College News, Sports & Events

CAMPS, SPORTS AND EXCURSION FUND (CSEF)

If you hold a current Health Care Card and meet the eligibility criteria listed below, you may apply for the Camps, Sports and Excurions Fund. The CSEF provides payments to assist eligible families to cover the costs of camps, sporting activities, excursions and incursions. Payments are made directly to an eligible student's school. 

Please complete the form below and return to the Front Office of the campus where your child/children attends with a copy of your card or bring your card to be photocopied. Only one form is required per family for 2025.  

Please note that if you have previously completed a form for 2025

SECONDARY YOUTH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2025

by Mia D’Afflitto 

Participating in the Youth Leadership Academy Australia’s annual Secondary Youth Leadership Conference during Term 1 alongside both the Acacia and Banksia captains was an incredible and valuable experience. It provided us with a fantastic opportunity to develop and strengthen our leadership skills in a real-world environment along with school leaders from across Melbourne. 

Throughout the day, we listened to inspiring real-life examples from mentors who demonstrated that leadership isn’t just about wearing a badge or holding a title, it's about the values you display and the way you treat people. The mentors came from a variety of different companies, ages and industries, offering us a wide range of perspectives on leadership and personal growth. 

During the program, there was a session where the mentors answered some of the most common questions asked by students. One of the most popular topics was about overcoming nerves when talking or presenting in class. The advice they gave was really helpful. They explained that the audience does not know exactly what your speech or presentation is supposed to be word-for-word. Meaning, if you make a mistake, the audience won't realize it unless you show them through your reaction.

The speakers shared personal stories that were targeted to our age group, making their experiences relatable and relevant to us students. Their stories were honest and funny, focusing on the challenges they had faced both in their personal and professional lives. They talked openly about their struggles and emphasized that even today, they continue to face obstacles even as adults and that's it’s normal. One of the key messages they shared was that success is never a straight or smooth path; it's always very bumpy, filled with obstacles, failures, and moments of doubt. However, persistence, resilience, and a positive mindset are essential qualities that help you keep moving forward.

INTERMEDIATE MIXED TENNIS

The Intermediate Mixed Tennis team represented Keysborough Acacia in the Southern Metropolitan Secondary Region Finals April 28th at the Pakenham Tennis Centre.

The four players, all from Year 9 were Gus Zulli, Meisha Thai, Sky Cheng, Bertug Karakus.  While not progressing to the next level all of the students gave their best, were competitive and had fun. It is a well run competition and in our pool the students played Kambyra, Mornington and Cranbourne East SC. All of them played a singles and doubles game against each school which was a good standard.

We look forward to next years competition.

Mrs Riley

ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL STUDENT EXCURSION 2025 

We headed out on an exciting excursion to Arthur Seat Eagle, a place where nature meets adventure! With stunning coastal views, fresh sea air, and a chance to explore the local wildlife, this trip was both fun and unforgettable.

We were transported by cable cars, which took us up to the summit of Arthurs Seat. The cable cars seat no more than 8 and do not have any windows to open just encased by railings, which allows for airflow and a clear view of the tall trees rising like ancient pillars. On our way up, we chatted about school, sharing our stresses and worries, but thankful to be spending time away from the weight of expectations, deadlines, that are pressing down on us, at least the VCE’s.

Along the way, a variety of plants dazzled our eyes and the bright green grass and fresh autumn breeze thrilled our minds. Approaching the top, the vast ocean came to view with the road slithering across the forest making its way towards the summit of the mountain. After we reached the summit, we stopped at two spots to look out across the distances. The views from the Franklin Point Lookout in particular, I can say, are breath-taking. 

We spent the day chatting, walking, and riding the cable cars, and many of us took lots of great photos and lots of selfies…of course, then wrapped it up with a delicious lunch at a local restaurant before heading off to begin the school holidays.

The annual ISP Cultural experience day out is a highlight of the ISP student program and we look forward to them each year. This is my last one, and I felt a mix of excitement and peace as we explored new places together and made new memories together. The fresh air, scenic views, and time spent with friends made the day feel special and refreshing. It wasn’t just a trip; it was a reminder of how beautiful life can be when you slow down and truly live in the moment.

SENIOR GIRLS NETBALL

Congratulations to the senior girls netball team on a fantastic day of competition! The team gave their absolute best all day, showing noticeable improvement in their skills with every game. They achieved some exciting wins, a draw, and a loss against the very strong SEDA team.

Our lunchtime training sessions truly paid off. Leahna showed amazing versatility, switching seamlessly between goals and defence when needed. In the midcourt, Cecelia, Ryanna-Jean, the speedy Aziah, and Amihan kept the pace high and the ball moving. Our goalers—Ilijana, Leahna, and Adna—put up some impressive shots under pressure, while our defensive trio of Jazmine, Kiana, and Nicole worked tirelessly to hold off some strong attacking plays.

Every player demonstrated fair play and resilience, showing respect to their opponents and never giving up, no matter how tough the challenge.      

Well done, team!

HELPING YOUR CHILD SECURE A YEAR 10 WORK EXPERIENCE PLACEMENT

TERM 3

As part of the Careers program offered at Keysborough Secondary College all Year 10 students will have the opportunity to undertake a Work Experience placement during Term 3.

• Acacia Campus: 4th - 8th August
• Banksia Campus: 11th - 15th August

Work Experience is a valuable opportunity for students to explore future career options and gain firsthand insight into the world of work. It allows students to connect classroom learning with real-life skills, preparing them for life beyond school.

Work Experience placements help students:

• Discover career interests
• Develop practical real-world skills
• Build confidence & independence
• Learn about workplace expectations & communication

How parents can support their child to find a placement:

• Chat with your child about their interests and career ambitions
• Reach out to family, friends, or local businesses for a potential placement
• Search online for employers/workplaces in your local area
• Support your child in contacting businesses directly to request a placement

If your child needs additional support, please don’t hesitate to contact the College Careers Team. We're here to help every student secure a meaningful placement.

OPEN NIGHT 2025

By Menara (Year 9 Junior School Captain – Acacia Campus) 

Open Night at Keysborough College Acacia campus for prospective parents, carers, and students was held on the 29th of April this year. This was an opportunity for the families to look into the astounding facilities and the variety of opportunities we have in our highly opportunistic and diverse school. While also an opportunity for us student leaders to hold and guide the tours for open night for the first time, with a teacher for support, giving us the great privilege to represent the school and what it has to offer! 

During the tours, we got to stop and observe the different buildings and facilities Keysborough College provides for students, as well as learning about the main subjects taught. This included mentioning how core subjects such as English and Maths branch out to all other subjects and academics including subjects in the areas of Science, Humanities, Arts, Health, Technology, Music, Drama, and PE.

In addition to these core subjects, we mentioned how students can also elevate and broaden their skills through our newly developed ‘KEEP’ program for enhanced ability students, and our successful extra-curricular activities in sports, arts and music, drama productions, and award-winning music programs.

Through these tours the parents were eagerly engaging, asking questions, and constantly exploring with interest about what Keysborough College has to offer, and how our highly established school would be an excellent choice for their children and their developing futures.

While Open Night was an opportunity for parents to learn about our school and what it has to offer, for us leaders this opportunity allowed us to expand our comfort zone by public speaking freely without a set script, and expressing information and our opinions on the school.

This was a way of furthering our ability to represent the school and showcase the amazing facilities and answer some of the queries the parents held. For me personally, I was able to let my passion for our wonderful school flow with the information I was presenting to the parents, picking up words and key phrases, and constantly thinking of better ways to present myself and the school. It was truly a pleasure to have the privilege to represent our school and further develop my skills in improvising information on the spot and answering questions.

Overall, this experience was an eye opener for not only the parents and families, but also to the student leaders who got to express their thoughts and positive experiences of the college.

We look forward to seeing some of the year 6 students who attended Open Night at Keysborough College next year!

THE ADDAMS FAMILY - KEYSBOROUGH

College Production Star Spotlight

Interviewed and written by Andy Truong 

(yr12 Acacia Performing and Visual Arts Captain)

Brian Lam (yr12):

What is your role in the production?

I am the main actor of Gomez (not Shinjon, that impostor!)

What sort of things do you do in rehearsal? 

On Tuesdays, it's mainly singing, with a little bit of dancing, and on Thursdays, it's mainly dancing with some singing if we're told to. Sometimes we do script work but that's a little rare.

Have you learnt something new, or improved a personal strength in the production?

I became more social and I'm better at meeting new people.

What is one thing you could say to anyone interested in watching or participating in the production?

Have fun, enjoy and do what the Addams do!

Describe the production in one word! 

• Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Salvie Cabarles (yr11):

What is your role in the production?

 Understudy for Wednesday

(An understudy is essentially a reserve/backup actor for a main role)

Have you learnt something new, or improved a personal strength in the production?

I have learnt how to do two roles (ensemble and being an understudy) and how to manage my time when it comes to studying for VCE and rehearsing for the musical.

What do you enjoy the most in the production?

I enjoy the cast getting along and being able to look forward to something after school.

Describe the production in one word!

Enthusiastic!

BACKFLIPS AGAINST BULLYING

On May 14th, 2025, some visitors from the e-safety commission came to spread awareness about bullying others. Backflips Against Bullying started with a crazy introduction by doing a series of backflips and acrobatics before showing us a scenario of cyberbullying between a teenage boy and a teenage girl. They told us the downsides of doing this to someone and some repercussions that can apply to cyberbullying someone. They also told us how to take action against this if you are the one being cyberbullied.

Backflips Against Bullying then portrayed a scenario of a teenager, physically bullying someone by first disagreeing in something which quickly turned into a heated argument and led to physical violence. They told us to always try and resolve the disagreement before it would lead to physical violence. The organisation also told us to always tell a teacher or parent if we were ever getting physically bullied.

Lastly, they told us about the last type of bullying, social bullying. This occurs to most people within highschool. Some examples of social bullying are excluding people, hiding from people or just avoiding them completely. To act against social bullying, the e-safety members told us many helplines we can call if this ever occurs to us.

Anyway, enough of that serious talk! Near the end of the performance, some volunteers were asked to come on stage and coincidentally, I was one of them! Once around 10 volunteers got on stage, we were told to go under a jump pad and they were going to jump over 10 of us. Everyone was pretty nervous but I wasn’t AT ALL… The audience then started to countdown and when it got to zero, they barely jumped over us! Overall, this performance from the e-safety organisation was really good, fun, and informative all in one.

TOP ARTS EXCURSION

Our year 12 Art Creative practice students went on an excursion to see Top Arts 2025 at the National Gallery of Victoria. This exhibition featured a range of different artworks created by students that studied Art creative practice in 2024.  Students were given the opportunity to look through folios that had received an A and A+ and listened to a presentation on the meaning and process behind some of the work that was featured. This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to get inspired, show them different ways of working and what they can all achieve with hard work and determination.

Filomena Henderson 

Assistant Art leader

Keysborough College Arts and Technology  Instagram page

KEYSBOROUGH COLLEGE ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY INSTAGRAM PAGE

Did you know that Keysborough Secondary College has its own Arts and Technology Instagram page?

On it you will see all the fabulous work and activities our students do in the Art and Technology areas. 

I invite you all to join so that you keep up to date and get to see and celebrate the work of our very talented students. You can join on kcat_keysboroughsc

Filomena Henderson 

Assistant Art leader 

THE STOLEN GENERATIONS - YEAR 9 ENGLISH & EAL PRESENTATION

On Monday 29 April, Uncle Ricky Baldwin came to speak with all of the Year 9s about the Stolen Generations and the impact this had on Indigenous Australians. He shared with us his own family’s sad story, which made us understand and appreciate the troubles that these families experienced. He also showed us lots of Indigenous artefacts like boomerangs, coolamons, message sticks and didgeridoos. He encouraged us to ask questions about the Stolen Generations or the artefacts and what they were used for. Some of us got to try the didgeridoo, which was hard to play and try on the possum skin coat. I felt ashamed that I did not know or understand really anything about this period of history.  But listening to Uncle Ricky speak I now have a much better understanding and empathy for what our First Nations people have been through. This was an important session and will now let us have a deeper understanding of the film we are studying, Rabbit Proof Fence.

Rithy Bon

Year 9 Banksia Campus

BANKSIA SPORTS

ANZAC SERVICE AT SPRINGVALE RSL 

On Sunday 13th April, Banksia Campus Captains Alex Galea and Angel Chea were invited to attend the annual ANZAC Service held at the Springvale R.S.L. It was a privilege to be part of this special occasion alongside fellow schools, politicians, veterans and local community members to commemorate the service and sacrifice of all Australian and New Zealanders who have served in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. 

Through the ANZAC Service traditions of laying wreaths, the reading of the Ode of Remembrance and the solemn playing of the Last Post, we were reminded to reflect and be grateful for the great contributions of those brave individuals who have served in times of both peace and war. Guest speakers reflected on significant historical moments, shared stories of sacrifice and resilience and focused on the importance of unity.  One moment that stood out was when the diary of a young soldier entering WWI was read aloud. Barely older than a school student, he was uncertain about his future but sent his love back to his family, reassuring them. It was also particularly poignant to see family members of veterans laying wreaths to remember their lives with honour.

Alongside fellow students from other local schools, during the service, Alex addressed the audience to recite the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’, written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae in 1915. The sombre words of the poem created a strong image of poppies as a powerful symbol of sacrifice and remembrance for years to come. Lest we forget. 

CAREERS EXPO

In late April, our senior school students attended the highly anticipated Careers Expo, and what a fantastic day it was! With a wide range of universities, training providers, and businesses present, students were able to explore countless future pathways and gather valuable information about their post-school options. Representatives from both local and interstate universities offered guidance on course selections, entry requirements, and student life. There was also a strong presence from different industry sectors, offering insights into vocational training, apprenticeships, and alternative career pathways. From health and hospitality to trades and technology, there was something for everyone. 

The Year 12 workshops were particularly popular, with sessions packed full of our students eager to gain an edge in their studies. Workshops focused on how to succeed in key subjects such as English, Maths, and the Sciences, with expert presenters sharing strategies for exam preparation, time management, and tackling common challenges. Students engaged enthusiastically, taking notes and asking questions to better prepare themselves for the upcoming exam period.

The expo provided inspiration, motivation, and clarity for many students as they prepare to take their next steps beyond school. We are proud of the mature and inquisitive way our students represented the school and made the most of this experience. A big thank you to the staff who attended the excursion and supported students throughout the day. We look forward to seeing how this event helps shape the exciting futures of our senior cohort.

Senior School team

WELCOME ADDRESS FROM ACACIA'S YEAR 11 CAPTAINS

As your new Year 11 captains, we are grateful to represent our year level for 2025. We are both eager and committed to making this year successful but also enjoyable. This year, we want to encourage more student involvement, whether it’s through academic support or school events. 

Year 11 comes with new challenges, whether it’s the pressure of studying, balancing commitments, or preparing for our future pathways, however, with unity and the right support, we believe our cohort will triumph over any challenges that we face.

If any concerns arise, you are welcome to discuss with either one of us as we are ready to offer assistance to any student. We encourage everyone in our year level to voice their opinions to help guide us to strive as a cohort.

We are thankful for this opportunity to lead this year level to success. We’re excited for what’s ahead, and we can’t wait to work alongside you, with respect, excellence and diversity we hope to make this year one to remember.