PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Classic moments happen every day at school. The McKinnon Magic I often speak about is seen day in and day out. I want to share a couple of instances which really demonstrate our school values and excellent culture. 

This week our final General Assembly for 2022 took place and these are absolutely priceless. It was my final General Assembly and a real celebration of wisdom and service. Our community shone!

I thank the School Council President for his exceptionally kind words but also the Year 12s who put together a wonderful video and presented me with my own 'Binners' hoody. It was absolutely a magical moment.

Also this week, the Year 7s approached the Year 11s to play down ball. To see them all compete together every lunchtime has brought me great joy. They feel safe, happy and are thriving building wonderful relationships. 

Students find ‘little cubby houses’ to sit in during the lunch break. Where else would I find this but at McKinnon? Our Year 7s under a table chatting together, smiling and joyful.

After school on Tuesday the choir were rehearsing on the stage and it was absolutely wonderful to hear and enjoy the music. How lucky we are to capture these excellent moments. It is indeed McKinnon Magic! 

On Wednesday we had our ‘(Wo)ManKinnon dance off’. The Year 12 students vs the staff. What a wonderful cultural event. All the students packed the Hall and helped to celebrate an end of year for the class of 2022.  It was indeed another magical occasion. This sets our school apart!

The Year 12 dress up day was colourful, fun and imaginative. These are important celebratory events for the Year 12 cohort and recognition of their important milestone. I thank the entire school for what has been a memorable week. 

Thank you never seems enough, but they are heartfelt. 

Thank you to the wonderful staff, students and parents who make up this wonderful community.

GOODBYE TO THE CLASS OF 2022

The Year 12 Valedictory Dinner was held at  Crown last night. A wonderful celebration marking this significant achievement by these young people.

Parent support is one of the secrets to the success of our school and last night it was well and truly on display in a most impressive way.

Having an event like this creates a great memory for all involved. The Year 12 Graduates were outstanding. I could not have been more proud! 

I congratulate everyone who helped to organise this event and all the staff who were in attendance to support our Class of 2022.

YEAR 12 MEDIA NIGHT

Congratulations to the Year 12 Media students and Mr Pertile for showcasing exceptional work undertaken by the students. Their hard work and dedication was obvious and I wish them continued success in this field. I thank the staff, parents and students who were in attendance to support and encourage these classes. 

VCAL STUDENT PROJECTS

VCAL has been operating at McKinnon for many years and the success of this program and these students can never be underestimated. They head off to TAFE each Wednesday and various areas of work. 

They always undertake duties at school to improve our environment and this week they constructed garden beds and really changed and improved an area of the school. They have also been responsible for putting together the Valedictory packs for the graduation of the class of 2022. 

I thank them for their incredible service and acknowledge and thank Mr Howe for his guidance, support and encouragement of this group of students.

This week they cooked a sausage sizzle raising $2000 for Beyond Blue. Absolutely invaluable service.

MUSIC PERFORMANCE - CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

On the last day of Term 3, Mr West took the Intermediate Saxophone Quartet based at the East Campus to the Treasury Theatre in Spring St to perform at the presentation ceremony for this year’s VCE Student Leadership Awards. 

The students in this new chamber ensemble; JJ Braithwaite, Khiem Tran, Michael Liu and Amelie Villella, rehearsed weekly with Mr West, throughout Term 3 to prepare their program of music which was greatly appreciated on the day. 

Thank you to Mr West and special thanks to Mr Morrissey who filled in for Michael who was unable to attend.

MENTAL HEALTH WEEK

Focusing on mental health has never been as important as it is today. It is essential that we focus on students' mental health and wellbeing as well as their learning; to assist students thrive in all aspects of their lives at school and beyond. 

It is important that students know how they can access mental health support when needed and learn how to build strategies that maintain their mental health and wellbeing despite the challenges of life. 

This week McKinnon used the platform of Mental Health Week (10 - 16 October) to provide a number of activities and mental health promotional material to students across both campuses of the college. 

The collaborative efforts of students and staff to raise mental health awareness was impressive.

A special thank you to Melanie S, our school’s Health Promotion Nurse and Peter Gale from Student Wellbeing for coordinating such wonderful events. What a lovely week of mental health awareness reminding us that good mental health enables us to reach our potential.  

GLEN EIRA ART AWARDS

Congratulations to Isla Walsh (Year 7) and Heidi Robertson-Reid (Year 11) who both won awards for their artworks which they submitted to the annual Glen Eira Youth Art Exhibition. 

The theme of the exhibition was Self-Expression. Isla Walsh won the 10-13 years Junior Award, and Heidi Robertson-Reid won the 14-17 years Senior Award. 

Well done on your tremendous achievement!