CAPTAIN'S CORNER

Dear St. Margaret's friends and families,

Time is nearly always on our minds at St. Margaret’s. Ours is a deliberately structured program which moves students from meals to classes to activities and study. Students don’t spend long with us before they master reading the weekly schedule, filling in their own planners, selecting which Teacher Available sessions to attend, and quoting Ms. Velletri’s and Mrs. Farmer’s adage, “prior planning prevents poor performance.”

We are proud of all we manage in a week. But time management, one of the essential life skills for the 21st century, is far more than learning to live within structures and schedules. In a culture that regularly reports that high school students spend more time watching television and DVDs or using their phones and e-mail than they do in class and on homework, how are our students using their “free” time? Can making the most of discretionary time be taught? At graduation, are our students ready to use their time wisely in college and careers?

Once a year, our entire community actively practices using time differently, bringing these questions to the center of our program. Our February Minimester and Independent Study period allows us to practice making choices and structuring our time to meet the goals developed from these choices. As you read the articles in this issue of River Views, consider the planning that our teachers and students have done to find the hours within this two-week period to repair a house, develop practical life skills, see mystery and history from numerous perspectives, examine another culture in depth, learn to sail, prepare for the new SAT and the college selection process, and develop and complete internships.

Successful individuals, just like successful schools, learn to set goals, develop plans for their achievement, and evaluate their progress. All of this takes both time and a solid understanding of how to use time wisely. When our community gathers again after Easter, the groups that worked and traveled together will share their experiences so we can all learn lessons that will inform our planning for the future. Each year, when our seniors make their ISP presentations, we see first hand how well they have learned these lessons about time.

To our teachers, thank you for the creativity and openness you have shown in your use of this time. To our students, thank you for the risks you have taken to learn to live differently and assume ever more responsibility for your choices. To our parents, thank you for appreciating the value of this period each year and for encouraging your daughters to embrace the Minimester theme of explorations. To our alumnae, thank you for coming back to tell us that these opportunities really did teach you habits and skills that have served you well beyond your St. Margaret’s years.

Sincerely,
Margaret R. Broad,
Head of School

COMPASS POINTS

19 - Choir tour of Great Britain (through 4/1)

29 - Spring Break ends; boarders return by 7 p.m.

30 - Third trimester begins

31 - ISP presentations

1-3 - Closed weekend

1 - ISP presentations

5 - First home soccer & softball games

7 - First home tennis match

7 - ISP presentation

4-8 - International Festival

8-10 - Closed weekend

Spring Reminders from the Admission Office: Re-enrollment contracts for returning students are due April 8. Your deposit and signed contract must be in before your daughter can choose a room and roommate or be considered for next year’s leadership positions. Join us for Spring Visit Day on April 2. Prospective day and boarding families, come take a tour, meet students and teachers, and stay for lunch. Reservations are required. Call the Admission Office today at (804) 443-3357.

New Dorm Challenge Met The generosity of alumnae, parents and friends has helped St. Margaret’s meet the $100,000 matching gift challenge put forth by Richmond’s Mary Morton Parsons Foundation. That’s a total of $200,000 toward the capital costs of McCuan House, nearly a month before the Foundation’s April 1 deadline! Our next challenge is funding the school’s maintenance endowment so that our new dormitory–and all of the school’s facilities–remain functional, safe and attractive. For information on how you can support this effort, contact Director of Development Maureen Neal, 804-443-3357 x 3022 or mneal@sms.org

Golden Thistles Gather Fun, friendship and renewing St. Margaret’s ties were on the informal agenda for the Richmond-area Golden Thistle luncheon at Westminster-Canterbury on March 8. Guests enjoyed a brief presentation by Head of School Margaret R. Broad, who shared progress on the construction of McCuan House and renovation of Brockenbrough House. The Golden Thistles will convene again in June for their traditional reunion weekend dinner at Chinn House. Above: Annielee Welch Bentley ’49 and Betty Smith Cox ’49 enjoyed lunch with a view at the winter Golden Thistle luncheon for alumnae who graduated 50 or more years ago.