PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

It's hard to believe Term 2 draws to an end next week, and what a busy Term it has been! I know staff and students are looking forward to a much-needed break. 

Reports will be released late next week and I hope the feedback will assist students and parents/guardians to reflect on their achievements and how they might improve in Semester 2.

GAT

Congratulations to the 662 senior students who sat the General Achievement Test (GAT) today which is a general knowledge and skills test.  The GAT provides important information that verifies our students’ performance in their SACs and exams. Most importantly it is used to provide a study score if students are unable to sit the end of year exams, due to illness for example. 

To organise this assessment for this number of students, including provisioning for special arrangements, is a complex undertaking and I thank and applaud Kellie Felmingham, Lachlan Noble, Helen James and all the staff involved. 

EXAMINATIONS

Congratulations also to all the Years 10 and 11 students who have now completed their end of semester exams. The students undertook these exams with preparation and commitment, and I wish them all the very best with their results. 

EAST CAMPUS CONCERT

Congratulations to all students and staff involved in the East Campus Concert held last Wednesday night. What an amazing display of talent and a high level of ensemble playing. I know these concerts take many months of rehearsal and practice and it all came together for this event.

Thank you to Clare Bugeja and Dmitry Serebrianik for overseeing the organisation of the concert, and to all the music staff, the AV team and facilities for their assistance in producing such an enjoyable evening. 

YEAR 7 NETBALL 

The Year 12 House Captains have been busy organising lunchtime activities for our Year 7 students. These activities are a great opportunity for students to have fun, meet new friends and develop their sense of belonging to their house and the school.

This term the Year 12s decided to organise a Netball competition. This saw students from Chisholm take on Flynn in game 1 before Gilmore played Monash in the 2nd round. A grand final game was played between Chisholm and Gilmore. The gym was filled with students eager to play and spectate. It was a closely contested game with both teams matching each other goal for goal. In extra time Gilmore took out the win with a final goal! 

Well done to the house captains and all the students who got involved with the competition.

HERO DAY

Last Thursday, ten of our Year 9 students attended Hero’s Day, a full day workshop designed and delivered by REACH and held at the MCG. This workshop is designed to connect young people and provide them with a sense of belonging. Some strategies students were encouraged to use included: Reframing the way their challenges are perceived and faced, to build social and emotional skills, have increase self-awareness, develop more meaningful connections with each other and to develop increased motivation for making positive life choices.

Thank you to Ms Wilken for overseeing this event. I know these students appreciated this fantastic opportunity.  

Students involved: Sophie Ashton, Samira Asthana, Benji Bihary, Elliot Cockle, Austin Martinello, Raph Milmeister, Sheldon Quirin, Michael Scriva, Summer Thompson and Adriana Tzolakis 

INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE

I was recently invited to attend a showcase of Indian classical dancing, also known as Bharatanatyam, at an institute called 'Sindhubhairavi Centre for Indian Arts and Culture'. 

This performance included two McKinnon students and several other artists from Adelaide, Singapore and India.

What an incredible celebration. Congratulations to Jinia Ganguly (Year 8) and Nidhi Sreejith (Year 7) on their enchanting performance. Well done also to Aviva Manchana (Year 8) who assisted behind the scenes.

VOLLEYBALL

Well done to Jayvier Yang (Year 8), Rosie O’Brien (Year 9) and Brit Apps (Year 9) who competed at the School Sport Australia Volleyball Championship. 

After four rounds of trials, Jayvier was selected for the Boys Under 15 Victoria Team. 

Thank you to Sam Kay and Will Kay - Class of 2022, who attended to support their McKinnon mentee. They trained Jayvier a few years back, and now both Sam and Will reside in ACT for the national volleyball team training.

Rosie and Brit played for for Victoria in the 15 and under division, and their team took out the gold medal for the championship.

We look forward to following their Volleyball journey!

STAFF AND STUDENT ABSENCES 

Please remember if students are unwell, they need to stay home and rest until they are better. We want to avoid the spread of illness and ensure students recover as soon as possible. 

Thank you to our daily organisation team Tina Apostolellis and Joanne Robinson who work tirelessly to cover all of our classes. 

VICTORIAN OPERA

Chloe James, Class of 2019, is playing the role of Scientist in the upcoming production of "The Grumpiest Boy in the World." It's her second role with the Victorian Opera this year! Chloe James is currently studying a Master of Music in Opera Performance at the Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne. Congratulations, Chloe!

THISTLELONIAN OAM

Congratulations to Peter Lewis, Class of 1971 who was announced as an OAM recipient in the 2023 King's Birthday Honours Awards announced on Monday.

Peter's OAM was for service to the community through a range of organisations. Peter has been heavily involved with Rotary since 1978. You can read more about Peter's achievements here: 

What a remarkable career. Thank you, Peter, for your contributions to our community.

GRAND REUNION

Our annual Grand Reunion celebration will look a little different this year, with the event taking place at the East Campus. We invite the following year levels back to school to celebrate: 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1993, 2003, 2013 and 2018. We also invite the classes of 2000 and 2001 who had to miss out on their 10-year reunion due to covid lockdowns.

Please see our Facebook page for more information or visit Trybooking for tickets. You can also ensure you are kept informed about reunions by updating your contact details here.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

As this is the last Newsletter for the semester, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our community for their support over the first half of 2023 and wish all students and staff a wonderful semester break.  We look forward to a successful second semester.