St Margaret's Flyer Spring-Summer Issue 2019/2020

flyer

Issue 19 Spring/Summer 2019

St Margaret’s

Flyer Issue 19 Spring/Summer 2019 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

Contents From the Principal

STAFF Helping People Know God St Margaret’s named Boarding School of the Year LEARNING Protecting children is everybody’s business Future proofing today’s students Arts Spectacular Enviro Committee Indigenous Writes Learning to adult Careers Week broadens horizons Igniting the entrepreneurial spirit BOARDING Community and Connection The closing chapter

PHILANTHROPY Ponytail lengths go a long way WELLBEING Social media and your child 125 YEARS Mark your calendar

03 04 05 06 08 09 10 11 12 13 13 14 16 16 18 20

SPORT Grand final blitz Leaving it all on the water On the national stage

ART A postcard sized art exhibition Growing St Margaret’s art collection MAYO Arts Festival sponsorship OLD GIRLS From St Margaret’s to medicine Holding you tight and reminiscing EVENTS Inspiring business breakfasts

24 25 25 27 27 27 28 30 31

FOUNDATION THE IMPACT OF GIVING Thank you 34 Welcome 34 Giving at St Margaret’s in 2019 35 The Campaign with a new personal best 36 The Sister Mary SSA Bursary 37 Thank you to donors 38

MUSIC Classics in the Cathedral 22 Students shine on centre stage at Nundah Festival 23 Making beautiful music together through mentorship 23

Celebrating 125 years of educating girls

If you are a current family or commencing next year you will have received an extra surprise in your Flyer this issue – a car bumper sticker celebrating 125 years of educating girls. We’d love everyone to share with Brisbane and beyond that we are celebrating the wonderful legacy of the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent – so please consider placing it on your vehicle.

If you would like additional car stickers, please email 125years@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

From the Principal

Naturally, many people would define success in terms of achievements or results. Therefore, St Margaret’s is having many celebrated successes this year – from the students’ fundraising efforts for the Ponytail Project, to sporting and boarding achievements, and more recently the excellent results achieved by both the primary and secondary schools in the 2019 NAPLAN. In between is a wide range of activities written about and celebrated in this edition of the Flyer.

A google search, however, offers this definition of success as its first one – ‘the accomplishment of an aim or purpose’.

The purpose of St Margaret’s is clearly outlined in the philosophy of our founders, the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent.

To nurture the individual within a caring community so that each will realise his or her full potential to engender Christian values, encourage high academic standards and service to others so that all will have not only one goal, but also the inner strength ‘to love one another as I have loved you’ (St John 13:34).

Underlying this, the aims the Sisters had (and still have) for the school was a focus on the following: • to put 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 • to engender courtesy at all times and respect for all • to try to inculcate the ability to communicate effectively • to encourage development of initiative and sense of responsibility • to provide guidance and counselling for spiritual and personal problems as well as for careers and other matters • to have every member of the school community working together and faithfully striving to uphold these aims and objectives • to have each student take part in as many aspects of school life as possible, thus making all students better persons and the school a richer place.

It is fundamentally the responsibility of my role as Principal and the School Council to support and further these aims.

Our aim and purpose are very clearly defined, and it is hoped that publications like the Flyer capture the spirit of the school.

I am grateful to the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent Trust (SSA Trust) who formalised the aims and the purpose in 2004. They provide a clear framework for all activity and decision-making in the school.

In terms of judging our success, that is the role of our key stakeholders (students, parents, staff and past students).

Prospective parents too can judge this as they compare schools suitable for their daughters.

Currently, our enrolments for 2020, for our 125th year, are at the highest level the school has every seen in its history.

Presumably, this reflects that our prospective and current parents appreciate our aim and purpose and, on balance, are happy with the alignment to our teaching and learning and student wellbeing programs.

As part of our anniversary celebrations we have published the 125-year story of St Margaret’s called Inspired to Fly. I urge you to purchase your copy when it is available in November.

The opening line of this book reads: ‘All good stories have a beginning, a middle and an end. The story of St Margaret’s begins in the late nineteenth century with a strong, independent woman on a mission that continues until this day – with no end in sight.’

That woman was Sister Caroline Amy Balguy and it is hard to believe that the vision of one person, fresh off a boat from a different hemisphere, translated into a school that has set thousands of girls on their life’s voyage. This book captures the vision of our founder and some of the highlights of all those years that survive through the lives and achievements of our students.

The St Margaret’s success story is evidenced by many things, not least by longevity! Consistency in purpose during the longevity of operation (125 years) is a great achievement and one worthy of a mighty celebration. I extend to you all the invitation to attend or get involved in at least one 125-year celebratory activity. Whether it is your old school, current school or future school, everyone is welcome.

Ros Curtis Principal

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

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STAFF

Helping People Know God St Margaret’s welcomed Reverend Susan Crothers-Robertson as the new school chaplain this semester.

Susan has had a diverse career, initially working in the world of business before answering her calling to become a priest. Since then she has worked in the Parishes of Maryborough and Deception Bay, as well as at St John’s Cathedral in Brisbane. Most recently, Susan worked as the chaplain at St John’s Anglican College for five years. About choosing to take up the chaplaincy role at St Margaret’s, Susan said she felt drawn to come here.

‘To me, that is a calling as a priest to come here and to follow that.’

In her time at St Johns, Susan helped to establish Prayer Spaces in Schools in Australia. It’s a practice that St Margaret’s has also adopted in previous years. Called Dadirri, St Margaret’s Prayer Space is named after an Indigenous word meaning ‘inner deep listening and quiet still awareness and waiting’. It is an area that Susan is very passionate about.

‘I’m really looking forward to be able to share my expertise in Prayer Spaces.

It’s about teaching mindfulness.

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Schools are extraordinarily busy places. When it’s just go, go, go all the time, students aren’t learning how to be reflective or to give their brains a rest so they can then excel in their academic work.’

But while she is passionate about Dadirri, Susan believes one of her most important roles as chaplain is helping people know God. ‘That sounds very basic, but it’s about leading by example, listening to people’s stories, connecting with their stories and connecting those stories to God.’ She also emphasised her belief in adapting her practices to suit the needs of the girls.

‘I want to get to know the students. You can’t just throw something together and hope people are going to enjoy it.

You’ve got to know the community. I very strongly believe in learning the culture and learning where I am, and then starting to see what the needs are.’

Susan adds that in the modern era, it can be challenging to make time for faith and to maintain relevance.

‘People sometimes think “Well what’s the use of God?”, especially when they’re busy. So, one of the many challenges is trying to rethink how we approach church. It used to be every Sunday, but now, how do we support people and support faith with all the different demands on families? It’s really about supporting people in all the highs and lows of life.

‘Leading by example and showing what works in my life is something I can share with others. That’s important to me, just being human, an ordinary person.’

Susan also has history with the St Margaret’s community.

‘This is where I sought and questioned God about my ordination to be a priest, so I used to come here with the Sisters.

This community was a very important part of my life.

‘I really look forward to getting to know the community, and its great history and culture.’

STAFF

St Margaret’s named Boarding School of the Year St Margaret’s was named 2019 Boarding School of the Year in the prestigious Australian Education Awards. Winners were announced at a glittering ceremony at Dockside in Sydney on Friday 16 August.

St Margaret’s was one of only eight schools chosen nationwide and the only Brisbane school finalist.

The Australian Education Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of the country’s top performing schools, principals, department heads and teachers, defining excellence in the K-12 education sector. This year’s awards attracted over 640 nominations across the nation and St Margaret’s was honoured to have been named as finalist in two additional categories: Ms Ros Curtis, Principal of the Year (non-government) and Head of Primary School, Ms Angela Drysdale, Primary School Principal of the Year (non-government).

Head of Boarding Ms Lesa Fowler was on hand to accept the award saying it was a great recognition of all the hard work of everyone associated with St Margaret’s boarding.

‘It starts right from the top with our School Council and Principal Ms Curtis who are committed to the boarding tradition at St Margaret’s.

‘Ms Curtis understands the importance of boarding in our school community and how it enriches the diversity of the school; our Senior Leadership Team support and work closely with the boarding community to ensure boarding is important in all aspects of decision making; and our teachers support and understand where the girls come from and assist with boarders prep to improve academic outcomes.’

Ms Fowler said it was the girls themselves who also contributed to make the boarding school a great place to live and learn.

‘Their ability to live amongst 170 other students in harmony is commendable.

It is wonderful to watch each student growing in confidence and independence as they navigate living away from home and learn to truly thrive in the boarding environment.

Importantly, the leadership of the Year 12 girls is vital to the success of the boarding house – our senior boarders are excellent role models for all of the girls.’

Boarding is at the heart of St Margaret’s – both figuratively and literally – with the boarding house centrally located within the school campus and an entire school community who appreciate, understand and support our boarders.

‘We have been a boarding school since our very beginnings almost 125 years ago and we remain steadfast in our commitment to educating boarders from rural and regional centres across Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory as well as overseas,’ said Ms Fowler.

Principal Ros Curtis said St Margaret’s combined solid leadership with a deep sense of nurturing and care for its boarders.

‘Our Head of Boarding Lesa Fowler has over 23 years’ experience in boarding and oversees a specialist boarding team which includes heads of senior and junior houses, a pastoral care coordinator and housemothers.

‘Our boarding staff hold the wellbeing of each student close to their hearts and implement a number of strategies and activities to help each student seize the opportunity to be happy, healthy and nurtured,’ said Ms Curtis.

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LEARNING

Protecting children is everybody’s business Before the internet, children were apprised of ‘stranger danger’. While that is still as relevant as ever, the internet makes it all the more complex as dangerous strangers can be posing as your next best friend.

However, our children’s worlds can be made safer places with good practices and partnerships – between school, students and parents.

In Term 3, the St Margaret’s primary school conducted a week-long program that focused on keeping children safe – both online and in the physical world. It was themed ‘Protecting children is everybody’s business’ and combined National Child Protection Week, eSmart Week and our own Personal Development week.

National Child Protection Week starts with Father’s Day each year; St Margaret’s celebrates this with our annual primary Father’s Day Breakfast the Friday prior.

Head of Primary Angela Drysdale said: ‘By being a loving and involved parent you are protecting your child, and the attendance at this breakfast is always a great testament to our dads and father figures who are very supportive of their child’s education journey at the school.’

This was reinforced again with Reading Hour in the primary atrium when mums and dads took the time to read without distraction to their children. Guest author on the night Vicki Woods said: ‘There is nothing more comforting for a child than the sound of a parent’s voice, totally present moments with our children, where distractions from the outside world, take second place.’

Child Protection Week encourages Australians to play their part in promoting the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. The week reminds everyone that:

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• We ALL have a role to play in protecting ALL children • By building stronger communities, we are creating safer environments for our children.

Increasingly, children need to be protected when they are online.

St Margaret’s primary school was the first Anglican primary school in Queensland to become an accredited eSmart school five years ago and was joined recently by the secondary school. To be an accredited school requires a number of activities to be undertaken. For example, every two years the school hosts an expert on internet safety and over the years we have invited some of the top authorities in this field including Brett Lee, Susan McLean and Michael Carr Greg. This year St Margaret’s hosted Kirra Prendergast from Safe on Social who had sessions with students and an evening with parents.

Every year, St Margaret’s primary school students create posters about esafety and cyberbullying which are displayed in the Hamilton library. Throughout eSmart Week, students from Years 1 to 12 wore orange ribbons and decorated the school with orange balloons to mark the significance of this week-long focus on being alert and staying safe. The week culminated in a celebration on the Friday lunchtime on Circular Drive where girls wrote messages of support in chalk. A significant theme this year was ‘Be an Upstander not a Bystander’, a call out for everyone to be vigilant and support one another. Even if you are not involved but see bullying occurring, it’s important to call it out. Don’t just stand by and let it happen. Students were given pointers on what to say to be an upstander.

The primary school’s Big Write activities also centred around a book about being safe.

LEARNING

Year 3: When I started learning about e-safety it was fascinating. I started thinking about how you could get hurt online and how important it is to be safe. I went home and made sure that my devices and my parents’ devices were set to private.

At reading hour, I learnt that we are all different but sometimes we are all doing the same things. At reading hour, I felt safe because I was with my friends and my Dad was having a great time with his friends. I felt as happy as a monkey swinging on a vine for his first time and I’m sure that all of my friends and the other girls who attended reading hour felt the same.

Year 4:

Are you E-Smart? Well, I am after that week, I’m never going to answer my device if it is an anonymous caller ID! I thought growing up was scary, but after Judith spoke to us, it wasn’t as bad as I thought.

Big Write is an opportunity for the primary school girls to be part of an author community and stretch their creative muscles. To tie in with eSmart Week, their Big Write was based on Nick Bland’s picture book called The Fabulous Friend Machine. Bland tells the story of Popcorn, the friendliest farmyard animal, who eventually learns how to be eSmart.

Not only is she reminded to value her real friends and live in the moment, she also learns to think critically about who is behind the screen. At the end of the story, Popcorn uses puppets to re-tell this important story. Each St Margaret’s author had the opportunity to write Popcorn’s script and some were even dramatically performed for the class.

St Margaret’s primary school also participates in the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum. A key element of this program is the 3Rs: Recognise, React and Report. Children are taught to recognise they are in an unsafe situation and to think about what they could do to be safe again. They learn about ways to react using real-life scenarios, including understanding that it’s ok to break the rules (for example, saying no to an adult who is behaving inappropriately) so they can become safe again. To report means telling an adult who cares about your safety when there is a problem.

Primary students in Years 4-6 participated in Australia’s Biggest Child Safety Lesson – a 20-minute educational video which covers important personal safety topics and held as part of Day for Daniel activities.

Leading up to this week, nationally renowned expert Judith Krause was in the school for two weeks working with the children on personal development.

The comments of our primary students best demonstrate the impact of this week-long focus on child safety both on and offline.

Year 2:

Go with your gut, when something feels wrong it probably is wrong.

Be yourself, because everyone else is taken.

A trusted adult is someone who you can trust and be comfortable talking to, such as parents, teachers and older family members.

Year 5: With Judith, we learnt that it’s okay to be yourself.

We are enough.

I learnt that if you say no loudly, other people around can help you.

You can’t always believe a person’s age on the internet.

Some people might not be who they seem online.

Year 6

During Child Protection Week, I learnt that if anyone makes you uncomfortable you have the right to scream and make a scene.

This week I have experienced some great lessons about cyber safety. On Circular Drive, I wrote a solution about what to do when someone starts to bully you online.

Due to the video’s lesson in The Loft, I now know how to recognise my body clues; sweaty palms, upset stomach, and wobbly knees are all signs that our body is trying to tell us that we are not in a safe situation.

During Child Protection Week we learnt that you must tell a trusted adult if you ever feel unsafe or someone makes you feel sick/worried. We learnt that your trusted adults are someone who you have known for a long time and they don’t make you feel yucky.

Child safety is everyone’s business; let’s keep up the conversations.

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LEARNING

Future proofing today’s students Within St Margaret’s primary school, students in Years 1 to 5 are building their skills and confidence in digital technologies during weekly lessons implemented by leading digital technologies educator SCOPEIT Education.

The focus is on developing students’ computational thinking, a problemsolving approach involving logical reasoning, algorithmic thinking, decomposition, abstraction and designing, and using algorithms, patterns and models.

‘Scopers’ lead the lesson as students work together in pairs on laptops supplied by SCOPEIT. Using computer programming software such as Scratch (a primarily drag and drop coding tool developed with younger programmers in mind), students are learning to think creatively and reason systematically.

One student has the opportunity to be the ‘driver’ while the other is the ‘navigator’ before they switch roles, an approach which helps to foster students’ collaborative teamwork and problemsolving skills.

The program is sequential with different courses for different stages as indicated below.

The Year 5 students have recently developed user interfaces for games including designing and coding the game.

The teaching software used in SCOPEIT lessons is web-based and available for students and teachers to continue learning outside of their sessions.

Skills learnt in the SCOPEIT lessons are then integrated by the primary teachers in their classroom learning, further bolstering student engagement with the digital technologies’ curriculum.

Head of Primary Angela Drysdale said the benefits of developing students’ digital literacy and technical competencies were numerous.

‘Students are gaining an understanding of technology while also developing essential 21st century skills of collaboration, creativity, communication and critical thinking; skills identified as integral traits for the future workforce.

‘As they become acquainted with the basics of digital systems and coding, they are gaining an understanding of how the devices that play a large role in modern life actually work. It gives them the tools to develop and create technology as opposed to simply being consumers or passive users,’ said Mrs Drysdale.

Years 1 & 2 Students use Google Slides and touch on Scratch block coding to explore the hardware and software components of digital systems. They will also use Minecraft. They learn about storing data, representing information on digital systems and solving problems using a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms).

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Years 3 & 4 Students explore how data is transmitted between digital systems. They learn how to use sequences and decisions (algorithms) to develop digital systems.

Years 5 & 6 Students explore digital systems and networks.

They learn how data is transferred and how to design digital solutions using different forms of software.

LEARNING

Arts Spectacular The Years 5 and 6 Ar ts Spectacular is always a highlight on the primary sch ool calendar. The them e for this year was ‘The Power Within’ and as the narrativ e journeyed along a path of discovery, th e audience was trans fixed by the dances and dazzling wearab le art pieces on show in this ‘one-night-o nly’ production. Th e costumes and danc e routines represen ted countless hours of Art and HPE classe s where students fulfi l a range of importa nt learning outcomes and, for many stude nts, the Arts Spectacula r was their first tim e on stage – a learnin g experience the gir ls embraced wholehe artedly. The backdr op, staging, sound and lighting added reali sm to the night’s perfo rmance. The evenin g was an amazing ac hievement for ever yone concerned and one that our Years 5 an d 6 students will reme mber well into their school journey.

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LEARNING

ENV RO

COMMITTEE A small group of environmentally conscious students at St Margaret’s has begun investigating ways to contribute to a more sustainable future – starting within their own environment at St Margaret’s.

Girls from Year 10 and the 2019 Environment Prefects, Kelsey Booth and Georgia Marshall, rallied together under the guidance of teachers Ms Ethell and Ms MacGinley to develop sustainability projects and raise awareness with a mission to help the school community make informed decisions about environmental sustainability.

Kelsey Booth believes we should endeavour to leave things in a better condition than when we arrived. As a prefect, she saw the opportunity to influence simple changes that have the potential to make a huge impact.

‘For me, sustainability is something I learned at home and have since brought into my life in as many ways as I can.

As I’ve become more aware of the environmental implications of my decisions, I’ve learnt that each person and community has the ability to create change through their actions,’ Kelsey said.

Head of Sociocultural Studies Mr Tom McCormick recently took action when students asked him to consider how he could influence change.

‘Enviro Committee Coordinator Emily Ethell and IT Support Officer Jack Hudson raised the idea that the school could move away from providing disposable plates and cups in weekly staff meetings. I found this was a simple and proactive way staff could model accountability and proposed the idea to school. We now encourage staff to bring reusable mugs and plates,’ he said.

Mr McCormick believes when students witness their concerns being actioned, they feel empowered to engage in a solutions mentality.

‘We are faced with the option of either absorbing the news and allowing ourselves to feel immobilised or we can absorb it and get involved in working to implement solutions,’ he said.

In regular meetings, Enviro Committee students are engaging with a number of projects focused on identifying and minimising waste streams within the school.

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At the beginning of the year, St Margaret’s was accepted into Brisbane City Council’s Student Environmental Leadership Network (SELN). As a group, students conducted surveys regarding community knowledge on the benefits of buying a coffee with a recyclable cup and created a drive with the goal of encouraging more frequent use of reusable cups by M’s Café customers.

To encourage creativity when it comes to recycling and reusing, the Enviro Committee held a DIY coffee scrubs workshop during Science Week. The event taught students how to make body scrubs with the used coffee grinds from M’s Café and encouraged participants to take their scrubs home in recycled glass jars.

Kelsey agrees that allowing students to influence change on a small scale in their school community makes them feel empowered when faced with some of the news about the bigger picture.

‘I have been so inspired my generation’s determination to accept responsibility and hold governments and corporations accountable for the damage caused to our environment and I feel inspired by my counterparts and hopeful for the future we will create.

‘We remain hopeful and continue working to ensure a safe future for all those who reside on this earth, empowered by the change we can create within our school community’ Kelsey said.

LEARNING

Indigenous Writes As a result of being awarded a 2019 St Margaret’s Innovation Grant, English teachers Margot Shave and Noel Peinke embarked upon a project which invites the school’s 21 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to gather a collection of stories, songs, poems and artworks to represent their country to be published in a magazine fittingly in our 125th anniversary year and launched at the MAYO Arts Festival in 2020.

Ms Shave said the goal in the sharing of these stories was that St Margaret’s would enact its own form of Reconciliation – a coming together of stories as an expression of listening, debunking stereotypes and celebrating the unique cultures of these students.

‘We firmly believe the entire school community will benefit by learning about these stories from our Indigenous students,’ she said.

The project was launched earlier this year at a special dinner where as part of the proceedings the audience was very privileged to hear from guest speaker Indigenous author and academic Dr Ruth Hegarty (Aunty Ruth) – herself the author of two biographies and several picture books. Aunty Ruth began writing her stories when she was seventy years young, including her experiences as a child of the Stolen Generation.

‘You’re not going to wait that long,’ she told the students at the dinner.

‘We are the remnants of the First Nation’s people that lived in this country for centuries. Recognition is what we need. We need to teach it to our children to move forwards. I want you to ask, ‘Where did we come from?

Who’s my mob? Where’s my country and what’s my story?’’ she encouraged the girls.

Torres Strait Islander and ABC radio journalist Rhianna Patrick spent some time with the Indigenous students helping them to access these stories.

A second activity was an excursion to two art galleries accompanied

by Noel Peinke and Reverend Susan Crothers-Roberts.

The first was the Institute of Modern Art in Fortitude Valley where the girls viewed an exhibition ‘The Country Within’ by palawa woman Mandy Quadrio who created a series of large-scale sculptures using a natural material rich with spiritual and cultural meaning: Tasmanian bull kelp. Quadrio’s art practice brings forward First Nations’ histories and self-representation.

Ms Shave said having someone who understood growing up as a Torres Strait Islander was very powerful, with the girls more readily able to identify aspects of their lives they could potentially write about.

‘One girl remembered she had a cook book at home that had been handed down through the generations; another revealed her father was a well-known Indigenous artist; while another recalled one of her favourite things to do at home was to hang out with her grandfather and his friends, laughing about the time her grandfather was joking to everyone how good looking he was.

The second art gallery was the Brisbane Institute of Art in Windsor (opposite the school’s playing fields). Here the girls did a screen-printing workshop with artist Nancy Brown, the end result of which were small drawstring bags the girls took away with them. This was another way for the girls to explore the different methods of storytelling.

In the September holidays the girls were tasked with finalising interviews with family and community members back home with a view to presenting the stories to Ms Shave and Mr Peinke in Term 4.

We look forward to the book’s launch at the MAYO Arts Festival on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 May 2020.

‘This exercise really peeled back the layers to help get them started with writing their stories,’ Ms Shave said.

Since the launch the students have been involved in two significant events to help them think more about their stories and to even recognise what may seem commonplace to them is in fact an interesting story that bears telling.

‘I’ve liked being included in Indigenous Writes and meeting new people that I’ve seen around the school. Being involved in this project kind of feels like a secret club and it’s exciting to go on trips to places related to us.’

Kyra Mulvaney-Stanley (Year 7)

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LEARNING

Learning to adult According to the Oxford dictionary, the term adulting is ‘the practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks’.

The seminars have a two-pronged approach in that they not only empower students with knowledge and skills they will need when they leave school, but also help to support concepts taught in the classroom.

These tasks might include everything from budgeting, handling superannuation, paying bills, doing taxes and scheduling appointments, to name but a few – life skills we are somehow expected to just ‘know’ as we enter adulthood.

Seminars planned for Term 4 include nutrition, communication, visiting the doctor and scheduling appointments, as well as a session led by the Australian Tax Office providing students with advice on taxation matters.

Teachers in the Global Studies Faculty at St Margaret’s noticed a gap in the curriculum that called for the teaching of life skills.

The Year 12 students have shown particular interest in the sessions as they prepare to leave St Margaret’s and embark on their adult lives.

‘We would mention a topic like superannuation and get these blank looks from the students.

The initiative has also garnered supportive feedback from the community with several posts on Facebook.

‘The eyes of the students actually told us a lot – that there were these gaps in their learning, a gap in teaching them life skills,’ said Head of Faculty Mathew Stein.

It was through this observation, ‘School of Life’ was born.

The initiative is aimed at equipping students in Years 10 to 12 with a range of life skills and information to prepare them for when they leave school.

The lunchtime seminars began in Term 2 and are run by a group of teachers covering topics including superannuation, budgeting, personal credit and debit cards, resume writing and interview tips, voting, share houses and renting.

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Cathy Sikacek:

Kristen Speechley: ‘This is exactly what all students need to be educated in. It’s called an “education in life”.

Shame this is not compulsory and part of the current curriculum, as all students need to gain life skills. I can only hope that this initiative continues as it is greatly needed. Well done St Margaret’s and especially to the teachers who are using their lunch to cover these topics.’

Gaye Lincoln: ‘Great initiative – children need these important life skills.’

Old Girls too have engaged with the idea, reaching out to offer their services and support.

With the success of the concept to date, the plan is to continue to build and grow ‘School of Life’ to offer a robust teaching of necessary life skills to students.

‘Love it! So relevant to the real world.’

LEARNING

Careers Week broadens horizons A career path is not always linear or a logical and predictable trajectory. For many, it’s a winding road full of twists and turns, opportunities and adventures, encompassing a diverse range of career experiences.

Technology increasingly continues to change the face of the modern workforce, ensuring the only thing that remains constant is change.

Is it any wonder, then, that students can find the prospect of deciding what to do in their futures a little daunting?

In response to this, St Margaret’s held its inaugural Careers Week and Broadening Horizons Conference for Year 10 students in May, combining careers education, post-school planning and subject selection to equip students to make informed decisions about their pathways beyond school.

St Margaret’s Director of Careers and Portfolio Pathways, Naomi Holley, said the aim of the conference was to increase the Year 10s’ exposure to a variety of career pathways and opportunities by hearing from a range of experts, recent school leavers and tertiary institutions to raise their aspirations, broaden their horizons and highlight the changing nature of work and its impact on Australians.

‘Further, we wanted to expose students to the world of careers education and to prepare them to be excited and ready for what the future holds,’ she said.

Conference guest speakers included Queensland University of Technology lecturer Deborah Munro, who told students: ‘Your career is unlikely to be a straight highway and more likely to be a road winding uphill through mountains with pit stops along the way!’

Deborah inspired the girls with four key takeaways: choose to learn; choose to take up the opportunities you are given; choose to play well with others; and choose to be true to you – find your own road.

A panel of St Margaret’s Old Girls featuring Maggie Wu (’16), Prue Edwards (’12), Amany Cummins (’13), Emily Wilks (’12), Molly Duhig (’15), Bella Smith (’14), Isabella Lane (’13) and Maddie Edmunds (’09) also helped highlight to the Year 10s the twists and turns that can be expected in the few short years after leaving school.

Ms Holley said the Old Girls’ presentations were well received by the students.

‘The Old Girls were not that much older than our students and are still in that phase of post-school education and career planning, reinforcing there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

‘The Old Girls were able to dispel any myths about a linear post-school trajectory and to reinforce to the Year 10s not to be concerned if they deviate from any preconceived ideas or prescribed formula,’ said Ms Holley.

Since the introduction of the careers program, Ms Holley said many Old Girls had reached out to participate in future careers conferences.

‘The school welcomes contributions from our community in any career-related capacity, whether offering services as a presenter at a future conference, providing work experience opportunities, mentorships or involvement in other opportunities such as career speed dating,’ said Ms Holley.

The conference will be the first of many new career education initiatives to be introduced for students with the primary aims being to assist students to make informed decisions about their subject selections, post-school study options and career pathways.

If any members of the wider community are interested in becoming involved in the careers program, please contact Naomi Holley by emailing nholley@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or phoning 07 3862 0728.

Igniting the entrepreneurial spirit In early August, St Margaret’s held its second annual Ignite event, aimed at igniting the entrepreneurial spirit within our students.

‘Entrepreneurs seem to have a remarkable resilience. That’s something we can’t teach, it doesn’t come from a textbook.

Three successful entrepreneurs, CEO of Grand Company Dhawal Nayak, owner and designer of Rebellious Grace Zoe Lane and photographer and life coach Jessica Chia, shared their stories, their successes and lessons from their failures with the audience of students and parents.

‘If the girls can see and hear firsthand the experiences of entrepreneurs, it seems to resonate more powerfully with them.

Head of the Global Studies Faculty Mathew Stein said the key tenet of Ignite is to give students the opportunity to be inspired by the experiences of real-world entrepreneurs.

‘Ignite is designed to provide an opportunity for the girls to network with entrepreneurs and gain an understanding that there are people out there who help them get from the

‘The girls have really innovative ideas but being able to take the next step, take risks and put these business ideas into place is the hard thing.

idea to it being a real thing, all they have to do is take that leap of faith,’ said Mr Stein.

At this stage, Ignite is held once a year; however, there are plans to grow the single event to an annual series.

If there are any entrepreneurs within the St Margaret’s community who would like to become involved in Ignite or in any entrepreneurial capacity, please contact Mathew Stein by emailing mstein@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or phoning 07 3862 0714.

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BOARDING

Community and Connection

There are two sides of community and connection in the boarding house.

First, it is vital our boarders, who come from far and wide, learn to live together harmoniously, respecting and celebrating their differences while working together and taking responsibility for the overall wellbeing of the boarding house as a community.

Second, it is also important the boarders and day girls are well connected. They all have much to share and learn from each other, coming as they do from different towns, states and even countries and from a variety of lifestyles and cultures – from remote stations to bustling cosmopolitan cities.

The boarding house works hard to facilitate these connections to expand the horizons of all and embrace each individual, while nurturing a strong sense of community in the house, where we operate as family when the girls are living away from home.

While these aims are borne out in everyday actions and activities in the boarding house and throughout the school, two signature events in the annual calendar bring these to the fore.

The annual ‘See My Difference, See My Worth’ festival held on the first closed weekend in Term 3 is now into its third year and is a celebration of every culture in our diverse boarding house, through food, dance, games, and talent quests to name just a few of the activities spread across the weekend.

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This year, on the Saturday, our diverse community was celebrated through different, unifying activities led by the Year 12s. These included: damper making, leaf art, different styles of cultural dancing, whip cracking and games. One of the boarding house staff, Mrs Jo Armytage, an expert in clay, led one of these activities and worked with the girls to create clay pots showcasing the national flowers of the different countries represented in the boarding house. The evening ended with a live band and dancing on Circular Drive.

On Sunday the boarding house ran ‘The Amazing Race’ where the girls worked in teams to find their way from St Margaret’s to the Botanical Gardens in the city. Along the way they needed to complete different challenges with staff stationed at each point.

Head of Boarding Ms Lesa Fowler said the community spirit displayed over the weekend highlighted the willingness of all girls to participate and work with each other.

‘It certainly lived up to its name and was a wonderful weekend,’ she said.

To promote closer connections between our boarders and day girls, St Margaret’s holds an annual day/boarder long weekend of either three or four days, where boarders are encouraged to take one or several day girls home to their place. The girls from the city learn more about their friends’ lifestyles which may be very different to their own suburban life; they may experience what many Australians will never – life on a station, rural or regional centre or sometimes an overseas location. This weekend strengthens our day/boarder connections while also offering our day girls a glimpse of ‘another world’ which is an important educative experience. Our day families are

wonderful at taking care of our boarders during the term and our boarding families delight in the opportunity to return the favour and show the day girls a different side of life.

The girls say it best and share some of their experiences below: ‘On the boarder/day girl long weekend I invited my friend Millie Douglas home with me. On Thursday afternoon we flew home on the plane which was an experience to remember. On Friday we went out to the back of my property had a look around and Millie saw and experienced new animals and how water supply works on the property. On Saturday we went to Roma and watched my sister play netball. This is a regular community event that everyone gets involved in. As a surprise we received a new puppy called Maple. Millie and I then fed the poddie calves and ran around in the cold weather. This was a weekend to remember! ‘ Maggie Slack Year 8

knowledge and were able to learn from our mistakes and not to give up, despite the twelve times the motorbike stalled.

We all learnt that the key in life is communication and radios are a must. I can’t wait till next year’s experience.’

Verity House Year 9 ‘I took two day girls home with me to my property 50km outside of Roma. As soon as we arrived, we were straight into doing cattle work including mustering, yarding, drafting and weighing them all.

The girls really enjoyed this as they don’t get to do any of this within Ascot as well as learning how everything works on

a property. I also taught them how to ride two-wheeler motorbikes as well as drive a manual and a buggy. The whole weekend was jam packed, very fun, yet, very cold.’

Lucy Scott Year 11 The ‘See My Difference, See My Worth’ festival and day/boarder long weekend are two of many initiatives that give rise to the phrase we are ‘a local school with a global outlook’ – which is not an empty sentiment or marketing slogan; it is a genuine reflection of all we do here at the school.

‘On the day/boarder weekend, myself, three day girls, and another boarder were invited to Ella Counsell’s property in Longreach. We spent the duration of the weekend mustering sheep, branding cattle and trying to get the perfect glazed marshmallow, despite our many failed attempts. We were privileged as we gained a wealth of new

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BOARDING

Ponytail leng The closing chapter

Bella Gray grew up in the quiet country town of Texas on the Darling Downs with her parents, fifth generation graziers, and as the youngest of four siblings.

She attended the small local primary school, Texas State School, before moving to Brisbane to commence Year 7 at boarding school.

Now in her final year, the Year 12 student recalls her first night in the boarding house at St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School: ‘I remember I was just so excited’.

Coming from a school that didn’t really offer competition sports, Bella jumped right into the sports on offer at St Margaret’s participating in basketball, touch football, swimming, softball, netball and athletics.

‘I put my name down for everything which I think really helped in my first year because it kept me busy and I really enjoyed it. It was also a great way to meet new friends,’ Bella said.

The sport lover has also enjoyed her participation in water polo, lifesaving, cross country and rowing during her years at St Margaret’s.

However, it is her boarding experience that Bella says has made her time at St Margaret’s special.

‘I am so grateful for this experience. It has made me more independent and living within the culturally diverse community has taught me acceptance and understanding as well as helped to expand my global outlook,’ Bella said.

The Prefect and Boarder Captain has relished the opportunity to be a school leader this year and says her fondest memories include living among her 170 strong boarding house family and participating in the school’s annual Ponytail Project.

‘I chopped my ponytail both in 2017 and 2019 to be donated to make wigs for those who have lost their hair due to a medical condition. It was amazing to be a part of something that was making a real difference to the lives of others,’ Bella said.

As she embarks on her final weeks at boarding school, Bella says she has mixed feelings about closing this chapter in her life.

She is excited about the future, which includes plans to study occupational therapy at university, but knows she will deeply miss the connections she has made, friendships she hopes will last a lifetime.

For Bella, her dream is to one day return to a property in her hometown, run cattle and work locally as an occupational therapist.

The saying goes, you can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl and it seems this certainly rings true for Bella Gray.

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Students of St Margaret’s rallied together in record numbers once again for the annual Ponytail Project, a student-led fundraising initiative where students seek sponsorship for the donation of their ponytails to make wigs for patients with illnesses resulting in hair loss.

Since the project was launched in 2015 it has raised more than $270,000 for the Queensland Cancer Council and the Minotti Trust which supports the family of past student and teacher of St Margaret’s, Amanda Minotti. In 2018, it was formally adopted by the Queensland Cancer Council to encourage other schools nationwide to participate.

Each year, students fundraise to participate in the day of the ‘big chop’ a lunchtime event where a crowd of excited onlookers assemble on Circular Drive to support the line-up of fundraisers as they donate their ponytails en masse with the help of an assembly line of Ponytail Project crew made up of staff, students and hairdressers from Boston Salon who donate their time each year.

Prefects who have elected to donate, kick-off proceedings in the morning at the Prefects Assembly and this year – for the first time – five teachers joined them on stage, having raised almost $3,500 as a team.

Secondary teacher Hetal Raniga explains it was her accounting students who proposed she get involved during the excitement of the 2018 event.

‘Straight away I was enthusiastic and promised the girls that I would do it for them. Realising how much it meant to my students motivated me. Each day, leading up to the big chop, I was more and more convinced that my decision to join the Ponytail Project was the right one,’ she said.

Fellow teammate Kirsty Krynaw was inspired by witnessing her students participate in the Ponytail Project over the years. Having been impressed by one of her own teachers committing to a similar cause when she was at school, Kirsty jumped at the opportunity to take part. She agrees the project is a powerful example for young women, not only for the spirit of taking part in a philanthropic endeavour, but also in shrugging off some of the notions that long hair is an important part of a woman’s identity.

‘As women, we tend to get quite attached to our hair and it becomes part of our identity. By donating our ponytails, someone who is struggling with their loss can hopefully be helped.’

Before the big chop, ponytails must be carefully measured and prepared for the hairdresser to clip the ponytail. Behind the scenes,

PHILANTHROPY

gths go a long way it requires all hands to help measure the allocated length before the fundraisers approach the stage.

‘Standing backstage with the other teachers and prefects measuring our hair ready for the big chop was really special. Taking our final hair photos, hearing the most updated fundraising tally and cheering each other on was so lovely to share together. It was amazing to finally be a part of it and potentially influence my students and other staff to participate in the fundraising process in the future,’ Kirsty said.

For the past two years, primary students have happily contributed a gold coin donation to dress their hair in all manner of colourful and wacky hairstyles. They are invited to Circular Drive at lunchtime to watch the proceedings; many of the primary girls evidently eager to reach Year 7 when they will be permitted to donate their ponytails.

The Ponytail Project has become a milestone event for St Margaret’s students, with many developing strategies to enable them to participate more than once during their time at school.

Now in its fifth year, students of St Margaret’s continue to proudly steward this philanthropic legacy to ever greater heights, this year raising over $97,200 and donating close to 90 ponytails.

grow and flourish from an idea of a few students into a nationally-recognised event. The Ponytail Project is one of the students’ most beloved days of the school year,’ she said.

Amira participated in 2017 and again as a Prefect this year. Sporting a new short haircut, Amira notes how it feels to contribute to such a worthy cause.

‘After the inaugural Ponytail Project at St Margaret’s, I became aware of the immense impact this initiative can have on those in need, and I knew I wanted to participate. I began saving the length of my hair for the project.

‘In 2017 I chopped 47cm off of my ponytail and donated another 32cm this year and I was more than excited to return to the bob. This new look reminds me every morning how privileged I am to wake up with a full head of healthy hair and I am humbled at the thought that something I take for granted has immensely aided a person in need.

‘I feel so humbled and grateful to have participated in this project and the satisfaction of knowing my hair has gone to a good cause will stay with me forever,’ she added.

Year 12 student Amira Ryan remembers the inaugural event and has witnessed a ripple effect of goodwill brought about by the initiative.

‘In the five years since its inception, I have watched the Ponytail Project

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WELLBEING

Social media and your child 6 tips for parents to help their child be responsible, respectful and safe on social networks Social media is entrenched in today’s culture and the lives of our teenagers and children.

While social networking sites have many benefits including networking, socialising and digital learning, there are many potential risks that could impact children’s wellbeing and safety.

Here are six tips for parents to help their child engage in social networking sites responsibly, respectfully and safely.

1. Limit use Initiate a digital curfew and implement a screen-less bedtime routine for the benefit of all family members.

There is much evidence implicating the use of digital devices on normal sleep processes including sleep quality and duration. Devices emit short wavelength, artificial blue light which disturbs the body’s production of the sleep hormone, melatonin (Sleep Health Foundation 2019). Furthermore, using interactive devices before bed, whether scrolling through Instagram, reading emails or watching Youtube, keeps the brain engaged, inhibiting the body’s ability to wind down. (National Sleep Foundation 2019) St Margaret’s Dean of Students, Ms Nikki Townsend has seen firsthand how student learning is impacted by lack of sleep.

‘It affects students wellbeing and makes it difficult for them to cope with the demands of school,’ she said.

Ms Townsend recommends parents restrict their child’s use of technology to the afternoon and early evening, allowing for a screen-less routine before bed of at least 30 minutes, ideally more.

‘Make bedrooms technology-free zones and charge phones and devices in a central room in your home such as the kitchen.

‘This will avoid any distractions during study and homework time and removes the temptation for your daughter to browse social media or the internet during the night whilst also stopping messages, noises or alerts interrupting their much-needed sleep,’ Ms Townsend said.

Parents can also take advantage of parental controls on devices or through some home wi-fi networks which allow

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them to monitor and control screen time and access to content. There are also many third-party apps which offer similar tools. Family Zone, for example, gives parents total control of their children’s devices and allows them to set controls and routines for what children can access and when and set sleep times for devices.

2. Be social media savvy Get savvy about the social networking platforms your child uses. At the very least, they are probably using Instagram, Snapchat and Youtube. (ABC Life 2019) Check privacy settings regularly and make sure your child’s account settings are set to private or friends only. Talk to your child about the importance of maintaining these settings and if your child disables them, reset them.

Ensure they know how to report or block on each platform they use. If they don’t, work this out together.

You may even decide with your child to further protect their online identity by choosing a username different to their own name and an impersonal profile picture.

Also, check Common Sense Media for any reported safety concerns relating to a particular app. (ABC Life 2019) 3. Monitor use Parents might feel as though they are invading their daughter’s privacy by checking their social media posts and messages but, in reality, it is a necessary measure to keep them safe from predators, cyberbullying and content that may impact their mental health and wellbeing, particularly with primary aged children Ms Townsend said: ‘At school, our students are learning life skills, but they still need constant guidance as to what is acceptable and what is not.

‘If parents have a gut feeling that something is not quite right, then they need to step in. If they can’t get answers from their daughter, then they can contact relevant St Margaret’s staff members to help shed more light.

We are committed to establishing a partnership between parents and the school,’ said Ms Townsend.

When monitoring your child’s use of social media, look out for messages or

friend requests from people your child doesn’t know and check how your child is talking to others and how others are talking to them in messenger, chat rooms and on message boards.

Strangers exist in the online world just as they do in the real world. Children (and parents) need to realise that inviting a stranger into their lives via social media or group chat is essentially the same as inviting them through your front door no questions asked. You wouldn’t do it! Talk to your child about encounters with strangers, both in the real and virtual worlds.

To facilitate monitoring, restrict use of their mobile phone or digital device to a public space in your home rather than behind closed doors.

4. Talk to your child about the risks There are many risks associated with social networking sites including cyberbullying, exposure to inappropriate or upsetting content and the dangers involved in sharing content and personal information. (Raising Children Network 2019) St Margaret’s is committed to educating students in all aspects of cybersafety.

The school is an eSmart accredited school recognising that we have the processes, procedures and policies in place to assist in educating children on cybersafety and helping to prevent cyberbullying.

The school’s sequential Pastoral Care Program is one method in which this information is delivered to students from Prep to Year 12. The cybersafety component of pastoral care covers topics relevant to age and stage including what to do if you are being cyberbullied and how to be safe online. Staff also receive cybersafety education and training and the school has established an eSafety Committee consisting of both primary and secondary staff, aimed at ensuring our processes, procedures and policies are sustained and also consistently promoting cybersafety within the school.

Parents can reinforce the importance of cybersafety and guide their child to become a responsible digital citizen at home as well. Teach your child not to share password or login details or personal information such as their

name, age, phone number, email address or where they live. Also ensure they do not share photos of themselves or others with anyone and that they know never to communicate with strangers.

Through St Margaret’s Pastoral Care Program, students are also taught how to maintain respectful relationships online.

It is not acceptable to gang up on others or exclude them from group chats online and students must always be mindful of their comments, posts, likes and actions on social media so as not to have a negative impact on or hurt others.

The Raising Children Network (2019) also offers a great tip: ‘If it’s not OK to say or do something face to face, it’s not OK online.’

For students and families who may be experiencing cyberbullying or any unsafe situation on a social media platform there are many avenues to take to report the situation starting with taking screen shots of the cyberbullying for evidence and using the block/report functionalities on the site. You can also report to the eSafety Commissioner, the police and a St Margaret’s staff member. Parents and students can read more about St Margaret’s Anti-Bullying Policy, including cyberbullying, on The Pod or the St Margaret’s website.

As a general rule, St Margaret’s refrains from naming students on its Facebook page unless the post is based around a student achievement already in the public domain. Parents should be careful about tagging their or another child on the school’s Facebook page, unwittingly identifying them by name and the school they attend.

5. Digital footprint For today’s generation of students preparing to enter a global and interconnected society, it is not just the face to face image we present to future colleagues, employers and networks that matters; our digital footprint will weigh in as well. Your daughter’s digital reputation will far precede her future self.

Safe on Social says: ‘Instil in your child from a young age the permanence of a digital footprint. Once something is out there in cyberspace you can’t get it back.’

In a January 2018, Australian child and adolescent psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Greg told the ABC: ‘You have got up to 60 to 70 per cent of primary school kids on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat and they simply do not have the neurological maturity to manage their digital footprint.’ (ABC News 2018)

Parents should discuss with their child what their social networking profile says about her now and in the future.

Protecting your child’s digital reputation doesn’t just come down to their own online behaviour but relies on their friends and family members as well.

ThinkUKnow suggests that young people check with their friends before uploading or tagging them in a photo.

(ThinkUknow 2019) Parents should also ask permission of their older child before posting images and use it as an opportunity to discuss the implications.

Dr Carr-Greg says: ‘By initiating such a dialogue, young people will grow up more aware of the pros and cons of having their image online, and parents are modelling good practice as well as giving them the skills, knowledge and strategies to use the internet in a safe, smart and responsible way.’

(ABC News 2018) St Margaret’s Director of Human Resources Mrs Kate Curran says a lot of companies are now using online screening as part of their recruitment process and believes it will continue to grow as a screening process for job candidates in the future.

‘Employers are looking for anything that might not match the values or ethos of the organisation and anything that might make them question a candidate’s judgement or integrity including photos, use of foul language, inappropriate comments about others and commentary on subjects that might be at odds with the organisation’s values.

‘I recommend using the grandma test.

Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your grandma to see. Equally, if you wouldn’t say or do something in front of your employer or a room full of professionals, don’t publish it publicly on social media,’ says Mrs Curran.

6. Establish guidelines The eSafety Commisioner suggests creating a family online safety contract to help you establish and reinforce guidelines and rules that will support your child to act responsibly, respectfully and safely on social media.

Include in the contract, specifics around time spent on social media, responsible behaviour and actions. (eSafety Commisioner 2019) ThinkUKnow has a great template to use as a starting point. (ThinkUKnow 2019) Want more information?

The Anglican Schools Commission has engaged Brett Lee from Internet Education and Safety Services (INESS) to develop a series of online courses for

parents about cyber safety. St Margaret’s strongly supports this training for parents within our school community.

This course is a user-friendly and practical resource that will equip parents with information and skills to assist their children to safely navigate the online world.

There are separate, tailored courses for parents with students in: · Lower Primary (ages 4-8) · Upper Primary (ages 9-11) · Lower Secondary (ages 12-14) · Upper Secondary (ages 15-18) These courses are free. All of the courses can be access using the link and password available on The Pod under Student Protection.

References: eSafety Commisioner 2019, eSafety parents and carers, eSafetyCommisioner, viewed 24 July 2019 https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/ skills-advice/online-safety-basics Hamilton-Smith, L, 2018, No child under 12 should be on social media, bullying expert says, ABC News 2018, Sydney, viewed 24 July 2019, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-0113/no-child-under-12-should-be-on-socialmedia-bullying-expert-says/9325636 Hart, B 2019, Consider this before you share your kids’ photos on social media without their consent, ABC Life 2019, Sydney, viewed 24 July 2019, https://www.abc.net.au/life/ sharing-photos-of-your-children-on-socialmedia-without-consent/10798576 Jennings-Edquist, G 2019, The social apps teenagers are using – and keeping him or her safe online, ABC Life 2019, Sydney, viewed 24 July 2019; https://www.abc.net.au/life/ apps-that-parents-of-teens-should-knowabout/10901680 Kids Helpline 2019, Staying safe online, Kids Helpline, Brisbane, viewed 24 July 2019, https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/ issues/staying-safe-online National Sleep Foundation 2019, USA, viewed 24 July 2019, https://www.sleep.org/articles/waystechnology-affects-sleep/ Raising Children Network 2019, Social media benefits and risks: children and teenagers, Raising Children Network, viewed 24 July 2019, https://raisingchildren.net.au/teens/ entertainment-technology/digital-life/socialmedia Sleep Health Foundation 2019, Blacktown, viewed 24 July 2019, https://www. sleephealthfoundation.org.au/technologysleep.html ThinkUKnow 2019, Top tips for online safety, Australian Federal Police, viewed 24 July 2019 https://www.thinkuknow.org.au/sites/ default/files/2018-10/Top%20tips.pdf

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202

125 YEARS

Mark your calendar 2020 will be a significant year for St Margaret’s as we celebrate our 125th anniversary. There will be several special anniversary events for students and the community to mark the occasion in addition to our much-anticipated regular events throughout the year.

ersary Book 125th Annivs Centre Foyer Art

FRIDAY 7 FEBRUARY

SATURDAY 7 MARCH

St John’s Cathedral

St Margaret’s

125th Anniversary Chapel Service

FRIDAY 13 MARCH

St Margaret’s Open Day

St Margaret’s Women’s Luncheon

FRIDAY 12 JUNE

MONDAY 29 JUNE

FRIDAY 17 JULY

St Margaret’s

London

St Margaret’s Day Official Opening of Sports Precinct

THURSDAY 13 AUGUST

FRIDAY 21 AUGUST

TUESDAY 13 OCTOBER

St Margaret’s

St John’s Cathedral

QPAC

St Margaret’s Fathers’ Dinner

St Margaret’s Open Morning

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19 EMBER, 20 V O N 0 2 Y A WEDNESD Launch

London Reunion

Classics in the Cathedral

The Greek Club

St Margaret’s

Speech Night

020 THURSDAY 19 MARCH

St Margaret’s Giving Day

FRIDAY 20 MARCH

29 – 30 MAY

Sydney Reunion

MAYO Arts Festival

SATURDAY 18 JULY

24 – 26 JULY

SUNDAY 26 JULY

St Margaret’s

125th Anniversary Sandshoe Ball

Sydney

St Margaret’s

New Sports Precinct

Reunion Weekend

St Margaret’s

OGA Chapel Service & ‘High Tea on the Terraces’

SATURDAY 24 OCTOBER

FRIDAY 30 OCTOBER

THURSDAY 26 NOVEMBER

St Margaret’s

Melbourne

OGA Awards Cocktail Evening

Melbourne Reunion

St Margaret’s

Celebrating 125 years service to education (Current and past staff of St Margaret’s) St Margaret’s

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MUSIC

Classics in the Cathedral

The St Margaret’s community was treated to yet another remarkable Classics in the Cathedral this year.

Both primary and secondary music students performed a compelling repertoire of celebrated musical pieces within the inspiring atmosphere of St John’s Cathedral.

The success of the night lay in the culmination of many rehearsal hours from 150 musicians and seven conductors performing sixteen scores across eleven ensembles. The opening performance of Also Sprach Zarathustra by Strauss set the tone for the evening and the girls displayed outstanding musicianship through to the finale piece Adiemus by Jenkins. The evening was a wonderful celebration of the achievements of our talented music students and their tutors and conductors.

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MUSIC

Students shine on centre stage at Nundah Festival

St Margaret’s was once again represented at Nundah Festival with a stall manned by our admissions and marketing team and Head of Rowing Jarad Bidwell who was kept busy putting festival goers through their paces on the rowing ergos and the vertical challenge jump. Our two recent trophies from Head of the River were on display bringing a bit of bling to the stand, with our outstanding rowing program a real point of difference for girls’ schools on Brisbane’s northside.

We were very proud to showcase for the first time in this forum our equally outstanding music program and dance troupe Ballare on the main stage. Our two secondary rock bands each belted out some impressive numbers before Ballare gave two beautiful performances.

Dance Coordinator Phoebe Mawer said the Nundah Village Festival performance was a wonderful opportunity for Ballare, a new dance ensemble introduced in 2018, to demonstrate their skills and talent to the wider community. The first performance was a cheerleading inspired dance routine to I Got You from the Broadway musical Bring It On, and the second a brand-new lyrical dance to Emeli Sande’s Read All About It. Head of Performance Brad King said performing in a real-world environment like this was a very valuable experience for the musicians.

‘They were performing in front of an unknown audience with professional sound and lighting, as well as constraints around keeping to a very strict timeslot and managing instruments and stage settings.

‘The girls also did a great job of taking to the microphone and introducing themselves and the band members,’ said Mr King.

‘They really grow in confidence with these types of experiences.’

Making beautiful music together through mentorship

A music mentorship program which began as a trial last year has been further developed in 2019 and is bringing real benefits to both mentors and mentees.

Every girl in the higher end auditioned ensembles in the secondary school signs up for a mentorship session once a term with the primary school beginner ensembles.

The Sister Helen Wind symphony is paired with the Chaseley Wind Ensemble, Chamber Strings with Amati and Tutti Strings, and Exultate with the primary choirs.

Head of Performance Brad King said the instrumental musicians will go and sit in their equivalent section of the junior ensembles and help the students with the musical expertise while building relationships and connections with the younger girls. The singers may take up position in a particular section of a choir – like the altos – and help them hold their parts.

‘The mentorship program also helps to show the young musicians where they can take their music and gives them something to aspire to; they can put themselves in the older girls’ shoes and see where they could be in a few years’ time.

‘This can sometimes be more motivating than their music tutors telling them to go off and practise their scales,’ laughed Mr King.

I enjoy the mentoring program as it’s a way for me to give back to my community. When I was their age, working with older students was a highlight … and they were a source of inspiration. I wish to be someone the younger students can easily approach if they need help and to be an example for them to do the best they can, not only in music but in everyday life.

Elena Kearns Year 9

‘Students in the auditioned ensembles come from all year levels and it is a chance for them to hone their leadership skills, no matter how old they are or whether or not they hold a leadership badge.’

It’s often said that teaching is the best way to learn and Mr King said this is certainly in play in the mentorship program.

‘By trying to explain musical concepts to the younger students, even the most experienced musician will improve their own musical literacy,’ he said.

Mr King said they are pleased with the benefits the mentorship program is bringing.

‘We will continue the program into 2020 and look at ways to both fine-tune what we are doing and expand upon some aspects of the program.’

‘The younger girls really look up to the older girls and are quite chuffed to get to know them.

‘Then, when we have events like the Choral Concert which showcases the whole school, there is already a greater sense of community among the senior and junior music ensembles.’

Mr King said the program was a great leadership opportunity for the older girls.

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SPORT

Grand final blitz

With 19 teams in this year’s Club Netball competition, close to 200 girls took part in the 20-week season from February, when training began, to the September finals series.

Of those, four of the younger teams (in the 7 to 10 years age groups) are non-competitive and don’t play the finals rounds. Seven of the 15 remaining teams (almost 50 per cent) made it through to the grand final, and five of those were ultimate victors, making for one of the most successful club netball seasons in St Margaret’s recent history.

The lessons competitive sport dishes out can sometimes be a bitter pill to swallow, with the Inters (intermediate) 2 team coming into the grand final undefeated, only to be pipped at the post in double extra time (where after the first extra time of five minutes play at each end and the game is still drawn, the teams keep playing until one is two goals in front).

Nevertheless, the girls rallied to cheer on their sisters – the St Margaret’s Inters 1 team – who had never beaten their grand final opponent All Hallows’. Across the season they had progressively narrowed the losing margin – from trailing by 25, then by 13, and in the semi-finals by five – roughly halving the deficit each game – to finally

storming home in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter in the grand final to take the premiership by one point.

There was much excitement on the sidelines with an army of supporters from both sides cheering on their team as the score see-sawed throughout the game.

Head of Netball and coach of the Inters 1 team Gayle Coutts said one of her focuses as a coach is teaching the girls to compete and be brave, regardless of what is happening on the court.

‘When the score is close and the stakes are high, players can lose their grip on the game by getting nervous and being frightened to make a mistake, so they hesitate. However, hesitation can lose a game, so I am thrilled that this team held their nerve and kept playing a very courageous game to claw back points in the last quarter to earn the win.

‘When a game is over there is a lot that should be left on the court – it’s just a game – but there are valuable life lessons to be learnt as well, such as being brave, which I hope stays with the girls long after the whistle has blown,’ said Gayle.

While the season was a great success in terms of results, Gayle said it was by no means the only measure of success.

‘Club netball has a fantastic community spirit about it. The parents get involved with supplying morning teas, ferrying day and boarding girls around and cheering the girls on from the sidelines.

‘For me what was most evident this year was improvement; whether or not it resulted in a grand final berth, all girls and teams showed significant improvement across the season, thoroughly enjoying themselves along the way.’

All St Margaret’s netball coaches are fully accredited and enjoyed great success with their teams this year.

Gayle coached two teams to grand final wins – the Inters 1 (STM 1) and Cadets 1 (STM 4), as did Annelise Ryan who coached Cadets 3 (STM 6) and a 12 years team (STM 12). St Margaret’s mother Karen Booth is in her 20th year of coaching – eight with St Margaret’s – and enjoyed her first grand final win with her Cadets 2 team (STM 5).

The grand final scores were: STM 13 12 years Runners Up 17-22 STM 12 12 years Premiers 28-11 STM 6 Cadets Premiers 21-9 STM 5 Cadets Premiers 36-32 STM 4 Cadets Premiers 42-38 STM 2 Intermediate Runners Up

38-36 in double extra time STM 1 Intermediate Premiers 52-51

Congratulations to the players, coaches and supporters on a great season.

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SPORT

On the national stage

Leaving it all on the water Thirty years since the formation of the Brisbane Schoolgirls Rowing Association (BSRA) by St Margaret’s parent Tony Eliot, the St Margaret’s Shed won the percentage cup at the 2019 Head of the River and Mr Eliot was on hand to present the trophy to the rowing captains.

The prestigious First Eight race was also won by St Margaret’s in what was a clean sweep of the Third, Second and First Senior Eights, who tore up the course at Lake Wyaralong on Saturday 31 August.

Head of Rowing Jared Bidwell said it wasn’t just that they won, it was how they won.

‘Seeing those three eights in the final stages of their races was the greatest display of teamwork, bravery and commitment.

‘It was a fantastic example of what St Margaret’s stands for and what we can all aspire to do.’

Throughout this year, St Margaret’s athletes have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally across many sports. We celebrate those who have represented their state on the national stage in recent times.

Milla Roberts (Year 7) was selected to compete at the 10-12 Years School Sport Australian Track and Field Championships in Darwin in September, making the finals of the girls 12 years 800m and placing fifth.

Matilda Lee (Year 7), Annabel Bright (Year 7), Isabella Harte (Year 8), Chloe Fenwicke (Year 10) and Bella Donaldson (Year 12) competed at the National Cross Country Championships in Wollongong in August. Isabella successfully defended her Australian title by winning the Under 16 years Girls 4km, becoming the second only female in history to win the U14 and U16 titles in consecutive years.

She also won gold in the individual teams’ event and relay. It was the third time this year Isabella had taken the podium as national champion, winning both the U15 1500m and 3000m at the Australian Track and Field Championships in April.

Mr Bidwell said that while the First VIII lead from start to finish, they never really broke away.

Mr Bidwell said St Margaret’s gained podium places in 23 of the 31 races on the day.

‘The Head of the River represents the culmination of a journey of some 20 weeks.

‘Commitment, dedication and a pursuit in the belief that we can always be better in everything we do all came out on show on the day, and gave us an outcome that our rowers, coaches, parents and supporters can all be proud of,’ he said.

Within 24 hours of St Margaret’s victory and on the other side of the world, Old Girl Jacinta Edmunds (’11) raced in the Women’s Eight at the World Rowing Championships taking silver and qualifying the boat for the Tokyo Olympics.

Sophie Martin (Year 8) was selected in the Queensland swimming team to compete at the 2019 State Teams Championships to be held at the Australian Institute of Sport Aquatic Centre in Canberra in early October.

Unfortunately injury prevented Sophie from competing.

Water Polo:

Year 9 students Chelsea Johnson and Emma Pickering competed in 2019 U14 Australian Water Polo Championships in Hobart for Queensland. Their team remained undefeated throughout the tournament and were crowned National Champions, with Chelsea captaining the team throughout the tournament.

‘They just kept a cool head, responded to any challenges from the other crews and put in their best possible race,’ he said.

The First VIII crew consisted of a combination of day and boarding students from Years 10 to 12, showing a depth in the St Margaret’s Shed that augers well for the future: The First Eight crew were: Bow - Lily Devereaux (Year 12), 2 - Pia Malouf (Year 11); 3 - Margot Lisle (Year 11); 4 - Rose Biddulph (Year 12); 5 - Sophia Wightman (Year 10); 6 - Shanelle Flute (Year 11); 7 - Rosie Turnbull (Year 10); Stroke - Primrose Carrigan (Year 10); Cox - Olivia Garland (Year 11).

Tahlia Thornton (Year 11) contested the World Junior Swimming Championships in Budapest in August following her success at the Hancock Prospecting Australian Age Swimming Championships earlier this year in Adelaide. History shows that competing at this prestigious international event marks the beginning of a swimmer’s journey on the international stage.

Tahlia made the finals, placing fifth – a outstanding achievement.

Netball: Maicey Lynch (Year 9), Kayla Newberry (Year 9), Tayden Tomich (Year 8), Genevieve Heather (Year 8) and Tshia Nielsen (Year 7) will contest the National Nitro Schools Final in Perth in December following their win in junior division of the Queensland Athletics Nitro School Challenge in August.

Swimming:

Sienna Timms (Year 8), Stella Stuart (Year 7) and Jaclyn Barclay (Year 7) competed at the Australian School Sport National Swimming Championships in Melbourne in July, all recording terrific results in their events.

Portia Creevey (Year 7) competed in the 11 and 12 Years Queensland Secondary Schools Netball Team at the Australian School Sport Netball Championships in Canberra in September. Queensland won the tournament with 12 wins and only two losses throughout.

Gymnastics

Sarah Stephenson (Year 8) competed at the State Club Championships for Delta Gymnastics and the Boarder Challenge in the Queensland team. In both competitions Sarah’s teams won gold, making her club team the best in Queensland and the Queensland team the best in Australia.

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ART

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ART

A postcard sized art exhibition St Margaret’s second biennial Postcard Project was held early in Term 3 with the exhibition featuring over 160 works created by 60 artists ranging from celebrated well-known names to talented St Margaret’s community members and staff, including Principal Ros Curtis.

The postcards were displayed in the Arts Centre Gallery during Term 3, before being sold at the Friends of MAYO Long Lunch on Sunday 11 August. All proceeds from the sale of the postcards supports St Margaret’s Arts program, helping to expand the school’s art collection to create educational opportunities as well as an aesthetically stimulating environment for staff and students.

Each postcard, though small in canvas size, showcased a unique work featuring varying techniques from painting, drawing and photography to printmaking, collage and 3D printing.

Special guest Hon Ashley Dawson-Damer AM (’62 nee Mann), a member of the Art Gallery of NSW Board of Trustees, joined 95 fellow art lovers in the Gallery for the Long Lunch where guests could mull over their favourite postcard and enjoy artwork from the Fireworks Gallery as they partook of the fine wine and dining on offer.

The theme for this year’s event was ‘An Australian Story’ and St Margaret’s Head Chef, Scott Johnson, set tongues wagging with his Modern Australian inspired menu. Guests journeyed through an eleven-course degustation menu featuring crocodile steaks, smoked barramundi in paper bark leaves, braised kangaroo pie, emu sausages with bush chutney, goat tajine, braised water buffalo and steamed macadamia nut pudding with Marburg caramel, Bundaberg Rum sauce and a leatherwood honey cream.

Friends of MAYO and St Margaret’s thanks Quality Food Services, Hillman Meat Company, Spiro’s Fresh, Richards Brothers Seafoods and Stone & Wood, who so generously donated products towards this event.

Growing St Margaret’s art collection Thanks to the work of Friends of MAYO, with initiatives such as the Postcard Project, the MAYO Festival and Long Lunch, in conjunction with the much-appreciated generosity of donors, St Margaret’s art collection continues to grow, reflecting the immutable significance of arts in education.

One of the more recent additions is a large painting donated by past grandmother Sylvana Gardner. The large, richly textured canvas is titled ‘Mantid Tai-Chi in the City’ and will be hung in one of the art rooms to be used as a teaching tool on the subject of paint texture and application.

Chair of St Margaret’s School Council Ms Alison Quinn has loaned several works from the Bowerman Collection which are on display around the school.

Additionally, Friends of MAYO recently purchased an Ian Smith work for the Eunice Library. The piece titled ‘Does a bridge exist down below’ is so aesthetically pleasing, one would almost think it was custom-made. It will be used as an important teaching tool about symbolism and metaphor in art.

If you are interested in donating to the school’s art collection, please contact the Development and Community office by phoning 07 3862 0765 or emailing developmentandcommunity@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Art Gallery Creative Workshops Food & Wine Artisan Markets Live Music & Performing Arts Showcase Carnival Rides & Activities

Sponsorship of the MAYO Arts Festival is a wonderful opportunity to promote your business to the school community, their networks and to local residents.

ARTS FESTIVAL

29-30 MAY 2020

If you would like to discuss sponsorship, please contact Pru Reed on 07 3862 0828 or email preed@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

For event details visit www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au/mayoartsfestival

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OLD GIRLS

The St Margaret’s science teachers of the late 90s have a lot to answer for. It seems they inspired as many as ten Old Girls (that we are aware of) from the class of ’99, helping to launch esteemed careers in the field of medicine. Here is a brief snapshot of what many of these women have achieved since leaving St Margaret’s school gates.

Dr Nadia Patel - Endocrinologist MBBS Hons1, BMedSci, FRACP Dr Nadia Patel graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, Hons 1) and a Bachelor of Medical Science degree in 2005.

Since 2015, Dr Patel has been working as a Consultant Endocrinologist at Greenslopes Private Hospital. Dr Patel’s work comprises outpatient, inpatient and on call work with teaching. In addition to her clinical work as an endocrinologist, she is also the Director of Physician Training at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, one of the largest public teaching hospitals in Australia. Dr Patel says: ‘Whilst at St Margaret’s I learned many skills that helped throughout medical school and subspecialty training, and I would definitely say that I have on ongoing love for learning and education. Having been lucky enough to have also had some wonderful and inspiring teachers whilst at St Margaret’s, this has also encouraged my interest in contributing to the education and training of medical students and junior doctors. I love my work and feel very fortunate to be doing something that I find stimulating, challenging and rewarding.’

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L to R: Gemma Pincus, Sarah Llwellyn, Julie Lee, Anna Francis, Rebecca Won

From St Margaret’s to medicine

Dr Gemma Slykerman - Anaesthetist BSc, MBBS, Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Education, FANZCA

After graduating from St Margaret’s, Dr Gemma Slykerman attained a Bachelor of Science followed by a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery.

She began her anaesthetic training in 2009, completing it in 2018, after a number of years of part-time training to accommodate maternity leave and a better work-life balance. Dr Slykerman is passionate about fitness and health, something she says was also a huge part of her life as a boarder at St Margaret’s, and it continues to be an important focus for her now. ‘Whatever your plans may be after high school, as a young woman graduating from St Margaret’s, you will have been given the best possible platform from which to achieve your dreams. Your life is what you make of it, and medicine is a fantastic career in which you truly can have it all!’ said Dr Slykerman.

Dr Edwina Moore (nee Bolshinsky) – Clinical Associate, Endocrine Surgery MBSS (HONS), BMedSci, FRACS (General Surgery) Prefect, sports captain and crosscountry captain in her final year at St Margaret’s, Dr Edwina Moore (nee Bolshinsky) studied medicine, firstly at Trinity College in Dublin before transferring to the University of Tasmania. She graduated with first class honours and prizes for anaesthesia and internal medicine.

In 2007, she relocated to Melbourne for her internship, residency and general surgery training. In 2017 she made the move to Cleveland, Ohio to commence a surgical fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic, one of the largest hospitals in the world. Dr Moore says she is grateful for the St Margaret’s OGA study scholarship which partially supported this endeavour. Future plans include returning to Melbourne with her family to establish a private practice in endocrine surgery and embark on a PhD. ‘Certainly, my education at St Margaret’s instilled a love for learning and independence. Surgery is neither an easy nor a glamorous career choice but I absolutely love my job and I would encourage any student who is interested in health and people, is creative and hardworking to consider it as a career option. I would be happy to mentor any St Margaret’s student who is contemplating a career in Medicine, maybe even surgery,’ said Dr Moore.

Dr Julie Lee – Anaesthetist BPharm, MBBS, FANZCA By the time Dr Julie Lee was in primary school, her heart was set on a career in medicine. Her time at St Margaret’s helped foster a love of learning and set the foundations for the long road ahead to achieving her dreams. Fast forward twenty years and her passion for medicine and commitment to lifelong learning is just as strong. She is now a staff specialist anaesthetist at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and a Senior Lecturer at The University of Queensland. More recently she expanded her clinical expertise to the field of medical research. Her special research interests include ultrasoundguided regional anaesthesia, airway management, and obstetric anaesthesia.

She is currently undertaking a Doctorate of Philosophy on rotational thromboelastometry in obstetrics and has facilitated workshops and published widely on this topic. She has been an invited speaker at local, national and international conferences. She is also a working party member of the Queensland Clinical Guidelines for Primary Postpartum Haemorrhage.

Since 2015, she has been awarded over $500,000 in research grants and prizes, including the National Blood Authority Early Career Researcher Grant, CSL Behring Early Career Research Prize, Winner of the Open Poster Prize at the ANZCA ASM 2018 and the ASA Kevin McCaul Prize for the best paper on obstetric anaesthesia. Despite her various research commitments, Dr Lee is still very actively involved in direct clinical care and thrives on providing the very highest level of care for her patients.

Dr Rebecca Won (nee Stevens) – Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgeon BMed, FRACS After graduating from St Margaret’s, Dr Rebecca Won commenced a Bachelor of Medicine at the University of Newcastle. ‘The Newcastle degree was a small cohort of only 80 students, which allowed me to be attached to a single surgeon for eight weeks for my surgical term. I followed that surgeon everywhere, public and private hospitals, ward rounds, consulting sessions, outpatient clinics and endoscopy lists. I was hooked and knew surgery was it for me,’ said Dr Won. During her second year as a junior doctor, Dr Won worked in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Unit at the Royal Brisbane Hospital. ‘I loved the attention to detail, the ability to heal wounds that others couldn’t, but most of all I loved the ability to improve the quality of life of patients with conditions they hadn’t chosen or deserved,’ said Dr Won. After training in multiple hospitals in Queensland and Victoria, Dr Won obtained her Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in Plastic Surgery.

She then went on to sub specialise with a PFET in Hand Surgery and is currently one of only seven surgeons in Australia with this qualification. In addition to working in private practice, Dr Won is a senior lecturer at The University of Queensland. She is also Chair of the Queensland Chapter of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons, a member of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons younger Fellows Committee and contributes to the Medical Response Evacuation Group assessing the health of asylum seekers in offshore detention facilities. Dr Won says: ‘St Margaret’s instilled in me a deep sense of ‘women can do anything’ and a desire to give back to the community.

I never once felt that medicine, or surgery was beyond my reach because I was female, but just like my time spent in the First VIII, I am supported by a wonderful team. My mother (who provides me with HR advice and childcare for my two young children), my lawyer, my accountant, and even some of my patients are St Margaret’s Old Girls!’

Dr Anna Francis - Paediatric Nephrology Fellow at Royal Children’s and Mater Children’s Hospital Brisbane BSci(MedSci), MBBS, FRACP, MMed, PhD After graduating from St Margaret’s, Dr Anna Francis studied a science degree at QUT before attending postgraduate medical school at The University of Queensland. Dr Francis is now a paediatric nephrologist and clinical researcher at Queensland Children’s Hospital. She recently completed her PhD at the University of Sydney on the topic of ‘Long-Term Outcomes of Chronic Kidney Disease in Childhood and Adolescence’. She also has a Masters in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Sydney. In 2017, Dr Francis was awarded a Churchill Fellowship, travelling to Germany, England and Harvard to explore transition programs to adult care for young kidney transplant recipients.

In 2015 she qualified as a paediatric nephrologist, having completed training in Brisbane and Sydney.

At the time of writing this story we had been unsuccessful in getting in touch with some of these Old Girls who are leading very busy lives in the field of medicine. We are aware that Dr Nina Fisher, Geriatrician, Dr Sarah Jarrold, Emergency Dr and Dr Yoko Asakawa, Paediatric Registrar are also among the women of the Class of ’99 who have pursued careers in medicine.

If you are an Old Girl of St Margaret’s and have not been receiving communication from the school, that may be because we do not have your current contact details. We value staying connected with our past students. You can update your details on the St Margaret’s website or by contacting the Development and Community Office on 07 3862 0765 or OGA&Alumni@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

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OLD GIRLS

Holding you tight and reminiscing 50 year

This year’s milestone reunions saw just under 400 Old Girls from alumni years 1959, 1969, 1979, 1989, 1999 and 2009 descend on the school across the weekend of 26th/27th July to reconnect and reminisce. With three cocktail functions on the Friday night and three lunches on the Saturday, it was a busy weekend for the facilities and catering teams and development office; their team members must be congratulated for ensuring a special time was had by all.

Principal Ros Curtis welcomed all visitors to their reunions and provided a brief update on the school.

Archivist Bronwyn Perry did a magnificent job providing slide shows for each reunion which delighted all in attendance. Boarders assisted with the weekend’s tours, impressing the past generations of students.

The reunions were followed by the Old Girls’ Chapel Service on the Sunday (this year presided by Sister Gillian with our new chaplain Reverend Susan delivering the homily) and on the Monday the school hosted the VIP reunion luncheon for past students whose graduating year was more than 60 years ago.

60+ year

10 year

60 year

60+ year

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20 year

30 year

40 year

60+ year

EVENTS

Inspiring business breakfasts

The second and third instalments of St Margaret’s 2019 Professional Women’s Network series were held in May and August with business professionals, St Margaret’s staff, alumni and students gathering to build relationships and be inspired by the career journeys of successful business leaders.

Julieanne Alroe is one of only a handful of women in the world to run a privatised airport, having retired last year after ten years as CEO and Managing Director of Brisbane Airport Corporation.

Brisbane coffee entrepreneurs Penny (’92) and Peter Wolff, a dynamic duo who have carved a niche in the realm of specialty coffee in Brisbane, treated their guests to a Wolff Coffee espresso and guided sensory tasting experience while revealing their secrets to success.

Raised in Hendra, she grew up opposite Brisbane airport where, from a young age, she would hang over the fence watching the aircraft take off and land.

Penny and Peter’s tips included investing in people, giving energy and acting with intention, focusing on the small details, being disciplined yet flexible, selling your vision and having appreciation.

Penny also said ‘innovation’ was the linchpin for their business model.

‘We don’t replicate something twice. We try and enter the market with something quite new and innovative and produce something that’s different,’ she said.

Peter, who is a veritable pioneer in the coffee industry and one of only a few master roasters in Australia, echoed Penny’s words, saying ‘innovation is at the heart of what we do’.

‘It allows us to influence to some degree the market but also allows us to tap into emerging trends in tea and coffee,’ Peter said.

They attribute much of their success to being ‘yes’ people and embracing every opportunity.

At the third breakfast for the year, Julianne Alroe inspired with her career journey comprising over 40 years’ experience in the aviation industry.

Julianne said she always knew she wanted to work in aviation.

She joked: ‘Even the crockery in our kitchen used to rattle. So, I guess I started on my journey managing airport noise quite early on!’

‘I am not quite sure if it was living a cross the road from the airport or reading Arthur Hailey’s Airport, that I knew I wanted to work in aviation,’ said Julianne.

Having faced gender bias in the industry, it was significant when Julianne became the first woman in Australia to be appointed to a management role in an airport, landing the position of Assistant Airport Director at Sydney Airport.

After 28 years at Sydney Airport, she was offered the opportunity to run Brisbane Airport.

She revealed that taking risks and having the confidence to take on new challenges helped her to not only land her first role but assisted her throughout her career.

Julieanne also shared, through her own experience, that having integrity, curiosity, a desire to learn and respect for others were essential for success.

She spoke of family being the most important thing imploring: ‘Family is a person’s greatest strength. Without their love and their support, life is going to be much harder and investment in those relationships is the most valuable investment you’ll make.’

Julieanne also encouraged the audience to ‘have a little patience’ highlighting the fact she became a CEO at age 54, decades after she began her career.

Reflecting on what success for her looked like after a career spanning 43 years in the workforce, she said: ‘That I left things better than I found them.’

She concluded with these wide words: ‘Work with something you enjoy.

If there’s passion there’s more likely to be success.’

To listen to the audio recording of either Penny and Peter or Julieanne Alroe’s presentations, visit the Professional Women’s Network page under the community tab on the St Margaret’s website.

Thank you to all who attended the Professional Women’s Network events in 2019 and to those partners who supported the events including associate sponsors Pitcher Partners and McCullough Robertson, and supporting partners Downer, NAB, Clear Insurance, Programmed Property Services, Red Oak and Queensland Brain Institute.

All proceeds from these events – which amounted to just over $52,000 – will be directed to the St Margaret’s Foundation Endowment Fund which supports current and future families experiencing hardship, including those living in rural and regional areas.

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EVENTS

Cocktails on the Creek Mother Daughter High Tea

Race Day

Fathers’ Dinner

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Race Day

Mother Daughter High Tea

Cocktails on the Creek

Cocktails on the Creek

Fathers’ Dinner

Cocktails on the Creek

Race Day

Fathers’ Dinner

Race Day

Mother Daughter High Tea

Race Day

The impact of giving

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Thank you

Welcome It gives me great pleasure to write to you in this short introduction to our Impact of Giving Report. Throughout the year we have continued to grow engagement and philanthropic participation, welcoming many new supporters to our St Margaret’s donor community.

As I write this, we are reflecting on a period where there has been great progress being made on site for the new sports precinct and the Capital Campaign that is allowing members of the St Margaret’s community to support this amazing new facility. Joining us in this pursuit, by donating to the Campaign, sends a powerful message to our girls; that is, it takes a community to create something special.

Congratulations to our wonderful community of kindred spirits. We did it – we reached our initial ‘Million Dreams’ target for the sports precinct. I am deeply moved by how much our community understands the importance, power and joy of giving.

St Margaret’s has a long tradition of giving, with much of our school environment built on philanthropy. In August, at the turning of the soil ceremony in August, I shared four stories about a St Margaret’s family, an Old Girl, a staff member and a friend of the school. Each story demonstrated the dedication to advancing the quality of education we deliver by sustainably adding to the school’s physical environment to enhance learning and development and I hope you enjoy reading about these special contributions in the Capital Campaign piece within this annual Impact of Giving Report within the Flyer.

Over the past 12 months, our community made history with donations and pledges surpassing $1m to support the Sports Precinct.

However, while we have been busy raising funds for the Capital Campaign we have maintained our focus and energy on building The Endowment Fund year on year through the Professional Women’s Network Initiative. Our community is fortunate to have such tremendous support through St Margaret’s alumni and corporate connections.

In addition, we acknowledge the heart-warming contributions of families who provide generous scholarship and bursary support to help our families experiencing challenges with extenuating circumstances or devastation caused by nature (drought, fire and floods).

With my deepest gratitude on behalf of St Margaret’s Foundation and my fellow Board Members, thank you for taking action, for being bold and for being generous and donating not just to the capital Campaign, but to all Foundation initiatives.

Philanthropy is achieving wonderful things in our school community. Thank you for caring, being engaged and for remaining such enthusiastic donors.

Philanthropy is part of St Margaret’s DNA. Always has been, and always will be.

Kylie Lamprecht (’90) Chair of St Margaret’s Foundation

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Of course, surpassing our $1m target has been an exceptional highlight, but what is truly exciting is that we are at a stage where we can physically see the progress and envisage the incredible opportunities and experiences that will be made possible for our students through this new facility.

Support has also been growing, not just for the betterment of educational facilities, but also 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.

Donations, at all levels, are valuable in helping our families through difficult times, to ensure current students can continue and complete their education here at St Margaret’s.

I hope that you enjoy reading the short personal reflection on page 37 written by one of our donors about why they felt it important to pay forward the support they received from the Sisters many years ago.

Once again, it has been a real privilege to meet and continue to build relationships with so many amazing people who have a genuine fondness for this wonderful school and a desire to help us make the experience for our current students even better.

I hope this short report will give you greater appreciation of how your support plays a vital role in keeping St Margaret’s at the forefront of delivering the best educational experience for our young women.

On behalf of Julie Gibbons, Bronwyn Small and myself, the Development and Community Office team, thank you for your kindness and support.

Lara Pickering Director of Philanthropy and Stakeholder Engagement

Giving at St Margaret’s in 2019 OUR YEAR TO DATE

$499,311 donations received in 2019 177 Donors, 198 Donations

Smallest donation $10 Largest individual donation $100,000 Average donation $2,522 $29,030 gifted through Bequests Professional Women’s Network: Profit of $52,000+ donated P&F Association: $65,000 donated through community fundraising events

Donor demographics

1.4%

9.5%

100%

of Old Girls donate

of Current Families donate

participation in giving from Senior Leadership Team, St Margaret’s Foundation and School Council

Giving destinations $78,565 for Scholarships and Bursaries to support our students $15,000 generated by a small group of parents specifically to support our boarding community $398,365 to the Building Fund for the new sports precinct $22,381 donated to the Endowment Fund to for the future sustainability of St Margaret’s

Gifts in Kind

11 artworks gifted or loaned to enhance the visual arts program for our students

Volunteers

120 volunteers including…

9 School Council Directors 7 St Margaret’s Foundation Directors 17 Parents & Friends Association Committee Members 6 Development and Community Office Volunteers 29 Support Group Members Please note: This information correct as at 4 October 2019 19 Old Girls’ Association Committee Members 32 Class Reps + many more who kindly volunteer for specific events and activities!

Please note: This information correct as at 25 October 2019

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The sports precinct by numbers $1,167,607 of $1.2m raised 280+ donations received

245+ donors including current parents, past parents, future parents, grandparents, past students and staff

2000m3 of on-site material moved to create building platforms for the gym and tennis courts 537m3 concrete poured to date out of 2700m3 total

46t of reinforcement placed to date out of 210t total 180t structural steel 65 pad footings

500m of strip footings 90 bored piers

1.525 million litres of water to be held by the pool

The Campaign with a new personal best Thanks to the generosity of our community, great progress is being made on site for the new sports precinct.

Early in Term 3, we had the pleasure of hosting many of our donors, along with The Hon. Grace Grace MP, Minister for Education and Minister for Industrial Relations, Mr Tim Nicholls MP, Member for Clayfield, and the Tomkins team, for the Turning of the Soil Ceremony.

St Margaret’s Foundation was established in 2004 as the steward of philanthropic investment in the future of St Margaret’s, for its students. However, the generosity of our school community certainly pre-dates this.

Our founders, the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent, are remarkable. They have educated thousands of women across Queensland through sheer persistence, determination and hard work, even, in the early days, rattling tins of coins and asking for donations to be able to continue their mission from which we have all benefited.

You may be aware that St Margaret’s has a long tradition of giving, but you may not be aware that much of this school has been built predominantly on philanthropy.

John Darnell was an Anglican philanthropist who left large sums of money for educational and charitable purposes.

St Margaret’s was a beneficiary of the Darnell Estate with the creation of the Darnell Art and Music Rooms in 1933 and 1936.

Lorna Jackson attended St Margaret’s from 1942 to 1953 and went on to study Agricultural Science at The University of Queensland. Lorna sadly passed away in her late twenties and, in recognition of her time at St Margaret’s, her family left a generous donation to the school. The Jackson Wing was created in 1984 and the Archives holds a box of photos and Jackson family memorabilia.

Kathleen Campbell-Brown was a teacher of French at St Margaret’s from 1933 to 1945. She was strongly dedicated to the interests of her students and colleagues. St Margaret’s was fortunate to be a beneficiary of her generosity, with her gift helping to establish the Tuckshop that we have today.

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More recently, the generosity of one of our St Margaret’s families helped to create the Barley Sugar Garden and Godlee Arbour. There are many more stories like these, but these collectively represent the dedication of our community to the school. They are the stories of a St Margaret’s family, an Old Girl, a staff member and friend of the school all dedicated to advancing the quality of education we can deliver through changing the school’s physical environment.

Donors to the sports precinct are doing this for our students today.

From 2001 to 2005, we raised just over $300,000 to deliver the Arts Centre Foyer (Stage 1). From 2010 to 2011, we once again set a new fundraising record with just over $700,000 raised for the Eunice Science and Resource Centre that opened in 2012.

More recently, the community has come together to deliver improvements to our school through the Annual Giving Program which include the Loft, M’s Café and Toorak Gardens.

In 2019, we have raised the bar yet again, working towards a goal of $1.2m for this amazing new facility that will allow our girls to train for swimming and no longer worry about the cold mornings, rock climb, use the multipurpose court area to play at lunchtime, extend the hours of tennis play and access permanently set up strength and conditioning equipment.

Giving to support this facility; the future of health and physical education at St Margaret’s, sends a powerful message to our girls; that is, it takes a community to create something special.

Will you join us?

The Sister Mary SSA Bursary

ts uden with t s 4 1 ed ovid through r p e wer support he to t ary burs onations Fund d ip larsh 9 o h c 1 S in 20

‘In 1949, I first entered the gates of St Margaret’s Church of England Girls’ School, now St Margaret’s Anglican Girls’ School and left after I had completed Senior (Grade 12).

I enjoyed my school years and made lifelong friendships which I treasure.

The Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent educated thousands of women across Queensland through sheer persistence, determination and hard work, even, in the early days, rattling tins of coins and asking for donations to be able to continue their mission from which more than 6,500 Old Girls have benefited.

This is just one story about how an Old Girl is helping to ensure the legacy of the Sisters lives on…

My mother was widowed while I was in primary school and was left to bring up two young children on her own.

She worked extremely hard to ensure that my brother and I had access to the best learning opportunities possible. She believed that education was the key to securing her children’s future.

Delivering the opportunity for two children to complete a private education was not without difficulty. The Sisters were quick to act when things became very challenging for my mother, generously providing most welcome support which gave me the opportunity to finish my education at St Margaret’s.

The kindness bestowed upon my family by the Sisters at this time is something I shall always remember with deep gratitude.

I went on to The University of Queensland, graduating with honours in my chosen field followed by the wonderful experience of working professionally both in Australia and abroad. I have received national and international awards for my work embracing life as a true gift.

Last year I decided that it was time to give something back to St Margaret’s. I wanted to afford other young girls the same opportunity that I was fortunate enough to receive. My St Margaret’s education helped prepare me for my life’s journey and I hope my donation will help these girls to secure this wonderful foundation for their future.

An Old Girl of St Margaret’s The Sister Mary SSA Bursary was established through the generosity of this St Margaret’s past student in honour of Sister Mary (Sister in Charge of St Margaret’s from 1940 to 1964), who provided her with much support and guidance during her time at St Margaret’s.

The Bursary has been awarded to support a family, who has experienced financial difficulty due to drought, in keeping their daughter enrolled at St Margaret’s. This support is also allowing this student to make the most of her St Margaret’s education, including participation in extra-curricular activities that she may not have the opportunity to try and achieve in elsewhere.

She and her family are most grateful for this Old Girl’s gift.

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St Margaret’s, with the Foundation, gratefully acknowledges the support of those who have donated to support our students in 2019*.

Luminary $10k+ Anonymous (2) The Aralar Family The Bothwell Family H & R Campbell Arnika Di Bella and Family A & K Flynn Scott and Sacha Flynn Denice Foley (‘54) Beverley S Green (‘53) Brad and Mary Jamieson In honour of Pamela Lusby The Malouf Family The McDonnell Family The McWilliam Family Parents & Friends Association Susan (‘78) and Jayne (‘82) Pendlebury Mr PJ Wolff & Mrs PJ Wolff Lois Schultz (‘45) The Tsien Family

Visionary $5,000 - $9,999 Anonymous (1) The Becker Family Charlotte (‘17) and Sophie Cosgrove Keri Craig Lee (‘75) Ros Curtis The Everson Family Evesham Farming Pty Ltd Brooke, Alexandra and Gabriella Henzell Roy and Julie (nee Taylor) Henzell The Helene Jones (‘34) Trust The Kendall Family The Lane Family Peter John Lauder MC

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The McKay Family The Millar Family Mr R & Mrs A Quinn Milla Roberts The Robson Family Isobel and Megan Roe 2018 Rowing Support Group The Sorbello Family The Verson Family

Champion $2,500 - $4,999 Shirley Bale (‘59) Zoe Connolly (‘83) Ron and Margot Finney (‘56) Charlotte and Genevieve Heather The Heffernan Family The Hudson Family The Livingstone Family The Mills Family PwC

Ambassador $1,000 - $2,499 Anonymous (2) Melissa Aglio Clarke Katerina Alexander (‘83) The Alford Family The Alward Family The Astil Family The Baldwin Family The Batstone Family Susie Brady nee Kier (‘83) Madeline Brady (‘18) Stephen and Barbara Briggs Matthew and Eliza Baxby Libby Black (‘68) Tim and Polly Brown Diana Cameron Hannah Campbell

The Campbell Family Stella Carlson Ashleigh and Emily Carrick The Cartledge Family Michaela Chong Matilda and Zara Connolly Katelyn Cooper In memory of Kay Cowlishaw (‘58) Portia Creevey The Drysdale Family Anastasia Esler & Family Mackenzie and Esther Evans Jade and Tamara Fahy Coco and Suki Fidler Gabrielle and Lucinda Geldard The Goodrick Family Addison Grant-Taylor Asher Grant-Taylor Sally Greenup (‘94) Annabel Hansen Lucy Hansen Isabel Haqqani (‘18) Mr Brian Hirschfeld Charlotte Hoey Annika, Emma, Felicity and Verity House Ruby Howard Olivia Howard Georgina Hurwood Charlotte Jackson Lily Jackson Kesree Jones The Kearns Family Grace and Bronte Kinloch Kylie Lamprecht (‘90) Harper Leary The Licinia Family The Loughrey Family Margot Love (‘63) The Love Family Jane Maclean (‘62) Annabel and Gina McGagh Hannah McMaster The McPherson Family The Mitchell-Cho Family

Thank you The Mort Family The Mouland Family Ebony Okonkwo Dani O’Neill The Peat Family The Perrett Family The Richardson Family The Roberts Family Dr Sue Ryerson (‘62) The Selwa Family Robynne Siemon (‘59) Bella and Bridgette Smith Emily and Olivia Smith Madison Smith Scott and Suzie Smith The Steinberg Family Georgina Stevenson nee Ommensen (‘90) Mary Surtees The Sweeney Family Sienna Timms The Tydd 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 (6) Lee Beanland (‘66) Margaret Cameron AM (‘54) Carla and Tim Caro Ron and Margot Finney (‘56) Jill Hewitt Sandra Humphries (‘53) Wendy Johnston (‘79) Michael and Nadia Shewan Debbie Smith

Supporter $2 - $499 Anonymous (30) Harriet Adcock (‘12) Pamela Alvarez (‘55) Greg Anderson

Louisa Beard Dorothy Begbie Gay Bruce Wendy Buddle (‘58) Rebecca Castley Guy Chandler Mrs Everil Clark Rosalind Clark Sophia and Naomi Colledge Desiree Coroneo Cathy Cox Kate Curran Nicole Devlin (‘90) Robert and Gayle Donaldson Jenny Duncan (‘64) Annie Dunning (‘91) Gary Dutton Craig Fenton Laurel Fraser Marcus Goddard Karren Gorrie Margaret Hamilton (‘58) Gayle Horn Sherie Houston (‘93) Anne Jobbins (‘53) Nikki Johnston (‘11) Miss Tien Louise Kelly (‘12) Wendy and Warwick King Madeleine Leggatt (‘95) Paul Lindstrom June Lobegeiger (‘53) The Lordi Family Xanthe Lowe-Brown (‘18) Jane Madden The McGagh Family Mrs Beverley Mort Simon Neill Shayne Olsen Michael Owen The Pieterse Family Lara and John Pickering Dairneen Pilton (‘63) Lola Priddle (‘53) Pett Rayner (‘41) Patricia Reeve (‘60) Margot Roberts

Christopher Rogan Sean Rooney Glenn Russell Robin Scott (‘59) Janette Snewin (‘62) Natalie Snide (‘63) Graham Sorensen Mrs Dawn Stevenson Kate Stringer Mrs Allison Thorpe Nikki Townsend (‘86) Lorraine Ungerer (‘56) Andrew Weeden Andrew Wellington Toni Williams Margaret Wyman (‘51)

*This list includes those members of our community who made a donation from 5 October 2018, when the last Spring/Summer edition of the Flyer was published, to 25 October 2019. 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.

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St Margaret's Open Day 9.30am - 12.30pm SATURDAY 7 MARCH 2020 Register online at www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au

For all enrolment enquiries call our Admissions team (07) 3862 0777 or email admissions@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

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

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