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Issue 50 – June 2014 – QUEEN MARGARET CALLING
that the Board is evaluating in terms of their contribution to the
future success and viability of the College.
As a part of this process the Board is currently undertaking
preliminary design work to assess the potential of redeveloping
the Pre-School. If it proceeds, the project would result in a purpose
built facility with slightly increased capacity. The Pre-School is a
significant contributor to the life of the school with many pupils
moving through to the Junior School. More news on this potential
project will come over the next few months (but it does explain why
we have had builders and architects coming in and out of the Pre-
School and Junior School in recent weeks).
This edition of QMCalling also contains information about
our annual giving programme. Every additional dollar that we
raise through this means is much appreciated. The success of this
fundraising in recent years is testament to the fact that many small
contributions do make a difference.
Finally, many thanks to those who made the recent Celebrity
Debate a great success; from Carolyn Henwood, Chair of the
Foundation who germinated the idea, working with Diana Marsh
and Jane Woodrow, tended relationships across the arts and politics
to bring together an entertaining bunch of debaters (Urzila Carlson
Chris Finlayson, Marc Taddei, Sean Plunket and Linda Clark) whom
she also joined on stage; to those debaters who gave so generously of
their time; to Maurice Williamson who chaired the debate with great
flair and humour; to Old Girl Michelle Marginson who was our
inscrutable guest judge; and to the Parents Association who brought
the logistics together in the seamless way that they do so well (the
“mucking in” bit to finish my gardening metaphor!). I had a great
night with a bunch of parents of recent old girls who were delighted
to return to the school after a few years and see it blooming in this
way. If you weren’t there, you missed something special.
Paul Foley
Contents
June 2014
Queen Margaret College,
53 Hobson Street, PO Box 12274
Thorndon, Wellington 6144
T
04-473-7160
F
04-471-2773
E
2 From the Principal
3 From the Board Chair
4 New Zealand Scholarships
5 Another Past Pupil Takes Flight
6 Exciting New e-Learning Tools
7 It’s My Life
8 Japan
Chile
9 France
10 Shakespeare
12 It’s A Hard Knock Life!
13 Adrianne Roberts
14 Mothers to School Events
15 Last Post
In Memory of Jo Brown
16 Rowing
Tennis
Dragon Boating
From the Board
17 Surf Life Saving
Touch Rugby
TRYathlon
Hockey
Trinity Visit
18 Future Occupation
19 Swiming Sports
20 Athletics
A
n important point of difference in QMC’s educational
offering is the high quality, global curriculum we offer.
The College is authorized for two of the International
Baccalureate (IB) programmes – the Primary Years Programme
(PYP) for Years 1 - 6 and the Diploma Programme for students in
Years 12 - 13 and is a Candidate Middle Years (MYP) School. The
International Baccalaureate (IB) offers these rigorous programmes
of international education to a growing worldwide education
community of 3,786 schools including our sister schools, St
Margaret’s Chile and, starting next year, St Margaret’s Tokyo.
As is their practice, the IBO reviews the standards and practices
of all programmes every five years. This year it is QMC’s turn to be
audited: the IB Diploma in August and the PYP last month. I was
able to meet with the PYP review team and delighted later to learn
that our evaluation report was superb. I congratulate the Junior
School teachers on this excellent result.
This edition of QMCalling highlights many successes of
the school and it is pleasing from time to time to hear anecdotal
comments are about how well the College is doing. That is great,
but there is never time for complacency. The Board’s message to Ms
Craymer and her team is that the only means of assured success
is excellence in everything we do. There is no doubt that there are
areas that we can address in this goal.
This time last year the Hobson Complex was opened. The
Board’s commitment to this project was only possible because of
the support of the wider school community; from parents who
make the financial commitment to send their daughters to QMC,
from our Parents and Old Girls Associations whose fund raising
activities provide key sporting and classroom equipment and from
the Foundation which provides a focus for our major fund raising
activities.
Through the Foundation, the wider College community gifted
nearly $1m toward the Hobson Development. We are extremely
grateful for that assistance but the job is not over. In addition to
paying down the bank funding that we obtained for the Hobson
Development, our “blue sky” thinking includes potential projects
As we approach the second half of the school
year, it is a useful time to take stock of what
each of us has achieved personally and what is
still on the “to do” list for the rest of the year.
That is equally true of the College.
QMC parents, Aloysius and Eileen Teh, generous gifted three pieces of art to the
College Art Collection. Carol Craymer and Paul Foley stand in front of the piece
by Israel Birch, Taniwha Kamuramura.
