Principal's report

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung People of the Kulin nation; past, present and those who will walk with us into the future. We acknowledge the rich and unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas, educational practices and the hopes of all First Nations Peoples. We do this in the spirit of reconciliation as we move to a place of justice and partnership - together we work, learn, play and care for one another and this land.

Japan Study Tour – An Unforgettable Experience!

Our Japan Study Tour was an incredible experience, filled with wonderful memories, new discoveries and plenty of fun! It was a privilege to see our students immerse themselves in Japanese culture and make the most of every opportunity throughout the trip.

We are incredibly proud of the way our students represented Kalinda and Australia. They embraced opportunities to use their Japanese language skills, communicated with enthusiasm and confidence, and showed great respect for Japanese culture, traditions and the people they met. Throughout the journey, students demonstrated impressive maturity, resilience, organisation and independence, navigating new experiences and challenges with positivity and determination.

Of course, there was also plenty of excitement and fun along the way! Most importantly, they grew in confidence, strengthened friendships and developed a deeper appreciation of the world beyond their own community.

A very special thank you goes to White Sensei and Hiromi Sensei for their tremendous hard work, care and commitment in making this trip such a success. We are also deeply grateful to Lilyvale Elementary School for their generous hospitality and for making us feel so welcome. The connections we have built through this partnership are incredibly special, and we are already looking forward to welcoming the Lilyvale students and staff to Kalinda next year!

We returned home feeling proud, grateful and full of wonderful memories. Well done to all our students for making this such a memorable and rewarding experience!

Cooking and Gardening at Kalinda – Working Party

We are very sad that Kalinda’s much-loved Kitchen Garden Program will be coming to an end, and we would like to extend a huge thank you to Kelly Woodman for the incredible work she has done in leading the program over the years. Kelly has provided our students with wonderful opportunities to learn about growing food, cooking and developing healthy habits, and we are so grateful for her dedication.

The future of the program was discussed at length at last week’s School Council meeting. While we would all love to see the program continue in its current form, changes to the Department’s Parent Voluntary Contributions policy mean that it is no longer financially feasible.

However, we are keen to find some opportunities for our students to grow their own vegetables and use fresh produce in cooking activities at school. To explore what might be possible, we are calling for interested staff and parents to join a Cooking and Gardening Working Party. The group will look at ways we could provide these opportunities in a more sustainable way, including fundraising to support activities and equipment, as well as organising volunteers to help maintain gardens and run cooking activities.

If you are interested in being involved or have ideas to share, we would love to hear from you! Together, we hope to find a way to keep the spirit of cooking and gardening alive at Kalinda.

The Working Party will first meet in the week beginning the 16th November. Please register your interest in joining the Working Party via the link below by Friday 6th November. I will then communicate with all members to find a time to meet that will suit as many members as possible.

https://forms.gle/iYT6BwR3N5jaUXkG6

Sponsorship of our School Graduation

A huge thank you to Kalinda parent Reece Droscher of SHL Finance for sponsoring our school's graduation. Your company's support of the Graduation makes a significant difference to make the event a great success.

Please see the Public Announcement page of the newsletter for more information about SHL Finance.

We are kind. We are resilient. We are respectful.