QM Calling Issue 68

Page 57

C O M M U N I T Y

Robyn Eden and Rebecca Hickey setting up their new equipment

Sophia Gittings – Junior Champion, and Iris Ma – Senior Champion, pictured here with Jane Ball (Alumnae Relations), Tim Jenkin (Head of Arts), Jayne-Ann Young (Principal), and Lynne Speight (OGA President)

Several planned events have been

can support our current students,

interrupted in recent months;

we hope to create great old girls.

however, we still managed to achieve all we could for the college and students. Between Alert Level changes, we hosted another very successful annual Mentors’ Breakfast for our Year 13 students Year 13 students test out the new microscope

brand-new Old Girls’ Honours Board. Katharine’s name was one of 12 to be included in the inaugural unveiling. She then re-joined the teaching staff in 1955, holding the Head of Science role for a time and teaching Science right through until 1979 with a short break between 1974 and 1977. Jocelyn recalls QMC was a large part of her mother’s life, and here we are some 90 odd years later, and Katharine is still supporting Science at QMC.

“The gift is for mum, to mark her contribution to the school she loved,” says Jocelyn.

Jocelyn is the author of the book 'Radical Reformers and Respectable Rebels – how the two lives of Grace Oakeshott defined an era', published in 2016. An autographed copy of this book now lives in our library, another generous donation from the Robson family, for which we are very grateful.

and their Mentors; an Old Girls day

We believe very strongly that the mental and physical wellness of the students, and also the staff, is so important. With this in the front of our minds, the Old Girls’ Association have created two new

in June (assembly and lunch); most

wellness spaces within the college.

recently we agreed to sponsor, and

These are breakout and wellbeing

then hosted, a brand new event

treatment/teaching spaces, which

for current students. This new

are proving to be very popular. We

event, the Queen Margaret College

felt with the pressures of COVID-19

Aria and Concerto Competition,

on everyone the college was in

is a showcase of our top singing

need of places for the students

and musical students across two

to feel safe and get the care they

year group categories. The junior competition for Years 9 and 10, and the senior competition for Year 11 to 13. We look forward to inviting old girls to join us in the audience

need. These places are not only for students, but we hope that staff will get to benefit from them when students are off-campus.

next year as it was a special night.

To support this work, we have a

Our inaugural winners were Sophia

new wellness fund launching in

Gittings – Junior Champion, and

2022 and we can’t wait to share

Iris Ma – Senior Champion, pictured

this with you in more detail soon.

here with Jane Ball (Alumnae

Essentially this is a fund we wish to

Relations), Tim Jenkin (Head

grow through donations from our

of Arts), Jayne-Ann Young, and

community to help support the

Lynne Speight (OGA President).

College, students and our Old Girls

Like everyone, the effects of this

in appropriate ways. We’ve already

year’s lockdown have caused us to

had several generous contributions

pivot. As an Association, our main

from Old Girls to get us started.

aim is to support our Old Girls community, but with extended pandemic restrictions, we’ve had to pivot ourselves. By this we mean we have looked to focus our efforts

If you too would like to contribute ahead of the launch, please get in touch with us oldgirls@qmc.school.nz.

within the college for ways to

Jane Ball

support our current students. If we

Alumnae Relationships Director QM Calling

I s s ue 6 8

57


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.