It is only the second day of term and already there is so much to celebrate and reflect on at Lowther Hall! I enjoyed reconnecting with many families yesterday morning at the front of the School, where our Senior School Captains had set up a very festive entry point adorned with balloons! At the Years 1 – 12 assembly we had the opportunity to welcome our many new students and new staff and to present them with a Lowther Hall Teddy Bear as a sign of connection to our community. The girls were in fine voice as they sang our School Song with great enthusiasm and their delight to be back and to see their friends and teachers was palpable. This morning we welcomed our Preparatory and Kindergarten girls and there were many special “first day” moments captured at the front of the Mansion or in the gardens and classrooms. Over the last few weeks the staff have been busy preparing for the return of the girls and planning learning experiences for them that I am confident they will find engaging and enjoyable. It should be an excellent year! 

As I reminded the girls yesterday, we are now operating under our new structure of: Early Years (Kindergarten to Year 1), Junior School (Years 2 to 6) and Senior School (Years 7 to 12). This structure foreshadows the physical relocation of our Early Years students to their new Centre, and I am happy to report that despite some significant rain, we are well on track in this building project. During the break other works were carried out around the School, including the completion of the bridge link from the Noelene Horton Centre to the Joan M Garde Cultural Centre, the construction of an additional classroom in the Noelene Horton Centre and the creation of an office for our Speech Therapist. I would like to acknowledge the work of our Property Manager, Mr Larry Rouse, and his team, for all their work in preparation for the start of the School year. 

At this time of year it is always a joy to be laying the groundwork for lavish communication between home and school and I look forward to seeing many parents at the various ceremonies, information evenings and learning conferences which occur in the coming weeks. I hope that the Parent Welcome Evening on Friday 24 February is already marked in your diary as a time to come and connect with other parents and staff. 

Thank you to everyone – parents, students and staff – who have already contributed to a positive and enjoyable start to the year.