Principals' Report

Principal Team Report

“You're off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting,

So... get on your way!”

We farewelled our Year 12 cohort on Wednesday 24 October with our signature breakfast in the Senior Centre, followed by a whole school assembly and then the Valedictory dinner at Lincoln on Toorak. It was a long day but one filled with immense pride in the amazing young people that are the “Class of 2018”. This Year 12 cohort has continued to delight and impress us with their willingness to contribute, their hard work and their maturity and their last days of school were a reflection of this attitude. At the assembly and the final dinner, the four College Captains each spoke about their time at Koonung, the highlights, the challenges and some of the lessons learnt along the way. On behalf of the parents, staff and students who attended the various events throughout the day and night I would like to thank the Senior School team, the Valedictory dinner committee, the parents and the students for a memorable last day.

Exactly one week later, this Wednesday, the formal written exam period commenced with the English and EAL examinations. All students turned up on time ready for the first exam and there were many relieved smiles at the end. The students that I spoke to felt that the English team had prepared them well. This can truly be an exercise in endurance for many students, the final exam scheduled is Chinese Second Language on the 21 November! We remind all students that staff are here to support them both academically and emotionally at this challenging time and there are spaces at the College where they can study if they need to get away from distractions at home.

Last Saturday our PFA hosted a Bake sale and sausage sizzle at the Box Hill Bunnings. This event was well supported by our parent body and the local community. It really wouldn’t be a visit to a hardware shop on a Saturday afternoon without a sausage and the funds raised by the PFA at these events goes directly to supporting initiatives at the College. Many thanks to our amazing PFA. The next major PFA event will be the second hand book sale. This event provides many benefits. It ensures that books are reused/recycled, helps to reduce the financial burden of buying textbooks and provides a return to both families and the school. I encourage you to support the PFA either by submitting books for sale or purchasing second hand books on Saturday 1 December.

At the start of the term a group of five student leaders spent the evening at the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS) in Richmond. The school provides a unique opportunity for indigenous students who come largely from remote communities in Northern Australia, to build their capacity in both Numeracy and Literacy. In addition, there is a strong focus on developing resilience. Many of these students have experienced challenges beyond the comprehension of our young people. The school hosts 22 students: 11 boys and 11 girls, they board at the school and attend classes at the Richmond Football club. It was a great opportunity for our students to spend an evening sharing a meal and a kick of the footy and also see future opportunities to volunteer and give back. This initiative arose from our Indigenous Reconciliation Group which was formed at Koonung following the “Respect” assembly which we hosted in May. While still in its early stages, the College will be investigating other opportunities to support this program with the possibility of hosting MITS students in the future. We know that the success of these programs is reliant on family support from our community and a willingness to host students.

When we look at the challenges faced by our indigenous students, it is sometimes sobering to reflect on the opportunities available to our young people. With the return of some of our students from France at the start of the term and the sizable contingent departing in three weeks to Costa Rica on World Challenge followed by the Great Victorian Bike Ride, I would suggest that the extract from Dr Seuss that was shared at Valedictory dinner applies to so many of our students and I encourage them celebrate and seize all of the opportunities that are available to them.

Sandra Greenhill

Assistant Principal