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Kardinia eNews – Wednesday 27 October 2021

Home Kardinia eNews – Wednesday 27 October 2021

From the Principal

With the sun shining, everyone back at school this week and restrictions easing further, there feels like there is a greater sense of hope in the air. Nevertheless, we remain cautious and are working hard to keep our staff and students in a healthy environment here at school.  

I look forward to the day when I can smile at students without my mask on and see them smiling back. For now, I feel more like the mask police reminding everyone to put on or pull up their masks, but it is short term pain for what I hope is long term gain.  

For many of our students this will be their first full week of school in months so they may be a bit tired by the end of the week as it will take time to readjust. 

As our Year 12s and many Year 11s start their final exams this week, I wish them all the very best. I hope they know that, particularly after what they have been through this year, we are so very proud of them for what they have achieved, regardless of their results. 

From the Head of Junior School

It is fantastic to have all students back on site. Schools are much better places when there’s a buzz in the air and we certainly have seen that over the past week or so. Students are happy and excited to be back on site, learning, laughing and playing with their friends. 

Please also be reminded that Melbourne Cup Day is a normal school day for students next Tuesday 2 November. We look forward to seeing all the students at school on this day. 

Book Week
Next week we will celebrate Book Week. The main event will be Dress Up Day on Wednesday 3 November. Check out the flyer below for further details. 

Instrumental Music 2022 
If your child is interested in learning to play a musical instrument, or would like to continue learning through our program, please complete the Instrumental Music Application Form and email to music@kardinia.vic.edu.au

COVID Update 
We are looking forward to some restrictions being eased later this term. Further information about this will be shared with parents as it becomes available. In the meantime, thank you to all families for remaining vigilant and following the protocols already in place. A copy of the guidelines for students and parents can be found here.

Congratulations Year 12

Congratulations to all Year 12 IB and VCE students for their resilience, tenacity and positivity over the last couple of years! You’ve got this!

Wishing all VCE students the very best today, as they kick off with their English exam, including our Co-Captain Matilda Broad, as covered by the Geelong Advertiser.

Congratulations for Gold Duke of Ed Awards

Congratulations to Olivia Lockhart (Year 12) and Lara Skerratt (Year 12) on completing their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards! Olivia and Lara have been exceptional participants having previously completed their Bronze and Silver Awards. In recognition of this fantastic achievement there will be a special ceremony held at Government House when restrictions have eased.

Well done Olivia and Lara!

GoKIC News

Due to COVID-19 the College has been unable to run our exchange program, but through GoKIC families have been able to create international friendships despite the pandemic. GoKIC will recommence Zoom conversations on Thursday 4 November with our sister school, Gotemba Nishi High School.

Senior School students are welcome to express their interest to Mr Ota via email: y.ota@kardinia.vic.edu.au

From the Head of Wellbeing – Junior School

Now that we have all returned to school, you might find your child is starting to ask questions about this ‘new normal’ phase we find ourselves in. As with other topics, how and how much you talk about COVID and its potential impact is entirely a family decision. However, it can sometimes be difficult to judge what level of information is appropriate.

To support this, the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne has some excellent resources that can help facilitate these discussions: https://www.rch.org.au/ccch/covid-19/#covid-19-and-kids. 

There is also a handy fact sheet created by the government about vaccines: https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/07/covid-19-vaccination-what-is-the-covid-19-vaccine-easy-read.pdf which is a good starting point for conversations. 

Other information about parenting topics can be found in our SchoolTV section on our KIC Wellbeing Hub page.

School TV

Managing Overwhelm

Willingly or not, we have all been exposed to a piece of bad news that has lingered in our thoughts for days afterwards. This seems to be more common in the current environment than ever before. Due to the pandemic, the world we now live in is a very different place, so it is easy to see why we might feel impacted. It can often seem like there are many stressful events occurring simultaneously, and the hyperconnected nature of our environment means we are constantly being reminded of the challenges we face via numerous media and social media channels. Our connectivity to the digital world exposes us to a barrage of messages that can often leave us feeling overwhelmed. 

It is therefore important for children and parents alike, to consciously and intentionally learn good wellbeing strategies. Unfortunately, our brains have not evolved fast enough to adapt to the digital landscape we find ourselves in and this often leaves us feeling overwhelmed and can result in increased levels of stress and anxiety. If left untreated or unmanaged, constant stress and anxiety can lead to a number of behavioural issues or health consequences. 

The blueprint for parenting, based on our own experiences, is no longer fit for purpose in raising kids as citizens of tomorrow. The combination of constant access to information and having little control over the situations presented, can be stressful and overwhelming. Although we can’t provide our kids with certainty, we can provide them with the skills and strategies to cope to enable them to flourish and thrive, socially, emotionally and academically. It may not necessarily be the information itself that is harmful, but more their inability to process and make sense of it. 

 Click here to watch this episode:  https://kardinia.vic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-managing-overwhelm 

Kardinia International College

PO Box 17
Geelong, Victoria 3220

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

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