SCHOOL NEWS

MEET THE PRINCIPAL AFTERNOON TEA

All parents of Year 7 students are invited to the McKinnon Secondary College Assembly Hall to meet with Mrs Pitsa Binnion, and Year 7 Student Managers. This is an opportunity for a chat with Staff, other parents and to ask questions in a less formal setting. 

The "Meet the Principal Afternoon Tea" is on Wednesday 14 February from 2pm to 3pm.

We hope to see you there.

Jenny de Kretser

Transition Manager

SUMMER DAYS AND THE SWIMMING CARNIVAL

We have adequate shade available for our students at school, but many will choose to walk around or play sport. Therefore, we encourage our students to wear a school hat if they are in the sun at recess or lunchtime.

All students are aware that they MUST wear a hat during PE and sport lessons.

We also recommend that they bring sunscreen from home and apply it during the summer months.

At McKinnon we aim to encourage our students to be SunSmart so they can reduce their risk of skin cancer later in life. We know that a healthy balance of exposure to the sun’s UV rays is important for everyone. However, the latest information indicates that the information we should be paying particular attention to the UV Index reported by the Bureau of Meteorology. This is a far more accurate way of protecting ourselves against skin damage that can lead to skin cancer.  The predicted temperature for the day, the time of day and the month of the year are also important considerations, but UV radiation can be high even on cool and overcast days.

Our Annual Swimming Carnival is WEDNESDAY 28 FEBRUARY. We encourage students to be responsible by wearing hats, sunscreen and covering up whilst waiting for their events or watching other students participate. It is the students’ responsibility to manage their SunSmart behaviour. At McKinnon Secondary College we do remind them to do this, and encourage this behaviour.  If they do happen to forget their Sunscreen on the day, there will be sunscreen lotion available. SPF50+ is the recommended sunscreen and needs to be applied liberally, re-applied every two hours (or after swimming, exercising and towel drying) and used in combination with other sun protection measures including sun protective hats, protective clothing, sunglasses and shade.

It is also important to be mindful that, as we know, Melbourne can have four seasons in one day. In past years it has rained and was a bit cold on our swimming sports day, so be prepared! Leading up to the day, and on the morning of the carnival, check the weather forecast and if it predicts rain or cooler weather then bring raincoat, warm clothes, umbrella etc.   It would be lovely if we have a Goldilocks day – ‘just right’!

Please visit the Cancer Council Australia website for more information including the link to a useful SunSmart App.

http://www.cancer.org.au/preventing-cancer/sun-protection/uv-alert/

Susan Wilken

Community Health

NATIONAL YOUTH SCIENCE FORUM

My NYSF journey began with an application to the Bentleigh Moorabbin Rotary Club in Year 11. Back then, I didn’t know what the National Youth Science Forum was until I attended a meeting at school for those who were interested in attending a science program. I thought, ‘I love science. I’m interested in science, and heck, why not?’

I applied to the Bentleigh Moorabbin Rotary Club and was interviewed with other NYSF applicants across the state by people from the Rotary. I was thrilled to be selected!

I attended an Orientation session, and even had the opportunity to be invited to the Governor’s House. There, I met more NYSF representatives, around 80 were from Victoria and it was only then that I began to realise what an honour it is to be an NYSF representative.

I went to Session A, which was held in Canberra from 2-13 January. There were 195 students from other states and countries. During the course of the 12 days we had a very busy schedule full of activities including lectures, lab visits, group activities and social events. Throughout these activities, we all gained a broader understanding of the environment at university, the different aspects of STEM as well as potential fields in STEM that we may undertake in our future careers. What I found most rewarding was to have representatives from different universities to come and talk to us about what they could offer students and what certain jobs entailed. It widened my university choices, extending to even universities overseas.

Despite being clearly labelled as a science program, it was also one of the most social programs I have ever attended. This program encourages you to open up to like-minded science lovers and share your passion for science. The environment that the NYSF provided and the energy from the staff created the perfect atmosphere for students to exchange ideas and thoughts and understand each other more.

I would have never expected such growth in myself throughout this program, nor to have made so many science partners and close friends which I can expect to be in contact with for many years. I now know that I definitely want a career in the STEM field, and may even come back to NYSF as a staff member in the future to relive this wonderful experience and help future NYSF attendees.

I am extremely grateful to all those who have supported me thus far. To my teachers and the Rotarians, more specifically, the Bentleigh Moorabbin Rotary Club, thank you for sponsoring me. To the staff at the program, it was due to your enthusiasm, energy and care that I flourished throughout the course of the program.

To conclude, NYSF is not your typical science nerd camp. It is the best science camp there is. I highly recommend it to all Year 11 students. Applications close around the end of May, so if you want to attend, talk to your teachers and I’m sure they’ll be more than willing to support you.

Wenjing Sun

Year 12 Student