Thank you and congratulations to Michael Kan and the other Assistant Principals who worked tirelessly during my leave to ensure things ran smoothly.

As they say, behind every successful organisation is a wonderful team of people and McKinnon is blessed with the exceptional teams we have - staff, students and parents.

Everyone’s cooperation and support makes working here so rewarding.

I congratulate Michael on his appointment as the next Principal after my retirement in December and I am so confident the school will go from strength to strength!

I have thoroughly enjoyed my leave and traveled to France in July for my daughter‘s wedding. It was indeed a most joyous occasion and I loved being mother of the bride!

Last week another joyous occasion was the receiving of a Public Service Medal by the Governor Linda Dessau at Government House.

It was indeed a career highlight to receive recognition for my service to education. It was a very humbling and proud occasion.

PARENT-TEACHER-STUDENT CONFERENCES

Last week we held two parent teacher interview days and I thank the many parents who have expressed gratitude for the commitment, professionalism and dedication of our teachers.

Again it takes a strong partnership to improve student learning outcomes. Overall, we are blessed to have so many students who work hard to achieve their best. I congratulate students who received such rewarding and positive feedback from their teachers and who avail themselves to all the opportunities provided.

I implore all students to act on the feedback received, value the learning opportunity and contribute to work diligently to achieve exceptional outcomes.

R U OK

R U OK Day was last Thursday 9 September. It's an important reminder to ask that question of the people in our lives.

R U OK shows we care. Compassion, kindness and support are all evident in this community and I encourage everyone to do all they can to show compassion and kindness to the people around them.

It’s always important to care and be aware of others well-being. It makes the community stronger and better.

YEAR 10 INFORMAL

Thank you to David Machin, Grace Greenwood and Kellie Felmingham, for their organisation of the ‘informal’ and the following staff who attended: Charlotte Douglas, Nell Henning, Natalie Little, Andrew Stevenson, Frank Russo, Myles Kelemen, Nick Xanthoudakis, Andrew Krause, Michael Birkett and Caleb Goldwaser.

Thank you also to the Senior School Council representatives: Lani Hammam, Chloe Apps, Jared Marotta and Verlyn Teo who helped put together a very enjoyable event and one that will become an annual tradition.

These events create wonderful memories and I thank all the staff in attendance and the AV and tech support teams for making it all possible.

GAT

650 students undertook the GAT on Wednesday 7 September and it was a most successful event. To organise and arrange special conditions and undertake this important assessment is complex. I applaud the efforts of all our senior staff who did all they could to ensure a smooth operation for the senior students.

To the students again I thank you for always doing your very best on every occasion.

MARKET DAY

Student groups from Years 7 to Years 12 came together, to design and sell their handmade goods to their peers. There was jewelry, macarons, bubble tea, pancakes and even fairy floss, with some extraordinary stalls on display. The creativity and teamwork shown was truly remarkable!

Accompanied by music from McKinnon’s very own 23rd Street Band, and some tasty sausages donated and cooked by the Rotary Club of Bentleigh Moorabbin Central, last week’s Market Day was indeed an incredible success.

Thank you to all volunteers, stall owners, and people who purchased items on the day, as all your efforts work towards building a better future for our young people by supporting the Lighthouse Foundation.

The participation and support also builds great collegiality within our school community, and fosters and develops our positive culture that we are so proud of.

Thank you to Willem Voorham and the Interact Club for service and commitment shown.

SAGSE SCHOLARSHIP

The Society for German-Australian Student Exchange (SAGSE) was founded to foster international understanding by means of German-Australian youth exchange and each year SAGSE awards scholarships to Australian students to travel to Germany for ten weeks during their summer holidays.

Louisa D’Ambra (Year 12), who has studied German at McKinnon since Year 7, was selected from a shortlist of around 30 applicants from all over Australia to participate in the program.

Whilst in Germany, Louisa will stay with a host family, attend school and participate in other activities and trips organised by the German-Australian Students' Society.

Louisa started her German journey in Year 7 at McKinnon, where she developed a love for the language and gained a deep appreciation of the German culture.

A big thank you to the team of teachers and language assistants who contributed immensely to this fantastic outcome.

Congratulations to Louisa for her outstanding achievement and good luck for the adventure ahead which, undoubtedly, will be a life changing experience.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY WEEK

For the past 25 years, McKinnon had celebrated Asia Week to recognise the various cultures embedded in the societies of our Asian neighbours. However, in 2022 for the first time we held Cultural Diversity Week to commemorate our diversity, and further promote inclusivity.

The final week of Term 3, students of all backgrounds participated in many fascinating activities such as the Cultural Trivia Quiz, Bollywood Workshop, Zorba Dancing, Henna Hand Painting, the Scavenger Hunt and Self Defence, across both campuses. Staff also engaged in a dress-up event and enjoyed Indian Lunch Boxes, German 'Brezel' and Indian Samosas to name a few of the foods available from different cultures.

With these exciting events connecting everyone, supported by musical performances and Karaoke in different languages, our first ever Cultural Diversity Week was truly a success!

Thank you to Rekha Nayyar, Cameron Chan, Phillip O’Brien, Crystal Li, Riley Price, Andrea Fowler, Phoebe Ponsford, Zoe Murdoch, Jennifer Lynd, Stephanie Georgiou, Deepti Arora, Yogeeta Singh and many other staff running or assisting with lunchtime activities.

BIG BAND BASH

Parents, families and teachers were treated to a wonderful night on Friday 9 September. The annual Big Band Bash in the College Assembly Hall featured performances by Chloe James and the Midnight Band, The 23rd Street Band and all of the school Stage Bands.

Each band was a celebration of the incredible standard our music students produce. It is a credit to the whole Music Faculty and I particularly want to thank Dmitry Serebrianik for inspiring our students to produce such incredible entertainment.

TOURNAMENT OF MINDS

Congratulations to Mr Georgiadis Team 1, STEM, who received Honours at the Tournament Of Minds, Victorian State Final, last Sunday, at La Trobe University, Bundoora.

Thank you also to Mr Jansen for the work with his Social Science Team 2, last Sunday as well in the Final.

Thank you to Mr Perry for overseeing the Tournament Of Minds event.

YEAR 12 THEATRE STUDIES

The Year 12 Theatre Studies students are working hard to prepare for their Monologue Examinations in early October. This exam requires them to interpret a monologue (as an actor/director or designer) from a prescribed list.

The recent Showcase Nights were an exciting opportunity to share their works-in-progress for family and friends and gain confidence for their final performance. The performance demonstrated an impressive approach to the research and rehearsal required for success, and some outstanding acting!

RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS

This week, our senior school students participated in a “Respectful Relationships” educational session, facilitated by ‘Sex Education Australia’. By all accounts, these were incredibly powerful and informative sessions where our students were provided with the opportunity to reflect on what contributes to a healthy and respectful relationship.

The information sessions reinforced that decision making, communication and risk management skills are essential in ensuring sexual activity is healthy, consensual, positive, respectful, legal and safe. We hope that following this session, students continue to reflect on these important issues and that this is one of many discussions they have about respect, relationships and consent.

Thank you to Patty Etcell and the Well-being team.

TERM BREAK

Term 3 finishes on Friday and the school day will finish at 2:30pm.

I thank the community for their collective efforts and wish everyone a wonderful September break.

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