In the moment
Kilvington recognised among Australia's leading independent schools
Kilvington has been recognised among Australia’s leading independent schools in the Herald Sun’s 2026 national schools rankings, which assessed more than 1,300 independent secondary and combined schools across the country.
As part of the national feature, Kilvington was profiled by the Herald Sun as a standout performer, highlighting our strong academic tradition and student-centred approach to education.
Principal Mr Rob French spoke to the Herald Sun about what sits behind Kilvington’s success, from the expertise and commitment of our staff and strong partnership with families, to our focus on knowing each student and helping them discover their strengths.
As Mr French shared, “A school’s success is ultimately measured one student at a time. It is about knowing each young person, helping them discover their strengths and giving them the opportunities and confidence to realise their potential.”
It is wonderful national recognition of our School and the students, staff and families who make Kilvington the community it is. Read the full Herald Sun feature below.
Book Week 2026: A Symphony of Stories
There were superheroes, witches, wild things and plenty of very recognisable book characters wandering around Kilvington as we celebrated Book Week.
The Junior School was transformed into a colourful cast of characters, with plenty of impressive costumes on show at the much anticipated Book Week Parade. The fun continued throughout the week with our visiting authors who brought their stories to life for our students.
A big thank you to our Library Team for another fantastic Book Week and for creating so many opportunities for our students to read, create and celebrate stories together.
30 years of the ELC: Welcome to Swann House
Kilvington has recently celebrated a very special milestone as our Early Learning Centre turned 30! To mark the occasion, we formally dedicated and renamed the ELC Swann House. The celebrations continued with a little extra magic, as The Great Armando wowed our ELC students with tricks and plenty of laughs.
Why Swann House? The ELC building has a history that stretches back well before it became home to our youngest learners. In the 1950s, Frederick H. Swann built the house as the family home, choosing the location so his daughters, Janine and Victoria, could attend Kilvington. The building would eventually become our ELC, opening its doors in 1996 to 12 students. Fred’s connection with the School continued for an extraordinary 36 years through his service on the School Council.
Since then, hundreds of children have taken their first steps in their Kilvington journey within these walls. It was wonderful to welcome Renee, one of those original 12 students, back for the celebration, alongside members of the Swann family.
MP David Southwick joined us to formally dedicate Swann House and share a few words about his own experience of Kilvington and the School’s place in the community. We thank David for helping us mark this special occasion. Hear his reflection on the day here.
Year 7 visits Melbourne Zoo
Our Year 7 students recently enjoyed a fantastic day at the Melbourne Zoo, with beautiful weather providing the perfect conditions to learn and spend time with friends. The excursion gave students the opportunity to apply their classroom learning about classification, habitats and adaptations to real animals. A highlight of the day was a ranger led education session focusing on animal adaptations. Students examined how different structural adaptations help animals survive in their environments and were able to connect these examples with ideas they had explored in Science lessons.
Students had plenty of time to explore the zoo in small groups, discovering animals from a wide range of habitats. Along the way, they recorded observations and information about various species, including their adaptations, habitats and other interesting features. The excursion was a great opportunity to take science learning beyond the classroom and see firsthand how the concepts we study apply to the natural world.
An evening with Kilvington Authors
The Roberta McKie Library came alive with conversation recently as we celebrated three very different literary journeys that all began at Kilvington. We were delighted to welcome alumni authors Leah Swann (Class of 1988) and Christine Balint (Class of 1993), alongside Year 9 student and debut author Jerome McClimont, whose novel Echo was officially launched on the night.
During a lively panel discussion, Leah and Christine reflected on their journeys from Kilvington students to published authors, sharing insights into writing, inspiration, criticism and the experiences that shaped their careers. Jerome also gave a special reading from Echo, offering a glimpse into his own emerging career as an author. It was a lovely evening made all the more special by the students, families and alumni who came along.
Building our Kilvington community
As part of their Year 1 Signature Experience, students embarked on a hands on project to explore what makes Kilvington a special place to belong. Over several weeks, they designed and built a LEGO model of the school, bringing their ideas about our campus to life.
Students worked in small groups to recreate different areas of the school. Along the way they developed their creativity and teamwork skills while exploring how places and communities come together. Students regularly attended “Council” meetings to share updates, seek feedback and check on the progress of the overall project. These opportunities encouraged students to reflect on their work, solve challenges and ensure that all parts of the school came together successfully.
After weeks of planning, building and collaborating, Year 1 students celebrated their learning with families and unveiled their impressive LEGO model of the Kilvington campus.
The celebration afternoon also featured a LEGO Challenge, with students and families working together to design something that could benefit the school community. Congratulations to Kira, Harley and Tessa, who received the Creativity, Functionality and Teamwork trophies respectively.
The finished display was a wonderful representation of our school and showcased the dedication, resilience and collaboration demonstrated by all students throughout the process. We were delighted to welcome families to celebrate this special milestone and to recognise the outstanding effort that went into bringing our Kilvington Community to life, one LEGO brick at a time.