Middle Years News

There has been so many events and opportunities for our Middle Years students this term that I am unsure where to begin. It’s been a busy and exciting term of academics and extracurricular activities – including, music, sports, school production, debating, dance, as well as many leadership activities. This term we have conducted a very thorough selection process for Year 7 Transition Mentors and our Year 9 students may now apply to be a 2027 Year 10 Peer Mentor.

On Tuesday, during Period 4 in the final week of Term 3, all 600 Middle Years students and their teachers came together in the Hall for our Middle Years Assembly to celebrate the successes and achievements of our students. It was a pleasure to shake hands with the many award-winning students recognised at the assembly and to witness their humility as they accepted this acknowledgement. Their achievements are a wonderful reflection of their commitment, effort and character, and it was a privilege to celebrate these successes with the wider Middle Years community.

In between the students receiving their awards, Alumni Taneka Huber talked about her experiences and what success means. Our school band, ‘Reduce, Reuse and Rock’n’Roll’, also entertained us with a fantastic performance.

We finished the assembly with the inaugural ‘Nunga Knockdown Challenge’, introduced by Mr Kofoed. This fun event had everyone involved and enthusiastically supporting their year level. One student from each year level bowled a ball down the middle aisle of the assembly in an attempt to knock over five bowling pins. There was plenty of excitement and encouragement from the crowd, with Year 7 taking out the inaugural challenge!

I would like to acknowledge some of the outstanding award recipients from the assembly:

School-wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) Gold Badge recipients:

Year 8 – Justin Lee, Candy Zhu

Year 9 – Noa Barker, Aiden Green, Eboni Kwok

Term 3 Excellence through Endeavour awards:

Year 7 – Venus Wong
Lia Willis
Neel Nair
Ryan Noonan
Genevieve Tran

Year 8 – Thomas Aspiridis
Chloe Smith
Candy Zhu
Zi Han Woon
Rosalie Huang

Year 9 -Jasmine Brewin
Kevin Devakumar
Noa Barkley
Anya Ho
Atrina Nia

Have a great holidays everyone. Be safe and enjoy your time resting and catching up with friends and family. I look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday 5 October for another wonderful term at Koonung Secondary College.

2026 Middle School Team:

Alistair Tuffnell – Head of Middle School (alistair.tuffnell@education.vic.gov.au)
Katrina Pumpa – Middle Years Administrator (katrina.pumpa@education.vic.gov.au)
Lauren Hughes – Year 7 Coordinator (lauren.hughes@education.vic.gov.au)
Kate Arnold – Year 8 Coordinator (kate.arnold@education.vic.gov.au)
Stuart Kofoed – Year 9 Coordinator (stuart.kofoed@education.vic.gov.au)
Georgina Russell- Assistant Coordinator (georgina.russell@education.vic.gov.au)
Jaymee Allender - Assistant Coordinator (jaymee.allender@education.vic.gov.au )

Live life program

One key takeaway from Live Life for me this term was learning the importance of having a positive mindset and asking for support when I need it. This changed how I think about challenges because I now see them as opportunities to learn, grow, and become more resilient.

Lavina Liu

One key takeaway in Live Life for me this term was that sometimes things push you out of your comfort zone, but just give it your best shot! This changed how I think about opening up to new opportunities in life, because although new experiences can be scary, you'll never know if you don't try.

Gisele Freiha

One thing I found valuable from Live Life this term was the opportunity to explore new experiences independently and grow my relationships with my peers and local community. This profoundly changed my perception of society, allowed me to gain valuable work experience, and gave me new prospects for the future. (PS: Visit the Dwelling Cafe on Woodhouse Grove!)

Mehrbod Pousti