Principals' Reports

Assistant Principal's Report

Open Day 2018

This year, Koonung conducted its first daytime Open Day where all of our classrooms were on view to prospective parents and students.  In each of our classrooms, our visitors were shown real life examples of what happens in our Koonung learning environment.  Our students and teachers showcased the many aspects of our programs including teaching and learning, cocurricular, camps, laptop devices and student leadership to name a few.  Many prospective families commented on our teaching and learning programs, positive teacher/student relationship and enthusiasm of our staff and teachers.  The formal presentations held in the evening included an address by our school leadership team, Year 7 speakers and the Principal.  Thank you to all the staff and students for your positive contribution to our Open Day.

Athletics Day

Due to unstable weather, the College cancelled the Athletics Carnival which was to be conducted on Friday 4 May.  A message was sent to parents and students about the cancellation of the day and that normal classes would be conducted.  The response was positive as most students came to class prepared to continue their learning.  The new date for the Athletics Carnival is

Tuesday 17 July 2018.

Every Day Counts

Attending school every day is the single most important part of your teenager’s education.  Students learn new things at school every day – missing school puts them behind.  We all want our students to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school each and every day.  Students develop good habits by going to school every day – habits that are necessary to succeed after school, whether in the workplace or in further study.  Missing school can have a big impact on students academically and socially. It can affect their test results, including VCE & VETiS, and, just as importantly, it can affect their relationships with other students and lead to social isolation.  There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes.  Each missed day is associated with falling behind in subject topics and assessment tasks, and lead to fewer subject choices and may impact on achievement in Years 11 and 12 and post-school pathways.

• Seek help from our teams if you are concerned about your child’s attendance and wellbeing. Staff at Koonung SC want to work in partnership with parents to support student attendance and wellbeing.

NAPLAN Tests 2018

Our Year 7 and 9 students will be undertaking the NAPLAN (National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy) tests which are conducted by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) on Tuesday 15 May (Language Conventions & Writing Tests), Wednesday 16 May (Reading Test) and Thursday 17 May (Numeracy Test). There are four tests in total, including an assessment of students’ writing skills, use of language conventions, a reading test and a numeracy assessment.  There will be more information on the specific requirements of these tests in a NAPLAN newsfeed.

Attitude to school Survey

We want our students to tell us what they think!

We value student voice as a means to improving student engagement, wellbeing and quality instruction and are conducting a survey to find out what your child thinks of our school. The Attitudes to School Survey is an annual student survey offered by the Department of Education and Training to assist schools in gaining an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school. Our College will use the survey results to plan programs and activities to improve your child's schooling experience. Students from Year 7 to 12 at our College will participate in the survey from Tuesday 8 May to Friday 25 May. Your child will complete the survey online during school hours using a purpose built secure online survey tool. It is important to note that we are not in any way “testing” your child. Your child has the right to refuse or withdraw from the survey at any point before, during, or after completion of the survey.

Checking Compass

Teachers plan for school events (activities/excursions/camps) well in advance.  One of the requirements when planning is that all payments and consent must be received at least three (3) business days prior to the event.  This enables the Event Coordinator and Operations Planning Team to finalise all of the required documentation or cancel the event if insufficient student numbers.  Please assist us by checking Compass every week and processing any event consent/payment before the due date.  If you require any support with this process, please contact the Admin staff in Middle or Senior school. Note - students cannot attend an event without parent consent and/or payment.  

Uniform

The uniform exemplifies students’ pride in being part of the Koonung Community. By showing that we expect high standards with our uniform, expectations are raised, and it is important in developing a sense of identity and pride for our students.

Key points about the Winter uniform are as follows:

• Shirts (long sleeve and short sleeve with logo) must be able to be done up at the top button and sleeves are to be rolled down (if wearing long sleeve) and shirt tucked in
• Ties - are to be worn by both girls and boys and the tie is to be worn properly to the collar
• Blazers - must be worn to and from school and during period 1 as the outer garment. School jumpers can be worn under the blazer but not as the outer garment to and from school
• Plain black socks (no logo) with long pants or winter skirt.  White plain socks (no logo) with shorts
• Shoes must be black business like leather lace up shoes.  Any canvas shoes, runners or flat ballet type shoes are not permitted. Runners are permitted for sport and PE only
• Undergarments (singlets/t-shirt) for extra warmth, must be plain white and tucked in
• Spray Jackets may be worn to and from school, over the blazer, only if it is raining.

The designated uniform for students at Koonung is endorsed by the College community through the College Council. Uniform checks will be conducted throughout the school day. Let’s continue to wear our Koonung uniform proudly.

Mark Quinlan

Assistant Principal