From the Principal
Last week I had the opportunity to visit our team at Kardinia Sum Pun in Chiang Mai. It was the first time I had seen the team face-to-face since 2019.
While I have had lots of Zoom meetings with them, there was nothing quite like visiting and getting to see the staff and the campus in-person. I was able to present Khun Jeab with her 15-year service award from the College and then present Khun A and Khun Noot with their 20-years of service awards. They were so excited and grateful to be recognised in such a way.
I was blown away by the renovations and upgrades that the team had undertaken at the campus and even more so by the way they had recycled and upcycled. They have made beautiful tables and chairs for the café space from the old doors and they have created a whole range of games out of the old floor boards. There is also an amazing pipe organ, with each pipe painted by a member of the team with Australian motifs.
Everything I saw spoke of how much the Sum Pun team love KIC and the incredible connection they have with our school and our students.
From the Acting Head of Senior School
We had a number of students compete in the Victorian All Schools Athletics Championships over the past two weekends, with great success.
Congratulations to:
- Bella Tarr – 3rd in the 17 Female 100m in a time of 12.77 seconds, 3rd in the 17 Female 400m with a time of 58.17 seconds, 3rd in the 17 Female 200m in a time of 26.03 seconds, and 3rd in the 17 Female Long Jump with a distance of 5.29m.
- James Leahy – 6th in the 18 Male 1500m in a time of 4:08.61 minutes, and 8th in the 18 Male 800m with a time of 2:00.89 minutes.
- Oliver Bradshaw – 18th in the 18 Male 1500m with a time of 4:28.92.
- Johnny McKeague – 3rd in the 17 Male High Jump with a height of 1.84m.
- Charles Leahy – 6th in the 18 Male 800m with a time of 1:59.07.
- Angus Borschmann – 7th in the 16 Male 800m with a time of 2:05.27.
- Luke Jackson – 3rd in the 14 Male Pole Vault with a height of 1.80m.
We have students who train hard week after week in all different sports, and it’s lovely to be able to celebrate successes such as these with our school community.
Pictured: Charles Leahy, Angus Borschmann and James Leahy
From the Head of Junior School
Staff Professional Learning
On Monday this week, staff engaged in professional learning that focused on wellbeing. Meg Durham from Open Mind Education engaged staff in a valuable session exploring the essential elements of wellbeing. On Tuesday, staff engaged in a day of learning about the PYP Approaches to Learning (ATLs). The ATLs include social skills, research skills, thinking skills, communication skills and self-management skills and are embedded in our Junior School curriculum.
Kardinia Showcase Concert
For an amazing evening of musical entertainment, don’t miss the Kardinia Showcase Concert to be held at the Katsumata Centre on Wednesday 22 November, from 6:30 pm.
The program will feature the many ensembles, bands, orchestras and choirs throughout the college and will feature our own talented Junior School students in The Performance Choir, The Troubadours and Dynamics string ensembles. A unique evening of amazingly talented students, don’ t miss it.
Parent Information Sessions
The following parent information sessions are planned for the coming weeks.
- Kindergarten Information Session 2024 – Wednesday 15 November
- Year 5 Grove Information Session 2024 – Thursday 16 November
- Foundation Year Information Session 2024 – Thursday 23 November
Junior School Orientation Day
Orientation Day for all 2024 FY-Y6 students will be Wednesday 29 November. On this day students will get to meet their 2024 classmates and teachers.
Christmas Picnic
The Junior School Christmas Picnic will be held from 5.30 - 7.30 pm on Thursday 30 November in the Katsumata Centre and will feature local favourites the Mik Maks, and JS student choirs. Parents and students are invited to bring a picnic, spread out with friends, and enjoy the festivities.
Sport News
KIC Cup Judo Games
On Friday the 24th of November the Judo Club will host the KIC Cup Judo Games in the Old Gym. The Games / Tournament is an event created for the HPA11 Defending Fitness class, an assessment task in which the students test their judo skills. In the early years the classes travelled to Melbourne or Bendigo to take part in Judo Victoria tournaments. However from 2007 onwards it was decided to hold tournaments here, hosted by the judo club. Since then over 2,500 have competed in the Cup. Judoka from Geelong, Melbourne, Bendigo, Ballarat, Darwin and Traralgon have travelled here to take part. Eight of the club’s Australian Champions gained competition experience in the Cup, which has had four Australian Olympians act as guest referees.
The KIC Cup has seen some epic tales. There was Michal Valent, who never lost a bout in ten years of KIC Cup appearances. There were Sakura Tajiri and Luca Aiberti who as juniors both fought epic Golden Score battles of such length that the next year we introduced a 1 minute limit on Golden Score extra time bouts. One winner of the Fighting Spirit award was a young Cross-Country runner who insisted on training and competing in spite of carrying a broken big toe.
The KIC Cup on November 24th will be the last Cup run for the benefit of the Defending Fitness classes, as the Defending Fitness class will conclude when I leave the College at the end of the year. Next year there will be KIC Cup tournaments, but these will be run for the judo club only and then on Sundays. So this last tournament will be something special and I hope that all those who take part have a particularly good time.
I am looking for any judo club parents who will be able to help out with running the BBQ we always run. If you can lend a hand with the BBQ please let me know.
Music News
Community Engagement and Foundation News
Where Are They Now
Vanessa Mantella - Class of 2009
Vanessa Mantella graduated from Kardinia back in 2009 and will celebrate her 15 Year Reunion next year! The Kardinians caught up with Vanessa recently and asked the young mum of two, to share her story:
"...life has been busy! I’m a lawyer but currently on maternity leave from my legal role as we welcomed our second little one, Cruz, into the world this year. Last year, my husband Chris and I eloped in Port Douglas with just a small gathering of close family and friends.
After finishing school in 2009, I headed to uni, with lots of travel adventures sprinkled in (including spending some time on a Chiang Mai trip as a volunteer with Kardinia students in 2011, which was SO amazing to be able to head back and experience a Chiang Mai trip again). I completed a double degree at Deakin University in 2014, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts/Law with Honours. Following that, I completed a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice at the Leo Cussen Centre for Law in Melbourne in 2015 and was admitted as a lawyer to the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2015.
In between working full time and after welcoming Olive into the world, I continued studying - I recently graduated in 2022 with a Master of Laws, specialising in Employment and Labour Relations Law at the University of Melbourne. I've also had the opportunity to work at various places in the legal industry and I am currently working at the Fair Work Commission.
In 2019, during my first maternity leave, I started my own business, "A Simple Wish Events," which has grown amazingly since then. My business was recently named a finalist in the Geelong Chamber of Commerce Geelong Business Excellence Awards. My little business has two employees who are an amazing help and thanks to them I’ve been able to have a lovely work life balance. Here is a link to my business if you wanted to see what it’s all about: www.instagram.com/asimplewishevents
I have really loved reconnecting with the Kardinia community in a new way since Olive has begun kinder in 2022. Olive will be starting school at Kardinia in Foundation year next year!"
Chloe Perrett - Class of 2018
The Kardinians caught up with Chloe Perrett to find out what she has been up to since Graduating back in 2018:
"After graduating high school, I knew I wanted to be in a career that looked after people. On a whim, I discovered Clinical Optometry, and decided that I wanted to help prevent blindness and treat common eye disease.
I began my Bachelors of Vision Science in 2020 after a gap year, where I was able to fast track my studies and attain my Masters of Optometry in 2023. In this degree I carried out research that focussed on treatment protocols for glaucoma.
I now work as a Clinical Optometrist on the Surfcoast, where I see many members of the local community for their eyecare needs. Some of my responsibilities include glaucoma comanagent, paediatric eyecare, foreign body removal and macular disease detection.
Whilst on my gap year, I continued to song-write and perform as a local musician. Since starting my new career, I haven't had the time to play as many gigs as I used to, but I still love a jam with my family and friends."
Congratulations Chloe and Vanessa! The Kardinians love hearing the variety of paths our alumni have pursued. Some are established in their careers while others are just beginning; some are currently studying or starting an apprenticeship, while others are starting a family, travelling, volunteering or exploring options. Whatever stage you are up to, we'd love to hear from you!
Community Engagement
Social Justice Committee Fundraiser
Congratulations to the Social Justice Committee on their Halloween-themed Morocco fundraising event. In September this year, Morocco was hit with a 6.8-magnitude earthquake, and they need help recovering and rebuilding. On Tuesday 31 October, students were encouraged to bring a gold coin and wear a Halloween accessory, as well as purchase a candy treat during recess or lunch. Approximately $950 was raised, with all funds going to UNICEF to support the people of Morocco impacted by this disaster.
Fiona Russell - Community Engagement & Foundation Coordinator
From the Archives
Carols at Kardinia
With Christmas less than 8 weeks away, the Archives looks back at the very first Carols at Kardinia in 1996.
“On Thursday 5th December 1996, the College finished the year with an exciting night under the stars. The gathering began at 6:30 pm with a picnic tea on the lawns in the main quadrangle. A stage was set up, spotlights erected and the large tree in the centre adorned with lights. It provided a spectacular setting for a series of quality items from the secondary and kindergarten students.
Paul Dowie hosted the proceedings in festive red braces. The Kindergarten students performed a role play and song. The Secondary students performed excerpts from Grease. Their singing and dancing was a real hit. The staff and students also took turns leading the singing of several carols that were interspersed throughout the evening. We were very fortunate to have had the Salvation Army Band accompany our carol singing. Father Christmas made a special entrance from the balcony area of the quadrangle. As well as the families of Secondary and Kindergarten children, the families of students enrolled in 1997 also attended the evening. The evening proved to be a tremendous way of celebrating the end of the first year.”
Dowie, P. Kardinia International College - The First Ten Years - 1996 to 2005.
Photo Credits: Kardinia Archive Collection.
Fiona Russell - College Archivist .
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 well-being. 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
