College News, Sports & Events

YEAR 7 CAMP

Students from Acacia and Banksia Campus attended the Year 7 Camp for 3 days each, with Banksia attending Monday- Wednesday and Acacia attending Wednesday - Friday. 

We departed school for PGL Camp Rumbug. Camp was almost two hours away from school in the beautiful (and hilly!) Foster North. Students completed activities on camp such as the giant swing, flying fox, team challenges, leap of faith, aeroball, archery and bushcraft, including how to filter unclean water into drinking water and make shelter with minimal materials.

Students demonstrated great resilience tackling the hilly camp but were lucky enough to have beautiful sunshine throughout our stay. Well done to all who attended, the Year 7 Team are very proud!

Reflections

Camp, the time when all schools decide to look forward to sometime in the wild, where we go out on adventures, be children without any cares.

Camp was okay, but what I really enjoyed was gliding through the air on the flying fox, with the amazing view of the trees and the natural landscape, helped me feel worry free and in the moment. It was so much fun, that I had 3 turns at it, and another memorable activity  which I liked lots, was the disco party because  my friend and I were singing our heart out; and I asked them to put on my favourite song - and it was a big hit! 

Angelina Doan 7I

Banksia (English)                                                                                 

The difficult part of camp was the “Killer” hills.  I didn’t like the hills because they were very steep, slippery and sometimes very narrow. We had to walk on the hills so that we could do all the exciting outdoor activities like the Giant swing, the Flying Fox, Archery and the Leap of Faith.  It was not too bad walking down these hills but sometimes it was scary because the ground was slippery, and I didn’t want to fall and get my clothes dirty. At the end of the day to get to chill time or dinner we had the climb up the hills.

The best experience I had on camp was having a go on the activity called the Giant Swing.  We had to walk on a very slippery and narrow track which was in the forest. We were very high and the forest smelt very clean and fresh.  It had been raining early in the morning but it was not raining when I was walking.  It was sunny and there was no fog or clouds in the sky.  Once I left the track I could see the Giant Swing and I was so excited to have my turn.  I had to wear a safety harness to keep me safe and this connected me to the straps on the swing.  My team pulled me up as high as I could go and I could see lots of trees and a place called Wilsons Prom.  I pulled the string and flew through the air like a bird.  I felt free and calm.

Best Days of Camp

Best Day (Day 2)

It was Day 2 in my camp cabin at Camp Rumbug (PGL), it was absolutely freezing cold with only my blanket supporting and keeping me warm. As I woke up the teachers knocked on each cabin making sure everyone was ready for the day. Everyone in my cabin was still half asleep and barely even slept last night. We got ready and was just in time for breakfast. As we made our way to the diner we saw clouds, trees, the sun rising and the smell of a morning breeze.

For breakfast we had scrambled eggs, cut up bacon, warm toast and complimentary yogurt and fruit. The breakfast was pretty good overall I would say, but the eggs weren’t the best as they tasted uncooked and soggy. My first activity of the day was Flying Fox. I was nervous because of how my friends described it made me very scared but overall, it was pretty fun as I went 3 times. Later I ate some morning tea which was a piece of chocolate cake topped with powdered sugar. 

Ready to go Home Day (Day 3)

I woke up from probably the best sleep of all camp and I got up and had to pack up as it’s the last day of camp. I was packing while my friends were still struggling to even wake up. I was so glad I was leaving today because I missed being at home. Eventually all my sleepy friends woke up, except one which was Kimmy we all shouted and tried to wake her up but nothing worked, so we took off the blanket and her pillow, but she proceeded to sleep, so we decided to spray her with a mini water gun and then she eventually woke up and got ready with us. 

After breakfast we had two more activities until going back to school. My last two activities were Initiatives and Archery. We had initiatives, and we played mini games, which were supposed to be mind games. We had to think properly and think of the easiest, fastest and most innovative way to do the task. After that we finished off with some archery, which was fun because I got to do a pizza game with archery shooting. 

Stacey Ung 7I

Banksia (English)

REAL WORLD MATHS IN ACTION:

Numeracy Excursion to Spring Park & Goanna Golf

As part of the College’s efforts to enhance numeracy skills through real-world learning, we recently took a group of Year 7, 8 and 9 Numeracy Enhancement students from both Campuses on a hands on excursion to Spring Park Goanna Golf in Dingley.

This excursion was designed to deepen students' understanding of the concepts they’ve been exploring in numeracy classes through the engaging and interactive lens of golf course design. In the classroom, students have been working on designing tabletop mini golf courses, a project that incorporates key numeracy concepts such as angles, perimeter, area, volume and statistical averages. By visiting real golf courses, students were able to experience the scale and complexity of full-sized courses and how these concepts apply beyond the classroom.

Throughout the day, students investigated the geometry behind how a golf ball bounces off walls and obstacles, calculated distances, explored the dimensions of various course features, and even delved into statistics by comparing the average "Par" scores of different holes.

The excursion was a huge success, with students enthusiastically engaging in both applied learning and play. It provided a meaningful opportunity to see how numeracy is used in everyday life and reinforced the value of numerical thinking across a range of subjects.

Staff and students alike had a fantastic time, and the experience has sparked even greater enthusiasm for numeracy across the College. A big thank you to all who helped organise the day and to our students for their curiosity, creativity and positive participation.

Below is a reflection from a few of our Year 7 Banksia students, capturing their highlights from the day.

Brett Kirk – Learning Specialist: Numeracy Leader

On the 30th of May, the Banksia numeracy classes went to the Spring Park Golf Course. We went to learn about how to measure the area of golf courses. We went to all different kinds of obstacles which had many angles that were difficult to get past. It was a really good experience for all students in numeracy because it made our understanding better by experiencing what it actually looks like.

Celeste Carballido and Adrianna Soeun

YEAR 12 VM - KEYSBOROUGH SOUTH COMMUNITY HUB VISIT

On Monday 23rd June, our Banksia Year 12 VCE Vocational Major (VM) students visited the Keysborough Community Hub work site, a major project being developed by the Greater Dandenong City Council. Students learnt about the exciting new facility being built in our local area, which is set to open in September 2025. Once completed, the Hub will offer a wide range of quality services, programs, and flexible meeting spaces for our community. 

The visit to the Keysborough Community Hub closely supported students’ learning in Work Related Skills, giving them insight into the wide range of careers involved in a major construction project—from trades to design, planning, and administration. It also tied into their Personal Development Skills subject, which focus on community engagement, and active citizenship. The hub is a strong example of how community infrastructure can connect people and promote health, wellbeing, and social inclusion across the Keysborough area. 

A big thank you to Samantha Ackland at Greater Dandenong City Council and the Melbcon team for providing our students with a valuable real-world learning opportunity to explore local facilities and career pathways.

YEAR 12 SOCIOLOGY

This term our Year 12 Sociology students were studying ethnicity, with a particular focus on Sudanese and South Sudanese Australians. The class were lucky enough to speak with members of our community. John Isaac, Acacia’s Multicultural Education Aide, spoke with the class about his experiences related to culture, identity and ethnicity. He provided in-depth examples relating to cultural practices, material and non-material culture and shared his personal insights into what it means to be a South Sudanese Australian. He was even kind enough to bring in some wonderful examples of his material culture for us to see and touch.

Students also heard from our guest speakers from the Centre for Multicultural Youth in Dandenong, Emmanuel Jakwot and Atong Deng. They spoke about the work they are involved at the centre, providing programs and support for Sudanese and South Sudanese youth such as the South Sudanese radio program and Ucan2 program aimed at facilitating and supporting the social inclusion of newly-arrived young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. We had some valuable and insightful discussions and learnt so much about Sudanese and South Sudanese culture from our guest speakers.

Ms Kean & The Year 12 Sociology Class

WELLBEING

Events held at Banksia so far this term

On June 11th the Banksia Wellbeing Team held a staff vs students Basketball game to observe Men's Health Week. It was an opportunity to highlight the importance of men's health, and to promote and support the health and wellbeing of men and boys in our communities. Men's Health Week focuses on not just physical health, but also men's mental health and emotional wellbeing. 

Congratulations to the students who won.

NAIDOC Week is the first week of school holidays 6th July to 13th July. It is a good time for reflection. To learn more visit www.naidoc.org.au

Food bank at Banksia

Our School Food Bank is here to help address food insecurity and support student wellbeing. We provide access to healthy food, including breakfast, lunch, and sometimes take-home food packs, to ensure students have the nutrition they need for a focused and productive school day.

Students, if you need some lunch, please speak with your coordinator – we're here to help!

Breakfast Club at Banksia

Breakfast Club is still going operating out of the Food Tech rooms (600s building). Students are invited to start their day with a delicious hot bacon and egg breakfast (Thursday only), fresh fruit cups, cereals and a selection of whole fruits—all at no cost. Don’t miss out—drop by and fuel up for a productive day ahead!

This term we have also had some special Breakfast Club events: cake day where students could enjoy an Aussie lamington + Smoothie Day with delicious banana & honey and mixed berry smoothies.

Doctors in School is running in our new Health Care Centre. The doctors are on at Banksia Tuesdays during Blue week from 10am-2pm. If you would like to book an appointment you can do it via the intranet, your coordinators or if you are linked in with Wellbeing ask your support worker to book an appointment.

State Schools Relief (SSR) – 3 vouchers are allowed per Calander year. SSR supply uniform vouchers, calculators and travel passes. Please reach out to your year level coordinator if you need assistance.

On June 17th the Banksia Wellbeing team provided toasties, milo, bikkies, fresh fruit, juice and a variety of snacks to fill the bellies of all our students during the break between their 2 GAT exams.

Acacia wellbeing events

NAIDOC Week 

NAIDOC Week takes place from the 6th of July to the 13th of July, during school holidays, and so the Aboriginal Youth Mental Health team from Headspace organized an event on Tuesday 24 at lunchtime to celebrate it together before we end the term. There was badge-making, painting, and bracelet-making students of all ages had a great time and made some cool paintings with the team at headspace

Acacia Breakfast Club

Join the wellbeing team Monday Wednesday and Friday in the café for a free breakfast and a great start to your day!

🍳 bacon, egg and beans every Friday

🍎 Fruit cups, whole fruits, and cereals available Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Uniform Vouchers – Stay Warm This Winter

As the colder sets in, it’s important that all students have access to appropriate winter uniform items. State Schools Relief (SSR) vouchers are available! For more information, please visit the Wellbeing office and speak with Casey, who will be happy to help.

CHAI & CHAT SESSION

After the success of Chai and Chat -Parent Support Group Session one, we are excited to announce that Session 2 of the Chai and Chat Parent Support Group is coming soon! This is a wonderful opportunity for parents to connect, share experiences, and support one another in a welcoming environment. Registration for session 2 will open in Term 3, so watch your COMPASS and emails for more details on how to join. We look forward to seeing familiar faces and welcoming new members to our supportive community. 

HYDROGEN CAR TEAM GEARS UP FOR ENDURANCE RACE

On July 22nd, our talented team of young engineers will be racing at the Hydrogen Car Competition at Fairhills High School. Breanna, Haikal, Sunny, Jayden, and Eden, who competed last year, are back with a brand-new advanced hydrogen-powered car featuring custom-designed parts they have carefully developed over the past term.

The competition is not just about speed. The team will first present their engineering process before tackling a five-hour endurance race. This requires a carefully planned pitting strategy to ensure their car can last the full distance while managing hydrogen fuel efficiency and reliability under pressure.

This opportunity would not be possible without the support of our wonderful sponsors: KIOSC, Johnny Boys Pizza, and Bendigo Bank. We were lucky to join Bendigo Bank at their Community Bank awards night to receive our sponsorship cheque and meet the people who help make opportunities like this possible for students. As a community bank, Bendigo Bank reinvests profits back into local projects, and we are grateful to be one of them.

Stay tuned for updates after race day, and best of luck to our innovative and resilient hydrogen car team!

YEAR 9 TOURISM EXCURSION

On Monday, May 26th, Year 9 students from Banksia and Acacia had an awesome day out in St Kilda for our tourism excursion. We checked out Luna Park, walked along the beach, and explored Acland Street with its amazing cake shops and cafes. It was a fun way to learn more about Melbourne’s tourism industry and why St Kilda is such a popular place to visit.

ACACIA CAPTAINS:

END OF TERM MESSAGE

With Semester 1 now behind us, this is a good time to take a breath and reflect. The last few weeks have been full, with assessments, SACs, and exams, and no matter what year level you're in, you should be proud of making it through.

The holidays are here now, and it's the perfect time to recharge. Use the break to rest, reset, and catch up if you need to. Whether you smashed your goals this term or felt like things didn’t quite go to plan, Semester 2 is a fresh start.

As we head into next term, remember the 5Ps we use at school. Being productive, proactive, present, persistent and prepared really does make a difference. If you can bring that mindset into your classes and your day-to-day, it makes everything that little bit easier.

To the Year 12s, this next part of the year is a big one. There’s a lot coming up and it can feel overwhelming at times, but we’ve got each other and we’re all in the same position. Stay focused, lean on the people around you, and take it one step at a time.

To everyone else, don’t wait to make changes. If there’s something you want to improve or try differently, now’s the moment. Come back after the holidays with a clear mindset and a goal to work towards.

Enjoy the break, take care of yourselves, and we’ll see you next term!

Campus Captains

Christina Wright & Harrison Brice

As we wrap up Unit 1, it's a good moment to reflect on how far we've come. From adapting to new subjects and schedules to balancing assessments, it's awesome to see how everyone has adjusted so well.  Everyone's approach to learning has improved noticeably, and it's wonderful to see people taking charge with greater independence and concentration.

However, Unit 1 also came with its challenges. For many of us, it highlighted the importance of time management and staying consistent rather than cramming before deadlines. These are lessons we can carry forward.

As we look to Unit 2, we want to continue forming good habits, such as being organised, contacting teachers early if we have questions, and helping one another get through what can be a challenging term. We also encourage everyone to participate in extracurricular activities at school, such as leadership roles, sports or just being an active member of their year level.

In order to make Unit 2 both productive and pleasurable, let's set the tone early. This is a new beginning, regardless of how well you did in Unit 1 or how difficult it was. So reflect on your semester reports and use the upcoming school holidays to reset and recharge.

Year 11 Captains

Mahira Nazari & Royce Hina

Hello! I’m Andy, your visual and performing arts captain and I have a few updates on what’s been going on in our school community!

While there hasn’t been any performances as of yet (stay tuned), I can attest to our school’s commitment and dedication to the Addam’s family production! All hands are on deck to learn lines, sing and play music to tell the story of the Addam’s family. To all the people contributing to the Addam’s family production, I’m so proud and excited to see your effort shine in the stage light! To everyone else, be on the lookout for tickets and performance dates!

In addition to this, our school bands have been prepping for the next annual Victorian School Music Festival (VSMF). We’ve just recently held our first music camp as a means of practicing our pieces for this performance, to which has been awesome to see everyone work together in such a massive group. In the past two years, our music community has donned back to back platinum awards - the highest distinction in this performance. We hope to update you all with a third platinum when the performance rolls around!

I personally believe that it is so important to take part in these sort of activities, even if it’s not performing arts. Other hobbies and activities such as sports, cooking and volunteering can open a new world for you to explore, with new people, landmarks and memories for you to treasure. My parting advice to you is to explore, even if it’s not the arts. Find these new worlds, navigate through uncharted territory, and make some great memories and experiences. 

Performing and Visual Arts

Andy Truong

Wow! It’s already halfway through the year!! So far, we’ve had an awesome Environmental Day on March 3rd filled with a plethora of fun art and crafts. This was a huge success, and we are eager to host similar events once the weather starts warming up. 

Looking forward to the rest of the year… Here's some exciting news: We’ve applied for a Landcare grant! (https://www.environment.vic.gov.au/grants/victorian-junior-landcare-and-biodiversity-grants ) With the help of Ms. Malhotra, Ms. Haluwadana, Mr. Hyunh, and me, your 2025 Environmental Captain, we are hoping ‘Green thumbs for a Greener School: Promoting Biodiversity at Keysborough College with Native Gardens’ can become a reality. Hopefully, we will be accepted for funding to be able to build some beautiful native gardens around our school. With planting, we would like to invite local primary school kids over for a day full of learning about native Australian flora, their importance, and how we can work to protect biodiversity in our natural environment. Then, with their help and a few gardening tools, we can get to planting in our new garden beds. 

Make sure to keep an eye out for any updates about the Landcare Grant as we will need all the help we can get to make this project possible!

Acacia Environmental Captain

Kim Ngo

Congrats on everyone for making it through semester 1! We're already half way through the year and everyone’s doing so well. As your house captains we have so many exciting activities that we can't wait to conduct. We want you guys to take this opportunity to participate if you haven't already and get involved in contributing house points for your house. We can't wait to see you in more of our upcoming events! Remember to always have fun and try your very best, in order for our house team to win next semester!!

LET’S GO POSEIDON!!!!!

Poseidon House Captains

Rayshia Vong and Julie Ky

We’re super thrilled to say that the first half of the year has been a success! As the

senior Artemis house captains it’s pleasing to celebrate the semester off with

Artemis in the lead in house points however the other houses have also been

working hard to create fun events throughout the year. Events such as the

Year7 house activities day was a big event and had all the year 7’s participating,

the basketball knockout competition has been a popular event to gain house

points and Cheer on peers. Throughout next term the House captains have

exciting events for everyone to participate in such as mixed netball competition,

Keysies got talent and the major event Athletics day. 

Come Artemis – let’s keep our lead!

Artemis House Captains

Ryanna-Jean Barachina and  Lily Mackenzie

As we hit the halfway mark of the year, we hope you’ve had a fun and productive first half. If not there’s still time call it your comeback season!

It’s been awesome seeing you all take part in the different activities that us as house captains have run so far, like the weekly basketball tournaments, lunchtime Kahoot's, fun events like Pi Day and Valentine's day. Thanks for getting involved and bringing great house spirit.

As we approach the second half of the year, our next big event is Athletics Day, one of the school’s biggest and most competitive days. Whether you’re competing or cheering your friends on, let’s all show up and represent great house spirit! There’s plenty more to come in the second half of the year, so keep an eye out and get involved!

GO APOLLO, LET’S SHOW THEM WHO REIGNS SUPREME!!!

Apollo House Captains

Adna Hamzic and Jimmy Eng

We’re currently at the bottom of the leaderboard but, if every story started at the top, it wouldn’t be much of a comeback. 

Shoutout to everyone who showed up for basketball and the quizzes. We gave it a solid go. The scores might not have landed in our favour, but the effort and support from Athena was strong and that’s what counts. 

There’s still plenty to play for, with even more house activities next term. We encourage everyone to participate or even just come watch. If anyone can pull off a comeback, it’s us. 

Let’s show what Athena’s about!

Athena House Captains

Mouy Soung Ly and Somalis Sam

LIBRARY NEWS

Library Assistants

In the KSC junior libraries, students can sign up, get trained, and become library assistants! This works well in the busy junior libraries - having trustworthy & reliable students who can borrow and return items, hand out games to play, and deal with basic enquiries, frees up the librarian to circulate around the library, chatting and interacting with other students and staff. Not only is it a lot of fun, this volunteer position will also look great on your resume, when you start applying for jobs in the not too distant future! If you love books and libraries and think this volunteer position might be for you, please see your junior librarian for more information. Please enjoy these photos of some of our wonderful Banksia Junior library student assistants!! 

Reading Challenges!

The library reading challenges continue on! Keep reading, and recording what you read. It’s still not too late to get involved. The Wider Reading Program, in which students read, and fill out a bingo card of, specified genres carries on all throughout the year. The KSC Library Reading Challenge, in which students read and record a total of 15 books, ends on the 1st November. Still plenty of time to get reading and recording! See your nearest KSC librarian for more information!!

It is winter! And school holidays are coming up. It’s a great time to read some fabulous library books! Curl up with a cuppa and a warm blanket, and make a dent in the library reading challenges!! See your nearest librarian for some fabulous reading recommendations. 

THE ADDAMS FAMILY MUSICAL