McKinnonNEWS

ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS' REPORT

Richard Long
Richard Long
Lachlan Noble
Lachlan Noble
Peter Quinn
Peter Quinn
Kellie Felmingham
Kellie Felmingham
Harriet Barrow
Harriet Barrow

UNIFORM

Students have been wearing their uniform with pride and we thank all families for supporting the school’s uniform policy. There are, however, some areas where we need additional support from parents/carers.  

  • School blazer - this must be worn to/from school during Terms 2 & 3. During the warmer months of Terms 1 & 4, the blazer is optional and students may wear just a shirt/dress; however, if they choose to wear an outer garment to/from school, it must be a blazer (rather than the College jumper);
  • Footwear - students must wear black leather lace-up school shoes; shoes with low heels, buckles or black runners are not part of the summer/winter uniform;
  • General appearance - hair styles must not be extreme and colours must be natural; jewellery and make-up should not be obvious/excessive; facial piercings are not allowed; students need to be cleanly shave.

SCHOOL CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Parents/carers can access the College’s calendar via the McKinnon website. The link can be found on the right-hand side of the homepage (below the link to Compass). The calendar shows the year’s upcoming activities, including camps, information nights, music performances, etc. 

SCHOOL PHOTOS

School photos were taken last week. If families are interested in viewing/purchasing photos they need to register online using the individualised code provided to each student on Photo Day.  If you don't have your image code, or need assistance, please contact Arthur Reed Photos directly: 03 5243 4390 / customerservice@arphotos.com.au.

 

Please note that if your child missed school photos (including catch-up day) because they were isolating, you are welcome to contact Arthur Reed Photos directly if you would still like to purchase an official school photo. They may be able to organise times for families to visit their studio in Keysborough. Their contact details are provided above. 

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. 

SCHOOL POLICY REMINDERS

Distribution and Storage of Medication - if students are required to take medication during the school day, parents/carers must complete and return this Medical Authority Form to the Sick Bay, together with the medication (which needs to be clearly labelled with the student’s name, the dosage required, and the time the medication needs to be administered). It is crucial that families and the College work together to ensure this process is always implemented safely.

 

Privacy Policy - McKinnon Secondary College needs to collect and use personal data associated with students and parents/carers for standard school functions. We comply with all aspects of the Department of Education and Training’s Privacy Policy.  Information about that policy can be found here. 

 

Students in College photos/videos - as part of the enrolment process, parents/carers provide permission for their child to be involved in photos/videos taken by the College. These media are used for standard school functions (e.g. documenting school events such as sporting carnival and assemblies). If parents/carers want to withdraw this authorisation, it is their responsibility to inform McKinnon Secondary College on 8520 9000.

SAFE ONLINE BEHAVIOUR & ACCEPTABLE USE OF ICT RESOURCES

Please impress upon your children the need to use social media in a safe and responsible way. The College runs targeted sessions explaining this to students, but it is also important for parents/carers to discuss this issue with their children.  

 

With students regularly using their Chromebooks to complete school work, it is important to reinforce the importance of using technology in an acceptable manner. We expect our core values of respect and integrity to be reflected in every aspect of our students’ lives, including their use of ICT. As Chromebooks rely on the internet, restrictions to specific websites are determined by the internet connection that is being used. While at school, McKinnon’s internet connection is filtered to limit students’ ability to access inappropriate content. 

 

When connecting at home, the Chromebook’s internet access will be in line with the family’s home internet connection. There are many options available for routers with parental controls, while it may also be worth contacting your Internet Service Provider (ISP) - most of these may already offer parental controls for your service.

STUDENT ACCIDENT INSURANCE

Parents/carers are reminded that the Department of Education & Training does NOT provide personal accident insurance for students. Parents/carers are responsible for the cost of any ambulance expenses and medical expenses. Reasonably low-cost accident insurance is available if parents/carers wish to cover any expenses not covered by Medicare and/or private health insurance. You may choose your own insurance company or contact EBM Insurance Brokers online at www.studentcover.com.au to apply for cover.

SCHOOL GATES

Please note that at the Main Campus the Draper Street entrance to the College is closed during school hours. The Walnut Street gate is permanently locked. 

 

At the East campus the gates remain open to both South Drive and Virginia Reserve during the school day. We do, however, lock the Virginia Reserve gate at the end of the day. Families are reminded that the entrance for visitors is via the South Drive entrance. Please always report to the General Office when visiting the school. This is in the part of the building closest to the South Drive entrance.

CAMPS, SPORTS & EXCURSIONS FUND (CSEF)

CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities, for students in Years 7 to 12. If you hold a valid means-tested concession card (e.g. Health Care Card) or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. Application forms are available from the Finance Office. 

 

For more information about the CSEF click here. In 2022, every Year 7 government school student who is a recipient of CSEF automatically qualifies to receive a uniform package, provided through State Schools' Relief. Information can be found on their website. Parents/carers who may need assistance in providing their child’s uniform may want to make an appointment with our Student Wellbeing Coordinator Patty Etcell to discuss their situation.

PARENT/CARER INFORMATION SESSIONS

Our information sessions provide opportunities for parents/carers to meet the Student Management teams and receive important information about the year ahead. The Year 8 and 9 sessions were released via Compass today. We encourage all families to access the information online:

  • Years 8 & 9 Information Session - Thursday 23 February, 4:30pm, East Campus Gym
  • Years 10 & 11 Information Session - Monday 27 Feb, 4:30pm, Main Campus Hall
  • Year 7 Information Session - Tuesday 7 March, 4:30pm, Main Campus Hall

Please keep your eye on the Compass Newsfeed for these resources.

HOMEWORK

At this point in the year it is important that parents/carers check that their children are getting into the correct habits with homework. The school diary has recommended homework hours stated for each year level. These suggested times should not just be used to finish set tasks from class but also to review topics covered in class and complete wider reading.

 

Students are encouraged to write all deadlines in their diary and parents/carers are encouraged to check diary entries, so that students can meet all deadlines punctually.

 

As all students in Years 10 to 12 have exams in June and/or November, effective revision skills are essential. If no homework has been set for a given evening, students should revise work already completed so that revision is not left to the last minute.

NAPLAN TESTING

NAPLAN testing will be undertaken by all students in Years 7 and 9 at the following times:

  • Year 7 - Wednesday 15 March, Tuesday 16 March, Friday 17 March and Monday 20 March
  • Year 9 - Wednesday 15 March, Tuesday 16 March, Friday 17 March and Tuesday 21 March

These tests will be conducted during periods 1 and 2 for Year 7s and periods 3 and 4 for Year 9s on test days. All tests will take place in Form Rooms.

 

Students are required to bring a charged Chromebook, wired headphones (please note that wireless headphones do not work) and a pen for planning. Physical calculators, rulers and protractors are not required for the Numeracy test as they are available in the online test format.

 

Over the next few weeks, students will be using a series of ‘NAPLAN at McKinnon’ videos and presentations to prepare for this testing. These will be made available via Google Classroom. Students will be undertaking practice tests using the NAPLAN demonstration site to get used to the test format. We encourage parents/carers to review the preparation resources with their child and to explore the NAPLAN demonstration site.

https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site

YEAR 10 CAREER INTERVIEWS

Careers interviews are currently being undertaken by every Year 10 student. During the interview, the careers team is checking current academic progress, discussing strategies for improvement and exploring potential career pathways. Students are also shown the VTAC website to determine essential requirements including ATAR and prerequisite subjects to help students with choosing their VCE subjects for next year. Parents can view the summary of each interview by accessing the Insights tab in Compass and scrolling down to "Pathways -Year 10".