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 Year 9 Celebration of Learning Evening provided us with an opportunity to come together as a community and acknowledge the personal growth, creativity, innovative and boundary breaking work produced by our Year 9 students across the course of 2023. The Year 7 Volleyball Challenge was action-packed with grit, determination and persistence displayed by all. It was fantastic to see our Year 7 students working effectively as a team to overcome challenges and celebrate individual and team success. Our Term 4 Assembly, Year 12 Celebration Day and our Graduation Mass and Dinner were wonderful celebrations of all we as a college value and reinforced the strong emphasis we place as a community on forming high quality connections with all.

College Community 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 of Kilbreda College over the past six years:

Mother Margaret Mary Bourke Award

The 2023 recipient of the Mother Margaret Mary Bourke Award is our College Co-Captain, Rachel Jones. 

Rachel is described by her peers as: ‘A born leader.  Her kindness absolutely shines through, no matter when or where you encounter her.  She is amazing at commending the work of others and noticing their strengths while simultaneously playing her own role in our school community.  She is one of the most genuine people you will ever meet and always has others best interests in mind.’

Sister Mary Dalton Award

The 2023 recipient of the Sister Mary Dalton Award is Caitlin Gellie. 

Caitlin is described by her peers as: ‘A dedicated Living Justice Leader.  Caitlin cares deeply about making the school and broader community a kinder and more empathetic one.  She has strived to give life to our Living Justice, Living Peace charter.  She is always kind, compassionate, and thoughtful of the needs of others and has worked incredibly hard to drive initiatives to raise awareness of the work of Project Compassion, BASP, Saltbush and the St Vincent De Paul society.

Michelle Bassett Award

The 2023 recipient of the Michelle Bassett Award is Vali D’Souza. 

Vali is described by her peers as: ‘Someone that is kind, thoughtful, inspirational and above all compassionate.  She always go out of her way to welcome all and consistently display a positive attitude even in the toughest of times. Vali has been involved in all aspects of school life, including student-led initiatives, the choir and College productions, whilst constantly striving to do her best in her academic pursuits.’

Catherine Arlove Sports Award

In 2023, there are joint recipients of the Catherine Arlove Sports Award with both students representing the College in 27 sports, since commencing in 2018.

The first recipient of this award is Leah Allen.

Leah is enthusiastic, determined, committed and hardworking.  She loves all things sport, and she has willingly shared this passion with others both in the classroom and on the sporting field.  A gutsy competitor, Leah will always give everything a go to the best of her ability.  This was evident when she led Brigid House to victory at the House Athletics carnival this year.

Catherine Arlove Sports Award 

The second recipient of this award is Michaela Meyer. 

Michaela is an exemplary leader who has been an active member of all sports teams for the past 6 years.  She is encouraging and supportive of others and has guided and mentored younger students strengthening their connection to the Kilbreda College community.  Michaela always steps up when something is needed, and she is the ultimate teammate. 

ADF Long Tan Youth Leadership and Teamwork Award

The 2023 recipient of the ADF Long Tan Youth Leadership and Teamwork Award is Alicia Henry. 

Alicia is described by her peers as: ‘Someone who always has a smile on her face, displays a positive attitude and a willingness to give everything a go.  She is a positive and active contributor to our school community and has been involved in a large variety of school activities over the past 6 years including:  House Sport, CGSAV sport, Kilbreda Dance Company, school productions, choir, student-led initiatives and the peer support program.  Alicia has shone this year as a Health and Wellbeing leader and was instrumental in the organisation of the ’Push Up challenge’ which raised over $4000 for mental health.’

ADF Future Innovators Award

The 2023 recipient of the ADF Future Innovators Award is Angelique Vargheese. 

Angelique is described by her peers and teachers as: ‘An outstanding STEM leader – one who consistently displays courage, compassion, generosity, kindness and determination.  These wonderful personal qualities make her an amazing friend and leader.  Angelique has promoted STEM to younger students by running the Legomasters competition and she has spent her lunchtime volunteering and mentoring younger students in STEM pursuits.  In addition, Angelique was a valuable contributor to our College production band and has been a member of numerous bands and ensembles over the past 6 years.’

Caltex Best All-Rounder Award

The 2023 recipient of the Caltex Best All-Rounder Award is our 2023 College Co-Captain, Sienna Koop. 

Sienna is described by her peers as: ‘an absolute wonder to be around.  Her involvement in the College is simply undeniable. Somehow, she manages to be our Elle Woods, participate in college sports and other events, achieve excellence in her studies and still be a friend to rely on and a supportive presence to all.”  Over the past six years, Sienna has demonstrated outstanding commitment to all facets of school life, including to the sports and performing arts program.  Despite being heavily involved in all aspects of school life, she demonstrates a genuine love of learning and has consistently achieved excellent results in her academic endeavours.

Outstanding Student Citizen Award

In 2023, the College has awarded joint recipients of the Outstanding Student Citizen Award. The first recipient of this award is Ava Busuttil. 

Ava is described by her peers and teachers as: ‘Someone who strives for excellence in all her academic endeavours and demonstrates perseverance and determination daily.  She is humble and supportive and someone you can count on to get the job done. Over the past six years, she been involved in a variety of school activities, including choir, school productions, social justice activities, the peer support program the community ambassador program, community events and student-led initiatives.  As a Community Action Leader in 2022 and 2023, Ava has strived to create an inclusive school community and she has willingly developed initiatives to support the wellbeing of all.  One of the features of her leadership has been the wonderful guidance and support that she has provided to younger leader.’

Outstanding Student Citizen Award

The second recipient of the Outstanding Student Citizen Award is Mia Wilson. 

Mia ‘always gives everything a go and she encourages others to do the same.  She is caring and compassionate always checking-in on her classmates and she has been an outstanding contributor to the Kilbreda College community since Year 7. Mia has always demonstrated a willingness to serve others and she has been a fine contributor to the College student leadership program, social justice initiatives, community events, transition activities and the College music and performing arts program.  Like Elle Woods who she portrayed in the College production of Legally Blonde, this student is determined, optimistic, kind, loyal and intelligent.’

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Save the Date

Family Seminar: ‘Vaping – What you need to know?’

Vaping is becoming an increasing concern for schools and parents. During this one-hour presentation, Sonya Karras – creator of a Whole New World, will discuss with you the implications and consequences of vaping in an entertaining and informed manner. Recently Sonya has been working with our Year 10 and Year 11 students as part of our Pastoral program, equipping them with the facts about e-cigarettes and vaping.

We warmly invite all parents and carers, along with your children, to join us on Tuesday 14 November at 7.00pm in the College Auditorium for this information presentation on the impact of vaping. We hope that by having parents and carers attend this seminar with their child, that it will provide the stimulus for further conversations about vaping and some insights into the world of young people today.

2024 Homerooms

Over the coming weeks, the College will finalise homerooms and core groups for 2024. 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 which you believe may be relevant to this process, of which the school 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 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