Are you all set to travel the yellow brick road with us? The Wizard of Oz is nearly here: don’t miss out on tickets for the whole family!

Middle School Production: The Wizard of Oz
Don’t miss out on this magical show that will delight audiences of all ages, the whanau young and old, and join Dorothy and friends as they skip through their adventures in Oz, beautifully framed by the large Pixel screen we enjoyed for Alice! September 9, 10 & 11 in the Charles Luney Auditorium. Please note that all members of the cast and crew will be rehearsing Friday, September 6th here at school from 8:30am-4pm.
https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2019/the-wizard-of-oz/christchurch

Billie’s Mind delights
We congratulate Billie Leiataua, who’s recently released single Mind, has made the September list for NewTracks as part of NZ On Air. NewTracks is a list of songs by New Zealand artists chosen each month from online submissions and distributed by NZ On Air to radio and broadcast media. Check it out here:
https://open.spotify.com/track/3YeKjokuTvYTcVt5C0D2kF?si=B0xLYsVkQ3WwHJH2d9LyHw

Cranmer Chapel
Last Tuesday a good number of St Margaret’s Old Girls joined us for a special chapel service. Dani Coles, accompanying herself on guitar, sang a beautiful rendition of an Elton John classic, Gabrielle Kitley played a piano piece from the film Pride & Prejudice from memory, and our Middle School Dance Company performed A Million Dreams. Our thanks to Head of the Old Girls Association, Emma Bradley, who very kindly wrote a warm letter of congratulations and thanks to the girls and to teachers Amanda Woods and Stacy Goldsworthy.

Mr Fungus
Our Year 1-8 girls enjoyed visiting physical theatre/mime show Mr Fungus last week. Year 7-8 girls were also able to workshop with Fergus before the show. We thank Junior Performing Arts teacher Sam Bates for organising this great opportunity for our girls. Costs will be on-charged to the girls’ accounts as per letter sent home to parents/caregivers.

Timeline Photography
A selection of work from this year’s Photography Club students is on display next to the helpdesk in the library: come and check it out!

Bold Moves at the Isaac Theatre Royal
Our Year 11-13 NCEA Dance students, Senior School and Middle School Dance Companies have the opportunity to see the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company’s production Bold Moves in the Isaac Theatre Royal September 5th. The programme includes iconic work from renowned choreographers George Balanchine, William Forsythe and Andrea Schermoly, and represents concepts from three different continents. As this is a formal external theatre booking, there will be no refunds if your daughter is unable to attend. The cost of approximately $17 (depending on booking fees) will be added to the girls’ accounts.

Senior School Theatre Sports Competition
Regional Theatresports heats will be held on Sunday 8th September at 11am and 2pm at the Rangi Ruru Theatre. Our girls have been practising hard during the year and are ready to take on other schools from around Christchurch in the annual competition. We have two Senior Theatresports teams entered this year due to an increase in popularity and the amazing leadership and mentorship of our Head of Arts Kaitlin Burden. We wish both teams the best of luck for their heats and encourage whanau and friends to come and support the girls. At 11am the team will be: Kaitlin Burden, Bella Belcher, Olivia Hubber, Feya Durkin, Rosie Milne and Georgia Lassen. At 2pm the following girls perform: Elizabeth Cross, Yani Rutherford, Lucy Johnston, Sammy Hood and Zoe Fulton.

NCEA Dance Night
On Saturday 14 September, our Dance department presents Momentum, a showcase of dance pieces featuring choreography from students and teachers. Our senior dancers will perform NCEA assessment pieces alongside guest performances from our Senior and Middle School Dance Companies and Jazz Dance group. All welcome to attend and koha on the door.

Kaboom Percussion
This freelance percussion company based in Perth, Western Australia, will be presenting their schools’ touring show Kaboom to our Year 1-6 girls in the Charles Luney Auditorium 1:50pm-2:40pm Monday, September 16th. There will be a workshop following the show for our Year 4-6 girls. The cost will be added to the girls’ accounts as explained in the letter sent home to parents/caregivers. www.kaboompercussion.com

If your daughter has a Music or Speech & Drama class scheduled during these times, please let her teacher know in advance so that other arrangements can be made.

SMC Arts Week 2019
Our last week of term will be dedicated to the arts, and we look forward to four days of activities and surprises cooked up by our wonderfully creative student Arts Council. Lead by the inimitable Kaitlin Burden and Natalie Hutton, these girls will deliver daily doses of arts-based fun for the whole school, along with the Senior Arts Awards Assembly, Performing Arts Showcase and Arts Soiree/dinner.

Senior Arts Awards Assembly
Our Senior Arts Awards Assembly is scheduled for the last week of term, Tuesday, 17 September, period 7 (2:40-3:30pm.) Certificates, Pockets and Honours will be presented to successful candidates, along with red roses for recent national achievements. There will be performances from our girls and parents/caregivers of Honours recipients will join their daughters for afternoon tea following the assembly.

Performing Arts Showcase 2019
On Tuesday 17 September we are holding our annual Performing Arts Showcase in the Charles Luney Auditorium at 7:00pm. This is a wonderful occasion for the community to gather and be entertained by our singers, dancers, musicians and actors involved in our school performing arts co-curricular groups. Free entry, all welcome.

Arts Soiree: St Margaret’s The Musical
The St Margaret’s College Arts Soiree is an event that runs annually to celebrate the arts one last time in the form of a ticketed dinner before our seniors go on study leave. We gather together to acknowledge the girls’ achievements from throughout the year alongside our Pocket and Honours recipients, and to celebrate our girls with staff and whanau in a more informal setting. Guests are encouraged to dress to the theme (follow the cast list: there will be prizes!) and to enjoy the three-course buffet dinner, bar, photo booth and entertainment provided by our musicians, dancers, actors and artists.

The Arts Soiree is a fun event put together by our student Arts Council, a wonderful group of creative organisers who work hard to present this engaging evening for our community during Arts Week, the last week of Term 3. We would love you to join us for this year’s Arts Soiree and dinner, in order to celebrate your daughters’ valued contribution to the arts at St Margaret’s. Open to all Year 9-13 girls and whanau.

St Margaret’s The Musical
Thursday, September 19th, 6-9pm
St Margaret’s dining room
Tickets $50 from Maggie's

Secondary Schools’ Orchestra Festival
Our St Margaret’s and Christ’s College orchestral players will once again be participating in the Christchurch Schools’ Orchestra Festival at the end of this term. This year the festival will be returning to the Christchurch Town Hall Auditorium. This is very exciting as it allows sufficient space for the performance of massed items, combining players from all the participating orchestras. These items will be the opening of Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra from 2001 - A Space Odyssey and John Williams’ Imperial March from Star Wars, conducted by the Chief Conductor of the CSO, Benjamin Northey. Information about rehearsals and concert details is to be found in the letter given to our orchestra members. The final Showcase Concert will take place in the Town Hall Auditorium Sunday, September 22nd at 3:30pm.

Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival
The St Margaret’s College Year 5 - 7 girls and any Y8 students that choose to will be participating in the Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival again this year. This is an annual event that we participate in, which runs over four nights in early November. Teachers have been working in class and in Choir with the girls on the items to be performed by the massed choir, and the performance night is always a great opportunity to come and see your daughter performing in a large-scale musical production. Please refer to the festival website for further information: www.musicfestival.school.nz.

Our performance night this year is Tuesday 5 November in the Town Hall Auditorium, with the concert commencing at 7.00pm. In addition, there will be a full rehearsal on the morning of Tuesday 5 November at the Town Hall. The girls will be travelling by bus to and from the rehearsal and the cost of transport will be charged to the girls’ accounts as explained in the letter sent home. Parents/caregivers will be responsible for transporting the girls to the Town Hall on the evening of the concert. We hope that you will be able to attend the concert. Tickets may be purchased from Ticketek and are expected to sell out quickly, so please do not delay purchasing tickets to avoid disappointment. We are really looking forward to the Music Festival evening in November. Please do not hesitate to contact Sarah Hickford (sarah.h@stmargarets.school.nz) if you have any questions or concerns.

Middle School Arts Awards
St Margaret’s College recognizes achievement and service in the arts at Middle School level with two awards for students in Years 7-10 involved in the arts at school: an Arts Badge and Colours in Arts. The following areas will be considered: Dance, Drama, Music, Oratory, Technical, Visual Art and Creative Writing. However, badges and Colours will be presented for “Arts” rather than for any specific area.
An Arts Badge will be awarded to students who have demonstrated a high level of skill, with a minimum of two full years of committed contribution at Middle School level to one or more of the arts. This will include participation in at least two different school co-curricular groups or projects for two full years. The badge is white with gold lettering.
Colours will be awarded to those students who demonstrate outstanding skill and committed contribution at Middle School level to one or more of the arts for a minimum of two full years. This will include participation in at least two different school co-curricular groups or projects for two full years. There is also a service component which must be fulfilled. This includes going above and beyond mere participation, for example, leadership initiatives such as the establishment of a new group, mentoring, assistance at school events, help behind the scenes, etc. Recipients must also have gained a placing (1st/2nd/3rd) in a regional competition/exhibition/publication or the following qualifications: Music Grade 7, Speech & Drama Grade 7, Contemporary Dance Level 5, Jazz/Ballet Intermediate or an equivalent qualification deemed appropriate by the Arts Committee. Colours take the form of a white braid to be sewn onto the sleeve of the school blazer.
These criteria are to be maintained up to and including the year of application. Please note that student participation in and commitment to school co-curricular arts groups is imperative to gaining a badge or Colours and that tuition in Music, Dance and Speech & Drama classes does not count towards applications.

Student Conduct Expectation
To be awarded Colours a student must be able to show that she consistently upholds the values of St Margaret's College and that she consistently meets and role models the attendance, behavioural and uniform presentation expectations of the College.

Procedure
Students apply for an Arts Badge or Honours by filling in the appropriate application form sent out to year group emails. This form is to be sent to the Arts Facilitator Mary Davison by email (pdf or word please) and two hard copies left in the Performing Arts office WN202. The deadline for applications is 2:30pm Wednesday, 23 October. Applications will be considered by the Arts Committee, consisting of the Curriculum Leaders and Teachers in Charge in all the Arts areas and Middle School Arts staff. Final confirmation will be made by the Arts Committee in consultation with Senior Management. Decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into. All awards will be presented at the Middle School Arts Awards Assembly Term 4 week 5.

Hive
Contemporary choreographer, Julia Harvie’s latest show, Hive, premieres at The Arts Centre 6 September. This is an immersive show, where the audience (a maximum of 40) is guided through the space with live cello, three dancers and film, and includes St Margaret’s College old girl Josie Archer among the performers.

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