Middle Years  News

Welcome to 2024!

On behalf of the Middle School team, I would like to welcome all Koonung families to the 2024 school year. My name is Mat Delaney and I am the Head of Middle School here at the College. We are very excited to have your child join us for the 2024 school year, which is already shaping up to be another excellent year of learning and connecting. Please take the time to read the newsletter, the College website and Compass to ensure that you are aware of what is happening within our community.

On Tuesday 30 January, we welcomed 187 new Year 7s to the school with an assembly, before guiding students to their lockers and classes to begin their journeys at Koonung. There were many nervous and excited faces as they met their classmates and teachers and settled into Koonung life. The Middle School team would like to extend a thank you to the wonderful and supportive members of the Parents and Friends Association who were present to welcome the Year 7 parents with tea and coffee. 

Our Year 8 and 9 students rejoined us on Wednesday, looking very refreshed from their summer breaks, and ready to undertake the challenges of the 2024 school year.

For any issues, or students who need additional supports, please remind them that help can be found in A Block. Our dedicated team of coordinators are here to support students with any issues, or even just to have a chat.

Year 7 parent/family picnic 

We would like to invite you to attend the Year 7 Picnic evening this Thursday 15 February. This picnic is a casual event, and an opportunity for parents to meet the teachers of their children and the families of your child’s peers. The Picnic will take place on the school oval (facing Box Hill Crescent), commencing at 6pm. We encourage families to bring a picnic rug, some food and the whole family for an evening of networking and socialising. The night will also include some live music performed by Koonung students, and some activities to welcome you, and your child, to the Koonung community. The school will also be organising a BBQ of sausages and veggie patties, at a cost of $2.

Introducing the Middle School Team

It gives me great pleasure to introduce to the 2024 Middle School team. The Coordination team will be the primary contact for you regarding any your child at Koonung.

• Mat Delaney – Head of Middle School
• Regan Garner – Middle Years Administrator
• Lauren Hughes – Year 7 Coordinator
• Nikita Natsis – Year 8 Coordinator
• Stuart Kofoed – Year 9 Coordinator
• Trevor Vanden Driesen – Middle Years Support (Term 1) 

Please make contact via email or phone call, should you have any questions, queries or discussion points regarding your child at Koonung in 2024.

Introducing your 2024 Middle Years Captains 

The Middle School Captaincy role is an integral role to our Middle School program, and the selected Captains represent the voice and views of the Middle Years students in the wider school sphere. It gives to great pleasure to welcome and congratulate the 2024 Middle Years Captains – Stephanie Coleman, Izzy Johnstone, Ryan Li and Zarah Shepherd. We’re very excited to see what you will achieve in this space this year.

Year 7 Camp 

The Year 7 Camp is now open on Compass for consent and payment. The Year 7 Camp will take place from March 25-27 at Alexandra Adventure Resort. The medical consent and student code of conduct forms can be downloaded directly from the event on Compass. Students have also received a hard copy of these. Please return these forms by Tuesday 12 March.

Mat Delaney 

Head of Middle School

Year 9 Live Life – Group Module

In the Year 9 Live-Live group module, students form small groups where they work together on a project for three hours each week throughout the term on a Wednesday afternoon. Each group does a different project of their choosing. Some projects within our class group are painting projects, digital design, craft, building and organising a charity drive to donate to the RSPCA. This term our group is working on making wellbeing packages for primary school age students. These will include activity books, bracelets, stress ball, a game and crochet animals. We are putting together 20 packages and will donate them to wellbeing department of our nearby primary school, Birralee. Today we started planning our project, which included setting weekly goals for our progress, calling primary schools to arrange donations and allocating roles within our groups. We are looking forward to working together this term.   

• Yasmin, Imogen, Charlotte, Lucy, Alison and Izzy (Year 9)

Stephanie Goto 

Japanese Teacher