Good evening parents, students, friends and relatives, welcome to Koonung Secondary College Thank you for taking the time to attend our information evening. I hope you have had an opportunity to join a tour this evening and investigate the wonderful and varied programs and opportunities on offer to our students. You may wish to join one of the Tuesday or Thursday morning tours we run each week during term 2. Bookings for these tours can be made online at our web address. I trust that each family has obtained a prospectus and I will refer during my presentation. This evening I wish to outline what I see to be the future skill set required by students graduating in the 21 st century and how Koonung is well placed to develop these skills in its students. A recent survey of 1500 business leaders from around the world, including Fortune 500 CEO s, University Deans and political leaders, determined that the 2 most sought after characteristics of employees are: Creativity and the ability to innovate and bring new ideas AND Adaptability to change, resilience and flexibility in their approach to work and life in general. This finding is not surprising when you consider the pace of change in the world today. 1
11 years ago we had no access to iphones, ipads, facebook, twitter or smartphones. The pace of change demands flexible and adaptable learners, workers and teachers. The role of a school is to develop these characteristics in young people, BUT there is much more for which we are responsible and must strive to develop in our students. Including: Cultural and social competencies such as standards of behaviour and tolerance of diversity, building a sense of community and an awareness of the environment in which we live. There is an old adage It takes a village to raise a child Personal aspects such as recognising and nurturing individuality, uniqueness, different talents and abilities. At Koonung we recognise that at the heart of education is the facilitation of learning, the learner is central in this. Great teachers are passionate about engaging people in their subject area, being an expert is just not enough. To this end, we have developed a 4-year strategic plan now in its second year with a focus on what takes place in the classroom. 2
Engagement of students in their learning and the upskilling of our teaching staff is our number 1 priority. Professor Linda Darling-Hammond from Stanford University in America recently presented on the topic of Teacher Evaluation what really matters for effectiveness and improvement She made the following points 1. Teachers are the most important school related factor influencing student achievement 2. How teachers are supported and prepared throughout their careers is vital to their success 3. Teaching is a team sport and collaborative models of teacher planning and learning are imperative We are investing heavily in Teacher Professional Development. Staff are challenged and supported to hone their skills through a range of means including: Coaching by an outside facilitator this year focusing on our middle tier leaders Mentors for all new teaching staff University of Melbourne MOTeaching involvement Praxis where groups of teachers collaborate around common themes Teachers visiting and observing each others classrooms Domain leader teams with a focus on the teaching and learning taking place in the classroom 3
Leading Teachers whose work focuses on classroom practice, these being staff leadership and growth, pedagogy and classroom practice, curriculum programs and documentation o ICT Coaches to support the 1:1 notebook program delivery In the past 2 years over $100,000 has been allocated to teacher Professional Development, in addition we continue as the lead school in the SCTE project with the University of Melbourne as our key partner. It brought $250,000 over 2 years into the project schools and a further $100,000 is currently under negotiation Our vision as outlined on page 3 of the prospectus, is to develop all our staff to become great teachers, to adapt teaching styles to learning styles, to fully engage students and to develop real and meaningful relationships with students. Professor Carol Dweck from the United States has provided research into the Fixed VS Growth Mindset. She found that the majority of people have either a fixed mindset, which dwells on the negative or a Growth Mindset, which we encourage and nurture at Koonung within our staff and students. Those with a growth mindset Embrace challenges Persist in the face of setback 4
Realise that if they make an effort they will learn Capitalise on mistakes and confront their deficiencies Are not afraid to fail and try new strategies in order to succeed Knowing what to do when you don t know what to do Mind expanding education assists in developing resilience and a growth mindset this is what we deliver at Koonung. At this point I wish to refer you to the prospectus, which provides a great deal of information about our school. Including: Purpose and values page 1 VCE results page 2 Community partnerships page 4 Well-being and engagement policies page 7 Extra-curricular opportunities Programs at the middle years (years 7 9) page 10 Programs at the senior years (years 10 12) page 11 1:1 notebook program page 12 Opportunities to be creative page 13 Student leadership page 17 And our International student program page 16 It is not possible to expand on all of these areas. I have selected only some of them to highlight in my presentation tonight. 5
The first is the transition program from primary into secondary school. It is the attention to detail and taking the extra effort which sets Koonung apart and gives every student the best opportunity to settle into secondary school. Year 7 transition. Two visits including orientation day in December Attention to detail, taking extra steps Camp first week focus groups with parents have reinforced the value of this activity Smaller class sizes average class size 21 at year 7 Connections Teachers phone calls home Mentor students year 10s greet and work with new year 7s on Orientation Day in December and work with year 7 students in connections classes Year level assemblies weekly Diary checks during connections class Middle years centre and co-ordination team Own toilets Basketball rings and 4 square courts No homework for first 2 weeks of school Early finish to the day in term 1 for year 7s to get to their lockers and bus without the crowds Separate locker areas for girls and boys 6
Wear Sport s uniform on Thursdays DEAR program COMPASS communication platform between home and school, staff and students High Achievers Program Koonung Secondary College is a school which caters for students with differing abilities and interests. We encourage students to develop at their own pace and we celebrate their different talents and skills. Students who are highly able often have needs which require special attention, and it is for this reason that the High Achievers Program is offered. The High Achievers Program which caters for students in years 7 9 is not an acceleration program. It is a program which allows students to progress through school with their age-peers, while ensuring that they are kept challenged with work that is appropriate to their abilities. Students in the High Achievers Program are provided with work which enriches and extends them in a number of areas. Emphasis is placed on higher level thinking and on problem solving. The High Achievers Program is designed to benefit those students who have shown academic aptitude in one or more specific areas of the curriculum. A High Achiever is not necessarily good at everything, but will show an ability beyond 7
that of most of his or her peers. A High Achiever must be prepared to take on challenges, take risks with learning and be self-directed. A High Achiever will be encouraged to develop areas of specific interest and to pursue independent learning in these. Students who apply for the program will be asked to sit a general aptitude test in May of this year. In addition, they may be asked to present a portfolio of recent work to support their application. This program was developed by Koonung over 10 years ago and has been replicated in many neighbourhood schools VCE Results Koonung is a school which serves its local community and therefore takes all comers. The student cohort is reflective of our community, and all students are encouraged to complete their education at Koonung. We pride ourselves on the range of pathways offered to our students and a Leading Teacher was recently appointed to the position of Student Transition and Pathways to further enhance these. Over the last 7 years 2007 2013 our VCE results have been outstanding so we are not one hit wonders. The 2013 results were again excellent with a median study score of 31. 17% (26 students) of ATAR scores were 90 or more. 32% were 80 or 8
more and 57% of students (85 students) achieved an ATAR of 70 or more placing them in the top 30% of the State. Over a seven year period the median study score has averaged 31.5 and percentage study scores over 40 have averaged 10% 20% of ATAR scores have been 90 or better. Typically 75% of Koonung students enter a University Degree course, the remaining 25% undertake a TAFE diploma or apprenticeship. 100% of students complete their VCE at the year 12 level. Last year s DUX achieved an ATAR of 99.75 and 10 students scored an ATAR of 95 or better. Extra-Curricular Activities The college curriculum has not been compromised in the pursuit of academic excellence. Koonung has maintained a holistic approach to student development. There is something for very child at Koonung 1. Whole school events build a sense of pride and camaraderie and these include Koonung Day Swimming Carnival Athletics carnival Whole School assemblies each term Presentation Evening 9
And this year is our 50 th Anniversary Other opportunities on offer include the 2. Year 9 LiveLife program and Surf Camps 3. Year 10 Link program and year 10 curriculum 4. Instrumental music program 5. School musical, play, music concerts, talent quest every year 6. Sport Education at years 7 & 8 7. World Challenge 8 Ski camp Surf camp Year 7 camp and year 8 Wollangarra Camp 9 Debating 10 Lunchtime activities and clubs 11 International student exchange programs 12 Sister schools in France, Japan, and China The concept of community, what is it to be part of a community, and the importance of contributing to the community are core values for our school. These values are on display every day and evening at Koonung, including weekends. Partnerships we embrace include: University of Melbourne (MOT) Koonung Comets Junior Basketball club 10
Camberwell Grammar School The XJS Chinese Cultural School Camberwell Hockey Club Box Hill & Kew Hockey Clubs Nunawading Junior Soccer Club Box Hill TAFE The Schools as Centres for Teaching Excellence cluster International student program Whitehorse City Council Mont Albert and Surrey Hills Rotary Club o Interact These partnerships provide important links, opportunities and networks for our students. Some of them provide additional income for the school through facility hire and project funding. This extra income allows the school to provide additional staff to support programs such as: LiveLife Sport Maths program at years 7 9 Music connections and mentor support to all students from years 7-12 Closing statements 11
A great school is the sum of many parts The Koonung experience is the product of Great teachers and significant investment in their ongoing professional development Innovative and well planned programs community links and networks Genuine partnerships with parents Attention to detail in transition processes for students moving from year 6 into year 7, year 9 into year 10 and VCE onto further studies Our students could not be better supported. Commitment to continuous whole school improvement is paramount. Living policies and implementation of these policies are a strength of Koonung. Amongst others, I refer to Uniform Student wellbeing Staff development Community engagement ICT responsible use AND Student leadership 12
Finally, thank you for considering Koonung, please be aware that we enrol students from within our neighbourhood area and from without. If you choose Koonung and it is not your local neighbourhood school, you are entitled to place Koonung as your preferred school on the request for placement form provided by your primary school. In recent years, all students placing Koonung as their first preference have achieved entry. I look forward to greeting many of you in the near future and thank you for your attendance tonight. Peter Wright Principal. Koonung Secondary College 13