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Kardinia eNews – Wednesday 2 February 2022

Home Kardinia eNews – Wednesday 2 February 2022

From the Principal

It has been wonderful to see all our students back on campus at the start of this school year.

Even for seasoned staff, parents and students there is always a lot to take in at the start of the year, more so for the new members of our community. The really encouraging feedback I have had though, is how helpful people have been in making our new staff and students feel welcome at Kardinia. A welcoming and inclusive community is certainly something I really want to see evident within our school and is aligned with our school motto of Wisdom leads to Respect and Friendship.

I hope that the smooth and positive start to the school year continues and that we can experience a less disrupted year than in previous years. However, we are prepared to roll with the times and do whatever we can regardless of the circumstances to provide great educational outcomes for all our students.

I look forward to sharing with you many exciting and positive stories about our students and community over the course of this year.

From the Head of Senior School

Dear Parents,
This week the Senior School welcomed new staff members, 235 new Year 7 students and 42 new students into Year 8-12.

The new staff members include:

  • Rohan Donnelly (Humanities)
  • Steve Andrew (Mathematics)
  • Katherine Fitzgerald (Mathematics)
  • Najat Baqtatouche (French)
  • Felicity Nagel (Physical Education)
  • Liesel Cooke (Learning Diversity and Inclusion)
  • Danielle Flack (Careers)
  • Melissa Nantsou (Science)
  • Analea McKee – Sports Trainee (Not employed by KIC)

The new Year 7 students have been enjoying induction activities over the course of this week and will join their timetabled classes from Monday.

We wish all of our new staff and students a very positive and enriching association with the College.

Over this week and next I will have the opportunity to remind all students of the things which matter at KIC and which keep our school such a positive, safe and successful one.

Nothing, of course, is more important than the respectful, inclusive, kind and positive way in which we interact with each other. Less important, but still significant is our careful observance of expectations related to uniform and technology.

  • Students must wear a wide-brim College hat at recess and lunchtime, while outside a building.
  • The new straight hem shirt is proving popular. It may be worn outside trousers and shorts. All other shirts must be tucked.
  • Ear pods and phones must be turned off and remain unused in students’ lockers between 9.00am and 3.20pm.

To assist in ensuring everyone’s health and wellbeing during the pandemic, please ensure that your child has a mask and encourage them to wear it correctly while on a bus and inside the campus.

Finally, just a reminder that all cars using the Senior carpark between 3.15 and 3.40 may only exit via the lower gate onto Ballarat rd.

Regards,

Geoff Woolard
Head of Senior School

From the Head of Junior School

Students have returned to school with lots of excitement and energy. The Junior School has come alive this week with the return of our students who have settled in very well.  

Along with some new students, we have also welcomed the following new staff members: 

  • Liz Kearney, Holly Huang and Jess Massey – Kindergarten co-educators 
  • Mitch Hough – Lower Primary PE teacher 
  • Karli Mynott – Year 5/6 Japanese 
  • Lucinda Perri – Y1 and FY Learning Diversity and Inclusion teacher 
  • Bronwen Seal – FY Learning Support Officer 
  • Brittney Wrigley – FY teacher 
  • Sarah Stuart – Year 1 teacher 
  • Bella Anketell-Costa – Year 3 teacher 
  • Josephine Coad – Year 4 teacher 

The independence our young students show from day one is remarkable. Our 4YO kindergarten students have enjoyed Orientation Week so far and showed great independence waving their parents goodbye at the gate this morning. 

The Year 1 and Year 2 swimming program has also started well with students ‘diving’ into their lessons straight away.  

Our Year 3’s seem immensely proud to be in the Upper Primary now. The Year 4’s have taken on the responsibility of being good role models for the Year 3’s, with our Year 5 students loving their new Grove campus. Year 6 students have commented how grown up they feel wearing their blazers and are looking forward to their final year of Junior School.  

I look forward to welcoming our youngest students when they start 3YO kindergarten tomorrow. 

 

Today the first steel frame was erected in the new JS building. The structure is part of our new Foundation Year classrooms adjacent to the Kindergarten. It will be exciting to see the remainder of the frame go up over the next week or so. 

From the Head of Student Wellbeing JS

It’s been wonderful to see all our students come back to school so happy despite the many challenges we’ve been faced with over the holidays. One of my favourite times of day is my morning duty when I get to say hello and watch the students’ faces light up when they see their friends. It’s only the first week and so many come in with such a sense of independence and confidence, even many of our FY students!

With COVID guidelines changing our routines again, I know that some children may have questions or worries, particularly about the Rapid Antigen Testing. This is a ‘social story’ which might be helpful to watch with your children: Doing a Rapid Antigen Test. It’s a great way to explain the process and talk about the feelings they might have.

Another resource that I love to share is the Action for Happiness calendar for the month. This month it is ‘Friendly February’, which encourages us to connect with others and spread kindness.

Our students have been so adaptable to the many changes we’ve encountered during the last 2 years and have developed their resilience along the way. I know our all our staff will nurture this through our various wellbeing programs and that this will put them in good stead for any further challenges we may face this year.

KIC Taiko Club

Taiko is Japanese drumming. Every Wednesday from 15:35-16:00, in KIC Taiko club, we practice. Practice sessions continue every Wednesday until KIC Founders’ Day assembly, where the group will perform on stage in front of the whole school. It starts on Wednesday 9th Feb, in the P4 music room. (Then, we move to Centrepoint café for COVID protocol.) Students from Year 4 to Year 12 are welcome. If you are interested, please send an Email to Mr. Ota at y.ota@kardinia.vic.edu.au

Safer Internet Day 2022

Safer Internet Day is a global initiative that brings families, schools, organisations and governments from 170 countries together to raise awareness about online safety.

This year Safer Internet Day will be held next Tuesday, 8th February, with the theme being ‘Play it Fair Online’. Our teachers will be taking this opportunity to prompt discussions with our students about how to stay safe, be respectful and kind when online.

The eSafety Commissioner website also has some fantastic resources for parents, which can be found here: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents

Kardinia Rowing Club

The Kardinia Rowing Club raced over the weekend at the Barwon Regatta here in Geelong. We boated 5 crews across 9 events. There was some great racing with many students competing in their first Regatta. All crews competed at the top of their divisions showing great sportsmanship and determination. We had an impressive 7 ‘A finals’ from the 9 events with 2 wins. Our Under 17 quad won the Senior Girls Coxed Quad Scull Division 3 and our Junior Girls won the Female Beginners Coxed Quad Scull.  Congratulations to all students who competed and represented the College so well.   Looking forward to next weekend where we have again all crews (girls and boys) competing in Regattas in Geelong and Ballarat.

Managing Mental Health – Seminar

Please see the flyer below for information about City of Greater Geelong’s ‘Managing Mental Health Issues in our Young People’ seminar.

School TV

When a child starts high school, they are suddenly becoming one of the youngest and newest kids at school all over again – a small fish in a big pond! The transition between Year 6 and Year 7 is one of the biggest jumps in a child’s life and is a very important milestone. This can easily become a daunting time for students and parents alike.

Starting Year 7 poses many new challenges, but also exciting opportunities. It comes with a number of mixed feelings. Unfortunately for many Grade 6 students, 2020 was marred with school closures and remote learning due to the pandemic and the overall impact of this is still unknown. Studies have shown that the mental health of this age group already appeared to be deteriorating before coronavirus hit and it is expected that cases of anxiety and depression will be on the rise.

For many students, regular orientation activities at the end of 2020 were less than ideal. Therefore, many students may be feeling a little bit more anxious than usual about their expectations of starting Year 7 and finding their place in the “big pond”. As your child grasps new skills and engages in new study practices, it is important for parents to be supportive, but also realistic in their expectations. Parents and students can easily become overwhelmed during this time of transition, but there are a number of strategies that can be implemented to start things off on the right foot!

Click here to watch this episode:
https://kardinia.vic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-starting-year-7

Kardinia International College

PO Box 17
Geelong, Victoria 3220

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

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