KCC Publication

Principal Message

As we enter our long weekend I am very mindful of  and grateful for our staff who have worked so hard for our students so far this year. My hope is they use the next three days as recuperative time, to have a rest and enjoy family time. 

 

In doing so I am aware we have just come from our Staff Spirituality Day which was a blending of Walking on Country, story and Laudato Di- Care of  our Common Home.A very important day for the team to come together, enjoy each others company and enter a space there is rarely time for in the busyness of our lives,  but so important. My thanks to Jason Jolley, Luke and Tahnee from the CEDWW indigenous team, Ms Christine Savage, Mrs Sharon Forwood and Mrs Christie Scutti developed and ran the day. 

 

It has been yet another week or so  of success for our students , on the sporting front,  with Braith Warren selected in the NSW CCC Softball team, our Futsal teams winning their championships and Holly Williams competing in the All Schools Touch championships. 

 

On the cultural front we had the opening of the Kildare students sculpture contribution to the Enlighten for Equity project at Wagga Beach  with Jakob Krause, Jacob Hastie, Jack Smith, Luke Maynard and Finn Jones supported by Mrs McMeekin and Ms. Watt supporting their design. Further our Year 8 Music students held their Performance Project in the College hall. 

 

It was wonderful news to see Phoebe Hartley and Charlotte Clark make the regional finals of the VET in Schools competition held in Griffith this week. Vocational Education and Training is expanding at Kildare and it is wonderful to see our students doing so well on a wider stage.

 

Our Live it Up creative arts showcase is in full swing with rehearsals with over 100 students involved across the college. So much happening! We look forward to a great Evening. Performances commence on Thursday 16th June starting at 7.00pm. Tickets at the door. 

 

We have been working our way through Enrolment Interviews for non feeder school families at the moment. These will be followed by feeder school interviews as they have already been accepted into the college for 2023. This is an insightful time as it gives us an opportunity to learn more about those who come to us. The feedback about the college from existing families and those looking from outside has been very useful given we have been continuing with our Strategic Planning which is working towards its conclusion and publication soon. 

 

Some specific reminders about what we want from our students in regards to their learning in classrooms  is useful at this time. This may not be new to you but I encourage you to discuss this with your child. It is greatly valued in our community and bears repeating from time to time to ensure all, including new families are fully aware of how we do things here. 

 

As we know students are given a voice in their learning at KCC through:

  •  the asking and answering of questions about 
    • the effectiveness of elements of lessons and 
    • the clarity of teacher function.

What should students see, feel and know:

  • I know what the learning target is for the lesson. 
  • I know what I will be able to do when I finish the lesson. 
  • My teacher explains:
    •  the learning target, 
    • the work that I am expected to do and 
    • what quality work will look like. 
  • There is a focus on building up to a ‘performance of understanding’, where I am asked to do, say, write, make or perform something that helps me to learn. 
  • I get the opportunity to practise and prepare 
  • I get fast feedback about what I did well and what I should do next to improve the quality of my work.
  • I get the opportunity to try again and improve my performance.
  • I assess my own work by comparing it to high quality work my teacher shows me or describes to me.

What we expect of students is also supplemented by the notion that no student has the right to interrupt the learning of others and we expect all students to be respectful of teachers at all times. The support of parents in these standards is crucial. The partnership between school, parents and child must work with all on the same page. 

 

You would have received a uniform survey in your email or through Compass in regard to the last phase of considering what our new uniform is going to be. Your feedback is very important and I encourage all to please engage with the surveys. Please check your Compass feed. 

 

As noted in the survey we are trying to hit the mark with practicality, inclusion, affordability, durability, sustainability, identity of the college, pride, quality and contemporary design.

 

It is important to note that through the transition phase students will be allowed to continue to wear the current uniform items to minimise cost impact on families. Feedback from many schools who have transformed uniform points to generally  a two year process where most want to be in the new uniform but others may continue longer. We are not seeking to create an unnecessary cost burden which is why we will be running our own uniform shop to keep control on costs and quality.  We are happy to work with families who may need assistance also. 

 

It was terrific to meet many families considering boarding at Mount Erin at some point. The feedback from those we met at the Boarding Expo in Wagga was very helpful and I learnt much about what families are looking for. 

 

Best wishes for the long weekend ahead and thank you for your ongoing support of the college.