English

Kala's Award

Kala P took part in the Kingston Writers Centre writing competition (www.kwc.org.au), which Ms Conway shared with the class. When Kala opened the link and saw that the topic was 'Hope', she immediately connected with it, as she finds expressing her emotions through writing easier than talking about them.

Initially, she struggled with the 500-word limit because she had so much to say, but she managed to fit everything into the required length.

Her parents were pleasantly surprised to learn that Kala not only received the Kingston Writers Centre 2026 Writing Award – Winner, Prose, Age 12–15, but also the Kingston Writers Centre 2026 Writing Award – Johnston Family Award for her story, What Love Looks Like When Nobody Knows What to Say.

The story is based on the personal experience of losing a grandmother who lived overseas and having her mum away for several weeks to care for her in her last days. It explores grief, family, friendship and the difficulty of knowing what to say when someone is hurting. Despite the difficult moments, the story finishes on a positive note with the family reunited: 'Because to the reunited family, love never fails to show up.'

In her winning speech, Kala thanked Ms Conway, her English teacher, for giving her and the other students the opportunity to enter the competition.

*Photo credits to Mal Gamble of G2 Creative g2creative.com.au

What Love Looks Like When Nobody Knows What To Say

The bell for lunch goes and the class files out of the room. 

A girl stops for a second and looks back. She wonders if she should tell someone.

But how do you tell someone your mother’s been overseas for ages because your grandma is dying?

The teacher catches her glance.

The girl looks away quickly. She doesn't know where to start.

So she exits the classroom with a cheerful “See ya!”, the same way she leaves every lesson.

But as she walks, she thinks why does it feel like everyone can tell?

***

The girl wakes up before her alarm. There’s a sort of buzz in the air that she hasn’t felt in weeks. 

A present sits on the table. The white dots on the wrapping paper remind her of falling snowflakes. Of her mum.

But her birthday isn’t the day for sadness.

She smiles and tears into the gift to find a new notebook. There’s a note attached to the front cover. To get you away from your laptop.

Not her mum’s handwriting, but definitely something her mum would say.

“Thank you!” she says, and runs to her schoolbag.

***

Happy birthday, pipi!

The girl’s mother’s words are spread across her phone screen, each letter of her affectionate nickname now carrying a sorrowful ache. This message is days too late, but the girl is glad she received it at all.

She sits on the couch, waiting for her dad. When he sits next to her, she presses play on the Netflix show.

For a moment, everything feels peaceful.

But then, fifteen minutes later, the phone rings.

Her dad says “It’s your uncle. From overseas,” and suddenly she’s filled with worry.

Her dad pauses the TV and answers the phone. The girl listens hard at the hushed, solemn conversation between the two.

Then he hangs up, and the girl asks the question that she never wants to say. “Did Grandma die?”

Her dad nods sadly. “Yeah.”

Silently, the girl gets up off the couch and walks up the stairs. She reaches her room and closes the door, then flops onto her bed.

For five minutes, nothing can stop the tears quietly sliding down her face.

Then her friend messages her. Hey. Your dad told me about your grandma. I’m really sorry. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll always be there for you.

She puts her phone in her pocket and feels… empty. She knows she should be feeling grateful, but… why does everyone have to know?

A pit forms in her stomach. Because the girl so desperately wants to tell someone. But she wants to tell them on her own terms.

***

The airport is crowded. Too crowded. She and her dad walk towards the Arrivals area, adding to the crowd. 

Then they see her. The girl rushes up to hug her mother, squeezing too tight.

But that’s okay.

Because to the reunited family, love never fails to show up.

Book Week

Photos from our Book Week 2026! 

Our teachers got into the spirit of things by dressing up as book characters and making a haven out of the library for our students. They participated in puzzles, challenges, trivia or came just to hang out and read literature. 

A special thank you to the English faculty for putting together the activities and to the students who got involved.