In the Know

From the Leadership Team

Rob French, Principal

Farewell Class of 2023

I happened to find myself alone in the Treehouse for a few minutes one afternoon last week. It was great sitting in silence as the spring sun streamed through the windows and a gentle breeze ruffled the trees outside. It's unusual to find this beautiful space so quiet, as it's usually teeming with the life and energy of 

Year 12 students as they queue for microwaves and toasted sandwich machines, swap stories about weekends just gone by, and generally go about their business. 

 

The Treehouse has been a common room for our Year 12 cohorts for nearly 30 years, and it echoes with the sounds of their chatter, laughter, shared triumphs, stresses and tears.  I’m sure if the walls could talk, they'd have some great stories to tell about Kilvington’s Year 12s over the years. 

 

It's now time for another cohort to depart, their legacy at Kilvington now complete. I've been speaking quite a bit to members of the Class of 2023 about their final days of school and how they're feeling as they rapidly approach the end of their school days.  

 

Most seem to be excited about the next stage of their lives and are very ready to spread their wings. Others are a little anxious about what lies ahead and are feeling a degree of sadness about leaving their close-knit school community. These are normal reactions as the students approach the significant milestone of graduating from secondary school and all that it entails.

 

We will long remember the Class of 2023. They are a wonderful group of young people and I've constantly been impressed by the strong bonds that they share as a year level, their humour, optimism, and positive energy. I wish them all the very best for their final days of school, their Valedictory Service next Tuesday, and for their upcoming examinations. 

 

We will have an opportunity as a community to farewell our Year 12s at Celebration Night later in the year. I often refer to our core aim of developing young people of character who'll go out and make a positive difference in the world, and I know this will be the case as the members of the Class of 2023 embark on life after school.

Student Leadership

I'd like to congratulate all students who applied for 2024 leadership positions. I know that there were many tough decisions due to the high calibre and quality of applicants for all positions. We will officially induct our School, House, Curricular, and Co-Curricular leaders at a special assembly on October 23, and we will offer our congratulations as a community to those that will hold official positions next year. 

 

The Junior School is also commencing their leadership selection process, and I wish all Year 5 students involved the very best. I encourage all students, no matter what age, to consider areas of school life where they can pursue leadership opportunities. As I often remind students, you don’t have to hold an official position or wear a badge to be a leader in our community. 

End of Year Events

I am very much looking forward to seeing many of you as we finish our special centenary year in style. From the Year 12 Valedictory Dinner to Celebration Night on November 23, we have several wonderful community events ahead.   

 

Our Early Commencement classes begin on November 27, and the annual House Performing Arts competition will mark a fitting way to finish an incredible year on December 12. I look forward to watching our students thrive as they conclude what has undeniably been an extraordinary year for the School.

Staff News

Nicola Whitfield, who has been coordinating Learning Support for Years 10 to 12 this year, will be extending her responsibilities in 2024 to encompass Years 7 to 12. Thank you to Tanya Pynt, who led Learning Support for Years 7 to 9 for the past two years. Due to Nicola's expanded role in Learning Support, she will be stepping down from her longstanding position as Dean of Wellbeing–Burman. Congratulations to Emily Austin who will be taking over this position from the start of 2024. 

 

As a result of current Dean of Wellbeing–Year 7, Jon Williams, being appointed in the newly created role of Deputy Head of Senior School, we congratulate Julia Barry who will be taking over as Dean of Wellbeing–Year 8 in 2024. Dee Broughton will pick up the role of Dean of Wellbeing-Year 7 in 2024.

 

Andrew Barr will assume the position of Academic Dean of Mathematics effective from Early Commencement, succeeding Mark Williams, who is transitioning to the role of Dean of the Year 9 Impact Program. Martine Walls, who led the team that launched the Impact Program in 2020, will be stepping away to focus on the further development of the Character and Wellbeing programs across the School.

We will farewell English teacher Ashleigh Cavalin in November as she has secured a VCE English Teacher role at Haileybury–Berwick Campus. Ashleigh has made some valuable contributions to the English Department, including representing the School by sharing her knowledge at a range of education conferences over the past two years. We wish Ashleigh all the best for the future.  

 

We will also farewell Commerce teacher Rob Cavalin at the end of the year who leaves us to seek opportunities in the field of domestic violence prevention. Rob has been with us at Kilvington for six years and has been a valued member of the Humanities Department. We wish Rob the best for his new venture.

 

In the English Department, Jessica Needham will be joining us in 2024 as an English Teacher. She is currently an English teacher at Cornish College and has previously worked as a teacher at Korowa Anglican Girls’ School, Balcombe Grammar School and Haileybury College. Jessica has a Bachelor of Arts and Postgraduate Diploma in Arts from The University of Melbourne and a Diploma of Education from Monash University.  

 

Christian O’Toole will also be joining us in the English Department in 2024. He is currently an English teacher at Woodleigh School and has previously worked at Cornish College, Beaconhills College, and Rosebud Secondary College. Christian has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) and a Graduate Diploma in Education from Monash University.

 

Within the Humanities Department, Brent Charlton will be joining us in 2024 as a Commerce teacher, primarily teaching Economics and Accounting. He is currently a Commerce teacher and Year 11 Leader at Taylors Lakes Secondary College, and previously held the role of Commerce teacher at Catholic Regional College. Before embarking on his teaching career, Brent worked as an accountant. He has a Bachelor of Business (Accountancy) from RMIT University and a Master of Teaching (Secondary) from Victoria University.

 

This month, we extend our best wishes to Prep teacher Charlotte Crellin as she embarks on Parental Leave to welcome her first baby. Kirsten Marwood, whom we welcomed back this term, will take on Charlotte’s Prep class for the current term, and will also be staying on in a part-time capacity in 2024. Esther Linivker will take on the role of Acting P-2 Team Leader during Charlotte’s absence.