PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

MODEL UN

McKinnon hosted the annual Model UN at McKinnon Road campus on Friday 10 May. Sixty McKinnon students from Years 9-12 represented 15 countries to negotiate a draft resolution on the topic of artificial intelligence, including its benefits for sustainable development and challenges for human rights. 

Thank you to Mr William Lee for coordinating this event, as well as the AV team and facilities team for their support. A special thank you also to Tania Burnell for organising catering for over 140 staff and students. 

It was a pleasure hosting students and staff from Caulfield Grammar, Oakleigh Grammar, St Leonard’s College, Dromana College, and OLSH and we thank them for their participation. 

These events are such valuable opportunities for students to develop their global citizenship, public speaking and negotiating skills. 

EDUCATION PERFECT

The Education Perfect Languages Championship 2024 has concluded, and I am delighted to report that our school achieved outstanding results. Thanks to the collective efforts of our students, we secured 2nd place in the global ranking.

Performance Highlights:

• Total Points Earned: Our students amassed a remarkable total of 447,492 points during the competition.
• Winning House: Congratulations to Chisholm House for leading with the highest point contribution, demonstrating incredible teamwork and determination.

Awards Earned:

• Credit Awards: 91 students
• Bronze Awards: 42 students
• Silver Awards: 17 students
• Gold Awards: 10 students
• Emerald Awards: 6 students
• Elite Awards: 8 students

These achievements are not just numbers; they reflect the hard work, persistence, and enthusiasm of our students towards language learning. The success in this championship illustrates the potential and excellence that our students carry into every challenge they face.

As we celebrate these fantastic results, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the teachers and staff who encouraged and supported our students throughout the event. Your efforts have been pivotal in achieving this success. In particular, I thank Mr Cedric Chamontin who coordinated this event and ensured it ran as successfully as possible.

SENIOR ENSEMBLES CONCERT 

The Senior Ensembles Concert was held on Tuesday evening in the Hall. The concert featured performances by all Senior Core Ensembles, as well as the Saxophone Quartet, Senior Singers, Senior Percussion Ensemble and Senior Stage Band. 

The event was a wonderful celebration of students working together at a high level, and the enjoyment was obvious for performers and the audience. 

Thank you to Clare Bugeja for overseeing the organisation of the concert, the AV and facilities teams, ensemble directors and all of our wonderful music staff.

KINGSTON CROSS COUNTRY

On Wednesday 22nd May we had 80 students represent McKinnon at Karkarook Park in the Kingston Cross Country Division. McKinnon once again had a successful day winning both individual and team events. 

Congratulations to our individual winners Luka Sideridis, Sophie Arbaitman and Archie Sideridis. McKinnon also won 4 of the team events. Good luck to the 45 students who have qualified for the Southern Metro Region Cross Country to be held on Thursday June 25th at Ballam Park.

Thank you to Mrs Breidahl, Mr Hudd, Mr Adlington, Mr Hoskin and Miss Weiss for their support.  What an incredible achievement! 

YEARS 10 & 11 THEATRE STUDIES

Congratulations to the Years 10 and 11 Theatre Studies students for their performance showcase which was held last Friday night.

The Year 10s performance of Atomic was creative and filled with lots of laughs, while the year 11s performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream was engaging and action-packed.

It was a wonderful night with lots of laughs and entertainment from both year levels and I thank their teacher Ellie Adler for her work in preparing both classes.

Acknowledgements as well to the AV team for their assistance in the setup, Andrew Krause for media and photography and Jacob Hollingsworth from Year 9 who operated the lighting. 

VCE-VM CELEBRATION

VCE-VM (formally named VCAL) has been running at McKinnon Secondary College for a decade!  To celebrate this incredible milestone, our current Year 11 and 12 VCE-VM classes held a gala event at lunchtime which included a sausage sizzle to fundraise for a local charity that helps families in need - Compass Community Care.  

Students teamed up with Dallin Tanuvasa from the HP BOYZ to entertain the crowd with their DJ skills and they also ran a touch rugby tournament with the help of Maradona and Daniel from Stacks in the Middle.   

These events were held to celebrate the success of all the students who have come through the program over the years and to thank the teachers who set it up in 2014 and who are still working tirelessly to support our students, especially Mr Noble, Mr Howe and Mrs Tsitas.  A special thank you also to Tyron Lauago, a graduate of the first VCAL class of 2014, and now a member of staff, for all his help in organising this successful event.

IDAHOBIT DAY

On Friday 17 May, we celebrated IDAHOBIT Day which is the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia & Transphobia. This important day aims to raise awareness of LGBTQI+ rights.

Our Pride Club held a bake sale at both campuses, with all proceeds going to MINUS18, a charity that supports young LGBTQIA+ people. 

Thank you to Ms Lauren Maserow and Mr Jordan Abela for coordinating these fun events, which play a vital role in raising awareness and demonstrating solidarity with LGBTQIA+ students and community members.