32 minute read
Our Community
BUILDING STRONGER COMMUNITY TIES
Many adults have formed their impressions of boarding schools through their exposure to both literature and movies. Joan Lindsay’s novel, Picnic at Hanging Rock and its 1970’s movie adaption, the 1980’s movie Dead Poet’s Society, Enid Blyton’s exploits at Mallory Towers and St Claire’s; and in recent years the books and movies have all created an interest and aura around boarding schools. The positive effect has been an increase in boarding numbers with now over 25,000 boarders attending nearly 200 boarding schools throughout Australia.
Prospective boarding parents often ask what are the benefits of boarding. There are the obvious advantages such as access to academic opportunities, the chance to participate in a range of Cocurricular activities, exposure to cultural diversity, and the encouragement to develop resilience and self-management. Boarders discover organisational skills and independence from an earlier age than most students. And boarding structure delivers boundaries for students, concerning leave arrangements, study times and responsible use of devices. From Year 7, boarders have established and set study times for each school night. By their VCE years they have developed significant study skills and time management techniques to monitor their own study periods. Boarding staff are always available to assist with their homework and preparation for assessment tasks. The boarders themselves often form their own study groups to work together in the evening. With the introduction of round study tables this has certainly encouraged and facilitated more group study sessions. Many of our boarders compete in outside school sporting teams, including netball, hockey, cricket, equestrian and basketball. Dance
classes have always been popular and each afternoon our musicians can be found practising in the Music School.
Community Service is an important part of living in a communal environment. Over the recent summer some of our families have been impacted by the ongoing drought, bushfires and more recently the hail storm. Keeping in touch and offering support is an important aspect of our boarding culture. Late last year many of the boarders donated toiletries which were assembled in pre-loved handbags and donated to the Share the Dignity Campaign to support female victims of domestic violence and homelessness. This year St Catherine’s is establishing a relationship with the local branch of the Country Women’s Association in Lansell Road, Toorak to assist with their fundraising initiatives.
Participation and involvement in community activities is a key strength of the Illawarra Boarding House. It is with this spirit of contribution that boarders engage with the wider community, develop friendships and strengthen existing ones, facilitating a stronger and connected school community.
Mrs Sue Collister Director of Boarding Services
FROM THE ARCHIVES
JAPANESE L A N G U A G E E D U C A T I O N
As an exemplary language teacher, Mrs Mioko Wood spent her teaching career at St Catherine’s, teaching Japanese language from 1976 and establishing the Japanese exchange trips at St Catherine’s School. The Japanese language programme had been running since 1971, but the first Japanese exchange commenced under Mrs Wood’s guidance in 1978, with three girls attending Keimei Gakuen Senior High School in Tokyo, over the School Holidays.
The International Student Exchange program grew from strength to strength and in the early 90s, under the guidance of Mrs Dorothy Pizzey, St Catherine’s established relationships with two sister Schools – the Skukutoku School in Nagoya, and The Otsuma High School in Tokyo, which continue today.
The Japanese language program remains a strong and greatly enjoyed part of the curriculum at St Catherine’s today, and our current students enjoy trips to Japan biennially, forgoing their Melbourne summer holidays for a Japanese winter – much like the students who accompanied by Mrs Wood did.
Try try try again Try try try again
In December 2019 our year was drawing to a close, yet the Barbreck STEM Lab was abuzz with action as a trio of highly committed and dedicated girls and Dash, a blue robot with a cheeky sense of humour, entered the 2019/20 Wonder Workshop Wonder League Robotics Competition.
Competing alongside 8,400 students from 90 countries they worked together to program the adventurous Dash through a range of obstacles, from navigating their way through a labyrinth to building a pulling system to open gates to the Lost Realm. This engaging learning task saw the team develop life skills that transcended both the competition and classroom.
Over three long days, the St Catherine’s team wrote lines of code, filmed hours of video, and used metres of hot glue, but most importantly they were met with difficulty on multiple occasions. At times, they failed spectacularly. Despite their best attempts Dash crashed, he fell… several times off a bridge. But it was in this failure that the team learnt much more about the School’s values of perseverance. As Einstein said, “it’s not that I am so smart, it is just that I stay with problems longer” and in this engaging coding experience the girls were forced to try numerous solutions. They had to rethink and adjust in order to find success. It was hard and there were times when they wanted to give up, however, they didn’t.
Perseverance is often considered a natural by-product of coding because things often don’t go to plan and one must apply effective communication and problem-solving skills to forge ahead. However, it is through this fun and engaging environment that allows students to foster positive connections in real life situations that allows students to develop the essential value of perseverance in a meaningful way. Throughout the competition students demonstrated that with perseverance, even in the toughest of times, they could find success. As students move forward in their development this underpinning value of perseverance will benefit them all both in and out of the classroom. They learnt that if at first you do not succeed, do not give up, rather, try and try again.
In the case of this story it is the hard work and dedication that saw this team, one of over 4,500 entries make it to the Invitational Round! While there were more mistakes, slip ups and failures, they persevered and get to do it all over again, building skills that they will continue to use throughout their lives.
Shell Shock Shell Shock
At the end of last year Indiana Wilde, Erica Pan, Jasmyn Jiang, Amber Lee, Claire Hayne and myself participated in the SUPERHACK engineering hackathon at Melbourne University.
The competition invited girls from different schools all over Victoria to compete in teams of three or four to solve engineering design challenges; there were over 25 teams in the whole competition.
At the beginning of the competition, we were split into groups from our school, and I was in a group with Erica and Amber. We then met with our mentors who were engineering students at Melbourne University and they took us through coding technology. The task of the competition was to design a robot for ‘Elon Musk’.
In our teams we thought about what issues Elon Musk would have and how our robot could potentially fix those issues. Then we decided that due to Elon Musk owning so many cars he would need an excellent alarm system to make sure no one could steal them. Finally, we decided to make our robot act as an alarm system. The robot would circle around Elon Musk’s cars and if it were to detect a moving object, the robot would light up and make a loud alarm noise. Over the two days, we did coding for the robot, wired the switch boards, built the frame of the robot as well as designing the appearance of it. As a group we called, our robot ‘shell shock’. This name resembled the robot’s appearance, which consisted of a turtle shell exterior. I really liked the way our robot looked because it was very unique.
At the end of the competition all 25 robots were judged, and we all got to see each other’s. It was great to see what everyone came up with and to see how different everyone interpreted the challenge. At the completion of the competition we were unexpectedly announced the winners which was a great surprise.
Overall, the experience was really fun. I learnt new skills in coding and engineering and got to know girls in other year levels. It helped me see what career options are out there if I wanted to pursue a career in STEM. I would strongly suggest this experience to everyone, as I was surprised with how much I enjoyed it, as well as how much I learnt.
DEBATING NEWS
Each year the Debaters’ Association of Victoria (the DAV) invites high scoring students from the previous year’s Senior Debating Competition to trial for the Victorian State Team.
As debaters with consistently strong performances in 2019, Isabella McDonald (Year 12) and Paula Chen (Yearr 10) were invited to trial this year along with 200 other students across the State. Catherine Karas in Year 9 also tried out as the competition is open to all Senior Debaters. All three girls found the standard of the try outs to be extremely high and competitive.
Students were asked to prepare for two debates with only an hour of preparation. The topics were challenging and ranged from the issue of introducing a wealth tax (in A Grade – Year 12) to the banning of political donations (in C Grade – Year 10). The State Trials provided students the opportunity of seeing first-hand the complexity and detail involved in preparing for Secret Topics, and experimenting with some new Debating skills which they hope to be able to use in the 2020 competition. All Senior debaters were encouraged to trial for the Victorian State Team, despite the challenges involved. All Junior and Senior debaters were also offered an opportunity of attending a two day non-residential Debate Camp in January where Year 7 and 8 students watched an Exhibition Debate and received training in the skills of rebuttal. Year 8 students, Nadia Mohamed, Sophie Abbott and Jisu Yang found the experience valuable and informative; they were encouraged to think outside the box when preparing and responding to topics, and felt their confidence grow with each debate.
Year 9 students, Catherine Karas and Flora Du were challenged by being placed in a variety of Speaker roles. Detailed feedback from the adjudicators also meant that the students developed greater awareness of the DAV marking system for debates. Year 10 debaters, Maddie Farrer and Angela Yu had their
interest piqued by being exposed to the energetic and animated British Parliamentary style of Debating.
The camp has become increasingly popular with students wishing to extend their skills in the off-season, in a casual and collaborative atmosphere which promotes the meeting of like-minded students, and we thank the students involved for their feedback on all of these events.
Welcome to Country
St Catherine’s students and staff had an incredible opportunity early in Term 1, to host Aboriginal Elder Murrundindi at the School. Although he has visited before, the students embraced the opportunity to learn and hear his experiences.
With our Class of 2019 also in the audience, Murrundindi attended the Senior School Assembly, sang a song of welcome, and delivered a Welcome to Country, filling us with a sense of deep significance and weight as he spoke in his Aboriginal language. A Welcome to Country is performed by Traditional Owners of land who have received permission to do so, and in modern times, is an adaptation of the parent ritual that has been performed for thousands of years by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Last year, St Catherine’s began developing a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) with a group of staff, students, parents and community members, bringing together a wide range of cultural backgrounds and experiences to reconciliation. Through open and thoughtful conversations combined with deliberate actions, we seek to increase our community’s understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories and experiences, and to encourage further reconciliation. One of the first completed actions was to engage an elder to lead the Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony for the 2020 school year, facilitated by Wurundjeri Elder, Murrundindi. Murrundindi shared details of his life – how he was born in the kitchen of his family home in 1945 (some clever Year 8 girls figured out his age of 75 the fastest when he asked us!), and how he grew up. Hearing these experiences is not new for many of our girls, yet it weighs just as heavily in heart and mind. We listened intently with open ears as he described not being educated in the school system, and his journey to becoming the spiritual custodian of the Wurundjeri tribal region. the didgeridoo, and singing and dancing with the children. The delight on his face is evident, as is the ‘hanging-on-every-word’ look on the face of the students.
During lunch, the Junior and Senior Schools, as well as staff were privileged to a Smoking Ceremony. An ancient Aboriginal custom led by an Elder, a Smoking Ceremony consists of the burning of native plants, paving the way to a brighter future. The sacred plant used in the Smoking Ceremony was that of the Stringy Bark tree which is cut, then stored in the ground for a specific period of time until it grows a fungus, and this is when it is burnt. The sacred fungus of the Stringy Bark tree is the original plant used for Smoking Ceremonies for the Wurundjeri people, and differs from the often seen Smoking Ceremony involving gum tree leaves.
As the girls gathered around the fountain, Murrundindi adorned his possum fur coat, circling the fountain and singing a song of welcome before lighting the sacred fungus. The smoke had an almost floral scent to it – with our clothes holding the scent for hours afterwards. For those in attendance, the Smoking Ceremony was a spiritual and collective experience. We are grateful and enriched to have been gifted the day’s events by Murrundindi, and the RAP Committee.
St Catherine’s will be welcoming Murrundindi back to the School in the coming weeks, to bury the remains of the sacred fungus as per Wurundjeri tradition. The chosen place for the fungus will become a place of reflection for our students.
Miss Rebekah Browne Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Meet four of our students...
MADELINE POWELL, YEAR 10
What are some of your favourite aspects of School life?
The culture is one of my favourite aspects. Every day I come to school assured that each teacher and girl will support you.
What do you hope to do by the end of the year at School?
I hope that I am feeling confident and prepared to start my two years of VCE.
What would you like to achieve during your time as a St Catherine’s girl?
Too often I hear young women start their sentences with ‘I’m sorry but...’. I want to raise awareness for how often those words are said.
What does it mean to you to be a St Catherine’s girl?
To me, being a St Catherine’s girl means being a part of the big and incredible family at 17 Heyington Place.
What are your favourite things to do away from School?
Outside of school I love doing lots of things like reading, yoga and, not going to lie, I do enjoy a binge watch.
What are you most enjoying that you are learning in the classroom at the moment?
Right now in English we are reading Romeo and Juliet which I am really enjoying. It is satisfying when the beautiful, yet difficult, language of Shakespeare begins to make some sort of sense.
What are some of your dreams, upon graduating St Catherine’s?
It is a dream of mine to be an entrepreneur. I want to make sure that whatever I do, that it positively impacts the lives of women.
ISABELLA AYRE, YEAR 6
What do you like most about school?
I love almost everything about school but the subjects I love most are Art and Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS). Both of them are topics I have loved since I was little.
What are you looking forward to learning this year at school?
I am looking forward to finishing our art projects that we are doing at the moment. We get to choose an animal and draw ourselves with the animal as a hat or something related to us. It’s really enjoyable to draw in art.
What would you like to be when you grow up?
I would like to be a full-time lawyer. Law and history related to politics interests me greatly. Otherwise, I would be an illustrator for a Japanese form of comics: Manga.
What are your favourite things to do away from school?
I love speaking and learning Japanese. I have a tutor who comes on Fridays. At the moment, I’m learning the way of locating objects: ko, so, a, do. Japanese culture has interested me greatly over the past few years.
What does it mean to you to be a St Catherine’s girl?
It means to always try your best, even if whatever you are doing is extremely difficult. To be caring, even to people who aren’t so to you. To be curious and understanding of others. I know that staying true to being a St Catherine’s girl will positively impact when I’m older. That’s why I’m proud of being a St Catherine’s girl.
SOPHIE WILLIAMS, YEAR 11
What are some of your favourite aspects of School life?
The co-curricular activities that allow friendships across all year levels.
What do you hope to do by the end of the year at School?
I’m hoping to take part in the coaching program for debating and develop my debating and leadership skills.
What would you like to achieve during your time as a St Catherine’s girl?
That I have made a difference for the community by creating lots of friendships. I would also like to do an awareness day for Dementia, as my Grandma has Dementia.
What does it mean to you to be a St Catherine’s girl?
Having pride for the school and what we stand for as a community which means, wearing the blue ribbon and acting as a member of the school community.
What are your favourite things to do away from School?
I love to watch musicals and plays that are showing in the theatres, and playing my guitar.
What are you most enjoying that you are learning in the classroom at the moment?
I am enjoying my two science subjects, chemistry and biology. It is fascinating to see how some of the theories can overlap and also relate to everyday life.
What are some of your dreams, upon graduating St Catherine’s?
I am hoping to go on a medical exchange, then study Medicine and specialise to become an obstetrician. I’m looking forward to see what challenges I will face once school ends.
ALICE SUTTON, YEAR 6
What do you like most about school?
The best part of school is learning new things and seeing my friends.
What are you looking forward to learning this year at school?
I’m looking forward to learning about government when we go to Canberra. Also, I am looking forward to learning more maths.
What would you like to be when you grow up?
I would like to be a professional surfer or a netballer.
What are your favourite things to do away from school?
I like to play netball, surf, play violin and do ballet.
What does it mean to you to be a St Catherine’s girl?
I am grateful and proud to be a St Catherine’s girl and to have all the opportunities to do everything I enjoy.
Miss Brigette Carlile HEAD OF ROWING PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH TEACHER
As the Head of Rowing, Brigette Carlile is responsible for organising and overseeing the St Catherine’s Rowing Program, which includes coordinating the schedules, prescribing and implementing the training programs, mentoring and developing coaches. Overall “it is about ensuring that the Rowing Program is fun, safe and rewarding for our students.”
Brigette began teaching Health and Physical Education at St Catherine’s in 2016. She has a Bachelor Degree in Exercise and Sports Science and a Graduate Diploma of Education. After being awarded a scholarship from Rowing Australia early last year, Brigette is currently completing a Master of Sports Education.
This season St Catherine’s have 15 crews, across Junior (Year 9), Intermediate (Year 10) and Senior crews (Years 11 and 12). All crews competed successfully in a number of regattas since November 2019. Brigette explains that the Rowing Program aims to “foster an environment based on learning and striving for improvement. We encourage students to challenge themselves and work together to improve. The camaraderie within each of the Rowing Squads is something very unique to St Catherine’s and is a huge strength of ours.”
During the rowing season, a typical day usually starts with a “4.40am wake up, heading into the Mercantile Rowing Club, and then in the speedboat to coach the St Catherine’s Senior Rowers. The session usually involves rowing out to the Westgate or the Maribyrnong. Afterwards, I debrief with the coaches over coffee before heading into school. During the day I continue organising and planning the Rowing Program, do some lesson planning, and depending on the day, I may teach a class. Around 3pm I head back to Mercantile Rowing Club, meet the St Catherine’s Rowers and Coaches, and hop on the bike for the training session and then head home around 6.45pm.”
“I really enjoy being active, spending time outdoors and helping students develop a love of sport and physical activity, and coaching allows me to teach new skills. Everything I have done has always been based around sport and physical activity”
MRS MELISSA BRADDY LEARNING PLUS/EDUCATION SUPPORT TEACHER
Melissa has been with St Catherine’s, on and off for 25 years. Her contribution has been considerable, encompassing a variety of roles, including Head of Boarding and Head of Year 12. Melissa is currently teaching the Year 11 and 12 Learning Plus Classes.
“There have been many highlights. I have had the privilege of being a staff member on three USA exchanges; the opportunity to teach extraordinary young women, who continue to make a difference. And living in Illawarra when I was Head of Boarding – what a privilege.”
Melissa has a background in Psychology as well as supporting and teaching students with learning disabilities, and has spent time working overseas in the UK. She believes the strengths and assets of St Catherine’s is the small class sizes, enabling teachers to know their students so well, the wonderful Co-curricular opportunities, and the pastoral support and wellbeing programs.
Melissa’s days are usually spent with her students, supporting their learning in the classroom. Otherwise, she is meeting with therapists, ensuring that the students’ language and psychological testing is current, and working with parents and teachers to continue the support.
Melissa’s commitment to the School saw her acknowledged with the St Catherine’s Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award for her pastoral role as Head of Year 12. “I was humbled and honoured. I am not one to seek the limelight and to be recognised in front of the whole school was overwhelming and unexpected.”
MS LYN ZARIFIS HEAD OF GLOBAL PATHWAYS & PARTNERSHIPS
Lyn is new to the School, having joined in November 2019. With a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma of Education, she taught Modern Greek and Humanities for many years, and was Head of Middle School at a previous School, and more recently, a role organising programs for visiting overseas students.
“All of these experiences have fostered a deep respect and belief in the value of experiential learning. St Catherine’s values in this respect align perfectly with mine. I am thrilled to be involved in coordinating and providing opportunities for the girls to live and experience so many parts of the world, build global relationships and become citizens of the world.”
Lyn explains that she is “fortunate to have great variation in my day: meeting with staff to support them with the organised trips, meeting with our students and the exchange students and meeting with families who are hosting or whose daughters will be going on an exchange.” Already, it is the strength and support of the School community, particularly the staff and parent body, which have made her feel extremely welcome.
“St Catherine’s great culture of respect and understanding is its strength” explains Lyn. “The Wellbeing Program has a strong focus on emotional intelligence and resilience, there is a lot of support for the students at all levels and I am immensely impressed with the school’s culture of experiential learning through the numerous trips and exchanges they offer.”
MS SARAH BETHUNE HEAD OF EARLY LEARNING CENTRE
Sarah has always been passionate about early childhood education and enjoyed her pursuit of this as a career. Having been with St Catherine’s for 19 years, she has enjoyed a significant journey of educational leadership, from an Early Learning Centre (ELC) classroom teacher to ELC Coordinator, to currently Head of ELC.
“It has been a privilege to observe the growth, development and learning in many children over the years and see their unfolding educational journey as they continue through the School from ELC to Year 12.”
There is no typical day for Sarah, as her role is quite diverse, but it is this that makes her work so exciting. Throughout her day she will support staff, children and their families, guide the curriculum and program, “ensuring that we provide a high-quality educational service to our children” as well as manage the day-to-day running of ELC.
“I believe St Catherine’s has a wonderful sense of community. It has been exciting to see the community diversity evolve over time. The pastoral care offered to students and families is also a strength. Students and families are really welcomed and supported individually.”
Sarah’s dedication at St Catherine’s was acknowledged with the St Catherine’s Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award presented at the Annual Speech Night Awards at the Melbourne Town Hall in 2019. “It is incredibly rewarding to know that we are making a difference in the lives of young children and providing them with the education foundation for a positive future.”
Charlotte Wood (Year 8), Annabel Wood, Samantha Wood and Amelia Wood (Year 1)
CONNECTION, CONTRIBUTION & BUILDING OUR COMMUNITY
This year sees Mrs Samantha Wood as President of the Parents’ and Friends’ Association (PFA). Mrs Wood has been an active member of the School community for the past ten years, and shares the PFA objectives for the coming year.
The most important objective of the Parents’ and Friends’ Association (PFA) is to create opportunities for the St Catherine’s community to come together in a warm and welcoming way, to build a connected community.
With ‘friend-raising’ as our focus, we have a calendar of events that provides many opportunities for parents to meet and engage with each other and with staff. This way we enhance the growth and wellbeing of our children and inspire lifelong connections.
WHAT DOES THE PFA HOPE TO ACHIEVE DURING THE COMING YEAR?
Our main aim is for our events and activities to bring parents, staff and families together to foster a warm and friendly community. We want to provide opportunities for parents to feel welcome and connected to the school, to enhance communication and friendship between parents across year levels and within individual year levels. The secondary aim is that our fundraising efforts are successful so that we can continue to provide donations that enhance the girls’ experience at school now and in years to come. We have recently completed our four year pledge for the ‘Village Green’ in Barbreck and would like to be able to donate similarly to the school’s next major fundraising campaign.
We hope parents support our fundraising efforts by making use of the PFA run Second Hand Uniform Shop, buying hot cross buns and Christmas treats in our fundraising drives and by participating in the raffles and penny auctions at the Ruth Langley luncheon.
WHY DO YOU THINK VOLUNTEERING IS SO IMPORTANT?
Firstly, volunteers organise many events and activities which enhance the experience of the girls, their parents and families, and which only happen because of the work of the volunteers. For example, the PFA Class Representatives organise activities for parents from individual year levels to meet and form friendships.
Secondly, being a volunteer provides the opportunity for greater involvement in the school activities and to form closer connections with other parents across year levels and with teachers and staff. This contributes to a deeper engagement with the school and makes the school community stronger.
HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED IN OTHER ROLES AT ST CATHERINE’S?
Prior to taking on the role of PFA President, I was a member of the PFA Committee for three years, two of those as PFA Secretary. I have also been a PFA Class Representative for each of my children’s year groups. I am currently the Barbreck Liaison on the Creative Arts Auxiliary (and was a member and then Treasurer of the Music Auxiliary before it merged with Drama and Fine Arts to create the CAA). I was also a member of the Snowsports Auxiliary for several years.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR BACKGROUND?
I am married to Stuart and have four children Charlotte (13), William (11), Amelia (6) and Annabel (18 months).
We joined the school community in 2010 when Charlotte started at St Catherine’s in 3YO ELC. Charlotte is now in Year 8, Amelia is in Year 1 whilst William is in Year 5 at Scotch College, having previously attended the St Catherine’s ELC. Annabel will commence 3YO ELC in 2022 (and finish Year 12 in 2036)!
I’m originally from Adelaide but have lived here for 21 years now. I have a BComm from the University of Adelaide and a BSci(Hons) from the University of Melbourne. Whilst undertaking some post graduate research, I lectured Mathematics to overseas students in the Trinity College Foundation Studies Program at Melbourne University, and then worked as a Quantitative analyst/Programmer/Trader for a small investment bank in Melbourne until taking maternity leave when Charlotte was born. I am still on that maternity leave!
I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, travelling to new places, going to concerts and museums. I like skiing, playing tennis and walking (with a pram it seems!).
Past Parents at Cranlana
Our All Years Reunion, co-hosted by the 2019 Past Parents and SCOGA Committees, was a wonderful success. Lindy Shelmerdine (’80) and Lady Southey AC (Myer ’45) provided the most stunning venue of Cranlana making everyone there feel welcome and indeed a part of the St Catherine’s family. We are grateful and appreciative of their offering us such a beautiful venue in which to gather. Cranlana celebrates its 100 year anniversary this year and the gardens were looking magnificent as a result of the extensive works and detailed care and attention in preparation of the big birthday year.
We are proud to be maintaining the strength of the School’s wider community by providing a broader range of opportunities for us all to stay in touch. Our thanks to Chrissy Ryan and the St Catherine’s Old Girls’ Association Committee for co-hosting this event with us.
We anticipate that this reunion of past students, past parents and past staff will become a regular event and we hope you will join us next time.
PA S T PA R E N T COMMITTEE
Introducing our Past Parent Committee for 2020: Scott Reinke, Jodie Cody, Libby Stopp, Sophie Gardiner, Chrissy Skinner (Condon ’76), Lisa Steven, Amanda Hamer, Anna Field and Malcolm Stopp (absent: Julia Anderson (McKinley-Wilson ’69), Wendy Buller, Leanne Deacon, David Swann and Anne Waterhouse)
Save the Date
All Years Past Dads Reunion
Thu 6 Aug 6.30pm Heroes Club Toorak RSL 72 Clendon Road, Toorak
In the same year St Catherine’s School established a partnership with Yalari, to educate and support Indigenous students from across rural, remote and regional Australia, the daughters of the 2008 past parents began in Year 7.
Two years later, in 2015, the St Catherine’s Indigenous Scholarship Fund was established to facilitate bridging the gap between funding sources through Yarali and the full cost of educating our Indigenous students. This partnership has gained significant momentum and depth over time.
In 2020, St Catherine’s will have its first Yalari student undertake Year 12, with three other Yalari students following in her footsteps. Also this year, a Past Parents Indigenous Scholarship Giving Circle will be launched, led by Foundation Board member Lisa Steven, and supported through the generosity of the past parents of 2018.
Collectively, this giving circle will sponsor a current Year 7 Indigenous student through her secondary years. The aim is to obtain a commitment from 23 families to pledge an annual tax-deductible gift of $1,000 for five years, ensuring the student is fully supported throughout her course of studies and able to participate in all activities and experiences on offer.
Together, this group of donors will change the course of the life of one student, and potentially set a precedent for other Past Parent year groups.
Ms Jacqueline Williams Director of Advancement
OUR FOUNDATION BOARD
Mr Wayne Kent, Chair, past parent Mrs Gina Israel (Shackell ’76), President, alumna and past parent Mr Lachlan Armstrong (’95), alumnus and current parent Mr Cameron Bertalli, current parent Mr James Chen, current parent Mr Andrew Demetriou, current parent
THANK YOU TO OUR 2019 DONORS
1 January – 31 December 2019
Anna (Nieuwenhuysen ’91) & Ian Abbott Nina (Kirby ’94) & Paul Aberdeen Margaret Adams (Cameron ’54) Sally (Watson ’74) & Stephen Ahern Sandra Allen Rebekah & Lachlan Armstrong (’95)
Jo Atkins
Ann Badger Jill Baker Barbara & John Barber Kate Barber (’96) Lisa Barker Anna Thomas & David Barrington Caroline (Purves ’63) & Stephen Brain
Roger Brookes
Elizabeth Burman (Harley ’55) Gail & Jim Butler Sarah Butler (’12) Andrea Donaldson & Bruce Caine Noel Calvert (Davidson ’55) Gillian Cameron (Hain ’62) Penny Campbell
Clare (Darling ’77) & Andrew Cannon AM
Meng (Sherrie) Zeng & Yi (Gary) Cao Louise & Don Carroll Michelle & Justin Carroll Diana Tran & Walter Chang Chartwells Catering May & James Chen Ivy & Chon Hing Chiam
Sue & Marc Collister Anne Connellan Axi Cooper (’05) Astrida † & Craig Cooper Anne Court (Lowry ’58) Shaloo & Mineesh Datta Hilary Day (Oliphant ’52) Sally & Phil Dreaver
Harriet Edquist (’65) Virginia Edwards AM (Smith ’56) Jenny Elstoft (Latreille ’58) Jane & Scott Favaloro Belle Ding & Xiang Fei Anna & John Field Karissa Searle (’01) & Tim Finocchiaro Sarah (Scambler ’93) & Andrew Foote Pamela Fraser † (Wallace Smith ’54) The Rev Dr. Peter French & The Rev Dr. Robyn Whitaker Sarah Fulford (’70) Sophie & Tim Gardiner
Rosie (Waite ’78) & Tony Garrisson Lyra & Marco Gattino Julia Sher & Ian Glaspole Joan Glover (Barwood ’40) Gemma Goorjian (’02) Rebecca & Jamie Gray Helen Rofe QC & Rowan Gregory Tanya Margetts & Damien Grinsell Chloe Fu & Wilson Guo Fleur & Lars Heidenreich Lisa & Jack Hennessy Andrew Herold Liz Addison-Baker & Michael Hill Bill Hogg Annabel (Levy ’79) & Allan Holmes Mary Hope OAM (Molesworth ’40) Noelene Horton AM Jane Shen & Roland Hu Weiwei Chi & Yini Huang Weibin Liang & Mengjie Huang Maddie Hunter (’05) Ann (Pisterman ’64) & Tony Hyams AM Margaret Ironside (’48) Gina (Shackell ’76) & Peter Israel Pamela Jacobson (Shallman ’44) Sally & Richard Joubert Sue & Nick Karunaratne Sonia & Wayne Kent KISS Print Services Peter & Cathy Kudelka Stephanie (John ’86) & Justin Lazar Vivian Le Marita (Batty ’96) & Julian Lincoln Elizabeth Loane (Hayes ’56) Nicole Li & Ivan Ma Margaret Mackie (De Steiger ’58) Thea (Coltman ’51) & Ian Manson Robert Marshall Judy Matear (Spry ’49) Alexandra Mayes (’80) Deirdre McDermott Susan McDonald (Officer Brown ’50) Catherine McDowall (’76) Patricia McKenzie Fiona Menzies (’87) Christina Michelle Farah Pasha (’91) & Matheen Mohamed Paula & Stuart Moir Annabel Montgomery (Darling ’76) Annabel (Plumber ’82) & Rupert Myer AO Rowena & Alistair Mytton Caroline & Gary Nattrass Christina & Anthony Nicholas Wendy & John Nickson Lisa Nicoll-Cooke (Nicoll ’63) John Nieuwenhuysen AM Merran O’Connor Annick Houle & Stephen O’Connor Julie-Anne & Dean Pagnin Betty Alexopoulos & Bill Papastergiadis OAM Claudette Passon Jill Paterson (’61) Annie & John Paterson Jan Peele Gina & Stuart Peele Angie Fox & Justin Perelberg Samantha Pfeifer (’78) Debbie & Michael Plastow Emma & Ian Pratt Elizabeth Prowse Meredith & Michael Pryse Quayclean Australia Pty Ltd Corrie & Shawn Read Fiona & Scott Reinke Jill Richards (Sargood ’48) Samantha Roussis Chrissy (Graham ’79) & Paul Ryan Margaret Scrambler (Drummond ’62) Tina Li & Ye Shao Kate & Stephen Shelmerdine AM Letitia Shelton (Cole ’58) Simone & Thomas Shelton Ammy Huang & Hua Shen Charles Sitch Jackie (Barnes ’77) & Greg Sitch Chrissy (Condon ’76) & Andrew Skinner Michelle McDade & Dean Sleigh Jann Smeaton (Norman ’52) Anne Smith Lady Southey AC (Myer ’45) Catherine & Jonathon Sprott St Catherine’s Parents’ & Friends’ Association St Catherine’s School Second Hand Books Lisa & John Steven Amanda (Trumble ’69) & Bruce Stewart Natalie & John Tabbagh Meredith Taylor (’79) Melissa Sweetland (’86) & Nicholas Taylor Charles Tegner Monique Rosshandler & Ion Teska The Yulgilbar Foundation Rupali Kashyap & Arjun Thyagarajan Rebecca & Nick Turnbull Caroline Vaillant (Officer Brown ’56) June Vose (Mackay ’46) Yong Qiang Wang & Juan Xu Jane Hodder & Murray Ware Anne Waterhouse Hualu (Lulu) Dai & Li Wei Jacqueline Williams Willis Towers Watson Samantha & Stuart Wood QC AM Alison Wood Jenny Woods O’Donnell Ju Yoo & Sun Yang Emily Wu & Mankin Yu Gillian Ruan & Paul Yu Katherine Zhao (’16) Lin Lin & Guanghan Zheng Rico Feng & James Zhu Joanna Sun & Joe Zhu
