Principal Report  

Production

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Koonung students, staff and parents for their outstanding hard work and exceptional talent in putting on Koonung Secondary College's 2023 production of Seussical the Musical. Performed over two weeks, with matinees and evening shows, our students demonstrated exceptional talent in singing, dancing, acting, comedic timing, musical performance, and stagecraft.  In particular I would like to thank our hard-working staff and parents for their countless hours supporting our students in preparation in the months leading up to the performances. This includes the Seussical Producer, Ms Chelsea Thomas, Director Mr Mark Anderson, and the production team of Luke Wilcockson, Pete Martin, Ms Jen Molloy, Ms Penny Latham, and Kaia Duong. 

A big thank you to the Friends of Theatre, a fantastic group of parents who worked tirelessly with the College to put on an exceptional show. The show was amazing and reinforces the College motto of excellence through endeavour. Well done to all involved and check out the photos in this newsletter.

Politician visits

You may have noticed from our College Facebook and Instagram pages that we have had several politicians from all levels of government visiting the College. At the start of this term, we were visited by Victorian Premier Mr Dan Andrews, who met with students and announced the beginning of the next stage of our building works. Mr Andrews also toured our newly completed Administration and Wellbeing Centre and spoke with students about a wide range of topics from student questions. 

We were also visited by Federal member for Kooyong (Kooyong is the Federal electorate of Koonung Secondary College) Dr Monique Ryan, who spoke at our Whole College Assembly about the importance of young Australians ensuring their voices are heard through both the upcoming referendum on Indigenous Voice to Parliament, but also spoke about lowering the voting age in Australia. Dr Ryan also toured the College, and we will soon announce a new award for student achievement to be named after Dr Ryan.

Last term we were also visited by Federal Member for Menzies, Mr Keith Wolahan as well as by local Whitehorse Councillors Cr. Blair Barker and Cr. Amanda McNeill. We have also hosted Whitehorse Mayor, Cr. Mark Lane in the College. As a College, we are committed to working with all levels of Government to provide the best possible facilities for our students and staff to work and learn. This includes facilities to support our wider community such as the Koonung Comets. We look forward to working with all three levels of government to continue to see more funding for rebuilding our College into a modern 21st Century centre of learning and community facilities. 

Building works

With the Premier touring our new Administration Centre, we have been able to move into our new space. Koonung finally has a ‘front of school’ with the new Administration fronting our car parks and access via Box Hill Crescent. All visitors are now required to enter the College via Box Hill Crescent (or Cairo Road) and sign in at the new reception. Our new Administration provides not only a front of the school, but meeting spaces for staff and visitors, a new Office for Principals and Admin staff and a new medical centre. 

The Premier also announced the start of the work on completing our Middle Years Learning Centre. This was very pleasing to hear that the funding from the 2022 election promise is delivered and planning for completing our Middle Years building has begun. The $8.95 million in funding will see the construction of 8 new teaching spaces to ensure that the core Middle Years program (Years 7-9) will take place in a purpose-built, air conditioned and heated 21st Century learning space. The better news is that construction is planned for early 2024.

Our new Well-being Centre has been completed and the Well-being team will soon move in. The new centre will provide counselling spaces and offices for our team to work with both individual students and deliver programs to support the well-being of all students and staff. 

We are also about to embark on some long overdue building refurbishment. If you have toured Koonung, you will have seen our very original 1960s toilet block. I am pleased to announce that for the start of the 2024 school year, our students will no longer have to use a 60-year-old toilet block. The plans are completed, builders have been appointed and demolition begins at the end of August. If all goes well, we should have new toilets by the end of November. 

The building works will cause some changes to the use of facilities. This will include the use of the new toilets in the Middle Years/A block and the theatre during the construction period. Please check Compass for updates about the arrangements in the college as we build new toilets. 

Kind, Safe and Fair

Earlier this term at our Whole College Assembly I spoke to our staff and students around the mantra of being kind, safe and fair. This mantra forms a key component of our College value of 'Respect', and how our College value of 'Respect' fits within our well-being approach. Everybody has the right to come to school and feel safe, to learn as much as possible, and work hard to achieve their goals, dreams and aspirations. When we act with respect, by being kind, safe and fair, we respect everybody’s right to be safe in our learning community.  

As a staff we have built upon this concept this term as we undertake continued professional learning in supporting the well-being of our students. Our work as a staff this term in supporting well-being is focused on three key approaches.

1. Building relationships
2. Engagement 
3. Establish and maintain clear classroom expectations

Koonung is well known in our wider community as a school that supports all students to achieve excellence. This has, and always will be, built on a culture of high expectations of our students, both academically and in their endeavour and behaviour around the College. We have high expectations and clear consequences. These high expectations and clear consequences operate within a culture of high support of every student where they are in their learning journey, and their connections to their peers and the College. This continues to be our focus, and our work with our students, to ensure a safe learning environment for all, and for everyone in our community to demonstrate respect for each other through being kind, safe and fair at all times. 

Course Counselling and Subject Selection

While still only August, our thoughts have turned to planning for 2024. A key step in the planning process is the Course Counselling one on one interviews that have been held over the past two weeks. Every student in Years 9, 10 and 11 (over 600 students) have met with a member of staff and their parent/carer to discuss pathways, programs, courses, and subjects for 2024. These discussions have been a great opportunity to discuss future plans and select subjects that cater not only for student pathways, but also student passions, talents and interests.

Koonung operates a student choice curriculum, which means that the subjects and programs students select are what we will run in 2024. All the choices have been entered into the mix and a timetable will be produced. The timetable produced is based on the best outcome for the greatest number of students possible within the curriculum budget. A school our size tends to accommodate most students,  to ensure their 2024 program matches their selections, however, some students may need further course counselling once the timetable has been constructed. 

Community connections

One of the things that I have become very proud of here at Koonung is how our students and programs work within our wider community. I love receiving feedback from community members about how our students both interact and are perceived in our community. Recently I have received much positive feedback about students in our Year 9 Live Life program. The Live Life program includes a community component, where students work out in the community for one day per week. This includes students working in community groups such as Early Child Care, Primary Schools, Council and Aged care. 

Facebook and Instagram

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 member of our community to follow. 

Facebook- 

Koonung Secondary College | Melbourne VIC | Facebook

Instagram -

Official School Account- Koonung.secondary.college

Library Account- KSC Library

Student Leaders- Koonung_secondary_college

Andrew McNeil

Principal

andrew.mcneil@education.vic.gov.au