The joy and spirit of Kilbreda has radiated every part of our school grounds over the past fortnight.  The annual Art and Design Exhibition and Fashion Show generated much excitement and our students appreciated the opportunity these events provided to showcase their gifts and talents. 

Our student-led election process for selecting our 2023 Year 12 College Co-Captains was a vigorous one, led thoughtfully by our Year 10 Student Leaders:  Mia Espinoza, Bridgette Veneris, Gabrielle Smyth, Lola Martin and Alicia Noble. All ten, Year 11 applicants spoke passionately about the College and their hopes and visions for the future. 

Our Term 4 Assembly, Year 12 Celebration Day and our Year 12 Graduation Mass and Dinner were wonderful celebrations of all we as a College reinforced the strong emphasis we place as a community on forming high quality connections with all.

Year 12 College Awards

At our Term 4 Assembly, we presented the following prestigious College awards to students who had been nominated by their peers and staff for making significant contributions to the life and spirit of Kilbreda College over the past six years:

Sister Mary Dalton Award

The 2022 recipient of the Sister Mary Dalton Award is our 2022 College Co-Captain, Francesca Malignaggi. 

Francesca is described by her peers as: ‘Someone who gives their absolute best to everything they do.  They are friendly, the ultimate team player, a great listener, a reassuring and inspirational leader, a quiet achiever who has excelled in the classroom undertaking two VCE Unit 3 & 4 subjects in Year 11. She has been an outstanding role model to all.’

Mother Margaret Mary Bourke Award

The 2022 recipient of the Mother Margaret Mary Bourke Award is our 2022 College Co-Captain, Alice Merchant. 

Alice is described by her peers as: ‘Someone who is caring and compassionate.  She has been an outstanding contributor to the Kilbreda College community since Year 7, in social justice.  She is courageous and resilient, and she goes out of her way to bring a little magic and joy to the lives of others.  Alice has a genuine love of learning, and she always gives her best.’

Michelle Bassett Award

The 2022 recipient of the Michelle Bassett Award is Katrien Girvan. 

Katrien is described by her peers as: ‘Someone who is courageous and committed to acting for justice.  Katrien was a pivotal member of the Year 12 student leadership team driving many initiatives to improve the health and wellbeing of students and she has worked tirelessly to ensure that our school community was an inclusive one.  For example, she was instrumental in establishing Kilbreda College’s inaugural diversity group.’

ADF Long Tan Youth Leadership and Teamwork Award

The 2022 recipient of the ADF Long Tan Youth Leadership and Teamwork Award is Shannen Carty. 

Shannen is described by her peers as: ‘A student who is constantly striving to be the best person they can be, while encouraging others to do the same.  They are a positive and active contributor to life at Kilbreda College and when challenges present, they persevere, demonstrating grit, persistence, and resilience in the process. As a community action leader her incredible, well-developed leadership skill have shone brightly.  She has taken younger students under her wing, mentored them, actively worked alongside them to build their confidence, and ensured their voices were heard and acted upon.’

ADF Future Innovators Award

The 2022 recipient of the ADF Future Innovators Award is Amy Chy-Long. 

Amy is described by her Applied Computing teacher as: ‘A student whose attention to detail, creativity, ingenuity, and capacity to think outside the box and generate unique solutions to problems have enabled her to achieve excellent results.  She is inquisitive, takes risks with her learning and persists when challenges present.’

Caltex Best All-Rounder Award

The 2022 recipient of the Caltex Best All-Rounder Award is Alexia Ritzert. 

Alexia is described by her peers as: ‘Someone who has actively been involved in school productions, sports teams, the music program, school community activities and has been a House Leader this year.  She has been an outstanding contributor to sustainability initiatives across the college and a wonderful role model for all.  This was evident this year in the SCSA aerobics team where they took on the ‘mother role of the squad’ as they were the eldest member of the team offering support and encouragement to all team members.  Whether it’s her methods schoolwork or representing the college at triathlon, Alexia always gives 100%.  There have been many mornings where she would come to orchestra after completing school swimming training, with her hair wet and ready to play her saxophone.’

City of Kingston Outstanding Student Citizen Award

The 2022 recipient of the City of Kingston Outstanding Student Citizen Award is Siorcha Creaton. 

Siorcha is described by her peers as: ‘Someone that is always willing to share their gifts and talents for the benefit of all.  Siorcha has been a member of the school cross country and athletics team since Year 7, excelling at interschool competitions and state level.  Siorcha is a dedicated and committed VCE student who is always willing to share her resources and aid when someone may have a question or be finding a concept challenging.  She has excelled in her studies receiving several academic awards.  Siorcha has been an outstanding contributor to Year 12 initiatives and her creativity and leadership in developing the Year 12 video has been appreciated by all.  Her humility is one of her wonderful personal qualities that her peers admire.’

2023 Homerooms

Over the coming weeks, the College will finalise the process of determining Homerooms and core groups for 2023. As I am sure you can imagine, this is a very complex process and many factors are taken into consideration when allocating students to specific classes.

Our Assistant Principal: Learning and Teaching, Level Leaders, Learning Diversity staff, and relevant teaching staff spend a great deal of time working through this process.  If there are any specific educational grounds on which you believe may be relevant to this process, of which the College is not already aware, please contact your relevant Level Leader.  Please note, that parent requests relating to friendship groups, classes, and teachers, cannot be considered in this process. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

I wish you and your families a restful and enjoyable long weekend and all those students preparing for upcoming exams the best of luck.  I look forward to catching up with many of you over the final weeks of the academic school year and to celebrating our students achievements.

Stephanie Smyth
Assistant Principal: Wellbeing and Engagement