ENGLISH

TO BE OR NOT TO BE! WHO IS THE WINNER?

Over the past few months, McKinnon’s Secondary School Junior Debating teams have participated in many events. From multiple training nights to challenging debates, we have learnt the ropes of what it is like to be a part of a formidable debating team. 

We had the pleasure of hosting multiple schools this year such as Caulfield Grammar, Haileybury, Leibler Yavneh College, Olsh and Star of The Sea. On the first night, multiple adjudicators from various regions come to McKinnon Secondary School to train students in the basic rules of debating. This was held at the East Campus. It was a night packed with important information and the gaining of new knowledge that will help us in years to come. Furthermore, it was great to mingle with students from other schools. 

The three debating topics constituted: That we should ban advertisements that target children, that technology has been harmful to learning at school, and that it should be compulsory for online retailers to have physical stores. Whilst our Junior teams did win a majority of the debates, the teams from the other schools had some excellent speakers so the overall scores were very close.  

We have a lot to learn but with practice, we can become ‘Real Winners’ in the intrinsic art of debating.

Thank you to Ms Ozcagli, Ms Barakat and Ms Zappner for organising this amazing year of debating.

Emanuel Xiberras, Sacha Rose & Khushi Deshmukh, Year 8

YEAR 9 ENGLISH: STUDYING THE DOCUMENTARY, IN MY BLOOD IT RUNS

Our Year 9s have been studying the documentary, In My Blood It Runs with the eventual goal of writing a text response essay in relation to the major themes. Here is a reflection of two of our students on the unit so far:

During this unit, we followed the story of Dujuan and his experiences with the social, education and welfare system. The documentary shows experiences Aboriginal people go through from a personal point of view. The experiences he and his people go through reflects the unjustness of the legal system in Australia. Through this unit I have learnt a lot about their past and experiences that I haven’t learnt in other units. This insight has deepened my understanding of the systemic challenges Aboriginal communities face, particularly in how they are treated by government institutions. 

During this unit, we also wrote Acknowledgement of Countries to read out to our class, and through researching what to say, I have gained knowledge on the differences between Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country. Dujuan's story has opened my eyes to the treatment of Indigenous Australians, and was overall a very valuable unit that we are learning. 

Charmaine’s Acknowledgement:

I acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation, who have cared for and nurtured this land for thousands of years. I pay my respects to their elders, past, and present, and express my deep appreciation for their ongoing connection to this land.

Charmaine Lee, Year 9

In this unit, I learned about the status of Australian Aboriginal people in the justice, education and welfare systems. In terms of justice, I learned about the unfair treatment suffered by Aboriginal people, including the standards of crime and the treatment in prison. I deeply realised that there is still a group of people who suffer such treatment in Australia. Through education and welfare, I learned about the way the Australian government treated Aboriginal people in the past and the unreasonable way of assimilation. I deeply realised that education has an unimaginably huge impact on a group. This is something I have never known. 

Through Dujuan's experience, a vulnerable group that suffered profound unfair treatment was presented to me. I believe that all students should strongly want to protect the original owners of this land.

Zhu Yang, Year 9

YEAR 12 ENGLISH - PRACTICE EXAMS

On Wednesday 2 October at 1:50 pm, the 400 (and something) Year 12 English students sat down to undertake the three-hour English Practice exam. 

We spent the holidays studying and preparing to ensure the exam could be used to set us up as effectively as possible for the real thing. The exam consisted of an analytical essay, a stimulus response, and an argument analysis portion and was used to replicate the exam we will undertake at the end of this month precisely - with real exam conditions and officiators. The practice exam was a positive experience, (whilst challenging!) opportunity to test our skills on responding to topics, as well as identify areas for improvement in terms of time management and writing skills, as well as managing stress and remaining focused. 

The practice exam was a worthwhile experience, as it allowed us to gain a sense of familiarity with exam conditions and allowed us to build a sense of confidence in our exam-taking abilities, to better ready us for the task ahead. Ultimately, the practice exam was a really valuable opportunity for us to challenge ourselves and put in our best effort to make sure we all achieve our goals on the upcoming exam. Thank you to the teachers and exam officiators who made it possible! 

Izzy Lewis, Year 12