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Excellence Through Endeavour

Issue 14 September 6

th 2016

From the PRINCIPAL CLASS

A very special Koonung Day was celebrated last Friday, when the college presented our Principal, Peter Wright, with a sign in his honour for the hockey ground- ‘the Peter Wright Hockey Field’. Peter initiated this project in liaison with Camberwell Grammar, and we are very proud that his name is visible to all who play hockey at this ‘state of the art’ facility for Victorian Hockey competitions. The work started on the Hockey pitch in 2008 and it was officially opened in 2009. The sport captains, Amber Ford and Willow Harrington, introduced our Principal and read out his sporting accolades. Some of his sporting commitments over the years have included his presidency of Box Hill Tennis Club for 20 years where he was also the Junior Convenor at the Box Hill Tennis Club for 30 years. Peter is committed to physical education-he is a ‘Fellow’ of ACHPER-the Physical Education Teachers Association. Mr Wright has worked tirelessly in helping develop VCE Physical Education and has been involved in the writing of the text books. Through his role at ACHPER Mr Wright acted as the Chief Examiner for VCE Physical Education when it was a new subject at Years 11 and 12. Mr Wright is also a proud member of the School Sport Victoria Board, where he is currently working on establishing a fund for disadvantaged school students. This fund is aimed at ensuring disadvantaged students are able to participate in interstate school sporting events. The sign will be on display soon for all to see. For the Koonung Day events, students in all year levels were able to take part in a range of activities to celebrate being a member of the Koonung community. The day opened with the annual House Singing Competition. All 4 houses were well represented and in a very close count, Conder came out as winners. Stalls manned by members of our PFA included cakes, Indian food cooked on the spot, tacos, as well as sausages cooked by our amazing parents. Our International families contributed too, with our Chinese families preparing and cooking delicious dumpling. The various bands played over the lunch break and entertained students as they devoured the tasty food on offer. Many relished the chance to join the queue for the rides, and jump into the

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blow up balls and run along the soccer ground ensconced in the giant balls.

Middle school students participated in a magic show, Japanese music performance and circus tricks from external performers as well as trivia-run by our M Teach candidates from the University of Melbourne. Senior students attended classes for 3 periods and had an activity of doing Zumba Dancing and participating in Lawn Bowls for year 11 and a Sport competition for year 12. Year 10 students enjoyed a session with the circus skills.

The day was a wonderful display of community, and we are very proud of everyone who helped make this day so special. It was ably led and driven by Allira Howe, our Leading teacher for Student Leadership and Community.

To further enhance the celebrations, our parents and friends held a special event that night where parents relaxed over finger food while listening to guitar music from Peter Hodkinson, our musical drama teacher, and past students, Jordan Walker and Lachie Duthie.

To cap off the Koonung celebrations of last week, we also were privileged to have some sporting success at a very high level. Some of our students competed in the EMR School Sport Victoria Gymnastics event, and we had individual success as well as a team entered on the day. Well done to Zoe Makris, of year 10, who won her age group; and to Michaela Clare-Cover, in year 11, who came third in her age group. More details are in a later sport article in this newsletter.

Debating Competitions are finalised now and we thank Jonathan Moore for leading this during the year. Our junior team won 2 out 3 of their debates and they enjoyed taking on critical thinking and speaking with confidence. We were complimented on how our debaters looked in their school uniform and for their respectful manners.

Parent teacher interviews are approaching, and we remind you of the years 7-11 parent interviews on Thursday, September 15th. Bookings open online from 4pm, Thursday September 8th. Interim reports will be available on September 7th.

Finally, we wish the students travelling to our French sister school an exciting trip: 20 students from years 10 and 11 travel across to France on September 15th for homestay visits with our sister school in Arras. Our families hosted the French students in February of this year and our students are very excited to be able to see their exchange students. The group will also travel to Paris and down south to the Mediterranean to practice their French before returning on October 6th.

I am proud to accompany the group along with one of our French teachers, Nicole Moussi. The students travelling to France are Renee Bender, Dylan Branda-Pawlaczyk, Leah Deutsch, Keiana Drollett, Petra Green, Elly Harris, Libby Kay, Catherine Kitching, Jaimee Morrison, Jessica Newnham, Michaela Clare-Cover, Jenna Samuel, Georgia Scales, Alistair Payne, Lochsley Boyd, Oliver Hale, Dana Kirimof, Taylor Mortleman, Alice Terrill and Luke Whitebrook.

This visit is one of three sister school visits that our college is involved with. We still require Koonung families to host for the visitors from our Chinese sister school when they visit in February and March next year.

Please check the item in this week’s newsletter outlining our various camps and overseas experiences on offer in 2017 to our students.

Anne Abbott

Assistant Principal

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AUSTRALIAN MATHEMATICS COMPETITION WINNERS!

Congratulations to our prize winners in the Australian Mathematics Competition

Chris Huang and Ritvik Sharma, both of Year 7, were each awarded a prize in the 2016 Australian Mathematics Competition. Both scored in the 100th percentile of competitors in their year level – this is indeed an outstanding effort from both students. Jenny Park, also of Year 7, Adrian Xiang (Year 9) and Rebecca Chen (Year 11) also scored in the 100th percentile and are awarded High Distinctions, along with 11 other Koonung students. We are very proud of these achievements and acknowledge the effort made by all students who competed. Prizes and certificates of High Distinction will be presented to students at Presentation Evening in December.

Marilyn Faithfull Mathematics Domain Leader

YEAR 10 ENGLISH EXCURSION – ‘OTHELLO’ This year the Year 10 Advanced English has been studying the Shakespeare play 'Othello'. As a class we went on an excursion to the Melbourne Arts Centre to watch a performance of the play by the Bell Shakespeare Company. Watching the play performed live on stage really gave us a greater understanding of the themes and motifs featured in the play, and offered us a whole new perspective. Different interpretations of a play can really increase understanding and it was very interesting to compare our original thoughts with the opinions we had after seeing it performed onstage.

Jasmine Wolridge Year 10

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MELBOURNE WRITERS FESTIVAL

On Wednesday, 31st August, students of 8D attended an excursion to the ‘Melbourne Writers Festival’ where they attended two valuable sessions. The first session was run by author, Archie Fusillo, and involved students exploring the concept of identity. This was followed by a guided tour of the exhibition currently on at the Immigration Museum. Students will be writing their own short memoir as part of their Writing Folio unit this semester. The second session was a Book Club discussion with a panel of writers including Lili Wilkinson, author of ‘Boundless Sublime’, a novel recommended by many students of 8D! Students were able to ask questions about the writing process, ask for book recommendations, and talk with students from other schools about their favourite authors, books and characters. It was a very successful day which enriched students’ understanding of the writing process, the importance of storytelling and the joy of reading.

Tory Earle English and Literature Teacher

JUNIOR DEBATING TEAM

JUNIOR DEBATING TEAM- BEST SPEAKERS THREE TIMES IN A ROW The team included Carlos Sadiqzai, Claire Morgan, Elisha Punay and Charlotte Terrill. The junior debating team had a fantastic round this semester. They won two out of three debates by a strong margin and lost the second debate by a whisker. Claire Morgan received the Best Speaker Award for the first two debates and Charlotte Terrill earned the award for the third debate. The students were treated to some entertaining demonstration debates and got individual feedback from the adjudicators.

Jonathan Moore Debating Coordinator

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ENGLISH DOMAIN WEEK

Beginning Monday, 22 August, Koonung Secondary College celebrated English Week. As well as being English Week, it was also Book Week and many students were focused on their reading and the completion of the Principal’s Reading Challenge. Students had a choice of numerous activities to engage them and to extend their thinking on matters “English”. Spelling Bees At Years 7 to 9, class representatives, under the direction of Mr Tuckerman, competed at level assemblies to find each Year level spelling champion. Congratulations to the following students: Year 7: Noah Jones Year 8: Daniel Mackay Year 9: Koetsu Sakamoto Mystery Game Mr Hodkinson’s new challenge of the Mystery Game sparked much interest and teamwork as students across all levels worked to decipher the clues. For much of the week, at recess and lunchtime, groups of students could be seen congregating, before waves headed to the staffroom door. Three teams managed to complete the full journey, finding their way through the clues provided by seventeen staff members to reach Mr Hodkinson. In order of completion they were: Year 12 students: Sam Jones, Alex Ratiu, Jonah Davis, Jacob De Santis, Ben Buckmaster and Scott Prowse Year 11 students: Harry La Vale, Callum Dimsey, Nick Mason, Rory Wilcockson, Matthew Berkman and Liam Karavas Year 8 students: Ayana Dobie, Hayley Mason, Reka Ropolyi, Talia Lowe, Hayley Thomas, Elisha Punay, Sarah Whitebrook and Harrison Vavra Hint Fiction This is the second year of the competition in which students write a story of fewer than twenty-five words. Gareth Clauson, Year 11, is to be congratulated for his winning entry and for maintaining his title. Quotes Activity Students were tested on their knowledge of literature in the Quotes Activity. Congratulations to the winners: Elisha Punay, 8D, Charlotte Terrill, 8D and Noah Jones, 7D

Magnetic Board Competition Andrea Suaiso, Year 10, entered into the spirit of the competition and had the winning entry.

Anne Marie Minear English Domain Manager

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INTERSCHOOL SPORT UPDATE

Koonung continues to ‘punch above its weight’ and achieve fantastic results in Interschool Competitions against both state and private schools!!! On Tuesday 23rd August, we had Year 9 and 10 students competing in Whitehorse District Competitions for Hockey, Table Tennis and Basketball. It proved to be a very successful day with three of the six teams going through to the next stage (EMR Zone Finals in Term 4):

Intermediate Boys Table Tennis team (coached by Ms Zhang)

Intermediate Girls Hockey team (Mr Kofoed)

Intermediate Boys Hockey team (Mr Bermingham)

On Tuesday 30th August, our school was only one of two State schools that competed in the EMR Gymnastics Competition at Eastern Gymnastics Club in Box Hill South. The competition went for four days and brought together over 500 students from all school throughout the Eastern Zone.

Zoe Makris won her Division, while Michaela Clare-Cover finished 3rd in her competition. Both girls should be extremely proud of their results. Four students – Erin Lawson, Paris Dardoumbas, Ella Morrison and Ruby Robinson -competed at the same competition as a Koonung team on Thursday, 1st September, and performed admirably, finishing in 5th position. I would like to sincerely thank Mrs Jill Wright who attended this competition and coached all the girls for their event. Her experience and support was most invaluable and the girls were extremely grateful for her assistance. KOONUNG 2016 Whitehorse District Athletics Champions What a day Wednesday, 31st of August, was!!! Almost 120 Koonung students participated in the Whitehorse District Track and Field Carnival at Doncaster Athletics Track. The Koonung spirit was alive and well, and a major factor in our school being crowned District Champions for the 3rd successive year. I was so proud of the high participation of our students and their willingness to enter events so that they can earn points for our school. Thanks also to Mr Elliott, Ms Hodson, and the Teacher Candidates, who assisted on the day. Final standings were: 1517 - Koonung SC 1390 - Blackburn HS 1294 - Box Hill HS 1230 - East Doncaster SC 632 - Box Hill SSC Age Group Champions will be presented with their medals at the upcoming School Assembly. After their sensational win at the 3 x 3 Basketball Victoria Challenge Tournament, the Senior Boys were pumped for the Finals of the prestigious Basketball Victoria Elite 8 Competition on Thursday, 1st September, at the State Basketball Centre in Wantirna South. Mr Tobin had this to say about what transpired:

Senior Boys Basketball finish 3rd in the State for All Schools!! Our Senior Boys beat Caulfield Grammar and Wesley College to advance to the Semi Final of the Champions Cup Basketball Victoria. Playing their hearts out, the boys fell agonisingly short by five points, to just miss the State Final. We are so proud of their achievements on the court this year. Outstanding effort boys!! A huge THANK YOU to Mr Tobin who has been on this fantastic journey with these boys from the start!

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Upcoming Competitions remaining in Term 3 District Year 8 Table Tennis, Basketball and Hockey Wednesday 7th September EMR Lawn Bowls Friday 9th September State Finals – Year 7 Girls Soccer Friday 9th September District Year 7 Table Tennis, Basketball and Hockey Wednesday 14th September Remember to keep posted on Compass News Feed to keep up-to-date with all matters regarding Interschool Sport Competitions.

Mr Mangonis

2016 Interschool Sport and Houses Coordinator

YEAR 12 BOYS BASKETBALL Over the course of my block placement at Koonung SC I was fortunate enough to help out Mr Tobin with the Year 12 Boys Basketball team. Safe to say, these boys can seriously play basketball! From my understanding, the school applies to enter a team into the McDonalds Cup and the top 24 teams (public and independent schools) are accepted according to the level the players compete at. On the first day of competition the boys had Rowville Sports Academy, Haileybury and St Leonards in their pool. Driving down to Dandenong Basketball Stadium Mr Tobin had told me how good these boys are, but also mentioned their nonchalant manner. Ten minutes before the first game, we had players in different coloured shorts, taping their PE short pockets, shooting hoops with no runners on. All the while, our opposition were running warm up drills in their warm up tops with ex-NBL coaches. I quickly learnt this was the norm and not to worry, as we had Mr Tobin (at least that’s what he kept telling me!). I’ve always been sceptical of a team’s ability to ‘flick the switch’ when they want, but these Koonung boys certainly knew how to play effective, team basketball when the game began. Over the course of the day the boys went undefeated and successfully moved on to the next round for the top 8 teams in the state. That was held in week 7 of term 3 at the State Basketball Centre. Our pool included Caufield Grammar, Wesley College and Box Hill Senior. In many ways I felt like I was watching Groundhog Day.

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First game, the boys knocked off Caufield in a convincing win, playing some very good basketball, both offensively and defensively. Next the boys accounted for Wesley by 6 points, but always seemed in control. We then had to play Box Hill Senior, with the simple equation of winner goes through to the state final vs Marcelin College. The boys jumped out to an early lead, but by the half, Box Hill had gained a small lead. With a clear height disadvantage the boys were instructed to “run the ball” and “work for the open shot”. At numerous stages in the second half I felt the win was beyond reach, but to the boy’s credit, they never gave in and got back to 1 point down with a few minutes to go. Unfortunately, a few shots that didn’t go our way proved the difference, going down by 5 points. Talking to a number of the boys’ parents who came to watch, the most pleasing thing to see was just how the boys went about their business. For some of them, they’ve played together for over 10 years and it certainly showed. Whilst opposition teams yelled out their (attempted) set plays when they had the ball, Koonung simply knew how each other played, worked the ball for an open shot and played as a collective unit on defence. Above all else and as Mr Tobin instructed, the boys had fun whilst playing the game. Congratulations to the boys who represented Koonung in such a high achieving manner – not every day you can say you are part of the top 3 school teams in Victoria!

Kelsey Currie Teacher Candidate

University of Melbourne

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HUMANITIES UPDATE

2016 AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHY COMPETITION

Today there was a treat sitting on my desk: the box containing our AGC certificates! This year 347 Koonung students, from Years 7-12, entered this national competition along with over 65,000 other students from around Australia. It is a challenging test, designed to find the best geography students in the country to represent Australia at the International Geography Olympiad. The Australian team won gold in the 2016 Event in Beijing last week, while our Stephan Schmid from Year 7 was in the top 1% in the year level nationally!! The performance of our students this year has again been outstanding: 17 students achieved High Distinctions; 38 students achieved Distinctions; and 53 students gained Credits. High Distinctions In the Senior age category: Gareth Clauson, Stuart Donnan and Greta Hutchings. In the Intermediate age category: Hamish McLean and Andrew Cook. In the Junior age category: EleanorAdams, Stepan Schmid, Ryan Choi, Henry Farkas, Oliver Gunthorpe, Rhys Larson, Kiran Reddy, Zac Schade, Joshua Simon, Michael Thompson, Ayana Dobie, Claire Morgan Distinctions In the Senior age category: Tamika Simms and Mia Pagliaro. In the Intermediate age category: Ben Cutter, Connor Diamantopoulos, Joel Hansen, Risha Hede, Tom Kerr, Catherin Muir, Jamie Nastas, Daniel Pooley, Daniel Sharpe, Harrison Thodis and Christopher Thomson. In the Junior age section: Lloyd Alday, Brianna Litte Chester, Sam Marschall, Noah Jones, David Kong, Rui Ann Lim, Jun Yao Lim, Henry Purnell, Ian Shih, Jacquelyn Tan, Finn Weedon, Alvin Fung, Eric Hou, Anthony Tran, Sam Burgess, Daniel Caine, Mia Hannon, Addison Heath, Jacob Howell, Talia Lowe, Hayley Mason, Angel Ouano, Elisha Punay, Reka Ropolyi and Charlotte Terrill. Credits In the Senior age category: Ray Cheung, Kira Harris, Thomas Insole, Patrick Mathews, Maria Serrano and Robert Gibbs. In the Intermediate age category: John Alexandrou, Hannah Clauson, Oliver Forman, Joel Guley, Joseph Healey, Sebastian Jose, Jean Lin, Pui Lam lo, Charlie Lyons, Jordy McDonald, Alexander O’Brien, Libby Odria, Arienne Suaiso, Eve Tudor-Matthew, Friyana Madon, Vanessa Ponza and Adam Vaiano. In the Junior age section: Grace Aumann, Joshua Doyle, Patrice Mouzakis, Leandra Bitetto, Courtney Blyth, Sara Frewin, Bethany Insole, Alan Liang, Nicholas Muir, Jenny Park, Angus Rho, Jaden Sewell, Tamding Tenzin, Max Turnbull, Bridie Weller-O’Flynn, Henry Andrew, Iona Cameron, Thomas Du, Evelyn Kong, Joshua Kok, Claire Lumsden, Tommy Mao, Bhavi Pandya, Phoebe Sava, Lauren Smith, Aaron /Suaiso, Lucy Walsh, Sarah Whitebrook, Wesley Wong and Lisa Yamamoto. Students who have achieved a High Distinction will receive their certificates at the School Presentation Evening in December. Distinction certificates will be handed out at a school assembly soon. Credit certificates will be handed out at a year level assembly soon. Participation certificates will be handed out by Geography class teachers.

Congratulations to all students and our Humanities teachers for a fabulous effort again this year!!

If you would like to do the test, go to: http://www.geographycompetition.org.au/2016

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Another place to test your geographical skills is http://www.geoguessr.com/, or try escaping via http://www.mapcrunch.com/, but beware they are very contagious! If you have a favourite geographical website, please email me at munro.gail.f@edumail.vic.gov.au

We haven’t inherited the Earth from our parents,

we have borrowed it from our grandchildren.

The future is in our hands!

Gail Munro

Humanities Domain Leader (and Senior Geography Teacher)

EASTERN METROPOLITAN SENIOR BOYS HOCKEY

REGIONAL FINAL We went to the day with high hopes and great positivity after a strong first round rinsing of the competition. There were 5 teams in this next round. First up being Vermont, it was a slow start from the team, somewhat afraid to show off their highly anticipated skills, with it being a close 0-0 at half time. The final score being 1-0, in our favour as we just scraped through against a side that required our team to be more aggressive, as we had plenty of opportunities. Next up Balwyn, a tough opponent, who had some key hockey gurus ready to put on a show. Yet a hopeful Koonung felt that if we beat them we could be home and through. After another 0-0 half time, and a Koonung side holding back, the stage was set for a cracking second half. Balwyn came out firing, and shocked Koonung, scoring the opening goal. Koonung quickly turned it around, to put one in the back of the net. Neither blistering Balwyn, nor the killer Koonung side, could score another. It would now come down to goal difference, provided neither team made any silly mistakes, not performing palatable programs against the 'easy' teams. The next game on our agenda was a spectacle for wonderful wizard-like working, with Koonung disposing of Ringwood 10-0. Not only ending Ringwood's stint, but helping improve their impeccable goal difference, to make a state debut dream possibly come true. It all came down to the final match against John Monash. Koonung put on a clinic, to show some real flare, and come out victors in a 5-1 master piece. However, it was not quite enough, with Balwyn backing their previous performance, winning their match 11-0. Posting their goal difference to a 1 goal advantage over Koonung. 'So close yet so far' for the heavily underage side, yet it aims to come back bigger and better next year, as some additional bottom age jets will be joining the crew. So they can beat the awaiting rivals of Balwyn. Some star performances on the day by Reagan McKenzie with his dazzling abilities and AB (Alex Brown) down back locking it up and killer attacking abilities from Darcy Griffiths helped the side do as well as they did. Quizzical, quintessential and quaint Quinlan helped the mob to a quadrasonic day, only looking forward from here to question any doubts about a capable Koonung of coming back next year for their debut state finals.

Al Payne (Senior Boys Hockey Captain)

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2017 CAMPS, EXCURSIONS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

ACTIVITY Dates Venue Activities

Year 7 Camp Term 1 February

Coonawarra, Gippsland

Horse riding, swimming ropes courses

Year 9 surf camp Terms 1, 2 and 4 One night only

Pt Leo Mornington peninsula

Surfing, overnight camping in tents, bushwalk

China trip hosting

Term 1, February-March

Sister school visit to Koonung from Dalian, China

Homestay for 6 nights, activities in the city, Healesville

Year 8 Wollangarra Outdoor Education camp

Term 4 Date tbc 1 week

Near Licola, Gippsland

Overnight hiking, tents, base camp

Ski Camp Term 3 August -3 nights

Mt Buller Ski/ snow boarding

Japan: speech writing Matsudo hosting

March KSC Homestay for 5 nights. The visiting group and host student attend tourism sites and school activities

Year 9 camp Tbc 3 days October or November

Campaspe Downs, Kyneton

Rafting, high ropes, archery, bushwalks, other activities

Asia trip-e.g. Cambodia/ Laos (to be determined)

September holidays 10 days

Asia Cultural sites, historical guided tours

School musical Term 3 KSC, includes weekend rehearsal camp, and a week of performances

School play: every year

Term 2 KSC, includes weekend rehearsal camp, and a week of performance

Please note that in 2018, the additions will be events held every 2 years: China trip visit to our sister school: April, 2018 Hosting French sister school exchange students: February 2018 Visiting sister school in France, September and October 2018 Visiting sister school in Japan, December 2018 World Challenge (held every second year) destination to be selected –eg Cambodia November 24 to December 23, 2018

Anne Abbott Camps & Events

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KEYS PLEASE – INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

What could be more rewarding than supervising your son or daughter on their learner permit so they can become a safer driver? Many parents might add "and what could be more challenging?" Do you remember your own learning to drive experience? This week at school, your son or daughter will be taking part in a VicRoads Keys Please session. Whether or not they already have their Ls, this session tells them everything they need to know about making the most of the learner driver period. Parents and carers have an important role in helping their young people develop the skills and attitudes they need to become safer drivers. You should feel like a sports coach (not a driving instructor) and there are two resources to help you. The VicRoads Learner Kit given to all successful learner permit applicants contains the booklet Guide for Supervising Drivers that is essential reading – make sure you ask your son or daughter to pass it on! The second resource is the online Lessons from the Road resource. Lessons from the Road features eight videos. The videos showcase the emotions and real life issues in learning to drive. They help you work through the four stages required to help learners achieve their goals. Lessons from the Road is easy to use and can be accessed on the VicRoads website at vicroads.vic.gov.au and search “Lessons from the Road”. When your student attends the Keys Please session they will be encouraged to discuss the information they have received and to watch Lessons from the Road at home with you. Please ask them about the Keys Please session and make sure that you watch the videos together. It won’t take long and it will help you through the process of learning to drive as well as information for keeping new solo drivers safe. Research shows that learners who gain experience with parents have about 20% lower crash and traffic offence rates once they are licensed than learners who only take professional lessons. Research also shows that on average learners who gain an average of 120 hours of supervised on-road experience in all conditions have a 30% lower risk of crashing after getting a licence. VicRoads strongly recommends watching Lessons from the Road. Helping your son or daughter to be a safer driver is the one Rewards Program you can’t afford to miss out on!

UPCOMING EVENTS

SPRING MUSIC CONCERT KOONUNG THEATRE

7:30PM, WEDNESDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER

FATHERS DAY BREAKFAST AMPITHEATRE, MYC

7:30AM, FRIDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER

INTERACT CLUB TRIVIA NIGHT KSC SENIOR CENTRE

FROM 6:30PM, FRIDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER

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PFA SECOND HAND BOOKS

PFA have a large selection of good quality second hand books available for sale. Please direct enquiries to Carolyn Minster at drcarolyn@optusnet.com.au

PFA MEETING DATES - 2016 Monday October 24th December Xmas Dinner TBA All meetings are 7.30 - 9pm in the MYC

DOBSONS UNIFORM STORE – KOONUNG NORMAL TRADING HOURS Mondays: 8.15am – 11.15 am Wednesdays: 10.15am – 1.45pm The uniform shop is operational again. We welcome Sam Easton to the role of Uniform Shop Co-ordinator. School ties have arrived and are now available for purchase. SECOND HAND CLOTHING Dobson’s have advised that they will not be accepting any second hand uniforms until further notice, due to an excess in current supplies.

WORKING BEE DATES Sunday Nov 13th 9.00am to 12.noon parent working bee I would like to acknowledge those families who have contributed to the working bee fund in lieu of them being able to attend. These donated funds will be used to finance the works undertaken at the working bees.

KOONUNG DAY The 6th annual Koonung day was a huge success. The day started off with the House singing Competition which was totally student led, where our house captains went out amongst their respective houses to find students to represent their house in a musical performance. The judges were suitably impressed by all the performers and the results came right down to the wire with Condor house coming out on top!! Congratulations to all participants.

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Conder 1st place Joanna Fung, Elisha Puny, Emma Hocking, Ionna Cameron Streeton 2nd place Kara Sims, Ben Buckmaster, Sarah Whitebrook, Aliya Kiyemba Roberts 3 rd place Chloe Long, Harrison Vauva McCubbin 4th place Michaela Clare Cover, Shana Nastas, Kaia Duong, Hugh Menting, Miguel Lourenco Keene The Melbourne University Teacher Candidates ran the Year 7 and 8 Trivia competitions which was a huge success with our younger students. Questions ranged across a wide range of different categories including Sport, Music, guess that Pokémon, movies, guess the brand, guess the celebrity, and general knowledge questions. It was wonderful to have our pre-service teachers involved in the day and it was great experience for them to deal with large groups of students and interact with them on a different platform then within the normal classroom. In addition to the trivia our younger students also participated in an interactive Japanese musical performance by ‘Wasabi” and a circus skills activity from “The Little Devils”. Both events were a resounding success with smiles and laughter being heard from one end of the school to the other. Matt Hollywood the Marvelous magician entertained and wowed our year nines with a fine array of tricks. His comic satire was also very much appreciated by the crowd. After laughing the morning away the students were rocking out to Rebecca Baranard and the NCAT band in the afternoon. This was the hit of the day according to the students. The NCAT Band belted out many of today’s top hits much to the pleasure of the roaring crowed and they even got students up to help with back-up vocals. Our Year 10’s and 11’s took part in the circus skills activity and also got their fitness on with an upbeat Zumba session and tried their hand at lawn bowls Our Year 12’s took part in various sporting pursuits such as Netball, Basketball, Soccer, European handball and Frisbee. It was fantastic to see all the students getting involve and spending time together as a year level. These type of days offer our highly committed final year students a great break from their studies and they made memories which will last long past their final days at school. During lunchtime our International students and other Koonung families bought different cuisines from all around the worlds to sell to students for lunch. This added a whole new dimension to our day and we hope to grow this in the future as it is a great opportunity for our students to taste different cuisines and at the same time learn about different cultures. The diversity and standard of food was delicious. A thanks also to our food trucks who again came out to provide students with fun treats. During lunchtime various activities run by AFL Victoria, Tennis Australia, ProActivity entertained the students with handball competitions, tennis lessons and giant rolling chambers. All of which were massive hits with our students. Our students got their thrills from the Cha Cha ride where the screams of happiness could be heard across all of the school grounds. The Bungee Run was also a hit as students competed with each other seeing how far they could run before getting flung backwards at a thousand kilometers. When our students left to go home it was time for our parents to come out and have some fun at the Koonung Collective Parents Social night. Former students Lachlan Duthie and Jordan Walker, as well as Koonung teacher Peter Hodkinson rocked the night away performing all the big hits from today and yesterday. It was great to see so many families enjoying each other’s company in a relaxed social setting. We hope that this event will continue to grow in popularity amongst our parents as it is a great opportunity to get to know parents of your children’s friends. A big thank you must go out to all the parent helpers on the day and for the generous family donations. It really shows what a strong community we have here at Koonung.

Allira Howe Student Leadership and Community

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WELLBEING AND ENGAGEMENT NEWS

The pilot program joining Koonung Secondary College and Life Education has continued over the last few

months. Life Education have sent multiple different presenters and addressed hundreds of students. Staff

forums have been continuing also. But the greatest ‘buzz’ has been at the parent forums.

The first forum for the year was on a cold, rainy evening in the middle of winter and a dozen or so committed

parents huddled into the Middle Years centre to hear parenting tips on cyber-safety and digital literacy. Our

wonderful PFA turned up with cake and coffee and conversations started, making the evening into a

memorable beginning.

The second forum on drug education saw the numbers swelling to around 30 parents and families. Several

parents were there for the second time and many Year 7 parents talked about building communication with

their teenager to help prevent drug use in the future. The third forum focused on resilience to strengthen the

ways in which young people cope with the tough times. Amongst a small group of parents, many scenarios

were discussed. Parents of older students shared parenting tips that have helped and some really great

discussions were had. Again, several of the same parents were there and appreciated the opportunity to keep

building their parenting skills. Although many of the issues we have with our children can’t be solved with a

one-hour forum, it was good to know that other parents often face the same problems. As one parent said “the

best part of these sessions is just to know that you can share the load.”

Our final parent forum for 2016 is on Health and Nutrition , Thursday 13th October in the Middle Years Centre

at 7pm. You can book at http://www.trybooking.com/MQKN

See you there.

Sian Taylor Stuent Wellbeing and Engagement

CAREERS NEWS YEAR 12

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The signup sheet for interviews is outside our office. Please continue to book in to see us. VTAC course selection is open and you should have opened a VTAC account by now. A reminder of the important dates is below.

Year 10 & 11 You have now selected your subjects for 2017. If you have any concerns about the subjects you have selected please make an appointment to see the careers office as soon as possible. Universities A Practical Guide to University Preferences If you’re preparing to submit your uni preferences, it’s likely you’ll have a few questions about choosing a course and institution. This article explores some of the questions that are probably on your mind. http://www.gooduniversitiesguide.com.au/Latest-news/Getting-into-university/A-practical-guide-to-university-preferences Monash University Science Precinct Tour Mon 19th September – Fri 23rd September These tours are happening every morning at 10:30am of the week 19th – 23rd September. The tours are free, but registration is required.

Excellence Through Endeavour

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/monash-university-science-precinct-tour-tickets-26557627579 Monash Free VCE Revision Sessions Tue 27th September: Chemistry https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/free-vce-chemistry-units-3-4-exam-revision-tickets-26218130133 Wed 28th September: Physics https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/free-vce-physics-units-3-4-exam-revision-tickets-26316280704 Fri 30th September: Specialist Maths https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/free-vce-specialist-maths-units-3-4-exam-revision-tickets-26316442187 Femmes in STEM Fri 23rd September, 11am – 2:30pm This event is run by Monash University’s pharmacy faculty for girls in years 10–12. Be inspired by women changing the world through science, hear about career paths, and meet other girls interested in science. https://www.monash.edu/pharm/femmesinstem RMIT: Why become a teacher? 12th September, 5:30pm @ Bundoora Campus East Find out what a career in education is really like, and have the chance to meet with RMIT’s education staff. http://www.rmit.edu.au/events/all-events/study-information-sessions/2016/september/why-become-a-teacher- RMIT: Design Interviews and Portfolios These videos are useful to anybody planning to apply for art and design courses at RMIT. They provide tips and advice on attending a selection interview and preparing a portfolio. http://www.rmit.edu.au/media-objects/multimedia/video/students/applying-for-art-and-design-courses http://www.rmit.edu.au/media-objects/multimedia/video/students/art-and-design-selection-interviews Swinburne Transition to Higher Education Day Wed 14th September, 10:30am – 1:30pm This event is for prospective students from migrant and refugee backgrounds to find out about study options at Swinburne, network with staff and other prospective students, and take a tour of the campus. http://www.swinburne.edu.au/events/departments/engagement/2016/09/transition-to-higher-education-day.php TAFE & Apprenticeships What it’s really like to do an apprenticeship Find out exactly what is involved from real people who’ve recently completed apprenticeships. From cabinet making to business administration, we have close to 50 videos featuring Australian apprenticeship ambassadors on our YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7B_uQpPnIti_Xmugg-8kMLaoX5Z_4tqb https://wacareercentre.wordpress.com/ Australian Training Awards Real Stories Real Achievements Videos These videos produced by the Australian Training Awards tell the stories of people who have experienced career success through VET study. https://www.vetnetwork.org.au/resources/australian-training-awards-skills-and-training-video-series Box Hill Institute Folio Preparation 27th September or 28th September These workshops are for students who are applying to Box Hill Institute courses that require the presentation of a folio. http://www.boxhill.edu.au/courses/folio-preparation-paffp-sc/ Other News Becoming an Architect

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Architects are professionally trained designers who work on buildings and the built environment. They combine creative design with a wide range of technical knowledge to provide integrated solutions for built and natural environments. Find out more: http://www.architecture.com.au/architecture/national/becoming-an-architect I Choose Technology This website has information about careers in information technology, as well as skills you can develop and courses you can study to get into the industry. http://www.ichoosetechnology.com.au/ Rail Careers There are a wide range of careers available in the rail industry, these include engineering, customer service, corporate jobs and more. This website provides information about the industry and provides students with information about how they can succeed in the industry. http://railcareers.net.au/ TSFX: Creating and Implementing Effective Exam Study Timetables http://www.tsfx.com.au/hsc-study-tips/ Young Endeavour: 2016 Youth Development Voyages The Young Endeavour undertakes around 20 voyages each year with 24 young Australians and nine specially trained Royal Australian Navy crew, usually for an eleven-day adventure at sea. The ballot is now open for applications. Eligible Australians aged 16 – 23 can apply for Youth Development voyages sailing from January to June 2016. http://www.youngendeavour.gov.au/ C.A.S. Hawker Scholarship The C.A.S. Hawker Scholarship is awarded to Australian students, usually those entering their first year of university. It is awarded based on personal qualities, demonstrated leadership and academic ability. Applications for the 2017 scholarship open 5th December 2016 and close 6th January 2017. http://www.hawkerscholarship.org/ National Summer Art Scholarships 2016 Applications close 31st October Scholarships allow students in Year 11 to spend a week over summer (14th – 21st January 2017) at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. This provides an opportunity to engage with staff at the National Gallery as well as other arts professionals, artists and peers from around the nation. Two students from each state and territory will be selected to participate in the program. Contact: (02) 6240 6632 or summerartscholarship@nga.gov.au http://nga.gov.au/SummerArtScholarship/index.cfm 2016 Unleashed Festival 24th September 2016, 10:30am – 6pm, Federation Square, Melbourne This event is for young change makers in Australia. The day will include a speaker series, live music, a marketplace and more. The event is free to attend. https://www.facebook.com/events/567911226713753/

Trish Paddick/Donna Tate/Carole Marcianti

Careers Team

Excellence Through Endeavour

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VCE Revision Lectures and Exam Preparation

Who are we? Engage provides high quality, accessible education resources for VCE students. Each year our programs help thousands of Year 11 and 12 students to achieve

their best. We are a not-for-profit organisation, which means that all our profits go toward further assisting students in their studies. Why choose Engage? With exams just around the corner, it’s the best decision you’ll make.

Best teachers – our lectures are delivered by experienced teaching professionals, including VCAA assessors, exam writers and textbook authors.

Great resources – students will receive a comprehensive notes pack, teacher slides and access to an exclusive practice exam.

More value – a full day revision at 6.5 hours for just $59.

onvenience – all our lectures are run at the University of Melbourne, located just outside the CBD and close to public transport.

For more information or to enrol, visit our website: ee.org.au/lectures.

Excellence Through Endeavour