Learning and Teaching

The learning and teaching program at Kilbreda College is both dynamic and innovative, catering for the students’ spiritual, academic, social, emotional and physical development. Students are challenged to be creative, critical and reflective thinkers and to develop a broad and transferable skill set. Opportunities for both independent and collaborative learning are provided and contemporary technologies are integrated throughout the learning and teaching program.

The learning environment caters for a diverse range of student abilities with specially tailored support programs and enrichment opportunities for highly able students. We recognise the integral role that parents play as co-educators of our students and encourage parents to be active participants in their daughter’s education.

Learning Diversity

Kilbreda College has a well-resourced Learning Diversity Department, which caters for the specialised requirements of those students who have been assessed as having specific learning needs. In consultation with subject teachers, the Learning Diversity Support staff provide academic or program support that considers the student’s individual learning style so as to facilitate their access to the school curriculum. In Year 9 and 10, students with additional learning needs are invited to participate in the Compass program which, supports students in a number of areas, including organisational and time management, study skills, social skills programs, research skills and exam preparation.

Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL)

This qualification aims to provide the skills and knowledge to enable students to make informed choices regarding pathways to work and further education. VCAL supports students who wish to work in a more practical program while still achieving a certificate/s at the end of six years of secondary schooling.

Social Justice

As a Catholic school in the Brigidine tradition, Kilbreda College has a strong focus on social justice. There are various ways in which students, staff and families can become engaged with social justice issues at Kilbreda and therefore make a difference in our world. Catholic social teaching makes clear that the dignity of each person is of great importance and that we must work to protect the poor and vulnerable in our community.

The ongoing commitment to social justice at Kilbreda includes the Living Justly group, FIRE Carriers, Stand Up Against Poverty, Project Compassion, Brigidine Asylum Seeker Project (BASP) and support for initiatives of the Office for Justice and Peace and Kildare Ministries. In our commitment to justice, we must strive to live a life that reflects the teaching and person of Jesus as well as reflecting the charism of our founders, St Brigid and Bishop Daniel Delany.

English

The study of English is central to the learning and development of all of us. The traditional elements of speaking, listening, reading, viewing and writing are just as important as ever when it comes to effective communication. The explosion of technology in recent years calls for increasing interaction with multimodal texts by our students.

At the College we aim to develop confident communicators, imaginative thinkers and informed citizens who are thoughtful and ethical and who see themselves as active members of society. English teachers work with students to encourage analysis, understanding, communication and the building of relationships with others and with the world around them.

Health and Physical Education

The College offers an extensive and comprehensive Health Education program that is tailored to the needs of students at their various stages of development. The theme of the Year 7 program is Changes, where we explore and discuss ways of dealing with family and friendship issues, body image and the safe use of technology. Consideration of the physical changes that occur with puberty is also included. At Year 8, the theme of Right Relationships gives the students the opportunity to consider the ideas of their increasing independence, the responsibility that comes with this and their values. In Year 9, a range of women’s health issues are explored and in Year 10 the emphasis is on responsible decision making. Students can further pursue Health studies in Years 11 and 12.

Physical Education is offered from Years 7 to 12. Students are involved in a range of physical activities, which include a bicycle education program at Year 7, a lifesaving carnival at Year 8, a cheerleading and self-defence program at Year 9. The Physical Education program involves a range of focus sports which take place over a three-week period and minor sports which take place over the course of a week. Our sport and activities program is designed to ensure that students remain focused and motivated to participate all year round. Sports include Athletics, Australian Rules Football, Badminton, Basketball, Circuit Room (gym activities), Cricket, Dance, European Handball, Hockey, Lacrosse, Netball, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Trampolining and Volleyball.

Digital Technologies

Digital Technologies is taught to all Year 7 and 8 students. Students in later years can choose electives in Year 9 and 10. Our aims in the ICT department include:

• building on the ever improving ICT skills that students bring from primary school
• introducing our students to a diverse and challenging range of ICT software (including Web 2.0, Adobe Suite, Microsoft and other packages)
• fostering ICT literacy and confidence in our students, so that they can use these skills in other subjects and other areas of their lives
• encouraging creative, collaborative and critical ways of thinking and working with technology.

We are committed to providing a challenging, enriching and contemporary learning environment for students. Every student has a College issued laptop to enable ready access to digital/online resources and to develop their skills in the effective and responsible use of technology. The College is extremely well resourced in terms of Information and Communication Technology with a wireless network, data projectors/interactive whiteboards or high definition screens installed in every classroom and two computer laboratories.

Mathematics

Hypatia (AD 350 – 415) is historically noted as the first woman of Mathematics, renowned for her work in mathematical study, logic, astronomy and philosophy. When your daughter starts studying secondary school Mathematics she will encounter a world of learning dating back to Hypatia and beyond.

Mathematics at Kilbreda College is taught as a whole class discipline. Students remain in their homeroom groups and access a broad curriculum that follows the guidelines of the Australian Curriculum. Your daughter will participate in individual, small group and whole class activities. She will play maths games and use interactive technologies that reinforce her learning in class.

Textbooks are supported by digital resources, which means that your daughter can leave her heavy book at school and use a computer or tablet to access the text and other resources at home. Your daughter will be given opportunities to learn in fun and active ways. She will be supported by her teacher and classroom support staff as needed. Our goal is to assist each student achieve to her maximum potential and for all students to become mathematically literate members of society. Who knows, maybe your daughter will be the Hypatia of her generation.

Science

“I heard, and I forgot. I saw, and I remembered. I did, and I understood”   Confucius

Science is a dynamic, collaborative and creative human activity where students explore the unknown and conduct experiments to make sense of what they have heard and seen, be it in the classroom or beyond. By investigating how and why things work as they do, students develop critical and creative thinking skills, which will be vital to their development as high functioning and articulate members of this highly technological society in which we live.

At Kilbreda our students separate complex mixtures into their components, they dissect squid and chicken wings to see what lies within, they investigate how we humans came to look and act as we do and they use a range of technologies to frame and articulate their responses to what they have learnt. We believe that Science is an important discipline, the knowledge of which is an integral part of any well-educated citizen.