AROUND THE GROUNDS
Great Scot | Issue 173 | 2025
The school’ s commitment to this area is practical, evolving and responds directly to parent feedback. In a 2024 survey completed by more than 1,000 parents, a sense of“ belonging and community” was ranked one of the top five reasons as to why families choose Scotch.
“ That’ s an incredible piece of feedback,” Diana said.“ For parents, feeling part of the community is a real value-add, and it’ s something they’ re seeking. In fact, I’ d go so far as to say for many families, Scotch becomes part of their identity. They’ re not just parents at Scotch. They become Scotch parents. It’ s part of who they are.”
It’ s this sense of belonging, affectionately known as the“ Scotch family”, that the school is keen to preserve and strengthen. But Diana is quick to acknowledge that the landscape has changed in recent years as far as parent involvement is concerned.
“ I’ ve had children in school for over 16 years now,” she said.“ And I’ ve watched how the parent-school relationship has shifted. Parents are busier, and the expectations and pressures on them, both social and logistical, are really different now.”
“ SPA allows parents to come in and out of the school in a way that suits them— whether that’ s through year-level auxiliaries, sport, or helping out with an event. It creates opportunities for connection in an accessible way. And right now, we’ re lucky to have an exceptional SPA leadership team who really walk the talk and align beautifully with the school’ s broader vision.
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One initiative has been the creation of a SPA Events Committee. The pilot event for this group, the inaugural Mother’ s Day Lunch, was an overwhelming success and drew in a crowd of over 500. It would not have been possible without the dedication and vision of the Senior Parents’ Association( SPA), who embraced this new initiative with enthusiasm and commitment. A special thank you to the event organisers; Beck Cattermole, Charlotte Barnaby, Michelle Lindeman, and Emily O’ Sullivan, whose efforts ensured the event’ s resounding success. We are also considering how we stay connected to the families of our Old Boys, who are so wonderfully supported by the Old Scotch Collegians Association( OSCA). We know that some of our most treasured friendships are those we make with families from the school.
“ We talk a lot about our boys and service, but we also see incredible service coming from our parents. They give their time not just for their sons but for the good of the wider Scotch community. That’ s something really beautiful and worth nurturing,” Diana says.
Community engagement extends beyond our current parents and families, too.
“ It’ s not just about bringing people in,” she said.“ It’ s also about reaching out— whether it’ s welcoming visiting educators to share our programs, forming long-term connections with groups like Tiwi College, or contributing to the broader education community. We’ re exploring partnerships that strengthen everyone involved.”
At the heart of all this is the idea that people want to connect. They want to be part of something meaningful. And for many families, Scotch is that place.
“ People crave connection,” Diana said.“ Whether it’ s a gym, a club, or a cause, everyone wants to belong to something that feels good and purposeful. And for our families, Scotch offers that. There will always be a spectrum, some families are deeply involved, others more occasional, but the opportunity is there.”
So, what can parents do if they want to be more involved?
“ Every parent is already part of an auxiliary group, whether it be class, year-level, or sport,” Diana explained.“ That’ s a great place to start. From there, keeping an eye on the weekly Torch newsletter announcements is key. We know everyone is busy, but taking five minutes to read the Torch will open doors everywhere.”
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