McKinnonNEWS

ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS' REPORT

Michael Kan
Michael Kan
Richard Long
Richard Long
Lachlan Noble
Lachlan Noble
Kellie Felmingham
Kellie Felmingham
Peter Quinn
Peter Quinn

WELCOME

Welcome to the 2021 school year. We especially welcome those families who are new to our school community.  

COMPASS

McKinnon Secondary College uses Compass School Manager as our parent portal. It provides effective communication between parents and the College, and simplifies a range of administrative procedures. Using Compass you will be able to view your child’s assessment results through ‘Learning Tasks’, approve student absences, provide consent/payment for excursions (known as Compass Events), and book Parent-Teacher-Student Conference times, among many other tasks. 

 

All parents need to ensure their Compass username and password are kept secure and confidential. As parents have the ability to approve absences online, your login details should not be shared with your child. In addition to using Compass, parents are welcome to provide notes, emails and/or call the College to inform us of absences.  

 

Parents can access Compass via the link on the McKinnon Secondary College website. Compass also has a phone app which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. Any parents who are new to McKinnon this year and have not received their login details should contact the General Office. For parents who accessed Compass last year, the same username and password still applies. 

ARRIVAL AT SCHOOL ON TIME – 8:30AM

Students who arrive late to Period 1 (which begins at 8:50am) will receive an automatic after school detention, unless a note with an acceptable excuse is provided by a parent/carer. An acceptable excuse is a doctor’s appointment, illness, etc.

 

We have this system because we believe that:

i. Research shows the best learning occurs early in the day;

ii. Students must be organised and prepared for all classes;

iii. Our teachers and students who are punctual should not have their lessons interrupted by late students;

iv. Period 1 sets the ‘tone’ for each day.

 

Therefore we ask all parents to support our expectations by ensuring students arrive at school each day by 8:30am so they can get organised for the start of Period 1 at 8:50am.

UNIFORM

Please ensure your child comes to school in correct uniform that is in good condition at all times (clean, no tears/marks, ironed shirts, etc.). Boys must wear a plain black belt with both shorts and long trousers, with their shirt tucked in. Boys must wear plain college grey socks (no branding); black socks are not acceptable.  Only polished black lace-up shoes are acceptable for both boys and girls. Facial piercings such as nose studs are not acceptable and students will be instructed to remove such piercings on-the-spot. Clear studs are also not permitted. We want students to wear the uniform with pride and it is an important part of our school culture.

 

A reminder to parents that the sports jacket is only to be worn with the sports uniform. This replaces the Kia spray jacket that will be phased out and is no longer sold at the uniform shop. Students in Years 11 and 12 may still wear this jacket with their sports uniform this year.  

 

Please note this year students in the Senior School (Years 10-12) who undertake PE must change into their sports uniform at recess or lunch, depending on when their scheduled PE class is occurring.  Students who have PE in Periods 1 and 2 may wear the sports uniform to school - but must change back into their summer/winter uniform at recess. Students who have PE after lunch may wear their sports uniform home.  Year 10s must change in the gym change-rooms; Year 11-12 students must change in the new Senior Centre change-rooms on the ground floor.

 

Students in the Junior School (Years 7-9) may wear their sports uniform for the whole day if they have sport or PE. Some Year 9s subjects will require students to be in sports uniform occasionally - classroom teachers will inform students in advance where necessary. For days when Junior students do not have PE/sport, they must be in full summer/winter uniform.

 

The College blazer is the outer uniform garment for all students in Years 7 - 12.  Blazers are optional in Terms 1 & 4; however, when travelling to/from school, students wishing to wear an outer garment must wear their blazer (rather than the College jumper). The blazer is the compulsory outer garments in Terms 2 & 3.

 

Please note that we have a new uniform supplier Bob Stewart. They have a store in Centre Rd, Bentleigh. Parents in financial difficulty are encouraged to contact our Student Wellbeing Coordinator, Ms Patty Etcell, for assistance with the provision of uniforms.

SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS

School photographs will take place on Thursday 11 February. Please ensure your child attends in correct summer uniform. Parents interested in purchasing school photos do not need to do anything before photo day. This year unique codes will be issued to all students on the day. This will provide details about registering online. When images are available, all parents who have registered will be notified by SMS and email - they can then view and order. This year all school photos will be delivered directly to families.  

CHROMEBOOKS

McKinnon’s Chromebook program plays a vital role in delivering an effective and engaging curriculum. Its success relies on all students using the same platform - as such, all students therefore need to have a school-approved Chromebook. They must also adhere to the following expectations:

  • bring their Chromebook to school every day, with the battery fully charged (it is a good idea to plug it in the night before);
  • take their Chromebook to every class - when and how it will be used will be at the discretion of the teacher;
  • ensure their Chromebook is only used for educational purposes; students’ use of these devices (and all ICT resources such as Gmail, Google docs, etc.) must be appropriate at all times and be in line with the College’s values of respect and integrity;
  • never sign-in to the school’s network using another person's Chromebook, and do not permit others to use their Chromebook at school;
  • always store their Chromebook securely when not using it - in lockers in between classes and in bags when travelling to and from school.

If families need to purchase a new Chromebook, please contact the IT office on help@mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au

 

For more information about our Chromebook program go to: http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au/p/student-laptop-program.html

 

We thank all families for supporting this important part of our teaching and learning program.

PROGRESSIVE ACHIEVEMENT TESTING

PAT Testing will once again take place for all students in Years 7 to 9 in the areas of Reading, Grammar & Punctuation, Maths and Science. These tests focus on monitoring student growth over time and allow our staff to tailor their teaching to the needs of individual learners in our classrooms. These assessments reflect the College's commitment to deliver the best program to each student.

WALNUT ST GATE LOCKED

Please note the Walnut St Gate is locked at all times. Students accessing the school from the north must enter and exit via the Draper St gate. The Draper St gate is locked from around 9:30 am to 2:30 pm.

SCHOOL POLICY REMINDERS

Distribution and Storage of Medication - if students are required to take medication during the school day, parents/carers must complete and return this Medical Authority Form to the Sick Bay, together with the medication (which needs to be clearly labelled with the student’s name, the dosage required, and the time the medication needs to be administered). It is crucial that families and the College work together to ensure this process is always implemented safely.

 

Privacy Policy - McKinnon Secondary College needs to collect and use personal data associated with students and parents for standard school functions. We comply with all aspects of the Department of Education and Training’s Privacy Policy. Information about that policy can be found here.  

 

Students in College photos/videos - as part of the enrolment process, parents/carers provide permission for their child to be involved in photos/videos taken by the College. These media are used for standard school functions (e.g. documenting school events such as sporting carnival and assemblies). If parents/carers want to withdraw this authorisation, it is their responsibility to inform McKinnon Secondary College on 8520 9000.

BIKE SECURITY

Last year we provided a roof for the bike sheds so that students can keep their bikes out of the weather during the day. There are now more spaces for bikes to be secured. We ask that all students lock their bike with a secure lock each day. It is impossible to investigate stolen bikes when they are not properly secured. Please note we do not have insurance to cover the loss of bikes, so to prevent bikes being stolen please make sure your child is using a secure bike lock.