PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

ANZAC DAY

On Friday 25 April, School Captains Amelie Villella and Jake Lasnitzki (Year 12) along with East Campus captains Yael Lasnitzki and Itay Volnerman (Year 9) accompanied Mr Quinn, Mr Serebrianik, Ms West and myself to the ANZAC Day ceremony at the Bentleigh RSL. 

Thank you also to the Senior Brass Ensemble and Vocalists for their impressive and moving performance.

As always, these commemorative services are significant and reflective events and I am thankful we could be involved.

‘LEST WE FORGET’

CENTRAL AUSTRALIA CAMP 

This year’s Year 11 students embarked on an unforgettable adventure through the heart of Central Australia during the last week of term and first week of holidays. The journey, filled with cultural experiences, physical challenges, and moments of reflection, created lifelong memories for all involved.

A highlight for many was of course visiting the iconic Uluru. Students took part in the Valley of the Winds hike at Kata Tjuta, navigating through towering rock formations and experiencing the peacefulness of this sacred site. 

I thank the students for the respectful way they've conducted themselves and an enormous thank you to Kate Jobson, Central Team Leader, and the Year 11 Student Management team of Karen Bares, Lara Gambino, Melinda Howard and Alistair McCooke for organising this event. 

Finally, to the staff who sacrificed their holiday time to volunteer their services (Kate Jobson, Brett Howe, Alistair McCooke, Delmar Zachest, Bailey Scrivener, Courtney Hungerford, Ben Chaney, Hania Zahra, Phoebe Ponsford, Kate Allison, Chloe Hammond, Anna Bourke, Damien Landini, Melinda Howard) these camps cannot run without their goodwill, and I thank you tremendously. 

MEDIEVAL DAY/GEOGRAPHY DAY 

Over the last two days of Term 1, every single Year 8 student was involved in their first Kummargee event - Medieval Day (current History students) and Geography Day (current Geography students). 

In their Kummargee groups, History students competed against other forms in creative events such as: Castle Building, Knight's Armour, Feudal Fashions, Shield Making as well as a special academic challenge. All the creations were presented to raucous cheer and then were followed by a group challenge - Medieval Minute to Win it - where each group had to rotate around 15 stations with 1-minute activities. 

The Geography Day saw students compete in their Kummargee groups in three events - 'Mapping Madness', 'Where in the World?' and 'Geocaching' (an orienteering style challenge) and then all come together for a giant Trivia Gala with lots of cheering and heaps of prizes. Each student will get the opportunity to compete in the opposite activity in Semester 2 as they switch between History and Geography. 

Thank you to the Year 8 History and Geography teams for all the hard work in putting the smiles on the faces of the entire cohort. 

GROOVE AND GRAZE

Congratulations to Blankface band composed of Year 12 McKinnon students Katelyn Nguyen, Daniel Howe, Milana Smirnova, JJ Braithwaite, Luca Frazer and Lurandt Wolmarans who performed at the annual Glen Eira Groove and Graze event on Saturday 5 April. 

The crowd was filled with McKinnon students showing their support. It's fantastic to see our students thrive and perform at these fabulous community events.

PARENT TEACHER STUDENT CONFERENCES

Thank you to the parents and carers who participated in the Parent Teacher Student Conferences. The partnership between the school and our families contributes significantly to the success of our students. I hope the feedback was insightful and will assist in guiding students to the most positive outcomes.

VALE ANTHONY BRESLIN

I am sad to inform our community that Anthony Breslin, the award-winning artist who facilitated the East campus Art Mural in 2023 has passed away.

Anthony was a Melbourne-based Artist who exhibited his work throughout Australia, Europe, the UK and Asia.

We feel so privileged that Anthony's collaborative mural, "Frolic in the Mind's Garden" will be an everlasting homage to his legacy. Anthony is forever a friend of the McKinnon school community.

MCKINNON SPORTS

It has been a busy and successful start to the term for our McKinnon athletes with Baseball, Softball, Tennis and Volleyball teams all competing in Southern Metro Region Finals, with many teams having great success and making it through to State Finals later in the year. 

Our swimmers and divers were also out in force this week competing at the SSV State Finals. Congratulations to our many talented sports people! Read more in the Sports News section.

MIRACLE PAWS

We know that the Miracle Paws care dogs have an incredibly positive impact on our students when visiting us at school, but it was a surprise when ten McKinnon students bumped into them at the MCG last weekend!

Thank you to Luke and all of the wonderful care dogs who continue to bring joy and help reduce stress and anxiety to students at McKinnon and beyond.

ATTITUDES TO SCHOOL SURVEY

Over the coming weeks students will be participating in the Department of Education's annual Attitudes to School Survey. This is a great way to gain an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school and the feedback helps to drive ongoing school improvement. The survey will take around 20 minutes and students will be asked about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, their learning, peer relationships, resilience, bullying, health and wellbeing, physical activity, and life in general.  

More information is included in the following document.  If you have any questions, please contact the school.

ENROLMENTS

Please be aware that the enrolment process for siblings changed last year. If you wish to enrol a student commencing Year 7 for 2026, please click here for more information.