PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

COMMUNITY CONFERENCE DAY

Parent-Teacher-Student interviews were held last week and the school was a hive of activity all day! (I know traffic was chaotic and I apologise to our neighbours). However, what a wonderful demonstration of the strong partnership that exists with families and the school. 

I thank the many parents who took the time to say thank you to the staff for their dedication and professionalism.

We all want the best learning outcomes for our students and having these powerful enlightening conversations helps to clarify the state of play but also to celebrate the success thus far and identify areas in need of improvement.

If you missed your appointment or the teacher was ill then please email or contact the school and we will arrange for some feedback from the relevant teachers as soon as possible.

MARKET DAY

This year we held our very first McKinnon Market day at the same time as the Parent-Teacher-Student interviews and what an amazing day it was!

Food trucks, numerous stall holders, rotary assistance and lots and lots of music from our very talented children!

I thank Mrs Masterson, the Assistant Principals and the Interact Club, especially Jessica Salisbury (Year 11) and Myles Kelemen (Year 12) for their tremendous efforts.

Thank you also to the parents for their support.

YEAR 12 PRACTICE EXAMS

We wish our Year 12 students all the best with the upcoming practice exams.

Revision is crucial and I know students will be revising extensively over the next few weeks.

I wish all of them the very best over the coming weeks in preparation for the final exams in November.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN results provide reliable and valid information for our school regarding measuring our impact on student achievement. The results from the tests completed last May have now been released to schools and parents have been sent home a hard copy of their child's results. Once again we are very proud of the outcomes of our students. Our Year 7s and 9s achieved well above the national standards scores across all tests, and the mean results continue to be significantly higher than the state of Victoria.   

What we were particularly pleased with this year was the learning growth of our Year 9 students in all tests when compared to their Year 7 results.  Learning growth is understood as the amount of learning progress that students can make in a given period. This was particularly apparent in the Writing component of NAPLAN, where our Year 9 students' learning growth has been estimated at a double rate of students in other Victorian schools, which is an outstanding result. The work on developmental assessment, research, data visualization, and analytics we have undertaken with our teachers over the last two years to improve writing outcomes for students, involving consultants from The University of Melbourne, is obviously having a positive impact.

SPRING SOIREE

Thank you to Ms Tracy Videon, Ms Clare Bugeja with assistance from Ms Megan Papworth, for the organisation of the Senior Spring Soiree that was held on Monday 16 September in the Lecture Theatre. The standard of playing showcased both large ensembles (Orchestra and Chamber Strings) and smaller chamber ensembles and soloists. It was a relaxing afternoon of entertainment where the joy of music was enjoyed by all who attended.

ASIA WEEK

In the final week of Term 3 we are celebrating Asia week with fabulous food, music and dance which brought about great enjoyment and a celebration of cultural diversity and understanding.

I would like to thank all staff who have helped us to enjoy this event and I would like to particularly acknowledge Mrs Nayyar and Mr Chan for their dedication and commitment to putting together a very enjoyable and successful week of celebration. 

This is a week that helps us become even better global citizens giving us an appreciation and understanding of all things ‘Asian’.

Diversity and respect of other cultures, beliefs and customs is imperative for all of us to become the best citizens possible.

LANGUAGE PERFECT 

While we were unable to defend our language perfect world championship, second in the world is a huge effort from our students! Well done to all the students and staff that participated.

Our students learned 20 different languages finishing 1st overall in German and Russian; 3rd overall in Latin and Greek; and 4th overall in Chinese and French.

Congratulations to our school champion, Luka Magee (Year 8), who finished 7th in the world and Kevin Zhou (Year 8), who placed 14th in the world. What an amazing effort from those Year 8 Boys.

We will be back stronger than ever next year.

NEW CALEDONIA TRIP 

On Saturday 14 September 35 Year 9 French students, along with Ms Jimenez, Ms Annie Koehne, Mr Zachest and Mr King left for New Caledonia.

Travel is such an important part of the rich extra-curricular opportunities for students. I wish them well and know that through this immersion their language skills will be much improved.

I know all parents are receiving daily updates.

STATE SCHOOLS SPECTACULAR

It gives me great pleasure to congratulate Grace James (Year 10), Yael Greenberg (Year 8), John Paul Suntoso (Year 8), Hadyn Collier (Year 8) and Audrey Zhou (Year 8) who participated at the Victorian State Schools Spectacular at Hisense Arena on Saturday 14 September 2019.  This show will be broadcast on Channel 7 in October.

Grace, Yael, John Paul, Hadyn and Audrey are very commendable ambassadors for our school and we wish them all the very best in their future endeavours.

BIG BAND BASH

Congratulations to the Junior, Intermediate and Senior Stage Bands who performed at the Big Band Bash last Friday night.

It was a great night with excellent entertainment, parent support and incredible talent on show.

Putting this show together takes a lot of time and effort and I thank the Music Faculty and for their tremendous efforts.

CONGRATULATIONS

As part of the Australian Girls Choir elite Performing Ensemble, Clare Wever (Year 11) was delighted to be selected to perform alongside Hugh Jackman in six shows which took place at Rod Laver Arena this month. Clare was thrilled to again have the opportunity to perform with 'The Greatest Showman' as she had previously performed in his show 'From Broadway to Oz' in 2015. Well done Clare, this is a marvellous achievement.

UNIFORM - TERM 4

Until Melbourne Cup Day (Tuesday 5 November) students may wear either winter or summer uniform. From Wednesday 6 November all students must be in full summer uniform. We remind all students that you are ambassadors for the McKinnon community at all times, and should therefore wear the McKinnon uniform correctly. For both summer and winter uniforms, the blazer is the required outer garment; in warm weather students may choose not to wear the blazer to/from school, however the College jumper must not be worn as the outer garment.

TERM 3

Term 3 has been very hectic indeed. Tremendous learning has been undertaken and I thank our dedicated, passionate teachers who work tirelessly to ensure students are given every opportunity to strive academically and socially.

We have a strong sense of belonging and community at McKinnon due to the wonderful opportunities provided for the students in our care.

May I wish the community much enjoyment with family and friends over the coming break.