From the Principal
Last night I had the privilege of attending the Deakin University Indigenous Oration at The Edge in Federation Square.
It was an inspirational evening with the Oration presented by Tanya Hosch. With a long and distinguished history in policy, advocacy and governance, Tanya is the Executive General Manager of Inclusion and Social Policy at the Australian Football League and the 2021 South Australian of the Year.
Tanya’s theme for the evening was Dare to Hope and she described how, with her own personal challenges and the results of the voice referendum, it would have been so easy to have given up hope and yet hope is what keeps her going. It was a message of resilience and a determination to not give up hope in the face of adversity but to continue to move forward as positively and optimistically as you can.
There were also two special performances by Uncle Herb Patten, an extraordinary gum leaf musician and Mitch Tambo, Deakin alumnus who sings contemporary music in his indigenous language. He performed Great Southern Land and You’re the Voice and it gave me goosebumps listening to him.
I know there was such an outpouring of grief in our community for the passing of the wonderful Norm Jurrawaa Stanley. He is such a loss to our community but last night gave me a real sense of hope for the future and the continued path towards Reconciliation. I hope that for many years to come, the very positive influence that Jurrawaa had on our school community will continue. Learning to embrace different cultures and perspectives from our own is just one way we can honour his legacy.
Our International Student Council is helping us to experience different cultures during Multicultural Week. I am so looking forward to Friday, especially when students and staff are invited to come dressed in ways that demonstrate their cultural heritage.
From the Head of Senior School
We have celebrated a large number of student achievements this week in the Senior School and I’m pleased to share these with our College Community.
The Monash Scholar's Program is a prestigious program for high achieving secondary school students to give them a unique head start into university life. In 2024, the program has been running for 11 years. Students who are selected to join the program in Year 10 stay until the end of Year 12. Over 2 1/2 years, Scholars participate in a range of bespoke activities to enhance their learning; explore their career ambitions; define their personal aspirations; and build networks with other high-achieving students. In their application, students needed to demonstrate academic achievement, extra-curricular endeavours and articulate what a good leader looks like and how they display these qualities in their own lives. After a competitive selection process, Monash University is pleased to advise the Sebastian Brondou has been accepted into the 2024-2026 Monash Scholar's Cohort.
Over 30 Kardinia students from Years 6-12 took part in the Australian eSports League Minecraft National Build Challenge in Term 2. In this nation-wide competition, two of our students were awarded first place for their submission in the Years 10-12 pool. Focusing on the theme of "Literary Landscapes”, the first idea that came to mind for the eventual winners was 'Picnic at Hanging Rock'. Not only is it a well-known Australian classic centred on a key location – the Hanging Rock - but it was also a VCE English text that they were already familiar with. Congratulations to Bee Woodman and Yoyo Zhong for this outstanding achievement. Thank you also to Mr Adam Clissold for his work in facilitating this competition.
Over the holiday break, Miller Phillips danced and completed summer school at the Paris Opera Ballet School. Around 1000 candidates auditioned to attend the summer program at one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the world. The Summer School is addressed to young dancers between 10 and 19 years of age. The summer intensive is a unique opportunity for young dancers from all over the world to train at the world’s most ancient ballet school. The Summer School faculty includes teachers and pianists from the Paris Opera Ballet School and dancers from the Paris Opera Ballet Company. Congratulations Miller!
Finally, we celebrated some of our students for their efforts in class during Semester 1 at assembly on Monday. Application Awards are presented to students who have been identified as demonstrating excellent learning behaviours across multiple classes. Academic Awards are presented to students in recognition of their outstanding academic achievement. Please see the link below for a list of all students who received these awards.
From the Head of Junior School
Shrek Junior
Next week we are excited to showcase our talented Junior School cast and crew in a production of Shrek Junior. Tickets are available by clicking on the link below for shows on August 1,2 and 3.
https://events.humanitix.com/shrek-the-musical-junior-school-musical-2024
School Photos
Recently, families received information about School Photos being held from 1-6 August for FY-Y12 students. Further information, including a photo schedule and specific uniform information will be shared with families in the coming days.
Book Week
This year, Book Week will be celebrated from 17-23 August. To get the school week underway, students are invited to dress up on Monday 19 August to the theme of ‘Reading is Magic’. Parents and family members are invited to attend a Book Week Parade at 9.10am on this day. Further information about the parade and other Book Week activities will be shared soon.
Olympic Display
We are very fortunate in the Junior School to have access to a range of Olympic memorabilia. Thank you to Senior School teacher, Mr Neil Hick, for allowing us to display some of the Olympic items he has collected over the years during his involvement with Olympic teams. Students and families are welcome to visit the Upper Primary foyer to view the display. Thank you to Upper Primary students Sara and Chelsea for putting the display together so expertly. We look forward to the 2024 Olympic Games in France starting soon.
Upcoming School Photos
School Photos will take place on Thursday 1 August, Friday 2 August, Monday 5 August and Tuesday 6 August. All students will have their Tutor Group/Learning Group and individual school photos taken.
All families would have received a unique ordering code via email on Monday. Please refer to this email to register details for notifications and photo order processing.
All students must be in full academic school uniform for their photos. Students who have a Physical Education class on the day of their photos must still be in full academic school uniform - they should have both uniforms with them and change at school. For the Junior School, Kardinia Grove students will be in their Kardinia Grove uniform.
Please ensure that uniforms are in good repair and that students are fully compliant with all aspects of the uniform including those related to hair, facial hair, make-up and jewellery.
Families who wish to order sibling photos MUST REGISTER via the following link by 11:59pm on Friday 26 July.
Geelong Youth Awards
The Geelong Youth Awards were held on 28 June. The awards aim to recognise and celebrate young people who have made and/or are currently making significant contributions in the areas of leadership, innovation cultural awareness, community work, sport, arts, music and youth development. The awards are open to young people aged between 12 and 25 years old who live, work, learn and play in the City of Greater Geelong.
This year, there were a number of students nominated from our school community, and we would like to share a little more about their achievements.
This week, we will profile those nominated for the Active Achievement Award - recognising involvement in sport and recreation that has made an impact.
Angus Borschmann - Surf Lifesaving
Angus is an active patrol member at the Ocean Grove SLSC, mentoring younger members of the club through committee roles, as well as volunteering as a coach in the surf education program. He has had success in multiple fields from different sports, both in team and individual events as well as significant commitment and achievement in both academics and music. Angus is a recipient of the Bronze Duke of Edenborough Award and a recipient of the Melbourne University Kwong Lee Dow Scholarship.
His achievements include:
- 1st 2023 in the Wandi Cross U18 mountain race
- 3rd 2023 Rip to River U17 10km race
- 5th athletics state championships U16 800m
- State champion in multiple events at 2024 Victorian State Surf Life Saving Championships
- 7th 2km Run at Australian Surf Life Saving Championships
- Hockey - Selected to play for Geelong and in the Junior Country Champs
Bella Tarr - Athletics
Bella shows persistence and team work in her chosen field of athletics. Overcoming both the physical and emotional impact of injury and time away from her sport, to return at such a high level shows the commitment and determination Bella has.
Her achievements include:
- Silver at 2024 Australian Athletics National Championships 4x400 Relay
- Bronze at 2024 Australian Athletics National Championships 4x100 Relay
- 11th in 200m and 16th in 400m individual at the 2024 Australian Athletics Championships
- Bronze in the 400m and 100m at the 2024 Victorian Athletics Championships
Evie McDonald - Sailing
Evie's commitment and dedication to her sport and the community is inspiring, as is her attitude to life.
Evie has been instrumental in fostering a great club culture at the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, where girls compete with boys and expect to win. She spends countless hours instructing and encouraging people of all ages in the sport she is passionate about, in turn making it a passion for them. Evie thrives off seeing her students confidence grow and respect for the sport and one another. She is active in making connections between the junior and senior arms of the club, and has encouraged and taught sailors of all ages, genders and abilities to find their place in our community.
Evie was the Australian International Cadet Team Captain 2023 and when she is not found at the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, you might find her volunteering at Christ Church Meals program.
Johnny McKeague - Athletics
Johnny endeavours to be a role model for other young aspiring athletes, who may not think they are capable of achieving their goals. Johnny's persistence and hard work in identifying and working towards one small goal at a time, has resulted in some incredible outcomes in a short period of time.
His achievements include:
- Winning a gold medal in both the male u18 and open men's high jump competitions in the 2024 Victorian Country Athletics Championships in Ballarat in January
- Winning a gold medal and state title in the male u18 high jump competition in the South Melbourne Physio Track & Field Championships in Melbourne in February
- Winning a national silver medal and qualifying for the 2024 Oceania Athletics Championships in Fiji, in the male u18 high jump competition in the 2024 Chemist Warehouse Australian Athletics Championships in Adelaide in April
Known as an athlete who strives to always encourage others to try new things, Johnny exhibits strength and spirit in all of his achievements.
Zahlie Snijders - Swimming
Zahlie exhibits hard work, persistence and dedication to her sport, all with a non-wavering positive attitude.
Balancing school and training while helping her local club out where possible, Zahlie has also managed to become a school aged swimming champion, receiving 2 x silver medals at the 2024 Australian age swimming championships in Qld, representing Geelong and qualifying for the Olympic Australian Trials.
Her remarkable attitude is also evident through her support and consideration of others, participating in Laps for Lachie earlier this year, raising money and awareness for mental health.
Junior School Colouring Competition - Shrek Jr. the Musical
Would you like to win some free tickets to the upcoming Junior School production of Shrek Jr. the Musical?!
There are prizes for each section of the Junior School - Upper Primary, Lower Primary and Highview. Please click here to print out a sheet, or collect one from Junior School Reception.
Entries close, Monday 29 July. A huge thank you to Year 12 student Yoyo Zhong for the artwork!
Sport News
Netball
Over the past two weeks, our students have actively participated in various netball tournaments around Geelong, showcasing their skills and sportsmanship.
Last week, both our intermediate and senior netball teams competed in the GISSA School Girls Competition. Today, our intermediate girls' team advanced to the Victorian School Girls Netball Competition at Kardinia Park. After an extremely competitive day, they performed exceptionally well, securing two wins and a draw. It was a fantastic day for everyone involved.
We are incredibly proud of all our students for their dedication and teamwork. Go KIC!
Cocurricular News
Fencing
An exciting weekend at the Schools’ League Teams’ Championships on Sunday, our fencing teams made us proud with two outstanding performances.
The girls clinched silver after an intense match against Lowther Hall, and the boys also secured second place losing to Trinity Grammar. A huge congratulations to both teams for their dedication and skill!
Minecraft
Over 30 Kardinia students from Years 6-12 took part in the Australian Esports League Minecraft National Build Challenge in Term 2. Bee and Yoyo were awarded first place for their submission in the Years 10-12 pool. "The theme for this was "Literary Landscapes” and the first idea that came to mind for us was "Picnic at Hanging Rock.” Not only is it a well-known Australian classic centered on a key location – the Hanging Rock - but it was also a VCE English text that we were already familiar with."
"We were mostly just excited to play the game as well as spend time working together. So it was a pleasant surprise when we ended up winning first place! It is a huge honor and we are very grateful to AEL as well as our teacher for setting up this opportunity."
"We loved how it turned out and it has been a fantastic journey. Another thanks to the Australian Esports league, Mr Clissold, and to each other"
Details of the build are available at https://ael.org.au/minecraft-results
Judo
A big thank you to Gotemba Nishi High School, our Japanese sister school for hosting one of our senior school students last term.
Year 10 student Jimmy Gibbs visited Gotemba Nishi for an extended stay, training with the school Judo team. A fantastic experience - thank you to all at Gotemba Nishi for looking after him so well.
Jimmy attended the National Judo Championships in QLD on his return and has been selected for the Australian Judo Team, competing in Macau and Hong Kong in August! An amazing achievement, and the culmination of a lot of hard work. We're looking forward to hearing of his success in the coming weeks.
Multicultural Day
Senior School Multicultural Day, this Friday!
It's one of the most popular days on the calendar at KIC, a chance to celebrate the rich diversity of cultures that make up our student community. Bring along a gold coin donation and wear your traditional outfit or the colours of your flag. A chai stall, bake sale and live music will be taking place at Centrepoint Cafe, Japanese origami session and games, K-Pop dances and a Rangoli workshop - so many activities on offer!
Please note, these celebrations are restricted to Senior School students only.
Careers News
Lots of opportunities are on offer this week, with many students actively planning to attend University Open Days in July and August. If you cannot make the planned Open Day for an institute you are interested in attending, please contact them for a Campus Tour.
We do encourage students in years 10 and 11 to complete Work Experience during school holidays. Work Experience is a great opportunity to connect with the work force, find out more about possible careers of interest and ultimately to help with decision making. Students should develop a resume and contact organizations that they are keen to complete work experience at. Students are encouraged to complete work experience during school holidays to not disrupt learning during term time. Work Experience is a formal arrangement which has government legislation and policies attached. If you are interested in completing work experience, please contact careers@kardinia.vic.edu.au to arrange the necessary paperwork prior to undertaking the work experience. *Please note that this paperwork can take a few days to complete, so it is best to be organised well ahead of time.
Careers Communication Term 3 Week 2 2024
Further Resources:
Future Doctors Australia 23-24 Program Brochure
Boating Careers Immersion Brochure
Wellbeing Hub News
Join us for 'Championing Neurodiversity', with Justin Coulson!
Monday 19 August 7:00 pm AEST (+14 day recording access)
REGISTER HERE: https://happyfamiliesfamilyeducation.ac-page.com/kardinia-international-college
Seminar Highlights:
- Recognise and nurture the unique strengths of neurodivergent children.
- Tailor support to meet the individual needs of each child.
- Implement effective strategies for better behavioural and emotional support.
- Enhance communication and foster positive social interactions.
- Help neurodivergent children build resilience and confidence.
- Promote collaboration and advocate for the needs of neurodivergent children.
Community Engagement and Foundation News
Alumni Reunions - Save The Date!
The Reunions for the Classes of 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019 & 2023 are coming up in November. Further details and RSVP links for each reunion, will be released in upcoming e-news.
Alumni - Where Are They Now
The Kardinians recently caught up with Alumnus Skyler Barron (Class of 2009) to hear what they have pursued since graduation:
“Since leaving KIC in 09, I have been working in the transport industry primarily. I did a small stint working with E-waste recycling and maintenance work before I took up full-time work with Toll (later Team Global Express). For the next 11 years I expanded my knowledge and skills within the transport industry particularly in OH&S including Health and Safety Representative, First Aid Officer, Dangerous Good Officer, and Union Delegate.
Additionally with Toll I was involved in their major companywide Driver Device update helping to design, prototype and test. This led to working with the rollout and training personnel from multiple sites from Geelong to Warrnambool and even help as far up as Mildura.
After 11 years at Toll/Team Global Express it was time to move onto the next chapter in the Waste Management industry working as an Equipment Operator and Semi-Truck driver. This also included excavators, front end-loaders, telehandlers and grinders. The work extended across Victoria and even up to Darwin, where I am currently located for an extended period.”
The Kardinians love to hear from our graduates and are currently keen to track down more Alumni from the Class of 2009. Let us know what you have been up to!
KIC Business Club Launch
Parents and Alumni are invited to the launch of the KIC Business Club at The Geelong Club from 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm THIS THURSDAY 25 JULY.
Guest speaker, Deakin Lecturer Dr Graeme Pye from the Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics (DISBA) will present ‘The Future of Business in Geelong’.
Dr. Graeme Pye received his PhD in information systems security analysis and modelling in 2009. His research is widely published and focuses primarily on the area of Cyber-security. Graeme is currently investigating the cyber-security risk aspects of SMEs within the Australian business context. In particular, focusing on their resilience and the human relationships, including cyber-security preparedness, engagement, confidence, culture, awareness, and training.
Tickets include a shared ‘after dinner’ menu (charcuterie, cheeses, dips etc.) and tea and coffee.
Tickets are now available at $50 per head. Drinks available at bar prices.
https://events.humanitix.com/college-community-council-launch-of-the-kic-business-club
Don’t miss this great opportunity to network and be part of the KIC Business Club!
The College Community Council
Fiona Russell - Community Engagement & Foundation Coordinator
From the Archives
The Year 2004
Two decades ago, the Class of 2004 were completing their final semester of school, studying, celebrating, and ready to head out into the wider world!
Class of 2004, do you have any photos of your last few years that you could share? What have you been doing since graduation? The Kardinians would love to share your story prior to your 20 Year Reunion this November.
Contact the Community Engagement & Foundation Coordinator f.russell@kardinia.vic.edu.au and update your details on https://kardinians.com
Photographic credits - The College Archives
Fiona Russell - College Archivist
School TV - Online gaming
Young people might have a lot of fun playing online games, but parents and carers need to make sure they empower their child to make wise decisions and help them manage the risks. Numerous games can help your child become more coordinated, adept at problem-solving and multitasking, and help them develop social skills through online interaction with other players. However, it's also critical to comprehend what may go wrong and what might be harmful to your child. Carers need to play an active role in understanding and being aware of what their young person is playing online and who they are interacting with.
Click here to watch this episode: https://kardinia.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter/online-gaming
Community
Judo
Chess Club
