7 August 2020 Dear Whanau Thank you for your support with this week’s Student-Led Conferences. This is a great opportunity for your daughter to showcase her achievements in learning this year. They are all to be commended on their learning and their enthusiasm to learn. When they are at school, the girls’ enthusiasm is infectious! To add to this, our teachers excel at ensuring a positive learning environment, captivating and innovative learning experience takes place. It is a team effort to which we also say, thank you for supporting, helping, managing and keeping up with the pace of the day! Arts Therapy Placement Kate Willis has joined our school for the next two terms to work towards her Master of Arts in Arts Therapy (Clinical) programme offered by Whitecliffe College. What is Arts Therapy? Arts therapy or arts psychotherapy uses creative modalities, including visual arts-making, drama, and dance/movement within a therapeutic relationship to improve and inform physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. The reason it is called ‘arts therapy’ rather than ‘art therapy’ is because of the different arts that are used to help people. Arts therapy differs from traditional arts-making or performance in that the emphasis is on the process of creating and making meaning, rather than on the end product. The therapist and client/s develop a therapeutic relationship with clear boundaries, treatment plans, and outcomes. The arts themselves are considered to have healing functions that arts therapists seek to harness to assist their clients to achieve change. Arts therapy with children While children can often benefit from counselling to deal with life’s challenges, they may find it difficult or scary to properly express their fears, worries and difficulties. Children are naturally creative and playful, two components which are integral to the art therapy experience, making it a non-threatening and gentle alternative to the talking therapies. As such, arts therapy can help to enhance a child’s sense of wellbeing and assist with children’s learning, behavioural, emotional, and social problems. Kate is available to work with any student whilst she is at St Margaret’s College. If you would like your daughter to be offered Art Therapy, please either email myself or Kate at

kate.willis@stmargarets.school.nz and we will arrange Kate to contact you. You may also be contacted by your daughter’s classroom teacher if they think that Art Therapy may be beneficial to her. Independent Schools’ Winter Tournament. What a beautiful day to hold this year’s Winter Tournament! I was feeling a bit too warm in my coat at the Hagley Courts! Well done to all the girls, coaches, and managers who participated in today’s tournament. The smiles were huge, the games exciting, and the sun was shining!

Up and Coming Events ● Sunday 9 August - Beacon Street Wetlands planting, 9.00am-12.30pm

● Sunday 9 August - Kowhai, Rimu, and Matipo House Chapel Service at 5.00pm

We invite all families to this compulsory service. Girls are to wear formal uniform. ● Wednesday 12 August - Canterbury Primary Schools’ Cross Country ● Thursday 13 August - St Margaret’s College Performing Arts Showcase, 7.00pm,

Charles Luney Auditorium ● Friday 14 August - Year 2 trip to Olympia Gym ● Friday 14 August - Junior School Disco, Staff Room

Times for sessions are as follows: 5.00-6.15pm New Entrant, Years 1, 2, and 3 6.30-8.00pm Years 4, 5, and 6 Theme: Disney @ SMC Tickets to this event are available now: https://www.trybooking.co.nz/ERS

Lunch Menu  ● Monday 10 August Combination fried rice – gluten free (Combination of meats, long grain rice, a selection of seasonal vegetables & egg pancakes)   Bacon and egg foldovers  (Crispy bacon and egg served in a fresh bread foldover and aioli sauce)  A large assortment of sandwiches, wraps and rolls including gluten-free and vegetarian/vegan                       options   ● Tuesday 11 August Beef and pasta bake   (Lean beef mince cooked in a tomato sauce, mixed with pasta and topped with cheese)     Spinach and ricotta tart - vegetarian (Savoury pastry filled with a creamy spinach and ricotta filling)  Salad of the day - Brown rice and chickpea salad   A large assortment of sandwiches, wraps and rolls including                 gluten-free and vegetarian/vegan options  ● Wednesday 12 August Chicken bao buns   (Marinated shredded chicken thighs, coleslaw and a honey mustard                 dressing)  Salad of the day - Brown rice and chickpea salad   Also available is a selection of rice balls, chicken, vegetarian, tuna sushi and small sushi sticks   

A large assortment of sandwiches, wraps and rolls including gluten-free and vegetarian/vegan                       options  ● Thursday 13 August Marinated pork spare ribs with rice – gluten free   (Pork spare ribs marinated in a tomato and soya sauce – served with rice)  Chicken fried noodles (Roast chicken, selection of seasonal vegetables and egg noodles)  Also available is a selection of rice balls, chicken, vegetarian, tuna sushi and small sushi sticks   A large assortment of sandwiches, wraps and rolls including gluten-free and vegetarian/vegan                       options   ● Friday 14 August Chicken Chow Mein (Lean chicken mince, seasonal diced vegetables with egg noodles)    Roast vegetable and sundried tomato filo parcel - vegetarian (Seasonal vegetables roasted with sundried tomatoes wrapped in layers of filo                     pastry)  Also available is a selection of rice balls, chicken, vegetarian, tuna sushi and small sushi sticks   A large assortment of sandwiches, wraps and rolls including gluten-free and vegetarian/vegan                       options    Julie Calder Head of Junior School