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Issue 52 – February 2015 – QUEEN MARGARET CALLING
From the Principal
The announcement of the incoming Head
Prefect and Deputy at the Senior School Prize
Giving is eagerly anticipated especially be-
cause all of those attending have been involved
in the democratic process of electing these
leaders. Prior to this occasion, the school has
listened to speeches from Year 12 girls aspir-
ing to become Prefects in their final year, then
formal elections held with both teachers and
students expressing their preference.
A
t Prize Giving, the new school leaders are presented
with a cheque by the Parents’ Association to fund their
attendance at a girls’ school student leadership event at
Bond University on Queensland’s Gold Coast. There, at a workshop
on Goal Setting, our 2015 leaders Amy and Sabrina were asked to
sum up in a few words their hopes for the year and came up with the
phrase: Unity, Spirit, Positive Change.
In particular, the goal of positive change resonated with me.
I like the fact that the noun is modified as not all change is an
improvement on the status quo. At the traditional Commissioning
Service with which we started the term, in her speech to the
school, Amy explored the idea of positive change using the egg as a
metaphor: an egg, she said, can be scrambled or boiled, poached or
served with Hollandaise sauce, all of which are deliciously different
and yet the main ingredient remains essentially the same - egg.
I am particularly fond of former principal Nancy Black’s quote
which more formally expresses the same idea. “We have a good
inheritance. Under our gracious old building the foundations which
you do not see are there, solid and sound as ever. We build on the
achievements of the past but we do not rest on them …”
So leading on from this message I look to the past and celebrate
last year’s outstanding examination results. To achieve a 100% pass
rate at all three levels of NCEA and also, 100% in the IB Diploma
with five girls scoring marks of 40 and above is great news and
testament to the girls’ work ethic, strong support from parents and
effective teaching.
In particular I record the unique contribution of Dr. Susan
Watterson, the Head of the Senior School, who left us at the start of
term. She has been at the College for the past seven years and her
contribution to the development of curriculum, and in particular
the dual qualification pathway, has been outstanding. A former New
Zealand principal and teacher in international schools, I have valued
her expertise and professionalism. Taking over Susan’s role is Jacqui
Brown who is profiled in this edition along with a number of other
teachers joining us this year, all of whom will bring new skills and
energy to the school.
InNovember last year we also farewelledMilada Pivac, appointed
to the College in 1980. An English teacher at heart she has worn
many hats throughout her time including Head of English, Deputy
Principal and Year 13 Dean. Milada has been a mentor and friend
to hundreds of QMC students, better known as her ‘pups’. Her legacy
endures in the Pivac Wing, named after her in 2005.
With the start of a new year with so many new girls enrolled and
the staff relaxed and re-invigorated after what has been a memorable
summer of warm, settled weather, there is a feeling of positivity and
excited expectation. As 2015 unfolds, I know this feeling will be
demonstrated within Queen Margaret College by a unity of purpose
towards excellence, unbounded spirit for our unchanging school
ethos and positive change to meet the challenges that the year will
bring. On the front cover are Year 7 students proudly displaying our
new QMC flag, which flew for the first time on our 96th Birthday.
Carol Craymer
Lucy Marsland, Katie Greenaway and Eloise Sims at the New Zealand IB Diploma
Award Ceremony held at Premier House in Auckland with the Governor-General,
Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae. Clara Sinclair, who was our top scorer,
was also invited but unable to attend.
Sabrina Kao, Deputy Head Prefect, Carol Craymer, Principal, Amy Galvin, Head
Prefect.
