In the Know

From the Leadership Team

Matt Brinson, Head of Senior School

Year 12 Valedictory Day 

Tuesday of last week was Valedictory Day for our Year 12 Class of 2023. It was a fitting celebration of 13 years of schooling. We commenced with their final student-led school assembly and the always emotional House Assembly, where the Year 12s were acknowledged and farewelled by those close to them. 

Parents, families and friends then joined the rest of Senior School for the Valedictory Leavers’ Service in the Sport Centre. This service was a wonderful opportunity to farewell each Year 12 student, as well as a chance for everyone to reflect on their time at school. 

Reflection is such an important activity, and hearing our School Captains as well as other students and teachers speak throughout the day, hopefully prompted all students in the room to reflect on their time at Kilvington.

 

We are very proud of the progress our Year 12s have made over the year and wish them all the best as they prepare for their final exams.

The opening of The HIVE 

This term, the HIVE finally opened for use, and what an exciting space it is! The HIVE stands for Harmony, Innovation, Vision, Excellence. 

 

Year 7 student Cameron Leighton submitted this option in the naming competition, and it was voted the most popular. Cameron is a fitting winner as he has been fascinated by the construction of the building and is passionate about all things STEAM. Originally, it was casually named the STEAM building, but it is about so much more than just Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths. 

When fully operational, in addition to the amazing Science and Technology facilities, The HIVE houses the McKie Library, IT, Media Green Room, Robotics, multipurpose collaboration and learning spaces, and a small auditorium.

 

There has been exceptional interest from our parents in The HIVE as demonstrated by the large numbers registering for parent tours. We thank you for your interest in this exciting new initiative at Kilvington.

 

The name HIVE reminded me of something I learnt during my university studies. When I was studying zoology in the second year of my Science degree, I did a practical investigation on bees; in particular, colour vision in bees and how they learn and communicate to locate sources of food. 

 

Bees are among nature's most extraordinary learners. These tiny insects exhibit remarkable cognitive abilities, allowing them to efficiently navigate through complex environments, communicate with their hive mates, and forage for resources. And in my thinking, I thought how apt the new name is for our new building.

 

THE HIVE AS A LEARNING HUB 

Bees are social creatures, and the hive serves as a central hub for learning. Inside the hive, bees communicate through a unique dance language known as the waggle dance. 

Through this intricate form of communication, bees convey information about the location of food sources and other vital resources. Hive mates learn to interpret these dances, enabling them to locate and exploit the reported resources.

 

This form of learning within the hive is a critical aspect of bee life, and similarly students will communicate in The HIVE through spoken and written language to share knowledge and collaborate on projects.

We want The HIVE to be such a place for our students. Not necessarily for them to be doing the waggle dance every day, but for the rooms and spaces to be a hub for learning, to convey information to each other, and be social. Bees, like our students, learn through trial and error. They may encounter obstacles or challenges during their foraging missions and must adapt to overcome them. Through this process, they refine their decision-making skills and resource-gathering strategies. 

 

Studying how bees learn not only provides insight into the fascinating world of these insects but also has the potential to inform our understanding of learning and memory in other species, including our own.

 

Bee hives are highly organised colonies with a clear hierarchy, where each bee has a specific role to play. Students, in a school or educational setting, also operate within a structured system of teachers, Deans, principals, and various other roles and responsibilities. Bees have specific tasks within the hive, such as foraging, nursing, or guarding the hive. Students also have different roles and responsibilities, such as taking notes, studying, asking questions, and participating in extracurricular activities.

 

And for those who are curious about my university investigation; bees see colours at the yellow and blue ends of the spectrum most easily, which is why mostly they're attracted to white, yellow, purple, and blue flowers. They can't see red but may still feed on red flowers that have a strong scent. 

 

Bees work collectively toward the common goal of sustaining the hive and producing honey. In The HIVE, we hope that for many years to come, students will work toward the goal of gaining knowledge and skills to succeed in their academic lives and collectively sustain their wellbeing. 

2024 Senior School Leadership Induction

Congratulations to our 2024 Senior School Leadership Group who were officially inducted on 24 October in a very special ceremony attended by family and friends. Good luck to our future student leaders!

School Co-Captains

  • Jude Teo and Ruby Wilson 

School Co-Vice Captains

  • Jack Campbell-Manley and Anthea Diplaris

Academic Leaders

  • Art: Frederick Telfer and Maria Wang
  • Digital: Shirley Jin
  • English: Ruby Moore and Maya Wimalasundera
  • Humanities: Peter Overton
  • Languages: Alessia Di Felice and Ran Chiba
  • Mathematics: Derek Huang and Caleb Mendez
  • Music: Melody Xu and Edgar Chen
  • Science: Alycia Liew, Chester Webb, Calista Yap and Claire Yu

Co-Curricular Leaders

  • Christian: Elijah Ignasiak
  • Choral: Melody Xu
  • Dance: Sienna Katotas and Vicky Tian
  • Debating: Maria Wang 
  • Production: Elijah Slavinskis
  • Robotics: Yash Kapoor
  • Sport: Bethany Allison and Charlotte Whisstock
  • Student Mentors: Alessia Di Felice, Addison Hammond and Piper McCulloch
  • Sustainability: Victoria Hu and Peter Overton

Barrett House Captains

  • Co-Captains: Petar Andjelkovic and Lilla Lagiseti
  • Co-Vice Captains: Joseph Ashmore and Zara Bainger

Burman House Captains 

  • Co-Captains: Rianne Darvell and Adele Takle
  • Co-Vice Captains: Caleb Mendez and Maya Wimalasundera

Fethers House Captains 

  • Co-Captains: Sanya Bhatt and Torin Hatswell
  • Co-Vice Captains: Edward Butler and Elijah Slavinskis

Fysh House Captains

  • Co-Captains: Charlotte Fisher and Frederick Telfer
  • Co-Vice Captains: Tia Perera and Avah Quinn

Staff news

We will farewell French teacher Sarah Paulin at the end of the year as she will be leaving us for a role at Caulfield Grammar. Sarah has made valuable contributions to the French Department, particularly in the middle years over the past five years. We wish her all the best at her new school.  

 

We will also farewell Learning Support and English/Humanities teacher Joel Savage, who comes to the end of his contract position at the end of the year.  We thank Joel for his contribution to the School over the past couple of years.

 

We are looking forward to welcoming Mackenzie Neale (French), Amila Koller (Mathematics), Phil Devlin (Mathematics) and Georgia Lumb (Science) to our community next year. Mackenzie is currently teaching at Carey and has previously taught in Canada. Amila joins us from Patterson River Secondary College, where she is the Mathematics Domain Leader, and Phil Devlin comes to us from St Bede’s College, where he has enjoyed a long career. Georgia Lumb is currently teaching at Korowa and has previous experience at Canterbury Girls’ Secondary College.

 

We will officially welcome our new colleagues at the start of next year.