McKinnonNEWS

ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS' REPORT

Michael Kan
Michael Kan
Richard Long
Richard Long
Lachlan Noble
Lachlan Noble
Peter Quinn
Peter Quinn
Kellie Felmingham
Kellie Felmingham

NAPLAN TESTS

We would like to thank the students of Years 7 and 9 who undertook NAPLAN last week, and extend our thanks to the parents for their support of the process. We were very impressed with the student’s attitude and effort in these tests. We have a proud tradition of very strong NAPLAN results and we are sure this years’ students will ensure this continues.

STUDENT CHROMEBOOKS

It is an expectation that all McKinnon students have a school-approved Chromebook purchased through our supplier. As with other parent-purchased resources like textbooks, these devices have been selected specifically to enhance our curriculum. 

 

The success of our Chromebook program relies on all students working on a standard platform; therefore, bringing a device not purchased through the school's supplier is problematic. Students may experience network accessibility issues, while non-school approved devices cannot be serviced and maintained by our technicians. In addition, we are continuously rolling out new Google apps and features through our school domain and these are only compatible with Chromebooks purchased through our supplier. For these reasons, students bringing a different device to school (e.g. MacBook, Windows laptop) may be at a disadvantage in the classroom.  

 

Chromebooks are a critical element of our teaching and learning program. If you need to purchase one for your child, please contact our IT office (help@mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au or 8520 9054). Families experiencing financial difficulties are welcome to contact the College to discuss ways in which we can provide support.

EXAMINATIONS

This semester we will return to onsite exams for Year 10s and 11s. These will take place in the coming weeks; the exam timetable and revision resources have already been shared with students. Teachers and students put in a significant amount of additional work to ensure that academic excellence is achieved by all those who seek it. This is a busy and challenging time for students and teachers alike, and we congratulate everyone for their efforts.

MCKINNON’S UNIFORM POLICY

McKinnon is very proud of its uniform policy and we want to ensure all students follow it appropriately. Currently, they should be in either full winter uniform (including a blazer to and from school) or PE uniform (if they have PE/sport on that day). 

 

The correct PE uniform comprises:

  • Blue McKinnon-branded shorts or track pants
  • Red McKinnon PE polo shirt and/or McKinnon rugby top
  • McKinnon-branded PE jacket

Please note that no variations or additions to this policy are acceptable. If new items need to be purchased please visit our uniform supplier, Bob Stewart, located in Centre Rd Bentleigh.  Their website can be accessed here. 

CORRECTION DAY

As outlined in the previous newsletter, the College’s annual Correction Day will take place on Tuesday 14 June. Staff will be finalising assessments and semester reports. As such, classes will not be conducted on this day, so students should not attend school. 

AMBULANCE COVER

We encourage all parents to have family ambulance cover.  Schools do not cover costs

of an ambulance if one is called. Sometimes children present to the Sick Bay and a judgement is made that we call for ambulance assistance. We always do our best to look after all students and we have a duty of care while they are with us. Ambulance cover is quite cheap as opposed to ambulance cost without cover. We also ask all parents to ensure contact details are accurate and changes to phone numbers, addresses and work details are provided in case of an emergency.

 

Information about Ambulance Victoria membership can be found at http://ambulance.vic.gov.au

 

TRAFFIC CONGESTION

At the start and end of each school day the traffic situation outside the school along narrow McKinnon Road is chaotic at best. Please do not park illegally or in the bus zone. Try and pick up your children a distance away from the school if possible.

 

Please do not drive into the school at all and always take greater care on wet roads. Thank you for your support in this matter.

 

At the East Campus please note that parking restrictions have been increased around the residential streets to the east and also along East Boundary Rd. We have sent out messages to families recently about bike riding and buses. The 626 bus service is being reviewed by the Department of Transport and in the last few days students have completed an online questionnaire. We are working with the Department of Transport to provide the best service to our community. Students riding a bike to school have been reminded to take care and follow the road rules carefully. It is good to see most students taking our messages seriously.

TAX-DEDUCTIBLE BUILDING FUND

In recent years many families and ex-students have made generous donations to our tax-deductible Building Fund. The College will use such funds to support the next stage of our redevelopment of the College’s facilities throughout the school. The new facilities will replace many buildings from the mid-1950s.

 

Further information about our building fund and the next stage of our redevelopment can be found on our website at http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au/p/building-fund.html. On behalf of the staff and students of McKinnon, we sincerely thank all those who have contributed to our Building Fund.

MYKI TICKETS

Many excursions require students to provide their own ticket for public transport. Before any excursion using public transport, students must ensure they have a myki that has a positive balance.  Read more at http://www.myki.com.au/