Welcome back to Term 4

It is hard to believe that we are in the final term of the year. We return with the knowledge that there is still so much to do, so much to celebrate and, perhaps most importantly, so much still to become. And if you have looked at the calendar, you will know that Term 4 at Kingswood College is going to be a big one! From Arts Week, excursions, camps and sporting events, to VCE examinations, Year 12 celebrations, exhibitions, concerts, orientations and our many end-of-year celebrations, there is barely a spare moment. We will farewell our Year 12 students, welcome new students and families for 2027, celebrate the achievements of our students and staff, and begin preparing for the year ahead. It is a busy calendar, but behind every event is something much more important: people.

Our Year 12 students will reach the culmination of their Kingswood journey, with their final day of classes on Friday 16 October and their final day together on Monday 19 October. There will be a celebration breakfast, their final assembly and, that evening, our Valedictory. These are always poignant occasions. We celebrate the young people they have become, while knowing that the time has come for them to step beyond the gates of Kingswood College and begin the next chapter of their lives. For our younger students, Term 4 is equally full of moments that matter. Camps will provide opportunities for adventure, Arts Week will fill our campus with creativity, and our Year 8 students will tackle Academic Challenge Day. Our Year 8 and 9 students will also share their learning through Exhibition Night, and our Year 6 students will begin the exciting transition into secondary school. We will also welcome many of our 2027 students and families through orientation days and events across the term. There is something wonderfully exciting about seeing children who will soon become part of our community taking their first steps into Kingswood. And then there are the quieter moments that are just as important. Our Remembrance Day service will give us an opportunity to pause and reflect. We will celebrate our volunteers and the extraordinary contribution they make to our College. We will gather for our Christmas Service and Twilight Picnic. We will celebrate the learning and growth of our youngest students in the ELC, and we will finish the school year together on 4 December. This is what a school year looks like when we are fortunate enough to be part of a community that believes learning happens everywhere.

As we enter this final term, I want to encourage our students to make the most of it. Be present. Be brave. Have a go. Notice the people around you. Say thank you. Celebrate one another. And don't wish the term away simply because the finish line is in sight. Our 2026 theme has been accountability, and Term 4 provides perhaps our greatest opportunity to put that into practice. Accountability is not simply about meeting expectations or getting things right. It is about recognising that our choices matter. It is about taking responsibility for the contribution we make to our classrooms, our teams, our friendships and our wider community. For our Year 12 students especially, this final term is a reminder that the legacy you leave is not only measured by results or achievements. It is also found in the way you have treated people, the courage you have shown, the example you have set and the memories you leave behind.

There will be moments this term when we need to move quickly and moments when we need to stop. Let’s make room for both. As we begin our final chapter of 2026, I am looking forward to seeing our students embrace everything this term offers. There will be hard work, excitement, nerves, laughter, celebration and perhaps a few tears along the way. Most of all, there will be people coming together. And that is always what makes a school year memorable. Welcome to Term 4, Kingswood. Let's finish 2026 with courage, kindness, purpose and unity.