From the Leadership Team

Rob French, Principal

Welcome to the new school year

Welcome to all our families to the new school year! 

It was wonderful seeing our students back at School last week. I must commend them on the manner with which they have commenced the new year. The School certainly comes to life when our students return after the holidays and their positive energy and exuberance reverberate throughout the buildings and grounds.  

I have also thoroughly enjoyed catching up with a number of parents at our various welcome back functions and information evenings.  There is much to look forward to in the months ahead as we launch into 2024.

THE STATE OF 'FLOW'

Holidays provide an amazing opportunity to relax, unwind, fill our days with things we enjoy doing, and take a break from the usual fast pace of everyday life.  

I was fortunate enough to spend ten days in Torquay with my family, and loved having the opportunity to spend a lot of time in the water.  I find it soothing to be in salt water and often lose track of time when I don the goggles and take off for long, relaxing swims in the ocean.  

For me, this is when I get into a state known as ‘flow’.  Being in flow is defined as, ‘A state of mind that occurs when a person is totally immersed in an activity. It can occur during a wide variety of tasks such as when a person is learning, being creative, or participating in a sport.  When in a flow state, people pay no attention to distractions and time seems to pass without any notice.’ 

It is important for our wellbeing to find activities that we love doing, achieving a state of flow when immersed in them. My challenge to our staff and students upon commencing the new year is to set time aside to do the things we love doing during the term, and not wait until holidays when time is more readily available to us. I am convinced that our productivity increases and we work more effectively if we regularly make time to do the activities that put us in a state of flow.

THE RIGHT BALANCE

This is especially important for our senior students, many of whom are already juggling busy schedules with schoolwork, co-curricular activities and part-time jobs. It is tempting for them to put other interests on hold while they focus on their studies, but this will come at a cost to their wellbeing and potentially to their grades. 

As was reported in The Age newspaper last Sunday, extensive research from the University of Sydney has shown that senior students who are involved in sports actually perform better academically, demonstrating the importance of balance when tackling the final years of secondary school. 

I was, therefore, extremely pleased to note the large increase in the numbers of our 2024 Year 12 students electing to play sport for the School. Not only will they have great experiences with their peers and forge some life-long memories, they will be better equipped to tackle the rigours of Year 12.

Striking the right balance between study, structured activities and work, along with pursuits that we love doing is a challenge, but once achieved will bring enormous benefit.

I wish all Kilvington families the very best for the year ahead, and I am looking forward to connecting with them at various events throughout the year.

Class of 2023 VCE results

We are delighted to share the outstanding VCE results of our Class of 2023. Despite navigating remote learning leading up to VCE, our students achieved impressive results.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

•  5% of our students were in the top 1% of the State (achieving an ATAR of 99 plus).
•  9% of our students were in the top 2% of the State (achieving an ATAR of 98 plus).
•  20% of our students were in the top 5% of the State (achieving an ATAR of 95 plus).
•  34% of our students were in the top 10% of the State (achieving an ATAR of 90 plus).
• Our Dux received an ATAR score of 99.85.
• Our median ATAR was 85.45.

It is with pleasure that we announce Charlotte Westaway as our School Dux, achieving an outstanding ATAR of 99.85. Congratulations also to Michael Li, Charlie Hammond and Helen Gu for achieving ATAR scores of over 99. Further, Noah Emons, Jess Bonham and Alexia Le all scored over 98. Well done again to Charlotte Westaway for achieving a study score of 50 in French, and Michael Li for achieving 50 in English. 

Commendations to the entire Class of 2023 for their VCE results. We couldn’t be more proud and eager to see what the future has in store for you all!

2024 Student Leadership

Welcome to our Student Leaders for 2024. 

JUNIOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP LIST 

SENIOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP LIST

Welcome to new staff 

We have been joined by some outstanding educators this year and it is a pleasure to welcome the following new staff to Kilvington:

• Amila Koller, Teacher of Mathematics
• Phil Devlin, Teacher of Mathematics
• Brent Charlton, Teacher of Economics and Accounting
• Georgia Lumb, Teacher of Science and Biology
• Alexandrea Kress, Teacher of Science
• Christian O’Toole, Teacher of English
• Jessica Needham, Teacher of English
• Lucy Prysten, Teacher of English
• Amber Tumino, Teacher of Art and Visual Communication
• Mackenzie Neale, Teacher of French
• Darcy Gilkerson, Teacher of Cello
• Emma McLaren, Teacher of PE/Health
• Demie Merkel, Teacher of PE/Health
• Ruby Spaargaren, Teacher of Year 2
• Karina McCowan, Teacher of Year 4
• Carly Baker, Food Technology Assistant
• Rohan Shakya, ICT Support