Welcome back to Kildare for the 2023 academic year. We hope all had a lovely and holy Christmas and a rejuvenating holiday break.

I’d like to particularly welcome all new students and staff to the College. Our new Year 7’s have had a terrific start and are settling in well, embracing the whole life of the College with five quality lessons each day.

With our motto of Live the Truth and our College Values of Faith, Learning, Care and Justice we aim to be the finest Catholic College we can be for our students so that they can be their best future selves.

Please welcome the following new staff:

Mr Kieran Udy - Leader of Faith Formation and Mission
Mr Peter Duck - Science
Ms. Jemma Greig - Science
Ms. Nikki Lloyd - Mathematics
Ms. Sarah Ling- English
Ms. Jacqui Sharp - Learning Support teacher
Ms. Molly Jones - Visual Arts.
Mr Matt Henry - HSIE / RE (Terms One and Two)
Ms. Fiona Crouch - Front Office Administrator
Ms. Eleanor Hutchinson - Canteen Manager
Ms. Dannielle Blight - Canteen Assistant
Ms. Mikaela Tori - Science Assistant
Ms. Lisa Sutherland - Uniform Shop Manager
Ms. Sherri Smith - Uniform Shop
Mr. John Reilly - Maintenance Officer
Ms. Sam Taylor - Admin Officer (Wellbeing and AP)

With secondments to CEDWW, maternity leaves and personal choices we have a number of changes to roles for 2023:

Ms. Lauren Verdon - Leader of Pedagogy, Data and Intervention (2023)
Ms. Jacinta Seymour - Teresa ACWC (Terms One and Two)
Mr. Darcy Harland – VET Coordinator (Until August 2023)
Ms. Jackie Byrne - PDHPE Coordinator (Terms One and Two)
Ms. Ali Sutton - Asst. Creative Arts Coordinator (2023)
Mr. Timothy Bacon - Asst. PDHPE Coordinator (Terms One and Two)
Ms. Tegan Kelly - 2 point English Coordinator in Term 1 (then job share 2 pt. with Ms. Steph Ferguson for the remainder of 2023)

To assist you knowing who is who please refer to the Go to Guide: HERE.

It has been a good start to the year, Covid 19 notwithstanding. Our Continuity of Learning Plan is operational again to ensure learning continues unabated by illness.

Can I please emphasise that if your child has Covid it is common sense and supportive of each other that they should not be at school as they create a health risk to others, including, in particular, vulnerable students and staff. As you know we have had over 1/3 of staff and close to 1/5 of students impacted by Covid 19 as we return from holidays. Hopefully we have seen this wave behind us as we move into next week. It is a good reminder to us all to be careful and follow precautions personally.

There are some upcoming important events for our parents / carers to engage with.

Our Year 7 Welcome Evening is this Tuesday, 14th February starting at 6.00pm. Please check your Compass feed for the letter. I look forward to seeing parents and Year 7 students on the night.

On Thursday evening 23rd February, the College and the Kildare Catholic College Council are hosting an evening run by Safe on Social for all parents, discussing all things social media, mobile phones etc. to support our parents to manage this environment with their children to ensure responsible digital citizenship and safety. More details will be communicated next week. Please bring friends along.

Earlier that day Year 9 and 10 will be working with the safe on Social team and the following day 24/2 Year 7 and 8 will work with them. This is high quality input from a team who work closely with the E Safety Commission and work internationally as well as they are so effective.

Diary Marker: Open Night 28th February starting at 4.00pm and finishing at 7.30pm. Please spread the word to everyone you know. Please check the College social media feeds for rsvp processes.

Last Friday we had our High Achievers assembly where we recognised our high achieving Year 12’s from 2022 along with those students who had shown significant growth in their learning over the past four years, as measured by data from Catholic Schools NSW. Our Director, Dr Andrew Watson, kindly attended along with our Presentation sisters. Dr Watson presented our Dux award to Ava Mallise with an ATAR of 96.85, who then gave a very humble, but thoroughly outstanding speech full of gratitude and wisdom for our students to be inspired by. It was a privilege to hear it and we, along with her family, are very proud of her and what she has become through her time here at school.

Most notable for me was the message that she wasn't a high flyer early on in school but committed herself to be the best she could be and did all that was required. Look at the result! A wonderful message for all our learners.

On Tuesday this week we had our wonderful Opening Mass, led by our new chaplain Fr. Sean Byrnes, the new Dean of St. Michael’s Cathedral parish. Fr Sean spoke inspiringly of how we could be the ‘Good Soil’ for each other in a positive way. This is the theme of the Diocese in 2023. We look forward to further work with Fr. Sean as the year progresses.

With major College events upon us such as year excursions, trips, camps and carnivals all coming up, I would like to remind all that these are compulsory for all students. As discussed and agreed with families at enrolment time, being present and participating in the whole life of the school is an obligation that comes with accepting enrolment at Kildare as part of the formation of every student. I look forward to this not being an issue with events coming up and will engage with families where we see it occur. Cost is not to be a barrier to involvement. Equity of access is a high priority.

Further, with the new Diocese financial systems (FMS), the process around payment for events and excursions has changed. These don't necessarily appear on the school fee statement. They will normally, as of this year, be billed through Compass. There will be the option to pay upfront or pay by instalment. If there is a problem with payment, please engage with the Finance Office at the College and we will assist.

Thank you for your ongoing support of the College. Please remember to make contact with the College at any time if you have concerns. I am very happy to assist where I can. We do believe the right person in their role, such as Homegroup coaches, subject or wellbeing leaders, should deal with matters before they get to senior leadership in a large school of over 1000 students, but feel free to email me at brownec3@ww.catholic.edu.au so I can assist and monitor. If it is a major issue please contact me directly.

All the best for the year ahead in 2023.

This Week In Drama

Big week of auditions for the Musical!