ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS' REPORT

EXAMS (Year 10s and 11s)

As has been communicated with families, exams for students in Years 10 and 11 will be done remotely again this semester.  We are not allowed to have large numbers of students together indoors, while the Hall (and many other venues throughout the school) are being used for Year 12 exams, which this year are starting much later than usual.

We were very impressed by the way students undertook online exams from home during Semester 1 and we expect this positive and mature approach to continue.  Year 11s will have exams during Weeks 6-8 of this term; Year 10s will be in Week 7.  More details, including specific dates, the timetable and revision resources, will be shared with students in the coming weeks.  This situation also provides an opportunity to reinforce the College’s value of ‘integrity’ - when undertaking online exams, students must submit their own work and complete all set tasks under the conditions outlined by the teacher.  

BOOKLISTS FOR 2021

Campion Education is again the booklist provider for McKinnon Secondary College.  

Senior School

Senior Students are currently in the process of confirming their subjects for 2021 through their Managed Individual Pathways (MIPs) interviews. Once your child’s subjects have been confirmed through MIPs, booklist orders can be completed online - the link to Campion Education is on the College website or can be accessed here. If prompted, the four digital code is ZFGW. 

Orders need to be placed by Sunday 29 November - this is to ensure home delivery before the end of the year; school pick up is not available due to Covid-19. Campion has included a set $10 charge to cover the packing and home delivery costs. Families need to create an account on the Campion website (if they don't already have one). 

Junior School

2021 booklists for the Junior School are in the process of being completed. Instructions about completing orders will be provided in the coming weeks.  

Sustainable School Shop

If families are interested in using the Sustainable School Shop (link is also on the College website) to buy secondhand textbooks please ensure the edition of the book is checked carefully. To confirm this information, the 2021 booklists will be available via the Campion Education link on the College website. 

YEAR 10 (2021) - PHASE II OF OUR CHROMEBOOK PROGRAM

All Year 9 parents have been emailed instructions for purchasing a new Chromebook for their child.  This is a very important process and ensures students have a reliable and up-to-date computer to facilitate online learning, but also a device that connects seamlessly to our network and is within its three year extended warranty. Some students’ devices are starting to process more slowly, and showing signs of 'wear and tear'. We do not want these issues to adversely affect student learning, especially as they enter the Senior School next year. Organising an upgrade now is the best option, rather than leaving it until next year. The new model has improved features, such as a faster processor and better battery life.

If students in other year levels need a new Chromebook, the ordering detailed are as follows:  

• Click on this portal link: http://mckinnonsc.technologyportal.com.au
• Enter the school Access Code - MKSC2021
• When entering your child’s details, the 'Student Username' is their McKinnon student code

McKinnon’s Chromebook program plays an incredibly important role in delivering an effective and engaging curriculum to our students. Its success relies on all students using a standard platform and we thank all families for their ongoing support.

UNIFORM

Please ensure your child continues to come to school in the correct uniform at all times. Facial piercings such as nose studs and eyebrow piercings are not acceptable - students will be asked to remove such piercings on-the-spot, prior to attending class.  We expect students to wear the uniform with pride and it is an important part of our school culture.  

Following Cup Day, all students need to be wearing summer uniform. Please note: Blazers are optional in Terms 1 & 4; however, when travelling to/from school, students wishing to wear an outer garment must wear the blazer (rather than the College jumper).

COMPASS - PARENT LOGIN DETAILS

Parents need to ensure their Compass username/password is secure and confidential. As student absences can be approved online through the parent portal, it is not appropriate to share your username and password with your child. If you believe your password is not secure, it can be changed by logging on to Compass, clicking on the ‘cog’ icon (top-right corner) and selecting ‘Change My Password’. Given the importance of Compass for communicating with families, it is also worth going to ‘Update My Details’ and checking that all contact details (email and mobile phone) are correct.