​It has been a week full of joyous events as we come to the end of our very unusual year! I was privileged to be with the Year 6 girls as they gave their reflective speeches as part of their special Celebration event early in the week, and then to join them for breakfast this morning as they prepared for their last day of primary school.

As we head into the final weeks of term, people external to the School often comment to me that it must be great that things are winding down!! At Lowther Hall, however, this is far from being the case! We are in full swing! This week the Piano Festival has been underway with girls across all parts of the School participating in recitals and special events to celebrate all things piano!

​One of the joys of this time of year is assisting girls to prepare for the next stage of their journey, whether that is from school into the adult world, from home to school or from one year level to the next.

From the poignancy of remembrance day to the nervous excitement of exams, with heat and rain and wind, it has been a week of extremes at Lowther Hall this week.

​This week we had the final farewell to the class of 2020 – a cohort who have demonstrated incredible resilience throughout their very unusual Year 12 year. At their valedictory service on Wednesday, the girls carried a candle, lit from the altar candle, symbolically out into the world.

This week we have revelled in the return of the Years 8, 9 and 10 girls to face to face learning and enjoyed the energy that their return on-site has brought. It is joyous to see the girls reconnecting with one another, enjoying their classes and making the most of their lunchtime and recess breaks to catch up with friends.

​As a passionate educator, I am always interested in new research that can shed light on young people and the various challenges that they may encounter. Our work as Lowther Hall educators is informed by research about learning and teaching which has been curated and written about by John Hattie, Robert Marzano and Loris Malaguzzi, helping us to craft classroom experiences for the girls that will be meaningful and that will assist them to synthesise, remember and apply the concepts and knowledge that they encounter.

You may have noticed we were featured in the Sunday Herald Sun over the weekend! The article referenced the work we and other schools are doing to provide students the same valuable experiences in creative COVID-safe ways. In addition to our ‘reimagined’ Prep & Year 12 Gift Exchange, new initiatives include Auslan and body percussion in our Choral program, dry-land training for our rowers and virtual music and snowsports camps.

As we prepare for the Lowther Hall Literary Festival which begins on Monday, I have spent some time this week reflecting on significant books. Much of the reading that I do these days is non-fiction, and of late, I have been once again dipping into an all-time favourite, Martin Seligman’s the Optimistic Child. If you haven’t read it, I wholeheartedly recommend it!

Our treasured ‘Prep & Year 12 Gift Exchange’ ceremony was held yesterday, virtually! Each Prep girl pre-recorded a video message of thanks to each Year 12 girl, as well as making her a paper flower. In return, our Preps received special envelopes of sunflower seeds as well as handwritten cards from each Year 12. This annual ritual symbolises the growth of all girls during their time at Lowther Hall.