PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

We are indeed thrilled to have everyone returning back to onsite face to face teaching and learning from tomorrow. As I often say it’s the people (staff and students) who are the heart of our organisation.

We have two weeks of term left and our aim will be to finish the learning tasks, examinations and the curriculum, however I really want everyone to finish as confidently and positively as possible.

Many have felt a sense of despair and frustration and have been overwhelmed. I appreciate that everyone has worked together to remain vigilant and follow all the necessary regulations.

I want a strong sense of achievement to be the focus and a celebration for the rest of term 2.

Thank you once again to the entire community for their collective efforts, support, understanding and patience.

NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK 2021

We recognized National Sorry Day on 26 May. Of course this day helps us to remember and acknowledge the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which of course we now refer to as the ‘Stolen Generations’.

National Sorry Day helps us to acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generation survivors and reflect on how we can all play a part in the healing process for our people and nation.

We had a wonderful assembly organized to commemorate reconciliation week, but that will need to wait until later in the term.

VCAA EXAMINATIONS

Our first of the 2021 VCAA examinations were undertaken by the Maths Further Northern Hemisphere class.

I wish them all the best with their results. Ms Mauger was thrilled that these examinations continued despite the lockdown.

THE PUSH-UP CHALLENGE

The Physical Education team led by Jennifer Pemberton have organised The Push-Up Challenge 2021! 

This challenge involves you completing daily push ups every day in June to raise awareness and funds for better mental health. Sign up to the Push-Up Challenge and join the McKinnon Community. 

Your support of this event is greatly appreciated and goes to a much needed cause.

HELPERS FOR A DAY

I was blessed to have helpers for a day in Chloe Smith (Year 12) and Tristan James (TJ) (Year 7).

A Principal’s work is never done!!

I really appreciate the wonderful support and encouragement. They both joyfully navigated difficult situations and made very good decisions.

I really could not have got through these difficult weeks without them!!

SCHOOL GYMNASIUM UPDATE

The school gymnasium is coming along amazingly. Attached are some images of the progress. Although, with this extreme weather, we are expecting some slight delays.

SchoolTV

At McKinnon Secondary College we understand the importance of student wellbeing and resilience. Experience tells us that happy and well cared for students learn best. 

We also understand that today’s parents face a multitude of challenges raising happy, well and resilient children. To assist our parents, we are pleased to announce that we’ve partnered with ‘SchoolTV’ – an online resource featuring Dr Michael Carr-Gregg designed to empower parents with credible information which includes realistic, practical and ongoing support strategies.

SchoolTV gives parents access to a cross section of Australia’s leading experts, all in one window. You get videos from experts, articles by recognised organisations and a range of tools, links and resources, in bite-sized pieces of information.

View our SchoolTV site here.

YEAR 12 STUDENTS

This week in celebration of Year 12 students being the only young people at school in class they had ‘adult learning days’ where they wore casual clothes. Again it is joyful to see them interact with each other.

MEDIA

We have had a number of interviews with many media channels and our school was showcased beautifully. I am so impressed with the articulate and mature young people representing us in all these stories.

Channel 9, 10 & 7 News - Friday 4th June

Channel 9 News - Wednesday 2nd June

Channel 10 News - Monday 31st May

YOURGROUND PROJECT 

A new project led by Monash University called ‘YourGround’ which essentially is an online interactive map where any woman, girl or gender diverse person can add a pin and a comment to an area they feel safe and why, or unsafe and why.

This is an effort to gather often unheard experiences and perceptions of safety in public spaces so local Police and Councils can act on them. The results will show what is working well and should be replicated, and what isn’t and should be fixed. 

Open the website, add a pin, add brief notes about why that area feels safe or unsafe, and you can also see input from people before you add your own comments to those. No login is required and you don’t need to provide your name. Police and Council are keeping an eye on the map as the project runs in an effort to quickly identify areas of concern they previously hadn’t been aware of. The project will run until August.

NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE

I know many of you are feeling sadness with the state of play at the moment.

I attach an article from the New York Times that may help to explain how we are all feeling and gives some suggestions on what we can do!

Stay Safe