I express my sincere thanks and appreciation in acknowledging the remarkable response from our School Community for their strong financial support of our Hardship Fund. An outstanding achievement with $416,952 being raised so far.

The generous response from our School community has enabled St Catherine’s School to provide an uninterrupted and continuing education for students, now and in the future, and to support families who would otherwise not be able to send their daughters to St Catherine’s. I thank you most sincerely for your generosity and support of the School community.

I also acknowledge the generosity of the members of the Foundation Board and many volunteers who gave up much of their time this week to facilitate by making phone calls to many in our community on our Inaugural Giving Day. Their support has been greatly appreciated.

I also thank Ms Jacqueline Williams, Director of Advancement who, with her team, has worked tirelessly in the lead up to the Giving Day. Her organisational ability has been highly valued. Jacqueline’s background as a passionate fundraiser is in line with her belief that giving is the best expression of any relationship and she has dedicated most of her career to securing philanthropic support for the arts and education sectors. She is a wonderful advocate for the importance of girls’ education.

As we continue to meet the challenges of COVID-19 with Stage 4 Restrictions firmly in place, it is extremely important to follow the government guidelines, and I also encourage families to maintain a regimen of exercising each day. The next six weeks may be challenging for many people given that our freedoms have been further curtailed by a curfew and restrictive reasons for leaving home. As we grapple with escalating diagnosed cases, we must heed the updated advice from our health officials and continue to ensure we work collectively to care for one another and to combat the virus.

Australian demographer, Mark McCrindle, has recently commented regarding the impact of COVID-19 on our current generation of children who were born in the year 2010 – Generation Alpha.

This generation that comprises more than one in seven people, are influencing the purchasing power of their household and are key to the future, yet few people have heard of them. Within the next four years they will outnumber the Baby Boomers, and many of them will live to see the 22^nd century. They are the children of the Millennials and often the younger siblings of Generation Z. Generation Alpha (of the Greek Alphabet) born entirely in the 21^st Century are not a return to the old but the start of something new.

McCrindle goes on to say that the age at which we are exposed to a transformative event determines how embedded it will be in our psyche, with COVID-19 predicated to be a defining event for this generation. More than four in five adults (84%) believe COVID-19 will play a significant role in shaping the children of today. While it will be some time before we know the full extent of how COVID-19 will impact and influence this generation, the oldest of them turn 11 in 2020. Many of them will remember aspects of this global crisis, such as watching mum or dad work from the kitchen bench while keeping an eye on them as they learnt from a virtual classroom. Young children may not know why we need to stay 1.5 metres away from other people but they know that we should. The fact that there was a prolonged period of time where they could not play in the park on swings and slides or visit grandparents is not lost on them.

One of the most defining comments made by McCrindle is that COVID-19 has enhanced the intersection of technology and learning, but it has also shown the importance of face-to-face and tactile learning. Largely, parents who kept their children home said it was a mostly positive experience for their household with many agreeing that education will be delivered online more in the future. We may also see them pushing to engage with and use technology in more creative ways as a result.

Nonetheless, schools were and are missed during lockdown – not just by busy parents having to juggle their own work with monitoring their child’s learning, but because schools are key to the structure of our communities, as well as being a place of connection within communities.

It is timely to remember that despite the challenges posed by online learning, one of the most positive experiences is that families can spend more time together. This unique time in our busy schedules has provided a wonderful opportunity for families. It is to be hoped that our children are learning how to respond to stress and uncertainty and to develop a new strength and resilience. It is also important to remember that it cannot replace face-to-face interaction that is crucial to child development and socialisation. Keep safe and keep well.

Supervised Care at St Catherine’s School

To assist parents in supporting supervision of children during Stage 4 Restrictions, St Catherine’s School will again provide onsite supervision for students currently enrolled in the Early Learning Centre and Prep – Year 10 students to enable participation in their Learn@Home Program, as outlined by the Victorian Government. The Supervised Learning Program and Supervised Care for ELC children will be located in Campbell House, (Early Learning Centre) from Monday 10 August with supervision provided by members of the Leadership Team and teachers rostered to care for the students. Families are asked to please note that Stage 4 Restrictions include stringent government guidelines limiting access to this Supervised Care. Details are provided in the attached link. Please do not hesitate to contact the School should you require further clarification.