Year 4

DIRECTOR OF STUDENT PROGRAMS

Co-curricular opportunities at St Catherine’s School, have provided impactful learning opportunities and a true spirit of connection for our students.

This year, Semester One really packed a punch with our calendars excitedly filled with student activities. We were lucky enough to enjoy a full semester of Co-curricular programs, engaging our students in an array of activities including performing on the stage in our productions Two Weeks with the Queen and Letters to Lindy, Debating and Public Speaking, Jazz Night and Senior Recitals, as well as our great success at the Head of the Schoolgirls Regatta for our Rowing crews. These activities along with House events built a wonderful spirit of comradery and connection through the Year levels. Throughout 2020, the challenges of COVID-19 impacted our abilities to interact with others, from this we quickly learnt that teamwork was the key to success in 2021. American industrialist and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie comments, “Teamwork appears most effective if each individual helps others to succeed, increasing the synergy of that team; ideally, every person will contribute different skills to increase the efficiency of the team and develop its unity.” Across our school year, both on campus and during our Learn@Home periods, St Catherine’s students have excelled at working together to achieve common goals, both within their academic and Co-curricular pursuits – sharing advice, words of encouragement and support, all with a genuine desire to see each other succeed. Across our Co-curricular programs this year our girls have physically, emotionally and socially been challenged. They have also deliberately sort out challenge for personal growth – confident they are supported by their team, class, cohort and community. It has been wonderful to witness our Duke of Edinburgh participants seek out physical and mental challenges during their Adventurous Journeys in the High Country and Gippsland Lakes, our Years 7 and 9 students develop and strengthen their cohort bonds at Year level camps, our performers shine on stage and our Sporting teams physically and mentally testing themselves and committing to their team mates. Although this year was, in many ways, more challenging than 2020, our students continued to show up for themselves and each other, persevering during restricted, cancelled and abridged events and developing their individual and teamwork skills and leadership qualities through our Co-curricular programs. Through the development of these skills our girls create an innate sense of self-confidence and appreciation for what they can achieve when challenged, as well as continuing to strengthen bonds with their peers. Congratulations to our students on their continued engagement in Music, Performing Arts, Debating and Public Speaking and Sport. Thank you to our staff for your continued commitment to our students and for flexing and moving with the changing feast that was COVID 2021, your efforts have been appreciated.

Mrs Gina Peele

Director of Student Programs