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Above: Head of Primary Angela Drysdale and Principal of St Margaret’s Ros Curtis congratulate the 2023 Primary Leaders Charlie Bain and Olivia Robson.

The early years of schooling are regarded as some of the most important as children develop the foundational skills they require to grow as great learners.

In the primary years at St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School in Ascot, learning contexts are created to engage, inspire and challenge girls to optimise achievement across all learning domains.

A strong emphasis is placed on developing foundational literacy and numeracy skills, and both the school’s Literacy Coordinator/Coach and Mathematics Specialist support students and educators in achieving this objective.

A custom Systematic Synthetic Phonics program for the school’s youngest learners embodies the most recent research and most effective elements from approaches to and theories of early literacy instruction.

In addition, the school’s differentiated approach to teaching through its Core Plus Cluster program allows for literacy and numeracy learning to occur within vertical groups and across year levels, based on like abilities and needs.

STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning in the early years builds students’ independent, critical and creative thinking skills. Right from Pre-Prep, students take weekly STEM lessons in the dedicated ‘Atelier’ space, which features robots, iPads, recycled materials, loose parts and construction materials, cooking facilities and more. 

The many advantages of attending a combined primary and secondary school are not lost on St Margaret’s joint primary leader Charlie Bain, who appreciates the access to the wide range of extracurricular experiences and state of the art facilities this can bring.

“I came to St Margaret’s in Year 5, and I have really enjoyed trying different sports, including soccer, basketball, touch football and netball, as well as competing against other schools in Andrews Cup. 

“We didn’t play extracurricular sport at my previous school, so I jumped at the chance to make the most of these opportunities and have learnt about teamwork, commitment and practice and been pushed outside my comfort zone,” Charlie said.

Charlie’s classmate and joint primary leader Olivia Robson has also enthusiastically involved herself in many extracurricular activities, including cross country, netball, gymnastics, athletics, cricket and water polo, which she trains for in the school’s water polo sized, heated swimming pool. 

“There are so many sports available, but the primary music program provides exciting opportunities as well. I was in the choir in Year 2, played the cello in Years 3 and 4 and the trumpet in Year 5, and now I am enjoying learning guitar.

“My involvement in sport and music has helped me to feel confident in my abilities,” Olivia said.

As primary leaders this year, both Charlie and Olivia are positive role models for the younger students, upholding and demonstrating the school values, a responsibility both girls take very seriously. 

“As a primary leader, I am a role model for my peers but also a voice for them as well,” Charlie said. 

“When I was in Pre-Prep at St Margaret’s, I really looked up to the primary school leaders, and I knew that, one day, I wanted to be one, too. To me, being a leader means modelling passion and spirit through participation and involvement and leading by example,” Olivia said.

Looking to the future, both Charlie and Olivia are excited about starting secondary school next year. While the environment will be familiar to them, they are looking forward to meeting new friends, and will no doubt lead by example and help smooth the transition for those new to the school in Year 7.  

Not only does a St Margaret’s primary school education grow great learners and good citizens, but an early entrance brings peace of mind, securing a place in the secondary school. 

St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School | 11 Petrie Street, Ascot | 3862 0777
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