This week I had the delight of visiting the Year 4 girls at their camp in Portsea. I watched them embrace various aspects of camp life, compete beach challenges, take to the flying fox, the high ropes and the giant swing, supported by their encouraging Year 8 mentors and teachers.

As we look forward to the next 3 weekends, there is certainly a great deal to think about: Mother’s Day, the Senior School Production and the Federal Election!

Commencing a school term after a break is always a joyous time for me – coming back to the energy of the staff and the girls fills me with a really strong feeling of optimism and positivity.

​When 2022 commenced, we rejoiced in the fact that we could come back together as a school and be together, not only for learning, but to celebrate the various rituals and events that help us to mark the passing of time and the significant milestones within our community.

There were so many highlights across the School this week, but a personal highlight for me was having the opportunity to share information about our world class Kindergarten Program with auditors from the Quality Assessment and Regulation Division of the Department of Education and Training.

This week as I write, the sounds of the Lowther Singers rehearsing for the Story of the Cross and the Easter Eucharist can be heard across the campus – it is truly beautiful! It has been another busy week at the School and I have been particularly thrilled to be able to participate in a number of face to face meetings with groups who have been convening via zoom for many months!

This week I travelled to Canberra to attend a two day briefing for principals of Independent Schools about the Health of the Nation. The Forum brought together a variety of speakers to reflect on specific aspects of the national landscape that are relevant to schools. I am delighted to share some of the key messages with you below.

Lowther women demonstrate for us how girls can occupy all sorts of spaces and flourish. With their wisdom, their life experiences, their mistakes and their recoveries, they provide a launching pad for our students so that they can have the confidence to continue to pursue their goals, challenge injustice and ultimately strive to make the world a better place through their contributions.

​Today I had the privilege of attending the Alliance of Girls’ Schools’ International Women’s Day Breakfast with four students from across Senior School. We not only had the opportunity to hear Lord Mayor Sally Capp and Georgie Crozier MP speak, but also enjoyed the opportunity to speak with students and staff from other girls’ schools around Melbourne.

In a week that has concluded with the escalation of conflict between Russia and the Ukraine, we have a sobering reminder that the world which we are equipping our young people to navigate is a complex one.