GLOBAL PROGRAMS
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Educational travel provides students with an opportunity to experience cultural and educational opportunities outside Australia. These opportunities allow students to explore their place as a Global Citizen, learning about other cultures and history. We are delighted to invite our Senior School students to explore the opportunities in global educational travel through our Global Programs offered.
The Global Programs encompasses the essences of our School Charter, that is at the heart of our engaged, dynamic and inclusive community. St Catherine’s School nurtures young women to be bold, creative, independent and resilient and who are intellectually and spiritually prepared to contribute to a greater good and an enriching life both within and beyond School.
Our Global Programs are designed to offer an extensive range of local and in-country experiences from opportunities to suit students’ needs and levels of independence, whilst learning skills through their travel experience.
We look forward to hearing of the future endeavours of St Catherine’s students gaining an educational experience abroad.
Yours sincerely,
Mr Robert Marshall INTERIM PRINCIPAL
OVERVIEW
St Catherine’s School Co-Curricular Framework
At St Catherine’s there is a deep commitment to exploring every possibility with every student. We aim to equip all students with the necessary knowledge, understanding and skills to develop their resilience, independence, creativity and boldness in co-curricular activities. We recognise the potential in every girl and our Global Programs are designed to expand a sense of themselves and their capacity for growth. • Performing Arts • Beyond Boundaries School Camps
Music
Global Exchange Programs
Community Service
OVERVIEW
St Catherine’s School’s Global Programs provides opportunities for girls to challenge themselves and develop resilience by stepping beyond perceived comfort zones, dare to be bold, adventurous, and independent.
Through the alignment with the Co-curricular Framework, Her Signature, our Co-curricular Program at St Catherine’s fosters collaborative opportunities from the Early Learning Centre to Year 12, and is built on six Pillars supporting the journey of each student:
• Experiential Learning: active engagement and problem solving;
• Leadership & Agency: inspiring initiative and influence;
• Mastery of Performance: skill development and deliberate practice;
• Global Citizenship: developing cultural intelligence;
• Cognitive Skills: effective decision making and reasoning; and
• Collaboration and Teamwork: collective effort and synergy.
Each Program is carefully designed to encourage students to contribute to the wider community, explore opportunities and develop a deep understanding of their responsibilities within their local, national and international communities. Developing an understanding of the diversity of cultures that exists today enables girls to place their learning within a global perspective and to effectively move their learning outside the classroom.
St Catherine’s Global Programs provides exceptional opportunities for students and aims to:
• Offer a range of academic and cultural opportunities to further develop cultural intelligence through an understanding of self and those around you;
• Encourage the development of resilience, leadership and agency by taking responsibility and initiative;
• The opportunity to experience life in another country and develop an understanding of global citizenship;
• Promote open-mindedness, leading to new thinking and the desire to affect change;
• Encourage the development of respectful relationships and to value the diversity of our global network in collective effort and synergy;
• Nurture an appreciation of, and respect for, social, cultural and religious diversity;
• Through experiential learning, an active engagement in the learning process and problem solving developing resilience.
Co-curricular programs at St Catherine’s School provide opportunities for students to personalise their learning journey through self-selecting opportunities. Engaging in such experiences aims to enhance the development of the whole child by complementing skills learned in the classroom and nurturing lifelong learners.
At St Catherine’s there is a deep commitment to support, nurture and empower students through our depth and richness of Co-curricular opportunities. This journey offers a springboard, where students are encouraged to expand, to discover their potential, to be curious and to push through one’s comfort zone.
When girls dare to step into the Co-curricular opportunities offered, they are supported to be courageous, to take risks and to be bold. For each different environment, there is the possibility to flourish, to thrive and to grow. To be open to this capacity for growth supports our girls to become independent, globally responsive young women who approach all endeavours with empathy, integrity, commitment and determination.
The variety of Co-Curricular choices at St Catherine’s, provides the opportunity for our students to pursue their interests, talents and passions, as well as making life-long friends. Activities are scheduled before school, during lunchtimes or after school. As they participate in these programs girls are presented with new challenges, learning through persistence, practice and failure. As girls step outside their comfort zones, they have opportunities to build confidence, self-esteem and greater self-awareness.
Duke of Edinburgh –Adventurous Journey
With the variety of opportunities available within the Global Programs offered at St Catherine’s School, students can tap into each of the programs and utilise these for their Adventurous Journey component of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme. Students are to look carefully at each program to establish its suitability for the bronze, silver or gold awards. The Global Programs provide a variety of immersions, expeditions and other programs that align with the requirements of this component of the Awards Scheme.
YEAR 9 GLOBAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM
Our Year 9 Global Exchange Program is designed to offer an extensive range of in-country experiences from opportunities to study in regional or city schools with our partner schools around Australia and in three different countries. A variation in the length of time participating in the Exchange and a focused appeal to specific areas of academic and co-curricular interests of our Year 9 students is available. We are able to offer over 25 students the opportunity to be involved in our Global Exchange Program, ranging from four to 12 weeks in duration.
The Programs are designed as a reciprocal arrangement, whereby St Catherine’s families host a student in addition to their daughter living in the family home of their Exchange Partner; some opportunities include residing in the Boarding House of our partner schools. The Culford School in the UK has the option to be a one-way program for St Catherine’s students, with no hosting responsibilities in Australia.
St Catherine’s School has partnerships with the following schools:
United Kingdom
• Culford School, Bury St Edmonds
• St George’s, Ascot
• St Catherine’s School, Bramley
• Royal High School, Bath Canada:
• Crofton House School, Vancouver
• Shawnigan Lake School, Vancouver Island
USA:
• Buffalo Seminary School, Buffalo, NY
The St Catherine’s Global Exchange Program aims to:
1. Support the School’s Strategy – Towards 2025 by enriching the learning experiences of our students and to encourage the development of resilience, a positive outlook and a sense of responsibility. The Global Exchange Program assists the development of confident, capable and compassionate young women who will contribute effectively to our global network and community.
2. Facilitate students’ knowledge and learning from a global perspective and to promote open-mindedness, leading to new thinking and the desire to affect change as a global citizen.
3. Support the School’s goal of academic achievement through a personalised learning approach which provides opportunities for students to participate in educational environments that require self-paced and independent learning, facilitated by the integration of technology as a tool for learning and communication as students access online learning materials to enable their study abroad.
4. Offer a range of academic and cultural opportunities to enable learning within a broader global perspective. The Exchange experience encourages girls to adapt to new learning environments, thus promoting personal growth and qualities for becoming ambassadors for their family, school and country.
5. Encourage a real-world understanding of the School’s Values: Empathy, Integrity, Curiosity, Perseverance and Gratitude by promoting an inquiring mind and an appreciation of, and respect for, social, cultural and diversity of our global network.
6. The opportunity for our students to choose their own adventure, by experiencing the unique offerings at each of the Year 9 Exchange Schools, within Australian and overseas.
CULTURAL STUDY TOURS
Ocean School Marine Biology (Years 10-11)
CASE Ocean School is an Australian based Marine Biology Study Program providing students with an all-encompassing STEAM experience including marine biology, ocean ecology, cutting-edge research and technologies. CASE Ocean School inspires a new generation of STEAM-skilled leaders and is recommended to all students pursuing any career path. With a focus on ocean management for young leaders, the Program will provide students will skills and confidence to further their development as innovators, future thinkers, leaders and communicators. Students participating in this 12-day Program will fly into Brisbane and travel to Fitzroy Island and Cairns. This Program showcases the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef, breathtaking coastlines, Daintree Rainforest and rich First Nations cultures. The CASE Ocean School Program provides three key pillars of learning: engaging ocean activities, inspiring personal and leadership development and immersive cultural experiences. Students will study ecosystems and habitats, food webs, biodiversity and adaptions and human impacts. The Program provides ocean ecologist fieldwork, marine life DNA analysis, marine mammal observations, organism identification and intriguing laboratory work, working alongside qualified marine biologists.
Performing Arts Cultural Study Tour: New York (Years 10-12)
Students will spend two weeks in New York City; the home of theatre and musical performances. As well as visits to historical and significant landmarks, including the 9/11 Memorial, Ellis Island, Brooklyn Bridge and the Rockefeller Centre, students will also participate in acting workshops and performance dance classes. Students will also have the opportunity to see broadway musicals and plays. During their time in New York, they will visit New York University, the Lincoln Centre for Performing Arts, the Guggenheim Museum and The Julliard School.
Italian Arts Cultural Study Tour (Years 10-12)
The Italy Study Tour travels to Venice where students spend three days in Venice visiting galleries and the islands of Torcello, Murano and Burano. While in Venice students have the opportunity to attend a concert at Teatro La Fenice. The group will visit the Scrovengi Chapel in Padua on our way to Prato. While in Prato students participate in a three day printmaking workshop at the Monash University campus, with French printmaker, Patrick Aubert. Students will visit Florence by train visiting many sites and galleries. The Tour incorporates a day trip to Siena and travel to Assisi for two nights. On the way to Rome students visit the hill town of Orvieto, and visit a well-respected ceramics studio. The Tour concludes its journey through Italy in Rome, where students visit St Peter’s Basilica, Colosseum, the Museum of Modern Art and the Pantheon, prior to travelling home.
Science Study Tour: NASA Space Camp (Years 10-11)
Space Camp is a program designed to promote the study of Mathematics, Science and Technology. Space Camp is fully endorsed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Advanced Space Academy Program sees students participate in a rigorous program that teaches them about the mental, emotional and physical demands astronauts face and provides leadership training as well as learning the importance of teamwork. Students are guided through the past, present and future of space exploration.
Students travel to San Francisco and visit the Intel Museum (tour and workshop), TWiT TV, National Ignition Facility and Exploratorium ((the Museum of Science, Art and Human Perception). Students enjoy a San Francisco city tour including Alcatraz. After three nights in San Francisco, students travel to Alabama and participate in the Space Camp Academy and then to Orlando. Whilst in Orlando, students will visit the Kennedy Space Centre, enjoy Youth Education Programs at iFly and Universal Studios and experience the wildlife and eco-systems of the Florida Everglades.
CULTURAL STUDY TOURS
Japan Cultural Study Tour (Years 9-11)
The Japan Study Tour is an excellent opportunity for students studying Japanese at St Catherine’s School as the Tour will enable an authentic experience unable to be replicated on a family holiday. The Tour will take participants to various parts of Japan and is designed to provide an enriching experience, both linguistically and culturally. It includes a visit to Shukutoku High School, our sister school in Nagoya and a short homestay where students will be provided with many opportunities to interact with their host families. Japan is renowned for its beautiful art forms and the fortunate participants in this Tour will take part in various workshops while gaining further experience in Japanese language.
This Tour has a strong focus on language aquisition and practice. Students will be encouraged to speak Japanese during the Tour and will be required to complete daily language tasks appropriate to their level of study.
During the Tour, there will be a short homestay component at a host sister’s home in Nagoya. It is a reciprocal arrangement and as such, St Catherine’s students going on the Tour will host a Japanese student for a few days.
French Cultural Study Tour (Years 9-11)
The French Cultural Study Tour is suitable for students studying French in Years 9, 10 and 11. This Tour offers both linguistic opportunities and the chance to visit several sites of historical significance. French students will enjoy the benefit of being immersed in both the French language and culture, whilst History students will be able to visit key sites that are relevant to the French Revolution and the First and Second World Wars.
Following the Tour group’s arrival in Paris, the Study Tour will begin in the Loire Valley where students will visit historic castles and other sites in and around the city of Tours. The group will then spend a day at the Futuroscope Theme Park in Poitiers before heading to the island of Mont-Saint-Michel where students will be able to explore a medieval abbey.
The Tour group will then travel to the Normandy coast where students will visit the D-Day landing beaches of World War Two and will also see the Bayeux Tapestry. The Tour will then proceed to the city of Rouen where French students will have French language lessons whilst History students will have lessons on the French Revolution and the First and Second World Wars. The stay in Rouen will include a visit to the First World War battlefields. The group will then head to Paris and will visit key sites such as the Louvre Museum, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles. The stay in Paris will also include a French Revolution walking tour. During the Tour group’s final day in Paris, students will enjoy a Bateaux Mouches River Cruise down the Seine River, before the group proceeds to Charles de Gaulle Airport for the journey home to Australia.
ACADEMIC STUDY TOURS
Japanese Language Immersion (Years 10-11)
The Japanese Cultural Immersion is a reciprocal exchange to enhance linguistic development, personal learning and intercultural understanding. The Shukutoku Junior and Senior High School is a private girls’ school with which we have a longstanding association. It is a prestigious school with excellent academic standards. Shukutoku has a strong co-curricular program, including Baton Twirling, Guitar or Mandolin Club which enables St Catherine’s visitors to experience Japanese life in an authentic manner. A linguistic exchange is suitable for students keen to improve their spoken Japanese and their aural comprehension. Students need to be sufficiently independent to live with another family for three to four weeks, adapting to their cuisine, daily routine and way of life. Students will benefit from participating in many traditional cultural events, such as visiting shrines and New Year’s Day celebrations. An exchange can make a significant difference to their language skill. Their motivation and commitment to studying Japanese are also enhanced as a result of experiencing another culture first hand. An immersion exchange is above all an experience of cultural difference which builds understanding and tolerance between nations.
Global Young Leaders (Year 11)
Global Young Leaders (GYL) runs leadership development conferences for young adults in China, Europe and the USA. Students at St Catherine’s School have an opportunity to attend the Global Young Leaders Conference in the United States of America in the June/July school holidays. This Conference provides students with the chance to meet world leaders and exchange ideas with people including business leaders, diplomats, politicians and journalists as well as experiencing a range of social and cultural activities. Students attend the Conference as an independent traveller, making their way to and from the Conference without an accompanying teacher. Students who would like to attend the Global Young Leaders Conference require a high degree of independence, initiative and a willingness to participate and engage with people from all over the world, while learning and working diligently through the Program.
Oxbridge (Year 11)
Cambridge and Oxford Universities provide academic programs for academically able students to attend the residential program, enabling them to extend their knowledge in areas of special interest to them. Programs include Medical Science, Literature, Philosophy and Robotics, to name a few. Students can choose their course to study at a time that suits their travel schedule during the June/July holidays. Students who would like to attend the Oxbridge Program require a high degree of independence, initiative and a willingness to participate and engage with people from all over the world, and work with the academically stimulating courses. More information can be found at www.oxbridgeprograms.com
GLOBAL EXCHANGES
French Language Immersion (Years 10-11)
The French Cultural Immersion is designed to be a reciprocal exchange for the linguistic benefit of students from the immersion and interaction during the hosting and return visit to France. The Cours Fénelon students visit Australia for six weeks, including the June/July holidays. Our students benefit from the relationship developed with their exchange, prior to the return journey to France. The St Catherine’s students travel in early December and stay for up to six weeks. Reciprocal exchanges are effective in creating a mutual trust which is engendered by both parties hosting and offering an authentic family experience to a young person from another culture. Our association with Cours Fénelon has been uniformly successful. Monsieur Emmanuel Tilmont leads a very caring community at Cours Fénelon. The association between families has been warm and enriching and the matching of Australian and French students has resulted in new and lasting friendships. Cours Fénélon is located in Toulon, in the South West of France, approximately two hours by train from Nice. It is a Prep to Year 12 co-educational school founded by the Marist Brothers. School hours are different to Australia’s and there is no uniform.
USA Cultural Experience (Years 10-11)
The USA Cultural Exchange is a three-week overseas program including a four-night stay in New York City and two weeks attending our partner schools, Tower Hill School, Delaware and Middlesex School, Boston.
This Program provides the opportunity to have a taste of New York, supervised by St Catherine’s staff in addition to a staff facilitated exchange in country. Students will either stay with a family or in the boarding house. This is a reciprocal program where you would host a student for two weeks in your home. This Program is designed for students who wish to have an opportunity to attend an english speaking school overseas.
EXPEDITIONS (Years
7-9)
Three Capes
The Three Capes Walk is designed as an introductory expedition providing students with the opportunity to visit the Tasman National Park. The trip is four days in duration and involves daily walks on the coast, learning about convict history and a visit to the Bonorong National Wildlife Sanctuary. Students will fly into Hobart and visit the Port Arthur Historical Site, walk to Cape Hauy and Cape Raoul and on return to Hobart explore Bonorong National Wildlife Sanctuary before returning to the airport to fly home to Melbourne. Students and staff will stay in cabin style accommodation and be accompanied by professional wilderness guides from our Program Partner, World Expedition Tours. This Program is an introductory expedition to other experiences on offer to students at St Catherine’s School, including Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journey and World Challenge.
Maria Island, Tasmania
This introductory expedition provides students with the opportunity to travel to Maria Island for four days, staying in cabins for three nights. Maria Island is one of Tasmania’s least visited locations with a rich history of First Nations habitation, convict penal station, farming and a National Park. Students will experience day hikes to the Bishop and Clerk Cliffs, and Mount Maria exploration. Students will fly into Hobart and travel to Maria Island by mini bus and ferry.
This Program provides students will the opportunity to engage with the natural surroundings, whilst exploring Maria Island and undertaking day walks with the group. This is the ideal introduction to expeditions experienced through St Catherine’s Global Programs, World Challenge and the Duke of Edinburgh Compass Adventurous Journey Programs.
EXPEDITIONS
(Years 10-12)
Timor-Leste
The 10-14 day Program in Timor-Leste provides deep cultural learning, in a relatively short period of time (14 days). The Program has a proven service learning history, with programs being delivered to Australian Schools. The focus of this Program was in ECO tourism and the impact of tourism in a developing country, service learning by working with students in schools and the opportunity to develop a sister school partnership in Timor-Leste. This Program will be limited to groups of 10-20 students.
Learning Impact
• Cultural learning in Dilli for the first few days.
• Three days in a local village and immersed into a local school – opportunity to create a long lasting connection with a sister school.
• Ocean conservation project.
• Connection and relationships with schools and villages.
• Deepen the understanding of students beyond school based learning by sharing ideas and games with local students, immersing themselves in village life, exploring a remote environment and learning about traditions and histories.
• Engagement with sustainable development goals.
• Conservation – marine and agroforestry sectors.
Larapinta Trail Expedition
Facilitated with World Expedition Tours, this six day Program involves a guided walk through the ancient landscape of the West MacDonnell Ranges in the Northern Territory. Students will see the spectacular sunrise at Mt Sonder and the highlights of the area including Ormiston Gorge and Standley Chasm.
Students will gain a deeper understanding of the ancient First Nations cultures and traditional custodians of the land. This trek is fully supported by World Expeditions exploring the best sections of this iconic desert trail.
At the end of each day students relax in comfort at architectdesigned camps – including hot showers, comfortable lounges and heated dining shelter – as guides prepare gourmet three-course dinners around the campfire.
Sample Itinerary
Day 1 Telegraph Station to Wallaby Gap (14km)
Day 2 Nick’s Camp to Simpsons Gap (7km) then to Standley Chasm (2km)
Day 3 Serpentine Gorge to Charlies Camp (16.5km)
Day 4 Charlie’s Camp to Ochre Pits (8km)
Day 5 Early morning sunrise walk up Mt Sonder 1380m (16km)
Day 6 Ormiston Pound Walk (8km) transfer to Alice Springs
Sea Kayak: Whitsunday Islands, Queensland
Beginning and finishing near Airley Beach this Program offers students an opportunity to explore the pristine waters and sandy beaches of Australia’s famous Whitsunday Islands, including the iconic Whitehaven Beach. Carrying all they need onboard their boats the students may choose to journey to a new campsite each day or base somewhere to allow for a greater exploration of the scenic landscape.
Working with the environment on a journey like this is key to overcoming challenges the students will face. While sitting in their sea kayaks students will feel a very close connection to the environment they find themselves in, and they will learn how to be flexible and adapt to conditions in order to achieve a successful outcome.
The group for this journey will be made up of a maximum of 14 students who will be supported by a staff member from St Catherine’s, and a Salty Dog leader for the entire eight days.
This Program will be facilitated through Salty Dog Sea Kayaking, based in Shute Harbour, Whitsundays Queensland.
