Assistant Principal Message

Australian Catholic Youth Festival Pilgrimage: 30 November to 2 December 2025

Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) is a national gathering of Catholic young people established by the Australian Bishops more than ten years ago. Run over three days, the Festival provides young people from all across Australia with the opportunity to come together to connect, deepen their relationship with Jesus, be empowered to live their faith in the world and experience the breadth of the Church in Australia.

Towards the end of last term, Mr Nejman called for student nominations and expressions of interest. We were delighted by the number of responses and the leadership team reviewed all the nominations. We have confirmed with students that we will be sending a group of 20 students to represent Kildare Catholic College at the end of November. They will be accompanied by three staff members to support them in this transforming, faith filled opportunity.   

Our staff and student representatives will be commissioned by Fr Perry on Thursday 6 November, as they begin their preparations to journey to Melbourne for this wonderful pilgrimage opportunity!

Rock and Water Program 

Rock and Water is an evidenced based, scientifically proven program. It develops experiences and skills that provide young people a pathway towards self-awareness, increased self-confidence and social functioning. The Rock and Water program was developed by Dutch educator and author Freerk Ykema, and has been taught to over 15,000 teachers and youth workers in Australia since 1998. Today, more than 35,000 teachers in 14 countries have trained approximately 2 million students. This term, we are running the program for gender based groups for selected students in Years 7 and 8. 

Rock and Water emphasises the importance of being responsible for our actions, choices and words through martial arts-based activities and movement. Students will develop social skills, self-awareness, and confidence, learning how to navigate and manage conflict. It is focused around three major areas which include: learning how to ground yourself, how to center yourself and the Triangle (body awareness, emotional awareness, self-awareness. It is a wonderful opportunity for our students to build skills for life!

Love Bites Program 

We have had a wonderful response to the roll out of the Love Bites program across Year 10 for 2025. Love Bites aims to provide young people with a safe environment to examine, discuss and explore respectful and healthy relationships. All Love Bites programming takes a strength-based approach and views young people as active participants who can make choices for themselves and their relationships when supported with information and opportunity for skill development. The program emphasises the features of our positive behaviours for learning framework and demonstrates our commitment to on-going respectful relationships education. We are already making plans to introduce this program to Year 8 as well, in 2026.

NAIDOC Celebrations at Kildare - Tuesday 12 November 

We are looking forward to celebrating NAIDOC on Tuesday, 12 November, as a Kildare Catholic College Community. It has become custom and practice for us to honour NAIDOC during Term 4 at Kildare, to ensure we are able to participate in other school and community events typically held in Term 3.  

The theme for NAIDOC 2025 is "The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy". This theme celebrates the achievements of the past, looks forward to the future, and acknowledges the strength of young leaders and the legacy of ancestors. This year marks the 50th anniversary of NAIDOC celebrations in Australia.  

We are excited to invite all our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to work alongside one of the Riverina’s very talented Aboriginal Artists, Maleke. Maleke will be joining us at the College to have a yarn with our students, plan together, and create some beautiful artwork that will be displayed around Kildare. This will be a wonderful opportunity for our students to connect, share stories, and celebrate culture through artistic expression! 

Our whole school community will share a Barbeque lunch together on the day. We have also planned some wonderful activities for Year 7 and Year 8 students to participate in, featuring: Indigenous Games, Dancing, Weaving, and engagement with Headspace staff. 

NAIDOC Week 2025. The Next Generation: Official Video by Yarn Marketplace (2025, YouTube).

With every story shared, every act of resilience remembered, and every cultural practice celebrated, we honour a legacy that reaches far into the past and extends into the future. As we celebrate this milestone, we look toward the next 50 years with excitement and confidence. We celebrate a movement that endures, grows, and evolves, driven by the unwavering strength of communities, the shared vision of our people, and the enduring legacy we pass on to those who will shape the future.

Kind regards

Mrs Amelia Bright | Assistant Principal