It was wonderful to visit the Year 10 girls and their Year 11 leaders at their camp this week and to see the girls fully embracing the activities on offer, despite the heat! Last Friday I also enjoyed spending time with the Year 2 girls on their first overnight school camp experience! It is certainly an exciting time at Lowther Hall at the moment with preparations for the launch of the Academic Wardrobe and the finalisation of Blinkbonnie House generating a great deal of activity around the campus. On Monday the Senior School girls will all move up into their 2018 classes as they commence their Orientation Program so this will be an opportunity for trying new things and making new connections. I look forward to seeing many parents at the Parents and Friends’ Association Lunch tomorrow and to catching up with others at the special events and ceremonies that are happening in the coming weeks!

​The Junior School Production of A Kidsummer Night’s Dream, held last Saturday over two performances, was an enormous success.

Members of the School community are no doubt aware that, under the direction of experienced designer Jonathan Ward, a committee of dedicated students, Old Grammarians, staff and parents have been working for 24 months to develop a new wardrobe for the 2020 Lowther girl which will be phased in from the beginning of 2018.

​I am always impressed with the enthusiasm and energy of our girls. In recent days I have seen them throwing themselves into Annie auditions, stepping up to speak in Assembly, studying for examinations, embracing the challenges of camps and engaging with their learning. In order to sustain this energy and pace, rest is very important. I hope that over the coming weekend, girls and families will take the time to rest and recharge the batteries, ready to return on Wednesday with renewed vigour! Enjoy the slower pace afforded over the days ahead and please encourage girls to do likewise!

​After competing against hundreds of students across the state, Year 10 student Antigony has been awarded with 2nd place at the La Trobe Young Writers’ Awards! The annual award requires Year 10 students to enter an original creative writing piece on a theme, and Antigony won for her entry entitled: Comatose. Well done, Antigony!

Year 12 student Rebecca Rusinovic has been named Moonee Valley's Young Sporting Spirit Individual for 2017 at the Leader Sports Awards! Rebecca won for demonstrating the greatest in achievement, dedication, fairness and sportsmanship out of hundreds of nominees, and received her award at a ceremony held last night at Etihad Stadium. Well done, Rebecca!

This week we bid our final farewell to the Class of 2017. We have recognised them at formal assemblies, watched them throw their hats off the Mansion balcony and been moved at their Valedictory service yesterday afternoon as they left the Cultural Centre symbolically carrying their light out into the world, ready to shine.

​On Wednesday of this week, in a moving ceremony, the Prefects of 2017 were acknowledged and thanked and the Prefects of 2018 were commissioned.

​Today we celebrated ‘Walk to School’ Day! In support of Moonee Valley’s October ‘Walk to School’ initiative, Lowther students from Kinder to Year 12 formed walking groups accompanied by staff.

​On Friday our Year 9 students held their successful ‘Fun Run’! The event was organised by the girls to raise funds for Hong, a young woman in Vietnam who Lowther Hall (in partnership with the Lifestart Foundation) has supported for the past 5 years...