Justice at Kildare College/An insight into the Stewardship Council
LIVING JUSTICE
As the inaugural year of Living Justice and the coordinator position being introduced at Kildare College; Living Justice looked forward to not only re-imaging the Justice and Democracy group but also encouraging greater student involvement in other areas of social justice learning. As a result we have incorporated within Living Justice the small individual groups that have previously worked to raise awareness about social justice issues. In doing so we have brought everyone together under an umbrella of Living Justice. The Living Justice Coordinator, has seen increased support for students and staff in their endeavours to not only continue to raise awareness, but also look to see where they could link/join forces with other groups to meet a wider audience.
Some of the activities undertaken this year have included:
CARITAS SA
The Living Justice student group attended the Caritas workshop which was attended by students from various metropolitan Catholic schools to unpack and discuss ideas to raise awareness about Project Compassion. It was an opportunity to share ideas with like-minded student leaders.
KILDARE MINISTRIES | Living Justice Student Seminar
This was a great opportunity for the Living Justice captains to participate in a two-day camp. They unpacked the meaning of ‘Justice’ and ‘Charity’ and decided how this might look in their school communities. During the camp the students were assisted in exploring these concepts in detail and sharing ideas with other students from across all Kildare Ministries schools.
WINTER WARMERS
The Living Justice Group hosted a ‘Scarves and Beanies Day’ in Term 2; students were encouraged to donate scarves and beanies that were donated to the homeless and women find themselves in local crisis centres.
RECONCILIATION WEEK | Liturgy
With COVID-19 restrictions preventing whole school gatherings, a virtual Reconciliation Week Liturgy involving students, parents and staff was created at school. The liturgy was shared with students and staff during morning pastoral care to encourage everyone to participate in the true spirit of Reconciliation. The liturgy has also been shared with the wider community including other Kildare Ministries schools in eastern states.
VIGIL FOR SOLIDARITY
Students felt a need to respond in some way in the wake of world events, namely around black lives matter. With staff support, the students held a vigil where they celebrated what it means to be a Kildare Ministries school that acknowledges the sacredness of all life.
AUSTRALIA REFUGEE ASSOCIATION | Youth Ambassadors (YA) Program
Annually, students are invited to apply to participate in the YA program; it is an opportunity for the students to not only learn about the plight of refugees globally, but also explore the issues they face here in Australia. Currently Daria and Salma are participants in this year’s program, due to COVID-19 this has looked decidedly different, Part of their roles as ambassadors is to raise awareness within their school and wider community about issues refugees face in society. In recognition of Refugee Week, the students created a film clip based on the ABC ‘You Can’t Ask That!’ format. The participants included staff and students from refugee and migrant backgrounds; they answered questions about their experiences since arriving in Australia and some of the issues they have faced in re-settling.
STEWARDS OF EARTH | Environmental Group
The environmental group continues to work towards making Kildare College an environmentally conscious campus by building on initiatives. Currently all classrooms and workspaces are equipped with recycle bins, teachers have been provided with re-fillable white board markers, and the canteen is removing single use plastic containers, plates etc. Another initiative recently undertaken was a workshop to create environmentally friendly bees wax wraps and pouches. The aim is to encourage students to reduce the amount of plastic wrap they use.
CURRICULUM FOCUS
As we move forward post 2020, the intention is to see a greater focus in identifying where and how teachers implement a Living Justice focus in our curriculum. While we currently see a focus in certain areas – an audit of where this is embedded in curriculum across all year levels will highlight deficits we may need to address.
KILDARE COLLEGE STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL
Jo Coonan: Chair
Josephine (Jo) Coonan, member of SC since, 2017, Chair of Policy Committee (2017-2020) and Chair since 2019. An educator of 49 years experience in both government and Catholic secondary schools, in schools and at system level. Joined Catholic system in 1988, as Deputy Principal at Cardijn College. In 1994, appointed Principal of Siena College, a regional secondary school founded in the Dominican, Josephite and Mercy traditions. Moved to Catholic Education SA working on special projects and in human resources from 2004. Since retirement in 2014 involved in parish ministry and on two school boards.
Tina Neate: Principal
Principal, 2019 July, formerly Deputy Principal of Kildare College from 2016 - 2019 June. Her previous role was as Junior High Principal at Riverside International School in Prague, Czech Republic and earlier she was a staff member in leadership roles in Catholic schools in Adelaide including Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College, Enfield, Mercedes College, Springfield and prior to that Kildare College. Tina's international experience and exposure to professional learning globally gives her a wide lens on education which will continue to enrich Kildare College. She is a strong advocate for girls’ education and brings creative insights to ways in which girls can excel.
Morag Fraser: KEM Board member
Morag Fraser is a writer and former editor of Eureka Street magazine. Morag started Kilbreda in 1950 and has been associated with Brigidine Education ever since. Morag has been a member of the Kildare College Finance Committee since 2014. Morag very generously donated 12 Jacaranda trees to the College, they have been planted along the entrance to our newly completed Brigidine Centre.
Tania Ferraretto
Tania is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Director of Happy Healthy Me. She has been working as a dietitian for 25 years in a variety of settings including hospitals, private practice, community health, media and the food industry. Tania also has experience in public relations and marketing and is an old scholar of Kildare College. Tania’s has 2 daughters both attending Kildare, Mia in Year 9 and Sophia in Year 12. Tania has been a member of the Policy Committee (2017-2019) and the Positive Education Committee (2020).
Grant Pearce
South Australian Regional General Manager with BankSA for the past 5 years, BankSA is a part of the Westpac Banking Group in which Grant has been with the Westpac Group for a total of 20 years. His entire career with the Group has always been in People and Business Leadership.
Grant’s key areas are focused around People Leadership, Planning, Strategy, Financial understanding, mitigation of Risk and Financial Outcomes. The past 5 years with BankSA has also had me focus on the Agricultural sector in the state. Grant has been the Chair of our Finance Committee since 2018. Grant’s daughter Madison will graduate from Kildare at the end of this year.
Tracey Pope
Tracey has worked for NAB for over 30 years, predominantly within Business Banking. For the last 6 years, her role has been a consultant in credit assessment, where she assesses both Risk & Compliance for the organisation together with assessing her client’s financial ability to borrow funds. Tracey has been the Chair of our Parents and Friends Committee since 2018. Tracey’s daughter Emma is currently in Year 10 at Kildare.
Margie Rachwell
Margie currently works at Catholic Education Office in the Finance Team supporting schools across South Australia. Margie has worked at various schools over a 30 year career in Catholic Education and has an excellent understanding of school financial matters. Margie is our newest member and joined the Finance Committee this year.
Kildare College Stewardship Council 2020 Goals
- Maintaining a strong focus on the education of girls in the 21st Century, and commitment to their wellbeing and academic success.
- Supporting the new Capital Master Plan, with the inclusion of an exciting Innovations Hub, State of the Art Drama Centre, Creative Senior Centre etc.