Principal Report  

Building Works

Term 2 will see significant building and construction works going on in the College. The builders continue to work on completing the A block Admin/Middle Years building, and students and families will see significant work being undertaken on the Admin Carpark, the access road via Cairo Road (key electrical infrastructure being installed), landscaping work to the front of the College and more outdoor spaces with a deck being constructed around the Auditorium. There will also be planning and early engineering works being completed on our Stadium refurbishment and additional of new Performing Spaces in the JD Stove Centre (Stadium).

These works will impact on all staff, students and community users to the college in Term 2 We apologise in advance, but much work has gone into minimising the impact on our curriculum program, but there are impacts to access to the College both over the holidays and for all of Term 2.

The biggest impact will be in parking on College grounds. Please note that the main Admin carpark and access to the college via the Cairo Road entrance will be closed for all of Term 2. There will still be limited vehicle access, but it will be limited to construction vehicles, emergency vehicles and for extraordinary access- including picking up students from first aid. Access into the College will only occur following communication with the Admin team prior to access.  This will impact our community users (Hockey, Basketball, Language School) as well.  The College grounds will be closed for vehicle access and parking at night and on weekends for all of Term 2. 

College Master Plan

Koonung Secondary College is very excited that our Admin/Middle Years building is scheduled to be completed for the start of Term 3. This long overdue capital works is Stage 1 of the College's Master Plan. Koonung currently has a 5 stage Master Plan for a complete school rebuild. Recently the College Council has engaged Brand Architects, experts in the field of school architecture and design to plan a 'concept' Master Plan designed to provide 21st Century learning spaces as well as community facilities that will benefit our students, and the wider community for many years to come. 

Below is an image of that concept Master Plan. 

The next Stage proposed is a three story STEAM Centre. STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics. Koonung is well in need of improved learning spaces in these areas. Why a three story building? Feedback from our community was clear- we value green spaces and space for students to play and interact socially, so the solution to keeping our spaces and having great areas for learning- go vertical. 

Aligned to the next stage, and part of our concept Master Plan is the provision of space for a community sporting facility. We know that this area of Whitehorse is in desperate need of more community sports facilities. Koonung has held a very close connection with our community for over 60 years, and the provision of a community multi-court venue would deepen our enhance our position as a central piece in our wider community. 

At this stage, these are just plans and possibilities. We will be communicating to all of our families in more detail about these plans starting from Term 2 and we encouragingly seek feedback from our community about the possibilities. 

Teaching Excellence Program

Our school values the learning and development of our staff, and the positive impact this has on student outcomes and school improvement.

We are proud to share that both Penny Latham  and Mia Poulton recently began the Teaching Excellence Program at the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership.

This program enables skilled teachers to further advance their capabilities and skills in teaching.

Through the program, Penny and Mia will grow their knowledge of teaching practices by engaging with contemporary educational research and inquiring into two areas of their practice.

We look forward to Penny and Mia sharing their skills and knowledge from the program to continue to support student learning and wellbeing outcomes at our school. We also congratulate Claire Murray who recently completed the Teaching Excellence Program.

Annual Report

Every year all Victorian Government schools produce an Annual Report. The Annual Report contains a performance summary of key learning and well-being metrics, as well as commentary on the school's achievement in 2025. The Annual Report is required to be endorsed by the College council prior to being published on the college website. This week the College Council endorsed the 2025 Annual Report and it will appear on the College website in Term 2. 

Term 1 Events

Another busy and productive term at Koonung....

College Camps and Tours

We are proud to offer a range of opportunities to students and families that extend the learning and social connection of our students beyond the traditional classroom. This begins with the Year 7 and 8 camps that are designed to build connection and resilience. In Year 9, we shift to a 'tours' approach - an optional tours model designed to create experiences in alignment with social connection.

Our tours approach includes; annual Snow Tour, annual Central Australia trip, Exchange tour to Japan, reciprocal hosting of Japanese exchange tours, annual Japanese Cultural tour, Girls in Stem Zoos Extinction Camp and our bi-annual Space Camp to the USA. I am proud of the opportunities provided for our students and always very pleased as a Principal that we have staff keen and willing to organise and attend a wide range of activities to provide experiences and deepen connection. We communicate via Compass about all Tours, so please keep an eye out for when Expressions of Interest are called for any optional tour. 

Sporting Achievement

Congratulations to Year 9 student, Leander Reichenbach who recently won two silver medals at the Australian Aquathlon Championships at the Gold Coast. As a keen triathlete, Leander won individual silver and anchored the Victorian team to a silver medal in the teams event. Well done Leander. 

Have a happy, safe end enjoyable Easter break and school holidays

Wishing you and your family a fantastic Easter break and enjoyable school holidays. 

A reminder that school resumes for Term 2 on Monday 20 April. Please also note that there is a Curriculum Day on Wednesday 22 April of which no students will be in attendance. 

College social media channels 

The College utilises social media to provide quick updates, interesting events, and lots of photos to our community.  We have one official Facebook page and three Instagram pages for members of our community to follow. 

FACEBOOK

OFFICIAL COLLEGE ACCOUNT

https://www.facebook.com/koonungsecondarycollege/

INSTAGRAM

OFFICIAL COLLEGE ACCOUNT

https://www.instagram.com/koonung.secondary.college/

LIBRARY ACCOUNT 

https://www.instagram.com/ksclibrary/

STUDENT LEADERS ACCOUNT

https://www.instagram.com/koonung_secondary_college/

ALUMNI PROGRAM SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS

The Koonung Secondary College alumni program utilises social media to stay connect with alumni. 

FOLLOW THE ALUMNI PROGRAM ON SOCIALS.

Andrew McNeil

Principal

andrew.mcneil@education.vic.gov.au