Issue 1 Term 1 2022

I join with others and welcome you to a new academic year. The beginning of a school year is also a fantastic opportunity for students to set new goals and develop strong habits to set themselves up for a positive year.

As students begin and continue their Senior Years journeys, they are encouraged to explore different opportunities and engage in the many activities to continue to learn about their strengths and interests. Students are encouraged to find an outlet that can provide opportunities to be active or supports interests outside of their learning as this will help to support relaxation and connection to others.

There are many opportunities for students to become involved within our community and in activities at Kildare;with students moving closer to the end of their schooling journey I encourage them to be involved in as many year level, House or team activities as they are able to throughout 2022.

It is a pleasure to welcome the Year 10 students into the Senior Years, who were were presented with a lamp of learning badge at the end of 2021 which signifies their commitment to leadership in our community. It has been wonderful to see all Senior Years students wearing their badge with pride as they continue to demonstrate the core values of our community.

The SACE

Students in the Senior Years will begin and continue with subjects that count towards their SACE completion. The South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) is a modern, internationally-recognised secondary school qualification designed to equip your daughter with skills, knowledge, and personal capabilities to successfully participate in our fast paced global society.

To complete the qualification, your daughter will need to attain 200 credits from a selection of Stage 1 and Stage 2 subjects. A 10-credit subject is usually one semester of study and a 20-credit subject is usually over two semesters.

The SACE caters for practical and theory, hands-on and action-based learning both in and outside school. Your daughter is encouraged to choose subjects that she enjoys, suits her learning style and will open doors to a range of careers within their area of interest.

Your daughter will have the opportunity to explore their interests, strengths, subject choices and style of learning during the Personal Learning Plan at the beginning of their SACE journey studied in Year 10 at Kildare.

Vocational Education and Training (VET) options are available at both Stage 1 and Stage 2 and include a wide range of industry areas, including construction, automotive, electro-technology, hospitality, community services, health and information technology.

Should you require more information regarding the SACE,please contact me at the College.

I wish the best of luck to all senior students for 2022.

Emma Ward
Senior Years Coordinator

Caitlin Anchor, from Kildare College’s Class of 2021, can add another accolade to her list of final-year achievements, receiving the Adelaide University Principals’ Scholarship.

In what was a stellar end to her schooling, Caitlin received a Subject DUX Award for each of the five SACE Subjects studied in 2021. Upon receiving her SACE results in December, she was awarded DUX of the College achieving a University Entrance Score of 99.85, on the same day as being awarded a Governor of South Australia Commendation – Excellence Award 2021.

The Adelaide University Principals’ Scholarships are awarded annually and provided a $5,000 contribution to the students Undergraduate degree at the University of Adelaide.

Upon receiving the award, Caitlin said “I cannot express how much this means to me, and how it will help me with my studies this year”, also paying tribute to the Year 12 teachers who put in additional time to assist Caitlin through the year, attributing their hard work and dedication as a reflection of her achievements.

Caitlin will study a Bachelor of Science at Adelaide University in 2022.

Tina Neate, Principal, added “This is wonderful news for Caitlin. We wish her, and our other students from the Class of 2021, all the best for their futures”.

During her time at the College, Caitlin was a Peer Support Leader and a College Tour Guide, touring prospective families around the College. She was an active member of the Living Justice Group, always acting with integrity and grace to become an agent of change. She was also an active participant in a range of extracurricular activities, including the Arts Showcase, Schools Music Festival, Strings Program, Resource Centre Volunteer and Premiers Reading Challenge.

With only one percent of Australia’s carpentry workforce being female*, the reimagined Material Solutions component of the Stage 2 Design, Digital Technologies and Engineering subject is just another example of how Kildare College is breaking down stereotypes and bringing Future Focussed learning directly to its students.

Offered for the first time in 2021, students followed the Design Engineering process and fundamentals of Inquiry Based Learning, to design and then manufacture their own projects. And there was not a bookcase or table in sight!

Each student was required to design and create their own project, based on their own interest and passion. They learnt the techniques required to complete their project, as well as collaborate with experts and develop their critical thinking and analysis skills.

Student, Shayla, a passionate skateboarder, chose to make her own skateboard, seeking out a professional skateboard maker as her mentor throughout the project. Shayla initially created a template and prototype board to ensure the correct weight and balance. A critical error in the production of the final piece required Shayla to redesign the board, resulting in a lighter design that was easier to manouver. Experimenting with different resins and materials, Shayla created her own grip, and using the process of pyrography transferred her self-drawn artwork onto the timber.

Another student, Sara, chose to make a chess set using Huon Pine and Western Myall woods. Sara used the wood turning machine to create each separate piece by hand, presenting the completed set in a beautifully crafted timber box.

Throughout the process, students received expert assistance from the Chief Demonstrator at the Northern Turners Association, to develop their fine motor skills, using chisels and other tools to complete the more intricate work. Students also used heavier machinery like the wood turning machine and routers, to complete their projects.

Principal, Tina Neate, says “it’s about providing a holistic education, one that allows the students to have the opportunities to follow their own interests and passions, and the results have been exceptional”.

“It opens up another pathway into engineering for the students, to pursue a STEM career if they choose. We are delighted to be able to offer this subject to our students at Kildare.”

It was evident throughout the year that the students enjoyed the subject. Olivia, who created a concert eukele, receiving a SACE Merit Award for the subject, an A+ grade that places her in the top 1% of students in the State. Olivia will receive her award at Government House in February.

*Australian Government Statistics referenced in https://www.woodreview.com.au/news/the-pink-chippy-breaking-down-barriers.

Year 7 Art students had the opportunity to have the full observational drawing experience in class last week.

Students were able to use easels, a range of drawing mediums, from charcoal, conte, soft pastel as well as using an eraser as a medium to make marks and lines on their work.

Students created drawings using time limits to eliminate the expectation of a polished and perfect drawing, and to ensure they were drawing what they could "see" rather than making assumptions. 

We all know what an apple looks like, but looking carefully at the apple that is in front of you is a real skill. Learning how to move your eyes from your drawing to the apple and back to your drawing constantly was a strong focus of the task.

All students should be proud of their efforts, as their drawings were of a very high standard.

Verity Clark
Art Teacher

In a recent news article published by the Advertiser Newspaper*, which outlined the fees for all Catholic Schools, it showed that Kildare College is the most affordable Catholic School in the city hub.

Kildare is committed to maintaining a fee structure that is competitive, while allowing students to experience a contemporary and innovative curriculum offerings. Conscious of the impact of COVID-19 and in the true Brigidine nature of the College, fees in 2022 were held at $5100 for Year 12 for the fourth year in a row; considerably lower than the neighbouring schools.

Our affordable fees have enabled Kildare’s masterplan to continue to evolve. The newest building on the Kildare landscape, a $6.4 million innovation hub called the “Tullow Centre” will be ready for full occupancy in Semester 2 of 2022. It will be a space that will inspire creativity, construction and innovation and gives students the opportunity to learn in an innovative, interactive learning environment reflective of society's modern, divergent, flexible, and dynamic thinking. This comes 3 years after the College spent $4.5 million on a Performing Arts and Sports Centre, namely the Brigidine Centre, and redesigned several of the other learning spaces.

Kildare’s pedagogy and teaching practices remain contemporary and innovative, ensuring the students are being taught the skills and knowledge they need for the jobs of the future. The inaugural Material Solutions (Woodwork) class was offered in 2021, opening another pathway into ngineering for the students to pursue a STEM career if they choose, as well as breaking down the stereotype of a female learner. A SACE Merit Award was achieved by one student in the class, placing her in the top 1% of students in the State.

The 2021 SACE results are also testament to the high level education received at the College. It was reported that 91.3% of the grades of the Class of 2021 were in the A and B grade bands, well-above the Catholic Schools average of 78.3%, and continuing an upward trend on previous years.

Catering for individual skills and talents will be a key focus area in 2022, with the introduction of a Specialist Dance Program for students entering Year 7. A revised Gifted Education program will also ensure students are accelerated, extended and enriched through their learning. Students in Year 9 also have the chance this year to explore the Arch D Radio and Podcasting course, a medium that will enhance skills and creative opportunities.

Located in Holden Hill, 7 km from Adelaide’s CBD with view of the Adelaide foothills, Kildare College is and continues to be a fantastic educational choice for female secondary school students in Adelaide.

*https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/education-south-australia/the-schools-where-youll-pay-less-in-2022-catholic-education-south-australia-reveals-fee-freeze-falls/news-story/50480d4542c005fce9897fb9da113d66

The first unit of work our Year 10 Science classes are exploring this year is looking at Genetics and what makes us who we are.

We have started off this unit by exploring the structure of Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and the genetic information which it contains that is responsible for the development and function of organisms.

As part of this learning our Year 10 students completed a practical experiment where they used common materials to isolate the DNA in strawberries. To do this, they used materials such as a detergent which was able to break down the cells in the strawberries, salt to separate the proteins from the DNA and alcohol to clump the DNA together, allowing the DNA to be visible to the students.

Once the DNA was isolated in their mixture, the students were able to use their scientific inquiry skills to investigate the DNA from the strawberries. 

The students had a fantastic time working together in the lab to complete this practical and further enhance their knowledge of DNA.

Marie Greco
Science Teacher