Principal Report  

Acting Principal

Over the next month, I will be undertaking two trips to Korea and Japan, and as a result Ms Mary Eade will be the Acting Principal in my absence. I have the privilege to be visiting our sister school in Matsudo, Japan with students from Koonung as part of a Homestay experience. I will also be visiting both Korea and Tokyo with other members of the Department of Education in support of our International Student program. 

Victorian State School Spectacular

I would like to acknowledge and congratulate three students from Koonung who have been selected to be part of the 2025 State Schools Spectacular as cast and crew. Congratulations to Year 12 student, Tehmi Harding who has been selected as a Principal Dancer in this years show, and to Sabrina Hutchinson (Year 11) and Michael Harding (Year 10) who are key members of the crew responsible for Lighting and Stage management. 

The Spectacular will be performed twice on Saturday 13 September at John Cain Arena, followed by a television broadcast in December. Rehearsals have commenced for this year’s production which will showcase more than 3,000 Victorian government school students in a performance of music, song, dance, circus and backstage areas such as audio, lighting, vision and stage management. It is a significant achievement to be selected for this show, so congratulations to Tehmi, Sabrina and Michael. 

Student Sporting Success

I would also like to acknowledge three other students for their success in their chosen sports outside of school. 

Tennis

Congratulations to Parsa Samareh of Year 11 who recently was crowned Champion of the ITF International Tennis Tournament in the Doubles event. Parsa also has recently represented Victoria in the Pizzey Cup- National School Tennis Championships helping Victoria to achieve second place. Well done to Parsa who balances multiple world level Tennis events together with his academic studies at Koonung

Congratulations also to Year 9 student Pauline Ma who has recently returned from the US where she competed in three ITF events.  'Over four weeks, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Miami, Florida with Tennis Australia to compete in three ITF junior tournaments: J100 Delray Beach, J100 Coral Gables, and J200 Plantation. While in the US, I also got to spend a day in Orlando, visit the islands of Miami, try American food and see the University of Miami. It was a great experience to compete internationally and travel with other Australian players.'

Congratulations to Haydn Doganay (Year 8) who recently competed at the Victorian State Under 14 Championships, leading the Easter Athletics team to the Championship. Following this championship, and together with the many years of hard work put into his baseball, Haydn has been selected to represent Australia in the Southern California Rising Stars Tour. This tour will see Haydn training and working with Major League Baseballers and organisations in developing his game. This is the highest level of junior development in the United States and sees Haydn working with the best juniors from America and other countries around the world. 

If your child has achieved success in a sport, or other cultural endeavour outside of school, please let me know. We are here to support and encourage students to achieve at their best- both inside of school and outside of school- and we love sharing the success of our students. 

Northern Zone Chess Champions 2026

Congratulations to our Chess team who have again won the Zone Championship. This is now the third year in a row we have won the Zone Championship. Our next Challenge is the State Championship later this year. Congratulations to all of the students involved, and well done to Year 11 student, Matt Rogers who was Zone Champion and undefeated with 7 wins from 7 games. 

Mother's Day Breakfast 

 Thank you to our wonderful PFA  who have again provided a fantastic Mother's Day event.  It was a full house again with over 240 attendees who enjoyed the breakfast delights and activities at the event. 

Space Camp 2026

Following the success of our first USA Space Camp Tour in 2024, we will again be offering the tour to students for 2026. 

We are now calling for expressions of interests from students who would like to attend this unforgettable experience. 

More information about the camp can be found in the attached document. Additionally, an information evening will be Tuesday June 3 at 6pm in the A-block auditorium. 

If your child is interested, I ask them to complete the Expression of Interest form here: https://forms.gle/bDv7AHRkDxtLZp42A

Expressions of interest will close on Tuesday June 10.

Koonung staff accolades 

Stace Kerr - Life member BMV 

Congratulations to Stace Kerr, our Business Manager, on being awarded life membership 

at last night's BMV Conference. This award is a testament to the total dedication we see on a daily basis at Koonung and acknowledges in excess of 32 years of service and commitment in the education department,  almost 9 of those years have been at Koonung.  

Stace's involvement with the Association of Business Managers in Victoria has been extensive. She has been a proactive committee member for many years (since 1998) and during this time has initiated  many programs and professional learning that have enabled Business Managers across the industry to have a better understanding of CASES21 Finance, budget preparations,  workforce planning, accrual accounting processes, SRP and the list goes on.  The emphasis Stace has placed on providing practical and accessible networking and mentoring programs to current and aspiring business managers has been equally important. 

BMV Life Membership refers to honorary life membership that is bestowed upon individuals for exceptional contributions and service. It is a recognition of outstanding dedication and measurable benefit to the organisation over an extended period.

Congratulations Stace on a most deserved achievement!

Adrian de Luca - nomination for international award

You may remember an article in a previous newsletter highlighting that one of our instrumental music teachers, Adrian De Luca, was nominated for Australian of the Year for the 2024 awards. In addition to his role at Koonung, he is also the President and Founder of "We Are Australia," an organisation dedicated to supporting international students and victims of crime.

Adrian has recently been nominated and shortlisted as a finalist for a further award, the PIEoneer Awards 2025 which celebrates innovation and achievement in global education. These awards will be held in London in September.   While Adrian is very humble about his nomination this is indeed an acknowledgment of his dedication to  teaching and his support to international students, providing advocacy, safe housing, legal referrals, mental health care, and simply being there when no one else was via the 'We Are Australia' organisation.

College social media channels 

The College utilises social media to provide quick updates, interesting events, and lots of photos to our community.  We have one official Facebook page and three Instagram pages for members of our community to follow. 

FACEBOOK

OFFICIAL COLLEGE ACCOUNT

https://www.facebook.com/koonungsecondarycollege/

INSTAGRAM

OFFICIAL COLLEGE ACCOUNT

https://www.instagram.com/koonung.secondary.college/

LIBRARY ACCOUNT 

https://www.instagram.com/ksclibrary/

STUDENT LEADERS ACCOUNT

https://www.instagram.com/koonung_secondary_college/

ALUMNI PROGRAM SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS

The Koonung Secondary College alumni program utilises social media to stay connect with alumni. 

FOLLOW THE ALUMNI PROGRAM ON SOCIAL.

Andrew McNeil

Principal

andrew.mcneil@education.vic.gov.au