Middle Years  News

Year 7 Picnic

On the evening of Thursday 2 March, Koonung Secondary College invited parents and families of our new Year 7 cohort to the annual Year 7 Picnic. Held on the College’s oval, the Picnic provides an opportunity for us to welcome families into the school to meet the families of their child’s friends and peers, and their teachers too!

The atmosphere was highly celebratory, with many parents speaking positively of their child’s transition to Koonung, a real testament to the relationships that our staff have already started forming with our new Year 7 students.

The evening was scored by performances from Koonung’s highly successful Instrumental Music program, and the Student Leaders coordinated and ran a barbecue across the night.

Thank you for entrusting us with your child and their education, we look forward to working across the next six years as they complete their formal schooling journey.

Year 7 Camp

On Wednesday 15 March, 18 staff members and 170 students departed Mont Albert North for three days of fun, adventure and bonding – Year 7 Camp had begun!

The Year 7 class of 2023 spent their time at Alexandra Adventure Resort challenging themselves to work towards demonstrating the values of our school motto “Excellence through Endeavour”. Our Year 7 students pushed themselves outside their comfort zones and help them extend their friendships beyond those made in their classes by completing the high ropes course, rock climbing and crate stacking, flying through the air on the giant swing and the flying fox, splashing about in the pool, or by raftbuilding (and some even took a dip while canoeing!), with many students relishing in the challenges and honing their survival skills by playing laser tag and doing archery.

The Year 7 cohort were exceptional, with many students embodying our core school values and the School Wide Positive Behaviours Support values through their kindness, compassion and willingness to “give it a go” and push themselves outside their comfort zones.

I have included some reflections from Koonung students on their camp experiences below. Please take a moment to read these.

I’d like to thank the staff that attended Year 7 Camp, and supported our students by building such strong relationships with them over the course of the camp - Jordan Dunn, Nat Exon, Helen Lamers, Penelope Latham, Emily Lewis, Owen Lovelace-Tozer, Sharyn Paspa, Kirsten Paton, Margarita Plarinos, Colleen Siomos, Chloe Stimar, Chelsea Thomas, Trevor vanden Driesen and Maggie Vriends. I’d also like to acknowledge the Middle Years Team – Stuart Kofoed, Lauren Hughes and Regan Garner, for the work they did, both in the lead up to, and during the camp itself, to create the best experiences for the students.

Year 7 Reflections of Camp

I enjoy the time when I get to hang out with my friends and participate in different activities and my favourite activity is the giant swing and canoeing. Camp was a perfect time for me to hangout with many friends and I also made friends in my activity group.

Jason Teng 7F

The Year 7 camp was the best experience that I ever had. High ropes, swimming pool, canoeing, giant swing and the flying fox were the best activities to do. A two-hour drive followed by an adventure in the wildlife could be the best camp ever. The cabins are big and can fit eight people. Some cabins have a shower but some don’t and it may seem inconvenient for some people but we can manage it. Camp was the best

experience.

Elsa Ji 7F

2 weeks ago, Year 7 was fortunate enough to go to Alexandra Adventure Resort. I feel as though camp is a really great place to conquer fears and try at least one new thing. Activities like high ropes and the giant swing can be challenging to actually do, however once you do it, you get a sense of accomplishment. I made numerous new friends in camp and so did many others. We all went in being from our past primary school kids to all being Koonung kids.

We are all so thankful to the staff team and teachers that were able to make this possible.

Audrey McRobbie 7F

Shani Brown and Sheron Li from 7F decided to their reflect their camp experiences in poetry form:

Although the day wasn’t cool,

We finished in the pool

As we dipped our feet

What a great relief

First we had high ropes

We showed we can cope

Some people were scared

The heights, they had cares

Next was low ropes initiative

Everyone was positive

Having a smart mind

Thinking of things we could find

Archery was a success

Although the arrows made a mess

Shooting and aiming, nothing can stop us

Not even raining

For the flying fox

We hopped into a box

He gave us a big fling

And we flew as if we had wings

Building a raft

We took a bath

In the lake

Which was a mistake

Laser tag

We captured the flag

And we shot with our guns

That was very fun

Gaga ball was very competitive

All the winners became repetitive

Kicking and blocking the ball

We were on a roll

Volleyball was in the sand

Working as a team, hand in hand

Nothing could stop us from winning this game

Losing a ball, we’d all say ‘what a shame’

Mat Delaney

Director of Learning: Middle School

Mathew.delaney@education.vic.gov.au

Year 8 - End of Term Wrap Up

In our opening Assembly for Year 8, we discussed the idea that our students will finish the school year as very different people to who they are now. Over the course of Year 7, each of them learnt valuable insights into their identity and the different ways that they learn. The students that entered 2023 as Year 8 students have grown to become leaders, built their confidence and have been helping the new Year 7 cohort transition to high school. 

Students develop who they are through their values and actions. We are really proud to be part of a community of such outstanding young people that showcase Respect, Resilience, Collaboration, Endeavour, Excellence and Creativity.

Term 1 at KSC

Students have hit the ground running with new friendships, new classroom teachers, new subjects and a range of opportunities to be challenged. Downball is a favourite lunch time sport, often you can even spot Mr McNeil in the four square, cheering and getting involved with students for a bit of competitive fun. This group of students spends a lot of time together playing before school, recess and lunch outside of A Block, laughing and building memories that we hope they will carry with them over the years to come.

Upstanders in our community

We are pleased that the Middle School community has been looking after each other. Our students have been learning about what it means to be an Upstander. This was also echoed by the Youth Liaison Officer Senior Constable Jaclyn Mahood during our assembly with Victoria Police (see article below).

We were also privileged to have our very own Mental Health Practitioner, Emily Ridgewell, in an assembly where students learnt some language around what it means to be a by stander and strategies to be an Upstander. Students will start to see a few more posters around the school encouraging us to be kind and care for others in our community as well as a reminder of the Hands Off Policy. Please continue to Help us look after you, by looking after each other.

Getting involved in term 2

In Term 2 we will be putting a call out for Year 8 students to get involved in our local community with writing newsletter articles and interviews. We would love to get to know our community members in different ways, whether it is students or staff! 

If you are interested in writing up newsletter articles for Term 2 please send me an email or come and see me in Middle Years to tell me about your ideas. These articles could be on a specific topic that you want to share with the community, something interesting you did over the holidays or interviewing a person from our community to learn more about them. 

Thank you for all of your hard work throughout Term 1. I hope you find some time to rest, have fun and spend time with the people that are special to you. 

Enjoy your break! 

Ms Kirby Sens 

Year 8 Coordinator

Police connect with our Year 8 students

Earlier this month we were fortunate to receive a visit from a member of Victoria Police and two Protective Service Officers, to help educate our students on the topic of “Safety in the City”. It provided a fantastic insight into the possible dangers while travelling on public transport and the city, particularly at night. The main message was about being proactive around safety in the city which was a great angle when looking at this topic, from body language when in certain scenarios to those aspects of the city which require a greater level of awareness. Thank you to Sergeants Smith and Singh and to Senior Constable Jac Mahood, who once again facilitated an informative and enjoyable session.  

Stuart Kofoed   

Middle Years Culture

Year 9 Geography unit - Interconnection 

Students explored and gathered data from various venues and locations around the city as part of their fieldwork to examine the impact that tourism and trade have on the city of Melbourne. 

Trevor vanden Driesen 

Supervising Teacher 

Year 9 English -Memoir Genre 

Year 9s have been working on writing memoirs this term, and we have been trying to find a way to make this a more authentic learning task, and also highlight some of the writing skills and unique stories that exist in the year level. Please enjoy the following samples of work produced:

Finding My Path

Anonymous

I’m fourteen years old and my life is a mess. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions I can’t escape, with ups and downs and loop-de-loops that never seem to end. Buckle up, folks, because my life is a bumpy ride.

You see, I’m neurodivergent. I’m different, and it’s lonely. No-one understands me, and it’s exhausting. 

I was never particularly outgoing. In fact, I’ve always been the complete opposite. The weird, quiet kid; the outcast. I’ve always felt different. Sure, I tried to ‘fit in’ and befriend the other kids, but it seemed I couldn’t even do that. I was too different. I was a freak, a misfit, a ‘weirdo’.

During primary school, I was forced to mask my true personality. It was suffocating and it felt like my body wasn’t truly mine. I tried so hard to fit in with the other kids, but I was never successful. Whenever I talked, it was as if I was an alien. They barely even noticed my presence. I felt invisible. I was invisible. 

I didn’t understand. I’d tried and tried but I couldn’t be like them. I was truly alone. No-one understood me, and honestly, I barely understood myself either. Why couldn’t I be like them? Why was I so different? I didn’t ask to be. Why was I being punished for being myself?

Later, I discovered that they had been talking about me behind my back. Classic. I was so naïve, I should have known. Nevertheless, I was heartbroken. I’d given them so much, I’d changed myself entirely for them, and that’s what I got in return? Slowly, my heartbreak turned into fury. I stopped trying, and I distanced myself from them.

I’m older now, and have officially graduated primary school. Since starting high school, I’ve finally found people who accept me. I’ve finally found the sense of comfort and belonging that I’ve desired for years, and it’s so freeing.

The truth is, I’m still learning. It wasn’t easy to accept my neurodiversity at first, but now I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m still learning how to adapt to a life filled with challenges. It’s going to be difficult. I don’t know what my future looks like, and I’m terrified. However, if there’s anything that I’ve learned in past years, it’s that I shouldn’t shy away from my neurodiversity, but instead celebrate it and own it with pride.

Neurodiversity is not a disease. It’s not something that spreads, like an illness. It’s not something that affects peoples’ intelligence. It’s a real thing that represents many people’s experiences. Someone once told me that neurodiversity is not a spectrum or a disorder, but instead an evolutionary step forwards in a world that revolves around ‘normality’. My experiences during primary school were isolating, and I never again want to feel as lonely and misunderstood as I did then. 

I hope my experiences can raise awareness around neurodiversity, and show people that they are not alone. We are unique, and we are blessed to be different.

Longing...

Anonymous 

I knew for a long time that Dad would have to leave home, but I didn’t know it would be so sudden…

I don’t remember the exact date, but it was a foggy morning. Everybody from close family to distant relatives had gathered to say farewell, the preparation for it was almost a year now. Everybody knew that he was leaving for Malaysia, and if he could make it there somehow – it could save us from where we are now. It was a gamble, but a risk he was willing to take for us. 

I can’t tell you the exact details of his departure, because while almost everybody I knew was saying their goodbyes, and my Dad was leaving my life for 4 years, I was busy in another room watching the animated film Rio. I don’t know whether to laugh or grieve at this moment – like here’s my life about to be fundamentally changed forever and there is just me, enjoying my favourite cartoon.

I powered through the 1 hour and 30 minute film, and when I came outside – there was no-one – I was hit by an eerie silence as I tried to figure out what happened. I ran around desperately yelling “Ammi? Baba?” (Bangla for ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad’). I was about to break down when I was caught by Mum. I looked up to her, still remembering the expression on her face – it was like a glass window against a heavy storm. Still, but you could feel the pressure about to break through at any time. I asked her “Ammi, Baba kothai?” (Mum, where’s Dad?). I could feel the pressure rising in “Baba chole gese” (‘Dad is gone’). 

I broke down I couldn’t accept what had happened. How could I? I was just a child, my whole life revolved around my parents, only for one of them to be snatched away. It was unfair; I wanted to argue, argue with God, turn into one of the birds from Rio and fly away. I can’t remember anything afterwards, just this growing feeling of longing. A void in my heart.

The following years from that day forward, from our reunion 4 years later were spent in sickness, pain and agony. I grew jealous of others’ happiness; of their dads. “Why don’t I have this happiness? Why am I neglected? Where is my family?”. While time went on, I realized the pain wasn’t just mine. Slowly my mother’s state deteriorated. Bangladesh isn’t kind to a woman without her husband and without Dad’s protection, she was mocked by my own family and relatives. My grandparents slowly stopped seeing her as their daughter-in-law, to just another burden; her role transitioning from that of the wife of the house to a servant.

We treasured the limited time we would get to Skype with Dad. Things were not looking good for him as well; the country spoke a language he had never heard and he struggled to get a stable job or a place to live. Of course, I would only learn these things years later as my parents refused to talk about their issues. To me, everything was fine – I never understood any of this. I tried my best by praying as often as I could and trying out some…let’s just say ‘questionable plans’. These included, but were not limited to ‘Transformation Potion’ which I created using various soaps, shampoos and medicine (it didn’t work) and a ‘glider’ made from strapping clothes onto a stick (this also did not work).

Looking back on these, I realise that these years, despite being painful, were important in building who I am today. It sparked the dreams and ambitions I hold today, and taught me the lessons of living in an imperfect world, a world that doesn’t work the way I want it to, to live with an empty void in my heart.

But the most important lesson it taught me was the value of family because of how long I was denied a complete one. And to this day, it is the very thing that I will do anything to keep it complete.

Values

Anonymous

I started Year 7 with trying to live my values which were to always affect others in a positive way. The problem was I found myself prioritising making a good impression by being someone I wasn’t. I found I wasn’t actually telling people about my interests but just what they wanted to hear. 

Eventually it got to a point where I didn’t really know who I was. Was I this guy in school that everyone liked or was I the guy that loves tennis and rugby as well as standing up for all my opinions? I felt like I lost myself. 

Year 8, it was sort of the same until late Term 3. I got to a point where I hated the version of me everyone liked. Everyone liked the classic teenage boy stereotype of liking soccer and footy and being ‘tough’ and funny with bad grades.

I started Term 4 trying to kill the fake me and started to let my true value come through. I found to my surprise most people liked me the way I was. This helped my mental health and grades shoot up. The pressure I felt inside, wondering what they would think if they really knew me, it all started to go. I just wish I found this sooner and not even made this fake me in the first place. I wouldn’t have had all the bad memories of me crying in my room just trying to figure which me was me. The constant need to be a perfect teenage boy who was what everyone wanted me to be. 

I could just be me.

Why Not?

By Michelle He,  9G

I still remember that it was a normal weekday when I made a decision which might change my life forever. My father asked me why I spent so much time in the bathroom brushing my teeth in the morning. I told him that I was also dressing in my uniform, that I couldn’t do or think anything else because it was too early and I didn’t get enough sleep. 

As a Chinese student, the work that I needed to do was like water in the ocean, the stress as heavy as a mountain on my shoulder. Every day I spent at least 10 hours in school and even extra time on my homework. I could only sleep for 6 hours a day, and we had 6 weekdays each week. I can never forgive Chinese education. So difficult. So stressful. So much pain. They (the government) want to change children into supermen, using ways that can only be seen as the way you would treat a slave, just because there are too many people in China and the only need the ‘cleverest’ kids to go to university and go to work. The rest of them (the ‘not so clever’ children) only get the chance to work for the lowest salary. That night I thought about this, and decided to pick my idea of studying abroad up earlier. 

The idea appeared in my mind for the first time when my elder sister, who had already been staying in Australia for 10 years came back and visited us 4 years earlier. She used to be a quiet, shy girl in my memory but that time she came back, everything changed. She became active and humorous where in the past, I had never thought I could use that word to describe my sister. Relatives were all surprised and asked her why. She said the lifestyle in Australia suited her and made her feel much more relaxed and confident. Although I hadn’t been to Australia yet at that time, I really looked forward to it. I wanted to be myself, not a slave. But, because of the effects of COVID and some other reasons, I put this idea into the ‘later’ category and started my Junior life in China. Which I regret a lot now.

“Why not go out earlier?” I  asked myself. I understood that I hated life in China and hoped things would change. But I did need to pay some price. There were a lot of unknown difficulties waiting for me, being only a student, but not a ‘human’ for too long a time. There were hardly any skills I had except for studying. Could I take care of myself well without my parents? If I can’t adapt to the study or life in Australia, I couldn’t go back either. I was at the corner of a crossroads in my life. My parents supported me to control my own life (I love them so much!), and I knew all the risks, but I still cut off the road behind and walked straight forward. I stopped my Year 8 studies in China, started my language school and waited for my visa at the same time. All my classmates asked me “why? Why do you choose this road?”. This was the question I heard the most. I didn’t tell them that my real thought was that they were numb, but I was not. I just said “Why not?”

When I arrived here four months ago, when my feet actually touched the land, I felt it was all worth it. I could see the blue sky but not the grey one I saw every day after class at half past six. Flowers and trees were all fresh to me instead of the “Study is your only way” signs that I was used to seeing posted on walls. I knew I had saved myself. 

Everything seems better now. I love the lifestyle here. I can have more spare time for myself to complete things I like. More time for sports, for family, for friends, for pets and for love. I get more energy in doing my best study too. I’m just 15 years old this month, but it seems like my life just started. 

My friends and relatives keep in touch with me and ask me if I like my life here or if I think it’s worth it. I answer: “Why not?”.

Mature? Just Me.

Anonymous

“God, you’re so mature for your age.”

“Thank you?” -what was I meant to say? What am I meant to say? Was it a dig at me or a compliment?

When I was younger, it always felt like praise, a congratulatory phrase. I felt happy that I was growing up and maturing faster than my peers beside me. When I was younger, I could always tell when I would process, relate or articulate things differently from my age group around me. I was always just left wondering… ‘Why’?

As I got older, my body grew and aged as well as my mind, being more mature than others no longer felt like a gift but rather a curse. All of a sudden I was alienated from everyone and nothing that resonated with me resonated with other people. All my problems, struggles, upsets, achievements and goals were so far different from anyone else. I felt 20 in a 12-year-old body; always hanging on to the thought that one day everyone would be the same. I wouldn’t stick out in my own head. I wouldn’t be able to tell myself there was something wrong with me. 

As I continued to age, change and grow, one day the universe seemed to play a trick on me. When I was 13 somehow I’d seemed to age so far that I couldn’t keep up with anyone or anything anymore. Everyone felt miles away. And it really is a funny thing when you spend so long trying to reach people and you have to watch them go about their life without you. This little spark that comes with connections and companionship dies. ‘Maturing’ left me with no-one. Because I had a separate mind that didn’t fit into my collective age group I was left alone. 

I couldn’t even reach my parents. I had no floor to stand on or hands to hold. I needed a lifeline. The thing is, when you’re drowning and you grab a rope to stay above water, you aren’t thinking about the burns that the rope might give you after you get out of the water. So, there I was, drowning, using a bad habit to save myself from drifting further and under. I was drowning and no one could see me as far away as I was.

There was a point where the temptation to stop trying to stay afloat arose. I beat that temptation, but not unscathed. The weird thing was that as I grew and matured even more heavily, I felt old enough to get out of that place. Out of the water. No-one ever came to help – no support team. It was me that had to save myself. 

Even now, I feel incredibly separate due to the fact that I feel like a 40-year-old woman. But as strange as it sounds, it doesn’t hurt to be your own best friend. You’ve gotta keep yourself afloat. When I think about how my life has been shaped by that one phrase, it kind of hurts a bit but at the end of the day it’s what makes me me. 

It makes me the alien that I am. 

Anxiety…and other such things.

Anonymous

I think I’ve had anxiety for a while now. Dad says that’s the reason I would often wake up at 5am vomiting. It happened on my birthday once. My class had planned a party and it was my teacher’s last day. Meanwhile, I lay in bed feeling sick, not to mention very upset.

As I got older, I had less mornings like this. It wasn’t until I started hgh school that the feelings came. In Year 7, I didn’t have the best friend group. It was fine in the first term or so, but as the year went on, I started to realise other people had better friends. They seemed happier. I got jealous very quickly. I kept trying to avoid the person in my friend group that I really didn’t like, but everywhere I went, they just kept showing up. I was so ready for a change.

In Year 8, I found myself in a class with that same person. I was really annoyed and I always put on a fake expression whenever they started talking to me. I decided it was time for a change. I started making friends with the other girls in my class. I found that they were my kind of people. I started to sit with them in class and hang with them and their friends at lunch. I was happy.

When I got into the school musical, I was super excited. I found that I liked my musical family even more than my school family, although some of them were also doing the musical. Later that year, however, I started feeling anxious again. Like no-one cared about me. All my friends seemed happier talking to their other friends. It was like I was invisible. Every other person seemed to have at least some confidence in themselves. Either that or they were all extroverts. 

I feel like nobody understands introverts. Like, they all think we hate being around people. I love people (when I’m in a good mood, that is!). Everyone just expects us to be extroverts. Like we are willing to step out of our comfort zones and be all “OMG guys, so on the weekend…oh my gosh, waaiiit…” etc. – you get the point. I just want someone who understands me!! I want someone just like my sister, but not my sister. I just always feel so lonely in my thoughts. 

Mum reckons I have ADHD. I do too. I always find it so hard to focus on things, even when I enjoy them. There was one time when I was out shopping with my mum and she told me to get some milk. I took in everything she said, but just wandered off and forgot all about it. Other times, you can find me walking in circles around the kitchen, slapping my feet in rhythm on the stone floor. 

Back to the anxiety. Every time I look sad, my friends always ignore it, or come up to me and ask if I’m ok, and then go back to their conversations. Their very extroverted conversations. It’s just so annoying and it makes me want to run off to the bathroom and cry. 

I want to cry a lot, I just hold it in because I don’t want to be dramatic and make a scene of myself. And I find myself saying ‘sorry’ a lot. I’m surprised no-one thinks there’s something seriously wrong with me. 

I just feel so lonely. I feel like everyone is a robot, programmed to be cool and confident. Everyone has friends. Everyone is so happy with their lives. Okay, maybe that’s not true. But they all act like it. Sometimes I feel too rude, and sometimes I feel too polite. Everyone else knows how to be social. How to win at life. They’re not scared. They’re just being dramatic. I hate that. It makes me want to mock them.

I notice the little things. I want everyone else to think like me. Be smart, but random. 

Janna Becker 

English Teacher 

Middle Years Team