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Kardinia eNews – Wednesday 1 June 2022

Home Kardinia eNews – Wednesday 1 June 2022

From the Principal

I cannot believe it is the first of June today, except that it certainly feels like the start of winter.  

I am a little envious of our Year 9 students who are heading off to Queensland on Saturday and wish them and their teachers all the very best.  We also have Year 9 students going to the Grampians (I hope they have their winter woollies packed) and others undertaking activities here at school.  

It is quite a logistical feat to have all these activities occurring and I am very grateful to all our staff who have been involved in making this happen. It has been so long since we have been able to have our students participate in these types of activities that contribute so effectively to the development of the whole person and it is wonderful to see them returning.  

I look forward to hearing about everyone’s journeys when they return.

From the Head of Senior School

Dear Parents & Students,

Yesterday Senior School students attended a presentation on Cyber Safety by Leading Constable Robbie Noggler. Senior Constable Noggler has vast experience in this area and he was able to offer sound and practical advice to his audience whom I hope will be wise enough to heed it. On Tuesday 7 June he will present to parents in the College Hall from 7.00pm.

Next week the majority of Year 9 students will participate in the Year 9 Outdoor Education experience. Those who opted to participate in a later “experience” will be involved in an alternative programme which will include study skills, careers education and a visit to Parliament and the Supreme Court in Melbourne. Parents of these students will receive further details via Ed Smart.

The VCE Drama students have been rehearsing over many weeks for their performance of the play, Little Women, which will be performed in the College Hall on Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week.

From the Head of Junior School

National Reconciliation Week
Last Thursday 26 May was National Sorry Day, and this week is National Reconciliation Week. Junior School students are enjoying the opportunity to learn more about this through various events this week. The types of activities planned include indigenous games at lunch time, an indigenous book club and movie event in the Inquiry Centre, buddy activities, quiz trails and more.

This Friday is a casual clothes day, with students invited to dress in colours from the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander flag for a gold coin donation. Money raised will be donated to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

 

Student Representative Council
The SRC were busy sorting new play equipment for Upper Primary students today. This is an exciting student-led initiative aimed at helping students have more variety of choices for play at recess and lunch. Tubs of new equipment will be delivered to Upper Primary Learning Groups soon.

 

Donations Delivered to Geelong Mums
Thank you to all our Junior School families who donated to Geelong Mums as part of International Families Week. All donations were delivered to Geelong Mums at the end of last week with the help of some KIC Connect parents and our Student Action and International Mindedness student committees.

 

New Lower Primary Building
We are getting close to the completion date of the new Lower Primary building. Final works are being completed on joinery and other internal fittings, as well as landscaping and playground equipment.

Reconciliation Week

This week is Reconciliation Week! We are acknowledging Reconciliation Week at the College in a range of ways, including activities such as Marngrook football, Indigenous garden tour, and gum leaf decorating for our ‘Uluru Statement from the Heart’ project. At Centrepoint Cafe we also have First Nations food on offer all week.

Library services news

On the 26th of May the Library Services Team attended a presentation where judges of the CBCA Book of the Year awards presented and spoke about the Shortlisted Books for this year. Michael Eyre, Bronwen Joseph and Sarah Cox shared insights into the Shortlist and were incredibly informative. Here is the annotated list

The thing that struck me immediately when the Shortlist was announced was just how many titles across all the categories were written in ‘own voice”. The term refers to books about characters from underrepresented/marginalised groups in which the author shares the same identity. The writing is inspired by the author’s own experiences and written from their own perspective.

I recently shared ‘A glasshouse of stars’ with Year 4 students and at the conclusion a student was so excited to tell me ‘that is exactly what we do in my culture’, two others also joined in sharing that they recognised the symbols and practices mentioned. How empowering when a child can connect with a character in the safety of a book! It reminds me of one of the most incredible TED Talks I have watched. The danger of a single story

The Older Readers category showcases six amazing Australian authors dealing with sensitive topics including homelessness, domestic violence, privilege, racism and consent in very thoughtful and inspired ways. It truly makes me grateful that we live in a society where our students have access to quality literature that explores contemporary issues. In 2020 I attended a WebEX of a school district in the US where a particular book written by an African-American author was banned and the school librarian was looking for support from her colleagues. I’m sure the superintendent was shocked at the sheer numbers joining the meeting. The book involves a character who tries to stand up for what is right when she witnesses her friend shot by police.

The standout book from the whole shortlist for me was Still Alive, Notes from Australia’s Immigration Detention System firstly because many English classes are currently studying Graphic novels and secondly because of how provocative the story is, what a springboard for discussion! Michael Eyre went on to say he believed if everyone had a copy it could even spark a serious debate and potential policy change.

In the lead up to IDAHOBIT day we undertook an audit to ensure we had a good representation of #own voice books in this area in our libraries. Whilst the Senior School was well covered, it certainly highlighted a gap at the Junior School. In consultation with the Wellbeing team we have purchased books to address this imbalance. Please see Junior School staff for any enquiries about these. I particularly enjoyed the younger readers novel George and the picture book Julian is a mermaid.

Co-Curricular News

Introducing the Kardinia Craft Club: Discover the joys of creating your own craft projects. Learn to stitch, embroider, knit and more. Create your own design from your photos or your imagination. Alternatively, use a published pattern to create your project. Interested in seeing some finished products – things that you could create too. Come to M7 Friday lunchtime and join Ms van Dreumel and Ms Windle to guide you through the joys of stitching. No experience necessary.

Kardinia’s own Dale Baker has released his new book!

Kardinia’s own author and Illustrator Dale Baker very recently released his new Picture Book, ‘The Surf Dogs, A Whale’s Tale’.
Now available online through The Book Depository
Check it out on YouTube

Body Confident Seminar

Thank you to everyone who attended our online presentation with Suzie from the Butterfly Foundation. 

The video of the presentation is now available until Friday 10 June. The video can be found on the Wellbeing Hub page on KicOnline, here.  

Please note: this video is the property of the Butterfly Foundation and cannot be recorded or downloaded. 

We welcome your feedback to the session via this short survey (if you haven’t completed it already): Body Confidence Parent Webinar Survey 

Cybersafety Seminar for Parents with Leading Senior Constable Robert Noggler

This week Leading Senior Constable Robert Noggler, the Youth Resource Officer for the Western Region Division, came and presented a Cybersafety seminar to our Upper Primary and Senior School students on Tuesday. To support a whole school approach on this information topic, a parent session will be held on Tuesday 7 June in the College Hall.

Following the presentation, College staff will join Robbie to answer your questions.  The staff in attendance will include:

Jade Preedy – Head of Wellbeing
Kath O’Neill – Deputy Head of Senior School (Pastoral Care)
Izabella Haby – Head of Upper Primary
Diana Murase – Director of IT

We encourage you to attend. Please CLICK here to register.  As part of the registration process, there is the opportunity to raise specific questions or areas of interest.

Upcoming Webinar: Gaming & Young People

To register your interest: https://bit.ly/3vrz7Lu

School TV – Friendship and Belonging

 

It is not always easy for children and teenagers to always know how to manage friendships. Learning how to make new friends and keep them involves a number of skills every young person needs to understand and develop. For some these skills will come very naturally, allowing them to easily move between different friendship groups, sharing their experiences and opening up to new people. For others, this can be much harder to navigate. Belonging to a group that is like-minded with similar interests is highly beneficial to a child’s wellbeing. Friendships are full of ups and downs and it is better for kids to learn how to manage and build their own friendships, even though as an adult carer you may be tempted to interfere. 

Click here to watch this episode:
https://kardinia.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter/friendship-belonging

Kardinia International College

PO Box 17
Geelong, Victoria 3220

+61 3 5278 9999
kardinia@kardinia.vic.edu.au

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