Kilvington News Winter 2021

news

CULTIVATING A PASSION FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING

> Exploring the Curiosity of Passion – an ELC Inquiry > Junior School – Balancing our Passions and Priorities > Fostering Harmonious Passion at Kilvington > Character and Wellbeing Program

W IN T E R 2022

>Inside

4

Principal’s Message

6 Academic Excellence and Beyond 11 Exploring the Curiosity of Passion – an ELC Inquiry 12 Junior School – Balancing our Passions and Priorities 14

Performing Arts

18 Fostering Harmonious Passion at Kilvington 20 Project Wayfinder: Bringing Belonging and Purpose to the Senior School Pastoral Care Program 22 Character and Wellbeing Program 26 School Highlights 32

Sport Highlights

38 From the PFA 40 Alumni Highlights 45 Donors and Supporters 2 Leila Road, Ormond Victoria 3204 Telephone: (03) 9578 6231 Email: enquiries@kilvington.vic.edu.au kilvington.vic.gov.au

46 Key Dates for Your Diary

CONTRIBUTORS We would like to thank all members of the community who have contributed articles and information for this edition of KNews.

Cover image courtesy of staff member: Kylie Burns W inter 2022

3

ROB FRENCH, PRINCIPAL

> Principal’s Message

Each semester at Kilvington, we focus on a particular character trait and encourage students to become aware of how they use this trait and the benefit that it provides. By acting on traits such as kindness, persistence, courage, curiosity, humour and gratitude, our students develop new skills and inadvertently foster their sense of wellbeing.

This semester, we focused on the character trait of passion. As part of this focus, students across the School were encouraged to pursue their areas of passion, to set time aside each week to engage in activities that brought them joy and fulfilment.

At our regular assemblies, students spoke about their passions, some about the hobbies and activities they love, while others opened up about causes they feel passionate about and, in many cases, actively seek to do something about. It’s been heartening to hear of their remarkable range of interests.

When we’re pursuing an activity we love, we often move into a state referred to as ‘flow’, which can feel like time is standing still as we are so absorbed in what we are doing in the moment. Children who discover their passions are more likely to be regularly in a state of flow, and thus significantly increase their mental health and wellbeing.

Many of our younger students have not yet discovered their true passions, which is totally understandable. We encourage them to try different things, whether it be a new musical instrument, sport, debating, drama, art or a new hobby which helps to broaden their experience base and range of skills. Many of these skills are very much in demand in the 21st century workplace, which means our students are increasing future employability while at the same time connecting with different groups of their peers.

How Our Passions Enhance Wellbeing

Helping Young People Pursue Their Passions

Renowned positive psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi found in his research of flourishing that our sense of wellbeing markedly increases when we are involved in activities that we feel passionate towards.

As parents, we need to continue to encourage our children to discover their passions and to pursue these when possible. I must say I was thrilled when my 14-year-old daughter took up AFL

4 Kilvington News

and joined a girls’ team last year, which allowed us to share our passion for the game. Being part of the team as a trainer afforded me the opportunity to witness her growth firsthand, as she overcame initial reservations to become a strong and committed member of a team. I also saw her general confidence and sense of wellbeing increase through her love of physical activity and competition.

In uncertain times, helping young people to pursue their passions is incredibly important. It is wonderful that many of our students find their areas of passion at Kilvington, and we will continue to offer a range of activities and opportunities for students to try across the School.

Ideally, we aim to help set up our students on long, happy and healthy journeys pursuing their particular passions well beyond the School gates.

I hope you enjoy this edition of KNews, which includes a focus on passion as well as news about the year so far. We have enjoyed a wonderful start to the year, and as you will see in these pages, our students have been busy and engaged in a vast range of activities, both in and beyond the classroom.

> Academic Excellence and Beyond Congratulations to the entire Class of 2021.

Well done!

Exceptional VCE Results We were delighted with the Class of 2021 VCE results, which placed Kilvington in the top 20 schools in Victoria, a marvellous achievement.

This was testament to our students’ hard work and dedication throughout the year, and the outstanding support and mentoring provided by our teaching staff.

Congratulations to Ben Churilov and Jake Fitzgerald for achieving an ATAR of 99.90, becoming joint Duxes of the School. We would also like to congratulate Arianna Hearst for achieving an ATAR of 99.15.

Well done to the students who achieved perfect scores of 50 in English, Further Mathematics and Psychology.

Key Results

4%

of our VCE students were in the top 1% of the State (achieving an ATAR of 99 plus)

17%

of our students were in the top 5% of the State (achieving an ATAR of 95 plus)

36%

of our students were in the top 10% of the State (achieving an ATAR of 90 plus)

Q & A WITH OUR 2021 VCE GRADUATES

Amy Catrice – Student of Character

70%

of our students were in the top 20% in the State (achieving an ATAR of 80 plus)

Our median Study Score was

34

Ben Churilov and Jake Fitzgerald achieved an ATAR of

99.90

Outstanding NAPLAN Results Our 2021 NAPLAN results were once again consistently high across the year levels (Year 3, Year 5, Year 7 and Year 9).

YEAR 3

YEAR 5

YEAR 7

YEAR 9

Mean

Mean

Mean

Mean

State

452

523

552

584

Kilvington

515

572

608

620

State

433

489

529

554

Kilvington

485

510

573

575

State

434

506

552

586

Kilvington

489

514

596

627

State

452

513

539

583

Kilvington

532

560

604

644

State

410

506

559

593

Kilvington

508

544

612

636

Area Reading

Writing

Spelling

Grammar and Punctuation

Numeracy

6 Kilvington News

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where and what are you currently studying?

My name is Amelie Catrice, but most people call me Amy. I am currently undertaking a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne. I’m taking classes in Psychology and Anthropology and, for fun, ‘breadth classes’ in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. These classes all have a strong focus on the key questions of humanity and, because of that, I’m finding them all really interesting.

What was the biggest highlight of your time at Kilvington?

My biggest highlight was our Year 10 class trip to Vietnam, which we took with a small group of students and teachers. (This experience was simultaneously a profound lowlight*.) It was such an incredible cultural experience and one of the most memorable and pivotal experiences of my life so far.

What do you think enabled you to achieve such a great result at School?

From a young age, my parents instilled a love for learning in me, and that’s honestly one of the key reasons I believe I achieved such a good result at School. I genuinely enjoyed and was interested in the content of most of my classes. Therefore, I was able to learn content more deeply in those classes, which made study a lot easier.

What did you find most challenging and how did you deal with this?

I struggled a lot with time management and maintaining the motivation to study.

By Year 12, I was trying everything to stay on track with the workload. One of the

most effective study techniques I found was studying with friends. Whether in-person or on calls, studying with friends is what kept me accountable and productive. Other techniques included using focus apps and creating time deadlines for myself. However, I’m still on the journey of overcoming my struggles with time management and motivation for study.

Do you have any advice for students studying their VCE? My advice for current VCE students would be to not get swept up in the pressure of VCE. Teachers and friends are there to support you, so don’t be afraid to lean on others. The most memorable memories you have of Year 12 will not be the studying part, it will be the friendship part. So don’t worry too much and just have fun. * Sadly, Year 10 student Lachie Cook passed away in 2019.

W inter 2022

7

> Academic Excellence and Beyond

Jess Volpert – Visual Arts

Jake Fitzgerald – Dux

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where and what are you currently studying?

I am currently studying a Bachelor of Law and International Security at the Australian National University. Overall, I am enjoying the seachange and meeting like-minded students from across Australia.

What was the biggest highlight of your time at Kilvington?

Undoubtedly, the biggest highlight for me was playing ‘scorpion soccer’ in Year 10.

The atmosphere was amazing, and it was great to play it in the recently opened Sport Centre. Achieving three perfect 50 study scores (English, Biology and Psychology) and a Premier’s Award in Year 11 was also quite nice.

What do you think enabled you to achieve such a great result at School?

A number of factors helped me achieve my result. Staying on top of the work, asking plenty of questions, completing lots of practice exams, and the support of my family through two years of frequent lockdowns were all vital.

What did you find most challenging and how did you deal with this?

Something which was challenging for me, especially in Year 12, was balancing content revision from earlier in the year while also preparing for upcoming assessments. Not leaving study to the last minute and making the most of the holidays and weeks without many SACs helped me to manage this challenge.

Do you have any advice for students studying their VCE? Regarding academics, I would say that it’s important to focus on the subjects you have a proclivity for, not which ones scale best.

Also, make sure to utilise your teachers and ask questions as much as possible.

In general, having a routine or schedule for both School and extracurricular activities, and aiming to adhere to it as much as possible, is a big help.

Ben Churilov – Dux

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where and what are you currently studying?

I have been fortunate enough to get accepted into the Bachelor of Medical Science/Doctor of Medicine course at Monash University, which has been my dream course for a while now, and I am really enjoying it so far.

8 Kilvington News

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where and what are you currently studying?

Hi, I’m Jess, and I’m currently studying a Bachelor of Design at the University of Melbourne, majoring in architecture. While the course is quite strenuous and timeconsuming, I think it’ll teach me how to better manage my time and help me to improve my organisational skills, while also allowing me to do what I love!

What was the biggest highlight of your time at Kilvington?

I really enjoyed events such as excursions, camps and group activities that were

organised for us over the years, as they brought our year level closer together and strengthened many existing friendships.

Another thing that stood out was the close community established at School, not only between students from different year levels, but also between teachers and students. The teachers really supported me throughout my high school journey, and made me feel comfortable reaching out to them if I needed extra help.

What do you think enabled you to achieve such a great result at School?

I think having a sense of balance between my schoolwork and personal life allowed me to excel in my studies. As much as sitting down and putting my head to work is essential at times, I found that socialising, going out, working on myself, finding external hobbies and maintaining close relationships with family and friends was the key to not burning out – it made the work more enjoyable if I knew something exciting (like seeing a friend for lunch) was following it.

What did you find most challenging and how did you deal with this?

The frequent on-and-off lockdowns throughout Year 11 and 12 definitely

made VCE a challenge for me. It was hard constantly switching and adapting to new environments (whether it was online or on campus), especially when I felt like I had just settled into a certain way of learning and, then suddenly, we were forced into the complete opposite. The workload, of course, posed another challenge to me, especially because I was undertaking two folio subjects at the time (where I had to produce my finals in lockdown). This meant that I had to work with the materials I already had at home which pushed me to explore new and creative ways of thinking.

Do you have any advice for students studying their VCE? Choose subjects which you actually have an interest in, rather than adopting a fixed mindset and focusing on certain subjects due to scaling or as stereotypical ‘ATAR boosters’. Personally, I loved the creative arts so much because it created an escape from my other, more theory-based subjects. I think if I ended up replacing the folio subjects with high-scaling subjects that I wasn’t personally interested in, I wouldn’t be anywhere near as motivated to study for them, and would put in much less effort, ultimately compromising my capability to do well.

Arianna Hearst – Psychology What was the biggest highlight of your time at Kilvington?

It’s definitely one of the School Camps, but I’m struggling to rank one over the rest. Going on a gruelling hike and eating canned food for dinner while it’s pouring with rain was a rather niche way to bond with friends, but oddly enough, when I think back to those hours of wet and cold, I only recall them with fondness. Dry and warm cabins are nice too.

What do you think enabled you to achieve such a great result at School?

I don’t think I can pin it down to one thing because it was definitely a combination of elements working in tandem. Maintaining friendships that were authentically supportive and meaningful; making the most of my teachers’ knowledge and willingness to help by asking for help when I needed it; involving myself positively in extracurricular activities; and creating a School space and environment that I personally found comfortable … I would say these were probably the main things that helped me.

What did you find most challenging and how did you deal with this?

Consistently staying focused and motivated with my studies at home was definitely challenging and, honestly, an emotionallytaxing goal. In saying that, I found the best way to cope was reminding myself that ‘a goal’ is all it was. Allowing myself to rest when I felt genuinely tired and not feeling guilty for investing time in things other than schoolwork enabled me to study in a more refreshed and motivated state.

Do you have any advice for students studying their VCE? Don’t rely on cramming. Having a few weeks of ‘free time’ feeling guilty and increasingly overwhelmed by content you’re not staying on top of really isn’t worth it.

Studying incrementally over time is much less stressful, makes the content more digestible, and will give you many more opportunities to receive and implement feedback from teachers.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where and what are you currently studying?

I’m Arianna, and this is my first year studying a double degree (Bachelor of Commerce/ Finance) at Monash University. I have quite a range of options to consider for my major at this stage, with accounting and actuarial studies of particular interest to me. I’m hoping to be able to incorporate my love of psychology into my degree through the elective components of my course, and by working with students studying psychology.

The start of my university experience has

been very positive so far, and I am excited about the upcoming Commerce Ball.

What was the biggest highlight of your time at Kilvington?

The highlight for me was the Study Tour to France which I was fortunate enough to attend in Year 10. It was a great way to develop new friendships with students studying French, while also enhancing my language skills and experiencing French culture. I enjoyed trying to navigate a foreign country independently from my family, but with the support of my teacher and fellow students.

What do you think enabled you to achieve such a great result at School?

My results at School were strong due to the dedication of my teachers, collaborations with other students, and my willingness to strive for excellence. I set up schedules and routines for myself and always balanced my studies with regular employment and a commitment to netball (COVID permitting).

I also made sure I had access to as many resources and practice SACs and exams as possible, as practice under exam conditions is key to success in VCE.

What did you find most challenging and how did you deal with this?

The obvious challenges for me were COVID-related. I went through times where I enjoyed learning from home and other times where I craved the interaction and face-to-face contact of being at School.

I also found it hard not to focus on some of the experiences and rites of passage that I was missing out on due to COVID. Do you have any advice for students studying their VCE? My advice is to always make the most of having such a supportive and close-knit community. Ensure you have some balance in your life, as this will help you keep your eye on the prize. Take advantage of every experience on offer at School, set yourself up with study schedules, and try to maintain your motivation. It will all be over before you know it, and you want to make sure you give VCE everything you have. It is important to know you gave it your absolute best.

W inter 2022

9

TAMARA BRYAN, ELC MARINE GROUP TEACHER

> Exploring the Curiosity of Passion – an ELC Inquiry

10 Kilvington News

Why Explore the Curiosity of Passion in the ELC?

Our Passion Project: The Acknowledgement Tree

Inspired by this year’s character focus on passion, early in Term 1 we started the process of engaging with the concept of passion. We decided to position this as a whole centre project where we would focus on sharing the ideas of families, the voices and deeper interests of the children and the value of connection to the wider School community.

To commence this inquiry, we as ELC educators identified our own passions and what our passions meant to us. This led to an ELC investigation into how we can use the passions of both children and their families to ignite enquiring minds and instil a love for learning. Exploring a child’s passion is an effective teaching tool – it empowers the child to drive their inquiry and feel a sense of accomplishment, which in turn results in learning that’s motivated and focused.

Consequent discussions with educators have led to the discovery that the environment, including nature and sustainability, is a common passion within the Centre. This passion is also embedded in the ELC philosophy and was the force behind last year’s inquiry project – The Kilvington Grammar ELC Acknowledgement Tree.

The Acknowledgement Tree project initially stemmed from a child’s interest in the gum tree planted in the new ELC playground. Together, the educators and children shared their environmental knowledge and investigated why gum trees are important to our native animals and First Nations People.

Growing our Passion Tree The next stage of our Acknowledgement Tree project is to add ‘leaves’ to it. The leaves are created by the ELC children and inspired by Bayley, our Indigenous artist.

As our ELC community starts the process of adding leaves, we hope to use these as a symbol to educate the children about sustainability and nature. For this inquiry to grow, the children and families have been invited to add comments about their own personal passions to the leaves.

We will continue to further explore the comments on the leaves, growing the tree over time. Using the tree as a visual aid helps to bring the shared passions of the ELC community to life. Our tree will grow as the children progressively question and explore new passions and discoveries throughout the year.

How will their passions grow? We can’t wait to find out!

W inter 2022

11

LUCAS COLLINS, HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL

> Junior School – Balancing our Passions and Priorities and therefore making the learning more concrete and personal rather than purely abstract and conceptual.

Thus, rather than focus on the raw data and generic stories of national and international migration patterns, students are encouraged to consider the experiences of their family, classmates, and friends in terms of relocations and moves, both within their local area, within our country and across the world. By exploring the reasons and motivations for changes in the location and lifestyle of their family members and people they know personally, students are generally better able to understand, connect with, and recognise broader themes around migration and relocation.

As we reboot our lives following two years of almost constant uncertainty and disruption to the rhythms and routines that we’d previously thought of as ‘normal’, many of us are once again facing the pressures of balancing priorities with passions.

How Teachers Aim to Link Curriculum with Student Passion As educators, one of our key aims is to connect curriculum priorities to each student’s interests. We’re constantly seeking the next ‘learning hook’ for each of our students – that magical link between the prescribed curriculum content and each learner’s preferences, passions, and prior experiences.

When we instil an inquiry lens into our teaching, where students are able to constantly pose and explore questions about ‘big ideas’, it becomes more straightforward for us as teachers to find the contextual bonds between what is to be taught and the existing interests of our learners.

12 Kilvington News

How Students Benefit from an Inquiry-Based Mode of Teaching I find that one of the great benefits for our students of this ‘inquiry-based’ pedagogical model is that instead of being expected to memorise isolated facts and build discrete ‘silos’ of information, learning is highly personalised and contextual. Therefore, each student has the ability to build upon and strengthen links to their existing knowledge.

In our classrooms, this inquiry-focused mode of teaching takes on a range of forms.

For example, instead of teaching about decimal numbers as an isolated concept, teachers try to link learning to real-life examples: the monetary system, sport scores, volume, time, travel, and the weather (to name a few).

Instead of focusing on delivering pure ‘facts’ about a particular aspect of HASS (History and Social Sciences) or Science, quality educators seek to support students by connecting students’ own interests and wonderings with what is being taught,

The Challenge: Balancing Family Contributions with Personal Passions One key struggle and question posed by many parents is: how do we create the time and the circumstances to pursue our passions as actively as we would like, especially when we’re also trying to enable and support the hobbies and interests of our children? This is a concept I’ve personally grappled with as a father of two young children, both of whom have unique interests; how can each of us find the time and space to engage in our passions?

Recently, I read a great piece regarding this exact challenge in the book, Getting It All Done, by Harvard Business Review.

The authors suggest that, instead of having to completely sacrifice either our own passions or those of our children, we need to measure and counterbalance our contributions and passions and seek ways to align these with the interests of our children.

How We Counterbalance Passion and Contribution Here are two guiding questions we should ask ourselves to help us find this balance between our contribution to our children versus our personal passions: • Q1: To measure our contribution to our child, we ask: What does my child value the most right now, out of all the activities I do, the tasks I perform, and the types of support I provide?

• Q2: To assess our own passions as parents, we ask: As a parent, out of all the activities I do, the tasks I perform, and the types of support I provide, which ones give me the most motivation, inspiration, or energy?

In Getting It All Done, we are reminded that we need to be fair to ourselves and to kids, seek to maximise our time spent in the ‘high contribution/high passion’ zone, and minimise, delegate, or eliminate activities that fall in the low contribution/low passion sector. This may mean collaborating with your partner/family members/friends to share responsibilities, and may also lead to some conversations with your child/ren about what they really value you being a part of, and what they might be comfortable for you to be less involved in.

Sharing Passions with our Children In my case, shared passions include a weekly bike ride with my daughter, as she loves exploring new places, and I am at my best when I have chances to be physically active, so we will often choose a new bike path to either ride or drive to and go for a ride. Sometimes, we will be out for only an hour, occasionally we might ride in the pouring rain, but we both finish our time

together feeling productive and energised.

It also means holding space each weekend for my son and I to ‘tinker’ together. He loves Lego and construction, so we often create things together, or we find something broken and try and fix it.

Or, in our case, most often break it and then try to work out what we’ve done wrong!

He gains enjoyment and stimulation from the sometimes fiddly, sometimes ‘brute force’ nature of pulling things apart, while I love troubleshooting and figuring out how to (sometimes) put things back together and make them work again.

Our children still have weekly swimming, dancing and sport commitments (their passions and my wife’s and my contributions), yet these are offset by my children’s understanding that when mum’s reading a book, or I’m holding a guitar, it’s a time we’ve taken to engage in one of our passions. They can either participate by reading alongside mum or grabbing a tambourine and jamming along with me.

If they choose not to participate, then they are encouraged to find their own activity to do and to respect our time.

Like everything, balance is the key. Most of us are not the best version of ourselves when we are overly stretched by commitments that are not of our choosing. Likewise, our children quickly become disengaged and withdraw if they are consistently expected to be involved in situations that do not stimulate their passions.

In my case, I certainly do not get it right all the time. But, by intentionally looking for ways to balance my contributions and passions, I can hold space for each one of us to engage with our passions.

W inter 2022

13

It was fantastic to see both the performers and the audience members excited to experience live performance again!

> Performing Arts

2022 Jazz Cabaret Evening LIN YATSUZUKA AND KAYLA BRAZITIKOS, YEAR 12 On Friday 1 April, the Performing Arts department held the Jazz and Contemporary Cabaret at the Glen Eira Town Hall for the first time in two years.

Many parents, friends and staff were well entertained by our talented and enthusiastic musicians from Years 9 to 12.

It was exciting to see eager students performing for parents and staff members, despite some students being unable to attend due to COVID. We would like to thank all of the students who were present and gave their all while performing.

A special thanks to everyone who helped make the evening a success: Music Co-Captains, Caleb Wong and Lin Yatsuzuka; Production Captain, Renae Bekas; and Dance Co-Captains, Kaitlyn Connolly and Sara Dorne, who all worked throughout the term to assist Ms Bull in organising and running the evening.

Finally, thank you to all the staff and the backstage crew who put together the performances behind the scenes, as well as student photographers Kayla Brazitikos and Jasmine Parry for capturing beautiful photos of the performances on the night.

14 Kilvington News

W inter 2022

15

> Performing Arts

Thank You for the Music – Mamma Mia! CAMILLA FIORINI, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND DEVELOPMENT Congratulations to all the students, staff and parents who contributed so much to deliver such memorable performances.

16 Kilvington News

In May, one of the largest ensembles to perform at a Senior School production delivered outstanding performances of Mamma Mia across three jam-packed nights.

From opening night, students poignantly captured the story of conflict between Donna – a hardworking, single mum – and her beloved daughter’s retro views on marriage and babies. This was delivered with many wonderful humorous vignettes and tied together with the unforgettable ABBA soundtrack.

Sophie Sheridan, performed by Agrata Sharma, was spellbinding as she opened each performance with, ‘I Have a Dream’.

Together with Jack Campbell-Manly as her fiance, Sky, they navigate wedding night jitters and Sophie’s existential identity crises with much-loved songs including ‘Lay All Your Love on Me’ and ‘Voulez-Vous’.

Renee Bekas delivered another powerful lead performance as Sophie’s mum, Donna Sheridan. Confronted with three former lovers on the eve of her daughter’s wedding, where paternity took centre stage, Renee gave an incredibly mature performance. Most memorable was the soulful delivery of ‘Slipping Through My Fingers’. This author may have shed a tear or two!

Gate crashers and possible fathers, Sam Carmichael (played by Elijah Slavinskis), Bill Austin (played by Noah Emons) and Harry

Bright (played by David Overton), provided intense and light moments throughout the show. Elijah’s performance of ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’ was exceptional.

Noah’s duet of ‘Take a Chance on Me’ with Zaiju Du Preez (Rosie) was hilarious. The unforgettable Elena Stuckey De la Banda as the flirtatious and cheeky Tanya reminded us of her break-out role in Matilda with her performance of ‘Does Your Mother Know’.

Veteran of the stage, David Overton, was utterly believable as the stuffy, yet sweet, Harry. He and Renee took us down the memory lane of summer romances with ‘Our Last Summer’. There were wonderful performances from Sophie’s gal pals, including Lisa (played by Maya Wimalesundera) and Ali (played by Joanna Mistaris), along with cheeky hotel staff members Pepper (played by Hugo Della Bosca) and Eddie (played by Amber Bowman).

A huge shoutout to the Chorus who danced and sang with energy and joy from start to finish. It was hard not to smile at those happy faces. And a big thank you for allowing some of us to attempt some of our own dance moves, while dodging beach balls, to ‘Mamma Mia’, ‘Dancing Queen’ and ‘Waterloo’ as part of the Finale.

Congratulations to all the students, staff and parents who contributed so much to deliver such memorable performances.

W inter 2022

17

JULIA PADGETT, DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

Fostering Conditions for Passion at Kilvington

> Fostering Harmonious Passion at Kilvington If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. Your passion will lead you right into your purpose. td jakes

After two years of restrictions, it’s fitting that our character trait for Semester 1 is ‘passion’. Some of us discovered new passions in lockdown – for me, it was baking sourdough bread! However, we also had to curtail passions which were dependent on us meeting with others or going to a specific location. Some of us were unable to temporarily engage with our passions.

Defining Harmonious Passion Robert Vallerand, Professor of Psychology at the University of Québec, defines passion this way: ‘passion is a strong inclination towards a self-defining activity that one likes (or even loves), finds important and devotes a significant amount of time and energy to’ (2008).

Our passions make us happy. Once a passion takes hold, we become intrinsically motivated to pursue our line of interest.

Applying time and effort is not as difficult because our felt sense of accomplishment and progress becomes a reward in and of itself.

Vallerand says this type of passion is ‘harmonious’, because it’s positively related 18 Kilvington News

to life satisfaction (2008). Research tells us that people who have harmonious passions tend to be enjoyable to be around, probably because they experience positive emotions.

They’re flexible with the way they engage with their passions and can therefore regulate their behaviour to the needs of the moment, including the needs of those around them.

Shreya Jain, School Co-Captain (Year 12) I’ve been at Kilvington since ELC! The School has helped me to discover my passion for learning, and throughout my time here, has also nurtured this passion. Curiosity has always been encouraged through our School programs, and demonstrated especially by our teachers. The collaborative learning opportunities at School have made me realise I enjoy seeing how I can help and support others in areas of work they may find challenging.

Our harmonious passions are important, not only for our overall health and wellbeing, but also for learning and development.

To support passion in kids at School, we need to foster and create the conditions for passion to be developed.

At Kilvington, we encourage kids to: • Be open-minded – consider all opportunities, even those they may not have an interest in.

• Be enthusiastic – have a zest for new opportunities and embrace them.

• Take risks – give new pursuits a go and try everything at least once.

• Persevere – especially if a new pursuit becomes difficult.

When students find their passion, the benefits include: • Increased concentration and ability to fully focus on the task at hand.

• A sense of accomplishment by working through a task.

• Connecting with others who share their passion.

Throughout the semester, we want everyone to get involved by trying new pursuits or reconnecting with their passions.

To support students in developing their passions, we’ve created an extensive cocurricular timetable. Students have enjoyed participating in a wide range of co-curricular groups – from choirs, music, chess and languages to robotics, gardening, science, drama, writing and book clubs.

Encouraging Students to Develop their Passions In our ELC, each group has a passion tree.

The leaves adorning the tree outline the passions of the ELC students, their parents and teachers. I was pleased to be able to add my leaf to the three-year-olds’ tree and look forward to hearing about their discussions.

At our assemblies in the Junior and Senior Schools, students and teachers talk about what passion means to them and share a little about their own passions. One concept we explored was how passions can change over time. We also discussed the people in our lives who encourage, shape and inspire us to develop certain passions.

We know that not every opportunity is going to lead to a passion, but we do hope that students take full advantage of what is on offer and try as much as they can to develop their passions throughout the year.

References Vallerand, R. J. (2008). On the psychology of passion: In search of what makes people’s lives most worth living. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 49(1), 1.

W inter 2022

19

MATT BRINSON, HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL

Introducing Project Wayfinder to our Wellbeing and Pastoral Care Program To help our students meet their securityrelated and growth-related needs, one of the programs we’ve introduced to our Senior School Wellbeing and Pastoral Care Program is Project Wayfinder.

An initiative by Independent Schools Victoria (ISV), Project Wayfinder aims to go beyond typical SEL competencies to incorporate future-ready skills in order to connect classroom learning to the real world. These competencies include adaptability, self-awareness, collaboration, agency and purpose.

Project Wayfinder focuses on two main areas – ‘belonging’ and ‘purpose’. The premise is that schools can support students in building strong foundations by helping them find a sense of belonging or connection.

• Belonging is addressed in Years 7 to 9 and is about building a foundation through connection. It aims to help

students develop a stronger sense of self-identity and greater levels of self-esteem and self-efficacy.

• Purpose, for Years 10 to 12, is about finding direction through contribution. It aims to help students increase levels of motivation and academic engagement and foster prosocial behaviour.

SIX YEARS OF CURRICULUM BELONGING

BELONGING 1: SELF // Year 7

Building a foundation through connection

BELONGING 2: COMMUNITY // Year 8

PURPOSE

PURPOSE 1: SELF // Year 10

Finding direction through contribution

PURPOSE 2: COMMUNITY // Year 11

BELONGING 3: ACTION // Year 9

PURPOSE 3: ACTION // Year 12

> Project Wayfinder Implementing Project Wayfinder at Kilvington

Bringing Belonging and Purpose to the Senior School Pastoral Care Program Today’s youth are facing unprecedented health challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic triggering the largest sustained interruption our education system has ever seen.

While there aren’t any single one-sizefits-all solutions to meet the needs of each person, family and community, as educators we know that helping our young people build a range of inner wellbeing skills will give them the ability to better navigate uncertain conditions.

20 Kilvington News

The Importance of SocialEmotional Learning at School At Kilvington, we explicitly embed five key social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies – self-awareness, selfmanagement, responsible decision-making, relationships skills and social awareness – through our curriculum, and reinforce these through the School culture, policies and co-curricular programs.

Multiple research studies show that schools with dedicated high-quality social-emotional learning (SEL) programs have students with significantly improved emotional awareness, healthier relationships, stronger academic performance, and significantly lower rates of anxiety, behavioural problems and substance abuse.

As cognitive scientist Scott Barry Kaufman explains, healthy human development entails meeting not only our security-related basic physical needs, but also our growth-related higher psychological and self-fulfilment needs (see diagram below).

The first phase of implementing Project Wayfinder at Kilvington saw all Deans of Wellbeing attend Professional Learning at ISV late last year.

At the start of 2022, Project Wayfinder was introduced to all Senior School Mentors, and across Term 1 there have been teacher-led activities across most year levels in either Mentor Time or Year Level meetings. These have been well received by students.

Our next phase of implementation is for students to sign into the online portal and to start working through the activities. We will also introduce a wellbeing assessment tool known as ‘Waypoints’.

One example of Project Wayfinder in action is in the Year 9 Program, which

has seen several activities conducted with the students across Term 1 on the newly-named ‘Wayfinder Wednesday’.

Here’s some feedback from students:

The Project Wayfinder program in Mentor Time has been extremely enjoyable so far. It has often been a much-needed reset from classes along with giving me time to connect on a deeper level with my peers.

Joe Ashmore, Year 9 student Being able to spend time with my Mentor class and doing fun activities was refreshing and helped me connect with my Mentor class.

Calista Yap, Year 9 student

References • An Opportune Moment – A White Paper by Project Wayfinder • Project Wayfinder website – https://www.withwayfinder.com/

The program has really helped us connect with people we don’t usually interact with on a day-to-day basis.

It’s great to have activities planned for Mentor Time, and it’s the perfect opportunity to have some fun with your friends!

Tia Perera, Year 9 student As a supplementary program, Project Wayfinder helps to consolidate what we’re already doing well, which is providing highquality pastoral care for our students. The provision of this, and other resources, helps to add structure and curriculum to enable staff to foster better relationships, develop our students’ character to a deeper level and set them up for personal and career success as they progress beyond their schooling.

W inter 2022

21

> Character and Wellbeing Program Character and Connection Days at Kilvington Year 7 – Building Friendships SINCLAIR MCCLIMONT, YEAR 7 We had our first Character and Connection Day for Year 7 in Term 1.

Throughout this day we had fun doing lots of different activities: listening to a talk about ‘thinking traps’ from the Toolbox presentation, playing games, making new friends (many of them new to the School), and learning about ourselves.

The presentation on ‘thinking traps’ made me think about my mindset and what I should change about it. I also found the

Perseverance Pays Off: A Personal Reflection HENRY KIOSOGLOUS, YEAR 9 For the past few months, I’ve been struggling to improve my swimming times. I was 0.01 seconds off qualifying for the state championships, and I was not able to improve early enough to enter.

This was extremely frustrating as I was so unbelievably close. Not only did I not improve, I also started getting slower.

Instead of giving up, I realised that to get faster, I would need to train harder. I started focusing more on what I did during my training sessions and staying consistent with the frequency of my sessions.

After about a month of training like this, I had the opportunity to race three days in a row. In those three days, I managed to drop enough time to not only qualify for the next state championships, but another one after that.

This experience demonstrated to me the importance of hard work. While I am pleased with the results of my work, I am more proud of my efforts and perseverance to get to that point.

22 Kilvington News

extended time in our Mentor groups to be a bonus as it helped us to learn more about who we’d be in a small group with for the next two years.

We also talked about what we would like to see in our year level, and it was interesting to find out that many of the other students had the same thoughts as me.

Overall, I think we learnt new things about ourselves and our friends, both old and new.

Year 10 – Learning Leadership ANTHEA DIPLARIS, YEAR 10 We held the Year 10 Character and Connection Day, ‘Leadershift’, on Wednesday 16 March. Themed on the topic of leadership, we started the day off with a get-to-know-each-other activity, as well as some other little pair activities which broke up the talking.

Off the bat, I felt like the speakers (Amy, Faye and Cearle) were incredibly engaging and cared a lot about what they were doing. Throughout the day, we engaged in fun games such as Jenga, but everything we did always had a deeper meaning.

This aspect really stood out to me.

The games allowed us to create a link between the content and our everyday lives. Seemingly meaningless games were used to help us understand and recognise the importance of persistence and motivation, while keeping us interactive and engaged. I feel like this day strengthened and added to my perception of leadership.

My main takeaways were that leadership isn’t a shiny badge. It’s not just one person making decisions and instructing others on what to do. Leadership is a quality everyone possesses, and there are many ways to harness it.

It encouraged me to re-evaluate my approach to certain tasks and deepened my understanding of what’s helpful and what’s not when it comes to achieving my goals, in and out of School. I can confidently say I enjoyed the Y-Lead Workshop; it allowed me to think about leadership and the influence I can have.

I’m glad I had this opportunity!

W inter 2022

23

> Character and Wellbeing Program

THE YEAR 9 IMPACT TEAM

Year 9 – Lift Off Week As part of the Year 9 Impact Program, ‘Lift Off Week’ took place in early February and saw Year 9 students and staff travel into the CBD each day to complete a wide variety of activities and workshops.

The final part of the Impact Program was dedicated to ‘It’s Everyone’s Business’ with Monash University where students were supported and guided in the process of unearthing who they are and what it is they are passionate about. They were introduced to the concepts of social enterprise and entrepreneurship, and were motivated and inspired by the stories of two social enterprise developers.

Here’s a student reflection of the week:

Alycia Liew, Year 9 Lift Off Week was an eye-opening

consider doing, my answers were

experience, starting from the navigation

vague like, ‘oh, something in the

of the city with friends and peers to

medical field’. But, after a session with

ending with ‘It’s Everyone’s Business’ –

the Monash staff on ‘It’s Everyone’s

a highly insightful educational program

Business’, I felt I had more clarity.

with many fun activities.

The staff from Monash challenged

allowed us to identify and discuss

us with the question, ‘Who am I?’.

world issues. A topic of particular

“Wow, that’s an easy question,”

interest to me was ‘women’s

I thought to myself.

inequality in sport and in the

The first thing that came to my mind

workforce’. Women’s rights is a

was my name: Alycia. Then I thought

strong issue that my classmates

harder – what were my passions, my

and I can relate to or talk about.

dreams, my hobbies? What did I want

During our session with Monash

to do in the future? Some answers

staff, we heard a talk on sexism in

came to my mind easier than others.

sport, and another speaker addressed

In the past, I’d never given more

24 Kilvington News

‘It’s Everyone’s Business’ also

how she felt afraid walking down

than a passing thought to what I

the street alone at night. I was able

wanted to do in the future. Whenever

to relate to it and, for once, it didn’t

I’d been asked what job I would

seem like it was me against me.

W inter 2022

25

> School Highlights THESE STORIES HIGHLIGHT JUST A FEW OF THE GREAT EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES HAPPENING WITHIN OUR SCHOOL!

ELC and Junior School Picnic On the afternoon of Friday 4 March, we held the ELC and Junior School Picnic, our first community event in a long time.

It was so wonderful to spend time with everyone. Many thanks to our PFA and volunteers who helped to make it a fantastic occasion!

Cut for a Cause – Community Service at Kilvington JACQUI GOLDENBERG, COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM DIRECTOR As part of one of our annual charity events, Cut for a Cause, 24 Kilvington students cut off their mullets and long locks on 29 March. They managed to raise $15,000 for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) – what an achievement!

It was a great day overall, showcasing that the Kilvington community really is one that lives out our motto ‘not for our own, but others’ good’.

Thank you to our brave students, and it was great to see staff enthusiastically getting involved.

26 Kilvington News

W inter 2022

27

> School Highlights

2022 Quill Awards for Excellence in Victorian Journalism IVA RONCEVIC AND ASHLEIGH CAVALIN, SENIOR ENGLISH TEACHERS On Friday 18 March, a few Kilvington students from Years 11 and 12 and their teachers had the opportunity to attend the Quill Awards for Excellence in Victorian Journalism at the Palladium at Crown in the city.

The awards are held by the Melbourne Press Club which has a long-standing relationship with the School. They celebrate the best work in media in over 30 categories including print, television, radio, photography and social media.

Our English Captains, Amber Johnston and Diya Matthew, as well as School Captain David Overton and keen English student, Hunter Lee, had the wonderful opportunity of attending the awards.

Alongside Channel 7 Sports Commentator, Jacqui Felgate, both Diya and David also had the honour of presenting the prizes to the winners on the night.

28 Kilvington News

The students were also lucky to meet Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp, who took great interest in their views on issues that are currently at the forefront of young adults in our city.

The highlight of the night included witnessing trailblazing female sports journalist Caroline Wilson being honoured for her work with a lifetime achievement award. She ended her speech with the following advice for other young aspiring journalists: ‘The best stories are always the ones you don’t want to write.’

The Melbourne Press Club CEO, Cathy Bryson, was very welcoming and supportive of the students and organised a wonderful evening for Kilvington Grammar.

Celebrating International Women’s Day at Kilvington We celebrated International Women’s Day at Kilvington with two special events.

Firstly, on Wednesday 9 March, Years 11 and 12 students and staff had a breakfast and keynote address about gender equity from Kilvington alumnus Shelley Penn.

Shelley is an advocate for equity and women in architecture and was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2021 for her contribution to the field.

Then on 16 March, Year 9 student Aiva Anagnostiadis gave a short presentation to the Junior School. Seen as one of the top motorsport drivers in her age group in Australia, Aiva spoke about how motorsport is one of the few sports where men and women can compete against each other equally.

Aiva stated, ‘Karting and motorsport is for everyone. The sport requires many skills that both males and females have equally, and everyone can be involved – not only as a driver, but as an engineer, a team manager, a marketer and many other jobs up and down the pit lane.’

It was great to have both Aiva and Shelley share their passions with us and promote gender equality.

W inter 2022

29

> School Highlights Overall, Cultural Day was really fun and intriguing.

We all loved learning about the different and interesting facts about France and Japan.

Year 7 Cultural Day – A Celebration of French and Japanese Languages On Friday March 25, as part of Cultural Diversity week, Harmony Day and International Francophonie week, Year 7 students explored the French and Japanese cultures as part of their Languages classes.

They met native speakers and took part in cultural activities ranging from taiko drumming, kimono dressing, Francophonie competition, a French drama workshop (The French Loop), French cooking and Japanese calligraphy.

Here are accounts of the day from a few of our students:

Charlotte Ignasiak, Year 7 (Japanese)

Archie Fifoot and Aarav Amara, Year 7 (French)

The Year 7 Cultural Day was an

The Year 7 Cultural Day at School

a quick demonstration of French and

2022 Education Perfect Languages Championship

extra special day for me. I loved

was extremely fun and exciting.

Japanese language-speaking from

LUCIE DICKENS, ACADEMIC DEAN OF LANGUAGES

everything, especially the drumming

We split up into our chosen

some Year 12 students.

After lunch, we returned to our

and the opportunity to wear a

language groups – French and

traditional kimono!

Japanese – and were with our

normal class groups where we

groups for the majority of the day.

did French drama which was very

We had two French lessons in

energetic! We enjoyed just being

whether we would be expected to

the morning and then formed into

ourselves and learning many new

know a lot about the activities in

little task groups and made a poster

words. Finally, we did some baking!

advance, but all the teachers took it

about a French-speaking country.

A few teachers demonstrated how to

nice and slow enough for us to keep

Our groups chose the countries

make a couple of snacks such as the

up. Overall, the Year 7 Cultural Day

Djibouti and Haiti which were very

madeleine and a cake called gâteau

was a blast!

fun to learn about.

au yaourt. We all got turns helping

The day before, I was worried about how everything would be and

Shortly after, we had a languages assembly. People went up on stage to talk about the many great things

30 Kilvington News

with the cooking, cracking the eggs, pouring the milk and more.

Overall, Cultural Day was really fun

about France and Japan as well as

and intriguing. We all loved learning

our relationships and connections

about the different and interesting

with these countries. There was also

facts about France and Japan.

Well done to the Kilvington students who participated in the 2022 Education Perfect Languages Championship held between 8 to 15 March. This year, Kilvington achieved an incredible result by placing 6th in the state for schools of a similar size.

In Japanese, we were placed in 4th position and for French in 2nd position. Congratulations to all students who participated.

Here’s a list of our main recipients: • Bronze certificate: Ashley Braganza, Year 7 • Silver certificate: Oscar Le, Year 7; Eva Zhou, Year 8; Caleb Mendez, Year 9 and Jasmine Ptok, Year 9 • Gold award: Simon Huang, Year 8 (answered more than 6000 questions).

• Emerald award: Matilda Dehne and Calista Yap, Year 9 (answered more than 8000 questions).

• Elite award: Anna Zolotareva, Year 9 (answered more than 20,000 questions). Anna placed in the top 1% around the world and this was her second year receiving this award.

W inter 2022

31

BEN BISHOP, HEAD OF SPORT

> Sport Highlights Junior School House Cross-Country On 25 March, our Preps to Year 6 students had their House Cross Country event at EE Gunn. It was fantastic to see all the students give their best efforts as they ran around the 1km-2km-3kms course.

Our amazing Preps were the highlight.

They completed the course with massive smiles on their faces. Very impressive!

Congratulations to Fethers who won the day and the Junior School House Cross-Country trophy.

Balaclava District Swimming Carnival During this event, Years 3 to 6 students competed for Kilvington against other Balaclava District schools. Many of them committed to before-school training sessions, and it was pleasing to see how much they improved from the sessions.

With a wonderful team effort, Kilvington won the Small Schools trophy!

Congratulations to Henry Bath who came 1st in the 12/13YO Freestyle, Chelsey Li who placed 2nd in the 9/10YO Backstroke and Evelyn Zhou who placed 2nd in the 11YO Butterfly. Well done to all students who won ribbons on the day and the relay teams who displayed great teamwork!

Senior Sport (Years 10 – 12) Grand finals were conducted on Wednesday 6 April for Senior Girls Hockey, Senior Girls Basketball and Senior Boys Table Tennis.

We had fantastic results from our Senior Girls Basketball B team and from our Senior Girls Hockey team, who were both runners up in the EISM Premiership.

Congratulations to the Senior Boys Table Tennis team who took home the Premiership at the EISM Summer Season. The team was unbeaten throughout the entire season, a wonderful performance!

32 Kilvington News

W inter 2022

33

> Sport Highlights

Senior School House Swimming Carnival We returned with great enthusiasm on Friday 18 February to GSAC for our Senior School House Swimming Carnival.

It was a brilliant day and so great to see our students and staff thoroughly enjoying themselves. Congratulations to each of the individual winners on the day. House Cheers and the Senior Cup were won

by Barrett, and the Junior Cup and the Aggregate Cup were won by Fysh.

34 Kilvington News

EISM Swimming Events Kilvington performed brilliantly at the EISM Division 1 Swimming Carnival at MSAC on the evening of Tuesday 15 March. We finished 5th overall (our second-best result ever) and were winners of the Boys 15YO age group.

We went on to compete in the EISM Night of Swimming Champions event at MSAC on Monday 28 March. Well done to the amazing group of 23 Kilvington swimmers who competed on the night.

This year, Kilvington dominated the pool and collected our greatest ever tally of medals at this elite competition – a total of 11 gold medals, four silver medals and four bronze medals!

Then, in early May, our Kilvington swimmers represented the EISM at the Victorian Sport Association Competition (VSAC). The EISM competed against all the Independent Sporting Associations across Victoria and placed 3rd overall out of the 15 Associations.

Once again, there were some great performances from Liam Molloy, Greta Saville, Annie Steele and Ben Huang, our key athletes within the EISM team.

Unfortunately, Henry Kiosoglous could not compete due to COVID protocols.

Each event had 15 competitors, so these are wonderful results. Congratulations everyone!

W inter 2022

35

> Sport Highlights

There were many great individual performances across the day, and it was amazing to see the tremendous House Spirit on display.

EISM Division 1 Athletics Carnival Well done to the 105 Kilvington students who represented Kilvington at the EISM Division 1 Athletics Carnival on 5 May at Lakeside, Albert Park. Kilvington placed 6th on aggregate at this premier event and also won the 16YO Boys Age Group!

There were many amazing individual results across the day, but the comradery, teamwork, support, enthusiasm and effort on display from our students was the most pleasing to see.

Senior School House Athletics Congratulations to Burman House for winning the annual Senior School House Athletics on Thursday 17 March at Duncan MacKinnon Athletics track. Burman won the Years 10 to 12 Senior Cup and Fysh won the Years 7 to 9 Junior Cup. There were many great individual performances across the day, and it was amazing to see the tremendous House Spirit on display from all four Houses.

Super job everyone!

36 Kilvington News

W inter 2022

37

> From the PFA NATALIE POWER, PFA PRESIDENT As the new PFA President, I’ve felt honoured and excited to step into my role and take over the reins from the fabulous Kirsten Brooks.

My goal from the beginning has been simple – to provide opportunities for our community to build on our relationships and remain connected through our range of PFA events.

It’s been so wonderful to be back onsite and to welcome families both old and new with PFA events, including Welcome Back Picnics, the Mother’s Day Stall and Breakfast, and – most recently – hosting hospitality services at our Senior School Production of Mamma Mia! I would like to thank our wonderful team of Class Social Representatives (CSRs) who played an integral role in planning social opportunities for each cohort, as well as accommodating cascading PFA updates. In addition, our Kilvington Cares Program was instrumental in providing families with special home-cooked meals, especially while COVID impacted so many of us. It’s not just a meal; it’s also a message to let families know we’re thinking of them.

Our Secondhand Uniform Shop (SHUS) evolved within its new dedicated space, providing a service to those families who no longer require their uniform sizes or families who are in the need of new sizes of great quality.

I look forward to strengthening our community spirit by providing more opportunities for connection with others, ensuring many more special memories get made. Thank you to everyone who supported and got involved with PFA activities over the Semester. Your time and efforts are much appreciated and contribute enormously to our wonderful School community.

The PFA has a huge variety of roles available so parents can contribute in whichever way suits them best. I asked a few members of our PFA community to tell us about their roles.

38 Kilvington News

Tash Lowe – Senior School Vice-President (SSVP)

Fiona Godfrey – Senior School Vice-President (SSVP)

Megan Andrew – Year 2 CSR

Being a SSVP has been an awesome way

Being a SSVP is a great way of being

one of the things I love most about the

of not only helping our amazing School, but

involved with the School. It’s been lots of

School. I vividly recall my first social event

also meeting so many amazing humans.

fun so far – meeting lovely people, getting

at Kilvington (the Junior School Welcome

The wealth of knowledge everyone has is

involved, connecting and helping out at

Back Picnic) when my now Year 5 son

fantastic, and putting all heads together

school events. It’s good being a part of it all.

was in ELC. The CSRs were so warm and

brings loads of great ideas. This is

welcoming. (Special shout out to Meikhaela

something I never thought I would do, but

Lou Cooper – Kilvington Cares Coordinator

I’m so glad I’m doing it now. I’m looking

I’m really enjoying coordinating the 2022

when my now Year 2 son commenced in

forward to the year ahead and being a

Kilvington Cares Food Program. Previously,

ELC, I was also very happy to take on a

part of what happens next!

I’ve been on the receiving end of meals, so

CSR role.

Alan Shanks, PFA Volunteer

I know the enormous value of the program

I was very excited to be invited by the PFA

and how nurtured you feel to receive a food

by another mum (Annaliese), and we’ve

to help with the Mother’s Day Stall this

care package on your doorstep in times

really enjoyed the chance to bring together

year. With our children now in Year 9 and

of need. Many thanks to all my team for

families and have some much-needed

Year 12, it was an opportunity to revisit

their enthusiasm and contributions, and

fun. Highlights have included ‘pizza at the

the wonderful memories Sarah and I have

we welcome anyone who wants to join the

park’, an Easter egg hunt, dads’ beer and

of our time in the Junior School. Thanks

team to continue to support the Kilvington

pizza nights, mums’ high teas, lunches

to the tireless work of the PFA, the stall

community in times of need.

and/or dinners and coffee catch-ups.

was well-stocked and ready by the time

Sasha Osowicki – 3YR ELC CSR

Families are always so enthusiastic; it’s

I arrived! I didn’t plan it that way, I promise!

I’m a joint CSR with Laura Lear for the

wonderful to experience the growing sense

I loved seeing the faces of the children as

ELC 3 Marine group. Being a CSR for the

of community and connection that will be

they came in to choose from a stunning

3-year-old ELC is a great opportunity to

there for many years to come.

selection of gifts for mums and special

help build a strong sense of community,

friends. It’s so wonderful to be back on

especially for those families new to the

Briohny Marshall – Secondhand Uniform Shop (SHUS) Coordinator

campus and to reconnect with old friends

School. It is a huge transition year for both

I started volunteering in the SHUS seven

and make new ones through the PFA!

children and their families. Parents, carers

years ago to get to know other parents and

and children are able to connect outside

be more involved in the School community.

of the class environment to have some fun

Working with a team of awesome

and build a sense of belonging.

volunteers, we provide a service for our

The sense of community at Kilvington is

who is still our amazing CSR now!) So,

In the last few years, I’ve been joined

School families to sell their old uniforms as well as come in and grab a bargain on some good quality secondhand items.

Having my own kids see the value of volunteering (yes, they actually ask to come and help!), and getting to meet new people all the time are some of the great benefits of volunteering in this role.

W inter 2022

39

>Alumni Highlights

A community of former students who enjoy and contribute to Kilvington’s rich culture of connection, relationships and care.

BIANCA LAPINS, COMMUNITY RELATIONS OFFICER After so many cancellations and disruptions over the past few years due to COVID-19 restrictions, it has been wonderful to gather our alumni once again at reunions and other networking events.

We had a fantastic turnout for our Walsh Club Lunch in March, a special event for all those who attended Kilvington 50 or more years ago. More than 40 Kilvonians met at the Glass House in Caulfield where our Principal, Rob French, welcomed guests who had travelled from as close as two streets away and as far as Sydney to catch up with former classmates.

A very special part of the afternoon was the impromptu singing of the School song with enthusiasm and beaming smiles all round.

At our all-peer 2022 Kilvonian Konnections event, guest speaker and former Member of the Federal Parliament of Australia, Julia Banks (nee Lolatgis, Class of 1980), spoke about the highs and lows of life in federal politics and passionately shared her thoughts on how to address gender equality.

Julia noted the small but very important act by former Principal, Mr Stone, of remembering how to pronounce her multicultural surname at a time when multicultural surnames were a minority, a sign of the care and individual attention that remains part of Kilvington’s culture today.

Most recently we welcomed past students from the Classes of 1982 and 1977 to their 40 and 45 Year Reunion. The phrase ‘you haven’t changed a bit’ was heard more than once as former students reconnected with each other with lots of laughs and stories being shared.

Former Music Captain, Jane Crosby (nee Whitelock), shared some wonderful memories from her schooldays, including performing in the School productions of The Boyfriend and HMAS Pinafore and touring country Victoria attending choral competitions with The Madrigals.

It was so lovely to have two generations of Kilvington students present at the event. Heidi Poda (nee Rasch, Class of 1982) attended the reunion with her daughter Olivia Poda (Class of 2022 and Burman House Captain). Olivia, together with fellow classmate and School Captain Shreya Jain, led a tour of the School.

Observations were made by many of the guests on how much had changed and improved over the past 40 years.

We have a busy schedule of events for the remainder of the year and look forward to welcoming the following cohorts to their reunions.

We were delighted to hear from Meaghan Kelly (nee Stokie, Class of 1981) who is currently living in Sweden with her partner Claes. She writes: Things are going well here in Sweden.

I love the nature, traditions, music culture, food, the proximity to central Europe and the peace and quiet on our farm. There are many things I am missing though, like Australian mangoes, big avocadoes, sausage rolls and iced coffee. But most of all, I miss my long-time Aussie friends.

When baking, I still wear the apron that I made in Year 7, and the tapestry box we made in Year 8 sits on my bedroom dresser. I constantly use the time management skills we learnt in home economics classes. And my geography is still sharp, thanks to Mrs Lower’s wonderful Year 12 classes and many years in the travel industry. I failed Year 9 French, and yet I know it has helped me learn a third language – Swedish! I’m very happy to say that it’s a lot easier than French!

Classes of 1997 and 2002 Friday 29 July, 6.00 – 8.00pm Class of 1972 Friday 5 August, 6.00 – 8.00pm Classes of 2019, 2020 and 2021 Thursday 25 August, 4.00 – 6.00pm Walsh Club Lunch Friday 5 October, 12.00 – 2.00pm Classes of 2012 and 2017 Friday 21 October, 6.00 – 8.00pm

40 Kilvington News

W inter 2022

41

> Alumni Highlights

Conversations with a Kilvonian ADJUNCT PROFESSOR SHELLEY PENN AM, CLASS OF 1982 Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi I’m Shelley, 1982 Kilvington graduate.

I’m an architect, educator, urbanist and built environment advocate. I run my own architectural firm, Shelley Penn Architects, a hybrid practice specialising in residential design and shifting focus to include consultation to government and the private sector on public projects. I’m also the mother of two much-loved sons, aged 18 and 20. In my spare time, I walk, read and swim in Port Phillip Bay. What have you been up to since leaving Kilvington?

I studied Architecture at Melbourne University. After finishing, I worked in various architectural practices, and then set up my own practice in 1993 after travelling overseas. After seven years, I questioned whether this was the path I wanted to follow. I then changed tack and moved to Sydney and began a job as Design Director in the Office of the NSW Government Architect in 2000. I eventually moved back to Melbourne and continued to run my own business. In recent years, I’ve practised much less, and I now do more work as a Company Director and Board Member for government and private organisations. I’m also the University Architect at Monash University and a member of State Design Review Panels around Australia.

What is your favourite memory of Kilvington?

The friendships I formed, sitting in the sun at the ‘HSC House’ and chatting during breaks.

I actually enjoyed the schoolwork too!

Any funny stories?

I’ll need to dredge up my memory for that … perhaps our last day of School which was the equivalent of ‘muck up’ day now; parading down North Road dressed as hippies, putting glad-wrap on the toilet seats, etc. I’m not sure if students are allowed to do that now?!

Did you end up where you expected you would when you finished school?

Not at all. I didn’t really have clear expectations about what my future might be. I’m still quite open to things moving and changing – it’s exciting! I was not clear 42 Kilvington News

about studying architecture, but I was open to it and ultimately got a lot out of it and of life at university. It has been a foundation for a very diverse and interesting path for me.

I’ve also maintained that approach, staying open to opportunities that align with my values and capabilities and working hard at things once I’ve taken them up.

How did your time at Kilvington prepare you for what you are doing now?

The small school environment suited me, and I was comfortable with what was then a fairly narrow curriculum. I liked English, Literature and Pure Maths … but I know the narrower range of subjects didn’t work for everyone. I was lucky. Overall, I felt supported in developing and doing my best within a safe and respected environment. I had good relationships with my friends and my teachers, many of whom were inspirational.

I was fortunate to be elected President of the Student Representative Council, too.

What are you passionate about?

I’m passionate about the impact and importance of design quality in the public realm. The design of buildings and spaces has a huge impact on wellbeing, community engagement, connectedness, social inclusiveness and sustainability and is so important for these reasons.

It’s also important because the delight and enjoyment of our environment enrich our lives and build pride in place.

What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve had to face to get where you are now?

Recognising when the work I’m doing or the path I’ve taken is not quite right and having the courage to step away from it.

This has included struggling with selfdoubt and ‘imposter syndrome’ at various times. I’ve worked hard to reflect upon and understand what’s driving those feelings at different times and to move forward, or do better if I feel I can, or to just ‘do it anyway’.

I’ve also learnt to acknowledge when I’ve done well or had some success. Standing up and challenging myself to recognise and resist unconscious bias (most often related to gender, but bias in all forms) in others and in myself. We all have these biases,

and we have the power to be self-aware and to change to support others equally.

What has been your biggest highlight so far?

The existence of my two sons and their presence in my life. In relation to my work, I think it was the receipt of an Order of Australia (AM) last year, which was unexpected. I am passionate about trying to contribute to making the world better for all, and for me that has meant championing the quality of public places, buildings and open spaces to be accessible, welcoming to all people and sustainable and delightful.

What excites you about the future?

The incredible capability of humanity to be inventive, intelligent, compassionate and collaborative in developing solutions for major challenges, such as our rapidly-changing climate, the loss of animal and plant species, biodiversity and the disproportionate impacts that are, and will be, felt by people around the world. I have enormous faith in science, and I believe our collective response to COVID worldwide shows what we can do if we put our minds to it.

How did what you learn at Kilvington help make you the person you are today?

I think there was a strong culture of respect for others regardless of background – or at least I felt that – and I was also taught that by my family. This has been a foundational principle for me. But I say this from a position of relative privilege. It may not have been everyone’s experience.

Any advice for our current Year 12 students as they embark on the next stage of their journey?

Follow your passion, but work hard and be prepared to stick things out because sometimes the time might not be right for change, or because you still have much to learn where you are. Stay open-minded.

Don’t let doubt get you down but use it to be better. Be honest at all times, and be honest with yourself about your strengths and your weaknesses. Be humble, too, but don’t forget to acknowledge and reward yourself for hard work and achievements, however small they might seem. Most of all – enjoy life in all its rich diversity!

Follow your passion, but work hard and be prepared to stick things out because sometimes the time might not be right for change, or because you still have much to learn where you are.

> Donors and Supporters We would like to acknowledge and thank those people who made generous donations to Kilvington from November 2021 to April 2022: Ms Abela & Ms Periorelis Mr & Mrs Albon Mr & Mrs Anderson Dr & Mrs Bala Mr & Mrs Barnes Mr Bath & Dr Hubber Mr Batterham & Mrs Seuret-Batterham Mr Bernardi & Ms Bowman Mr & Mrs Bishop Mr & Dr Bernard Mr & Mrs Blackmore Mr & Mrs Blair Mr & Mrs Brown Mr Bryan & Ms Hollinger Mr & Mrs Cetrola Mr Chandler & Mrs Watson Mr Chen & Mrs Han Mr Chen & Mrs Zhai Mr Chen & Ms Wang Mr Chen & Ms Zhang Mr Chen & Ms Zhao Mr Cheong-See & Ms Zaitman Mr Cheung & Ms Lin Mr & Mrs Chiba Mr Chong & Ms Soo Mr & Mrs Chow Mr & Mrs Cliffe Mr & Mrs Connolly Mr & Ms Connolly Dr Cooksey Mr Cox & Ms Russo Mr & Mrs Croker Mr Cruickshank & Ms Kwee Mr Cypriotis & Ms Kouroulis Mr Dai & Mrs Gui Mr Dang & Mrs Nguyen Ms Dang & Mr Kham Mr & Mrs Dean Mr Dehne & Ms Dempsey Mr & Mrs Dickson Mr Dillon-Shallard & Ms Elliott Mr & Mrs Driver Mr & Mrs Dymos Mr & Mrs Fernhout Mr & Mrs Fifoot Mr Fishman & Mrs Hamilton-Ritchie Mr & Mrs Frangoulis

Mr & Mrs Gastevich Mr Genziuk Mr & Mrs Geremia Professor & Mrs Glazebrook Mr Goodwin & Ms Chan Mr Grenfell & Mrs Manikam Mr Guo & Mrs Luo Mr Gupta & Mrs Singhal Mr Ha & Mrs Trinh Mr Haldezos & Mrs Layhe-Haldezos Mr Hall & Ms Lleonart Dr Halpern & Dr Barkley Mrs Handwerk Mr Hardy & Mrs Wang Ms He & Mr Wang Mr He & Mrs Li Mr Heine Mr Hickman Mr & Mrs Heggie Mr & Dr Hinsley Mr Hoang & Mrs Le Mr & Mrs Hoban Mr Hodgson & Ms Giles Mr Hoerner & Ms Dwork Mr Huang & Mrs Kong Mr Huang & Ms Wang Mr Huang & Ms Young Mr & Mrs Huynh Mr Jackson-Lyng & Ms McNamara Mr & Mrs Jansen Mr Jia & Mrs Fan Mr Jia & Ms Li Mr Jiang & Mrs Wen Mr Johns Mr Johnson & Ms McMahon Mr & Mrs Jorgovic Mr & Mrs Kanapathippillai Mr Kennedy Mr Kiosoglous & Ms Simpson Mr & Mrs Knight Mr Knowles & Ms Honey Mr & Mrs Kokosoulis Mr Krischock Mr Kumar & Ms Gonsalvez Mr & Mrs Lane Ms & Dr Langenberg

Mr Laughton & Ms Hatz Dr Le & Mrs Khor Mr & Mrs Le Merle Mr Lee & Ms Leow Mr Lee & Ms Leung Mr Leholat & Mrs Nemirovsky Mr & Mrs Leicester Mr & Mrs Lewis Mr Li & Ms Tai Mr Li & Ms Zhang Mr Lin & Miss Liang Mr Lin & Ms Lay Mr Lin & Ms Shi Mr Lin & Ms Xie Mr & Mrs Linklater Mr & Mrs Litvin Mr Liu & Mrs Jin Mr Liu & Ms Ding Mr Loft & Ms Baker Ms Louis & Mr Kulgavin Mr & Mrs Love Mr & Mrs Lowe Mr & Mrs Lyng Mr & Mrs Lyons Ms Macgowan Mr & Mrs Maglis Dr Mammen & Dr Lal Mr Manley Dr Mathew & Dr Thomas Mrs & Mr McDonald Mr McGrath & Ms Sabo Mr & Mrs McGregor Mr McKinnon & Ms White Mr & Mrs McKenzie Mr & Mrs McLennan Mr & Mrs McMillan Mr Michaelson & Miss Fujiwara Mr & Mrs Moy Mr Mufic & Ms Tusia Ms Mulligan Mr & Mrs Munnerley Mr Naffine Ms Nair & Mr Uthayakumar Mr & Mrs Nation Mr & Mrs Nazaretian Mr Northey & Ms Spry Mr & Mrs Nguyen Ms Nguyen

Mr & Mrs Nuth Mr & Mrs O’Brien Mr & Mrs O’Connor Mr Oon & Ms Loo Mr Pan & Ms Huang Mr Papadopoulos & Ms Van der Geest Mr & Mrs Parker Mr & Mrs Parry Mr Pramudya & Mrs Siahaan Dr Pearce Mr & Mrs Perry Mr Prentice Ms Pun & Dr Chen Mr Qu & Ms Sun Ms & Mr Quinn Mr & Mrs Ransom Mr Ren & Dr Wang Mr & Mrs Russell Mrs Sajahan & Mr Mohamed Buhari Mr & Mrs Scicluna Mr & Mrs Sellar Mr & Mrs Shah Mr Shao & Ms Sun Dr & Dr Sheahan Mr Shen & Ms Liu Mr & Mrs Sheridan Mr & Mrs Sherman Ms Shi Mr Shi & Ms Mao Mr & Mrs Short Mr Skinner & Ms Jemali Mr Song & Mrs Fang Mr Song & Ms Ma Mr Speechley Mr Speechley & Ms Liew Mr Stanley & Ms Wu Mr & Mrs Starr Mr Steele Mr & Mrs Steiner Mr & Mrs Stephens Mr & Mrs Stevens Mr & Mrs Strachan Mr Stuckey & Ms Garcia de la Banda Mr Subbiah Paneer Velu & Ms Kamaraj Dr & Mrs Tatford

Mr Teegala & Mrs Hatti Vijay Kumar Mr Tian & Mrs Cui Mr Tritschler & Ms Duke Mr & Ms Tucker Mr & Mrs Ueda Mr & Mrs Vergers Mr & Mrs Verginis Mr & Mrs Volakakis Dr Walker & Ms Araki Mr Wang & Mrs Liu Mr Wang & Mrs Mochizuki Mr Wang & Ms Lu Ms Weir Mr Wen & Ms Bin Mr Weng & Miss Zhang Mr Westaway & Ms Denisenko Mr & Mrs Williamson Mr Willim & Ms Simon Dr Wimalasundera & Mrs Nammuni Mr Wong & Ms Wan Mr & Mrs Wotherspoon Dr Xi & Dr Tang Mr Xia & Mrs Jiang Mr Xu & Mrs Han Mr Xu & Ms Huang Mr Xu & Ms Yuan Ms Xueyan Mr & Mrs Yatsuzuka Mr Ye & Mrs Zhu Mr & Miss Yeo Mr Yin & Ms Wang Mr Yu & Mrs Zhao Ms Yu Ms Yu & Mr Wei Ms Zarbos Mr Zhang & Mrs Yang Mr Zhang & Mrs Zhu Mr Zhang & Ms Jiang Mr Zhang & Ms Yu Mr Zhang & Ms Zhou Mr Zhao & Ms Li Mr Zhao & Ms Shi Mr Zheng & Mrs Han Mr Zheng & Ms Xiao Mr Zhou & Mrs Gao Mr Zhu & Ms He Mr Zhu & Ms Zhang

Thank you to the following generous individuals and organisations for their time and donations of goods and services to support our fundraising efforts and community events: COMPANIES Bob Stewart Uniforms Happy Little Bites Catering Lizzy’s Chocolate Creations My Little Tribe Photography The Glasshouse Caulfield Three Little Bakers Urban Development Landscapes Group INDIVIDUALS Chantelle Abela Louise Adamson Annaliese Allen Toby Allen Eleni Anastasiadis Megan Andrew

Jennifer Araki Chelsea Arnold Rachael Baker Janet Bowman Anna Bowring Carolyn Bruce Rachel Cetrola Ann Cleghorn Mitchell Cole Julie Connolly Lou Cooper Barbara Cornelius Leto Cui Chelsie Dickson Michelle Dunstone Jacomi du Preez

Tania Duncan Karin Elliott Annie Fitzgibbon Carrie Fowler Fiona Godfrey Serena Gray Yvette Gray Shruthiv Hatti Fiona Hinsley Janine Honey Alex Hopley Andree Hubber Neelu Kapoor Magdalen Khoo Jacinta Knight Sakhee Kotevha

Leanne Land George Lane Serena Lane Laura Lear Lynda Leighton Felicity Lewis Annie Lidell Sarah Lim Lisa Liu Natasha Lowe Briohny Marshall Lyndal Matthews Mandy McDonald Wendy McManamny Wendy McMillian Sarah McSwiney

Liz Michelini Marianne Misso Dan Moore Megan Moore Emily Munnerely Paul Munnerley Charan Naidoo Lanka Nammuni Sasha Osowicki Evan Perry Nadine Power OiYi Pun Gerri Redgwell Wendy Ren Tiffany Rudik Rosetta Scicluna

Julie Scott Nadia Seifen Nicole Seuret-Batterham Alan Shanks Anouk Shermann Ada Shi Susan Short Meikhaela Spooner Belinda Steiner Eleri Stephens Melinda Tassone Michelle Tatford Shruthi Teegala Marnie Turner Ilana Tusia

Sally Vanston Treasure Vellis Kerin von Stieger Helen Vouros Girija Wadhwa Ying Wei Angela Williams Karen Wynter Ivy Xiao Elisabeth Yeo Peter Yu Dina Zaitman June Zhang Maisie Zhang Raymond Zheng Rebecca Zolotareva W inter 2022

45

> Key Dates for Your Diary July TUESDAY 19

Term 3 Commences

FRIDAY 22

Prep to Year 6 House Athletics

FRIDAY 22

Years 11 and 12 Formal

FRIDAY 29

20- and 25-Year Reunion

August FRIDAY 5

50-Year Reunion

FRIDAY 19

Annual Music Concert

TUESDAY 23

Father’s Day Stall

THURSDAY 25

Class of 2019, 2020 and 2021 Reunion

WEDNESDAY 31 – FRIDAY 2

ELC to Year 10 Art Show

September FRIDAY 2

Father’s Day Breakfast

MONDAY 5 – FRIDAY 9

Kilvington Writer’s Festival

TUESDAY 6

Open Morning

THURSDAY 8

PEP Talk – Beyond the Birds and the Bees

TUESDAY 13 and THURSDAY 15

Years 5 and 6 Production

FRIDAY 16

Term 3 Concludes

October MONDAY 3

Term 4 Commences

FRIDAY 7

Walsh Club Lunch

MONDAY 10 – FRIDAY 14

VCE Art and Design Exhibition

MONDAY 17

ELC Production

TUESDAY 18

Year 12 Valedictory Day

FRIDAY 21

5- and 10-Year Reunion

TUESDAY 25

Open Morning

MONDAY 31

Mid-Term Break

November TUESDAY 1

Melbourne Cup Holiday

TUESDAY 22

PFA AGM and Volunteer Thank You Evening

FRIDAY 25

Celebration Night

December TUESDAY 6

Junior School Christmas Assembly

FRIDAY 9

Term 4 Concludes

The above events in 2022 may be subject to change.

46 Kilvington News

2 Leila Road, Ormond Victoria 3204 T (03) 9578 6231 | E enquiries@kilvington.vic.edu.au kilvington.vic.edu.au