Principals' Report
Principal Team Report
Term 4 is traditionally a time of significant transition and this year is no exception.
Year 7 2020
We will be welcoming over 200 new Year 7 students to our Koonung community in 2020 and they will attend an Orientation Day on Tuesday 10 December. Much planning and preparation goes into ensuring that this transition experience is a positive one. Key staff have visited our feeder primary schools as part of this transition process. Establishing class groups for over 200 students and designing the Orientation Day program is complex and our Middle School team has been working very hard to complete this task. On 10 December, to support our new Koonung students, we run a modified program for the entire school with only our current Year 7 students and our 2020 Year 7 students in classes on this day.
Middle Years Students
Work is currently underway on the Year 8 and 9 class structure for 2020. While some classes may stay the same (SEE@K), the opportunity to rebalance groups is a positive one and many students welcome the chance to broaden their friendship group. Our Year 8 students have recently been notified of their electives for 2020 and, while we endeavour to provide each student with their desired subjects, this is not always entirely possible within the constraints of a timetable. Electives are one of the opportunities presented to our Year 9s to mix with other students within the year group, another is our Live Life program. Our current Year 9 students have also received confirmation of their 2020 subjects and many of them will be undertaking a VCE subject for the first time. This term they will also complete formal exams in Maths, English, Science, Humanities and Language, before a Wellbeing Day on Monday 9 December and then heading off to camp for 3 days. This will mark their formal transition into Senior School.
Senior School Students
Year 10 and 11 students commence their end of year exams on Tuesday 19 November. Monday 18 November has been designated as a study day. Immediately after the conclusion of the exams, students transition into their 2020 classes with one week of our Edge program. They will experience two sessions in their 2020 subjects, in many cases with their 2020 teacher, gain an understanding of the key requirements of each subject and commence some preparatory work before classes begin on Wednesday 29 January.
Our current Year 12 students are coming to the end of their final high school exams, we have moved them from the Senior Centre to the Language building as the number of students sitting each exam diminishes. Some students have already finished and they are clearly ecstatic! This really is a huge transition as they move from secondary school into adult life. As parents and teachers we will always worry about them, but this marks the point where we feel that we can hand over the reigns, knowing that we have prepared them well for the next stage of their lives.
Uniform
A reminder that from the start of 2020, girls choosing to wear the summer dress must be in the new design. The dress was first introduced in 2017 with a two year transition period, this was extended to a third year for students in Year 12 in 2019.
Mobile Devices at Koonung
The following is an extract from media release published by the Minister for Education, James Merlino, on June 26 2019.
“Mobile phones will be banned for all students at Victorian state primary and secondary schools from Term 1 2020, to help reduce distraction, tackle cyber bullying and improve learning outcomes for students.
Minister for Education James Merlino today announced the reform at McKinnon Secondary College, which has seen the benefits of its mobile phone ban on student learning and social behaviour. Teachers at the school have reported that students are more focused during class and communicating more in the school yard.
According to the latest research from Headspace, around 53 per cent of young Australians have experienced cyberbullying.
Teachers and parents also frequently raise concerns about the use of mobile phones during school hours as a cause of constant distraction in classrooms. Rolling out a state-wide policy will provide consistency and certainty for parents, students and school communities.
Students will be required to switch off their phones and store them securely in lockers from the start of the school day until the final bell. When emergencies occur, parents or guardians can reach their child by calling the school.
The only exceptions to the ban will be where students use phones to monitor health conditions, or where teachers instruct students to bring their phone for a particular classroom activity. At all other times phones must be in lockers.”
To assist our students to make adjustments to their use of mobile devices prior to the new year, we have decided that the ban on personal mobile devices will commence at the start of the Year 10 and 11 exams. The new policy will have very little impact on the way students operate in the classroom environment as the use of mobile devices has generally not been permitted in class, however, we have found that an increasing number of students carry devices in the yard and this will require some readjustment.
In summary, from Monday 18 November 2019, all mobile devices brought to Koonung Secondary College must be secured in the student’s locker and can not be used during school hours (8:40 am until 3:15 pm), including lunchtime and recess, unless an exception has been granted. Students found with a mobile device will be required to hand it to a staff member who will arrange for it to be securely stored until the end of the school day. If your child’s phone is confiscated, you will be notified and we ask that you discuss the matter with them. We strongly believe that this policy will have positive outcomes, but we do require your support with its implementation.
This policy has been clearly explained to students at Year level assemblies over the last few weeks. The full policy will be provided to all parents and students via a Compass Newsfeed this week. If you believe that your child should be considered for an exception to this policy please contact me, or your child’s year level coordinator, so that we can determine their eligibility under the Department’s guidelines.
Sandra Greenhill
Assistant Principal
Capital Works Program Update
Following consultation and feedback from our College community, the revised proposed masterplan has been endorsed by College Council and submitted for Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) approval. The first stage of the proposed masterplan includes the demolition of the lower gym and toilet block and relocation of the portable classrooms near the staff carpark. A new building will be constructed on this site and will consist of a new Year 7 to 9 space and new reception area facing towards Box Hill Crescent to reorient the entrance to the school. This stage will cause minimal impact to the learning and teaching activities as we will be able to utilise existing buildings while construction occurs. The next stage in the program, after VSBA approval, is the schematic design process. This is where we start looking at how the spaces within the building footprint will best suit 21st century learners. The revised masterplan is attached below.
Stace Kerr
Business Manager