Junior School Report

Term 3 has really shaped up to be a very eventful term with many students taking part in extra-curricular activities ranging from Student focus groups, Interschool sport, Silverton Primary school E-sport competition, Future thinkers, I belong in STEMM, along with a wide variety of wellbeing programs including: Gatehouse, Rite Man, Drum Beat, Kickstart and the Human development project.

The Junior school was very excited to welcome our 2023 Year 7 students to the college. Over the past weeks we have hosted Grade 6 information nights on both campuses with over 320+ families attending these sessions, aimed at preparing our newest students as they move from Primary school into our Secondary college. In the coming weeks we will run a series of programs for our Grade 6 students designed to support their transition into Keysborough College with a focus on engagement, wellbeing, social connections and attendance.

Congratulations to our amazing Year 7 Music students who performed at the Musical Soiree. Over 2 nights students had the opportunity to perform for parents with an array of solo & group performances, some of the renditions were even composed by our very own talented music teachers. Students at Keysborough Secondary College are very fortunate to take part in this fantastic program with the opportunity to learn a wide variety of musical instruments ranging from wind, brass, string & percussion as part of the standard Year 7 program. We look forward to continuing to hear from our talented students with increasing numbers electing to continue in the music program as they move into Year 8.

The Year 9 Acacia English students produced some outstanding work as they participated in the Night of the Living Author showcase. Students completed a text analysis of one of their favourite books, and then presented information of the plot, characters and author to students from across the whole campus. The range of genres and texts was outstanding, with some students taking it to the next level by getting in to character.  A big thank you to all the Year 9 English teachers for supporting the students to achieve such an excellent result.

A select group of Year 8 & 9 students have been busy getting their hands dirty as they participate in Hand Brake Turn which is a 6-week local community program that brings the automotive career onsite for students to experience hands-on learning. The program is aimed at students interested in a future career within the automotive, mechanical or electrical industry.

“The program has been really worthwhile, I have had an opportunity to learn about automotive careers and actually get the chance to work on a real car” Tai Kang Year 9.

Three teams of our Year 9 leaders had the opportunity to participate in the Young Leaders Global Citizen & Intercultural Learning Conference. The conference brought together young people from across Australia, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia & China to hear from experts, exploring cultural issues & current global concerns. Students then had an opportunity to voice their opinions as they participated in debates focused on education, employment & youth culture.

As we prepare for the end of Semester 2, all Junior school students have a number of Common Assessment Tasks (CAT’s) to be completed. Parents are encouraged to discuss upcoming work with their child and can view the tasks that need to be completed by accessing Compass. The Junior school will be running Study Hall on the 28th November for any student that has not completed all CAT’s by the 24th November. Study Hall will be an opportunity for students to finalise any assessment tasks that have not been submitted prior to reports being written.

Over the coming two weeks all Junior school students will be completing their Semester 2 examinations (18th November – 24th November). Exams will be conducted for English/EAL, Science, Maths, LOTE and Humanities subjects. In the lead up to the exam period it is important that students develop healthy study habits, and avoid the urge to “cram” the night before an exam.  Below are some tips to make the lead up to the exam period as productive and stress free as possible.  If you are finding the exam preparation difficult, please chat with your classroom teacher, TTL or reach out to the wellbeing team for support.

With the summer holidays not too far away, we would like to promote the fantastic & free opportunities that the Greater Dandenong Council has to offer for young people looking to get involved over the break - activities include: Plays at the Drum Theatre, Children’s Exhibition, Noble Park Aquatic Centre activities, outdoor movies just to mention few.  For more details please visit – be quick as program places fill up quickly: https://www.greaterdandenong.vic.gov.au/school-holiday-activitie

Matthew Sloan & Melissa Williams

Junior School Assistant Principals