Principal, Ms Natalie Charles

Dear St Catherine’s Community, 

The last couple of weeks have been a salient reminder of the power and beauty of a 

St Catherine’s School education. We have borne witness to the many strands that make up our vibrant School community, and I am thrilled to share some of our latest highlights with you. 

A triumph on the field 

First, please join me in congratulating our Senior Softball team! They competed in the School Sport Association of Victoria Championships and emerged victorious on Thursday night, defeating five other schools — including Haileybury in a thrilling Grand Final. 

Their coach shared some moving words that truly capture the spirit of our students: 

“I just wanted to let you know that this team of ladies made me extremely proud to be their coach as they never give in and play with respect and honour. St Catherine’s can be so proud of them as young women.” 

A huge thank you to coaches Tony Black and Clint Blennerhassett, Captain Violetta C, and Assistant Emma Hoban (our wonderful '24 Old Girl) for leading the team to glory. 

The Huntingtower Heyington Shield 

This May marks a special milestone as the Huntingtower Heyington Shield celebrates its ninth year! Established in 2018, this annual AFL match between the Senior teams of 

St Catherine's School and Lauriston Girls' School continues to be a highlight of our calendar, all while supporting the vital work of the Breast Cancer Network Australia. 

This year, the excitement reaches new heights. Taking inspiration from the famous APS blockbuster between MGS and Scotch, the match is being played today at Scotch College on their Main Oval, preceded by an inaugural luncheon. We are delighted to welcome 

Dr Hilary Grover (SCOGA), team doctor for the Melbourne Football Club, alongside past shield player Coco Smith (OL), now a third-year physiotherapy student, to discuss the growth of women’s football. The girls received a well-deserved and noisy send-off at recess as we formed a guard of honour down St Catherine’s Walk complete with drums and whistles.  

Twelfth Night, the Musical

This is one of my favourite plays from Shakespeare. He conjures a world where disguise and desire intertwine, bending gender into a fluid, playful force that reveals how identity can shift easily. Our performers and musicians did an outstanding job of portraying this playful masterpiece. It fills me with great pride that St Catherine's is one of the first schools in Australia, and the first company in Victoria, to stage this musical adaptation, conceived by acclaimed artists Shaina Taub and Kwame Kwei-Armah. 

Experiential and ethical learning 

This pioneering partnership between St Catherine’s School and Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership commences for all of Year 9, next Tuesday and marks a bold shift in how ethical development is addressed within Australian education. As you know we were keen to respond to a growing demand to not only develop academic performance but also to cultivate citizens capable of the critical thinking and moral courage required to navigate a fractured, fast-moving world. 

For me this is ultimately about making space — physically and symbolically — for the young women of St Catherine’s to engage with fundamental questions of individual and collective goodness, moving beyond external pressures to explore deeper truths about themselves and their place in the world.   

The program which runs as an intensive two-week residential retreat develops students' capacity for ethical thinking and moral reasoning at a crucial stage in their development. Rather than a one-off seminar or values week, the program embeds ethical decision-making and leadership into a core part of students’ learning. It’s not about telling them what to think or how to behave, it’s about helping them develop the tools to think ethically, under pressure, and with others in mind. 

Australia is no stranger to public debates over the ethical and psychological pressures facing young people. In recent months, national headlines have spotlighted everything from algorithmic decision-making and deepfakes, to the mental health toll of social media. The eSafety Commissioner’s Youth Digital Participation report found that four-in-five teens feel pressure to present a perfect version of themselves online, while 42 per cent have experienced some form of online hate or harassment. Simultaneously, the rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT has raised questions about authenticity, academic integrity, and the erosion of critical thinking. These are not just technological shifts, they are ethical dilemmas, and St Catherine’s girls will not be left to navigate them without the language or frameworks to do so. I know you will join me in wishing our Year 9s all the very best! 

Ms Natalie Charles

Principal