Middle Years  News

Introducing the 2026 Middle School Team

Hello parents, carers and the Koonung Secondary College community!

As the new Head of the Middle School I look forward to working with you and your child(ren) at Koonung Secondary College during their journey in the Middle School. 

First, I would like to congratulate all Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 students and all the staff, parents, relatives and friends who have supported our Middle Years students in their learning at Koonung Secondary College for 2025. I would also like to acknowledge the work that Mat Delaney has achieved with Middle School students over the past three years as Head of the Middle School. 

Also, I would like to share with you some words that I spoke to our students at the End of Year Middle School Assembly last week:

“My job as the Head of the Middle School is to lead and manage working-together relationships for you in years 7,8 and 9 so you can achieve your best learning while optimising your engagement and wellbeing. So what does that mean? It means providing you with the opportunity and the expectation to always be 'Kind, Safe & Fair' in everything you do here at Koonung Secondary College. It means expecting you to always do your best, pay attention, persevere with work and be open to working with others.”

I would like to welcome the new and returning staff to the 2026 Middle School Team:

• Alistair Tuffnell – Head of Middle School (alistair.tuffnell@education.vic.gov.au)
• Katrina Pumpa – Middle Years Administrator (katrina.pumpa@education.vic.gov.au)
• Lauren Hughes – Year 7 Coordinator (lauren.hughes@education.vic.gov.au)
• Kate Arnold – Year 8 Coordinator (kate.arnold@education.vic.gov.au)
• Stuart Kofoed – Year 9 Coordinator (stuart.kofoed@education.vic.gov.au)
• Sarah Ryan – Assistant Coordinator  (sarah.ryan@education.vic.gov.au)
• Georgina Russell-  Assistant Coordinator  (georgina.russell@education.vic.gov.au)

Lastly, I wish to thank each student for their contributions and the work they have undertaken this year. I hope you have a restful and fun break and I look forward to seeing each of you at the start of the 2026 school year.

Introducing your 2026 Middle Years Captains 

The Middle School Captaincy role is an integral role to our Middle School program, and the selected Captains represent the voice and views of the Middle Years students in the wider school sphere. 

I want to thank and congratulate the 2025 Captains - Rachel Go, Moksha Iyer, Jun Mieu and Tiana Nguyen for their leadership and contributions.

It also gives me great pleasure to welcome the 2026 Middle Years Captains – Zune Pang, Haydn Doganay, Abigail Hahn and Atrina Nia. We are excited to see what you’ll achieve in this role!

Our Middle Years House Captains for 2026 are Aidan Green (Conder), Olivia Barlow (McCubbin), Tom Murley (Roberts) and Constance Lam (Streeton).

2026 will also see the introduction of the Middle Years International Captain, Hailey Santos, and Middle Years Community Captain, Sienna Pugliese. Congratulations to all students who have been selected for a leadership position.

Year 9 Transition to Senior School

Across their final week as Middle School students, the Year 9 (soon to be Year 10s) completed their first round of exams. Despite their nerves, Mr Kofoed and I were very impressed with the students’ approach and conduct towards their exams.

Students then spent their last few days participating in a range of workshops designed to equip them with skills to assist them in their transition to Senior School (and beyond). The future Year 10s learnt how to be a supportive peer, got to know the Senior School team and started their preparations for Work Experience. We hope that these newly acquired skills will help you as your move forward on your journeys.

The Year 9 program finished with an excursion to Funfields, where students were able to celebrate the end of their Middle School journey. Well done to the Year 9 cohort, we are excited to see what you’ll achieve in the next stages of your journey!

Orientation Day

On Tuesday 9 December, we welcomed our 2026 Year 7 cohort to Koonung for their Orientation Day. It was a fun filled day, with students interacting with their future peers and teachers. The future Year 7s participated in some team building activities in HPE, conducted experiments in Science (see below photos), and wrote a letter to their future self in English. A highlight of the day was definitely the music concert, where current Koonung students were able to demonstrate the skills they’ve learnt and acquired throughout their time in the Instrumental Music program.

The Year 10 Peer Mentors and Year 8 Transition Mentors did an outstanding job in making the future Year 7s feel welcome, and we will continue to build and foster these relationships in Positive Classrooms next year. Well done to all, and welcome to all new Koonung students!

The 2026 Middle School team is your primary contact for you regarding any matters relating to your child in Years 7-9. 

Alistair Tuffnell

Head of Middle School

Wood Technology Teacher

Orientation Day reflections from Year 10 mentors 

by Moksha Iyer and Hime Delaney 

On Tuesday 9 December,  Koonung welcomed our incoming Year 7 students for their Orientation Day, an exciting first step into secondary school life. Throughout the day, students were introduced to Koonung’s core values and the expectations that will guide them as they begin their learning journey. A key part of the program involved structured sample classes designed around the LETS model of teaching. This allowed students to experience the style of learning at Koonung while also meeting some of the teachers who will support them next year. To help ease the transition, each Year 7 class has been assigned a team of Peer Mentors from both Year 8 and Year 10. These mentors will work with their positive classroom classes throughout the year, offering guidance, support, and a friendly face around the school. Peer Mentors from both year levels were active on the day, helping students navigate the school grounds, assisting in classes, and ensuring everyone felt welcomed and included. 

Throughout the orientation day, students participated in several ice-breaker activities to get to know each other before the beginning of the school year. To ensure a smooth transition into their secondary school life, structured classes were organised to help set expectations as a high school students, where Peer Mentors shared their experiences and advice to the students.  Additionally, Peer Mentors introduced the soon-to-be Year 7’s their own locks. Although it took some getting used to, most students were able to get the hang of it! Finally, a brief school tour was lead by their fellow Peer Mentors to help find their way around the school campus, ready for next year.

Farewell message from Mat Delaney 

In the Term 3 Middle School assembly, I shared the following with the Middle School cohort.

“I wanted to share some personal news with you. After much reflection, I have decided to accept a position at another school. This has been a very difficult decision, because being at Koonung with you all and working with you has been something incredibly meaningful to me.

My new position starts halfway through Term 4, so I will be here to start the term with you and to say farewell to you and my time as your Head of Middle School. As I prepare to leave, I want you to know that I have every confidence in your year level coordinators and teachers to continue supporting and guiding you. They care deeply about your wellbeing and your success, and I know they will continue to help you reach your potential.”

It has been a great privilege for me to share the last four years with you and your children and to watch them grow into young adults. I want to thank every member of the Middle School community for their support. It has truly been one of the greatest joys of my life. I look forward to following the continued journey of the Koonung community from afar as it grows into new strengths and achieves new highs.

Thank you. 

Mat Delaney 

Happy students create a happy class! 

This photo was taken in my Year 7 maths class.  It's a great demonstration of happy students creating a positive classroom climate and ready to participate and learn in class activities! 

Huixuan Zhu (Crystal)

Mathematics Teacher

Connect Days in 2025

This year marked the first time we delivered a Connect Day for Years 7–9 every term. Over the course of the year, we were fortunate to welcome a wide range of expert external providers, including Together for Humanity, Police from the Proactive Police Unit, Project Rockit, Uncle Glenn Loughrey, Brainstorm Productions, the Butterfly Foundation, Stand Up, Consent Labs, Momentum Arts Studio, Crazy Ideas, YLead, alumni students and more!

Each Connect Day centred on a theme linked to our school values. Topics explored across the year included Connection, Setting Up for Success, Healthy Bodies and Healthy Minds, Embracing Diversity and Inclusion, Looking After Yourself and Others, Leading with Integrity, Building Support Networks, and Coping with Change.

In addition to our guest programs, students also took part in a diverse range of teacher-led workshops, which they consistently rated as engaging, relevant and impactful.

We look forward to continuing the Connect Day program in 2026. Using student data and feedback, we will keep refining and strengthening these days, and we are grateful for the ongoing support of parents and our broader community in helping make this initiative so successful in 2025.

Kate O’Keefe

Social and Emotional Learning Leader