It is hard to believe that it is Week 6 of Term 2 and that we are nearly halfway through the 2023 academic year. What a joy it has been to witness our students go from strength to strength this year: continually learning, growing and developing. Every day I spend at Kilbreda College I marvel at the warmth and talent of our staff and our community; the depth of learning and exploration that occurs here and the breadth of co-curricular opportunities offered to our students. I am proud that we are committed to delivering a multifaceted and balanced curriculum, that is about the development of the whole person and engages with the academic, cultural, spiritual, and practical domains of learning. I am inspired by the active pursuit and expression of our Kildare Ministries values: Compassion, Courage, Hope, Hospitality, Justice and Wonder, both within and beyond the classroom.

‘The Pursuit of Perfectionism’

At Kilbreda, we want our students to have the confidence to shape their own futures, to be brave, and not perfect. This week, our Unit 3 Drama students highlighted the perils associated with the unrelenting pursuit of flawlessness and the negative impacts it can have on an individual’s mental health and wellbeing, in their original and powerful portrayal of ‘The Pursuit of Perfectionism‘. To create and deliver this devised ensemble performance, our students were required to use research and improvisation to explore how social media, the education system and a heavy emphasis on academic performance and a culture of competition, can lead to a sense of worthlessness and inadequacy. I wholeheartedly congratulate all students involved and their teacher, Ms Marnie Kavanagh, for their exemplary performances. Thank you for highlighting to us the importance of breaking free from the shackles that hinder our happiness, embracing our vulnerabilities and letting go of the desire to achieve the unattainable.

An Unwavering Commitment to Shine

Without a doubt, our students possess an acute understanding of how to apply themselves diligently to their co-curricular pursuits. Each day, as I watch sports teams training, hear wind instruments and vocal lessons taking place and witness our debaters collaborating with others, I am reminded of each student’s passions and their willingness to share their gifts. Their unwavering commitment to the honing of skills through repetition and practice, nurtures and strengthens the very fabric of our school culture, shining brightly for all to see.

The resounding call to embrace every opportunity with an unwavering dedication, collaborative spirit, and a sense of agency has been evident this past fortnight with our students seizing the opportunity to shine.  Congratulations to our 3 v 3 Intermediate Basketball players who have made it through to the Victorian Championships after winning their basketball competitions, to all our Years 9 to 11 students who represented the College with distinction at the Model United Nations Conference, to our innovative Years 7 and 8 STEM MAD student teams who have been busy developing initiatives to address real-world problems, to our exemplary Student Leaders who delivered an insightful presentation on ‘Why Student Voice Matters?’ to staff from the Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools and to our esteemed musicians who have relished the opportunity to collaborate with accomplished musicians.

As we head into the exam period for Years 9 to 11 students and the forthcoming assessment weeks of Semester 1, I extend my best wishes to each student, with a resounding call to be bold, brave and brilliant and don’t be afraid to shine.

Reconciliation Week

Reconciliation with our Aboriginal brothers and sisters is a key justice priority of Kildare Ministries and for us at Kilbreda College. Our College Community has a strong vision for a reconciled Australia in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and non-indigenous Australians walk together with respect and understanding. This week, as part of our National Reconciliation Week celebrations, we explored the 2023 theme: ‘Be a voice for future generations’ and how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

As followers of St Brigid, we know the importance of continuing to deepen our values of courage, compassion, hospitality and justice, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.  Reconciliation must live in our hearts, minds and actions.

God of justice and forgiveness,
Guide us as we continue our pathways to Reconciliation.
Grant us the courage to speak out against the injustices that our Indigenous brothers and sisters
continue to suffer.
Help us to see with new eyes, to listen to the stories of our Indigenous brothers and sisters
and to feel with hearts of compassion.
Help us to build right relations with each other based on truth and justice.
We ask this prayer through Christ our Lord,
Amen.

We Pray For

We ask for your prayers for members of our community and their families who have recently lost loved ones:

Dr Rupert Hood
Father-in-Law of Sonya Hood (Staff),
Father of Katrina Hood (Class of 1998) and
Natalie Hood (Class of 1983)

We pray that our loving God hold him gently in the palm of His hand.

Stephanie Smyth
Acting Principal