Middle Years Update
Welcome
Welcome to the 2019 school year at Koonung Secondary College. A particularly warm welcome is extended to families who are new to the Koonung community. We would ask all families to take the time to read the newsletter as well as the College website and Compass to ensure that they are aware of what is happening within the Koonung Secondary College community. Compass is regularly updated with important school information and the many activities taking place.
Thank you for entrusting your children’s education to Koonung Secondary College. As a whole school community, it is our goal that the young people in our care strive for their very best by displaying the school values and always having the school motto at the forefront of everything they do “Excellence through Endeavour”.
We began the 2019 school year in a very smooth manner which is always pleasing, especially when so many new faces join us for the first time.
The Year 7 cohort started the day with an assembly to meet the Middle Years Team, then received their lockers and and then it was straight into meeting some of their teachers as formal classes began.
A big thank you must go out to the wonderful and dedicated members of our Parents and Friends Association who warmly welcomed the Year 7 parents on their child’s first day with tea and coffee provided in the Middle Years centre.
There was a real buzz in the air on Thursday with the entire school back in action. We welcomed the Year 8 and 9 students who have all grown so much over the summer. Students spent most of the morning eagerly catching up with friends and teachers. But once the formal day started they switched straight into learning mode as they met their new coordinators and moved into their respective classes.
Middle Years Captains
Congratulations to our new Middle Years Captains for 2019: Chloe Pedlar, Max Pooley, Hayley Tran, Amelie Bassora
Middle School Team for 2019
Director of Learning - Middle Years - Allira Howe
Middle Years Administrator - Julie Chaffer
Year 9 Coordinator - Alistair Tuffnell
Year 8 Coordinator - Will Emerson
Year 7 Coordinator - Stephanie Grant
Upcoming Middle Years Events
Wednesday 13 February - Year 7 BBQ
Wednesday 27 February – Year 7 Camp
Middle Years Reminders
- Year 7 Sport Education Day is Thursdays, students are to wear their PE uniform all day
- Year 8 Sport Education Day is Wednesdays, students are to wear their PE uniform all day
- Live Life casual dress days, students are to wear neat casual clothing
- School starts at 8:50am
- Students and parents must check compass every day for room and class changes
- Students are encouraged to bring drink bottles in the warmer weather.
- If your child has Physical Education during the day they must bring their PE uniform and get changed at school
- Sports equipment can be borrowed at recess and lunchtime at the Middle Years Centre
Allira Howe
Director of Learning: Middle Years
Reflections of the first day from some of our Year 7 students
Jeremy Nash 7D
The whole holidays I had been dreading this moment.
Back to school
I was nervous, but not as nervous as some of my Mont Albert Primary School friends that knew no one at their school
I had 8 friends coming with me to Koonung, 3 who are in my class
When I arrived and saw my friends faces I was thankful I had friends at Koonung
I was looking forward to history and PE and luckily I had history on the first day
I had French as well which was lots of fun
I quickly became used to how my periods work, but I still use the map in my diary to get to each class.
Joel Ng 7D
Kids running around screaming, lockers clanging as we got used to them, chatter about holidays, school and all the things that year 7s usually think about. I think you can guess what I’m talking about, the first day of high school. Every other grade was grinning as they shouted out “HI YEAR 7S!” and holding their hands out for high fives as we walked past them. A few people stopped to high five them back, but most of us continued walking to our classes, ignoring them out of pure shyness. Unfortunately, I was one of the few to not have any friends from my primary school (Mount Pleasant Road Primary School) in my class, so I was quite shy while most people were comparing their holidays. I have no siblings here, and the only other person from Mount Pleasant Road was in class 7B while I was in 7D, so I felt lonely and extremely nervous. But eventually I found a few people that I could talk to.
We had quite a few subjects that day, including Maths, Humanities and Music, but my highlight was definitely Japanese. We were introduced to Mr. Dailey, a nice teacher with quite a good sense of humour, and he taught us some simple greetings and how to enter the classroom each day. He then showed us the Japanese alphabet and showed us 5 simple sounds that included: Ka, Na, Hi, Ra and Ga.
When the school day was over, the majority of people had found new friends. We were all tired from walking around everywhere and we were thankful to finally go home, despite our delightful experience here at Koonung. One of the things I’m definitely looking forward to is camp, as I’ve heard lots of great responses about it. But I think I speak for everyone when I say that everyone is excited for the rest of our time at Koonung Secondary College.
Jeremiah Appleby 7D
It was my first day of high school. Was I nervous? Yes. But when I got to school, I saw that most of the other kids were even more scared than me.
We had been thinking about Koonung for a long time. In Grade 5, my family went on the school tour, and liked it, but we researched about it for a long time. Koonung had made a good impression on Orientation Day. The band playing at lunchtime, the teachers, the size of the library, and the best muffin ever in the canteen. But while I learnt that not every day was like that, it was still a great school.
I was mildly disappointed to miss my first PE class, but at least I got my locker. Nothing could prepare me for the horror and chaos that occurred every morning, afternoon, recess and lunchtime in the locker bays though…
Starting Japanese was fantastic. I had been doing a bit of study on it over the past year, but it was good to finally learn it in a proper class. That had been the class I had been looking forward to most, but all the other classes were enjoyable too.
I made some more friends and spent time with the friends I had already made. No one else from my primary school was coming here, but I wasn’t alone. I was now part of a new community- Koonung Secondary College.
Eleora Suryahardja 7D
“Wake up! First day of High School!”
So many things to prepare, little time to get ready. Who thought of a 8:40am start to the day?
“Will my classmates be nice?” “Will my teachers be too strict?” “Will I make any friends?” “Will the homework be overwhelming?” were only some of the thoughts sprinting through my mind as I brushed my hair.
High school meant more responsibility, so that meant preparing recess and lunch for myself. My brothers were lucky to still be in Grade 2 and Prep and have everything done for them. They also had an extra day of the holidays.
As I was riding in the car, I thought of my friends from Birralee Primary School. How were they feeling? Were they thinking of me?
When we were waiting, I realised for the first period I had PE and I didn’t have my uniform with me! Luckily, Mrs Howe and Mrs Lee told me it was just an assembly. An assembly? I don’t know my class!
That was quickly fixed. I found a girl in my class called Elka. Her name also began with S, so we could sit near each other as we were all asked to sit in alphabetical order.
My day flew by after that, and I realised the people in my class were actually really nice. I enjoyed my first day of Year 7, and I won’t forget it.
Year 7 students Jeremy Nash, Eleora Suryahardja, Joel Ng, Jeremiah Appleby
Harry Sencek (7A) and Alvin Fung (11B) handing out sports equipment to the Middle Years students. Sports equipment can be borrowed every recess and lunchtime.
Year 8 English
The Year 8 SEE@K class, 8D, is currently undertaking a close textual study of Clare Atkin’s acclaimed Australian novel, “Nona and Me”. Students are reading about and interpreting the family connections, and related social issues, of two best friends in Arnhem Land. Linking nicely with Koonung’s recent Great Victorian Bike Ride team’s wonderful achievement in raising awareness of reconciliation with our indigenous community, students were asked to create a symbol representing the concept of ‘yothu- yindi’ (Yolngu for ‘child and mother’), the traditional belief of unity in diversity. The class has also reflected on the connections within this text and our Koonung school values, in particular those of Respect and Collaboration.
Here are some of 8D’s symbols.
Halle Henson
Keira Singleton
Rose McKinnon
Mary Eade
8D English Teacher