ENGLISH
WELCOME BACK
It’s been such a pleasure to welcome Years 8, 9 and 10 students back to school this week. Your English teachers can’t wait to deliver the stimulating lessons we’ve planned with the benefits that come with face-to-face teaching. Congratulations on your resilience, positivity and all that you achieved during the periods of remote learning. Despite the challenges, students have been able to produce some exceptional work, as demonstrated by the terrific piece below from Year 9 Journalism student Aleksandra Simic.
Congratulations also to our Years 7, 11 and 12 students for your successful start to the term on site. It’s been terrific to have you back in the English classroom.
A reminder to all students that while the Library is closed, you can still borrow books through the Library online catalogue, the link to which is on the school website. You should be completing 30 minutes of sustained reading every day to enhance a range of literacy skills and your knowledge of the world.
Finally, good luck to our Year 12 English, EAL and Literature students as they prepare for their exams. Continue to work hard, listen to your teachers and commit to these tasks with a determined, positive attitude. We’re very proud of you.
Sam Florence
English Learning Area Manager
THE SHOW CAN'T GO ON
When the pandemic forced Australia into lockdown, musicians across the country found themselves missing an essential part of their lives. With restrictions lasting months, local musicians are questioning how they’ll get through it.
Australia’s music industry has been one of the sectors hit hardest by COVID-19, with initiative I Lost My Gig having tallied a loss of $340 million in Australia so far.
Member of several local bands, including Zoophyte, David Tohill is one of many impacted musicians.
“It’s affecting musicians most in their wallets,” he explained. “Many musicians live off their performing income, personally I’ve lost one-fifth of my weekly income.”
Tohill suspects two years before the music scene fully recovers, with many venues having permanently shut.
“I think it will be a long time before it’s back to what it was”, he says.
Many blame the Victorian government’s response for the crisis in the music industry, with only a $15 million program put in place to aid Victoria's $1.7 billion live music industry. Lucy Robertson, singer of Karen Took The Kids, believes musicians are taken for granted by the government.
“There needs to be more support and careers in music need to be more recognised,” she says. “I think that more funding should definitely go to that sector.”
As local restrictions continue, drummer of band The Bolshevix, Roisin Lyon, stresses the importance of supporting small musicians and bands.
“Definitely stream their songs, follow their social media, buy their merch and go to their gigs when restrictions are lifted!”
Aleksandra Simic
Year 9 Student
McKINNON'S 2020 WRITER OF THE YEAR IS ...
Huge congratulations to Erisha Tayal of 12L on this impressive achievement!
In addition to the voucher she received earlier this year, Erisha has been awarded a $150 voucher for Benn’s Books.
You can read Erisha’s outstanding piece, and all of this year’s fantastic monthly winners, on the Writer of the Month google site: WOTM
Erisha’s winning piece will also be published, in full, in this year’s THISTLE magazine.
Keep up the wonderful writing McKinnon students; Writer of the Month will return in 2021!
Ms Liz Pentland
Writer of the Month Coordinator