Kardinia eNews - Wednesday 26 February 2025

From the Head of Senior School - Kath O'Neill

What a busy week we have had in the Senior School!

House Swimming on Monday started our 2025 House Competition in fine style. It was wonderful to see so many students participating, both in championship events and in novelty events too. We had some new elements to the program this year, including house chants and a fashion parade for our Year 12 students, which were enormous hits. I particularly loved the whole school coming together to watch the relays at the conclusion of the day, cheering on each house and enjoying some amazing competition. Congratulations to Thomson for yet another very well-deserved win.

On Monday evening we had our Year 9 Future Directions session, to support students and their families to really start thinking about pathways and subjects as they move further into the Senior School. It was wonderful to have so many members of our community in attendance.

We had our Year 8 Time and Space session on Tuesday night for our Year 8 students and their fathers or male mentors. Time and Space is a really special program for us, being something that has no direct links to the curriculum, but we feel is really important. As students move into secondary school, having the opportunity to have structured conversations between children and parents is really special and helps to strengthen relationships. Thank you so much to all the students in Years 10-12 who volunteered their time to assist with administration and running group discussions. The evening would not be possible without these students giving back to the College.

We are so looking forward to celebrating Founders Day together tomorrow. This is another of our important whole school events and provides a chance for the entire school community to come together, to have fun, and to reflect on the legacy of Mr and Mrs Katsumata in founding our school.

From the Acting Head of Junior School - Izabella Haby

Dear families,

As shared with you last week, I will continue to add some new information regarding KICOnline for the Junior School.

Learning Moments 

‘What are Learning Moments?’ 

We are excited to share that every teacher has uploaded a Learning Moment for your child. These moments capture significant learning experiences and achievements, providing you with a glimpse into your child's educational journey. 

To find the Learning Moments, please follow these steps: 

1. Log in to KICOnline: Use your parent credentials to access the platform. 

1. Click on your child’s name: This is located in different areas, depending if you are on the App or the desktop version. 

1. Locate the Learning Moments section: Here, you will find the uploaded Learning Moments from your child's teacher. If you are on your phone, please make sure you scroll down to find your child’s name. 

If you encounter any issues logging in, please contact IT for assistance on - helpdesk@kardinia.vic.edu.au 

Next week’s focus, ‘Where can I find the Parent Handbook’?  

Learning Moments in Year 4:

Students are inquiring into How We Express Ourselves - Culture, communication and community are significant to the lives of First Nations Peoples. During Art with Jenny Dowie, students worked with Auntie Helen Brotherton, an experienced First Nations elder and basket weaver who shared her knowledge and skills with the students. You can see the beautiful learning moments on KICOnline below.

Year 3 Excursion to Scienceworks:

On Friday, Year 3 students ventured on their first excursion for the year to Scienceworks in connection with their How the World Works unit. Students actively put their research skills to use by taking notes and recording their findings, as they excitedly explored exhibits and visited the Planetarium to find out about the interconnected relationship between Earth and the solar system. It was a wonderful opportunity to launch the unit, and it had sparked many ideas and questions which will help to shape where their learning goes next. Thank you to the Year 3 team for organising this wonderful learning experience.

News from Highview:

Our youngest learners have been modelling the College Motto in numerous ways. They have adapted remarkably well to the Highview learning environment. The pleasant weather has also enabled them to enjoy both learning and playing outdoors. Thank you to all the kindergarten staff for your daily guidance and care. The ongoing high-quality teaching and learning is recognised by our community.

Applications for 3-Year-Old Kindergarten are closing soon:

(Click the image below for enrolment information on the College website.)

Upcoming Parent Event: Parent Helper Workshop:

Nikki Petyanszki, Katie Steele and Scott Peel are looking forward to presenting a Parent Helper Workshop on Thursday, March 6 from 1:30 pm-3:00 pm in the Junior School Conference room. If you are interested in becoming a helper in your child's room or another area, please respond to the broadcast that was sent on Monday 17 February.

This workshop is for parents who have not yet participated in a Parent Helper workshop in the last two years. If you participated previously, then you do not need to attend, and they will be in touch with these families regarding visiting learning group rooms and helping with student learning.  As always, we appreciate the connections we can make between home and school.

Upcoming Student Event:

Message from Outside School Hours Care:

International Students Explore the Great Ocean Road

Last Sunday, a group of overseas students embarked on an exciting trip along the Great Ocean Road with Mr. Ota and Mrs. Zhao. Embracing the stunning Australian coastline and sunshine, students immersed themselves in the beauty of their new environment. Experiencing an excursion such as this each term, provides valuable opportunities for students to build friendships, strengthen their sense of belonging, and experience Australian life beyond the classroom.

Pako Festa 2025!

Last Saturday, our International Council bravely took on the 37°C heat to walk in the parade, demonstrating incredible effort and spirit. Their dedication was rewarded with the "Best School Entry" award for 2025!

Congratulations to all the students who participated. A special thank you to Ms. Zhao, Ms. Dillon, and Ms. Armes for their guidance and support.

Music News

Square 1 Auditions

Square 1 is a contemporary pop/soul band that writes their own music and performs covers, predominantly by Australian artists. The band rehearses on Tuesdays after school from 3:30 to 5:00 PM and regularly performs gigs outside of school at festivals, markets, and other occasions.

With five members of the band in Year 12 this year, we will start auditioning for new Square 1 members now. Successful musicians and vocalists will spend Terms 2 and 3 learning the material with the current members, to be ready to perform gigs by the end of the year.

We are looking for the following:

1. Singers who can harmonize

1. Saxophonists – alto or tenor or both

1. Trumpet players

If you would like to receive the audition material, schedule an audition time, or find out more information, please contact Mrs. Humphrey at m.humphrey@kardinia.vic.edu.au

Sport News

GISSA Triathlon

Close to 50 Kardinia students participated in a field of 180 at the GISSA triathlon held at Eastern Beach on February 20. Eilidh Sheridan (1st), Sofia Paul (3rd), Luke Perry (1st) and Michael Sheridan (2nd) all medalled in their respective divisions.

A special mention to all first timers completing the event, you should be very proud of your efforts!!

GISSA Cricket

Last Friday the Senior Boys Cricket team played St Ignatius College at the Barrabool Cricket Ground. In a competitive game, Kardinia International College lost by 38 runs with Fergus A making an excellent 45. Aradhya S was the pick of the bowlers with two wickets.

Well done to all involved and a big thank you to coach Mr Lowery for his support.

Rowing

On Saturday Skye and Violet (both Year 8) won the State Rowing Championship for the Year 9 Division 1 Double Scull event on the Barwon River.

Representing Corio Bay Rowing Club, they won by a margin of 15 seconds to second place. Congratulations to you both!

Wellbeing Hub News

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

A ‘How To’ Guide for our KIC Community

As mentioned, we’ve now subscribed to the Happy Families School Membership! Owned and run by Dr Justin Coulson, one of Australia’s leading parenting experts, the membership offers a wealth of parenting education and resources.

We will regularly share resources available through our membership with you, including Insight Articles and Webinars. You can also access your resources at any time using the below URL (unique to Kardinia) and password.

URL & PASSWORD

https://schools.happyfamilies.com.au/login/kic

Password: happykic

We recommend bookmarking this link. You should only need to put the password in once and the site will remember you.  

INSIGHTS ARTICLES 

A new Insights article is released weekly during the term, and we will include these with the school newsletter. Insights articles are written by Dr Justin Coulson and other leading experts and provide parenting education and support for a wide variety of traditional and contemporary parenting challenges. You can also access 300+ previous Insights articles on our school’s URL.

PARENT WEBINARS

You have access to 4 live webinars a year (one per term), with information on the first webinar below. You’ll have access to the recording via our school’s URL but as the webinars are live, we recommend you watch them in real time so that you can ask Dr Justin and/or the guest presenter any questions you may have. (You’ll also have access to a library of past webinars).

Save the date! Webinar 1: Emotional Regulation A Heart-Centred Approach to Supporting Your Child​ Wednesday 12 March, 7pm

Meltdowns, outbursts, and challenging behaviours can leave us feeling lost and unsure how to help. It's tough when our kids are struggling with big emotions! What we sometimes forget is that these behaviours usually stem from overwhelming feelings that our children don't yet have the tools to manage.

Emotional Regulation is Dr Justin Coulson’s powerful guide to helping children understand and regulate their emotional world. Once they develop competence with this critical life skill, emotionally intelligent children will feel more confident, perform better at school, have healthier relationships with others, and even be physically healthier.

This presentation will equip parents with a five-step “emotion coaching” process that brings together the very best in emotional intelligence research from Dr John Gottman, the Yale Centre for Emotional Intelligence, and others, to build children’s resilience, increase wellbeing for the whole family, and develop healthier humans. 

Webinar Link:  https://schools.happyfamilies.com.au/emotional-regulation/

*Note that the link will only work if you are already signed into our school page using the details provided above.

Library News

Co-Curricular News

Check out the latest offerings and activities at the link below.  Click to expand the category of interest to reveal what activities are available (ignore the "closed" tag).  To join an activity simply contact the staff member listed.

Activity Selection

Senior School - Student Co-Curricular Open Day - This Friday!

📢 The Student Co-Curricular Open Day at Kardinia is here again! Lunchtime Friday 28 February – Centre Point Café

🌟 Discover Your Passion, Unleash Your Potential! 🌟

Kardinia offers a diverse range of co-curricular activities that cater to every interest and passion. Whether students are into active pursuits, academics, social justice, wellness, or something entirely different, we’ve got something for everyone!

🔍 Why Co-Curricular Activities Matter:

• 📚 Academic Outcomes: Engaging in co-curriculars enhances your overall learning experience.

• 🌈 Wellbeing: Boost your mental and emotional health by participating in activities you love.

• 👥 Social Opportunities: Make new friends, connect with like-minded peers, and build lasting relationships.

• 🌟 Life Skills: Develop leadership, teamwork, and communication skills that will serve you well beyond school.

• 💪 Confidence: Step out of your comfort zone and discover your hidden talents.

• 🚀 Future Potential: Co-curricular involvement looks impressive on university applications and resumes.

• 🤝 Networking Opportunities: Connect with others in school and beyond

Students are encouraged to join us on Friday, 28 February during lunchtime at the Centre Point Café to see what’s on offer for Co-Curricular 2025. They can explore displays from our student clubs and activities, chat to students and staff and sign up for something new. 🎉

Representing Kardinia in Non-College Events Process

There are sometimes opportunities where students can represent the College in an activity or at a level that the College cannot offer.  They chose to engage in these activities with the support of their families.  Whilst the College is not involved in these activities, we still love to share the amazing things that our students get involved in and help celebrate their achievements.  We appreciate the dedication and effort required plus the benefits it brings to the development of our students.  

A formal process has now been developed that is aimed to improve how we manage expectations, improve related safety aspects plus increasing the visibility of student achievement outside the College.  If your child would like to represent the College in an event beyond the College’s scope, we ask that you seek the approval of the College first. 

Please complete the "Students Representing Kardinia in No-College Events" Form and forward it to the Co-Curricular Co-Ordinator, Nicole Holton n.holton01@kardinia.vic.edu.au to begin this process.

Community

Bell Park Sports Club