Our Experience Day on Monday, 21 August, marked an exciting milestone as we welcomed 60 enthusiastic Years 4 and 5 girls from one of our partner primary schools – St Pius X School – to experience a taste of Kildare whilst the boys went to Blackfriars Priory School during Catholic Schools Open Week. This wonderful new initiative between the three Catholic schools was brimming with creative and engaging activities that ignited a sense of wonder and curiosity among the young minds.
The St Pius X students together with our Kildare Student Leaders eagerly engaged into rotations designed to spark their imagination and learning. The STEM activity was a highlight, where they dabbled in block coding LEGO robots. The room buzzed with excitement as they brought their creations to life, fostering a spirit of innovation and problem-solving.
The Science activity took centre stage. With hydrogen popping experiments and hydrogen balloon explosions, the students witnessed scientific phenomena that left them in awe. Laughter and gasps of amazement filled the air as they experienced firsthand the wonders of Chemistry.
The kitchen was a hub of activity for the Food and Hospitality rotation. From crafting delicious pizza muffins and pizza scrolls, to whipping up fruit muffins and berry cookies, the students indulged their culinary creativity. The aroma of their appetising creations wafted through the air, adding to the joyous atmosphere. As the day drew to a close, our talented Kildare dancers and singers took the stage, performing a captivating showcase that left the visiting students mesmerised.
The Experience Day concluded with hearts and minds full of newfound knowledge, leaving everyone with memories of a day filled with excitement and a sense of wonder.
At Kildare College, we believe in nurturing the creative aspirations of our students, empowering them to pursue their passions with confidence and skill. This commitment to fostering talent was recently exemplified when a group of our music students embarked on an exciting journey to The Push Music Careers Expo this week.
The Push Music Careers Expo is not just an event; it’s an opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the thriving music industry. Our students were exposed to an array of workshops and discussions led by industry experts, covering everything from setting up for a gig, song production to marketing and performing live.
The day started with the Kildare Rock Band opening the event! Our musicians received incredible support, enthusiastic praise and wonderful applause from the participants, industry professionals and staff. It was a fantastic opportunity for the band and they did themselves and Kildare proud with their awesome performance.
The keynote speakers were musical artist Kanada The Loop, and directors/co-founders of Seven Seven Group, John Halstead and Zach Hamilton-Reeves who spoke in detail about their journey in the music industry and gave insight into how they got to where they are today.
Highlights for our students were – a workshop on Events Planning with Nat Edwards, the Operations Manager of The Gov, and a small group session led by Joseph Cheek, the Head Engineer & Producer of Island Recording Studios. The opportunity to have in-depth conversations with industry experts was an enlightening experience that provided invaluable insights and perspectives for our students. It was an experience to be remembered for our music students who are keen to move forward in the music industry.
On Thursday, we celebrated the end of Book Week 2023 at Kildare College with a Costume Parade for students and teachers. It is always a great way to see the creativity of the students and staff and acknowledge the books that they love. The theme across Australia for Book Week this year was “Read, Grow, Inspire” and was embraced by everyone throughout the week. Students had the opportunity to personalise a Seed Bookmark that can be planted after use, to grow beautiful wildflowers, as well as crafting their own Book Plant with pipe cleaners, fabric flowers and miniature books.
Students showed off an amazing array of costumes they had created for our Parade. The judges had a very tough job deliberating, before announcing the winner of the Best Group; Louise and Bianca dressed as Gru and Minion. The student that really captured all aspects of the theme for Book Week was Zara as Ash Barty, who is an author, tennis champion and inspiration. Lastly, and most popular with the students, was the parade of the teachers. There were some amazing costumes on display such as the metamorphosis of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Miss Trunchball from Matilda and even Hercule Poirot. The winner was decided by a very loud cheer for Ms Fullgrabe as Mrs Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. She really went all out to capture the look of her character.
Participation this year was amazing, across all year levels and we can’t wait to see the creativity continue next year!