STEM
Students from ELC to Year 12 have the opportunity to embrace STEM as part of their learning journey at Kilvington.
A person who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.
— Albert Einstein
Program Structure
Kilvington aims to ignite students' interest in STEM from early learning through senior school, fostering curiosity and skill development in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through engaging, hands-on experiences, real-world projects, and career-focused opportunities.
Kilvington’s ELC aims to promote children’s interest in STEM in the year before school and to continue this interest through primary school and beyond. The focus is on providing an engaging play-based learning environment and provides inspiration for hands-on activities and experiences rich in STEM practices.
Students in Years 5–8 engage in transdisciplinary STEM projects, applying knowledge from Science, Digital Technologies, Mathematics, and Design to solve real-world problems through design thinking. These projects foster communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking while offering immersive and engaging learning experiences.
YEAR 5 AND 6: DRONE PROJECT
Learning about how drones are built and operated provides children with hands-on experience in STEM. By exploring the mechanics of drone construction, they develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as an understanding of aerodynamics, electronics, and programming. These practical experiences not only make abstract concepts tangible but also inspire curiosity and creativity, fostering a deeper interest in all STEM fields.
Additionally, operating drones helps children build spatial awareness, hand-eye coordination, and teamwork. It encourages them to think strategically, plan routes, and consider real-world applications, such as environmental monitoring or disaster relief. These skills and experiences prepare students in the rapidly advancing technological landscape.
YEAR 7: TOY TIME
Students form a company and design and build a toy to teach a 10-year-old about motion and forces. The company consists of a Market Research Executive, Design and Building Executive, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Scientific Advisor.
The project runs across Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics for a period of three weeks after which each groups’ finished toy is presented at a Toy Time Showcase.
Our Years 3 and 4 students judge and then award the Kids Choice Award and an industry expert awards the Industry Award.
YEAR 8: OUR SUSTAINABLE WORLD
The aim of this program is to help students understand the importance of sustainability as the capacity to endure through environmental management and conservation, ecosystem services, eco-buildings/cities, ethical consumerism, green technologies and renewable energy.
Year 8 students participate in a dynamic three-day program, where they develop different projects looking at the sustainability of our world in relation to natural disasters. Through Science they design, build and test models of sustainable buildings. Through ICT they develop public service announcements and raising awareness videos about natural disasters.
'Our Sustainable World' gives students the opportunity to further develop their skills of inquiry, team work, experimentation, creativity, evaluation and synthesis, whilst focusing on a topic that is relevant to the world that they live in now and in the future.
As students progress through Senior School, they explore pathways into future STEM careers. They have the opportunity to attend a range of internal and external careers events designed to enable them to meet STEM professionals.
We also encourage students to attend work experience and higher education immersive experiences programs as part of our connections with Boeing, the Bionics Institute and The University of Melbourne. Kilvington offers a wide range of VCE options in STEM subjects, including Specialist Mathematics and Systems Engineering, and we are proud of the high number of students engaged in these subjects.
Featured Programs
Exclusive partnerships with the Bionics Institute and our award-winning robotics curriculum, along with cutting-edge technology initiatives and innovative electives, provide students with a range of opportunities to further explore STEM.
The Bionics Institute's Girls in STEM Mentoring Program is an exclusive, invite-only initiative open to only a select few schools across Melbourne. Kilvington students are privileged to participate, being paired with senior women leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The program consists of Kilvington students who are paired with senior women working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Our exceptional Robotics program perfectly complements the STEM curriculum, offering students a dynamic and hands-on learning experience. Starting in Year 4, Robotics pushes students to hone their coding and building skills, while also enhancing their problem-solving, creativity, and resilience.
Robotics is integrated into the curriculum from Years 4 to 9, with the added opportunity for students to join the award-winning Robotics Club from Year 5. The club competes at both state and national levels, and has enjoyed tremendous success, making it an exciting avenue for students to take their skills to the next level.
Technology exposure fosters collaboration, helping students tackle both digital and real-world challenges. Early engagement empowers them to become confident, adaptable learners, prepared to succeed in a tech-driven future.
Through our Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program, students from Prep to Year 12 work with a variety of devices, including iPads, tablets, and PC and Mac computers. Our curriculum integrates 3D printing, allowing students in Years 6 to 9 to design playgrounds, create characters for stop-motion films, develop e-book illustrations, and build robots. Next, we’ll introduce 4D printing!
Year 9 students can choose electives like Forensic Technologies, Rise of the Drones, and Screen & Media. At the VCE level, options include Information Technology: Applied Computing, and Information Technology: Data Analytics.