Koonung Secondary College Newsletter

Parents and Friends Association  

Textbook sale success

Thank you to more than 50 volunteers that contributed to the annual PFA textbook sale. And thank you to parents who chose to sell their textbooks through the sale rather than Facebook. You contributed to raising $3742.70  for the PFA to enhance the school environment next year. Fiona McLean and Dominique Gifford have led a fabulous team and we’re grateful for your great work!

Next year we are looking for new coordinators for the textbook sale. Now is the time to volunteer. Fiona will lead you through the whole process. If you’d like to find out more, contact the PFA: pfa@koonung.vic.edu.au

 

Year 7 orientation morning tea for parents

Thank you to all the current parents who helped welcome new parents to the school with a morning tea. It was great to see so many parents chatting over a cuppa.

 

Help welcome parents on day one 2023

Help welcome new parents on the first day of Year 7 2023. We’d love parents from all year levels to help by donating food, serving morning tea and chatting with parents on Monday 30 January. Sign up to help now! https://volunteersignup.org/EJ7E4

 

Secondhand uniform shop

Thank you to May-Na Bee, Sophia Quek and their team who have dedicated themselves to opening the shop each week, providing parents with an opportunity to recycle clothes and raise money for the PFA. Volunteers are always welcome (even one hour a month helps!). Send an email to: secondhanduniforms@koonung.vic.edu.au

Opening dates in January are yet to be confirmed, a notice will be published on Compass.

 

Oval Transformation Project

The Oval Transformation project is continuing! Thanks to Martina Johnson, Ashley Tolliday, Vittoria O’Brien and Angela Booth who are leading the project. Show your support by participating in fundraisers next year!

 

Stage 1 will be a makeover to the playing field including fixing sprinklers, sand, top soil and seeding - and then a new seating area along the Box Hill Crescent entry to the school.

We will share the plans for the seating area in the new year and in Term 1 we'd love parents, carers and students to work with our talented landscaper to do the planting and see it take shape.

Thank you for your generous donations and support of fundraisers this year - stay tuned next year for more!

 

Fundraising so far:

Direct Donations via TryBooking:  $6,700

Profit from Mango Fundraiser: $1,400

Target: $50,000

Additional Shade Sail Grant funding: $25,000

 

Koonung theatre parents

At the final PFA meeting for the year, we heartily endorsed the formation of the Koonung Theatre Parents as a sub-committee of the PFA. This committee will help support the fantastic productions that the school produces. If this is something you are interested in being part of, let us know and we’ll pass your details onto Katherine Harding: pfa@koonung.vic.edu.au

 

Stay in touch

Keep up to date with PFA news via email (http://eepurl.com/gRpV2z) or WhatsApp (https://chat.whatsapp.com/DyJZv7jLeRs2KH7ix1E6Fn)

 

Be a parent rep!

The role of a Parent Rep needs no experience just a willing spirit to facilitate parent 

connection in your student’s year level. This may take a variety of forms such as organising coffee outings, a dinner, a Sunday afternoon picnic, and is limited only by your imagination. We generally recommend 2 representatives to support each other for your year level. The PFA will support and help facilitate any events you wish to organise. 

Please contact us via email pfa@koonung.vic.edu.au (or vittoriaobrien24@gmail.com) or call Vittoria O’Brien 0419 588 914 to find out more. 

 

Stay in contact with other parents

In the spirit of fostering community and connection, the PFA are offering parents of every year level the opportunity to join your year level social group on WhatsApp. This obligation free service is a great way to stay connected, be informed, ask questions, meet other parents and become familiar with your cohort. Once you join you will stay with this group throughout your time at Koonung as it simply moves with you.  If you would like to join your year level as your class going into 2023, please click on the relevant link below. 

 

Current Year 6s 

2023 Year 7 Parents 

https://chat.whatsapp.com/DCf3gzmWMHD6trvITkhDpT

 

Current Year 7s

2023 Year 8 Parents

https://chat.whatsapp.com/IJeO7MdWY090zuftBZI4yI

 

 Current Year 8s

2023 Year 9 Parents

https://chat.whatsapp.com/I17H3ldHEvl5w8UbGCijzn

 

 Current Year 9s

2023 Year 10 Parents

https://chat.whatsapp.com/HjqluQXdJnMHJTJ8EVuNIR

 

Current Year 10s

2023 Year 11 Parents

https://chat.whatsapp.com/BmZCvVkAUXE7qfP5Z4FSuw

 

Current Year 11s

2023 Year 12 Parents

https://chat.whatsapp.com/GAcCsef3zlJIpWlrkkc8gv

 

Thank you!

I am very grateful for the many parents who actively participate in the PFA. Every person who has volunteered this year - thank you! You all bring a smile to my face. At the end of the year I particularly wish to thank the leadership team:

Vice President: Martina Johnson (parent of students in Year 8 and 10) 

Secretary: Belinda Herrington (parent of student in Year 8) 

Treasurer: Johan Cameron (parent of student in Year 10)

 

Also, a special thank you to Vittoria O’Brien, who has so willingly led the teams for Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day breakfasts (such wonderful events!), as well as bringing great enthusiasm and “let’s make this happen” to many other aspects of Koonung PFA life.

 

Wherever you are reading this, please give them all a round of applause!

 

New leadership

Each February, a new team is formed to lead the PFA. Next year, the PFA will need a new president as my family are moving to another part of Melbourne. We will miss Koonung! It has been a fantastic environment for our family and a privilege to be able to contribute to the school. Now, is it your turn?

 

Below are descriptions of the main roles. Most of these roles require on average less than an hour a week. The school is so supportive of the work of the PFA, that these roles are easy and fun! No experience required, just a willing spirit.

 

Thanks again for the privilege of serving the Koonung school community as president over the last 4 years.

 

Andrew Gifford

PFA president 

 

Annual General Meeting - 6 March 2023 

PFA President

  • Run the PFA meetings, review minutes 
  • Be the point of liaison between PFA and Koonung for requests and enquiries
  • Ensure the PFA events have volunteer teams to support them 
  • Represent PFA as required at events e.g. School Council, Information Night, etc
  • Be a point of contact and support for any information regarding PFA events
  • Facilitate the funding process of teachers requests for assistance
  • Write the end of Year PFA report

PFA Vice President

  • Assist the PFA president with the activities and meetings
  • Works with the PFA President in the planning and co-ordination of PFA events
  • Runs the PFA meetings (when the PFA President in not present)
  • Be a point of contact and support for any information regarding PFA events
  • Represent PFA as required at events e.g. School Council, Information Night, etc

PFA Secretary

  • Main role is to record the minutes of every PFA meeting
  • Record all the attendance and apologies
  • Document all correspondence received
  • Email the minutes to the PFA group
  • Assist the President with correspondence required

PFA Treasurer

  • Liaises with Koonung Business Manager as needed to manage the PFA accounts (the PFA account is a sub account of the school accounts; the PFA has no direct access or control of the funds)
  • Prepare the PFA accounts, using Excel spreadsheets, before each PFA meeting
  • Must be able to use Excel and be good with numbers
  • Present a summary of income and expenditure at each meeting (Treasurer’s Report)
  • Prepare annual budget for PFA activities and calculate amount of funds available to KSC for PFA funded purchases