THE VILLAGE

The Village: Supporting Student Wellbeing Together

Here at Korumburra Secondary College, we believe in the value of community and its power to support the health and wellbeing of our young people. The Village aims to uphold this belief. This section provides evidence-based resources that align with our school’s wellbeing strategy, offering practical tools for students, families, and staff. From mental health support to fostering resilience and positive relationships, The Village is designed to empower our community with knowledge and strategies to help every student thrive.

Spotlight on Positive Behaviour: Introducing the Mystery Student

Last week in The Village, we explored behaviour change through the lens of the Pop Culture Parenting podcast. The episode reminded us that supporting behaviour is less about control and more about connection—creating environments where young people can learn from their mistakes and practise doing better with guidance and support.

Building on that theme, we’re excited to share a new initiative that’s been rolled out in our Year 9 classes: Mystery Student.

The Mystery Student is a simple, low-pressure strategy designed to reinforce positive behaviour and classroom engagement. Here’s how it works:

Each week, a student is randomly selected (in secret) to be the Mystery Student. Their goal? To meet the expected learning behaviours for that class—such as listening respectfully, being organised, following instructions, or showing kindness. If they meet the expectations, their identity is revealed and the class celebrates the achievement together. If not, the mystery remains, and the focus resets the following week.

What makes this strategy so effective is that it quietly lifts expectations for everyone without singling anyone out. It encourages:

• - Self-awareness and reflection
• - Positive peer influence
• - Collective classroom pride 
• - Intrinsic motivation

It also supports our broader wellbeing focus by helping students feel seen, valued, and part of something positive—whether they’re the Mystery Student or not.

We’ve already seen strong engagement from students, with many putting in extra effort and encouraging their peers to do the same. The Mystery Student initiative is helping to shift the focus from “what went wrong” to “what went well.” By celebrating small wins and recognising positive choices, we’re building a classroom culture that values growth, effort, and community.

So far, we have seen our Year 9 classes being successful most weeks with some awesome buy in. You will also notice that we will begin this initiative with our year 7 and 8 students next week. We also aim to reflect on and celebrate the success of our students and this imitative in their year level assemblies towards the end of the term.  

Tally of success amongst our Year 9 classes so far across the first 3 weeks:

9A - 3/3

9B - 2/3

9C - 2/3

9D - 2/3

Below is a picture of some of our successful Mystery Students to date.

Link to Evidence from last week:

🎧 Podcast: Pop Culture Parenting – “Changing Behaviour”https://open.spotify.com/episode/4M9Lz49XRRt0uIMRVl9e2w?si=bc7ab55bcb024e4f

⏳ Evidence-based discussion starts at: 17 minutes, 15 seconds

Tyson Biffin

Assistant Principal - Wellbeing and Inclusion

tyson.biffin@education.vic.gov.au