Matsudo City Student Visit 2026

Last week we welcomed eight students from Matsudo City, Japan. Students from Matsudo have regularly visited the College as part of the Whitehorse and Matsudo sister-city relationship, that was established more than 50 years ago!! Eight local students are recognised for their English achievements by the Matsudo City council and awarded a visit to Whitehorse City each year, strengthening the connection between the two cities. Each student from Matsudo was paired with a Koonung “buddy” who helped to care for the students during their visit to Koonung. Koonung and Matsudo have a strong and very long-standing relationship, and it has been a joy to see our students engage with each other and establish international friendships.

The Matsudo students were welcomed with a special event attended by Whitehorse City council representatives, including the Whitehorse Mayor Cr Kirsten Longford and Cr Peter Allan, who assisted with welcoming the students to our College and Whitehorse City. Thank you to our Koonung College Language Captains, Stephanie Barnes and Kian Shafaie for their welcome speeches and assistance with running the event. Thank you also to our Year 11 students – Jason Kwok, Alyssa Boyd, Natcha Lertprasertwech, Charlotte Chua and Ellie Dyason – for providing Japanese translations of speeches at the Welcome Lunch.    

Thank you also to the eight students from Years 10 and 11 who volunteered their time to act as “buddies”, enthusiastically looking after the Matsudo students during their visit to Koonung, while taking advantage of the opportunity to practise their Japanese! We are so lucky to have such wonderful students at Koonung who so willingly offer their time to support the Matsudo students and our Japanese exchange program.  

Hime Delaney

Ambra Mazza

Aanya Engineer

Shota Liaw

 Saoirse Ling

Xin Lynn Ong

Chloe Lee

Zara Chan 

During their Koonung visit, Matsudo students visited Healesville Sanctuary where they met with Australian wildlife and enjoyed an Aussie-style BBQ; created artworks reflecting Victorian flora with Mr. Chris Henson; cooked ANZAC biscuits with Ms. Jaymee Allender; and, attended various classes with their “buddies”. In addition, the Matsudo students enjoyed sharing Japanese culture with some of our Year 10 students through fun activities and presentations, as well as participating in Japanese conversation classes with senior Koonung students.

Finally, we said farewell to our visiting students from Matsudo. Even though the visit was for only one week, many new friendships and special memories were made. We look forward to welcoming more students from Matsudo next year in February.

A big thank you once again to the 8 Koonung “buddies”, our 2026 College Language Captains and all other teachers and staff across the College who assisted with activities and welcomed the students to their classes.

Matsudo Sister School Visit July 2026

HOST FAMILIES NEEDED!!!

If you would like to be part of our Japanese exchange programs, we are currently seeking Host Families for 10 students who will be arriving from our Japanese sister school, Ichimatsu High School, in July (16th to 23rd). 

A reciprocal visit to our sister school in Japan is being planned for 2027. We strongly encourage families of students who wish to participate in this tour to consider becoming a Host Family for the July visit.

If you would like to register your interest in becoming a Host Family, please contact Ms. Mia Poulton via email (mia.poulton@education.vic.gov.au) for further information.

Koonung host brothers and sisters with students from Matsudo Municipal High School in 2024.

Mia Poulton 

Year 10 Coordinator

Overseas Exchange Coordinator

Languages Domain Leader

Japanese, Maths and Music Teacher