From the Principal - OGA eNews 1, 2025

Happy New Year to you all. I hope 2025 (St Margaret’s 130^th year) is a positive and healthy one for you all.

Each year, the school adopts a theme. This year it is ‘Community and Connection’. This theme has been inspired by the renovation of Community House and its use as a Student Wellbeing Centre and the importance of a sense of belonging, which is so necessary for academic achievement and personal growth. Also, if I ask people to provide me with one word to describe St Margaret’s, most will say ‘Community’. This theme gives us the opportunity to explore with our students the role they play in building community and what their responsibility is in reaping the benefits of such a supportive network of people.

Congratulations to our graduates of 2024 and the newest Old Girls. Just under 63.1% of ATAR eligible students received an ATAR of 90 or above. Our median ATAR was 91.9%. Our Pathways students graduated with a rich array of diplomas, certificates, and school-based traineeships. 100% of our students graduated with a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE).

In 2024, St Margaret’s cemented its reputation across Australia as a leading school, receiving no fewer than seven awards or recognition from industry related bodies. All these awards listed below are competitive, and are awarded after a comprehensive application process, followed by shortlisting by panels of education experts across all sectors – government, catholic and independent schools.

• 5 Star Employer of Choice Award - The Educator
• Brad King – 2024 Most Influential Educator - The Educator 
• Australian Boarding Schools Association Boarding School of the Year - Non-government Excellence Awardee - Australian Education Awards
• Best STEM Program - Non-government Excellence Awardee - Australian Education Awards
• Regina Brennan - Primary School Teacher of the Year Excellence Awardee - Non-government - Australian Education Awards
• Colette Anderson - Secondary School Teacher of the Year Excellence Awardee - Non-government - Australian Education Awards
• Chris Dunn – Dean of Studies - The Educator Hot List (of great contributors to education)

I read an interesting article on LinkedIn, which reproduced this prose about the person you will be at the end of year, indicating that who you are largely depends on:

The foods you eat

The books you read

The chances you take

The habits you stick to

The media you consume

The experiences you have

The thoughts in your head

The environment you are in

The people you spend time with

As St Margaret’s celebrates its 130^th year, I wondered what the St Margaret’s equivalent would be. After 130 years, the St Margaret’s we know now has depended on:

The risks we have taken

The stories we have celebrated

The environment we have created

The values we have demonstrated

The supportive efforts of our community

The student experiences we are providing

The SSA educational philosophy we espouse

The high expectations we have of ourselves and others

Our achievements of the past student community who represent us

St Margaret’s is represented by generations, from Baby Boomers to Generation Alpha in either its teachers, students, parents, and past student body, and now this is the first year for the next generation, Generation Beta. Of course, Generation Beta is not yet school aged but notable changes in the nature of the student body have been revealed by the preceding Generation Alpha. The social demographers agree with our observations as educators; both Generation Alpha (2010 – 2024, the earliest of whom is in our secondary school) and Generation Beta (2025 – 2039) are impacted by the world of technological integration in which they are being raised. Generation Beta will live in an era of Artificial Intelligence, with all its implications, and there is likely to be a demand for greater personalisation with careful curating of digital identities. Social connection will look quite different for Generation Beta, as it already does for Generation Alpha. We already have the clue to the probable significant shift in social mores and a greater focus on inclusivity and sustainably. It is within this new context that St Margaret’s will operate. To survive the next 130 years, St Margaret’s will need to adapt. New traditions will be forged as past traditions are part of the living memory and the history books. We appreciate your continued support as we navigate this path between tradition and innovation.

Per Volar Sunata

Ros Curtis AM
Principal