Middle Years News

Middle Years Team

Welcome back to Term 2!

A warm welcome back to students and parents for Term 2. At Koonung, we have started Term 2 off with a bang, with students and staff adjusting to the new classrooms and resources available in A Block. The Year 7s are now confidently navigating the school and Koonung life, the RAISE mentoring has commenced, with selected Year 8 students participating and the Year 9s have all started and are engaging in their new Live Life modules.

…and we’re in!

A Block is officially open and running! It has been fantastic to see students and staff alike accessing and using these brand-new facilities. The respect that the students have shown for these spaces has been fantastic to see.

All Middle Years students were given an opportunity to be in and experience this new environment before formal classes started this week in the space, with the Coordinators taking the opportunity to run Year Level assemblies to welcome our students back for Term 2, and to A Block.

Middle School 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 can wear their PE uniform all day
Sports equipment can be borrowed at recess and lunchtime from the old Middle Years Centre
Students should be using ‘My Tasks’ on compass to record day to day homework

Mat Delaney

Director of Learning: Middle School

Mathew.delaney@education.vic.gov.au

Live Life cleans up!

In Sydney in 1989, Ian Kiernan teamed up with friends and organised the Clean Up Sydney Harbour event, rallying 40,000 volunteers who collectively picked up more than 5000 tonnes of rubbish.

For every year since then, we have celebrated his initiative with Clean Up Australia Day. This year, the event was on Sunday 6 March. The Year 9 students in the Live Life Community module this term decided to get involved in this great cause, albeit a few days later.

On Wednesday 9 March during Periods 3 and 4, 49 students spent time cleaning up the school, Elgar Park and sections of the Koonung Trail. The students should be proud of their efforts in helping keep their local parks and school grounds clean and free from rubbish. It clearly demonstrates what can be achieved by individuals working together to make their local community a better place.

Disappointingly, our school grounds had the most rubbish. However, it was so pleasing to see the grounds clean by the start of lunch time, after the clean-up. The challenge for all of us is to maintain the school grounds in a litter free environment every day of the year. The school has invested a substantial amount of money to provide more rubbish bins in many different locations around the school, so there is really no excuse.

Do the Right Thing – throw rubbish in the Bin! This motto goes a long way to inspiring a community where people care for each other and the environment.

Mr Mangonis and Mrs Molloy (Community Module teachers)

The start of Term 2 is also the start of the Raise Mentoring Program at Koonung. Raise is a mentoring program that provides Year 8 students with the opportunity to be paired with a mentor and discuss ideas - big, small, personal or worldly. On Tuesday 10 May, twelve lucky Year 8s met with the Raise mentors for the first time. They participated in their first session affectionately known as "Jitters". They played some icebreaker games and enjoyed morning tea together. Next week the real fun will begin as the students will be paired with their mentors and the program will be underway. The Middle Years Team would like to say a big well done to those twelve Year 8s who were brave and bold enough to give something new a try.

Link to Raise clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8Bz3nVCx7o

Chelsea Thomas

Year 8 Coordinator

Coordinator for Student Engagement of Vulnerable Cohorts

Musical Production Manager