International Student Program 

Thank you to Koonung teachers from stranded students in China

On behalf of students/parents and ISP team, thank you all for your professionalism, care and support to international students, especially the ones who stranded in China during this very challenging  period of time. Your support means a lot to them and us. Many IS parents told me that they are delighted with the decision they made for their child's education.

Many class room teachers at Koonung gave up their spare time by teaching international students (IS) who are stranded in China due to Covid-19 virus through SKYPE, including Michael Harte (Year 11 Chemistry teacher), Daniela Nardelli (Year 11 Physics teacher) and Megan Carnie (Year 11 EAL teacher). The online homework club was initiated at the beginning of Term 1 to support the students who were either stranded in China or isolated in homestay in Australia.  The live broadcast has been set up in the Year 12 Chinese class to make sure that Koonung International Students keep up their Year 12 study like those  who are sitting in the classroom. Classwork and homework are checked and corrected through emails.

Please kindly read the messages below from Year 11 students who are stranded in China, Lucy and

Lucy Sun: 

The COVID-19 is having a huge impact on China and the world. During this period, I was stuck in China and I was so worried at first. However, teachers in Koonung Secondary School gave me so much hope and support. They help me to catch up my studies by emailing me. Some teachers also use their free time to teach and answer my questions through video call. I want to thank all the people who helped me, especially Ms Nardelli, Mrs Carnie, Mr Harte and teachers at international office. I think it is an efficient way to ask questions through video call in this situation. I warmly appreciate your help. It makes me feel less anxious. Finally, I hope the outbreak in Australia will get better and I hope to come back to school soon.

Yesterday, I started my first Chinese class online. I can’t return to Australia due to the spread of the Novel Coronavirus. It feels really nice to have friends and teachers to help us when we are in trouble. The lesson was interesting. Although we were studying online and the camera is blurred sometimes, it still helped me a lot. Mr Wu taught us about different cultures first and how these could be affected by our life style. Then, we practiced our listening task and the essay. It was a little different from the way we learned in China. I never had any listening tests in China before. However, Mr Wu made it easy for me to accept it. Overall it is the best way to prepare for the upcoming Chinese exam from the situation I am in now and I want to thank you for helping me.

Belle Chen: 

Due to the outbreak of Covid-19 virus, I could not return to Australia to start my normal study. Fortunately I have good teachers and Ms Song, Mr Li and Ms Bao have been communicating with me regularly, sharing with me the trends of the school and the subject matters, as well as solving various issues/problems for me. Moreover, they share all the resources they can, teach us the knowledge and help us to catch up in my learning. Not only I was helped in learning constantly, but also encouraged and taken care of, especially in these special circumstances. I feel very lucky to have these teachers.  Mr Harte is my chemistry teacher，we facetime once a week to help me to catch up with my study and align with my classmates in a wide range of knowledge. I also facetime with Ms Nardelli, my Physics teacher . She taught me how to study at home, answering questions as well as helping me with challenges. My EAL teacher Ms Carnie，has corrected every homework online and shared all resources with me. These teachers make me feel very loved and strongly supported. I believe that with their help/support I will go through any problems and overcome difficulties. Finally，I wish to say thank you so much my lovely school- Koonung Secondary College!

Welcome to our 2020 International students

On Tuesday 25 February we officially welcomed our international students who have travelled from a number of countries including China, Vietnam, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan to study at Koonung. We currently have 71 international students at Koonung, with an additional 2 students who are stranded in China and studying online. 

Our international students have a lot to deal with when they move overseas to study. In addition to keeping up with their studies, it is also important  to improve their language skills, learn the local customs and make new friends. 

The ISP team is always available to provide a caring and supportive base and point students in the right direction when needed.  

We wish our new students all the best as they become part of the Koonung community.

Tracey  Song 

International Student Program Manager