Kilbreda College - 'Tower Talk'

The Kilbreda Spirit

In 1807 Daniel Delany encouraged his Sisters of St Brigid to maintain a link with the past while adapting to the demands of the present and looking to the future with confidence.  In the spirit of Daniel Delany this year we have looked to the past and examined the pillars of a Kilbreda education to plan for and shape our future:

  • Student Centred
  • Purposeful Action
  • Innovative and Dynamic
  • Responsive and Relevant
  • Intellectual Curiosity and Individuality
  • Transformational.

Student Centred

Kilbreda has always been a school where the whole person is at the centre of all learning, relationships and programs.  It has and continues to endeavour to give its students a strong sense of self, a belief in their own worth and goodness, and the courage to face the world confident that they can make a difference.  As Debra Wilkinson, 1992 College Captain describes it, “Ours is a very special school filled with people who genuinely care about the welfare of others… far from being a closed school, the staff and students extend their talents to help many in the community.”

 

Generations of Kilbreda girls have always been at the centre of thinking, planning and practices.  The Brigidine Sisters negotiated real-estate deals and confronted a demanding Municipal Council during the Great Depression to ensure that their students were provided with a contemporary learning environment and that they were prepared for life.  The Brigidine Sisters did not accept mediocrity, and many continued their studies over the years to keep pace with the ever-changing trends in education.  A 1948 report on staff, curricula, attendance, grounds, buildings and equipment rated Kilbreda College as ‘first class’.  In 1981, Sister Angela Ryan organised a comprehensive review of the whole school curriculum and canvassed opinion from students, staff, parents and past students on the additional subjects that they believed should be introduced.  One outcome of the review was the ‘Education for Living’ program designed to provide variety, enrichment and skills for Year 7 and 8 students.  Today, students continue to be at the centre of thinking, planning and practices and we use a multi-disciplinary approach to learning to assist students to reflect, and develop important skills that can be applied by all students across all learning areas. 

 

Purposeful Action

One of the most powerful pillars of a Kilbreda education is ‘purposeful action’ – the ability to translate one’s learning into directed, purposeful action to impact the world around us.  Purposeful action has been present in Kilbreda’s DNA from day one, but it is also something that has intentionally been embedded into every aspect of a Kilbreda education.

 

Mother Margaret Mary Bourke, Principal of the College from 1927 to 1965 and a gifted educationalist, was a champion for the education of young women in an era when the education of girls was not considered of great importance.  She stressed the importance of the education of girls for their own personal development and for the enrichment of society.  Girls were educated for a world they could not imagine and equipped to become involved in social issues that were not in their time even discussed in polite company. 

 

Throughout its history, Kilbreda has enriched those within its care to become empowered individuals who have the skillset and mindset to strive forward with a strong sense of identity and purpose.  Kilbreda instilled in its students the confidence to try new things, to speak up and be passionate about making a difference, and to be unapologetically themselves.  Today, students are seen as active agents of their learning and encouraged to embrace the broader life of the College through active involvement in diverse music, drama, sport, public speaking, social justice and co-curricular opportunities.

 

Innovative and Dynamic

Kilbreda has not been one to rest with the status quo or to demur from a challenge.  It has always been at the cutting edge of change and innovation.  Inclusive programs, such as the introduction in 1967 of a Sixth Form alternative to Matriculation, highlight Kilbreda’s concern for a total education. 

 

Kilbreda staff have always driven and lived true innovation.  They have passionately committed to taking an evidence-based approach; understanding the latest innovations in a variety of fields and how they might relate to their work at Kilbreda, making connections and keeping ideas afresh.  In 1969, a degree of choice was afforded to middle school students with Geography, Biblical Studies and Typing and Communication introduced as alternatives to a foreign language.  In 1979, links were formed with Moorabbin Technical School (Chisholm TAFE) and Year 10 students were given the opportunity to gain a greater knowledge of the ever-widening field of computer programming.  Sister Rosemarie Joyce introduced rabbits, Cookie and Bickie, to allow students to observe animal behaviour more closely.  The BRIDGES program, focusing on developing essential life skills by providing experiences in leadership, initiative, planning and group interactions, was introduced in 2002 and in 2004 VCAL was implemented as an alternative pathway to the VCE, highlighting Kilbreda’s ongoing commitment to providing opportunities for all.

This year has seen a great deal of innovation at Kilbreda, because of the necessary pivot to online learning and the continuity of learning and community beyond the school campus.  And so, we have seen a wonderful birth of creativity and ingenuity, borne out of necessity and some outstanding adaptations of pedagogical approaches in the online environment.

 

Responsive and Relevant

Kilbreda has always provided an education that is response and relevant to the present reality and to the future.  It promotes relationships based on courage, compassion, hope, hospitality, justice and wonder, and encourages an environment where students are empowered to seek truth, and to question, critique and to act on the prevailing cultural, political and philosophical ideas within their world.

 

Today, the imagining and establishment of Kildare Ministries as the overall governance entity for the nine Brigidine Secondary Colleges across Australia is a prime example of the strong and responsive leadership of the Brigidine Sisters to ensure the Brigidine Tradition will remain viable and effective, relevant to the 21st Century and responsive to the signs of the time.

 

Intellectual Curiosity and Individuality

Kilbreda has always strived to offer an education that offers something more.   The something more focuses on developing learners who are curious, engaged, confident and independent, who are joyful and spirited, and who are inspired to use their gifts with creativity and generosity. Our students and graduates are a testament to the success of this ideal.

 

The rapid pace of change and the continual emergence of new technologies have transformed the way that students learn, making today such an exciting and challenging time for education. At Kilbreda, we embrace the opportunities to continuously learn how to best respond to the learning needs of our students.  We have a wonderful learning culture, which was shaped by the revolutionary Brigidine Sisters who embedded into each classroom, and in all learning experiences, intellectual curiosity and individuality.

 

A breadth of curriculum offerings has always been Kilbreda’s hallmark, which students have been encouraged to follow.  Reflecting on 1948, school records indicate that the College had trouble fitting all subjects offered into the timetable.  As in all aspects of life at Kilbreda, in its planning and development of curricula and in its implementation of new initiatives, opportunities for all were sought. Today, continuing to develop challenging, relevant and interesting educational experiences for each individual student defines our work.  We are a school that values the individual and strives to ensure that each student is known, valued and cared for.

 

Transformational

Kilbreda provides lessons that last a lifetime.  Kilbreda has always been blessed with strong and gifted educators as role models who have inspired each girl to strive to achieve their personal best.  They have provided our girls with many transformative learning experiences that were challenging, educational and deeply worthwhile – now and into the future.  From Duke of Ed camps to immersion trips to Central Australia and East Timor, our girls’ hearts have been touched and moved to serve the community in a spirit of strength and kindliness now and into the future.

 

Many hearts and hands have transformed this community over the past 116 years.  It is their legacy which walks with us today.  We must continue to tap into students’ individual passions and harness their creativity and provide learning experiences to transform their world.

 

In the words of Sister Veronica Brady, “We must encourage our students not to be afraid but to be daring, risk-taking human beings who love learning.”

 

Stephanie Smyth

Assistant Principal: 

Wellbeing and Engagement