Issue One: Term One 2022
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Carers,
I extend a warm welcome to our new students and staff, we are very pleased to have you join our community here at Kimberley College. The start of school this year has certainly been different to any I have experienced in my 35 year career. Staff, parents, carers and students have shown adaptability and resilience as we have worked together to ensure a great start to the year for KC.
The KC community is an inclusive community. Feel free to be yourself and encourage others to be their best self as well.
Project works
You may have noted a couple of projects that were completed over the holidays. The new primary play equipment has been installed and the outdoor learning area near the Gubbi classrooms has been completed. Both provide much needed additional play and learning options for our primary school students. We also have some more projects coming up throughout the year. The installation of our new cooled water bubblers has commenced with more being installed soon. Also delayed is our new classroom building that will help ease the pressure on classrooms in our senior school and provide additional learning spaces for our middle school. This project will be completed during term one ready for use at the start of term two. Finally we have installed 100 lockers into the Senior School faculties. Year 12’s will be offered use of these lockers first.
Student Council
Our student council is up and running for 2022. The Executive members: Erin French, Ellie McKenzie, Haruki Ryles, and Matthew Stenning attended the Australian Student Leadership Conference run by YLead prior to school returning. This conference, normally held at the University of Queensland, was attended by student leaders from many schools throughout Queensland. They have come away from this conference with some great ideas for KC in 2022.
Our student council represent what is defined as servant leadership. Servant leadership is perhaps the toughest form of leadership because it is the only one that asks leaders to forgo themselves and to put others’ needs above their own. This form of leadership suits one or our core beliefs: ‘Waffo’. Servant leadership helps our young people understand that a person’s true sense of purpose and value can be found when they put others first; when they seek to make a difference and leave the world in a better place than when they found it. I look forward to working with the student council for the good of all in the KC community.
Parents and Friends
The Kimberley College Parents and Friends (P & F) is an enthusiastic group of volunteers working to build community and support the students, staff and parents of Kimberley College. Their first meeting of the year is on Wednesday next week. I would like to publicly thank the P and F President, Christine Roberts and Secretary, Del Mendoza for their service to the P and F and the Kimberley College community. If you would like to get in touch with the P and F they have a dedicated email: pandf@kimberley.college .
Glenn Johnson
Deputy Principal's Message
KC Connection
Humans are, by nature, social animals (Aristotle). They experience happiness, security and a sense of purpose from their connection with others – albeit physical or emotional in nature. Brené Brown defines connection as ‘the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued’ (Brown, 2015, p. 182). In our current context, with its accompanying obstacles, actively seeking opportunities for genuine human connection is so crucially important.
Our Student Council Executive, (including Ellie McKenzie, Erin French, Haruki Ryles and Matt Stenning), have named ‘KC Connection’ as their overarching theme for 2022. Making effective use of the multi-faceted nature of connection, they want to contribute to a positive, inclusive and healthy school community.
In order to help students across the College to get to know them, the Student Council Executive have put together a video that is currently being shown to students during PC time. The process of recruiting student council reps from across the College is underway. The Executive members are very keen to host meetings to harness student voice in order to support and serve the student body. We are very excited to see what our student council will achieve this year.
We have recently implemented a Peer Support Program at the College to facilitate connection across the sub-schools. We are very proud of the Senior School students who have dedicated time and energy to be of service to our younger students. Trained as Peer Mentors, they are currently facilitating a five-week transition program to the Year 7 cohort. Living out our College Values and being of service to others; they are embracing our Waffo spirit.
Our Senior Peer Mentors of 2022 are: Latique Bennett, Katie Jenson, Thomas Warner, Rachael Stalley, Tamika LeCourt-Woodcock, Charlize Cullen, Sacha Mills, Matt Stenning, Briar Blackmore, Flynn Wickens, Roman Grcic, Ella Cafer, Erin French, Josie Mills-Finlay, Ashton Bennett, Riley Carter, Leah White, Maddie Pell and Portia Dulley-Visiona. We are also looking to implement a Peer Support Program in Semester Two for Middle School students to mentor Primary School students. That way, building connections across the College.
Connect with, listen to, and support each other. Connection builds community. Let's continue to strengthen ours.
Janine Parkinson
Senior School News
Unaipon Faculty
This term on March 17, Kimberley College students have the opportunity to take part for the first time in Kangourou Sans Frontieres (KSF), which is a maths competition offered by the Australian Mathematics Trust. In 1991, two French teachers inspired by the Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) decided to start a similar online competition in France. They called it the ‘Kangaroo’ to pay tribute to their Australian friends. This competition has grown to become one of the largest international mathematics competitions in the world, with more than 6 million participants annually. In Australia, Kangourou sans Frontières (KSF) is an online-only, multiple-choice competition for years 3–12. Any student in these year levels that is interested in taking part is encouraged to see Mr. Hood in the Unaipon faculty.
This year, also for the first time, Kimberley College is involved with STEM Punks, which is an organisation focused on delivering STEM education that caters to individual needs and different skill levels. Through their programs, they aim to inspire tomorrow's innovators by enabling a creative, innovative, and entrepreneurial mindset. The middle school has registered four teams to compete in the Innovation Games, which is Australia's first competition that brings together Design Thinking, Creativity, and Technology in a sporting environment with Minecraft as the building tool. Students in years 7 to 9 that are interested should speak with their teachers about meeting with one of the coordinators to express their interest.
We would also like to make year 11 and 12 students aware that applications are now open for the 2022 Lab Work Experience program at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR). The laboratory work experience program takes place over three days and offers introductory laboratory training in the purpose-built Education Lab, followed by a placement in one of the working research laboratories. Kimberley College students have been selected for this program in the past and the feedback we have received is that it is a truly rewarding experience for those interested in medical research. There are limited places in the program, and entry is competitive and based on merit. In order to be considered, students must apply through the QIMR website (link supplied below) where they are required to provide a brief background on their education, experience, and interest in a science-related career. Before applying, students will need to do some reading about QIMR Berghofer’s research to show that they are suitable for work experience at QIMR Berghofer and to help match them with vacancies in laboratories that suit their interests. Students are also encouraged to apply with another student from the same school where possible as they will be working in pairs in the laboratory. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the application process, please see Mr. Hood in the Unaipon Faculty. Applications close on April 1, which is the last day of Term 1.
Finally, this week's photos feature our year 12 Chemistry students completing an investigation on the reactivity of metals as part of the topic they are presently studying on oxidation and reduction. The students will later this term complete an assessment focused on them modifying one of the experiments completed in this topic.
Brad Hood, Head of Faculty
Namatjira Faculty
The Namatjira students have started the school year with lots of enthusiasm and excitement. Namatjira faculty subjects have a practical "hands on" approach. The classes include Hospitality, Agriculture, Sport and Recreation, and Manual Arts. Our students also can attain a Certificate 3 in Fitness and a Diploma in Business, whilst completing their senior at the school.
After a long break, students have started back at their school based Tafe, Traineeships and Apprenticeships. It is our aim that every Namatjira student complete some type of Vocation Education and Training course whilst completing senior studies at the school.
Namatjira would like to welcome a new teacher to our faculty, Mr Gary Pride.Mr Pride is teaching Industrial Technology Standards and Agriculture. He brings a wealth of experience to the school and we are excited to have him in our faculty.
We also welcome back from maternity leave, Mrs Nicole Arnold. Mrs Arnold will be teaching Essential English, Sport and Recreation and Certificate 3 in Fitness.
Terry Elliott - Head of Faculty
Miss Cooper doing what she does best.
Prepping the garden beds
The goats are happy the students are back
Namatjira PC
Mabo Faculty
The Mabo staff are very excited to see our classes filled with eager students learning. Clear-eyed year 10 making the transition up to senior, along with proud seniors excited to start their final year began their first classes in person last week, masks in tow. To start the year, the Mabo teachers have collaborated on creating a six-thinking hats ideas board about opportunities we are excited about for 2022.
White: 2022 has presented the biggest cohort in Mabo history.
RED: We love the immediate engagement back to school, where students are showing so much support of each other.
BLACK: While there was great sadness at having to lose the Legal Studies excursion to accommodate the back-to-school covid provisions, we’re excited about overcoming this and attending the Supreme Court at Brisbane in Term 4 instead.
YELLOW: The unanimously positive aspect for the start of the year is welcoming new English and Ancient History teacher Mr. Bechly, who has already provided so many creative lessons for his classes. You can see him interpreting hieroglyphs and baking Ancient Egyptian recipes for his class to enjoy.
GREEN: 2022 has seen a number of opportunities open back up, after closing over the last two years. Especially debating and mooting programs. Mabo students are preparing to collate legal briefings and comprising senior debate teams for the year.
BLUE: 2022 provides the students, teachers and parents with an opportunity to reflect on how we want to project forward. It’s important to be excited about what lies ahead so we can challenge ourselves and then encourage others. This is what the Mabo staffroom are looking forward to the most for this year.
Welcome back to school, Mabo 2022.
Jordan Smith - Head of Faculty
Yunupingu Faculty
The Dance program has welcomed many new students this year and we were super excited to kick off rehearsals last week. Many new students have auditioned over the last week and emails will be sent through to families shortly. If you have any questions about our program please email dance@kimberley.college.
We are excited to announce that Kimberley College has introduced a new and exciting Rock Band program into the primary and middle schools. Rock Band rehearsals are on a Thursday and we can’t wait to see what they produce this year. If your child is interested in being part of the Rock Band program or would like to learn a musical instrument please contact music@kimberley.college.
Elizabeth Wagenknecht - Head of Faculty
Middle School News
I would like to say a warm welcome back to our resident families and KC community to another busy year and hello to new families who have not yet experienced the KC way of life. Middle School is a wonderful place for your child to feel safe and supported by their teachers while they delve into real-world topics and explore the wider community.
Week One and Two, gave students some extra time to get themselves ready for the start of school, while teachers used this time to focus on curriculum, create beautiful learning spaces and engage with their teaching team to build exciting learning experiences.
Our theme this term is “Inside Out”. Each of our themes has a unique thread that ties each subject together. “Inside Out” gives students the opportunity to explore their mind, body, and soul. Looking from the inside out, students will reflect on their role in sustaining a healthy body and mind, and how they can make the world around them a better place than it was before.
There are many exciting activities and events that have popped up already this term. Debating teams have begun preparation for their debates, electives are underway, Kokoda sign-up is in process and our STEM Punks Coordinators are schooling up on an awesome opportunity to design and create innovative solutions to science and engineering challenges.
The seniors had a small taste of what it’s like to be a teacher this week as Peer Mentoring began. The seniors worked hard to build connections and relationships with the year 7s to make their transition into middle school an easier one.
Term One will conclude with our Middle School Camp at Thunderbird Park. This is an amazing opportunity for students to not only step outside of their comfort zone when trying new activities but to build friendships and connections with other students in their class.
We are committed to growing and learning alongside your child to offer them the best experiences and opportunitites we can. We look forward to working with you to make this a reality.
Margherite Rigden, Head of Middle School
Primary School News
Hello and welcome to the 2022 school year. We are so excited to be back in the swing of things! We hope you all had a restful break with your families and loved ones and are ready for a wonderful year of fun and learning. Firstly, we want to take the opportunity to thank those who joined us on the 15th February for our virtual 'Parent Information Evening'. If you were unable to attend, you should have received the PowerPoint via the classroom email. If you have questions about the day-to-day running of the classroom or on any of the information presented, please do not hesitate to contact the classroom teachers. If you are not receiving emails from your child/rens classrooms, please get in touch with the school so that this can be rectified.
Across the Primary School, we welcome Mrs Rachelle Marjanovic, Ms Kerry Boyd, Mrs Kelly L'Orange, Mrs Hayley Walsh, Ms Kathryn Robinson, Mrs Tamara Hellwig, and Mrs Sara Wells to the primary school teaching team. Some of these teachers are new to the school, and some are familiar faces that you would have seen before. Either way, please make these new staff members feel welcome if you see them out and about.
This term, we have many exciting themes across the Primary School.
Kokomini: 'Magical Adventures'
Kokowara: 'We Are Family'
Waka Waka: 'Pirates'
Gubbi Gubbi: 'From Little Things, Big Things Grow'
Please read below to see all of the exciting things that have been happening in the classes so far.
Kokomini News
Welcome to a term of magical adventures with our Kokomini students of 2022.
This term so far, we have shared the 'Kissing Hand' story and made a display of our own 'kissing hands'. This story was all about a little raccoon who was sad to be starting school because he would miss his mummy. His mummy solved the problem by giving her son a kiss on his hand that could keep his heart happy all day while at school.
The Minis also enjoyed the familiar story of the 'Green Sheep,' but our story had a little twist at the end. The green sheep had left the last page of the book and ventured out around the school… so we searched all around the school to find him and became a little more familiar with our new school grounds on our travels.
The students have been busy enjoying the story of 'Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom'. A story where the letters of the alphabet try to fit up the coconut tree. Our Minis could not be tricked as they practised recognising the letters. Extending from this, they 'spotted their names' and familiarised themselves with how to write 's' and the sound it makes. Wow!
The Kokominis have shown they are fabulous artists and have completed a directed painting of themselves. We cannot wait for our families to come and visit our class to see all the amazing learning the students have been doing.
Kokowara News
Wow, what a great start to the year our Kokowara family has had. The children have swiftly settled into their new daily routines, and the teachers have really enjoyed getting to know each and every one of them through fun activities and 'get to know you' games.
As we have started our Rich Task this week, the children have been learning about family make-ups and structure and have really enjoyed creating their very own family tree.
Students have collaborated and contributed to developing our Kokowara family tree by writing sentences about themselves and members of their families. This activity has promoted great discussion about similarities and differences between students' own families and their friends.
We are really looking forward to seeing the Kokowaras learning flourish throughout this term!
Waka Waka News
We have had an amazing start to the year in Waka Waka. The children have been so excited to be back with their classmates and have enjoyed meeting all the new Wakas that have joined us this year.
This term, our theme is 'Pirates!' We have been busy experimenting with materials to find out which float and sink. We have also designed sails and tested these out with a fan to see which direction our boats would go. The children have been so excited about making their own pirate ships and will be testing these out to see which ships float and sail straight in the wind.
This week, the children discovered what their name would be if they were a pirate, and we learnt a new pirate song. In PE, we played a pirate ship game, which the children really enjoyed.
Later in the term, we will have lots of fun making maps, finding treasure, learning about famous pirates, and even learning how to talk like a pirate.
Gubbi Gubbi News
The students of Gubbi Gubbi have had a fantastic start to the school year! The children have brought with them wonderful energy and have enthusiastically participated in a range of team-building activities to build positive relationships within their PC Pods.
This term's theme is 'From Little Things, Big Things Grow', and the children have jumped straight into their units of work to begin their journey through this theme. This week, a favorite lesson amongst students has been their introductory lesson to their Science Unit 'Marvellous Micro-Organisms'. The children used their senses to explore different types of bread and the ingredients used within them. They discovered the magic of yeast and its effect on bread. Who would have thought that something as simple as bread would cause so much enthusiasm and exploration! Other exciting endeavours that have started for the term include the introduction of Passion Projects, our Dance Development and Performance Teams, and KCFA.
We sent out unit overviews for all curriculum areas following the 'Parent Information Evening'. Not only does this provide a general idea of this term's learning experiences, but it also gives parents some additional prompts for the age-old question of "What did you do at school today" that would usually be met with a "Nothing". Feel free to use these in an attempt to delve a little deeper!
The hot topic in Gubbi Gubbi at the moment is our upcoming camp at Gold Coast Recreation Centre at Tallebudgera (23rd March - 25th March). This camp is a favourite with children and has incredible facilities and activities to enjoy over the three days. The Gubbi Gubbi teachers would love to see all of our children attend, so please do not hesitate to contact us if we can assist you or your child in any way. If we could have all forms completed ASAP, that would be greatly appreciated. A reminder that these are due to be completed on Parent Lounge no later than 1st March
Primary Assemblies
We will normally have our Primary assemblies fortnightly in the Primary School, starting at 9.00 am in the Koko Green area. Unfortunately, we are unable to run these for the first four weeks. We will keep you updated as this information changes.
A Few Reminders
Curriculum Overviews for each class should have been sent home via email last week. If you have not received it, please contact Miss Shepherdson at kristy.shepherdson@kimberley.college.
On the day of an absence, please email student.absences@kimberley.college and the classroom teachers by 8.30 am. If your child is arriving late (after the bell at 8.45 am), you are required to sign your student in at the Student HUB and receive a late slip.
Debating
Debating has a way of lighting fires in the minds, it stirs the soul and opens the mind to diverse thoughts, opinions and ways of doing things. At Kimberley College, our debaters, learn the art of masterful debate. They use the power of words to express themself in both written and verbally. Kimberley College debaters all agree that debating has helped improve their critical thinking skills, their vocabulary, their research skills, and ability to think on their feet. It is a wonderful opportunity to grow as a learner and build positive friendships.
We are excited to announce the start of the new debating season. We have entered 9 teams in Middle School and 2 teams in Senior School. The debate Round One kicks off from the 1st March and run for four rounds. We have been blown away by the enthusiasm and energy that we have seen by the students in preparation for the first round debates. Bring on the 2022 season.
Nitasha Cullen
Sport
From our Counsellor
3 Ways to make 2022 a great year!
Let’s all start this wonderful year with some plans to keep our mindsets on track. Three ideas that can have a positive impact on your year are: 1: Have some things to look forward to, 2: Start working towards some relevant and achievable goals and, 3: Try giving some kindness.
Have things to look forward to: Whether it’s a holiday, a few social weekend catchups or, a simple massage appointment, having something to look forward to is a key ingredient for maintaining a happy mindset. The positive anticipation created by having something to look forward to provides us with a feeling of hope which helps us see our future as exciting and optimistic. What would you like to plan to do (by yourself or with others) that you know you would really enjoy? This may require a small bit of organising so what 2 things do you need to do to put this in place? Can you do this by the end of today?
Set yourselves some goals
Setting ourselves goals can fuel our motivation towards our long-term vision and short-term accomplishments. Setting goals can benefit us by giving us a focus, triggering new behaviours, managing our time, and providing a sense of achievement. One common goal setting sequence is to:
- Make sure your goal is specific to you – Specify the details of that goal.
- Make the goal measurable by giving it an amount that will show you have proof of progress.
- Make it attainable – Do you have access to the necessary resources? Is this realistic and possible for you to achieve?
- Make the goal relevant to what you value and want.
- Give your self a time frame to achieve it in.
For Example:
- I want to run 5km without stopping in under 30 minutes.
- I want to achieve a B in 3 of my 6 school subjects in semester 1.
- I want to listen to 2 audio books each month for 3 months to learn about the practices of martial arts and self-discipline.
Try random acts of kindness
Carrying out random acts of kindness promotes empathy and compassion – and requires courage to do this. Doing any random act of kindness is said to lead to a sense of interconnectedness with others and releases a contagious feeling of positivity. Simple random acts of kindness can be as simple as giving someone a genuine compliment or providing help to someone in need. Researcher, Barbara Fredrickson, states that acts of kindness can reduce feelings associated with stress and improve immune systems.
Track these things on your calendar. Set days where you will choose someone and do something kind for them. Track your goal progress each week and, schedule in when you are doing something you are really looking forward to doing.
Klynton Kelly-Bolt, College Counsellor
KC Musical
Kimberley College’s production of Legally Blonde is well and truly underway. We are so excited to paint the school pink this year as we share the wonderful story of Elle Woods and her journey of self discovery. The musical is filled with so many catchy songs, upbeat dances, heartwarming moments and opportunities for our students to shine!
Rehearsals have begun but if your child is interested in joining our cast, please direct them to see Miss Bunker in Lama Lama (Middle School) or Miss Larkin in the Art room (Senior School) to express their interest in being a part of the production. We would love to have everyone who is passionate about performing involved! We will be coming around to our Primary School classes later this term to gauge interest as we have some very special moments within the musical that will showcase the talent of our littlest performers.
Please pencil into your calendars the date of our musical performances!
Saturday 20 August Evening Performance
Sunday 21 August Matinee Performance and Evening Performance
Venue: Lingo Lin Performing Arts Theatre, Ormiston College
Please note that this date is a few weeks later than originally scheduled due to our delayed start to school. We hope to see you all there!
Bridget Bunker
P&F News
If you haven't heard of us, KC's Parents and Friends (P&F) are an enthusiastic bunch, committed to building community and raising funds for our school. Despite COVID, 2021 was a very successful year. Our first ever Mother's and Father's Day stalls were a big hit! And we're looking forward to applying what we learned to this year's stalls.
Our first fundraiser is as easy as they come
Just vote for KC at the link below and help us win $1000! Funds will go towards this year's Musical, Legally Blonde, which is sure to be heaps of fun and a great learning experience.
https://www.freedomproperty.com.au/Community
Voting closes 4pm Thursday 24 March.
Announcing our inaugural colour run!
We're super excited to announce that this year we'll be putting on the school's first Colour Run! We're looking forward to all the colour, chaos and fun, and we hope you are too. The colour run is planned for term 2. More details to come.
First meeting of the year
Feel free to come and meet our members and learn more about what we do. Join us at the Mabo building 6pm Wed 23 Feb.
Want to stay up to date and hear about opportunities to join in the fun? Just email pandf@kimberley.college with the word 'subscribe'.
Look out for our new Logo!
Library News
This week we say goodbye to Mrs Oliver, who has been with us for over 5 years. She is moving to her dream home on the Sunshine Coast.
Mrs Oliver will be missed by students and staff alike. She brought with her a zany sense of humour, a weirder than average taste in music and a real love of the students.
She is going to be a hard act to follow, and we will miss her.
Good luck Mrs Oliver x
All things Admin
Dates for 2022 Newsletters - 18 February, 1 April, 29 April, 24 June, 22 July, 16 Sept, 14 October and 25 November
KC Bus - It is the responsibility of students catching the school bus to be at the stop 5 minutes prior to its departure time. Buses will not be sent back for students who have missed the bus due to arriving late to the bus stop.
Translink Bus Card - Please write your child's name on the back of their Translink card as there is no way of identifying who they belong to if found within the school.
Absences and Early Collections - details pertaining to a students absence or an early collection can be sent via:
- our school App,
- a call to 3209 0300 and select the Student Absences option or
- you can email student.absences@
kimberley.college .
There is a link within the Rollcall app, however this is not linked to the school.
When sending an email to class teachers to advise them, please ensure that you also cc in the Student Absences email.
If you are aware of an upcoming appointment, those details can be sent through ahead of time.
When picking up students early please come to the Student Hub to collect them.
Unfortunately, we cannot allow students to sign out and leave without a parent / carer or an emergency contact person being sighted.
Late Arrivals - All students arriving after the first bell (8.40) must go to the Hub and sign in late.
Parking - Please remember that the top carpark is for staff only, the main carpark at the front of the school is for parents.
Victoria Point YMCA
