Welcome to English 2025!

It’s been a rollicking start to the year for us in the English Department, with new staff joining and all of our classes starting their learning journey. I have the privilege of teaching one of our Year 7 classes and I asked them to reflect on the past few weeks since they started at Kilbreda. I have included some writing from some of the girls below; I love how positive and welcomed our girls report feeling.

Introduction of Three New English Teachers

We have three new members in the English teaching team:  Ms Marina Legatt, Ms Kerryn Dodd and myself – Ms Nicola Hare. Between the three of us, we have a huge amount experience which we bring to our new school. We are all happy to be here.

Ms Dodd

Teaching English has been an important part of my life’s journey for many years, and has been a constant as I have transitioned from South Africa to Belgium, and then settled in Melbourne. Robust discussion, the celebration of individual thought and the development of learning confidence are important to me, and I love English for its capacity to enrich our understanding of our world and ourselves. Having spent two years at St Bede’s College, I am delighted to remain a part of the Bayside community here at Kilbreda.

Ms Legatt

I have recently moved from Lauriston Girls’ School in Armadale to Kilbreda. I was the VCE Coordinator at Lauriston, which was somewhat interrupted in 2023 by a stint at St Kevin’s College as the Dean of Learning Diversity. My joy is Senior English. I always endeavour to bring my love of learning and the knowledge I have gained in special education and neuro diversity to the classroom. I value collaboration with my colleagues and have appreciated the professionalism and passion for classroom teaching and learning already evident in my colleagues here at Kilbreda. 

Ms Hare

I love my job. I’ve never wanted to be anything other than an English teacher and have had the experience of teaching in four different countries now. Although systems are different between places, what has remained constant is my love of the written word and its power to command, to move or to reveal our human truths. I’ve found everyone to be truly welcoming. It’s a delight to be here at Kilbreda College and to take up the reins as Learning Leader: English.

Year 7 Writing Examples

My First Weeks at Kilbreda – Alexa

My first weeks at Kilbreda College have been amazing. I have made a whole new group of friends, and I have met a lot of new people. Even though it was a really big change moving from primary school to high school it has been amazing. Kilbreda is an amazing place to be and this school makes me feel so happy and welcome. The thing that scared me the most was the school work. I got really worried that the school work would be really hard but my teachers helped me a lot. Our Big Sister was the best. She helped and took care of me and my classmates every day. It was really sad to watch her leave because she was so kind and helpful. If it wasn’t for my Big Sister I wouldn’t be as confident as I am today. Kilbreda is an amazing school.

The Library – Eva         

On the first day of school all I could wonder about was the Library. What’s so good about the Library, you say? Well, books for me are like a world of wonder and wisdom. Sometimes I feel like I’m in a green tropical jungle with luscious wet olive leaves or like I’m riding a lion into the desolate desert as the beaming sun looks down on me. As I wander into the Library, I feel like I’m floating into the sky with exhilaration. It felt like the words were drowning me in magical light. There were millions upon millions of words and books and covers to read and look at, my favourite authors, and so many bookmarks to collect. As the books danced around me, I could not feel more joy than being in this Library. My very, very own school Library!

The Start of My Kilbreda Journey – Olivia

My first couple weeks at Kilbreda have been really fun and I already love it here. All of my teachers are so nice and I also love my Homeroom. I have made lots of new friends and they are all so nice and I love hanging out with them at recess and lunchtime. A cool moment was when the Big Sisters were here and we did Just Dance in the meeting room and it was so fun to do it with all my friends. Something that kind of scared me was the first couple of days when we got our locks – it was very hard but I picked up on what to do right away. Then, around a week later I was bad at doing my lock and couldn’t do it anymore but now I can do it again! I have had the best first couple of weeks and I have had a lot of fun with my friends. Everyone at Kilbreda has also made me feel really welcome and everyone has also made starting at a brand new school very easy.

My Kilbreda Experience So Far – Paris

My first weeks at Kilbreda have been really fun but there are lots of things that make it different from primary school such as: taking the train to get to school, meeting lots of new people, walking around to get to some classes and one thing which I really like is the Canteen. It’s near my Homeroom and my friends and I love going there at recess and lunch to get tasty food. It’s different because I didn’t have a canteen at primary school and it’s open every day. The only thing I will soon dislike about school is homework, even though we haven’t gotten any yet. People tell me it’s dreadful, difficult and time consuming. However, Kilbreda is a new, fresh start and the beginning of my high school years which I will adapt to and love.

My First Week at Kilbreda – Sally

My first week at Kilbreda was a big change for me going from primary school to secondary school. My first day I was standing in the Hall with so many people in there it was like a tin of sardines. I made my way to Homeroom for the first time and there I made a new friend, Alexa, and that made class a whole lot easier. By the end I met all of my teachers for the year and by the end of the week I felt like an expert. I learned how to open my locker, I learned how to read my timetable and I learned how to find my way around the school. In my first week I was already trying out for the school diving team. With the smell of chlorine filling the classroom I made new friends and met new people. By the end of my first week I also learned about the school. My friends and I started to explore the buildings and the yard. I will never get lost. High School is not as difficult as everyone thinks it is, I found it as easy as tying my shoelace or as easy as brushing my teeth. Some moments were harder than others. I had lots of support from my friends, teachers and family.

Nicola Hare

Learning Leader: English