College Notices
Annual privacy reminder for our school community
Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and the Schools’ Privacy Collection Notice.
Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy, describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students.
The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn. We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use Microsoft 365 safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using Microsoft 365, please contact the school. For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents.
This information is also available in ten community languages:
* Amharic
* Arabic
* Dari
* Gujarati
* Mandarin
* Somali
* Sudanese
* Turkish
* Urdu
* Vietnamese
Visitors and WWCC
Koonung Secondary College values the many volunteers that assist in our classrooms, with sports events, camps/excursions, school concerts, other events and programs. To ensure Koonung Secondary College is a child safe environment, visitors will be required to undertake suitability checks, which in most cases include a Working With Children Check (WWCC). Volunteers are to produce their valid card to a member of the administration team for verification in the following circumstances:
• Volunteers who are not parent/family members of any student at the school are required to have a WWCC if they are engaged in child-related work regardless of whether they are being supervised
• Parent/family volunteers who are assisting with any classroom or school activities involving direct contact with children in circumstances where the volunteer’s child is not participating, or does not ordinarily participate in, the activity
• Parent/family volunteers who assist with excursions and activities, including productions, camps and similar events, regardless of whether their own child is participating or not
• Parent/community School Council members sitting on School Council with student School Council members, regardless of whether their own child is a student member or not.
Further information is available in our visitors and volunteers' policies, which can be found in school documentation on Compass and will soon be available on the College website.
Student accident insurance arrangements
Families are reminded that neither Koonung Secondary College nor the Department of Education provide personal accident insurance for students. Parents and carers are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including any transport costs. Student accident insurance policies are available from some commercial insurers. These cover a range of medical expenses not covered by Medicare or private health insurance.
It is recommended that families seek assistance in this matter with their insurance broker or find a suitable personal accident insurer.
Occupational Health & Safety at Koonung
The Department of Education has a comprehensive Occupational Health and Safety Management System which has been in place at Koonung for some years. This helps to provide a safe school environment for staff, students, parents and contractors.
Please take note of the following:
Traffic within the College grounds
Student drop-off and pick-up is not permitted within the College grounds unless the student is injured or disabled. All traffic entering the school grounds must observe the speed limit of 10kmh (ie walking pace).
Road crossing safety concern
Road users have expressed concerns that our students are not crossing at the dedicated school crossing on the corner of Belmore Road and Elgar Road and instead, crossing from an angle further along Belmore Road. The safety of both our students and the general public is of utmost importance. Please take the time to remind your children about road safety and the importance of using assigned level crossings.
In addition, students are not waiting for the crossing supervisor's whistle or the 'green man'. This is most concerning given the extensive traffic on Elgar Road. Please help us to instil correct road crossing practices in an effort to prevent any safety issues.
Smoking and vaping
It is an offence to smoke or vape anywhere within the College grounds and within 4 metres of all school ground entrances. This applies 24/7 regardless of whether or not students are at school.
Crossing Supervisor positions now available
Education CHANCES - Boroondara provides financial support to eligible students
At Koonung Secondary College, we proudly partner with Education CHANCES. The Education CHANCES Foundation aims to close the gap on educational attainment by supporting talented and motivated young people experiencing financial hardship by way of a scholarship.
The Foundation has supported families in Boroondara since 2006, raising over $1.3 million and awarding almost 1,200 scholarships to young people. Education CHANCES feels incredibly fortunate to be the only organisation in the area providing scholarships of this nature to young people.
To be eligible, students must be aged between 12 and 25 and live or study in Boroondara, attend a Government Secondary School, be receiving Centrelink and have a current Health Care Card. Students also need to demonstrate good attitude, aptitude and show a commitment to their learning.
Recipient students receive $1,650 in their first year and $1,100 in subsequent years. The scholarship is used for items including textbooks, stationery, uniform, camps, excursions, computers, musical instruments, Myki tickets, and tuition costs.
Over the years we have witnessed first-hand the transformative power that these scholarships have provided to our students.
As a school community, we are committed to partnering with Education CHANCES and the work that they do within our community, and the broader Boroondara community.
I invite you to connect with Education CHANCES and learn more by visiting their website: https://educationchances.org.au/
Stace Kerr
Business Manager