Principal's Address

2023 has thus far been a year of wonderful achievements, both small and very large! 

It was with incredible delight that we celebrated in February the outstanding achievements of our students with regard to the 2022 NAPLAN data. The Year 10 class of 2023 were exceptional in the application they made to their studies from Years 7 to 9. 

Their performance on the NAPLAN gave Killester the highest ranking of any Secondary Catholic College in the State, it placed us 3rd in ACARA's list of High Achieving Secondary Schools across Victoria, we were ranked 8th Nationwide and the only Secondary School in the top 10 schools in Australia. 

Of most importance to us was the fact that 100% of students showed growth in their data; to us this is the greatest of all achievements as it supports the approach we undertook during remote learning and it demonstrated that a Killester education caters to every young person and gives them the opportunity to flourish. 

We have deliberately articulated to families, staff and students our mission to always ensure every young person has the opportunity to thrive and to be supported in their educational journey, irrespective of where they sit on an external chart; the fact that every Year 10 student who sat NAPLAN in Years 7 and 9, improved in their learning in literacy and numeracy, is of an enormous testament to the students themselves, their teachers and of course their families.

In March our community came together in a number of ways to celebrate and acknowledge International Women's Day. The highlight event was the IWD breakfast at Springvale Town Hall which was an absolute triumph; the morning was beautifully run, and very well organised and the space looked fabulous. 

Most importantly the two main speakers, both Killester alumni; Jackie Nugara and Mayor CR Eden Foster, were exceptional. Both women spoke of the adversity they had overcome but how neither had let this define their lives. The referencing to 'Strength and Kindliness' was meaningful, and reflective of how the impact of a Killester education can continue well beyond the gates of our beautiful school. 

Just last week we were delighted to finally have students move into our refurbished Kennedy Hall and brand new St Brigid's Senior Learning Centre. The project commenced with planning and meetings in 2020; it has been wonderful to watch the building develop and note the weekly growth, there is however nothing as joyful as walking through the spaces now and seeing students use them as they were intended; to support their learning and growth. 

We were incredibly fortunate to have an extremely positive and solution focussed partnership with both our Architects, McIldowie Partners, and Builders, APM Group. We will be officially opening our new spaces on June 20 at 4:30pm and would be delighted to welcome any interested alumni to attend. Please RSVP to events@killester.vic.edu.au by 14 June. 

Alongside these big events in the life of our school, we have also had retreats, camps, days exploring passions in Wonder, learning the stories of our alumni through their generous presentations at Dare to Dream Week, winning Swimming and Badminton Championships…and of course, embracing daily the challenges of learning in 2023. The young people of Killester are exceptional, every single day they strive to be better and to do better. We are incredibly proud of who they are and the ways in which they challenge us to also be the best versions of ourselves. One element of life at school that brings joy to all staff is the fact that we can celebrate the stewardship these young people create; their stewardship of what it is to be a young person of strength and kindliness, and to ensure that like the alumni who have traversed the hallways of Killester before them, they make our school, and our world a better place for them having been in it.

Sally Buick

Principal