It was a joy to hear the girls back in the playground last week as they shared reflections from their holiday break.
I have several things to share in this newsletter, each of which speaks to our commitment to care and support the girls in our care.
From the beginning of this term, we have introduced a new leadership structure for the pastoral and academic care of our Senior School girls. Our Dean of Academic Care, Ms Bass, and Dean of Pastoral Care, Mrs Kemp, will move into two new cohort-based roles: Mrs Kemp takes on the role of Dean of Students for Years 7 to 9, and Mrs Bass will be Dean of Students for Years 10 to 12. Each new role brings together, in a single senior leader, the academic and pastoral oversight of the girls, rather than separating those two dimensions of school life as our current structure does.
The reasoning behind the change is straightforward. Your daughter does not experience her school life in separate academic and pastoral compartments. When she is finding a subject challenging, that is often bound up with how she is feeling, who she is spending time with, and how she is sleeping. When she is preparing for the HSC, she is making decisions about her identity and future as much as about her ATAR. Current Australian research on adolescent education makes a strong case for integrated care, and the Multi-Tiered System of Supports framework we have been building across both campuses now sits more naturally under a single senior leader per cohort.
The change also allows each Dean to focus deeply on one developmental phase of Senior School. A girl finding her feet in Year 7 needs something different from a girl preparing for her final year. Both deserve the same quality of care, but of a different kind.
I want to acknowledge the work of Ms Bass and Mrs Kemp, who have shaped these roles with distinction for many years, and who will continue to bring an excellent level of care to our students. The Year Coordinator remains the first layer of support for girls in the senior school and I encourage you to continue to communicate with them directly. Mrs Brennan, Head of Student Wellbeing, who will oversee the Dean of Students roles, remains the contact person for more significant issues.
IGSA Junior Sport, launching in 2027
Last week I wrote to Junior School families about changes to our sports program commencing in 2027, however, it is worth sharing with the whole Meriden community. The Independent Girls’ Schools Association (IGSA) has announced the launch of IGSA Junior Sport, commencing in 2027. For the first time, our primary-aged girls will have a dedicated interschool sporting program of their own, delivered by the same association that runs our Senior School sport, and designed specifically for girls.
Historically, our Junior School has competed through IPSHA, an organisation that serves a broad membership of primary schools. The move to IGSA Junior Sport is a significant step forward. It brings our Junior School girls into a program built by girls’ schools for girls’ schools, with Saturday competitions, representative pathways and carnivals shaped around what we know works for our students. It also creates a seamless sporting journey from the earliest primary years right through to senior competition and representative opportunities, all within a single, well-run association that our Senior School families already know well.
Further information on competitions, key dates and representative opportunities will be shared with families over the coming months.
Congratulations to Mr Ryan Richards
On Thursday evening I was delighted to join our Head of Tertiary Pathways, Mr Ryan Richards, at the US Consul General’s residence for a Freedom 250 celebration. During the evening, the Consul General, Mr Jeremy Cornforth, presented Mr Richards with a special award in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to sports diplomacy through his support of the student-athlete pathway.
The citation reads, in part:
Ryan Richards has spent multiple years as an invaluable partner to the US Consulate General in Sydney, guiding students at Meriden School toward transformative opportunities at American colleges and universities, supporting students in pursuing US pathways in academics, music, theatre and athletics, and ensuring each student finds the right fit for their unique journey. Through his deep expertise in the NCAA pathway, his efforts to connect the US Consulate General with key Australian sports organisations, and his commitment to bringing American opportunities and voices directly to his school community, Ryan has helped forge the next generation of leaders who will carry the US–Australia alliance forward. When young Australians study, compete, and build friendships in America, they return home as lifelong ambassadors that make our alliance one of the strongest in the world.
What wonderful recognition of Mr Richards’ work, and of the pathways he has opened for Meriden girls.