Dear families,

I hope the term has commenced positively for you and your children. It has been wonderful to see students settling back into routines, reconnecting with peers and staff, and engaging in the learning opportunities available across the College.

As always, our focus remains on creating a safe, calm, purposeful and high-expectation learning environment where every student is supported to grow, achieve and take responsibility for their learning.

New Building Works on the South Boundary

I am pleased to share that preparation has now commenced for the new building works on the south boundary of the College. The construction company has established its barriers, workstations, and site offices in readiness for works to begin very soon.

This is an exciting development for our school community and represents another important step in improving the learning environment and facilities available to our students.

As construction begins, safety will remain our highest priority. I ask families to please speak with students about the importance of staying well away from the construction areas, fencing, workstations, site offices, and any equipment. These areas are not to be accessed by students at any time.

We will continue to reinforce this message at school, and we appreciate your support in ensuring students understand that the barriers are in place for their safety.

Strengthening Learning Through the Science of Learning

Another significant area of work this term is our continued focus on the Science of Learning and the implementation of our Instructional Model.

At Kurunjang Secondary College, we are committed to strengthening the way learning is designed and delivered because the research is clear: students learn best when teaching is explicit, structured, purposeful, and carefully sequenced. For learning to be retained in long-term memory, students need opportunities to revisit prior knowledge, connect new ideas, practise, receive feedback and actively participate in the learning process.

We are currently in Stage 1 of our Instructional Model implementation, with a focus on classroom routines and the use of Do Now at the beginning of lessons.

A Do Now is a short, purposeful learning task that students complete as soon as they enter the classroom. It helps students settle quickly, begin thinking immediately, retrieve prior learning and maximise valuable learning time. These routines are not simply about compliance. They are about creating calm, predictable, and focused classrooms where students know what is expected and can engage in learning without unnecessary uncertainty.

This work also connects strongly to our Positive Climate for Learning through PCMS — Positive Classroom Management Strategies. By building consistent routines, clear expectations, and predictable learning environments, we reduce the cognitive load that comes from uncertainty and inconsistency. This allows students to direct more of their attention and energy towards learning.

An important message for all students is that they are active participants in their own education. Learning is not something that happens to them; it is something they must engage in, contribute to and take responsibility for. Passive attendance or minimal involvement is not enough. To achieve success, students must bring effort, attention, persistence, and a willingness to participate fully in the learning process.

Students Being Prepared for Learning

I also want to reinforce the importance of students coming to school prepared for learning each day.

Too often, I see students arriving at school without a school bag, books, or the materials they need, and then leaving at the end of the day without taking their learning resources home. This matters.

Students must have a school bag that allows them to safely store and carry their books, resources, and learning materials each day. They also need to take responsibility for reviewing the information, tasks and learning completed at school.

The Science of Learning tells us that retrieval, review, and practice are essential for strengthening long-term memory and developing knowledge and skills over time. When students do not bring the materials they need, or do not take their resources home, they limit their ability to revisit, consolidate, and strengthen their learning.

This compromises their opportunities for success.

We ask families to support us by ensuring students arrive at school each day prepared, equipped and ready to fully participate in their learning. These habits may seem small, but they are foundational to achievement.

Appropriate Use of the Sick Bay

I would also like to raise an important matter regarding student use of the Sick Bay.

As a college, we will always respond to students who become unwell or injured during the school day. Student safety and wellbeing remain a priority, and we take our duty of care seriously.

However, we are seeing an increasing number of students presenting to the Sick Bay for very minor scrapes, aches, pains, or ailments that occurred at home, over the weekend, or several days earlier.

It is important for families to understand that the school Sick Bay is not a substitute for healthcare. We are not medical practitioners, and we do not have the capacity, equipment, or authority to assess or manage ongoing, past, or unresolved medical concerns. Where a student has had a minor mishap at home or over the weekend, families are asked to ensure appropriate care is provided before the student attends school. If a concern requires medical attention, this should be followed up with a health professional.

We also ask families to speak with their child about when it is appropriate to attend Sick Bay. Students should seek help if they become genuinely unwell or injured at school. However, minor issues that have already occurred outside of school, or concerns that do not require immediate attention, should not interrupt learning time.

We are also monitoring patterns of Sick Bay attendance. In some cases, students are presenting with similar ailments at the same time each week, resulting in the same class being missed regularly. When this occurs, it may indicate that a student is avoiding a particular subject, task, assessment, social situation or learning challenge.

This is not something we approach with reproach. It is something we approach with care, curiosity, and high expectations. Avoidance can become a habit that limits a young person’s confidence, resilience, and progress. Our role, in partnership with families, is to help students develop more productive coping strategies so they can work through discomfort, seek support appropriately, and remain engaged in their learning.

At Kurunjang Secondary College, we want every student to experience success. That means supporting students when they are genuinely unwell, while also helping them build the habits, confidence and persistence needed to meet challenges rather than step away from them.

Regular attendance in class, active participation and responsible help-seeking are all essential parts of learning. We ask families to work with us by monitoring patterns of illness or avoidance, following up health concerns outside of school where appropriate, and reinforcing the importance of students remaining in class and engaged in learning wherever possible.

Treating College Staff with Respect

Finally, I would like to respectfully remind all members of our school community about the importance of treating College staff with respect.

We understand that there are times when families may be worried, frustrated or seeking urgent support. We will always do our best to listen, respond appropriately and work with families to resolve concerns.

However, we have recently had incidents where family members have attended the College and made unreasonable demands, spoken aggressively to staff, used inappropriate language, or refused to leave when asked.

This is not acceptable.

Kurunjang Secondary College is not a public space. It is a Department of Education school, a professional workplace, and a learning environment for students. All staff have the right to feel safe, respected, and free from aggression, intimidation, or unreasonable behaviour while at work.

Our administration staff are often the first point of contact for families. They play an important role in supporting the smooth operation of the College, but they are not responsible for the decisions, incidents, or grievances that families may be seeking to address. Their roles are distinct, and they do not deserve to be placed under pressure, spoken to aggressively or subjected to distressing behaviour.

Where concerns arise, we ask families to raise them respectfully and through the appropriate channels. This allows the College to respond properly, gather the relevant information and ensure the right staff member is involved. Aggressive or inappropriate conduct will not lead to faster or better outcomes. It will, however, result in the College taking appropriate steps to protect staff, students, and the orderly operation of the school.

We value our partnership with families and know that the overwhelming majority of interactions are respectful and constructive. Maintaining this standard matters. Our students are watching how adults communicate, manage frustration, and resolve conflict. Together, we must model the respectful, calm, and solution-focused behaviour we expect from them.

Working Together for Student Success

Thank you for your continued support of the College.

The messages outlined above are all connected to one important goal: creating the conditions for every student to learn, belong, grow, and succeed.

When students are safe, prepared, engaged, respectful and supported by strong partnerships between home and school, they are far more likely to achieve their best. At Kurunjang Secondary College, we will continue to set high expectations because we believe deeply in the potential of our students and in what they can achieve when the right conditions are in place.

Warm regards,

Aylin Gökmen

College Principal.

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