From the Principal
I am delighted to share with you all that last week we once again won the Excellence in Global Learning Award for non-government schools at the Victorian Global Learning Awards. The award recognises not only our Overseas Students program, but also our commitment to global learning through our Chiang Mai program, our sister school relationships with Gotemba Nishi High School and St Alyre in France, as well as our cornerstone of International Mindedness. I am very proud of the work of our staff who support our international students, our wonderful homestay families and our staff and students who continue to try and work towards our vision of developing knowledgeable and compassionate globally minded citizens, who act as agents of positive and sustainable change.
From the Acting Head of Junior School
Art, Outdoor Education and connections to local Indigenous culture
Last week, I spent some time in Jen Dowie’s fantastic Art session. During the session, I learned the name “You Yangs” comes from the local Wadawurrung Aboriginal words Wurdi Youang or Ude Youang, which could have any number of meanings: “big mountain in the middle of a plain”, “big or large hill”, or “bald”. The Wadawurrung have camped and hunted on the open, grassy plains for thousands of years. Jen skilfully wove these conversations into the lesson which focussed on painting a landscape. On the same day, our Year 5 students spent the day at the You Yangs on a bike hike. These bikes hikes are a wonderful element of our Outdoor Education program. Tapping into the amazing local environment and culture is greatly valued by our students and staff.
Foundation Year Worms
On Tuesday our Foundation Year students hosted James McLennan. James works for Grassroots Sustainability, and he is an expert on worms (the garden variety). During this incursion, students learned about the important role that worms play in the environment. This learning relates to the Foundation Year, "Sharing the Planet" unit.
In PYP schools we organise the learning with a Central Idea and Lines of Inquiry. The Central Idea is the overarching idea which is explored throughout a unit. In this Foundation Year case it is:
Central Idea:
Living things depend on each other in order to survive and thrive.
To explore a Central Idea, we use Lines of Inquiry. These Lines of Inquiry break down the inquiry a little, and support learners to develop a deep understanding of the Central Idea.
Lines of inquiry:
What enables living things to transform from surviving to thriving? (Change)
How living things are connected (connection)
Actions we can take to look after living things (responsibility)
The Foundation Year students are enjoying using the Foundation Year garden to put their theories to the test during this fascinating unit.
Congratulations to two Soccer Stars
Congratulations to Cruz Tanic and Sebastian Juresko who represented Geelong together in the Victorian Country Champs soccer tournament over the long weekend in Ballarat. Their team had a fantastic first day winning 9 - 0 v Shepparton, 4 - 0 v Ballarat and 5 - 0 v Bendigo. They lost their fourth game 1 - 3 to Albury. The team qualified for the semi-final, but unfortunately lost 0 - 2 to the Geelong South team.
Well done to both boys, great achievement.
Semester One Reports
Semester one reports will be published for families early in week 9. This timing allows families to contact the teachers to clarify any questions they might have before the school breaks for holidays and a well-earned rest for teachers and students.
Grove made Jam and Treats
Congratulations to our Year 5 students. The team managed to grow raspberries, harvest them, bottle them, then sell the jam at the Grove Friday market. This has been a really rich learning experience for all involved.
Morning Melodies Monday 19 June
Morning Melodies will be held in period one in the Katsumata Centre next Monday 19 June. Please feel free to come along and enjoy the entertainment.
An Important Message from the Year 6 Planeteers
Did you know…
Hens are kept in cages less than the size of an A4 piece of paper with no room to play and move? Roosters are killed when they are just chicks, and chickens don’t live for very long as they put all their energy into laying eggs. Battery chickens suffer an unacceptable amount of stress as they don’t get the freedom they deserve, such as free roaming, foraging, dust bathing and sunshine. Hens never see the sun in their lives. People often buy caged eggs in supermarkets as they are cheaper. Egg labels can also be deceiving, saying phrases like, ‘Farm fresh’! Our hens get quality food and water!’ Unfortunately, the government and most of the egg industry want battery farms to continue. Can you help us put an end to these cruel practices? To see if the eggs you are buying are coming from humane farms, check how many hens per square metre and ALWAYS purchase, free range, pastured or RSPCA approved eggs.
For more information and how to take action, visit:
https://www.rspca.org.au/take-action/layer-hens
https://rspcaapproved.org.au/news/why-battery-cages-are-cruel/
Performing Arts News
Frankenstein
Kardinia College Hall saw the raising of the dead in the form of R.N. Sandberg’s version of ‘Frankenstein’. The production was produced and designed by the students in Theatre Studies as part of there extensive course work. The cast consisted of Ellie Shanahan (Victor Frankenstein), Amelia McIntosh (Creature), Matilda Corliss (Walton, Father & Professor), Jasmine Anderson (Elizabeth), Ciara Molloy (Justine), Emma Baker (Creature’s Mate) and Gemma Daw Lee (Mother).
The team would like to extend their thanks to students: Tess Dorris (lighting operator), Belle Witcombe (sound operator) and staff members: Phil Houghton, Andrea Crosbie, Jac Flood, Kate Birley and Sam Nevin.
Japanese News
GoKIC
Recently our Level A (Year 7 standard) and VCE Japanese classes participated in our GoKIC Zoom program. They enjoyed speaking to students form our sister school, Gotemba Nishi High School in Japan. They introduced each other, talked about; family, friends, hobbies, sports, music, etc. The communication was sometimes in Japanese and sometimes in English. GoKIC takes place throughout a year, both in and out of class. It is a great way to practice language skills and build friendships with our sister school in Japan.
Careers GoKIC
This is the fourth year running our successful Zoom based program and we are looking for 5 Kardinia International College students who are interested in studying medicine, nursing or pharmaceuticals for their tertiary education. GoKIC students will communicate, in English or Japanese, via Zoom with students from Gotemba Nishi High School who are also interested in these courses. To be selected students should be available for approximately 30 minutes per session on all Thursdays, including 29 June, 6 July and 13 July starting from 5:30pm Australian eastern standard time.
If you would like to join, please contact Mr Ota via email: y.ota@kardinia.vic.edu.au, be quick spaces are limited!
Is Vaping our New Pandemic?
On Tuesday 30 May, Barwon Health, in partnership with Deakin University, presented on the data and concerns about young people who are using e-cigarettes (vaping). Please find a link to the recording attached here and use the passcode: gG3gE#5M to gain access.
The survey at the end of the presentation remains open and Barwon Health would appreciate your thoughts and comments. You can also access additional information on the Barwon Health webpage.
Careers News
Success looks different to everyone.
Have you considered the last time you celebrated your own success or achievement? By pausing to celebrate or simply acknowledge our success we attach gratitude to it and provide ourselves with the opportunity to feel successful.
What does success look like for you today?
What will success look like for you this week? This month? This year?
Goal setting is really important, as it gives us direction, meaning and purpose for each day. Having something to work towards, a target to achieve can be productive. This doesn’t mean that if you don’t know what you want in the future that you can't be successful. It just means that you might need to devote some time to research, reflection and making the most of opportunities.
For our Year 12 students, the end of Term 2 can be the cause of some stress as they have one more term of formal learning that occurs before revision and exams. It can also be a time when people in their lives start to question them about their future. Asking a young person what does next year look like for you? What are you hoping to achieve this year? Do you have an idea of a potential career pathway? These can all be anxiety triggering questions for a young person who doesn’t yet have all the answers.
Some useful strategies for students, parents and family members are to have conversations and provide opportunity for reflection around skills, strengths and areas of interest or passion. Often, finding out an area of interest, passion or a subject or career prospect that generates excitement is something to continue to discuss and research further.
Keeping the conversations flowing and open is really important to assist young people in making decisions that take them a step closer to their future pathway options. Ideally, at the end of Year 12, all students want to have many options, opportunities and choices available to them. It can be really helpful for a young person to know what they don’t want. Where they don’t want to work, where they wouldn’t be happy or find enjoyment.
Reflection is a very powerful tool and way to spend some time each week. Where have you experienced success? Where have you experienced the most enjoyment? Can you research these areas further to see if a potential career pathway is waiting for you?
Helpful Resources:
Tips for finding balance as a student
Tips for finding balance as a student
Career bullseyes - Start exploring career pathways by selecting a learning area you enjoy
https://myfuture.edu.au/bullseyes
How do you think about jobs?
The Big Freeze is Returning for 2023
The College is aiming to raise $3,000 towards MND (Motor Neurone Disease) research, in an effort to find a cure for this devastating disease. It only takes a minute and any donation (no matter how large or small) will go a long way to helping us reach our target. Together we can beat the beast that is MND.
This year Ms Woods, Ms O'Neill, Mr Ota, Mr Reuben, Ms Mahr and Mr Harding are our amazing volunteers so far!
Please support our amazing teachers through our donation link and following along for updates on the KIC Big Freeze webpage!
Judo News
Australian Judo Championships Gold Coast 2023
This year three members of the Kardinia Judo Club, Dylan Keirl, Marlee Keirl and Jimmy Gibbs, plus Kardinia alumni Jules Aiberti flew to the Gold Coast to compete in the Australian Judo Championships.
Dylan and Marlee were competing for the first ever time, so the major goal for each was to acclimatise to the overwhelming atmosphere of the stadium, which is a big step up from local or even Melbourne tournaments. Both managed to overcome the nerves to win one bout each in their age/weight divisions, which was very pleasing.
Although Jimmy is a seasoned competitor at the National Level, he was competing in the far more challenging Cadet (u/18) division for the first time at a National tournament. He surpassed all expectations to win a bronze medal in the u/73 kg division, after winning an enthralling battle in the Bronze medal final. The entire stadium was fixated on their mat as Jimmy won with an emphatic and spectacular throw that I will certainly remember for a long time!
Kardinia alumni Jules Aiberti also met with success, winning Gold in the 66kg Cadet division. This was done under the burden of expectation, as Jules was the clear favourite going into the tournament.
Congratulations go to all of our competitors, who completed a three month stint of State Training at Albert Park Lake each weekend in order to earn their place on the State Team. My thanks go to parents Brad, Marita and Chan for their support and help throughout the competition. As I was busy rushing around fulfilling State Coaching duties, it was a great help to be able to rely on everybody when needed.
Next year I would love to take a team of ten people to the Australian Judo Championships. Preparation for that begins this weekend at the Judo Bendigo tournament, so judo parents, please sign your child’s name for a seat on the bus!
Co Curricular News
Junior School Years 2 - 6 Chess program
We are seeking Homestay Families!
Are you interested in becoming a Homestay family? We are seeking new families to host international students while they are studying at Kardinia. For more information, please contact Hiroko Suzuki via email at h.suzuki@kardinia.vic.edu.au
Community Engagement and Foundation News
Upcoming GEMS. Reunion
The GEMS are Kardinia’s Great Ex Members of Staff. Members are invited to catch up once a term for a casual social gathering, as well as being invited to College community events.
The next GEMS reunion is on Thursday 22 June. Please contact Fiona Russell for further information and registration. f.russell@kardinia.vic.edu.au
Where are they now? - Katie Dunn- Class of 2012
The Kardinians recently caught up with Katie Dunn:
"Since graduating school, I went to Deakin University in Geelong and studied teaching for four years while working part time. At the end of 2016 I secured a job at Bellbrae PS and worked in a Year 3 classroom for three years. In 2020, I did some travel, some relief work and some fixed term. In 2021 I worked for 6 months at Torquay Coast PS before moving to Perth, WA in July. In 2022 I got a job in a Year 2/3 classroom at Comet Bay Primary School which in the suburb where Adam and I bought our first house. Adam works as a paramedic in Mandurah.
In 2022 I also did my certification in Pilates instructing, so after completing all my hours and prac and written assessments I have started working at a local studio assisting and teaching 3-4 classes a week."
Fiona Russell- Community Engagement & Foundation Coordinator
School TV - Happiness and Gratitude
Happiness is defined as the balance of positive and negative emotions, combined with overall life satisfaction. Happiness and gratitude have been studied in positive psychology for many years and researchers have found that gratitude is always strongly associated with greater happiness. Although everyone has their own definition of happiness, many of us want to feel more positive emotions than negative ones. However, negative emotions are still important. They have a lot to teach us and alert us when things need to change. Practising gratitude helps people feel more of the positive emotions, enable us to relish good experiences, improve our overall health, deal with adversity and build strong relationships.
Click here to watch this episode:
https://kardinia.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter/happiness-gratitude
From the Archives
Early Productions - Part 2
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
In 2000, Ian Campbell took on the direction of the musical ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. This timeless story of a poor and honest boy who wins a trip to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory included a variety of quirky and entertaining characters. For the first time, both the Junior School and the Senior School were involved, and the College Hall became transformed into a giant chocolate factory. Almost every aspect of the production was commended by the Kudos Awards with nominations in the categories of Creative Design, Ensemble, and Best Production. To great acclaim, the Kudos Lead Performance Award was won by Vincent Golding. Ultimately, the production of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ won the prestigious Kudos Best Production Award for 2000.
In Your Dreams
In 2001 ‘In Your Dreams’, a modern rock musical based on Shakespeare’s much-loved comedy, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ was performed in the Ford Theatre, GPAC, again directed by Ian Campbell. Written by local musicians, Gary Wong and Rob Robson, the show was full of energy and imagination, set around a fictitious high school, its debutante ball preparations and the disappearance of students into a local forest full of ‘ferals’. This was the first time this production had been staged in its hometown of Geelong. Strong vocals were provided by Jacob Burke, Sebastian Trevalla, James Robertson and Christian Cavallo. Sebastian Trevalla thrilled the audience with his spectacular entrance on roller blades and his antics on a blade scooter. The female leads included Claire Temple, Hilary O’Dwyer and Georgia Friend. Ben and Adam Russell, Catherine Dunbar, Chris Swain, Alex Heath, Jessica Tandberg and ‘BoBo the Wonder Dog’ also provided plenty of hilarity in their comedic roles with Kat Barrand, Stefan Popovic and Paula Bloodworth entertaining the audience in their roles as teachers. Kardinia International College received ten Kudos nominations in 2001, seven for ‘In Your Dreams’. The Kudos Ensemble Award was won by the College for this production.
Credits:
Dowie, P & Russell, F. Kardinia International College- Celebrating Twenty Years- 1996 to 2015. “College Productions” J. Russell
The next article features ‘EARLY PRODUCTIONS-PART 3’
Fiona Russell- Archivist
School Holiday programs
