It has been an energetic and enthusiastic start to Term 3 for the Year 7 students. It is wonderful to see them comfortable and established within our St Catherine’s community.  

The Semester commenced with a buzz as students began new subjects, changed language classes, and reconnected with peers and their teachers. The new classes and co-curricular activities have provided a vibrancy to the Year 7 Clocktower area as students share stories of their achievements, challenges, and passions.  

Friendships & Communication

This term the focus for Year 7 Wellbeing is on strengthening relationships and improving communication. This included a discussion with St Catherine’s School Psychologist, Ms Georgina Speak.  

Georgina’s discussion centred on introspective practice, developing interpersonal skills, and learning effective communication strategies for dealing with conflict. After several formative years spent remote learning, our aim is to foster social connections and personal development for the girls, providing them the chance to ask questions about the intricacies of friendships in a supportive environment.  

To further support this a new ‘Quiet Room’ program has been initiated in the Clocktower which encourages students to connect with themselves and take a moment to ‘recharge’ between lessons. The Quiet Room is a place for students can read, study, or have a break from the bustle of School life. Last week, I read with interest, our Principal, Michelle Carroll’s Blue Ribbon article which discussed the importance of girls taking restorative intervals to gain greater capacity following daily stressors. We hope our Year 7 Quiet Room will provide opportunities for restorative practice for our girls.  

Humanities Week Trivia Fest

In Year 7 we kicked off Week 3 of Term with a celebration of Humanities Week and a challenge of wits and collaboration.  

The Year 7 Houses were tasked with completing a series of Humanities games aimed at testing their historical and geographical knowledge. The Year 7s took to this at once and it was a pleasure to see the excitement, competitiveness and teamwork take hold in the Clocktower.  

Students could be heard enjoying passionate discussions on whether Queen Elizabeth or Queen Victoria reigned first, identifying the Taj Mahal and puzzling over whether the 100 Years War between Britain and France really did last 100 years (psst…it was 116).  

The entire Cohort participated with enthusiasm. They forged new connections with their Forms, House Tutors and hopefully ignited a passion for Humanities.  

Well done to Year 7 Beaulieu Blair for taking out first place.  

Welcoming the Year 7 Class of 2023

On Wednesday of this week, we welcomed the Year 7 Class of 2023 for their second Orientation Day.  

The day commenced with a series of academic tests, along with some much-enjoyed snacks and lunch in between. After beginning the day indoors, the group was eager to run, jump and make as much noise as possible in a Scavenger Hunt around the Senior School, hosted by several of our Year 10 students. 

The activities ranged from hula hooping, identifying books by their covers and guess the dinosaur. The Year 6 students could be seen working collaboratively, solving puzzles, and having fun in an afternoon of sunshine.  

It has been a busy start of term for the Year 7 students. It is a pleasure to be a part of their journey whilst I stand in for Ms Liv Cher.