weThrive: Wellbeing@StCatherine’s

2021 Heads of Year

Nurturing each student’s personal and academic journey is key at St Catherine’s School. While every teacher is committed to knowing the students in their classes as learners and as individuals, the Head of Year provides a holistic oversight of each girl.

Undoubtedly, the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges which have led to increased concerns for the mental health and wellbeing of young people. There has never been a time where our students have had greater need for support, consistency, routine and a sense of certainty. This week the students have been informed of their 2021 Head of Year and the Wellbeing team looks forward to continuing to support the girls.

Based on the key tenet of the Wellbeing program at St Catherine’s that ‘students are known and known well’, the Heads of Year rotate in certain sections of the Senior School, where possible. The Head of Year 11 remains with the cohort as they move to Year 12, to enable students to be guided through the two year VCE by a Head of Year who knows them well at the outset of the year. The students literally hit the ground running with the knowledge that they are supported by a Head of Year who knows their learning profile and how to best support them personally. As the 2021 Head of Year 12, Mrs Tracey McCallum will continue to support her cohort as they graduate to the Year 12 Common Room.

Ms Vicky Spanos will follow her current charges as their Head of Year 11 in 2021, building on the relationships she has built to support the girls in 2020. A similar rotation will take place between the Year 8 and 9 Heads of Year, who bring with them their extensive experience in working with girls in this key developmental stage. In 2021, Mrs Kelly Brady will move to the Year 9 area in the Wintergarden to continue her care of her current students as the Head of Year 9. Miss Jenny Molloy will return to being Head of Year 8, to begin her two year journey with that cohort at this pivotal time in their personal and learning journey. Notably a detailed handover occurs between the Heads of Year if they are not following their cohort.

We are pleased to welcome Ms Linda Morgan to the Head of Year 10 role. Ms Morgan is a Health and Human Development teacher and she comes to the role with extensive experience in leadership and adolescent wellbeing across Years 9 to 12.

The Year 7 Head of Year remains on that level due to the unique relationships built during Year 6 transition and beyond, enabling the year to begin with a strong knowledge base and most importantly, a trusted relationship with students and families. Miss Stansfield will continue as the Year 7 Head of Year.

Being guided through the ‘COVID-19 normal’ by a significant adult at school, who knows how they have coped with the challenges of 2020, including remote learning, isolation and family circumstance, is the optimal way of recognising and responding to their individual needs. The continuity of a stable and supportive bond with their Head of Year in the vital developmental years between Year 8 and 9, and subsequently in the consecutive VCE years, will provide a safe place for them to thrive as they progress through the year and beyond.

We thank Mr James Brown for his incredible leadership of the Year 12 students this year, through the challenges of completing their VCE in a pandemic year. The Year 12s have dubbed him their ‘2020 hero’, which is certainly an appropriate acknowledgment of the consistent support he has provided the students.

Semester 2 House Tutor Reports

As 2020 will go down in history as a year like no other, it will be wonderful for your daughter to have a record of her reflections about this year. As such, we are asking each student to reflect on their experience in 2020, by responding to a series of prompts. The Student Reflection will be included in the Semester 2 House Tutor Report.

We hope that the reflections will encourage the students to focus on some of the positives they can take away from what has been a challenging year. 2020 will be forever etched in their minds as the year that their world was inverted in so many ways and this reflection will serve as a reminder of their resilience and growth, despite adversity. It will also assist them to reflect on their learning and how they have been able to adjust, adapt and recognise what goals they need to set moving forward.