PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

The McKinnon Athletics carnival held last Wednesday 6 August saw an impressive turnout of students who braved the chilly conditions at the start of the day. The highlights of the day included the staff v House Captains relay and the fashion parade.

It's always a pleasure to see so many students giving their best and trying new track and field events, sometimes for the first time, all whilst earning the all-important house points.

Well done to the organisers, Jemma Owen and Liam Adlington and thank you to our entire school community for helping out and getting involved. It was a great celebration of the McKinnon values and spirit.

SCHOOL PRODUCTION 

Last week was performance week for the much-anticipated school production of 'Mary Poppins'. A cast and crew of more than 100 students have worked tirelessly since auditions at the end of 2024, and their efforts rewarded us with a spectacular show full of magic, joy and practically perfect performances. The polished and professional quality of the production was simply outstanding. 

I would like to congratulate everyone involved, and especially commend Jessica Sweeney (Year 11), Felix de Lemos (Year 12), Olivia Capurro Martinez (Year 12), Eden Morehu (Year 9), Honorary Leung (Year 10),Tilly Parrish (Year 8), Lia Erlich (Year 10), Bella Schneider (Year 11) andMilana Gavrilenko (Year 12) for their impressive lead performances. 

I also thank the staff who make this all possible, including Ellie Adler, Tom Baldwin, Lucy Angell, Miranda Barber, Annelise Scott, Michael Birkett, Caleb Goldwaser and David Graham, as well as large number of staff volunteers supporting front of house and backstage. Thank you also for the overwhelming support from family and friends.

VOLLEYBALL 3 DAY CUP 

The Three Days Volleyball Schools Cup was held for Years 7 and 11 on the 29-31 July, and for Years 9 and 10 on the 5-7 August. We achieved much success with our athletes, in particular we received two silver, two bronze and a gold medal from the Year 7s across three divisions and a silver medal for the Year 11 Boys honours. Our Year 10 Boys and Girls honours both won gold and our Year 10 div 1 Boys received bronze. We also received the "Spirit of the cup" award for the school with the best team spirit, our athletes recognised for their great sportsmanship on and off the court. 

A huge thank you to all the athletes for participating and the tremendous support we have from our dedicated coaches and teachers involved.

SCIENCE WEEK 

During Science Week, the McKinnon Science Team celebrated all things "Science" for our week-long festival, across both McKinnon Campuses. Highlights included the new Mad About Science "Extraordinary Elements Show" where our Year 9s were shown some incredible chemistry demonstrations, "Planks Incursion" where our Year 7s were challenged to create structures from only small pieces of wooden planks, and the much loved "Imploding Watermelon" demonstration where students witnessed the power of air pressure in action. 

Given the theme of National Science Week is "Decoding the Universe", our Science Team arranged a variety of activities celebrating this theme, such as the Minecraft Education "James Webb Space Telescope" program, Space Science Trivia, "Titans of Space" VR platform, where students could explore other planets in space in a virtual reality experience, as well as our much loved "Van de Graaff" demonstrations, showcasing the wonders of static electricity. 

This year, our McKinnon value of "Community" was truly celebrated during Science Week, with all Science teachers participating in these activities, and even members of our IT Team and Student Tech Team lending a helping hand for programs such as "Universe Sandbox" on our school computers. 

Thank you to our Head of Science, Katherine Johnstone for her leadership in overseeing Science Week at McKinnon. In addition to all the Science Teachers, Student Tech Team and IT Team, I'd like to also acknowledge Jennifer Wallace, as well as our lab technicians, Marni Beretta, Karen Romari, Csilla Almasi and Uma Wanninayake for their help in making this program a success. 

ALUMNI SUCCESS

Congratulations to Jacob Horvath (Class of 2021), who has signed with the University of North Carolina Tar Heels for the next two seasons. Jacob will play under the coaching of legendary six-time Super Bowl mentor Bill Belichick, who joined the Tar Heels over the U.S. summer. 

From McKinnon Secondary College to one of the biggest stages in college football, Jacob’s journey is a testament to talent, hard work and resilience. 

COMMUNITY NEWS - E SCOOTERS AND E BIKES

Moorabbin Police has circulated the attached information pamphlet explaining the current road safety rules. It’s imperative that we all understand and respect these rules to ensure our community’s safety.