The Year 11 cohort completed their first term of VCE with ‘Gratitude Week’This student-led initiative saw the girls take part in various activities under the umbrella of ‘showing kindness to yourself and others’. Some of the activities included students delivering notes of gratitude to pigeon holes, devoting time to thinking about what they were grateful for and decorating my office window with responses to the question ‘what went well today?’. Taking time to consider the positive aspects of the day has a tremendous effect on mental health and assists students to change their thinking. Perhaps your daughter received a poor mark in a subject, or had a disagreement with a friend which left her feeling deflated, frustrated or angry. Contemplating what went well and writing this down helps us to remember that the day may have not been all that bad.

Leading on from this, motivational speaker Sacha Kaluri addressed the cohort in early Term 2 about the power of gratitude and positive relationships. A key analogy that she talked about was the “imaginary backpack”, which everyone carries around day-to-day, storing negative comments from others that can “hurt you to the core of your being”. In her presentation, Sacha asked the girls, “why on earth would you want to add to anyone’s backpack?”. My message to students in any year level, but particularly in VCE, is to look after each other. Avoid competitive talk, be aware of your friends and the broader cohort and be that person that someone can lean on if things are getting tough. There is no doubt about it, these years are hard and, as a group, the girls need to provide a positive support network for each other.

As students settle in to Term 2, we begin to focus on life outside the classroom. Students interested in the Performing Arts attended a panel discussion to hear from women in the industry. Harriet Fortey, shared some of her thoughts from the session:

I found the whole talk very interesting and engaging. I learnt that so many different pathways can form from the Performing Arts that I never thought would go hand in hand. For example, one of the girls talked about how she studied Drama throughout school then continued out of school which then led her into Speech Pathology. This talk taught me new ways to audition and that rejection is okay and does not mean that you are not good enough. Hearing all the girls’ stories about growing up in the Arts and the career paths they are all in now has helped me make my decisions to continue to study Theatre throughout school and has urged me to look into a Performing Arts course once I have completed Year 12 at St Catherine’s.

Students also took part in our annual Careers Breakfast, where they heard from representatives in different fields ranging from Fashion Design, Stem Cell Research and Construction. Each of these sessions provided students with a wonderful opportunity to hear from industry professionals and sparked conversation around potential career paths.

The Year 11 students had the opportunity to hear from a range of industry professionals at the annual St Catherine’s Careers Breakfast.

To support this, we invited a guest speaker to talk about interview skills. His entertaining presentation provided an insight into recruiting and the skills employers look for in a potential candidate, which include; adaptability, enthusiasm, a willingness to learn; and the ability to work in a team. The girls were advised to develop the confidence around talking about themselves in a positive light, by coming up with a ‘quick descriptor’. For example, this may focus on the skills learned in a team sport or part-time job.

There will be lots of talk over the next 12 months about career pathways and now is the time that many are beginning to build a picture around what life may look like in 2021. Some students will have a clear idea which they have already carefully planned. Others will have no idea yet, and that is okay. Often this is an organic process, whereby remaining open-minded can allow pathways to unfold on their own accord. I encourage all students to take any career opportunities offered to them, which may help start the conversation.

I look forward to my continued work with your daughters as they enter their first VCE Examination period.

Ms Lilly Dusting, Head of Year 11 and Visual Communication & Design Teacher