PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

I firstly want to acknowledge the significant weather event that occurred last Tuesday. Many families, staff and locals were affected and our thoughts are with all who were impacted.

Our school experienced some minor flooding, we lost power and internet and our grounds were ravaged.

Unfortunately we had to cancel our Year 12 Information Night however parents/carers have been emailed with information.

Thank you to everyone who helped ensure our school was cleaned up and could continue to run smoothly. 

The care and support of our wonderful community continues and I wholeheartedly thank you.

PAT TESTING

Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 undertook PAT testing last week. The results of these tests provide us with insightful data to ensure our staff can deliver targeted teaching to best support your child's needs.

SENIOR BOYS CRICKET  

The prestigious Senior Boys Cricket has a rich history of success in the Kingston Division round robin, and the 2024 line-up last week had their chance to continue this success. In the group stage the team first faced Bentleigh who batted first and in their 8 overs really got away from us smashing 80+ runs.  They lead from the front by their opening batsman making 50 runs. The runs on the board were too many for us to chase down in our 8 overs, and Bentleigh went on to win the Division later that day.

For the remainder of the day, the boys put in some great performances knocking off Westhall, Parkdale and Mordialloc on our way to 3rd place in the tournament. 

Well done to all the boys who participated, and special thanks to Senin Seymour (Year 12) for his great leadership as captain. Thank you also to their coach Chris Hudd for his support and expert guidance.

COURAGE TO CARE

During week two and three of this term, our Year 8 students participated in the Courage to Care program, which is aimed at developing "Upstanders" within the community to stand up and support the victim/s of bullying and harassment of all kinds in a safe way.  

Drawing upon the horrific events of the Holocaust, the program looks at how being a bystander of all types of bullying and harassment can lead to disgraceful acts against a person, people or communities. Students heard incredible stories of survival from Holocaust survivors and their families and engaged with various interactive activities and group discussions. The devoted volunteers from Courage to Care guided our students through the emotions and motives of both victim and perpetrator in a variety of contemporary scenarios in order to explore how an upstander could turn the table against the perpetrator/s and support the victim. 

It is these key learnings on being an upstander, that we hope our students take with them to bring positive change amongst their peers and the wider McKinnon community. We encourage you to continue the conversation at home with your child on the positive effects an upstander can bring.

I thank Courage To Care for again providing these experiences for our students.

SUN PROTECTION

We want to maintain a sun-smart culture at McKinnon. Hats are a compulsory component of our uniform when students have PE/sport classes outdoors during Terms 1 and 4. If students do not have a hat, they will not be able to participate in the activity and they will receive a detention. Sunscreen is always available and our sports teachers will continue to encourage students to use it. 

I thank you for your support in making sure our students have the uniform items required. Please refer to our Health Section for further information on how to be Sunsmart.

THERAPY DOGS

Luke and our wonderful Therapy Dogs from Miracle Paws have returned to bring us happiness and social emotional support. We are proud to support this initiative from our wellbeing team which assists students and staff feel more comfortable and less anxious at school. Our new Year 7 students have embraced this opportunity to engage with this program, which is great to see.

SCHOOL CONTRIBUTIONS 

I sincerely thank all families that have paid their voluntary contributions as our school relies on these funds to provide the very best opportunities for our students.

The difference these generous contributions make is significant. These voluntary payments allow us to deliver learning programs that we would otherwise not be able to afford and support us to provide the best possible facilities and outdoor environments for our students.