Head of Campus update – 11 February 2016

Welcome to the 2016 school year. This year we welcomed a number of new staff to Senior School. They are all very experienced teachers who come to us with an interesting array of different backgrounds and teaching experiences. We welcome:

Mrs Judy Taylor – Drama and English teacher

Ms Katie Martin – AFL trainee

And we welcome back:

Mrs Louise Gerrard – Commerce and Humanities teacher (who returns to St Margaret’s after living in Singapore)

Mrs Bronwyn Huisintveld – Maths and Humanities teacher (who has been teaching in Junior School)

It was with great pleasure we received the Year 12 student results at the end of 2015. 8% of the students received an ATAR of over 99 placing them in the top 1% of the nation, 21% obtained an ATAR over 95 (top 5% of the nation) and 42% received an ATAR of over 85 (top 15% of the nation).

Last week our Year 8 students enjoyed their camp at Waratah Bay while the Year 10 students loved the beach activities at Anglesea. Our Year 9 students continue their sharp learning curve learning in and around the city.

We are embarking on a busy couple of weeks in Senior School and I would like to remind you of a few very important events.

The annual Cocktail Party is on Friday 19 February commencing at 6.30pm. Year 8, 9, 10 and 12 parents are invited to a year level information session on the same evening. Please join us at 6.00pm to find out about the year ahead for your daughter then enjoy a cocktail with the Principal and staff at 6.30pm. For catering purposes, if you wish to join us at the Cocktail Party, please click here to register.

Our Artist in Residence commences on 22 February and the 1926 – 2016 Long Story Short Community Art Exhibition will be running for 2 weeks with the official opening at 5pm Tuesday 1 March and the students are very excited about the Twilight Fair on 26 February. Add these dates to your diary.

A reminder that the best way to keep track of your daughter’s academic progress throughout the year is through our Continuous Online Reporting system on Parent Lounge. I encourage you to have a look at what has been completed and assessed, and what lies ahead for her in class, at least once a fortnight. If you have lost your username or password, please contact the SMS IT department.

At the start of the year I spoke to the students about the importance of wearing their uniform correctly and reminded them of some of the rules which sometimes cause confusion.

Summer hats – these are to be worn when in summer uniform in Term 1 and 4, any time the students are in the sun. There are no set times that they are required to wear the hat but they must show common sense and responsibility in wearing the hat when in the sun. Staff may request the hat be worn on school excursions or other school activities. Staff will ask students in the sun to put on their hat or to move to the shade.

Earrings – students may wear one pair of sleepers or studs in the lobe of their ear. Studs may be plain silver, gold, clear diamonds or white pearls and must not exceed 5mm in diameter. Any other visible piercing must be removed while in school uniform.

Mrs Fiona Williams