term 2 resumed, the school was open to children of essential workers and online learning began in earnest.

Platforms familiar to both teachers and students, such as The POD and OneNote, together with Microsoft Teams for video conferencing, became the three central elements of online delivery, and came under the umbrella of ‘Maggies Connect’. New protocols were established for monitoring student attendance online, while professional development sessions were held to refresh and upskill teachers in the online environment.

Acting Dean of Academic Performance Nicole Devlin said the key to success was to work with systems already well known to the students.

“Importantly, once the teaching staff had established how we could deliver the curriculum online, we focused on the processes for the students.

“We sent out a series of ‘Maggies Connect’ communications which crystallised for students what their new learning day would look like,” Ms Devlin said.

The capacity of The POD to handle additional volumes of teachers and students being online simultaneously was tested one evening with great success.

The change came rapidly, and from Monday 23 March, students were given the option to learn from home or attend school, with all learning moving to online delivery, whether students were sitting in the classroom or at home.

Students taking part in a Year 9 History lesson were one of the first classrooms to simultaneously ‘broadcast’ the lesson into the homes of students. These girls saw the novelty of stepping into the future of remote learning by using technology to learn about the past, taking only a few moments to set up their online classroom, say hello to the occasional household pet, and discover the logistics of group discussions via live feed.

On March 26, the state government decreed that the last week of term be student-free days, which St Margaret’s also adopted.

Principal Ros Curtis said this arrangement allowed teachers to consolidate the delivery of Term 2 learning online.

“The teaching program was reviewed by all teachers and changes were made to assessments and due dates to accommodate online delivery,” she said.

“Our teachers have done an incredible job to quickly pivot their practice to the online space.

“They have shared resources and digital expertise to ensure that everyone was operating optimally in this new learning paradigm,” Ms Curtis said.

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The school received praise for its preparedness and the learning experience that was offered to the students, with parents emailing and commenting on social media platforms.

“We’re so lucky to have such a wonderful and agile school and amazing, dedicated teachers.”

“Thank you for arranging this online learning to keep our girls safe and making things flexible for those that still need to go to work in essential services on the front line. All the Maggie’s teachers and staff have done such an amazing job. We are all so thankful and appreciate it so much. Stay safe everyone!!!”

“It was so much fun listening to a Year 9 drama class out of our living room today. Thank you and well done to all. Make sure you take the time to congratulate each other and recognise what an awesome job you are doing!”

“Thanks to everyone involved for making online learning so easy to embrace. It was very impressive watching classes run throughout the day and the girls enthusiastically interacting online.”

Ms Curtis said she was very grateful for the communications the school has received about the home learning experience across both the primary and secondary schools.

From change and adversity spring opportunity and the chance to be innovative and creative and model adaptability, flexibility and patience throughout the COVID-19 crisis have been the hallmarks of the entire St Margaret’s community.

Ms Curtis said she was heartened by the response from staff, students and families to work together to ensure that highquality education continued to be delivered across the school.

“This has really thrown the positive partnerships we have with families and the strong relationships that exist between our teachers and students into the spotlight, and I thank everyone in our community for working with us as we navigate our way through these most unusual times.”

The COVID-19 response changes rapidly. As the Flyer goes to print, the Queensland State Government has adopted a staggered approach to the return to school, allowing Years 11 and 12s and Prep and Year 1s back to the physical learning environment. If all goes well, remaining year levels will return on Monday 25 May; however, nothing is certain.

One thing is certain – we really miss the presence of the students on campus – and look forward to relegating #learninginlockdown to the history pages while taking everything positive we have gleaned from the experience into the future.

Mana Fua, Primary Co Captain and Year 6 student, said her home learning experience had highlighted the importance of maintaining connection.

“Connection with my classmates and teachers is such an important part of being a St Margaret’s student. While at home, we have needed to adapt to maintain this connection.

Primary Home Learning In the Primary School online learning was delivered through a modified timetable, aimed at providing flexibility and structure to families. Three different modes of learning were used, including face to face teaching via Microsoft Teams, pre-recorded sessions and independent learning through selfpaced courses, choice boards and inquiry.

Assistant Head of Primary- Curriculum Kate Frewin said there were a number of goals in developing St Margaret’s online learning program, ‘Maggies Connect’.

“We wanted to ensure we continue to deliver a rigorous and holistic teaching and learning program to our students. A crucial part of this was student wellbeing – ensuring our students continued to feel connected to the St Margaret’s community was vitally important to us,” Ms Frewin said.

I enjoy interacting with my classmates in our team meetings where we are able to share our thoughts and our lives at home. I also interact with my teachers through one on one chats continuing to give them updates about my learning and they, in turn, can support me as I learn from home as well,” Mana said.

Ms Frewin said that while the delivery of teaching and learning programs had seen a dramatic shift, St Margaret’s learning outcomes and focus remained the same.

“Our teachers continue to deliver the same learning programs they would if we were at school. The POD provides us with the ability to deliver our teaching and learning in a variety of ways. All our lessons continue to follow the same pedagogical approaches we use at school. Learning intentions are delivered at the beginning of each lesson and feedback is provided regularly and in a range of different ways,” she said.

Mrs Drysdale said parents played a vital role in assisting their child’s remote learning.

Head of Primary Angela Drysdale said teaching staff were employing many innovative initiatives aimed at engaging with students and maintaining a sense of community in the new virtual learning environment.

“In addition to daily pastoral meetings via Microsoft Teams, our staff have come up with several innovative ways to engage with and look after the wellbeing of the girls. Examples of these activities include our Drive by Library and the Pre-Prep bus excursion combining a Teddy Bear hunt with the delivery of book packs to students learning at home.

“We also have daily sport, STEM and character challenges that students and families are encouraged to participate in and share photographs of themselves engaging with their teachers.

“Students are also being encouraged to participate in the service-learning project, Helping for Hundreds, with the dual purpose of encouraging them to help out at home whilst also raising money towards the development of a COVID-19 vaccine,” Mrs Drysdale said.

“Students with high levels of wellbeing tend to have better learning and academic outcomes. Parents can assist teachers by ensuring their daughter’s emotional, physical and mental wellbeing is maintained and that there is no stress about home learning. No child is ahead, no child is behind; however, a child with high levels of wellbeing will be optimally placed to develop the agency and resilience required to both learn remotely and adapt again to the physical classroom once the time comes.”

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Living and learning in lockdown The COVID-19 crisis was only just becoming a concern in Australia when boarders returned for the start of the 2020 school year. Early measures were put in place to take all boarders’ temperatures when they returned to the house, then subsequently daily. Within just a few days, concerns had escalated, and the government announced that all people returning to Australia from China must self-isolate for 14 days. These measures applied to 16 of our international students in the boarding house, and overnight, like some covert COVID-19 operation, they had to very quickly pack their belongings and were spirited from their dormitories to the Cairnmore house in Petrie Street, where they would stay, supervised by staff members who had volunteered to care for them, for the next 14 days.

Head of Boarding Lesa Fowler said initially it was quite frightening and dislocating for the girls, but they quickly became accustomed to life in lockdown and were very well cared for.

“Everyone played their part – from boarding and teaching staff to the catering, facilities and IT teams – to ensure the girls were well set up for living and learning throughout their stint in isolation,” she said.

Ms Fowler said all international boarders remained well and re-joined their housemates after the required time.

Many additional measures were put in place across the first term to ensure the health and wellbeing of the boarders.

Handwashing stations were set up outside the dining room; regular cleaning was ramped up to be more like medi-cleans; and the girls were socially distanced as much as was possible in a boarding house of 186 girls. This meant restricting numbers in common rooms at any one time; restricting the number of people sitting at a table; and ensuring girls were not visiting each other’s rooms.

The boarding house was quiet in the last week of term which was designated student-free days apart from Years 11 and 12 exams. Families were no doubt relieved to have their children home amid such global uncertainty. Our international students faced the dilemma of choosing to go home but not being allowed back into the country for an unknown period of time or staying in Brisbane and missing out on precious time with their families. The school arranged homestays for the vast majority of international students who chose to stay, so they could continue their education with the least disruption possible.

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In Term 2 the boarding house reopened for these international students – 24 in all – who were all luxuriously spaced out in their own rooms, with individually allocated vanities, showers and toilets.

The remaining boarders home schooled from every corner of the country with varied access to reliable internet. As one boarder parent from a rural property told Ms Fowler, ‘we have to go the top of the hill to get reception’. Home schooling was destined to look a little different for boarders depending on their internet access. In the student free week at the end of Term 1, boarding house staff checked in with families to see what type of learning was going to work for them in Term 2. For those with no, or limited, access to the internet, packs were prepared and mailed out in readiness for Term 2, which was continued for as long as necessary.

Even from a distance, the pastoral role of housemothers remained key, with every boarder receiving a weekly phone call, while Ms Fowler regularly connected to students through a weekly Microsoft Teams meeting with each year level, in addition to always being on the end of the telephone line (or email) for whoever needed her.

Ms Fowler said the challenge was to keep the boarding community connected, especially for those who only commenced at the school in 2020, and barely had a term to settle in.

“We really want all our boarders to still feel a growing sense of belonging to the school and the boarding house, so this has been the focus of some of our activities across this period,” she said.

Regular challenges to bring the house together remotely were instigated such as sharing sunrise/sunset from their homes, sharing pictures of their favourite pets, what books they were reading and images of them doing home chores or farm work.

“It’s a little bit like a virtual ‘See my difference, See my worth’ festival,” Ms Fowler said.

“The girls will get to understand a little bit more about each other, where they from and what they do when they are home.

“Importantly, we are keeping the boarding house community spirit alive and strong; that it was strong to begin with is why we will get through this together,” she said.

Australia Day Award for Year 12 Boarder Year 12 boarder Emily Curr from Yelvertoft Station near Mt Isa knows how to make things happen. She was behind the highly successful annual high school campdraft, now into its fourth year, and this year won an Australia Day Award in the category of Large Community Event for hosting a Flood Relief Luncheon in Julia Creek in May last year.

Following on from the devastating floods which swept through North Queensland in early 2019, decimating properties and killing cattle in the tens of thousands, Emily rallied supporters and sponsors to stage a lunch to bring the community together to support one another and enjoy an afternoon of camaraderie in what was very trying times. She even secured radio presenter Alan Jones to MC the event.

Unable to be at the awards presentation earlier in the year, McKinley Shire Councillor Cr. Royes presented Emily with the award on April 22, while she was at home due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

Congratulations, Emily! We can’t wait to see what you will do next!

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HELPING FOR HUNDREDS for COVID-19 vaccine

During Term 1, shortly after COVID-19 became a pandemic that would rapidly leave its mark on the entire world, a group of our Year 5 students were busy planning a touching contribution towards the fight against COVID-19.

The girls, feeling compelled to do whatever they could to make a difference, pledged $100 to help fast-track a potential vaccine for COVID-19, which they intended to raise by hosting a family movie night.

Imogen Wren, one of the masterminds behind the idea said: “We wanted to do something for the planet and we realised the perfect thing would be Coronavirus research. We needed to know whether any funds we raised would be helpful or not, so we decided to write a letter.”

Imogen penned a letter to Dr Paul Young, lead researcher at The University of Queensland (UQ), sharing their plans.

Their letter prompted an encouraging response in which Dr Young wrote: “It was extremely touching and humbling to receive your kind letter when I had a brief moment to step out of the laboratory today to check my e-mail.

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“The whole team here are working really hard to deliver on this program, and your kind thoughts and donation mean more to us than

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pretty much anything else that has crossed our desks since we began this journey in early January.

It will undoubtedly keep us strong.

“I find it inspiring when young people, such as yourselves, harness the power of philanthropy to solve the world’s greatest problems,” he wrote.

The girls’ movie night plans were soon squashed when restrictions around gatherings and social distancing were imposed.

So, they put their heads together again and came up with Helping for Hundreds, a fundraising campaign that every St Margaret’s student could get behind while in self-isolation.

The idea? To help out around the house and instead of asking for pocket money, ask their families to donate to the St Margaret’s Helping for Hundreds Campaign.

In addition, Head of Primary Angela Drysdale conducted a walk-a-thon whereby primary families nominated to have her walk past their house to or from school, in exchange for a donation.

So far, St Margaret’s students and Mrs Drysdale have raised $1180 which will go directly to support researchers at The University of Queensland as they work around the clock to deliver a vaccine for COVID-19.

Listening to Your Heart proves a winning strategy

Late last year, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image – Education announced two St Margaret’s Digital Art Club students, Cathrine Jensen and Gio Kim, as winners of the senior animation category in the ‘2019 Screen It Australian Film Competition’. Their entry, ‘Listen To Your Heart’, featured 1100 individually generated Adobe Photoshop frames stitched together in Adobe Premiere Pro, and was an intensive project requiring many hours of meticulous work every Thursday lunchtime throughout Terms 2 and 3.

The award was announced at a gala event held in Melbourne in late November. Digital Art Club coordinator Ms Jane Martens flew down to accept the award on the girls’ behalf, as the winners, who were boarders, had already returned home overseas. 2019 was the inaugural year for the Digital Art Club at St Margaret’s which makes this national accomplishment even more remarkable. Prizes for the award included an animation kit, which will enable more Digital Art Club students to explore digital craft in the future.

The BEAT goes on St Margaret’s students often have pleasure of eating their morning tea or lunch in the Barley Sugar Garden accompanied by live performances from student bands and ensembles. Not only do these concerts create an enjoyable ambience for students, they provide important performance opportunities for our young musicians.

is required. Players in drum circles are all equal and there is no right or wrong – you listen to what others are playing and you join in. It is not about perfection but rather about participation,” Camille said.

“The sessions work best where every student can have a drum to play.

Sometimes extra students are brought in to play other auxiliary percussion instruments such as rattles, shakers and bells,” Brad said.

Why Drumming?

This year, a quite different sound has been heard emanating from the Barley Sugar Garden.

These inclusive sessions are designed to build community, musical participation and wellbeing.

Head of Performance Brad King said: “We want to provide a space where girls who might not have had the opportunity to play musical instruments in a group setting can experience the power of group music-making without having to read musical notation or have had any formal training.”

“Drumming is an ancient and universal technique that is valued for its therapeutic effects and ability to heal the mind, body and soul.

A series of workshops called ‘Drummers Circle’ is being hosted by Coordinator of Bands Camille Syntageros and Percussion Teacher Alice Emor-Kan. “A drum circle is a group of people who meet to play percussion instruments in an informal setting. No previous drumming or even musical experience

The P&F Association has supported this initiative, helping to purchase 23 African instruments called djembes (hand held drums).

“Drumming promotes wellbeing,” says Camille.

“It is a wordless form of expression, and because of this, it can promote healing and feelings of wellbeing, strengthen the immune system and provide emotional relief from the stresses of everyday life.”

The Drummers Circle has successfully hosted two sessions this year, one aimed at students in Years 10 to 12 and another for students in Years 7 to 9, with the intention of running sessions for younger grades and any interested staff in the future.

When school resumes there is a plan to begin experimenting with sessions involving students across different year levels.

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‘Inspired to Fly’ Book Launch There was something special in the air when Inspired to Fly, which celebrates the spirit of St Margaret’s across 125 years, was launched late last year at an evening function.

to the students that, in the words of Penny Twemlow (’00), taught her to never doubt that she was ‘valuable, powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity’’.

A spirited group of over 100 people attended a night of cocktails and canapes and were delighted to be amongst the first to receive their copy of the book. The atmosphere was one of great conviviality and friendship across a wide range of community sectors, which included past students, and past and present staff and parents.

Madonna recalled what Mary Surtees who has been on staff for four decades said to her: “There is never any opportunity for girls to think they are not good enough. There are no barriers to what they can do. The sky’s the limit, not only in academic rigour and sporting pursuits and cultural pursuits, but also in leadership.’’

Author Madonna King addressed the group and shared some of her experiences of researching and writing the book.

Madonna finished her address by saying “I hope I’ve done your fabulous story justice”.

“I met so many beautiful women through this project, all of them having marched through the front gates of St Margaret’s – and who left with an education steeped in friendship and learnings that would go on to provide a foundation for their adult lives,” she told the audience.

There is no question that she has for the book truly captures in an eminently engaging and readable fashion the stories and the spirit of the people who have steered St Margaret’s through its 125-year journey. We also thank Madonna for generously attending the launch and staying on to sign copies for a long queue of purchasers.

She noted the enduring friendships cemented at the school, evidence of which she saw at the school reunions she attended in 2019 as part of her research for the book.

“I also heard it time and time again in the stories of Old Girls who tell of being bridesmaids to the people who sat next to them in Year 1, of sharing in the joys and heartbreak of parenting, and of friends picking up others after the death of a loved one,” Madonna said, before recounting the story of Judith Pugh, who started boarding in 1955 and met Janet Biggs, who became her best friend. The pair shared a boarding cubicle and ended up each other’s bridesmaids.

“We’ve been friends all our lives and now we live over the road from each other in a retirement village,’’ Judith had told Madonna.

“Through the highs and lows of raising children, and the death of one of their partners, that friendship which began in a boarding cubicle planted enough magic for a lifetime,” Madonna said.

Madonna noted also that St Margaret’s produces strong women, with staff leading and role-modelling a commitment

President of the Old Girls’ Association Nicole Devlin also addressed the crowd, saying how proud the association was to have been able to assist with the books funding, contributing $10,000 towards its costs.

To quote the Principal, Ros Curtis, in the book’s forward: “At 125 years young, the St Margaret’s story is still very much alive.

Where there are challenges, we see opportunities. Where there is despair, we see inspiration, drawing now as ever on the vision of our founder and those who have followed her.’’

Those words are almost prophetic, given the current crisis we find ourselves in, but those who have gone before us have steered the school through two world wars, a pandemic and a depression, and the school’s history and the enduring spirit of its community in times of great adversity, gives us great strength, inspiration and hope.

The book can be purchased online through flexischools or from the school’s supply shop ($55 a copy or $50 each for two or more copies).

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125th Anniversary Eucharist As the St Margaret’s community embarked on its 125th anniversary year, no one could have anticipated we would enter this next phase of our school’s history during a global pandemic.

It was fortunate, then, that students, staff, Old Girls and special guests had the opportunity to gather at St John’s Cathedral on Friday 7 March to mark this milestone. Little did anyone know at the time, the Anniversary Eucharist would be one of the final opportunities for the school community to come together for quite some time given that, just over a week later, restrictions on large gatherings were put in place.

More than 890 students in Years 5 to 12, St Margaret’s staff, Old Girls and special guests attended the Eucharist. Sisters Gillian, Eunice and Sandra, the three remaining Sisters of the school’s founders, the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent, were also in attendance.

The Archbishop of Brisbane, Phillip Aspinall, presided over the service, assisted by the Dean of St John’s Cathedral, The Very Reverend Dr Peter Catt, and St Margaret’s Chaplain The Reverend Susan Crothers-Robertson.

Students in all year levels were actively involved in the service, from participating in the processional, delivering readings and prayers, through to singing in the choir and partaking in holy communion. Each student also received a 125-year school pin, blessed by the Archbishop during the service.

Year 12 student and Sacristan Sophia Colledge was tasked with the role of crucifer during the service, leading the processional in and out of the sanctuary and assisting with communion preparation.

“I was humbled to have taken an active role in this significant spiritual celebration for the school.

“Throughout my St Margaret’s education, I have been lucky enough to have had a close relationship with the Sisters.

From Pre-Prep through to Year 12, the Sisters’ nurturing and authentic values have provided consistent guidance as reflected throughout the order’s 125 years of history at St Margaret’s.

“I will wear my 125-year pin as a daily reminder of the beautiful service celebrating the Sisters’ foundation of our school,” Sophia said.

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In his sermon, the Archbishop established a connection between the verse ‘Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and with people’ (Luke 2.52) and education.

He shared: “The four ways in which Jesus grew (in wisdom, in stature, in favour with God and with people) are a kind of framework for education. In many ways this is the framework that’s at the heart of St Margaret’s. These four dimensions of growth point to the holistic, comprehensive, well-rounded education St Margaret’s provides.”

Later in his address the Archbishop reiterated: “Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and with people. In those few words lie the roots of an educational philosophy that has made a remarkable contribution in Queensland and beyond.

“In the marvellous history of St Margaret’s 125 years, Madonna King sums up well the core vision: ‘to put the love of God above all else and love of one’s neighbour as our constant theme, to produce people of fine character and scholarship and to develop each to their fullest potential; and to engender courtesy at all times and respect for all…’

“From the beginning the SSA sisters were determined that girls would have opportunities to come to faith in Christ, that there would be academic excellence, that the girls would be keenly encouraged in cultural pursuits – music and art and drama – as well as in sports. Service to others was integral to the character development which was the focus of an SSA education.

“The State of Queensland and the Church in Queensland owe a great deal to the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent.

Theirs has been a singular contribution to the education of girls for 125 years. Driving that contribution from the beginning to today is the passion for justice, wellbeing and fullness of life born of the faith in Jesus Christ that is the heart of the sisters’ community life.”

The occasion was a marvellous opportunity to gather so many of the St Margaret’s community to commemorate the school’s milestone 125th anniversary year. Although opportunities to celebrate our anniversary have been restricted during this time, we as a community remain united by our founders, the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent, and their guiding philosophy which actively sought to educate “the whole personality, physical, mental and spiritual so that the girls may live to their fullest capacity”. During these testing times, our St Margaret’s students can call on the strength, resilience, courage, passion and faith instilled by our founders.

Something St Margaret’s Art Competition

The annual school calendar provided to every St Margaret’s family provides the opportunity to impart information and celebrate different aspects of school life.

Previous calendars have featured our visual arts, the St Margaret’s Way, our values and strategic priorities, school events and activities, school history and school musicals through the ages.

Neve Mattsson Winner

Natalie Bluett Winner

Deb Cohen Winner

Isobel Stobie HC

Emily Ford HC

Annie Ding HC

Anna Coudré HC

Cathrine Jensen HC

Millicent Quirk HC

Silvia Fan HC

Sophie Burgess HC

Sophie Hutchinson HC

Eleanor Jewell HC

Gio Kim HC

Jenny Lishman HC

Deb Cohen HC

Jacqueline Ma HC

Isla McWilliam HC

To celebrate our 125th year, instead of the traditional historic images, it was decided to involve our community and ask them what comes to their mind when they think of St Margaret’s and captures the spirit of the school.

We invited students and the wider St Margaret’s community – past students, past and current staff and parents – to enter the art competition which awarded cash prizes to the winners of each category and publication of their art works in the calendar to both winning and highly commended entries.

It was both fascinating and revealing to see the common themes that emerged across the primary, secondary and open categories; those things we hold dear and are synonymous with St Margaret’s: the view; Jacarandas in Spring; the Barley Sugar Garden; the dragon; Mooloomburram; the school motto – Per Volar Sunata; our six values; the eight houses; friendship; the Sisters; Circular Drive; the Panama and much more.

The winners and highly commended entries are listed below: Open: Winner – Deb Cohen; Highly Commended – Deb Cohen; Jenny Lishman Secondary: Winner - Natalie Bluett; Highly Commended - Sophie Burgess; Silvia Fan; Cathrine Jensen; Eleanor Jewell; Gio Kim; Jacqueline Ma; Isla McWilliam Primary: Winner - Neve Mattsson; Highly Commended - Anna Coudré; Annie Ding; Emily Ford; Sophie Hutchinson; Millicent Quirk; Isobel Stobie Congratulations to all winning and highly commended artists and thank you to everyone who entered the competition.

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Lunch, Laughter and Lifelong Camaraderie Part of the 125 year St Margaret’s celebrations, the Women’s Luncheon, held on Friday 13 March, was a magnificent summertime gathering of women from the extended school community, whose lives have intertwined with the school, in one form or another, throughout its long and proud history.

The relaxed Mediterranean atmosphere of Brisbane’s Greek Club was enlivened by the joyful conversations of over 600 Old Girls, past and present mothers and staff members – some travelling from far flung regional and remote parts of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, and as far away as Singapore.

Guests joined Principal Ros Curtis and Sister Gillian SSA over a sumptuous meal while Master of Ceremonies – comedian, writer and presenter Mel Buttle (’99) – entertained with memories and anecdotes of life as a St Margaret’s student.

The afternoon was a wonderful opportunity for all women within the St Margaret’s community to celebrate their connection to the school while also fundraising to benefit St Margaret’s students. Over $40,000 was raised on the day, which would not have been possible without the generosity of sponsors UMS and Qscan, major prize donor Snowscene, and the many raffle prize donors.

St Margaret’s would like to thank Anthea Damman and Angela Pratt from the P&F Association and the many parent volunteers who assisted on the day. Their support of this occasion speaks volumes for the kindness and connectedness of the St Margaret’s community.

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A special thank you to Sheridan Half Baked Cakery for the gorgeous celebratory cake!

St Margaret’s sincerely thanks everyone involved for their contributions and encourage our community to support the businesses that have so generously sponsored the school’s fundraising efforts.

RAFFLE PRIZE DONORS:

Brenda Stevens Artist Brisbane Lashes Calile Hotel The Derm Lab Emporium Hotel South Brisbane Extreme Physique Albion Girls Trek Haight & Ashbury Boutique Keri Craig McKinney’s Jewellers Mercedes Benz Brisbane

Penelope Haddrill Hats Pine Rivers Physio & Sportscare Runway Scout Sam Ogilvie Studio Pilates Hamilton The Greek Club The Shak Tigerlamb Hair Verve Portraits Western Truck Group Wolff Roasters

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1997

Mary Surtees has been on the St Margaret’s staff for over 40 years and shares her memories of the Canberra trip which she first undertook in its inaugural year in 1995.

HISTORY OF THE CANBERRA TRIP As we celebrate the school’s 125th anniversary this year, it is appropriate to look back on the history of a particular event that the Primary girls hold very dear – the Canberra Trip. In 1994, Kay McKay, the Head of the Primary at the time, asked her staff to come up with ideas on how we could celebrate the centenary of the school which would occur the following year. Year 7 teacher Cynthia Hume had been speaking with a colleague at another school and they had undertaken a trip to Canberra to enable the students to see, first hand, the workings of our federal government. It was decided, after lengthy investigations, that the school would undertake a one-off trip to Canberra as a fitting way to acknowledge our centenary. The trip was a huge success and rather than being a ‘one-off’, it became firmly cemented in the Year 7 curriculum, converting to the Year 6 Canberra trip when Year 7 became part of secondary school.

I was part of that first trip. We bused it down, leaving St Margaret’s on the Sunday at midday and arriving into Canberra bleary eyed at 9.00am the following morning. No rest for the wicked is the saying and, after a very quick shower and hastily consumed breakfast, we were ready to explore.

Over the course of that trip, we visited virtually every site worth seeing. School Canberra trips were still quite the novelty and most places we visited were not that organised for the onslaught.

As the years progressed and the number of schools going to Canberra from all over Australia increased, the tourist sites, tour guides and accommodation houses realised they were on to a very good thing. Our first driver on our very first trip was quick to educate the girls on the fact that we were travelling in a coach and not a bus and he was their coach captain and not their driver. As with all subsequent trips, the St Margaret’s girls quickly won over our coach captains, tour

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guides, accommodation specialists and the public in general. We have often returned to school to find letters or emails from people who have been impressed by the girls and their behaviour. In the past five years, we have worn our school uniforms to Parliament House and then the flight back home.

The girls are very easily recognisable in the brown, white and blue and they have been proud and worthy ambassadors for their school.

Travelling to Canberra has certainly had its fair share of interesting moments! We arrived at a new accommodation place to be warmly welcomed. Unbeknownst to us, we were their first ever group booking. We descended upon the dining room for a hearty breakfast to find that they possessed one, two-slice toaster to serve the 65 plus girls and staff for a quick breakfast! They did remedy the situation for the next morning. Over the years we have had our lodgings to ourselves and we have had to share with other schools. Our girls have always behaved impeccably. Every time we have shared, we have had teachers from the other schools approach us to ask how they can get a job at the school!

One place where we stayed for the three nights served us nothing but schnitzels – beef schnitzel, chicken schnitzel and then veal schnitzel. By the end of our stay, we were completely OVER schnitzels. As the years have progressed, we have seen a distinct change in the weather. We have always travelled in May to be able to see parliament sitting.

As we had to book at least a year in advance, sometimes parliament would change its sitting dates and we were left to view an empty chamber. We have been there when it has snowed, and the girls were delirious with excitement as many had never seen snow. Hastily built snowmen were constructed wherever we went. Our visits to Telstra Tower always saw the appearance of scarves,

gloves and beanies and the wind up there did not disappoint – it was certainly a cold place.

When visiting the Australian Institute of Sport, the girls have been able to pit themselves against some virtual tests. We have been fortunate to have guides there who went on to represent Australia in both the Olympics and the Para-Olympics. We have seen many sporting stars – some have happily allowed their photos to be taken and some were, perhaps, not so happy and were very single-minded in their training regime and photos with the girls from St Margaret’s were not about to interrupt that.

My favourite building in all of Canberra is Old Parliament House – what stories those walls could tell. While visiting there, Malcolm and Tammy Fraser arrived just as we were leaving.

Mr Fraser was far too busy to speak with the girls, but Mrs Fraser was as gracious as ever and stopped and chatted for quite some time. Questacon and the National Dinosaur Museum are always big hits. Questacon is very hands-on and ‘the Drop’ is a much-anticipated activity by students and staff alike. The visit to the Dinosaur Museum is both interesting and educational and the girls enjoy passing the large ‘specimen’ around until they are told it is coprolite – fossilised dinosaur poo! Visits to the National Art Gallery have certainly enlightened the girls and we all have our favourite pieces. Jackson Pollock’s ‘Blue Poles’ has always elicited some interesting comments from the girls.

As more and more schools made their way to Canberra, more and more interesting attractions were added to the viewing list: the Royal Australian Mint, the War Memorial, the National Museum, role plays in Parliament House, CSIRO (where the girls worked at being forensic detectives), Mt Stromlo Observatory (until it was destroyed by fire), the Arboretum, the Electoral Education Office, and the National Portrait Gallery, to name but a few which have graced our itinerary.

After approximately ten years of travelling to Canberra by coach, the decision was taken to instead fly – oh, what bliss to be there in two hours rather than twenty-one. But the true reason behind our going to Canberra has always been to go to Parliament House and that occurs on the last day and does not disappoint. We have met many politicians – Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers, Senators, back benchers and local members. Some have been family members who have been

very keen to show-off their working environment to daughters, nieces, cousins or friends. We have toured the entire senate, thanks to Senator Brandis, or the House of Representatives, thanks to Elizabeth Grace. Of course, all school groups are taken on tours of both houses but our tours on these occasions were private ones and we did get to see many interesting scenes while there.

The girls were in the public gallery when the bag of salad leaves was thrown across the chamber during the discussions around the GST. Kevin Rudd waved to the girls during one discussion.

The girls could see politicians sound asleep in the chamber or listen to their antics, where to quote one student ‘if we behaved like that, we would be expelled’! We have been present when the then Prime Minister, John Howard, came out of the Great Hall and stopped to talk with the girls with the President of the Philippines. We were taken for a special meeting with the then Prime Minister, Tony Abbott. Senator Joanna Lindgren came to speak to the girls.

Minister Peter Dutton showed the girls around the cabinet rooms. Our various local members have all come to see the girls at Hospitality Time. Two years ago, our local member, Trevor Evans, organised for the Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, to meet with the girls. She was exceptionally gracious, and both asked and answered questions from the girls. She brought with her the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, so the meeting was extra special. All he wanted to do was talk about cricket! Minister Christian Porter also spent time with the girls. We have had politicians break their very busy schedules to speak with the girls. Bob Katter was so impressed with the questions the girls asked that he overstayed his time with us – much to the consternation of his faction.

The Canberra trip does not ‘just’ happen but takes months of careful planning and organisation to ensure that the itinerary is the best possible one for the girls. Special thanks to the teachers who have taken on this task. Nanette Dodd undertook this task when the Year 7 cohort travelled to Canberra, ably assisted by Janice Emmett. When Year 7 moved into the secondary school, it fell to Georgina Stevenson as one of the Year 6 teachers to take up the mantle.

This year, 2020, is the 25th anniversary of the Canberra trip. We were not to know that it would be cancelled in May because of the Covid-19 virus. Not even history is immune to this virus.

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Ours day of e d u t i t Gra WELLBEING in lockdown The wellbeing of all school community members has been uppermost in the school’s mind throughout the COVID-19 crisis. For students, staff and even parents, school is one of the constants in their lives, and can be a prime source of connection, community and fellowship.

Academic Advisors in Years 9 to 12 have continued in their roles, in a combination of group or individual meetings; however, throughout the home learning period, they committed to speaking with each student individually at least once a week.

For many, social distancing, isolation and home learning have removed or diminished regular person to person connection to friends, mentors and colleagues, so the challenge has been to continue to nurture those connections in the online world.

Student Counsellor Sharon Stone created a student wellbeing section in every year level in the POD which includes wellbeing apps, support numbers, relaxation exercises and mental health tips. In addition, counselling sessions are still available through Microsoft Teams.

Dean of Students Nikki Townsend said the school was concerned for the wellbeing of students across all dimensions – the physical, social and emotional, academic and spiritual.

“A healthy wellbeing is vital to academic success, so alongside the continued delivery of high-quality teaching and learning we have also prioritised students’ pastoral care,” said Ms Townsend.

Year level assemblies have been an important touchpoint with Heads of Year who have continued to hold these in the regular Thursday timeslot. Prefects have ‘addressed’ assembly according to their prefect portfolio (academic, wellbeing etc) offering insights and encouragement to the students.

Prefects have also devised a series of challenges for the entire student body to keep them connected and have a bit of fun – the first being a Recipe Challenge – with the best slice recipe, as judged by boarding house chef Scott Johnson, to be made and sold at M’s Café.

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A team of 18 staff members was allocated to make calls to secondary school parents once a fortnight, to check in with them to see how their daughter was coping, to ensure learning resources and lessons had been readily accessed and online learning was progressing successfully.

Ms Townsend said the parents have been overwhelmingly positive and very impressed with the delivery of the curriculum online and the measures taken by all staff to care academically and emotionally for their daughters.

“We have created a system of touchpoints whereby no child can ‘hide’ at home.

“We want to know they are connecting with the work, their teachers and each other, as well as coping with this new paradigm,” said Ms Townsend.

Through the school’s weekly online newsletter, Ms Townsend has highlighted SchoolTV to parents as a great resource to support their children. Established by renowned psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Greg, this resource can be found under Parenting Resources in the POD and has a series of videos around themes such as Mental Health, Cybersafety, Positive Parenting and more.

The Reverend Susan Crothers-Roberston has also reached out to the community, creating online resources, with such pertinent topics for these times such as Faith at Home, Living with Grief, Loss and Change, and Prayer Spaces at Home.

The meals being prepared out of the boarding kitchen and offered to families and staff at cost prices have been a blessing for many, and has helped keep the kitchen busy while giving others a welcome break from theirs.

St Margaret’s doesn’t need a crisis to show it cares; that it has adapted its delivery of pastoral care to the community so effectively in this time of need demonstrates how deeply embedded its culture of care truly is.

Thank you

Staff wellbeing has also been at the forefront of the school’s leadership with teachers having to extensively adapt their lesson plans and resources for online learning and delivering classes either at home or at school. Equally, Support Staff, in many instances, have adapted to different roles at this time as well, working together to do whatever it takes.

If the only prayer you ever say in your life is ‘thank you’ that would suffice.

The Educational Leadership Team have reached out to all teachers at least once a week and Support Staff are being contacted regularly through their line manager or the Director of Human Resources Kate Curran.

The daily temperature checks with Health Centre Staff have also been a touchpoint for staff; an opportunity to be asked if they are OK. The Staff Wellbeing Committee set challenges for staff to keep everyone connected and weekly Random Acts of Kindness went online. Also online is a Staff Wellbeing Hub featuring a gratitude wall – a compilation of comments received from parents through social media throughout the crisis.

STMRC St Margaret’s

RUN CLUB

Meister Eckhart

15K

COMPLETED

40K

COMPLETED

75K 100K 200K COMPLETED

COMPLETED

COMPLETED

VIRTUALLY FIT Open to all interested secondary students, the club encourages participants to track their activities with regular fitness apps (Strava, Nike Run Club, RunKeeper) or use a connected device (Apple watch, Fitbit, Garmin) to submit their data and photos of their journey via a form on the St Margaret’s Secondary Sport POD page.

St Margaret’s Run Club was formed to motivate students to continue their fitness training during the Easter break.

The module, with the exception of scheduled run meetups, was readily adapted to an entirely virtual space to accommodate Australia’s social distancing response to COVID-19.

With governments and medical professionals around the world asserting the importance of maintaining physical activity during a period of ‘social distancing’, the virtual run club has not only encouraged students to stay active, but also has offered a platform to connect with one another and share their solo runs and at-home achievements.

The data is used to award members virtual badges and is also converted to a weekly leader board with awards for: most kilometres run throughout the week; longest timed run recorded throughout the week; and the fastest kilometre recorded throughout the week.

Year 11 student Julia Elks says the online run club has offered an extra level of support as students adapt to the changes.

“Online run club has been a great way to stay fit, motivated and excited to train as a strong group of Maggies girls during this unfortunate break from usual school sport.

“While it may be a difficult time to find the motivation and drive to be active or go for a run, the online run club provides a supportive, inclusive and fun way of tracking and sharing our personal progress and achievements with those around us,” she says.

Julia embraced the online challenge and is proving to be a role model for other girls to track their progress and get involved. “The virtual leader board provides a very positive, visual representation of our progress and commitment and gives us the extra motivation to persist with our running and fitness goals,” she adds.

Sharing her experience with her friends, Julia said: “The friendly competitiveness which comes with this also creates a more motivating and exciting environment for us to be a part of during this break from school sport.”

The St Margaret’s Run Club is keeping students’ fitness – as well as team spirit – high, ready for the time when games and regular training can resume.

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In the swim: Andrews Cup Victory

The lack of a large pool proved no impediment to the primary school’s swimming prowess with the squad taking out the Aggregate Cup for champion school at the Andrews Cup event in Term 1.

Head of Primary Angela Drysdale said the swimmers truly demonstrated the school’s values of passion and spirit.

“We believe when a student demonstrates passion, she understands that commitment and persistence are necessary for learning and achievement. This was proved by the Andrews Cup swimming team, when the girls brought home the Aggregate Cup,” Mrs Drysdale said.

She said the result was the outcome of every member of the team consistently training during the holidays, early mornings and afternoons and every girl enthusiastically cheering on their team members and demonstrating great spirit on the day of the competition.

Our 8, 9, 10 and 12 years age groups all gained second place, with the 11 years age group placing fifth. Combined, these efforts were sufficient to secure first place overall against some much bigger schools.

There were too many individual podium places to mention here; however, special mention must go to the recordbreaking swim from Year 2 student Estella Uhlmann in the 8 years 25m breaststroke division C race.

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The coveted Springfield Cup just slipped from our grasp this year, with a very valiant and close third place swim by Bless Daly, Lucy Stuart, Ruby Gowns and Clementine Cooke.

Congratulations to Adelaide Bothwell, Ines Vidot, Bless Daly and Clementine Cooke, who were selected for the Met North swimming team to compete at the Queensland swimming championships.

The primary swimming program was overseen by Morgan Rowe, with Amanda Rhode (’98) and Bridgette Smith (’18) coaching the swimmers to victory.

CREATIVE COLLABORATION Each year, St Margaret’s hosts an Artist in Residence program, engaging a professional artist to work with students on a creative project.

It is an opportunity for our girls to interact and learn from the professional arts community and facilitate the growth and exchange of new skills and ideas.

Award-winning, contemporary realist artist Deb Mostert spent two days a week over four weeks during Term 1 working with students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10. Deb and the students collaborated on a variety of creative art projects based on the theme of ‘soaring upwards’ and explored a new technique working with silicone moulds.

Deb has over 30 years’ experience as a contemporary artist and over 15 years teaching experience, and her precision in technique has been of great value to our girls.

The outcome of her creative collaboration with the students was the mass production of threedimensional bees to be included in landscape artwork which will be exhibited later this year at the MAYO Arts Festival.

The festival, originally scheduled for 29 and 30 May, has been postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions on mass gatherings. The event has been rescheduled for 9 and 10 October and we will bring you more information about the artists, workshops, market and food stalls and activities on offer as we draw nearer to that time.

ARTS FESTIVAL

9-10 OCTOBER 2020 ART GALLERY | MARKET STALLS | WORKSHOPS | RIDES | FOOD TRUCKS | LIVE MUSIC Autumn/Winter

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Celebrating our Past Students The events to celebrate and connect with our past students during the school’s 125-year anniversary have needed some revision; however, the good news is that, under current advice and circumstances, we will still be able to celebrate most events.

Our OGA Awards Cocktail Evening on Saturday 24 October will go ahead and this is where we will celebrate the 2020 Past Student Award winners.

Nominations for the 2020 Past Student Awards – Distinguished Past Student (for alumnae who have passed their 20th reunion) and Young Past Student of Distinction (for alumnae in their 20th reunion year or younger) – are open now and close on Friday 4 September. You can download a nomination from the school website at this address https://www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au/community/paststudents/past-student-awards The Past Student Awards 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.

Due to the ongoing global pandemic and the unlikelihood of people travelling overseas to study in the foreseeable future, it has been decided to not award the OGA Overseas Study Scholarships this year. Be on the lookout for the 2021/2022 round when applications open next year.

Notables Project In 2014, St Margaret’s Old Girls’ Association launched the Notable Old Girls’ Project with 25 notable Old Girls who were achieving to a high level within their chosen profession. Leading up to and throughout the school’s 125th anniversary year, we have been building on the project and aim to celebrate a further 100 notable past students of St Margaret’s who have had great success in their lives and careers and are inspirational role models to the current generation of St Margaret’s students and wider community.

You can read more about the St Margaret’s Notables project on the 125-year website https://www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au/125/125-notables and if you know of anyone you believe should be recognised as a St Margaret’s Notable, please email 125Years@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Bo rn to

on

irls’ Associat G i d

s rd a Fly Upw

Reunion Weekend: Postponed from July until Friday 18 September – Sunday 20 September Although government restrictions allow gatherings of up to 100 people from 10 July, the social distancing measures that would need to be enforced would limit the number of past students able to attend their reunion. Therefore, the Reunion Weekend has been rescheduled to September. It is hoped more restrictions will have lifted by then allowing more attendees. The new dates and times are as follows: DATE

TIME

FUNCTION STYLE

Class of 2010 10 Year Reunion

6:30pm – 9:00pm

Dinner

12noon – 2:30pm

Luncheon

12noon – 2:30pm

Luncheon

Friday 18th September

Class of 2000 20 Year Reunion Saturday 19th September Class of 1990 30 Year Reunion Class of 1980 40 Year Reunion Sunday 20th September Class of 1970 50 Year Reunion Class of 1960 60 Year Reunion The Old Girls’ Day Chapel Service and High Tea on Sunday 26 July has been cancelled as we are unable to social distance in the chapel and attendees are generally well over the 100 mark (the current restrictions for gatherings). The 60+ Year Reunion – VIP Luncheon that usually follows the Chapel Service is currently being reviewed, and we will be hoping we can find a suitable time to reschedule this event.

If you have already purchased a Reunion ticket via the Flexischools platform, this ticket will remain valid for September. If past students can no longer attend their reunion, a full refund can be arranged.

Please contact the St Margaret’s Development and Community Office on +61 7 3862 0768 or email oga&alumni@stmargarets.qld.edu.au for all ticketing and event enquiries.

Please note all events are subject to any government restrictions that may be enforced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Donor Impact Report

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St Margaret’s in the USA Over the past three years, St Margaret’s has been working to develop our community’s network within the United States of America.

Thousands of confident and capable young women have passed through our gates and are making important contributions in their local and global communities, and the USA is no exception. There are currently 55 Old Girls known to us living, working and studying all over the USA, and many more who we would encourage to reconnect with St Margaret’s.

Reunion events for past students, staff and other members of the St Margaret’s community were hosted by the Principal, Ros Curtis, in Washington DC in 2018 and New York in 2019, with the purpose of helping to develop stronger links between Old Girls, past staff and members of the St Margaret’s community who travel there on a regular basis.

“Our Old Girls are wonderful role models for our current students and it is so important that we stay connected as a global community,” Ms Curtis said.

To help facilitate these expat connections, St Margaret’s joined more than 20 other Australian schools in becoming a member of the Australian Independent Schools (AIS) USA Foundation, which also provides an avenue for those who wish to give back to do so, by providing USA tax deductibility for those based in or who have tax obligations, within the USA. Ros said joining the AISUSA Foundation was a great opportunity for our ‘friendraising’ and fundraising efforts.

“It provides a way for our past students based in the US to stay connected with the school community, show appreciation for their St Margaret’s education and to contribute to providing others with a similar experience should they wish to do so,” she said.

To update your details to receive future invitations to St Margaret’s events in the USA, or to learn more about making a tax-deductible donation to St Margaret’s through the Australian Independent Schools (AIS) USA Foundation, please contact Lara Pickering, Director of Philanthropy and Stakeholder Engagement, on +61 7 3862 0884 or email foundation@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Foundation Prize supports Aussie Farmers At a March assembly, we had the privilege of having special guest Kylee Lyon from Drought Angels join us to receive a donation from our 2019 Foundation Prize recipient, Sarah Mitic (now in Year 12).

Established in 2009, the St Margaret’s Foundation Prize is awarded each year at Speech Night to a student who has, amongst other criteria, made a real and identifiable commitment to supporting and furthering philanthropic endeavours within the school.

It is no surprise that with St Margaret’s strong ties to regional and rural Australia through our boarding community, that Drought Angels was a most worthy recipient.

Kylie Lamprecht (’90), Chair of St Margaret’s Foundation, said that philanthropic culture was a such important part of St Margaret’s DNA.

Sarah said considering our recent fires, floods and of course drought, it seemed the least we could do was look out for our smaller communities.

“St Margaret’s Foundation proudly established this prize to recognise the compassionate efforts and dedication of St Margaret’s students to support others in the wider community, beyond what is practised at school or at home.

“With the first three months of 2020 impacting these communities so much, it’s important in these times of trial we do not forget about those who suffer silently, and this is why Drought Angel’s work personally resonated with me,” Sarah said.

“Our students are often the first to drive support for charitable causes within the local and global community. It is this quality we celebrate and recognise in our emerging future leaders through the Foundation Prize,” Ms Lamprecht said.

In the spirit of philanthropy, $500 from the St Margaret’s Foundation Prize is donated to a charity of the prize-winner’s choice. This is the second time in recent years that a Foundation Prize recipient has chosen Drought Angels to receive the donation.

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Drought Angels is a registered charity based in Chinchilla that supports Aussie farmers and their rural communities through drought, fire and flood with meaningful and personalised assistance. Through donations and sponsorship, they deliver financial assistance, and provide food hampers, care packs, prepaid visa cards and local store vouchers.

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TE M As we find ourselves in unprecedented and uncertain times, one thing we can be certain of is, at times like this, communities get through these times best when they do it together.

Towards the end of last term, the P&F Association generously donated $50,000 to the school to kick start the Foundation’s bursary effort, to support our families through the COVID-19 crisis.

Parents within our community who were in stronger position and could assist financially have also made individual contributions. Our senior leadership team and staff have helped the cause too, using the books donated to sell at the now postponed MAYO Arts Festival, to hold a second-hand book sale in the last week of Term 1 at M’s Café.

By coming together, we have achieved many great things for others in their time of need, including projects such as the Ponytail Project, the Giving Day and many other philanthropic activities conducted throughout the school which have benefited people in need here and abroad. In doing so, we are honouring the spirit and legacy of the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent who have steered the school community through many challenges since it was founded 125 years ago.

If you would like to contribute to bursaries, please visit www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au/community/giving-to-st-margarets and select the Scholarship and Bursary Fund via the online donation form, or contact the Development Office on (07) 3862 0884 or foundation@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

We sincerely thank the P&F and those who have donated what is now just over $65,000 to this important cause.

There will be some families who will struggle for a period to provide their daughter with a St Margaret’s education and funds donated will be of great assistance during this time. It is devastating for students to have their education disrupted, especially in their senior years.

These funds will allow the school to discreetly provide relief through bursaries to support our families experiencing financial hardship. Bursaries, as distinct from Scholarships which are based on merit or performance, are awarded based on financial need.

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GIVING DAY Be d Bol

In just 24 hours, 409 donations were received from individual donors which, with the help of our generous matchers, raised just over $162,000 towards the completion of St Margaret’s sports precinct which is scheduled to open in August this year.

House pride was on the line, with our students proudly rallying together in competitive spirit, watching team tallies climb as parents, Old Girls and staff supported the cause.

Kendall House topped the Giving Day ladder with a total of $30,972 funds raised by 56 donors, followed by Chaucer with a total of $22,973 raised by 49 donors.

We are grateful to our community for their spirit and generosity on our inaugural Giving Day.

Together we raised

$162,283

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T H A T ’ S

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Giving Day donors.

Matchers

On Thursday 19 March 2020, St Margaret’s held its inaugural Giving Day, a bold fundraising move as the school celebrates 125 years of educating and empowering girls.

N O W

Thank you to our students and

B O L D !

Anonymous (3) The Alford Family Diana Cameron Ros Curtis The Lamprecht-Simpson Family The Loughrey Family The Malouf Family The McPhee Family Old Girls’ Association The Peacock and Adam Family The Solomon Family Greg, Susanne and Stella Willims Penny (’92 nee Lowe) and Peter Wolff

Donors Anonymous (65) Caroline Aldridge The Allen Family The Alward Family Abby Anderson Greg Anderson The Angelini Family Ascot Plumbing Josephine Atkinson Sasha and Pippa B The Baldwin Family Kevin Barden Akila Barkus The Batstone Family Eliza and Matt Baxby Julie, Sarah, Fran and Alexandra Becker Louise Birnzwejg Libby Black Libby Bligh The Boland Family The Borthwick Family The Burgess Family The Busse Family Lisa Butler Meredith Butler Kylie Butler-McIntosh Mel Buttle Jessica Bridger Stephen Briggs Rose Brown Lindsey Callway Ben Cameron Sarah Campbell and Jerome Batten Sergio Capelli Tim and Carla Caro The Carrick Family Sai Man Chan Annabelle Chaplain Elia Chen Tsung Hui Chen Michaela Chong Margaret Christiansen (’64) The Christofferson Family

Everil Clark (’58) Rosalind Clarke Clear Insurance Nicki Colledge James Comino Zoe Connolly The Connor Family Mark Conroy The Coote Family Joan Cowie (’55) Keri Craig Lee The Crombie Family The Cronin Family Susan Crothers-Robertson The Crowe Family Paul Crowley Geoff Cunningham Mark Damman Helen Danlais Lionel Desmond Nicole Devlin The Devereaux Family Sharon Dew Annie Ding Dora 1B Millie Douglas Angela Drysdale Claudia du Buisson Jenny Duncan Anna Dunning Annie Dunning Elizabeth Dunning Marilyn Dunning Sarah Dunning Tarnya Dunning Antoinette Earnshaw Susan Earnshaw Anthony Edwards Vanessa Edwards Elizabeth Elks Scott Elliott The Ellis Family Sandra Esposito Sophie Evans Evesham Farming Pty Ltd

Ash F Tamara and Jack Fahy Tao Feng Jim and Robyn Ferguson Coco and Suki Fidler Margot and Ron Finney Elizabeth Fordyce Genevieve and Stuart Fraser The Frawley Family Kate Frewin Emma Friebe Kim Futcher Prue Galley Ashley Garner Gabrielle and Lucinda Geldard Jacqueline George The Geritz Family Mia Gibson Barbara Crosby Gillespie Jemima Given Susie and Andrew Gladman Gollan Racing Karen Gorrie Annabelle Gould Elizabeth Graham Anne Green Emerald Green A Greenup Peggy Greenup The Gustafsson Family Elizabeth Gutteridge The Haeusler Family Sonya Hardcastle The Hawton Family The Heffernan Family Janice Hewitt Thong Hoang Elizabeth Hook Sherie Houston Elke and Greta Howes Peter and Anna Howes The Hudson Family The Hughes Family Sandra Humphries Margaret Hunt (’75) Yoyo (Yr 11) and Alyssa (Yr 7) Hunt Ashleigh Hutchinson Pauline Irvine The Jagers Family Helen James Belle Jia Desmond Jiang Anne Jobbins (’53) Lindsay Johnston Nikki Johnston (’11)

Wendy Johnston (’79) Murray Jones Greg and Susan Jorgensen Julia Joseph Kim Joyce Margaret Joyce Barbara Just Allison Kay Angella Kaushik Kedron Vet Clinic Alice Kenny Geoff and Pom Kernick Melissa Kerr Bill and Kara Kettle Kidd Grazing Min Su Kim Wendy King The Krook Family Charlotte Kropp Nikki Kropp Richard Laherty Leslie and Andrew Langley Hong Le James and Philippa Lee The Leggatt Family Chun Mei Li Michelle Licina Fiona Lillicrap Charlotte Lisle Margot Lisle Victoria Lisle The Lisle Family Andrew Little David Little Helen Lobegeiger Tina Lordi Eilish Loughrey Margot Love The Love Family Xanthe Lowe-Brown Matthew Lyons Zara and Vivienne Lyons Kym Macfarlane Doreen MacGowan Jane Maclean The Marshall Family Elise, Olivia and Paris Martin The Manly Family Kelli Martin The McBride Family Craig and Amanda McCabe Kylie McDonald Abby McLaughlin Hannah McMaster The McMillan Family Carolyn McMullen

Amelia McNally Margot McNee The McWilliam Family The Millar Family Jill Millroy (’52) Damian Mills The Mitchell-Cho Family The Moller Family Janice Moody Charles and Wendy Mort Isabel Mort The Mullan Family NT Paula Neilsen Nan Noble Petra O’Meara Dani O’Neill and Isabel Haqqani Josephine Orgill Alice O’Toole The Parker Family The Pearson Family Christopher and Jodi Phillips Lara and John Pickering The Pickering Family Cindy Pieterse The Piggott Family Dairneen Pilton The Pitt Family Kari Potts Dawn Powell (’50) Russell Proctor Adam Pulitano The Qiu Family Sally Quayle The Quinell Family Lisa Rayner Pett Rayner (nee Francis) Sue Reddacliff Tom Reddacliff Patricia Reeve Grace and Chloe Reilly The Renwick Family Heather and Sascha Rhoades The Rhode Family The Rice Family Meleia Richardson Debra Robinson John Robinson Georgie Robson Emily Rogers Pasquale Rombola SA Grazing Ken Sawers Robin Scott Bernadette Seery The Segal Family

Kim Selwa Loretta Serafini The Serafini Family Serafini Sisters Amelia Shaw The Sheehan-Birrell Foundation Malcolm Shepherd Robynne Siemon Immi Simpson Suzanne Simpson (Macrae) Sian Sinclair Bronwyn Small Jade Smith Macey Smith Maddy Smith Nicole Smith Scott and Suzie Smith Tina Smith-Roberts Speedy Electrical Mathew Stein Leah and Jason Steinberg The Stobie Family Vicki Strid The Stringer Family Mary Surtees Sean Tavener Mackenzie Thompson Colleen Thomson Thousand Tribes Andrea Tighe Sienna Timms Michael Toal Charlotte Traves Imogen and Ellie Tsien Norma Tucker The Twomey Family The Uhlmann Family Robyn F Wallace Hui Wang Rachel Ware The Weaver Family Michelle Weber Chris and Dimity Williams Toni Williams Arabella Wilson and Family Robyn E Wilson The Woods Family Lisa Worner Jody Wright Kasey Young Baoli Yue Alison Zappala Chris Zhang Meiyu Zhang Mingyu Zhang Zara Zeller

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Thank you to our 2019 donors St Margaret’s with the Foundation gratefully acknowledges the support of those who have donated in the 2019 calendar year to support our students.

While in previous years, this list of donors has been published in the Spring/ Summer edition of the Flyer magazine, and reflected donations received from October of the previous year to October of the current year, the list will now be published in this Autumn/Winter edition. This will enable us to provide a complete listing of donors for the previous calendar year.

Luminary $10k+ The Bothwell Family Gabrielle & Hannah Butcher H & R Campbell Ashleigh & Emily Carrick The Hon Mrs Ashley Dawson-Damer AM Arnika Di Bella and Family A & K Flynn Scott and Sacha Flynn Prue Galley (’61) Brooke and Patrick George Brad and Mary Jamieson The Helene Jones Trust In honour of Pamela Lusby The Malouf Family The McDonnell Family Parents & Friends Association Susan (’78) and Jane (’82) Pendlebury Mr PJ Wolff & Mrs PJ Wolff The Estate of Lois Schultz (’45) The Colleen McCullough Scott Trust The Tsien Family

Visionary $5,000 - $9,999

Anonymous (1) The Becker Family Charlotte (’17) and Sophie Cosgrove (’19) Keri Craig Lee OAM (’75) The Everson Family Evesham Farming Pty Ltd Stuart and Genevieve Fraser Brooke, Alexandra and Gabriella Henzell Roy and Julie (nee Taylor) Henzell The Lane Family Peter John Lauder MC The McKay Family Milla Roberts Isobel and Megan Roe

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Champion $2,500 - $4,999 Shirley Bale (’59) The Cooke Family Ros Curtis Anna and Bruce Davidson Margot (’56) and Ron Finney Charlotte and Genevieve Heather The Heffernan Family The Hudson Family The Livingstone Family The Mills Family The Peacock & Adam Family

Ambassador $1,000 - $2,499

Anonymous (2) Melissa Aglio Clarke The Alford Family The Allen Family Teneille and Carmen Allen The Alward Family The Astill Family The Baldwin Family The Batstone Family Matthew and Eliza Baxby Judith and Graham Bell Susie Brady nee Kier (’83) Madeline Brady (’18) Stephen and Barbara Briggs Libby Black (’68) The Bluett Family Tim and Polly Brown Diana Cameron Hannah Campbell The Campbell Family Stella Carlson The Cartledge Family Michaela Chong Jessica Clarke Matilda and Zara Connolly Katelyn Cooper In memory of Kay Cowlishaw (’58) Portia Creevey Anastasia Esler and Family Mackenzie and Esther Evans Jack and Tamara Fahy Coco and Suki Fidler Gabrielle and Lucinda Geldard The Goodrick Family Addison Grant-Taylor Asher Grant-Taylor Sally Greenup (’94) Bettina Groves (’83) Jill Hewitt Brian E E Hirschfeld Charlotte Hoey Annika, Emma, Felicity and Verity House Ruby and Olivia Howard

Georgia Hurwood Charlotte Jackson Lily Jackson Lily and Sienna Jagers The Kearns Family Grace and Bronte Kinloch Kylie Lamprecht (’90) Andrew and Leslie Langley Harper Leary The Licina Family The Loughrey Family Margot Love (’63) The Love Family The MacPherson Family Annabel and Gina McGagh Hannah McMaster The McPherson Family The Mitchell-Cho Family Ebony Okonkwo Dani O’Neill and Isabel Haqqani (’18) The Peat Family The Richardson Family The Roberts Family The Robson Family The Selwa Family The Serafini Family Eloise Ruby Shewan Bella and Bridgette Smith Emily and Olivia Smith Madison Smith Scott and Suzie Smith St Margaret’s Primary School 2019 Mary Steven (’42) Robertson and Winks Family Georgina Stevenson nee Ommensen (’90) Mary Surtees The Sweeney Family Sienna Timms The Tydd Family Emma and Laura Walley The Webb Family Genevieve Whitehead (’18) The Willersdorf Family The Woods Family (nee McIntyre) Lisa Worner Dr Robyn Wilson (’77) Glen and Juliette Wright

Advocate $500 -$999

Anonymous (2) Lee Beanland (’66) Glen Cameron Carla and Tim Caro Zoe Connolly Judith Day The Drysdale Family The Hansen Family Sandra Humphries (’53) Dr Sue Ryerson (’62) Robynne Siemon (’59)

Supporter $2 - $499 Anonymous (19) Harriet Adcock (’12) Pamela Alvarez (’55) Greg Anderson Dorothy Begbie Diane Bender (’64) Gay Bruce Wendy Buddle (’58) Rebecca Castley Everil Clark Sophia and Naomi Colledge Desiree Coroneo Cathy Cox Kate Curran Nicole Devlin (’90) Robert and Gayle Donaldson Jenny Duncan (’64) Annie Dunning (’91) Laurel Fraser Karren Gorrie Margaret Hamilton (’58) Gayle Horn Nikki Johnston (’11) Wendy Johnston (’79) Caroline Kelly (’83) Wendy and Warwick King Madeleine Leggatt (’95) June Lobegeiger (’53) The Lordi Family Xanthe Lowe-Brown (’18) Janice Moody Beverley Mort Shayne Olsen The Pieterse Family Lara and John Pickering Lola Priddle Patricia Reeve (’60) Margot Roberts Robin Scott (’59) Janette Snewin (’62) Natalie Snide (’63) Dawn Stevenson Kate Stringer Allison Thorpe Nikki Townsend (’86) Lorraine Ungerer (’56) The Watersons Toni Williams Margaret Wyman (’51) While much care and consideration is taken in preparing this list, occasionally there may be an error or omission. To discuss giving to St Margaret’s, or to advise of an error or omission, please contact the Development and Community Office by email to foundation@ stmargarets.qld.edu.au or telephone +61 7 3862 0884.

St Margaret’s Eton Society We would also like to acknowledge and sincerely thank members of our Eton Society who have decided to give the ultimate gift, by making a bequest to the St Margaret’s Foundation in their Will.

Joining the Eton Society is about the spirit of intention, and about participation to help build a program which will honour the legacy of the Sisters and contribute to the education of girls for many years to come.

Autumn/Winter

39

125 Year Anniversary Gifts and Merchandise The school has compiled a small inventory of affordable merchandise to celebrate the school’s 125th anniversary. All are available from the School Supplies Shop with the addition of some items – the book Inspired to Fly, tie and coasters –available online via flexischools (www.flexischools.com.au) and can be collected or posted (postage and handling additional). All prices are inclusive of gst.

Inspired to Fly $55 each or $50 for two or more copies

St Margaret’s Anniversary Bear $35 each

Commemorative glasses and mugs (gift box included) $15 each

Boxed set of 4 historic coasters $20 each

St Margaret’s Tie $20 each

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St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School 11 Petrie Street Ascot QLD 4007 Australia Telephone: +61 7 3862 0777 Facsimile: +61 7 3862 0701 mail@stmargarets.qld.edu.au www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au CMYK / .eps

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St Margaret’s School Council Ltd ABN: 69069684019 CRICOS Code: 00511K A School of the Society of the Sacred Advent