Meet Caterina

Caterina Cerrina is a highly skilled Arrowsmith teacher with many years of experience with the Arrowsmith Program.

An experienced business owner, with a Masters degree in Political and Economic Sciences, Caterina was working with children with learning challenges at a south-east Melbourne school when the principal of the school recognised that her warmth, rapport with students and ability to patiently support children with learning difficulties made her the perfect person to establish and lead a full-time Arrowsmith Program within the school.

This program, one of only a handful within the mainstream school sector in Melbourne, was entirely set up and delivered by Caterina.

This in-school program was highly successful, with some families driving many kilometres across Melbourne every day to ensure that their children could participate in Caterina’s Arrowsmith class.

In 2019 Caterina established the Brain Athletics Centre in Melbourne, enabling children with learning difficulties from the broader community to benefit from the Arrowsmith Program.

As an intuitive person who naturally communicates with children in a way which they can easily understand, Caterina is passionate about ensuring that all children in the centre are provided with the opportunity and resources to thrive academically, emotionally and socially.

Caterina describes the neurological and skill development that her students experience as they progress through the Arrowsmith Program as life-changing.

The families of Caterina’s students frequently come to the program following years of searching for support for their son or daughter, with many students experiencing low self-esteem and becoming distressed and disillusioned with school. Caterina’s warm manner, patience, and professional skill puts students at their ease in the Arrowsmith classroom, where they quickly become comfortable within the program.

Ensuring that the lessons are enjoyable, Caterina notices that students develop a newfound confidence as they strengthen previously underperforming areas of brain function, and parents and classroom teachers report that this confidence flows into the students’ self-esteem, social skills and positive outlook on life.

Fluent in English, Italian and French, Caterina has always been passionate about children’s educational and psychological well-being. A keen reader, Caterina is the mother of three children aged 14, 18 and 20, and enjoys bushwalking, gardening, travelling and spending time with her family.