St Margaret's Flyer Autumn/Winter 2021

St Margaret’s Issue 22 2021

FLYER

Issue 22 2021

Principal: Ros Curtis Editor: Wendy Johnston Journalists: Pru Reed, Wendy Johnston, Sophia Taylor Graphic Designer: Pam Smiles Photography: Sophia Taylor, Miranda Everett, Michael Marston Printing: Allclear Print & Signs

Contents From the Principal Staff Awards and Achievements National Excellence in Teaching recognition New staff Class of 2020 Academic Results One School One Book St Margaret’s students tinker in new STEM hub Sitting your SATs. What, like it’s hard?

If you can see it, you can be it Digging up the past Fond Farewells Vale Philip Harris 1928 - 2020 In the swim of things Sensational swimming starts sporting year Sports Round Up Senior Study Centre Boarding School of the Year St Margaret’s presents’ ‘Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical’ Imagine Your Future at St Margaret’s Giving Day Celebrating Outstanding Alumni Upcoming Events Mothers’ Luncheon

03 04 07 08 10 12 14 16 17 18 20 24 26 28 30 31 32 34 36 38 40 41 42

Jenny Stevens inspires at Professional Women’s Network breakfast 43

Issue 22

From the Principal 2020 saw not only recognition of St Margaret’s 125th anniversary but the first year of ATAR for our graduating Year 12 students.

The latter represented the most significant change in curriculum and assessment in Queensland schools since 1992. All this, combined with the impact of COVID-19, made for a challenging and interesting year.

As we began 2021, we all realised that no matter what the year would bring St Margaret’s was up for the challenge!

There is a lovely energy at the school, as we now appreciate a little bit more and not take for granted the importance of the school community, events and even the day-to-day classroom experience. Many positives came out of last year which have positively impacted the 2021 school year and are now becoming part of our standard practice.

careers programs for students in both the primary and secondary schools; ensuring strength in our sports coaching for all sports; further developing the school’s master plan; and investigating innovative practices in education.

So, what is planned for 2021?

In 2002, the school adopted the six values, which we are all familiar with, and which currently form the basis of The St Margaret’s Way. Almost 20 years later, it is time to revisit those values. Do they still reflect the St Margaret’s experience?

Are some stronger than others? Do we need to change any or all? Are there values which we feel we are not giving attention to but should? What do we need to do more of and what do we need to change?

This work on the school values is just as important as any other work we do in the area of teaching and learning. John Lennon summed it up beautifully when he wrote:

After outstanding student results in 2020 in the first year of ATAR, there is a focus on institutionalising some of our effective practices for the new Queensland Certificate of Education. In addition, we have a new strategic plan which was launched last year, and there are developments afoot which will help us further the five goals of the plan: • Strengthening the St Margaret’s experience • Focusing on academic excellence • Growing our staff • Leading in education • Resourcing our future These include, in the short term, replacing our Global Exchange Program with Australian school exchanges; this year implementing a STEM program for primary students through the new Atelier (workshop) with a focus on coding and robotics; developing employability and

Also, this year, we have adopted the One Book, One School initiative, and at St Margaret’s – our parent community, our staff and our students – have been encouraged to read The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku. I encourage you to consider adding this book to your reading list this year and be part of our One Book, One School program. This book has many important reflections about kindness, family, happiness and attitude to life.

Children are often asked: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” We expect career aspirations: “I want to be a pilot, writer, a doctor, vet, the Prime Minister.”

Making a living is important, but it is only part of making a life. A better answer (but an unlikely one) to the question could be: “When I grow up, I want to be a good person as that will make me and my family happy.”

There’s a huge difference between doing and being; however, education often fails to identify this.

Having a strong moral compass will lead to good mental health and, on balance, happiness. Therefore, the school values and how they are demonstrated through the interactions within our school community and how they influence young people are important. Twenty years on from their introduction, it is time to ensure our practices resonate with our values.

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

“When I was five years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”

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Staff Awards and Achievements Congratulations to Principal Ros Curtis on receiving an Excellence Award for School Principal of the Year – Non Government in the prestigious 2020 Australian Education Awards.

With Ros at the helm of St Margaret’s since 2011, enrolments have hit an historical high including a full boarding house. Ros’ leadership resulted in the development of the state-of-the-art new sports precinct, transforming one third of the school’s campus.

The school has also been the recipient of an Innovation Award for the past three consecutive years. Ros has also introduced several signature programs to the school, including Academic Advising, St Margaret’s Plus and St Margaret’s Centre of Teaching and Learning Excellence.

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At the 2020 Speech Night and Awards Giving Ceremony, Head of Performance Brad King received the Staff Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, and Gracemere Mataia, Head of Senior House in Boarding, received the Staff Award for Service to the School Community Congratulations to both Brad and Gracemere.

Congratulations to Head of Boarding Lesa Fowler who won the 2020 ABSA Premier Leadership Award. Lesa’s leadership is one of the key factors behind St Margaret’s being named Boarding School of the Year for the second consecutive year in the 2020 Australian Education Awards.

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Visual Arts teacher Jane Martens was announced earlier this year as the winner of a national Rising Star award by The Educator.

Jane is putting the A in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) by emphasising the Arts – the “A” in STEAM education. In doing so, she is providing St Margaret’s Visual Art students with opportunities to engage with cutting-edge technologies to create virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) artworks.

Jane says the integration of the Arts within the STEM disciplines encourages creative approaches to the solution of complex problems.

“In our ever-changing world, the ability to think both creatively and critically is the foundation for innovation. To enable and encourage our students to thrive in a world full of advancements yet to be conceived, we need to equip them to become innovators.”

The second project that contributed to this win was Gidhal, a project led by secondary teachers Margot Shave and Noel Peinke, which resulted in a published collection of stories authored by the school’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

Congratulations to Jane, Margot and Noel on receiving this award recognizing their innovation and excellence in teaching. _____________________________________ St Margaret’s Head of Faculty Science and Technology Chris Dunn won an Outstanding Teacher of STEM Award in the 2020 Peter Doherty Awards, which recognises excellence in STEM education.

Chris’s STEM initiatives have led to the largest cohort of students undertaking science in St Margaret’s history and the school receiving an Excellence Award for Best STEM Program in the Australian Education Awards.

This is the second award for Jane whose adoption of new technologies into the curriculum also contributed to St Margaret’s winning entry into The Educator’s Innovation Awards last year.

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Issue 22

Based on the theme, ‘Acknowledging exceptional educators in exceptional times,’ last year’s NEiTA Awards recognised the achievements and efforts of teachers and educators who rose to meet the year’s unique challenges of school closures and lockdowns. During this time, Lucardia implemented the systematic monitoring of student learning using a range of reading comprehension data and educational research to inform and enhance practice.

Nominated for the award by Head of Primary Angela Drysdale, Lucardia went through a rigorous selection process, including a written paper responding to five key questions about teaching and learning and an interview with the NEiTA judging panel via video link.

Lucardia is a passionate educator who finds teaching very rewarding.

“Whether face-to-face learning or via a video stream, when you are working with a student who has struggled with a concept, then you see the light bulb go off and their eyes light up, and they begin to articulate their understanding – it’s magic – because that’s when you know they’ve got it.

“Monitoring and measuring that individual growth and progress and knowing that you helped carve that path forward for a child is what makes this job so remarkably rewarding,” Lucardia said.

The award recipients were announced virtually and Lucardia was the only Queensland primary teacher among the 23 award winners across Australia and New Zealand.

Lucardia says she feels very blessed to be a part of St Margaret’s where she is able to learn from an incredible group of exceptionally talented and dedicated professionals.

“I am immensely thankful to work in an environment with such a strong ‘gift culture’ in which both leadership and colleagues generously support, coach and mentor. I truly believe this creates the conditions for both teachers and students to fly,” she said.

In her video recorded acceptance speech Lucardia thanked her St Margaret’s colleagues.

“I would like to acknowledge my Head of Primary Angela Drysdale and my Principal Ros Curtis for their ongoing trust and support and good sense of humour, as well as my incredible colleagues at St Margaret’s.

National Excellence in Teaching recognition

At the end of 2020, St Margaret’s primary teacher Lucardia Moulton was recognised with a National Excellence in Teaching Award (NEiTA) for her outstanding contribution to St Margaret’s remote learning response during the COVID pandemic.

“Great teaching is not a solo effort or achievement.

It is born from effective collaboration, shared wisdom and experience. I am very fortunate to work with an amazing group of professionals who learn from and lift one another. I believe that this creates the conditions in which students can thrive, not only academically, but personally because there is a visible example of teamwork, valuing diversity and encouraging one another.”

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New staff

CAITLIN MCCLUSKEY

Dean of Studies

Caitlin McCluskey took up the position

Talking about trends in girls’ education,

of Dean of Studies at the commencement

Caitlin identifies STEM and the challenge

of this year, overseeing the academic

to encourage more girls to pursue STEM

progress of Years 7 to 9, as well as working

subjects as a hot topic.

closely with the Dean of Academics and

“The whole world lens is currently looking

Deputy Principal on innovations and enhancements to the academic operations of the school.

women in STEM fields. St Margaret’s is addressing this with its award-winning

Prior to accepting the role at St Margaret’s,

STEM program and the resulting increase

Caitlin spent eight years at St Aidan’s

in students taking up STEM subjects over

holding the positions of House Co-

the past few years.”

ordinator, Assistant Head of Faculty

Caitlin herself defies the gender stereotype

– Mathematics and Head of Faculty – Mathematics. Before that, she worked at St Joseph’s, Gregory Terrace, as a Middle School Science and Maths teacher.

Having come from a Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent school, Caitlin is passionate about girls’ education and understands and is dedicated to the Sisters’ educational philosophy which seeks to educate the whole child – physically, mentally and spiritually.

Caitlin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and is in her final semester of studying a Masters in Education – Leadership and Management.

When asked what she is most passionate about when it comes to educating girls, Caitlin says she strives to “foster confidence, capacity and resilience in all students”.

that mathematicians are male and will play a significant role in influencing and dispelling stereotypes in STEM education.

In Caitlin’s view, another key trend in girls’ education is the need to build resilience in students, a necessary skill for coping with the ups and downs of life and one of the key ingredients of success.

“At St Margaret’s, workshops with experts like Judith Locke and the Trends in Education series help us, as educators, to focus on what we are doing to help build that resilience in our students, ensuring they are prepared for life beyond school.”

When asked about the challenges educators are facing, Caitlin said: “Probably the biggest thing we are up against is social media and its impacts.

We need to teach the girls how to manage themselves in that environment which

“I am particularly focused on developing

is challenging to do when they can’t

students’ metacognition and their capacity

comprehend what kind of impact it could

to know themselves as a learner and so

have in say ten years’ time.”

it’s pretty exciting for me to now help develop students as a whole learner from this overarching position, as opposed to at subject level.”

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at how to increase the representation of

Issue 22

KERRY DAUD

Head of Faculty

– eLearning and Research

St Margaret’s welcomed Kerry Daud as the new Head of Faculty eLearning and Research this year.

Kerry studied a Bachelor of Education and is studying a Master of Educational Leadership Innovation and Learning Design. Prior to taking on this role at St Margaret’s, Kerry was teaching history at Brisbane Grammar School and before that was the Curriculum Leader Humanities and Business at St Paul’s School.

Before making the shift to a career in education, Kerry worked in IT for IBM and Price Waterhouse Coopers and feels fortunate to have the opportunity to combine her tech industry experience in an educational leadership role.

Reflecting on taking up her position at St Margaret’s Kerry says: “I’ve always wanted to make a difference in girls’ education.”

Kerry’s drive to make a difference is obvious when she discusses her development of a new strategic direction and the exciting future plans for St Margaret’s eLearning and Research Faculty.

“My vision for eLearning at St Margaret’s

Kerry says that St Margaret’s is addressing

is to develop partnerships with business

these issues by shaping a flexible eLearning

and industry sectors so that our girls

strategy that can be tailored to meet the

can access authentic, diverse, real-world

needs of individual girls and incorporate

experiences that will ultimately give them

new innovations.

the edge when they graduate,” Kerry said.

Additionally, the school will connect

“eLearning will also become more

students with industry showcase

integrated into student learning

opportunities and jobs of the future

experiences across the whole school,

that they might not have considered or

just as AR and VR technologies are

been aware of.

incorporated into visual art, for example.

“Multimedia creation, marketing, business,

“Programs will be designed to build

medicine, logistics industries, aviation

students’ digital complex learning

and mining are all growing fields that are

by providing real-world experiences

looking for graduates who have digitally

such as industry-partnered programs,

complex skills, problem-solving capacity

mentorships and opportunities to gain

and the ability to create innovative

micro credentials,” Kerry said.

solutions,” Kerry said.

There are also plans to develop a dedicated

Reflecting on her first impressions of

space within the Eunice Library where

St Margaret’s, Kerry said: “I’m so

students and staff can experiment with

impressed by the students and their

technologies beyond the traditional STEM

engagement with their academic pathway.

applications such as coding to things like

They have great academic drive and are

podcasting, vlogging and music editing.

really determined.

Students’ tech competencies and

“There is a real camaraderie and

capabilities could be documented in a

connection amongst the community.

digital passport which would then also form

This is one of the most cohesive team

part of their St Margaret’s Plus portfolio.

environments I’ve ever experienced.

Kerry believes the challenges in engaging

“The girls are engaged and the potential

students in eLearning are twofold: “First,

to expand on their world means that as a

there is a need to dispel current gendered

community we can make a real difference;

perceptions that exist in society around

we can do something quite unique.”

types of employment being incorrectly categorised as either masculine or feminine. Second, we need greater awareness around potential career choices for girls as they journey through the education system.”

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Class of 2020 Academic Results Despite having to contend with a global pandemic while completing their Year 12 studies, St Margaret’s graduating Class of 2020 achieved exceptional academic results.

Fifty-five St Margaret’s students (63.1%) achieved an ATAR of 90 or above, which ranked them in the top 10% of the State.

Eloise Matyear was one of 14 students who achieved an ATAR of 99 or higher, placing her among the top 1% of the State.

The aspiring astronaut is now studying a Bachelor of Engineering and a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Physics and Aerospace Engineering at The University of Queensland.

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“My main goal is to become an astronaut, but I would also really like to advance my knowledge in astro physics and learn how to build and fly rockets,” Eloise said.

While Eloise says she’s always had a fascination with outer space, it was studying Physics that inspired her to really pursue her interests beyond Earth, as well as her involvement in the school’s Astronomy Club.

“An assignment I did on worm holes and how they can be used for time travel was the real clincher for me,” she said.

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Scholars inspire In February this year, the success of our top ATAR performing students from the Class of 2020 was celebrated at the annual Scholars’ Assembly.

During the assembly, each Scholar was honoured with an award and the QCE Subject Prizes were presented to those students who achieved the highest overall subject result.

Zali Fisher was announced as the QCE Proxime Accessit Dux of the School, and Eva Campbell received the QCE Dux of the School Award.

ATAR Dux Awards were presented to Eva Campbell, Rose Couper and Emily Pitt.

Each of the Scholars is attending university this year pursing a range of fields from law through to science.

In 2020, Harriet was the inaugural recipient of the Adrians Business Scholarship award at Speech Night, which would see her gain more than she ever expected.

Ms Curtis said it was pleasing to see a large contingent (more than 20) of St Margaret’s Class of 2020 studying STEM-related fields this year.

“I completed my work experience placement with Adrians over the holidays and have since been offered to stay on parttime,” Harriet said.

“We have worked hard at St Margaret’s to break down any gender stereotypes and encourage our girls to have STEM-related ambitions so that they can become a scientist or engineer if they want to,” Ms Curtis said.

The aim of the scholarship is to not only provide financial assistance towards undergraduate study but to also connect students with the world of work by providing a work experience placement with school partner Adrians Chartered Accountants.

As a result, St Margaret’s has seen a significant increase in the enrolments of students across Senior Science and Technology subjects: Biology (increase of 21%); Chemistry (increase of 11%); Physics (increase of 27%); Digital Solutions (increase of 52%), and there are currently more students studying science and technology than at any other time in the school’s history.

Connecting students with the world of work

Congratulations to our inspirational 2020 Scholars and may you have continued success as you move on to the next chapter in your academic career.

Harriet Warby achieved an ATAR of 97.7 placing her among the top 5% of the State and is currently studying a Bachelor of Advanced Business.

“It’s been so good to see what it is like working in accounting before it comes time to graduate university and decide on a future career path. I also feel really fortunate to have this opportunity to get my foot in the door and gain some experience working in industry, which I know will set me in good stead when it comes to applying for graduate positions,” Harriet said.

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One School One Book This year, St Margaret’s launched a movement designed to create a shared reading experience across the entire school community - students, teachers and parents included.

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Issue 22

The One School One Book initiative, much like a school-wide book club, has seen the St Margaret’s community collectively read The Happiest Man on Earth, the powerful and inspirational memoir of Holocaust survivor Eddie Jaku.

Eddie pays tribute to those who were lost by telling his story, sharing his wisdom, and living his best possible life.

The community has embraced this opportunity to share in the joy of reading and Eddie’s extraordinary story.

A forum has been created on The Pod, for participants to share their experience of the novel with others in our community.

Principal Ros Curtis has also hosted a book club in Ms Café during morning tea.

Elspeth Dyce in Year 7 attended several book club gatherings and found the discussions thought provoking.

“The book club really made me think. I personally found the book really inspiring, both the quotes at the start of each chapter and also the ending, because he turned his life around and made a decision to be happy, despite everything that had happened to him,” Elspeth said.

Upon hearing the St Margaret’s community was reading his biography, Eddie delivered a special video message to the school that was played to students on assembly. He indicated that it had taken him a long time to decide to write the book but, after hearing replies such as those from St Margaret’s, he can now see it was the right thing to do.

“I want to make this world a better place for everyone and also I want to eliminate hate; hate is a disease,” Eddie says.

He concluded with this wonderful message: “May I wish you to have always lots of love to share, lots of good health to spare, and lots of wonderful friends who care.”

Here are the reflections of some of our community about Eddie’s story.

There are many moving moments in Eddie Jaku’s book. I loved the powerful simplicity of the language that results in a raw and beautiful story. I am in awe of Eddie’s strength of character when taking risks throughout his ordeal. His unwavering hope and and inspiring resilience is truly remarkable.

Kelly Alford, Director, Durack College

A key message for me was that no matter the situation we find ourselves in, the choice of how we respond is up to us. Eddie’s choice to be happy was in the face of what many could consider very good reasons to become bitter and angry. He made a choice, a conscious choice to be happy.

Gary Bruce, Secondary Teacher I think my favourite part of the book is a passage towards the end in Chapter Thirteen ‘We are all part of a larger society, and our work is our contribution to a free and safe life for all.” After reading Eddie’s journey, this message came through to me loud and clear. He says “Our efforts today will affect people you will never know. It is your choice whether that effect is positive or negative.... The choice is easy. And it is yours to make.” What an incredible message to live by, and to remember each and every day in the choices we make. May we all make a positive contribution to society.

Karen Gorrie, Deputy Principal The resilience and determination shown by Eddie under the most horrific circumstances were truly awe-inspiring. It makes you realise the simple things in life are all that matters.

Family and friendship.

Lisa Rayner, Executive Assistant If you haven’t had an opportunity to read Eddie’s story, it is definitely one to add to your reading list.

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St Margaret’s students tinker in new STEM hub

The Atelier is the primary school’s new STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics ) hub for students in Pre-Prep to Year 6. Atelier is a French word meaning workshop or studio. It is here students will tinker, explore, discover, invent, create and learn.

In this specialist environment, students can become an artist, a designer, a technologist or an engineer. They can blast off into outer space, become a Master Chef or create their own movies.

Brimming with craft supplies, tools and recycled materials, iPads, robots, a 3D printer and cricut machine, the Atelier indulges creativity and encourages handson experiences and self-direction, while also cultivating our students’ critical thinking and developing skills to meet the challenges of the 21st century, including innovation, problem solving, collaboration and communication, and design thinking.

For St Margaret’s Assistant Head of Primary – Curriculum Kate Frewin, the

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Atelier is the classroom where she fosters curiosity through facilitating rich projectbased and hands-on experiences.

“The learning experiences in the Atelier are interdisciplinary and focus on project work.

The girls define and plan projects, solve problems and develop their skills. They cook, create, code, investigate, research, build, design and so much more. While there is a focus on STEM disciplines, our projects also have strong connections to Humanities and The Arts.

Kate says changes to our global economy will see around 75 per cent of future jobs in growing industries requiring STEM skills.

“We are empowering our girls with the skills they will need beyond school.

Issue 22

“Women are underrepresented in all STEM fields. Research indicates women are not only less interested but less confident when working in STEM fields or choosing STEM subjects in secondary school. St Margaret’s Primary School is addressing this by providing programs and opportunities for students to develop both their interest and confidence and aims to breakdown any barriers around gender stereotypes.

“The focus on hands-on learning with realworld applications helps develop a variety of skill sets, including creativity, problem solving, leadership, decision making and entrepreneurship.

Through the Primary Career Education program, students have the opportunity to meet trailblazing females working in STEM based careers,” Kate said.

robot to move down a one metre runway, spin at the end, show colours, dance and speak. The girls also designed an outfit for their Dash robot.

The Year 4 students are involved in a fun and engaging food and sustainability program aimed at inspiring the students to eat healthier, waste less and become changemakers in their local community. The girls are cooking simple recipes sustainably and will create their own cookbook.

The Years 5 and 6 students alternate semesters learning in the Atelier. So far, the Year 5s have been learning coding using Sphero BOLTs. Their experimentation with these transparent robots, which provide a fascinating insight into their inner

workings, links to their learning about space in science. The girls will eventually blast off into outer space and explore the solar system with their Sphero BOLTs, at the same time gaining the foundations of computational thinking.

The Atelier is not only a space used for primary curriculum learning but also a base for the Years 1 and 2 lunchtime Robotics Club, where the girls can investigate and play with Blue-Bots, Dash Robots and Sphero BOLTs. Participation in this club helps develop students’ teamwork, collaboration and problem-solving skills, while also connecting science and mathematics concepts to real-world applications.

Designed to be engaging, St Margaret’s Primary STEM learning program incorporates experimentation and creativity to introduce STEM practices and thinking to students.

The Preps have been introduced to design thinking through a fun Three Billy Goats Gruff storybook STEM activity. The students are building their own bridges for the goats to cross.

Year 1 students are completing a unit called Dinosaurs and More. They are learning about the features of dinosaurs and will use that knowledge to design, create and evaluate a shield inspired by the features that help dinosaurs defend themselves.

Students in Year 2 have begun to explore the world of movie making through simple stop motion animation. Using Lego and handmade backdrops, the girls have created their own short films using a stop motion app on iPads, experimenting, creating and storytelling through their creations.

Bedazzled robots were part of the Year 3s STEM activity in Term 1. Lessons focused on mastering the basics of robotics and coding. The students were tasked with an assignment to prepare a segment in the Dash Fashion Show, coding their Dash

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Sitting your SATs. What, like it’s hard?

The American college admissions process appears in many movies – Legally Blonde almost always springs to mind. However, despite Elle Woods’ assertion to former boyfriend Warner Huntington III about making it into Harvard Law School – “What, like it’s hard?”

– the admissions process into an American college is rigourous and requires a lot more than a few weeks of swatting and an admissions video directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

Generally, the colleges or universities look for good grades, an admissions essay, recommendations, extracurricular activities and good marks for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

Many St Margaret’s students have pursued a tertiary education at an American college and previously would have navigated that process by themselves or with guidance from an external agent (as well as being assisted by their St Margaret’s teachers and our careers counsellor). With more students exploring this pathway, the school decided to further assist students by offering dedicated SAT preparation.

St Margaret’s has also applied to become a testing centre.

Currently our students can only sit the SATs at schools like Churchie and TSS, whereas taking the test in a more familiar setting could be beneficial.

Around half a dozen Year 12 girls are currently looking to go to a college or university in America or the UK and are meeting weekly for tutorials, which give them strategies on how to attack the SAT questions as well as assistance with the application process.

For our Year 10 girls, on the brink of making some important decisions about their future pathways, teacher George Higgins, who is taking the SAT tutorials and managing the program, presented at the Year 10 Careers Day in Term 2.

George says that while it might appear a big dream to have, an overseas college education is attainable, and our past students are living proof of that.

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“Top US schools like those in the Ivy League not only accept students with outstanding SAT results, but they also admit students looking to be accepted by other means such as rowing or music scholarships.

“Students just need to know what it takes to produce a cracking admissions package and work hard to gain a good SAT score,” he said.

Rowing Captains Primrose Carrigan and Rosie Turnbull are hoping to secure rowing scholarships at the University of Massachusetts. Primrose said one of the benefits of the SAT preparation was that in the group attending tutorials there was a cross section of students studying different subject areas.

“Alongside learning about the SATs, it’s the peer tutoring that is also incredibly helpful,” she said.

Debating Captain Celia Quinn said that currently she had no definitive plans for her university studies; however, sitting the SAT exams would provide her with choice and flexibility, particularly given current world circumstances.

“For as long as I remember I have wanted to study overseas so keeping that possibility open is incredibly important for me.

“The SAT tutorials are invaluable as the SATs are a distinctly different set of exams to the Australian standards. Even if a student has no problem with the content itself, understanding the nuances of how to approach a question and knowing how the exam is constructed will be extremely helpful when it comes time to sit the exam,” Celia said.

Music Captain Akari Komoto said that while she hoped to study at the Berklee College of Music, USA, in 2022, the 18 months of SAT preparation she has done through the St Margaret’s SAT program will allow her to keep her options open, whether she eventually chooses to study domestically or internationally.

Issue 22

If you can see it, you can be it Celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women is part of the culture at St Margaret’s.

The pursuit for gender equality for women in all fields of endeavour remains an important part of the discussion.

Acknowledging International Women’s

Betsy Rutledge (’02)

Eva Cho

Kimberley Middlemis

Kirsti Simpson

Day, held every year on 8 March, is an opportunity to shine the spotlight on women’s achievements and women’s equality for our students on a global level.

Part of the focus for International Women’s Day is celebrating women’s achievements and around this event St Margaret’s students had several opportunities to do just that.

Guest speaker Betsy Rutledge (’02) shared her journey to becoming a lawyer with students at the International Women’s Day assembly, while our young learners took part in Primary Careers Education hearing from several women about their interesting and diverse careers paths.

Thank you to our parents who shared their time and their stories with the students including solicitor Kelli Martin, accountant and managing partner of Adrians Kimberley Middlemis, interior architect Kirsti Simpson and engineer Eva Cho. Thank you also to pilot Captain Amanda Jackson-Andrews for sharing her inspirational career journey.

This was brought to the fore during Eva Cho’s presentation during which one of the Year 1s said, “But, you don’t look like an engineer.” This of course, sparked much

Opportunities such as these, where our

discussion about what an engineer looks

students see and hear about the careers

like. It is experiences such as these that

and achievements of remarkable women,

helps to break down myths about gender

really drives home the saying, “If you can

stereotypes and proves to our girls that

see it, you can be it”.

women can do and be anything.

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Digging up the past Sophie Evans with daughter Alice Sutherland

Back in the year 1995, St Margaret’s students listened to cassette tapes, had just become aware of the world of information via this thing called the “Internet”, and Melrose Place was a “hip” tv show for teens.

Sifting through the items included in the 1995 time capsule, unearthed during the school’s 125th anniversary last year, is like taking a step back in time.

The capsule’s contents give an insight into life at St Margaret’s 25 years ago with letters (mostly handwritten, indicating the difference in digital technology use), photos, hat bands, a shoelace, school badges, ID cards and newspaper clippings depicting what was going on in the world at that time. There was also a cassette tape with recorded extracts from a typical day’s morning and evening radio.

It was clear many things were different for St Margaret’s students in 1995; for instance, the intervening 25 years that has seen the explosion of that thing called the “internet”. Students in the mid-nineties were on the cusp of the integration of computer technology into their daily school lives. The school captain of the time, Emma Wilke, wrote: “My medium is a notebook computer. It is 30 x 30cm, 640k and the latest in mass consumer technology. Judging by the huge advances that have been made in education in the last twenty-five years, I have no doubts that the system that you are obviously a part of is entirely different to the one that I am just about to farewell. Computer technology has probably exploded at an exponential rate. Maybe you will laugh if I mention the immense difficulty I have had in typing, spell-checking and printing this letter.”

It’s easy to understand then why Emma recently commented on Facebook of her memory burying the time capsule: “I recall wondering who would be next to see the capsule as we covered it over.

2020 then seemed like an impossibly distant sci-fi future.”

18

Despite changes such as technological advancements, it seems there were some things that have remained the same. Emma wrote: “The environment is a great concern at the present, but although there is much talk there is very little action.”

She also wrote of the spirit of St Margaret’s, something that remains as strong today as it did then: “I wonder, does the St Margaret’s school spirit still soar high in the light of its long-standing traditions? If the spirit, the kinship and the strength is high, push it up further. As our motto says, we were born to fly upwards.”

As part of the anniversary celebrations last year, we put together a time capsule filled with 125 images of St Margaret’s 125th year, along with publications, letters, a school uniform, school communications around COVID-19 and more, left as evidence of 2020 for future St Margaret’s students and community. What will the students of 2050 think of the contents of the 2020 capsule buried beneath the Sports Precinct. What will school life be like? Perhaps many of our current students will be current parents by then and will enjoy the opportunity to fondly reflect on their memories of St Margaret’s.

Old Girl and current parent Sophie Evans had the opportunity to do just that recently.

Sophie was a Prefect at the school when the 1995 time capsule was buried. Among the items unearthed was a photo of Sophie and a letter written by her form class, 12B. Fast forward 26 years and her daughter, Alice Sutherland, in Year 2, has followed in her mother’s footsteps, writing a piece chosen to be part of the 125th anniversary time capsule.

Issue 22

19

Fond Farewells With over 80 years St Margaret’s experience between them, Bronwyn Perry and Mary Surtees could easily fill a book with what they collectively know about the school. When they retire at the end of 2021, we will farewell them both with great sadness but much gratitude.

Mary Surtees began her 42-year association with St Margaret’s in 1978 when she was on her final year ‘block prac’ from The University of Queensland. The university had charged her with ‘making a good impression’ after St Margaret’s experience with some previous prac students had the school’s management almost convinced they would not be taking any more.

Impress she did, as when a position became vacant the following year, then Head of PE Sheena Dyason pressed Mary to apply and, unusually for St Margaret’s at the time, the school employed a first-year graduate.

Mary initially worked in the secondary school for five years, taking secondary PE classes and coordinating sports alongside Miss Dyason.

“There were no head coaches or sports coordinators back then. Between the two of us, we were it,” Mary said.

After five years, Mary took a year’s leave to pursue her love of languages and travelled overseas, where she completed a degree in German and replicated what many twentysomething Australians did in the eighties – worked and travelled their way around Europe and the UK. When Mary returned to Australia a position came up in the St Margaret’s primary school. As well as teaching primary PE, Mary taught German across both primary and secondary schools, until it was phased out in 2019.

In 1994, Mary was awarded a Menzies Scholarship to study PE in the United Kingdom, visiting 30 schools around the UK to look at different PE programs.

20

Her love of languages again took Mary overseas in 2010, when she was awarded an Endeavour Scholarship to study German at the Goethe-Institute in Düsseldorf for six weeks around Christmas time– a “heavenly” time for this global traveller and Germanophile.

About ten years ago, Mary was promoted to a leadership position as Head of Planning and Organisation (Primary), which also saw her return to the classroom, teaching science, history and geography, which she has loved. She also recently began teaching Italian to the Pre-Preps, having expanded her language repertoire to speak fluent Italian as well.

In 2020, Mary’s position was elevated to Assistant Head of Primary – Wellbeing and Operations.

Mary has always been very actively involved in all areas of the school. She has served on many committees and currently chairs the Staff Wellbeing Committee and Online Safety Committee and sits on the Internal Risk Management Committee (for many years she was the school’s workplace health and safety officer) and Child Protection and Youth Risk Management Committee.

She has also helped to coordinate the Past Staff Association and looks forward to becoming a bona fide member!

Over the past two years Mary has become assistant archivist, spending a few hours each week working with Bronwyn Perry.

Mary also helped coordinate the first precursors of the successful Professional Women’s Network series which was initially grouped into professional interests.

“Ros tasked me to help set up the initiative.

It was held at the Brisbane Club, the guest speaker was Old Girl Professor Sarah Derrington (’84) and we had 24 people in attendance,” Mary said.

As they say, “fortune favours the brave”, and this networking series was a brave new initiative that took courage to launch; however, the PWN series has become one the most successful networking opportunities of its kind in Brisbane.

When asked to reflect on what St Margaret’s means to her, Mary says, ‘it’s the tradition, the Sisters, and the fact it is one big Old Girls’ Association”.

“Once you are a St Margaret’s girl, you are part of it for life.”

It’s been an interesting journey for Mary who has been at the school under all the secular heads and watched the school evolve and grow into the vibrant community it is today.

“I am very honoured to have been here for almost all of my working life. It is rewarding to see all the awards we have been winning, as I see that as a result of the strength of the school across all its operations – facilities, boarding, administration and teaching staff

Issue 22

with enthusiasm and grace. She has always shown a great commitment to St Margaret’s and, in particular, is very involved in the liturgical life of the school.

Mary is quite gregarious and loves life. She will happily converse with anyone and is rather cheeky and charming. She is very approachable and for these reasons has been a great advertisement for St Margaret’s and will talk with great passion about the school to anyone who will listen.

– all taking pride in being a part of the St Margaret’s family,” Mary said.

Like most teachers, Mary is looking forward to the day she is not dictated to by a timetable but free to pursue her interests which are many – gardening, history (she is currently writing her own family history), cooking, entertaining, and continuing her life-long love affair with languages.

“I am also looking forward to travelling more throughout Australia and exploring a recently acquired passion for mah-jong.”

Players of mah-jong beware: If Mary tackles the game with the same skill and gusto with which she does everything in her life, you had better watch your tiles!

Ros Curtis Mary has demonstrated great versatility over her 42 years at the school, from being a primary PE staff member to sitting on the school’s senior leadership team. She has willingly tackled any task asked of her

An exemplar of life-long learning, Mary is quite the linguist – fluent in German and Italian, as well as speaking some French.

She has also not hesitated to learn new skills required in her various roles, even taking a worm-farming course when Maggies Garden was first established in the primary school. In the past couple of years, Mary has worked alongside archivist Bronwyn Perry, soaking up all the knowledge she can before Bronwyn’s retirement. Mary will take up the part-time role of archivist in 2022, for which the school is very grateful. I could not think of a more appropriate person to whom we can pass the archivist’s baton.

Angela Drysdale Mary lives and breathes St Margaret’s and loves the school with every fibre of her being. She is fiercely loyal both to her house, Chaucer, and to St Margaret’s. In fact, she says she bleeds Chaucer and is most proud when Chaucer wins the Surtees Cup, something they did this year and six times previous to that. The Surtees Cup was introduced in 2009, as acknowledgement of Mary’s 30 years of service.

Mary has an amazing voice; you can always tell which are her favourite hymns as she

sings them loudly and her melodious voice carries throughout the chapel.

Mary is a loyal, fair and kind human who does not compromise her values and expectations, which align with the school.

She has touched the lives of so many girls both current and past. Many mothers taught by Mary name her as one of the reasons they chose to return to St Margaret’s to educate their daughter/s here.

Parents Mandy Kennedy (& Harriet Buckley) … I want to say thanks for the fabulous role model you have been to our Harriet. She appreciated your fabulous sense of humour and fun, the high expectations you set, and your kindness. Harriet tells me often that “early is on time and on time is late” and still speaks of you waking the girls on the Canberra trip with a song. These will most likely stay with her always. I wish the very best for you and your new adventures.

Kaye Flynn née Bailey (& Ava Flynn) It was with sadness that I read about your upcoming retirement from St Margaret’s. Thank you for your many years of dedication to the school but most importantly to the girls including me and then my eldest daughter, Ava. I believe it is critical to the success and wellbeing of a student to have a trusted figurehead to whom they can look to for guidance and support. The school will have a very big role to fill in your absence as your valued experience and level-headed approach is priceless.

My family and I wish you all the very best in this next chapter of your life. You will be greatly missed.

Continued over page 21

Archivist Bronwyn Perry

2021 marks Bronwyn Perry’s 46th year of association with St Margaret’s.

Bronwyn started at St Margaret’s in 1963 in Year 7 and finished after Senior in 1968. Then came university and Teachers’ College. Bronwyn taught secondary English and History in Education Department schools for five years and then trained as a Teacher-Librarian and spent two years at Maryborough State High School. After leaving the Education Department, she worked in The University of Queensland Library before moving to the United Kingdom for two years. There she worked in the library of Brighton Polytechnic, a college specialising in art and design, including textiles design, and helped establish a fabric collection library.

On her return to Australia, Bronwyn continued working in the UQ library.

In 1982, then Principal of St Margaret’s Mrs Kugelman offered Bronwyn the role of Head of Library Services, where she worked until 2004.

In her earlier library days at St Margaret’s, Bronwyn spent two days in the primary library in an era where all primary school classes had a set library lesson each week.

She helped create one of the first web pages in the school for Ros Thomas’s biology subject, even before the school had its first website.

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Bronwyn says she enjoyed combining teaching and researching, which is a large part of librarianship, assisting students with their learning and teachers with their learning resources.

She said the often unpredictability of the work kept the days interesting as she was inevitably always finding out new things as she helped others in their quest for knowledge.

She laughs, however, when she recalls frequent, vague requests such as: “I had this book the other day – it had a red cover.

Can you help me find it?”

In 2005, Bronwyn became the school’s first archivist, working three days a week. She had been collating some of the school’s history throughout her time in the library, but there had never been a formal archives repository or an archivist.

In recent years, after the Sisters vacated Community House, Bronwyn has also been looking after the SSA archives (previously having provided occasional assistance).

One of the greatest challenges for Bronwyn has been sorting through boxes of unnamed and undated photographs.

She hopes to have all the hard copy photographs digitised by the time she retires at the end of the year.

Issue 22

Some of Bronwyn’s favourite memories from school days are of the camaraderie of house competitions and sitting with friends at lunchtime near the Breezeway (tunics pulled up to get sun tanned legs). Now she feels privileged to hear the memories and stories from Old Girls from many different eras and to be able to pass that history on to our current students, preserving our history and traditions.

“Having them onsite for so many years and seeing them live their Christianity has been very important in shaping the school and its values.

“Their presence has had a profound impact on the culture of St Margaret’s.”

In retirement, Bronwyn looks forward to travelling, gardening and organising her own photo collection!

“It’s been so interesting to hear how much has changed, while so much has also stayed the same,” she says.

Some of Bronwyn’s favourite items include a dance card from 1913 and a set of jingle bells that the 1952 kindy class used at Christmas time. These items, Bronwyn says, really embody a particular time and place.

Bronwyn Perry’s passion for and long-standing association with the school, together with her interest in history and her research skills, made her the perfect choice to establish our archives 16 years ago. Since then, she has painstakingly researched the school’s history; digitised and named the many photographs in the collection, preserving them for time immemorial; and worked to collect, display and preserve many artefacts from the school’s past.

Bronwyn would love to gather more boarder tea dresses and very old uniforms.

She would also love to solve the mystery of the disappearing statue that once graced Circular Drive and was last sighted around 1925.

Every reunion weekend Bronwyn delights in compiling slideshows and photo boards for each milestone reunion. She attends across the weekend taking tours and answering questions which is greatly appreciated by all the alumni.

Bronwyn is a passionate advocate of St Margaret’s.

In recent years Bronwyn helped to curate the school’s history timeline, which now graces the south wall of Ms Café. She was of invaluable assistance to Madonna King who penned Inspired to Fly, written to commemorate the school’s 125th anniversary, providing relevant research material, sourcing and captioning the many photographs, and reading the draft manuscript at least half a dozen times.

“I love what it does for girls. I am in awe of so many of our students’ achievements and the grace and confidence with which they carry themselves.

Bronwyn has an incredible memory of where to find the facts: she knows exactly which historic annual report or Link will reveal the answers to questions sought.

Bronwyn’s legacy cannot be underestimated; she has provided the strongest foundation possible on which to continue to record and preserve the school’s history.

“I am passionate about single-sex education; I think this can be key to allowing girls to become all they can be.”

We look forward to enjoying Bronwyn’s company as both a past staff member and past student after her retirement at the end of the year. There will be many more words spoken about Bronwyn’s incredible contribution to St Margaret’s before the year is out; for now, however, we say thank you for everything and best wishes for a long and happy retirement.

Bronwyn believes the influence of the Sisters has been what has set the school apart.

Ros Curtis

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Per Volar Sunata - Born to Fly Upwards

T Vale Philip Harris

1928 - 2020

Philip Harris’ name has been synonymous with St Margaret’s for 50 years. His association began in 1971 when the first of his three daughters, Sally (’77), enrolled at the school. Joanna (’79) and Belinda (’81) also attended in later years as did four of his granddaughters.

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Issue 22

k n a h T you

Philip joined the P&F Association and then served as President in 1979 and 1980. During this time, Philip also got to know the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent well and became a strong supporter and advocate for their mission to provide young women with an empowered future. As a result of this connection, Philip was part of a group who worked with the Sisters to appoint and commence the first School Council in 1981 (known as the School Advisory Committee) with Justice Peter Connelly as the first Chair. Philip became Chair of the School Council in 1987, a position he held for 14 years, even long after his daughters had left the school. He retired from the role in April 2001.

For his longstanding support and commitment to the school, the Philip Harris Sports Centre – opened in 1996 – bore his name. When the centre was rebuilt in 2020, it took his name again and at his request was called the Philip

and children Sally, Joanna, Belinda and Jonathan, were able to attend the sports precinct opening in August last year at which he was presented with a gift commemorating the original Philip Harris building.

It is with great sadness we learned of Philip’s passing in November last year.

His funeral service and celebration of life was held in the school chapel with former school chaplain Reverend Nicki Colledge presiding.

We are forever indebted to Philip’s service to the St Margaret’s school community and his involvement that led to instrumental changes in the operation of the school and the preservation of the Sisters’ legacy.

Our heartfelt condolences to Philip’s family and friends. He was a very special gentleman who contributed so much. He will be forever remembered by the

Harris Gym. It was wonderful that

St Margaret’s community.

Philip, together with his wife Elizabeth

Vale Philip Harris

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In the swim of things The opening of the Sports Precinct in 2020 has created new opportunities to expand the St Margaret’s swimming program for all levels of swimmer – from a learn to swim school through to squad training and a new swimming club.

Within the sports precinct, the heated pool comprises nine 25m lanes and two 50m lanes, including a 15m learn to swim area.

LEARN to

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The St Margaret’s Learn to Swim School provides swimming lessons for St Margaret’s students and siblings from age four onwards or those turning four in the calendar year. Lessons can be commenced at any time during the school year if there is space available.

The Learn to Swim program aims to provide all students with opportunities to learn and develop water safety skills and an understanding of the four strokes of swimming in a safe and nurturing environment.

There are five swimming levels: Starfish, Sea Horse, Turtle, Dolphin and Sting Ray. Swimmers will be continually assessed as they improve and become ready to advance to the next level. Grading takes place in the first week of term with the first booking.

Lessons are purchased in term blocks: one lesson per week costs $160 per term; two lessons per week costs $260 per term.

The 30-minute lessons run Monday and Wednesday afternoons between 2.45pm – 5.15pm and on Saturday from 8am onwards. Further details can be found on the POD.

Issue 22

In the primary school there are four squads: Ruby, Bronze 1 and 2, and Sapphire. There are six squads for secondary students: Diamond 1, 2 and 3, Silver, Gold and an Orange fitness squad for those wishing to build on their fitness in the water for water polo, surf lifesaving or for general health and wellbeing.

Further details on all the swimming offerings are available on the POD. St Margaret’s swimming coordinator Susan Uhlmann will also be able to assist.

Email: SUhlmann@stmargarets.qld.edu.au Tel: (07) 3862 0715

LU

M

B

St

rga Ma re

S WI

The St Margaret’s Swimming Squad is for any swimmer keen to participate in school, club, state or national swimming competitions, or simply build fitness.

It’s also a great way to make friends.

The program runs all year from Monday to Saturday except for the Easter and Christmas breaks.

St Margaret’s Swimming Club is an affiliated club of Swimming Queensland, offering a seamless pathway for St Margaret’s students to compete in club, state and national championships.

To become a member of the swim club, swimmers will need to complete and pay for an annual membership with Swimming Queensland www.qld.swimming.org.au

t’s

Once students have mastered all levels of the Learn to Swim program, they can progress to the squad program.

MIN G C

Squad training is only charged during Terms 2 and 3 and is priced in term blocks.

Students can attend unlimited sessions.

Costs: Ruby $130; Bronze and Orange $150; Sapphire, Diamond, Silver and Gold $180. Squad training in Terms 1 and 4 is free of charge.

St Margaret’s girls love their sports. As school enrolments and sport participation rates continue to grow, and with the introduction of Learn to Swim and Swim Club, the school has appointed a Core Sports Coordinator.

Former Head of Admissions Susan Uhlmann has stepped into this role, helping to coordinate the school’s three core championship sports of swimming, athletics and cross country. A former champion athlete herself in all three, Susan brings a wealth a knowledge to each sport.

As a current St Margaret’s parent, Susan also has great insight into a parent’s perspective of the challenges that can face families as they navigate busy school lives, so her focus is on clear communication and efficient coordination across the three core sports but also working in tandem with other school sports.

Susan is working collaboratively with other sports coordinators to avoid as much as possible clashes in training schedules so girls involved in more than one sport can successfully get to most training sessions.

Girls are also able to cross train, with rowers and swimmers, for example, joining in on cross country training runs. The Sports Precinct’s new strength and conditioning gym is also open to all athletes across all sports twice a week.

Susan has a very front facing role supporting parents and students, as well as the considerable behind the scenes administration tasks that come with organising a sporting season.

When not on the fields or the pool deck, Susan can be found in the sports staff room in the new Sports Precinct and can be contacted on sulhmann@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or phone (07) 3862 0715.

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Sensational swimming starts sporting year

ANDREWS CUP

On Monday 8 March when the world was celebrating International Women’s Day, St Margaret’s primary school girls were ruling the pool in this year’s Andrews Cup swimming championships.

Achieving the school’s best results to date, our swimmers brought home both the Aggregate Cup and the Springfield Cup, making Andrews Cup history as the first school to secure both trophies.

Our nine-, ten- and 11-year-olds secured wins in their age groups, while our eight-year-old division placed second.

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It was the second consecutive year St Margaret’s had won the Aggregate Cup, while the Springfield Cup was last won in 2018, that victory breaking a 15-year drought.

Primary Sports Coordinator Morgan Rowe said: “Swimming provides the opportunity for students to work in teams and encourage and support one another. These qualities were abundantly displayed throughout the day, which was evident in the final outstanding results.”

Congratulations to all swimmers, coaches and parents and a special mention to our Springfield Cup swimmers – Adelaide Bothwell, Clementine Cooke, Mena Bertinato and Sophie Hebron.

Issue 22

QGSSSA At the 86th QGSSSA swimming championships, our girls placed third in the Mollie Gould Aggregate Cup, just a whisker away from second place by a margin of just one and a half points and 29 points clear of the fourth-place getters. St Margaret’s also placed third in the Sheena Dyason Percentage Cup.

• 13 Years 100m Freestyle - Cosette Cooke

In a night of PBs and many podium finishes, the following girls achieved first place:

• 13 Years 200m Freestyle Relay Div A - Georgia Bruce, Lucy Stuart, Bless Daly, Cosette Cooke

• 12 Years and Under 200m Medley Relay - Samara Holmes, Adel Kusztor, Annabel Taylor, Polly Young • Open 100m Butterfly - Isabella Martin

• 12 Years and Under 50m Free Div B - Ruby Gowns • 13 Years 50m Freestyle Div A - Cosette Cooke

• 14 Years 50m Freestyle Div B - Abigail Anderson • 16 Years 50m Freestyle Div A - Sophie Martin

• 15 Years 50m Breaststroke Div A - Stella Stuart

• 16 Years 100m Freestyle - Sophie Martin

• 12 Years and Under 200m Freestyle Relay Div B Lauren Jarrett, Charlotte Perry, Lucy Lewis, Georgina Fitzgerald

Across the age groups, our 12-years division placed first while our 13- and 14-years divisions both placed third.

Congratulations to the entire squad on their commitment, participation and performance throughout the season and thank you to Head of Sport Helen Lobegeiger, Head Coach Kevin Sargent, Swimming Coordinator Mrs Susan Uhlmann, assistant coaches, teaching staff and parents for supporting St Margaret’s swimming this season.

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Sports Round Up WATER POLO VICTORY Congratulations to the six teams who contested the semi-finals of the BWPI competition in their respective divisions in March.

All teams were up against tough competition, resulting in two of the six teams narrowly losing their matches, with the 12B team going down in penalty shoot outs and the 17C team in regular time against St Rita’s. The 13B, U14B, U16B and U18C teams all gained a Grand Final berth. All games were tightly contested with the U16Bs winning and crowned champions of their divisions with all other teams becoming runners up. This was the first official water polo season held in the new swimming pool. Well done to all teams on a great season!

REPRESENTATIVE SPORT Many of our talented athletes have been achieving great results at district, met north and state level, as well as gaining selection into national teams.

Lucy White (Year 10) was selected to attend the Birmingham and Beyond National Team Camp for Artistic Gymnastics, held at the AIS in preparation for selection to the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Syren Letizia (Year 11) and Millicent Watson (Year 8) were selected in the 13-19 years Metropolitan North Softball team and Bless Daly (Year 7) was selected as shadow for this team.

The girls contested the Queensland Secondary Schools State Championships in March 2021.

Lara Charles (Year 11) was selected as reserve for the 13-19 Years Metropolitan North Tennis team.

Daisy Brown (Year 9) gained selection in the Junior Matilda’s training camp (the Junior Australia Football team). Daisy is one of three players from the QAS who gained selection and is now vying for selection to represent Australia at the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2022 qualifiers.

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Sally Bambling (Year 10), Ashley Blackman (Year 7), Annabel Bright (Year 9), Isabella Harte (Year 10), Matilda Lee (Year 9), Ebony Okonkwo (Year 8), Milla Roberts (Year 9), Olivia ReesSmith (Year 10), Brogan Tomich (Year 9) and Tayden Tomich (Year 10) competed at the Queensland Athletics Championships and achieved a national qualifier for the Australian Titles in April.

Ava Futcher (Year 7) placed 5th in the Under 12 Beach Flags event at the Queensland Youth Surf Lifesaving Championships.

Lauren Packer (Year 9) and Elle Gordon (Year 10) were selected in the Under 15 Metropolitan North Netball Team.

Ruby Gowns (Year 7), Samara Holmes (Year 7) and Adel Kusztor (Year 7) were selected in the 10-12 Years Metropolitan North Swimming team. Ruby has also been selected in the 12 Years City Districts Netball team and will now contest the Metropolitan North Championships in April.

Abigail Anderson (Year 8), Georgia Bruce (Year 7), Cosette Cooke (Year 8), Bless Daly, Lucy Dunning (Year 9) and Alexandra Gladman (Year 9) were selected in the 13-19 Years Metropolitan North Swimming team.

Sister act Sophie and Isabella Martin achieved impressive results in the pool at Nationals recently with Sophie placing 1st in the 100m Freestyle/2nd in the 200m Individual Medley and Isabella placing 3rdin the 100m Fly. Sophia Wightman (Year 12) was selected as part of the Australian Rowing Under 19 team and will compete in the Australian Junior Women’s single scull at the World Cup simulation regatta in Sydney in June. This success was due to her results at the 2021 Australian Rowing Championships in Tasmania receiving a Bronze medal in the Under 19 Women’s single scull and gold in the Under 19 Women’s 8+.

Issue 22

Senior Study Centre A new Senior Study Centre, a state-of-the-art flexible learning space for Year 12 students, opened early in Term 2.

Situated in the first-floor annexe of

I am looking forward to studying quietly and

I am really looking forward to having a quiet

Community House and with easy access

efficiently in the private Year 12 study space.

space to study that is so quick and easy to get to

to the Eunice Library through the Piazza,

I am also looking forward to refuelling in the

from the boarding house. I think that the centre

the facility is designed to allow students

kitchen and reenergising in the common room,

will be particularly useful in exam block and on

to engage in both independent and

as it will provide some much-needed relief from

study days, plus being a great place for our grade

collaborative work.

study. Ashleigh Pomeroy

to spend time together. Olivia Donoghue

The development of the Senior Study

I’m super keen to be able to use this space

The Senior Study Centre will operate in

Centre is in response to the way in which

for studying before and after school and the

line with senior library opening hours. In

students now study in the senior phase of

breakout room for collaborating with my peers

the evening on school days it will be used

learning. Many students in Years 11 and

on different subjects. It will also be a great place

for Year 12 boarder prep and will also be

12 are only studying five subjects, leaving

PROPOSED where all the Year 12s can relax and chat during

open to senior boarders on the weekends.

them six spare periods a week for their

ROOM FURNITURE our SENIOR breaks and I’m very much looking forward LAYOUT

own individual study. The new educational

Existing to using the kitchen to store and heat up my

facility now provides an additional and

lunch (especially in the winter!) and grab a quick

dedicated space Year 12 students can

coffee before class! Zara Campbell

utilise for private study, assessment and

Work will soon commence to transform a

New Construction

space within the back of the Eunice Library into a dedicated Year 11 Study Centre.

homework tasks, group work, research and meetings, during their spare periods and before and after school.

The space is equipped with individual

A A03.06

corrals, group study areas, printing

A A03.06

facilities, and a kitchen fitted with fridges, a dishwasher and eating area. The adjacent former Independent Learning Centre was

SLIDING DOORS

transformed into an additional science classroom and office space for the Years 11 and 12 Heads of Year and Student Support Officer, giving students easy access to staff

RELOCATED MECH RISER

2

for assistance.

Prior to the Centre’s opening, the Year 12 students were eagerly anticipating utilising the new space.

St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School Donatello House Furniture & Finishes Update 28.10.2020

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Boarding School of the Year In 2020, when St Margaret’s was celebrating educating girls (including boarders) for 125 years, the school was named the nation’s top boarding school for the second consecutive year in the Australian Education Awards.

The school’s Head of Boarding, Lesa Fowler, also received the prestigious 2020 Premier Leadership Award from the country’s peak boarding body – the Australian Boarding Schools Association.

We asked Lesa Fowler what it takes to be the nation’s number one boarding school.

Q: What does it mean to you to win Boarding School of the Year two times in a row?

LF: I think what it demonstrates is how integral boarding is to the entire school community. That is probably what we can be most proud of, that boarding is so much a part of everything we do here at St Margaret’s.

Q: Has ensuring that integration been one of your key priorities in the years you’ve been at St Margaret’s?

LF: Absolutely. We work hard to build and maintain that connection between the day school and the boarding house.

Teachers come in to supervise prep; boarding staff regularly meet with the heads of year; and classroom teachers will not hesitate to communicate with the house mothers in charge of each year level.

As well as being a member of the school’s Educational and Senior Leadership Team I also teach in the day school, so I’m in constant contact with the teaching staff. I’m able to highlight the boarders’ academic and wellbeing needs at all levels throughout the school.

Q: The boarding house is at near capacity for 2021 and 2022.

Why do you think that is? What feedback do you hear as to why parents want to send their daughters to St Margaret’s?

LF: I would put it down to three things: culture, community and connection. We are a very inclusive community, and we work in close partnership with the parents who are our best advertisements.

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They are the ones talking to other parents in their regions, fielding questions about their experience of the school. Our Old Girls are also great advertisements for a St Margaret’s education. Parents will always tell me they see in our Old Girls everything they would like their daughters to become.

Q: How do we build that connection with parents?

LF: We have a closed Facebook page for boarders and their parents where we regularly post photos, keeping them apprised of daily happenings. It can be something as simple as a photo I’ll take at morning tea – a taste of the everyday – as well as special activities and occasions. We send out a weekly newsletter “All Aboard”, which is full of photos and articles about everything we’ve done that week and what’s coming up. The house mothers also do a fortnightly newsletter to their year levels, as well as ring parents twice a term.

We also visit a lot of our families. I’ll visit a property and take a photo of boarders’ dogs and even participate in some of the things they would do at home – like mustering. I gain a greater appreciation and understanding of their home lives and build a deeper connection with their families. Those connections are very often life-long, such are the bonds formed when you have helped care for someone else’s child.

When we visit these areas, we also try to meet prospective parents, as they will always want to meet who, potentially, will be looking after their daughters. I can do all this because I have such an excellent team in the boarding house. I might be out for a week, but I know that boarding staff are able to deal with any situation that might arise.

Issue 22

Q: What do we mean by “specialist boarding staff”?

LF: Our staff undertake duty of care training through the Australian Boarding Schools Association. We do cultural diversity training because we do have a diverse community, so understanding how to give the best care to girls from all different backgrounds is really important to us. We also do youth mental health training alongside the more obvious things like first aid. We encourage staff to pursue professional development in different areas of wellbeing. For example, our Pastoral Care Coordinator undertook a yoga course so she could teach yoga to the girls. Many of our boarding staff also have a teaching background so they are very adept at monitoring and assisting with the girls’ academic progress, alongside their wellbeing.

Q: St Margaret’s is a full-time boarding school. Why is that attractive to families?

LF: Being a full-time boarding school means that on a weekend you’re not left with only a few girls in the boarding house.

Most of our girls come from places at least five or six hours away so they can’t go home for two days. While our day parents are fantastic at hosting our boarders for a day or weekend, there will still always be upwards of 120 girls in the house on any given weekend. We plan plenty of activities for those who wish to participate, or they make their own fun with their many friends still residing in the house.

Q: Food is always a topic on everyone’s lips when discussing boarding. How do we rate?

LF: The kitchen staff are amazing. We are very lucky to have a top chef running the kitchen, and he and his team really listen.

For example, our Chinese girls in boarding pointed out they prefer a different type of rice to what we would normally eat, so the kitchen now cooks both. We cater for different allergies and religious preferences, as well as the different nutritional needs

of some of our top-level sportswomen. In 2020 we had boarder swimming at national level so the kitchen would cook the meals her coaches recommended. I think that’s one of the advantages of having our own chefs here who can work with us in the boarding house to ensure everybody’s needs are met. We also send out a whole term’s menu to parents, so they can see the choices available to their daughters.

St Margaret’s regional tour dates can be found on the website at www.stmargarets. qld.edu.au/boarding/regional-tours.

For boarding admissions, please contact Judy Robinson on (07) 3862 0837 or email admissions@stmargarets.qld.edu.au

2020

AUSTRALIAN EDUCATION AWARDS

A number of staff changes in the boarding house recently has seen ‘old faces’ take on new roles.

We were sad to say goodbye to Fiona Spooner who has been with the boarding house for the past six years, most recently as Head of Junior House. However, Fiona is certainly not lost to the school as she has taken up the role of Head of Admissions.

Her insight into the boarding house will prove invaluable in this role, especially as she is also looking after international enrolments, many of whom are boarders. Fiona has always been a passionate advocate for St Margaret’s and is looking forward to assisting and stewarding families as they commence their St Margaret’s journey.

Angela Crowe, previously our boarding receptionist since 2016, has stepped into the role of acting Head of Junior House. Her previous experience means Angela is abreast of all the processes and procedures of the house and is already familiar with all the boarders she now cares for and their families. A mother of three teenage children herself, Angela is well prepared for the joys and challenges young women can face through these years.

Taking on the boarding receptionist role is previous school receptionist Karly Dwyer.

Having been a parent at the school since 2013, Karly has a very sound knowledge of the school. She is enjoying being in the heart of a thriving, busy boarding house, surrounded by the happy energy of the students.

We wish these staff members every success in their new roles.

Fiona Spooner

Angela Crowe

Karly Dwyer.

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St Margaret’s presents ‘Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical’ The story of an extraordinary girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny.

The cast and crew of this year’s school musical have worked hard to bring to the stage their rendition of the Broadway smash hit Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical.

Almost 80 St Margaret’s students in Years 7 to 12 were involved in the cast, orchestra pit and behind the scenes. Together with an expert team of passionate and creative staff, the students brought the stage show to life, playing to sold out audiences across four shows in the school’s Eton Hall.

Based on the beloved book “Matilda” by Road Dahl, Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical narrative centres on Matilda, a precocious five year old with the gift of telekinesis, who loves to read. Matilda overcomes obstacles caused by her family and school, and helps her teacher to reclaim her life.

Year 8 student Luci Sprott played the lead role of Matilda, with Year 12 students Paige Bastian playing Miss Trunchbull and Meleia Richardson playing Miss Honey.

Director and Head of Faculty – Arts and Design Annette Box said the storyline of the musical delivered a powerful message to students.

“Matilda is smart, she backs herself, she has resilience and she exercises her assertiveness when needed – all powerful messages. She also loves school – what a great thing to promote! She is also supported by a teacher who wholeheartedly believes in her potential,” Ms Box said.

“The notion that the power of knowledge and determination can transform a young girl’s life is so relevant to our students.

There are so many great roles for the girls to portray.”

Staging a musical production of this size is no mean feat and this year’s cast and crew

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spent just 13 weeks putting the show together, commencing rehearsals in Week 3 of Term 4 last year. The leading cast members rehearsed three times a week while the dancers and chorus rehearsed twice a week. There were also some weekend rehearsals as well as technical and dress rehearsals for the entire cast in the performance venue.

In the orchestra pit, the performers were accompanied by an ensemble made up of 11 students and five professionals (who are teachers at St Margaret’s) and conducted

by Head of Performance and Musical Director Brad King.

Brad said the score involved an enormous amount of underscoring which was used to heighten the drama on stage.

“Once the show started, there was rarely a break for the girls in the orchestra. It was really important for the orchestra to be very familiar with what was happening on stage to ensure the right music matched the right staging moment. Of course, Tim Minchin was true to style writing a very quirky score using loads of interesting time signatures and key signatures which kept us all on our toes.

“The students performed absolutely brilliantly. The level of commitment shown by every single girl was phenomenal and contributed to making the show such a wonderful success. In terms of the orchestra, we always loved hearing that audience members thought that a professional recording was being used as a backing track, only to be shocked to see all our fantastic young musicians taking a bow at the end of the show,” Brad said.

Brad said the school musical is a key event for music students on the school calendar.

Issue 22

“I believe the girls absolutely love being a part of the magic of live theatre – using staging, choreography, music, lighting, costumes to engage an audience in storytelling. I feel school musicals are a landmark experience. They create very special memories that students can look back on and remember for the rest of their lives. I think for many of us, when we look at back at our time at school, we remember involvement in school theatre productions. For our music students in the orchestra, it is special because the girls get to perform a professional score. The parts aren’t simplified for a school setting so they get to have ‘real-world’ performance experience. More than anything, through all of the hours of hard work in creating a shared experience, a tight-knit community is formed between the cast, orchestra and crew. Girls form very close friendships across the year levels through the process and, for all involved, a musical ‘family’ is formed. That sense of connection was very evident at the end of the closing night performance – there were a lot of tears knowing it was all over with students not wanting to leave at the end of the night,” Brad said.

The set design team was led by Annette and assisted by visual art teacher Hilde Apel and teacher aide Claudia Mazzotta with the help of primary art teacher Kerry Rider and aide Rachel Terry. Jerzey Mogilski from the school’s facilities team constructed the set flats and the costumes were sourced

by Annette with the help of Rachel Terry and teacher Nikki Anderson, who both created accessories and extras to elevate the costumes.

Congratulations to all involved in this year’s hit school musical!

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Imagine Your Future at St Margaret’s This year, St Margaret’s launched its “Imagine Your Future” campaign shining the light on seven inspirational alumni. Each of the women are forging a different trajectory but all hold the collective view that their St Margaret’s education instilled in them the attributes and skills required to succeed in their respective diverse range of fields. They are an inspiration to our current students and to future families and students, engendering students to imagine what their future might look like with a St Margaret’s education behind them.

BRONTE BARRATT OAM (’06)

CAITLIN MCCONNEL (’07)

JAZZ DE BUSCH (’15)

Triple Olympian Bronte Barratt had a remarkable career as an Australian swimmer, claiming 21 international medals including four Olympic medals.

She graduated from St Margaret’s in 2006 and attributes her experience at the school to helping realise her swimming career, a dream she had since she was ten years old. Post Olympics Bronte has become a radiographer and a mother.

Caitlin is an agribusiness and litigation lawyer at Clayton Utz, where she acts for liquidators, administrators, and a range of corporate and government clients in respect of complex commercial litigation and agribusiness matters. Her passion for agriculture stems from her work on her family’s historical property, which produces beef cattle in Toogoolawah, Queensland. Her family is the oldest family business in Queensland, and one of the oldest in Australia. She works closely with her parents on the operation of “Cressbrook”, and also represents the family as an historical spokesperson. Caitlin graduated from St Margaret’s in 2007 and says the school shaped the woman she is today, providing her with an extraordinary community that she can draw upon for advice and support in the pursuit of her goals.

Acting student and artist Jazz De Busch graduated from St Margaret’s in 2015.

Currently in her second year of an acting degree at Queensland University of Technology, Jazz says she loved drama, art, theatresports and English while at St Margaret’s and knowing these were her strengths, she has pursued these passions since leaving school. Jazz has also launched a jewellery business creating pieces that reflect her family’s Aboriginal culture.

She plans to continue to share her culture through a career as an actor and artist.

Imagine your future...

atSt Margaret’s 36

Issue 22

You can view the video stories of these exceptional women by clicking the QR code.

EMMELINE EZZY (’11)

TARYN PIETERSE (’07)

XENIA PUSKARZ-THOMAS (’13)

Emmeline Ezzy graduated from St Margaret’s in 2011 and now works as a Project Engineer working on mining projects in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. She says she always had a passion for maths and science while at St Margaret’s and was encouraged to study physics which served her well in her current role as an engineer. Currently the only female engineer on her work site, she recalls it was a story she read at school about a St Margaret’s Old Girl becoming an engineer that inspired her to follow in her footsteps.

Taryn Pieterse is an Investment Manager currently involved in venture capital for tech startups. Graduating from St Margaret’s in 2007, Taryn started her career working in Investment Banking for Goldman Sachs both in Sydney and in London. She later worked for the Light Warrior Group before taking on her current role as an Investment Manager at rampersand, a Seed and Series A stage Venture Capital firm in Australian tech.

Xenia Puskarz-Thomas graduated from St Margaret’s in 2013 and has since continued to pursue her dream of becoming a professional opera singer.

From Prep through to Year 12 at St Margaret’s, Xenia was always involved in music-making, especially as a member of the school’s choral and strings programs.

Xenia said she received extraordinary support and encouragement from her teachers and colleagues at St Margaret’s and counts herself lucky to be a ‘Maggies Girl’.

Currently, Xenia is working with mentors at the Metropolitan Opera, Juilliard School and Curtis Institute of Music.

DR REBECCA WON (’99) Dr Rebecca Won is a plastic, reconstructive and hand surgeon. In addition to working in private practice, Rebecca 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. Graduating from St Margaret’s in 1999, Rebecca 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.”

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GIVING DAY AY

D THURS

Y A M 0 2 2021

THURSDAY 20 MAY 2021 24 HOURS ONLY donations will be

DOUBLED!

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Issue 22

EVERY GIRL EVERY OPPORTUNITY

In 1895, the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent established St Margaret’s to give girls the opportunity to be educated – to give them an empowered future that could contribute to the common good of society.

Their work continues to this day and

Your donation will make double the

is reflected in our mission statement

difference in helping us to provide every

to prepare girls to become “confident,

girl with every opportunity. This appeal

compassionate, capable women able to

encompasses several planned building

contribute to a global community”.

and refurbishment projects to ensure our

Our new appeal – Every Girl Every

facilities can continue to help deliver the

have for every girl.

for needs-based bursaries to give some

Opportunity – reflects this ambition we

best education. We are also raising funds

Giving every girl every opportunity takes a village – it takes you.

girls the opportunity of a St Margaret’s

On Thursday 20 May join us for our

would have.

annual Giving Day and help us to give Every Girl Every Opportunity

while she is at St Margaret’s, enabling her to become all she can be beyond the school gates.

For 24-hours only, donations will be DOUBLED by our generous matching donors.

$50 = $100 $100 = $200 $250 = $500 $500 = $1,000

education – one they never thought they

CELEBRATE YOUR HOUSE THIS GIVING DAY! St Margaret’s students and staff have planned some exciting fundraising initiatives to take place on Thursday 20 May to support this Giving Day.

Make a donation at www.charidy.com/everygirl or become a matching donor!

We will be recognising the House with the best participation and most funds raised.

If you are a parent or an Old Girl, join in the competitive spirit by nominating yours or your daughter’s House when you donate!

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Celebrating Outstanding Alumni CONFIDENT, COMPASSIONATE, CAPABLE

2020 Young Past Student of Distinction Award DR MIKAELA SEYMOUR (’09)

2020 Distinguished Past Student Award KATE GIBSON (’96)

This year’s Past Student Awards dinner was a double celebration, with the naming of both the 2020 and 2021 Past Student Award recipients. Here, we very briefly outline some of the achievements of each winner.

They all are exemplars of the confident, compassionate and capable women the school aims to send out into the world.

We congratulate them on their success and their incredible contribution they make to the world. We invite our community to consider putting forward a past student they know for the 2022 awards when nominations open later this year (which will be found on the school website under Community>Past Students).

Mikaela has pursued a career in health care, development and rural medical equality and is currently a doctor working in the Western Province, Papua New Guinea, as a member of the Aerial Health Patrol team.

Kate Gibson is an international criminal lawyer and has been practising before the international criminal courts and tribunals since 2005. She has defended accused before the international courts, in cases arising from the conflicts in Rwanda, Cambodia, Sierra Leone, Kosovo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the former Yugoslavia.

Graduating from Griffith University in 2015 with a Masters of Medicine (MD) and a Bachelor of Medical Science, Mikaela completed a Masters of Surgical Sciences at the University of Edinburgh and the Global Surgery Course at Oxford University. She is currently completing a Masters of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at James Cook University and Global Health Engagement Grad Cert, Uniformed Services University Health School, Washington.

Mikaela is the founder of Bush Dokta Initiative (Project Yumi Charity), connecting PNG and Australian health care workers, supporting grassroots health projects in Papua New Guinea. In 2018 she was awarded Australian Medical Association Doctor in Training of the year for her contributions to health care in the Western Pacific region.

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In 2018 Kate was appointed as a lawyer with the United Nations Fact Finding Mission for Myanmar, working to document crimes committed against the Rohingya since 2016. She has trained lawyers and judges in international criminal law and procedure in Rwanda, Libya and throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

Kate holds an LL.M (First) in International Law from Cambridge University. She is published and teaches in international criminal law and transitional justice.

Issue 22

2021 Young Past Student of Distinction Award ASHLEY MCCARTHY-GRIFFITHS (’12)

2021 Distinguished Past Student Award PROFESSOR DOUNE MACDONALD (’76)

Ashley is an engineer who sets the technology direction for BHP’s coal operations. She is passionate about combining technology and engineering to solve our world’s challenges by creating solutions that provide a sense of belonging and are inclusive for the community.

Ashley was recently recognised as the 2021 Queensland Exceptional Young Women in Resources runner-up for combining her volunteering and work experience. She strives to be a role model and raise the profile of STEM by breaking down the associated stereotypes to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to consider a career in STEM. At BHP, Ashley works with executive leadership teams and frontline staff to identify and understand their current challenges and strategic priorities.

Ashley leads a not-for-profit organisation called Power of Engineering, working to build a diverse engineering talent pipeline across Australia. Power of Engineering has reached over 12,500 students, with 80 per cent of students participating now considering a career in engineering.

Upcoming Events Date Friday 23rd July Evening

Saturday 24th July Lunch

Sunday 25th July Lunch

Professor Doune Macdonald is Pro-ViceChancellor (Teaching and Learning) at The University of Queensland following her position as Head of the School of Human Movement Studies (2004-2013).

She completed her undergraduate and honours degrees in Human Movement Studies at UQ before teaching Health and Physical Education in Queensland and NSW, including two years at St Margaret’s.

Joining the academic staff in Human Movement Studies at UQ in 1990, Doune obtained her PhD through Deakin University.

In 1998 she won an Australian Award for University Teaching and in 2011 the UQ Vice Chancellor’s Leadership Award. Doune was also Lead Writer for the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education released in 2015.

Doune holds a number of leadership roles in international professional and research organisations, research journal editorial boards, advisory panels, and university and school directorships. She served on the St Margaret’s School Council (2007-2012) and currently sits on the boards of Brisbane Grammar School and Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority.

FATHERS’ DINNER - Friday 11 June at 6:30pm REUNIONS AND OGA CHAPEL SERVICE

Reunion Group

Graduation year

Venue

Time

2020 & 2021 10 Year Cocktail

Class of 2010 and 2011

M’s Café

6:30pm

2020 & 2021 20 Year Cocktail

Class of 2000 and 2001

Arts Centre Foyer and Terraces

6:30pm

2020 & 2021 30 Year Cocktail

Class of 1990 and 1991

Eton Hall

6:30pm

2020 40 Year Luncheon

Class of 1980

M’s Café

12:00pm

2020 50 Year Luncheon

Class of 1970

Arts Centre Foyer and Terraces

12:00pm

2020 60 Year Luncheon

Class of 1960

Boarders Dining Room

11:30am

2021 40 Year Luncheon

Class of 1981

M’s Cafe

12:00pm

2021 50 Year Luncheon

Class of 1971

Arts Centre Foyer and Terraces

12:00pm

2021 60 Year Luncheon

Class of 1961

Boarders Dining Room

11:30am

Chapel/Barley Sugar Garden

3:00pm

Arts Centre Foyer and Terraces

12:00pm

Sunday 25th July Afternoon

3pm OGA Chapel Service and 4pm Afternoon tea

Monday 26th July Lunch

VIP 60 + Luncheon

Class of 1959 and prior

MOTHER DAUGHTER HIGH TEA (YEARS 7-12) – Sunday 15 August 3:00pm – Eton Hall ST MARGARET’S POLO DAY – Saturday 4 September – 11:30am MOTHER DAUGHTER HIGH TEA (YEARS 3-6) – Sunday 10 October – 3:00pm – Eton Hall OGA COCKTAIL EVENT – Saturday 23 October – 6.00pm – ACF 41

Mothers’ Luncheon On Friday 12 March, almost 450 St Margaret’s mothers and staff gathered at the Gambaro Hotel Brisbane for the St Margaret’s Annual Mothers’ Luncheon, hosted by the Parents and Friends’ Association.

A major fundraiser for the school’s Parents and Friends’ Association, this year’s event raised $41,000 which will provide significant support to the school by donating to projects which benefits our students.

The event would not have been possible without the significant efforts of Antionette Aquilina and the rest of the P and F committee who led the organisation of the luncheon.

Thank you to our generous sponsors including Qscan, KLM Solicitors, UMS and Adrians.

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Issue 22

Jenny Stevens inspires at Professional Women’s Network breakfast

A third generation St Margaret’s Old Girl,

Prior to audiology, Jenny was a primary and

Jenny (’73) said that while she didn’t know

secondary physical education teacher. She

what she wanted to do after leaving school,

recognised the lack of physical education

she had a dogged determination and desire

for children with special needs and was the

to want to achieve something in life.

pioneer in introducing physical education

“I wanted to look back and be very proud

to Special School children in Queensland.

of what I’d done over time, so I took every opportunity that was given to me,” she said.

For Jenny, her time at St Margaret’s gave her the belief that girls can do anything, and Jenny has proven this ethos several times over throughout her diverse career. She is

It was through her forward thinking and significant efforts that a framework was built, which is still in existence today.

A proud St Margaret’s Old Girl, Jenny said the school motto, Per Volar Sunata – Born to Fly Upwards, continues to influence

the current CEO and Clinical Director of

decisions she makes today.

leading national audiology company

“Live it, keep it in your heart and let it guide

Attune Hearing, where over the past

your thinking. It still does for me today,” she

15 years she has grown the company from

said to the students in the audience.

Jenny inspired audience members and the students in the room revealing that endurance, perseverance and self-belief are the qualities needed to conquer anything you desire.

“You can do whatever you want to do. Just want it enough and never take no for an answer. Ladies, we’re only limited by what we think we can achieve. Have a belief in yourself. Hard work, determination and resilience are the ingredients for future success. It won’t be easy but nothing that is of true value is ever easy,” she said.

Jenny also said: “A well lived life involves

In March, more than 90 business professionals, staff, alumni and students gathered for St Margaret’s first Professional Women’s Network Breakfast for 2021, where guest speaker Jenny Stevens shared her inspiring words.

two to three clinics to more than 65 clinics servicing the medical community across five states. When she first started with Attune she was told by a male colleague that she would never be able to achieve this, but Jenny’s dogged determination led her to not only grow the company, but in 2020, be instrumental in the sale of Attune for more than $76.4 million.

Jenny’s innovative mindset and her rural roots led to the development of a software company Otohub, which gives service accessibility to all patients, especially those

risk and I encourage those girls in the room to take that risk, embrace that fear and make it your friend.”

St Margaret’s thanks our partners who supported the event including the 2021 Professional Women’s Network corporate sponsors Pitcher Partners, Programmed Property Services and Wolff Coffee Roasters, as well as supporting partners Downer, NAB, Clear Insurance, O’Reilly Shaw Lawyers and Red Oak. Check the St Margaret’s website events page for future dates.

in regional and remote areas. In July 2019, Otohub was sold for $10 million Euro.

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ps

Imagine your future...

t a St Margaret’s OPEN MORNING Thurs 12 August 2021

8.00–11.00am

REGISTER ONLINE

www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au

Caitlin McConnel (’07) Lawyer/Grazier

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 Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .eps

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