PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

PARENT-TEACHER-STUDENT CONFERENCES 

Thank you to all parents and caregivers who attended the online Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences. It’s important that we work together with students and their families to ensure we all have a clear understanding of how students are performing and how we can support improvement.

These sessions provide important feedback to ensure our students receive the best possible advice and support. I would like to thank our staff for providing this detailed feedback.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY WEEK 

This week we have been celebrating our annual Cultural Diversity Week event. This event is more than just a celebration; it is an opportunity for students, teachers, and the overall school community to embrace and showcase the rich variety of cultures that make our school so unique. 

I would like to thank Mr Dang and Mr Jansen for assisting with all of the different food stalls which were an absolute hit. They created an atmosphere enriched with beautiful cuisines from across the world, satisfying the taste buds of many. 

Some highlights include cultural quizzes, giving students the chance to learn about different cultures, origami workshops as well as musical performances, where students took part in K-pop Just Dance off at both campuses. Students also enjoyed musical karaoke activities and finished off with the World Music Ensemble playing a magnificent piece.  Overall it was a fantastic experience to celebrate and embrace Cultural Diversity at McKinnon.  Thank you to all the staff and students involved, especially Mrs Nayyar for overseeing the entire event.

YEAR 12 PRACTICE EXAMS

I wish our Year 12 students good luck when undertaking their practice exams during the second week of the holidays. Student Compass schedules have been updated to reflect the exam times.

Our advice to students is to complete the revision exercises and past exams papers and use your time wisely to ensure you give yourself the best opportunity to optimise your performance.

VCE MUSIC NIGHT

Congratulations to all the VCE Music Performance students involved in the VCE Music Night.

The dedication and commitment to your music is impressive. We wish you all the best as you prepare for your final performance assessment. 

Thank you to everyone involved - the audio visual team, the staff who attended and helped out with the evening and also, the friends and families who attended and provided their continued support. Thank you also to Andrew Albanis for organising this outstanding event.

STATE SCHOOL SPECTACULAR

Well done to the following students who represented McKinnon at this year's State School Spectacular. This is always an incredible event filled with many talented students both on stage and of course, back of house.

Thank you to these students for waving the McKinnon flag and for your contributions and dedication to the arts.

• James Suntoso (Year 8): Orchestra - violin
• Raphael Sae-Teo  (Year 8): Orchestra - violin
• Jacob Hollingsworth (Year 9): Lighting
• Vicky Bui (Year 9): Lighting

COMPASS LOGIN 

In light of the increasing risk and vulnerability in online security, I remind parents and carers to regularly change their Compass passwords. 

Please ensure you always keep your login details separate and private from your students. 

I also remind you to keep the school informed of up to date contact details. It is imperative that we can contact the right person in the case of an emergency as well as send important postal information (like NAPLAN results) to the correct address.

CANTEEN

We will be welcoming a new canteen provider, Nourish & Go from the beginning of Term 4.

We look forward to the new menu and hope you will support them.

I would like to thank Elynwood Catering for their tenure at McKinnon and wish them continued success for their future endeavours.

DEBATING

Congratulations to all participants in this year’s Debating Association of Victoria Junior Speaking Program. The JSP provides the opportunity for Years 7 and 8 students to participate in training sessions, view demonstrations and compete against other schools, over the course of four evenings. McKinnon Secondary College hosts these evenings for our region, catering to many schools, students, parents, teachers and adjudicators.

This event not only teaches skills in debating, but develops students' capacity for teamwork, accountability, responsibility, communication and commitment. Every student is to be congratulated on how enthusiastically they have approached this opportunity and how much improvement they have made in their skills.

A special thank you goes to our staff, Nesrene Barakat and Fusun Ozcagli, who have coordinated the evenings, and provided unwavering support for our students in their preparation for the events. I also thank the Year 10 debaters, who have volunteered as helpers on each of the four debating evenings.

Congratulations once again to everyone involved. 

YEAR 8 GIRLS SOCCER STATE FINALS

Congratulations to the Year 8 Girls Soccer Team who have had another excellent run in their inter-school competition this year.

In the State Finals on Wednesday, the girls had an excellent run in their pool games against Keilor Downs and Colac. Unfortunately the team's run was cut short due to weather during their game against Northcote and no finals were held.

The team has performed incredibly well over their time in Junior Sport, with no losses in regular time over two years.

Thank you to coach Caitlin Arneil and to all of the staff & student helpers throughout the year.

INTERMEDIATE GIRLS SOCCER STATE FINALS 

Congratulations also to the Intermediate Girls Soccer team who represented the school at the state finals. They fought hard all day, never gave up resulting in 3rd place in the State. 

Well done to the whole team, and Mrs Karro for coaching them.

Finally, I want to thank our staff and students for a wonderful Term 3. It has been another extremely busy Term, filled with many opportunities for growth, both academically and socially. I wish all families a restful break.