This will be our final Blue Ribbon for 2021, although, I shall communicate the VCE achievements of our Year 12 students in the coming week. To close the year, we have enjoyed this week, the joy of the Year 6 Graduation, the vibrancy of our annual House Arts Festival and the choral contributions at the Church Services for both Barbreck Junior School and the Senior School.

The Year 6 Graduation on Tuesday evening provided opportunity for our Year 6 Cohort to finally gather with their family members to mark this momentous occasion. During the evening I reminded parents of “the important moments in time that pass so quickly as a parent: the first day of Prep, Year 6 Graduation, Year 12 Valedictory. As a parent, one must settle deeply into the moment and imprint the snapshots and the feelings of these moments in your memory. Take in the still junior school faces of your daughters, remember how you feel, as they will be young women before you realise.”

Chloe Nash, Barbreck Co-Captain

It also seems like only yesterday that we enjoyed the privilege of celebrating our 125-year anniversary. A warm summer day on 4 February this year, our Foundation Day, a time when the whole School came together on the Barbreck Village Green. I vividly recall coaching and encouraging our Barbreck Captains, Chloe Nash and Claudia Driver, three days into their new captaincy roles, to deliver lengthy passages recounting the historical moments of our 125 Anniversary. To say Chloe and Claudia were nervous is an understatement, their knees were visibly shaking at the microphone. Yet, on Tuesday evening at their Year 6 Graduation, Chloe and Claudia delivered deeply personal speeches, sharing their memories as Barbreck girls with such eloquence, expression and confidence. They captured, beautifully, the admiration of everyone in the room, and drew us into the journey of a Barbreck girl today. Their transformation as Barbreck girls, so ready to step forward into Senior School, was so visible and I was in awe of their presentation, and that of all the Year 6 students.

Claudia Driver, Barbreck Co-Captain

I look forward to welcoming our Year 6 girls at the senior end of St Catherine’s Walk next year, and will enjoy watching them grow to be strong, capable and gifted graduates of St Catherine’s in the year 2027.

This year, it has been a privilege to witness the growth and development of each St Catherine’s girl and our children in the ELC. Whilst lockdowns have dampened our activities and paused some pursuits, I trust all students have experienced the opportunity to discover their individual passions, interests and talents in the classroom, whether online or on campus. In my role, I am acutely aware of providing each student with a network of support and care as they navigate their way through their adolescent years, their tween years and their childhood years. The significance of establishing a strong community to support our students can never be underestimated, and with our careful guidance and nurturing all students, our School remains enduringly steady and strong to its mission.

At this time, I acknowledge our teaching staff for their wisdom, dedication and passion for teaching, and our General staff for their continued support of the School. I believe it is the inspiration, encouragement and energy of all staff that enables our students to flourish.

I wish to also thank the members of our School Council, in particular, our Chair of Council, Ms Jane Hodder for her leadership and support throughout 2021. We are a community which has active parents and past students who volunteer a tremendous amount of time and effort, contributing greatly to the success of St Catherine’s. I very much appreciate all members of our School community for their generous support of St Catherine’s this year, and I look forward to 2022 with much enthusiasm and eagerness.

I wish everyone within our St Catherine’s School community a relaxing and joyous Christmas celebration, a time when friends and family spend some precious, valuable time just being together.

Merry Christmas.