From the Leadership Team

OUR FOCUS IN 2016

Welcome back everyone for the 2016 School year, and a very special welcome to our new families.

The year has started exceedingly well with another strong intake of students. We now number 745 students.

As I mentioned at last year’s Celebration Night, our new Strategic Plan (2016-2020) will be based around some key pillars - Academic Excellence, Character Education and Community Development.

Regarding academic excellence, this year there will be an even greater focus on developing student thinking skills. To support this direction, a number of thinking routines will be introduced, including some new ones recently developed at Harvard University. The aim is to assist students to make their thinking more visible, which research shows improves their achievement levels. We are committed to developing a Kilvington thinking culture, infused with Carol Dweck’s growth mindset approach. As Albert Einstein said, ‘Education is not about the learning of facts but training the mind to think’. We want to produce thinking students.

Regarding character education, our community has always valued an all-round education, and understands that building character helps students achieve better results, indeed prepares them for a better life. At our Parent Strategic Planning meetings last year, we received strong endorsement for developing a character program. The one character trait word per term/semester will stay, and it will be Gratitude this term. However, we want to do more, and so this year we are launching the Character Initiative under the leadership of Ms Martine Walls. There is some information on our website.

In terms of community development, this is all about members of our community desiring to have a place where they belong, feel connected and can give back. When we feel connected and can give, we experience a deep level of satisfaction and perform at our best. Schools are key connectivity hubs that can provide people, in an increasingly individualistic world, with a tangible expression and experience of community. Already this year there have been numerous opportunities for people to connect through, for example, year level activities, morning teas and parent evenings. Being a smaller school we want to be a thriving community where people feel they belong.

Our aim is to complete the School’s next Strategic Plan and publish it by the end of Semester 1.

Staff Appointments

We welcome a number of new staff to Kilvington. In alphabetical order they are:

Ms Clare Allen has been appointed as a Junior School teacher.
Ms Cora Alvarez has been appointed to the role of History/English teacher.
Mr Alan Clarke is our new International Student Coordinator.
Ms Caitlin Hancock has been appointed as a French teacher.
Ms Grace McDonald joins us as a Chemistry/Science/Physical Education teacher.
Mr Jason Moloney has been appointed as a Health and Physical Education/Humanities teacher.
Ms Vanessa Neagle joins us as a Strings teacher.
Ms Rosalind Petrie joins us as a Commerce/Humanities teacher.
Mrs Catherine Thomas has been appointed as a Junior School teacher.
Miss Michelle Weston has been appointed as a Junior School Teacher.

We welcome back Mrs Michelle Ryan who will be assisting with the Year 9 and Sport programs, Mrs Leonie Lloyd who returns from Long Service Leave, Ms Anna Vallence who returns from maternity leave and will be teaching in Learning Support, Mrs Barbara Geerers returns from leave and will resume Strings Teaching and we welcome past student Ms Laura Furze who will also assist with the Year 9 program and in Learning Support. I congratulate former student Steven Clowe who has been appointed as an AFL Trainee in IT and will be completing a Certificate 3 in IT/Multimedia while working with us.

As many of you are aware, Monique Miotto, our Head of Junior School, is facing a significant health challenge. Following surgery she is needing to take time to have treatment and recuperate. Thank you to many of you who have offered practical support. In the meantime, Mr Sebastian Earle will be the Acting Head of Junior School, Ms Alison Bivard will take on additional responsibilities, and Ms Esther Breckler will assume the role of Prep – Year 2 Coordinator. I thank the staff for their willingness to take up these roles and congratulate them on their appointments.

I also congratulate the following staff on their appointment to new roles: Ms Martine Walls is the new Character Initiative Program Director, Mrs Susan Searle is the Choral Coordinator and Ms Fiona Radford is now the Junior School Music Coordinator.

I am also pleased to announce that Ms

Danusia Glover, Executive PA and HR Coordinator, became engaged in the holidays, and Mrs Elaine Flanagan announced her pregnancy.

Last year was an exceptional year for Kilvington Grammar School, and I trust that together we can build upon our successes in 2016.

I wish everyone a most productive year.

Jon Charlton

Principal

ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING AT KILVINGTON

Continuous Online Reporting

‘Continuous Online Reporting’ (COR) is Kilvington’s online facility for parents that is accessed through the Parent Portal via the school’s website. COR provides parents with the results of key assessment items as they are conducted in class for your child. Throughout each Semester you will be able to see results for key assessment items as they occur for all subjects without waiting until the end of semester. Results for assessment tasks such as tests and assignments as well as progress and participation indicators for larger or other projects will be available. Grading information will depend on the assessment tasks undertaken and may vary from grades and numerical results through to statements of satisfactory progress or completion and brief comments.

We encourage you to check the Parent Portal regularly as teachers will be entering results and information at differing times based on when assessments are completed in class. Students will have hard copies of returned tests and assignments etc with criteria sheets and comments if you wish to discuss specific tasks with your child.

Semester Report Summary

All families will receive their child’s report summary in the Parent Portal at the end of each semester usually the first week of the holidays. The Report indicates teachers' overall assessment of your child’s academic and approaches to learning progress, since the beginning of the semester as well as a formal tutor comment in the Senior School and Class Teacher comment in the Junior School. Student achievement in Years P–10 is reported on using the Australian

Curriculum Achievement Standards, where the rating indicates how a student is performing in relation to the standard expected of students at that year level. This is consistent with the structure of the year-based Australian Curriculum. The expected Achievement Standard for each year represents a broad range of student knowledge, understanding and skills.

VCE Units 1, 2, 3 and 4 subject reports include a completion of unit results S or N in line with the way in which VCE results are reported to the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA).

The Semester 2 information on the Parent Portal will be displayed until mid-January and then the Parent Portal will changeover to the 2017 academic year once school starts up again. Please ensure you print out a copy of Semester 2 results if you require or contact the Junior/Senior Reception to print a copy for you.

It is important that the Report Summary is viewed in conjunction with the Continuous Online Reporting (COR) information on the Parent Portal for senior students and with Portfolios for junior students. Both COR and the Portfolios provide you with specific and detailed information with regards to progress and achievement on assessment as it has occurred during the semester.

Parent Student Teacher Interviews

Semester 1:

1. Tuesday 15 March P-Y6 Parent Teacher Interviews (3.45-8.00pm).

Tuesday 15 March Y7 & Y12 Parent Teacher Interviews (2.45-8.30pm).

Senior students who have production rehearsal please note that rehearsals will begin at 2.50pm – 3.50pm.

There will be no afterschool co-curricular program for Junior or Senior School on 15 March.

2. Thursday 17 March P-Y6 Parent Teacher Interviews (3.45-8.00pm).

There will be no afterschool co-curricular program for Junior or Senior School on the 17 March.

3. Tuesday 19 April Y8-Y11 Parent Teacher Student Interviews (2.45-8.30pm).

Tuesday 26 April Y8-Y11 Parent Teacher Student Interviews (2.45-8.30pm).

Senior School to finish early at 2.30pm and Junior School to finish at normal time 3.25pm.

There will be no afterschool co-curricular program for Junior or Senior School on the 19 and 26 April.

Senior students who have production rehearsal please note that rehearsals will begin at 2.50pm – 3.50pm.

Semester 2:

Monday 22 August Y8-Y11 Parent Teacher Student Interviews (3.50-8.30pm).
Monday 22 August P-Y6 Parent Teacher Student Interviews (3.50-8.30pm).
Thursday 1 Sept Y8-Y11 Parent Teacher Student Interviews (3.50-8.30pm).

Students will be dismissed at normal time on each of these dates: 3.25pm for Junior School and 3.35pm for Senior School.

There will be no afterschool co-curricular program for Junior or Senior School on either 22 August or 1 September.

Teresa Deshon

Deputy Principal