WELCOME
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A community that lasts a lifetime In March, we were delighted to welcome alumni back to school for our Jane Barker Luncheon. Even though these graduates left St Catherine’s over 50 years ago, it is still home to them. They love this place, and they belong here.
When you pause to consider this, it is a remarkable legacy. For 170 years, St Catherine’s has been a place where girls have found a place to learn, to form connections and to discover who they are. This sense of belonging does not end at graduation. Wherever life may take our Old Girls, St Catherine’s remains a place of welcome and support, a place that continues to hold them. We see this lived out
with gratitude on the women who have shaped our story. We begin, of course, with Mrs Jane Barker, who, with conviction and purpose, laid the foundation for what would become St Catherine’s: a school committed to educating young women of character and intellect, ready to make a meaningful contribution to the world. Since 1856, she has
“ You are part of this story. I encourage you to reconnect,
been joined in this story by thousands of students, staff and families, each leaving their mark in ways both seen and unseen. Every girl who has walked through our gates has helped shape the School into what it is today. It is this shared story that gives St Catherine’s its strength. It connects the past, present and future, and it reminds us that belonging here has no endpoint. As we look ahead, we do so with confidence and with care. We honour those who have come
in the many Old Girls who return to us as staff, parents and mentors. Their presence speaks to the strength of their connection to this community. St Catherine’s is not simply where they were educated; it remains a place where they belong. At the same time, I am mindful of those who may not have returned since they left. For some, the School may feel different, or perhaps distant.
to attend a reunion or our upcoming Magnolia Fair, and to experience again what it means to be part of St Catherine’s. You will always be welcome here.
To you, I offer both reassurance and invitation. You are part of this story. I encourage you to reconnect, to attend a reunion or our upcoming Magnolia Fair, and to experience again what it means to be part of St Catherine’s. You will always be welcome here. This year provides a particularly meaningful opportunity to do so, as we celebrate 170 years of our School. As part of these celebrations, we have taken time to reflect
before us by remaining true to who we are and by continuing to invest in the lives of the girls in our care. For all who have been part of St Catherine’s, and for all who will come, this will always be a place of learning, of belonging and of enduring connection. In Christo Thesauri Sapientiae et Scientiae.
Ms Deb Magill Headmistress
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