The annual Leadership Handover Assembly, held on the final day of Term 3, officially marks our transition to the new student leaders of the School. This is an important milestone for our Years 11 and 12 girls, as we thank and congratulate the Year 12 Captains and welcome the incoming 2018 Captains.

On behalf of the School community, I thank Mackenzie Leyden and Georgie Sitch for their leadership this year as School Captain and Vice-Captain. This is a significant undertaking in Year 12, keeping in balance one’s academic studies, a commitment to co-curricular pursuits and the leadership responsibilities that come with such a role. The girls have ensured a very friendly approach and always demonstrated School pride, School spirit and an understanding of the essence of being a St Catherine’s girl. The girls have been well supported by an outstanding cohort of Year 12 girls; their commitment, energy and motivation has been felt by all. Their success as leaders has inspired girls to participate, to collaborate and to be fully immersed in the life of the school.

I hope the Year 12 girls have enjoyed their leadership opportunity this year, and learned some valuable life lessons along the way: how to prioritise, the importance of encouraging and inspiring others, always leading by example and a greater understanding of the responsibility and accountability that comes with being a leader. I encourage all our Year 12 students to be ambitious in their leadership aspirations for the future. Recently retired Governor General of Australia – Quentin Bryce – was quoted as saying that:

“Leadership is not a job: it is a quality, a quality that emerges in an individual who, over time, learns, and comes to accept as their prescription for life, the values that must underpin it.

If our actions align with our words, then we must know integrity.

If we accept ourselves and each other, we must know forgiveness.

If we see thoughts and feelings together, we must know empathy.

If we exercise choice, then we must know freedom.

If we are nourished by silence and reflection, then we must know restraint.

If we give without feeling diminished or owed, we must know generosity.

If we feel love, then we must know courage.

And if we have hope, then we must know faith.”

At Assembly today, we welcomed the 2018 Captains and Year 11 cohort to the roles of School leadership. This opportunity provides a voice to the girls through their leadership roles to bring forward ideas, to inspire and motivate their peers, to assist others and to demonstrate a willingness to accept responsibility. Congratulations to the following students:

Over the course of the September break, our focus remains firmly with our Year 12 students who enter the final phase of their VCE Exam preparations. The Nicholas Library will remain open every day throughout the two weeks, providing a quiet place to study. A number of subject tutorials will also be held over the course of the break with trial exams commencing in the second week. I encourage the girls to strike an effective balance of enjoying a restful break, maintaining a healthy level of exercise and nutrition and developing an earnest study schedule.

As the School Term draws to a close, I wish our St Catherine’s families a restful and relaxing holiday. All students can be justly proud of their achievements this Term, with many girls committing wholeheartedly to their study and co-curricular pursuits. The capacity of our girls to ‘juggle’ numerous activities never ceases to amaze me and I am convinced this can only be made possible with the extraordinary level of support and guidance of our highly committed St Catherine’s parents.  I do hope the girls remember to show their appreciation for their parents’ support and love over the holidays – I shall remind them at Assembly today!