All Girls’ Education
Did you know that girls’ schools make up just 2% of schools in Australia? When we reflect on the recent federal election, what is also worth mentioning is that five of the eight recently elected female independent Members of Parliament were educated in single-sex schools (Bridge, 2022). Choosing an all girls’ education means that every leadership position is held by a girl and that your daughter will be supported to speak up, be a change agent and be the best she can be. Kildare College equips students to become bold leaders who lead with Strength and Gentleness.
The recent merger of the Alliance of Girls’ Schools and the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, resulting in the formation of the International Coalition of Girls Schools will be the leading advocate for girls’ schools worldwide, connecting and collaborating globally with individuals, schools, and mission-aligned entities dedicated to educating and empowering girls and young women. The merger will unite over 500 girls’ schools across 18 countries representing over 300,000 students. The significant synergies of a shared sense of identity, purpose and potential has the ability to set and deliver an ambitious agenda for girls’ schools.
Kildare is proud to be a member of this organisation, and we continue to provide a robust learning environment which enables our students to speak freely in a respectful way, take charge of their learning, and reach for the stars.
Michelle Camilleri
Deputy Principal
Oh What A Night!
Years 10 and 11 Music Night.
As the audience started arriving, nerves ran high leading up to the 6:30pm show. The students took charge and kept a tight ship backstage, making sure that each group of performers were lined up and ready to go so that the show run seamlessly. Supporting them backstage was such a joy and to see their organisation and professionalism was inspiring!
Unfortunately, a few of our musicians were not able to be with us for the performance and to help with their songs, Mr McGlone and Mrs Bramble filled their places and performed. The students were missed terribly, and we look forward to them being able to perform in our upcoming ‘Live @ The Gov’ performance.
A special mention goes to our amazing Year 8 student – Hannah Connelly whose incredible saxophone playing wowed the audience especially her fantastic solos in INXS’ ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ and the iconic ‘Walking On Sunshine’ originally released by Katrina and The Waves. Supporting Hannah was the tuneful saxophone playing of Mr Crosby.
There was wonderful feedback from the audience and the excitement backstage grew to a peak at the end of the show with the full cast backstage singing and playing the song ‘Riptide’ which is becoming a bit of a tradition for our Year 10 students. Such a beautiful display of the students bonding and celebrating their achievements through the gift of music.
Rebecca Mason
Music Support Officer
Improving Student Learning Outcomes
Behind the scenes, the Future Innovation Coaches in collaboration with the Director of Teaching and Learning and the Learning Team are researching and collating data to improve the learning outcomes of students. Currently, a main focal point is on assessment and how we are preparing our students for the workforce of tomorrow. If there is one silver lining for COVID, let it be that we are rethinking and reshaping assessment.
Data collection and conversations with students and families show that the number of graded assessments is greatly increasing. This places students constantly in the ‘performance zone’ and causes a large amount of stress and anxiety. Additionally, this type of assessment only provides snapshots of achievement at particular points in time, but they do not capture the progression of students’ conceptual understanding over time, which is at the heart of learning.
Substantial research suggests that greater student learning and higher task performance are achieved by providing task-oriented feedback to students, as well as shifting the focus of assessment out of the ‘performance zone’ and away from grades. The most valuable thing we can do to help with our students’ learning is to really be there in class, giving as much feedback as we can directly to the students to support them as they engage in the learning of new concepts and skills.
At Kildare College, we are in the process of shifting the focus to feedback assessment, compared to graded assessment, and designing tools for students and families to use to support this transition. Look out for the Assessment Schedule in Term 3 for each subject which will provide an overview of what graded assessments are due for each subject. These have been created to minimise the possibility of all assessments being due at the same time and also allow for students to plan and organise for upcoming assessments.
Julia Groutsch Nicholas Kellett-Southby and Rebecca Sarvas
Future Innovation Coaches
