ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS' REPORT
WELCOME
Welcome to the 2022 school year. We especially welcome those families who are new to our school community.
THE NEW EAST CAMPUS
It has been wonderful to see the new East Campus come to life after so long in the planning and preparation. It truly is a state-of-the-art facility. The Years 8 and 9 students seem to really enjoy their new home, and I am pleased to say they are treating it with respect and showing gratitude. Staff too are relishing this once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of a new campus.
We have been working closely with the Department of Transport to ensure students have sufficient access to buses along McKinnon Rd before and after school. Last week another bus was added to the 3.25pm service which has very much improved the service at this time. Families are reminded that if the first bus is full another is just around the corner. In fact, the second bus is much less crowded.
Families are also reminded that students should vacate Virginia Reserve and Marlborough Street Reserve by 3.30pm each day. Students’ behaviour and conduct in these parks is so critical as we move into our new school. Respecting our surrounding community has been something we have emphasised with students through the induction program.
Overall the start of the new East Campus has been very smooth and students are living up to our expectations, which is very pleasing to see.
COMPASS
McKinnon Secondary College uses Compass School Manager as our parent portal. It can be accessed via the school website or the Compass app. This platform provides effective communication between parents and the College, and simplifies a range of administrative procedures. Using Compass you will be able to view your child’s assessment results through ‘Learning Tasks’, approve student absences, provide consent/payment for excursions (known as Compass Events), and book Parent-Teacher-Student Conference times, among many other tasks.
All parents need to ensure their Compass username and password are kept secure and confidential. As parents have the ability to approve absences online, your login details must not be shared with your child. In addition to using Compass, parents are welcome to provide notes, emails and/or call the College to inform us of absences.
We have recently been informed by Compass about some functionality changes to their communication processes. As such, we will now send emails and push newsfeed notifications to all parents, regardless of family structure. We believe this is a useful improvement because it will help keep all parents informed about their child’s involvement in the school. If you do not wish to receive school communications from Compass, please contact the General Office on 8520 9000.
ARRIVAL AT SCHOOL ON TIME – 8:30AM
Students who arrive late to Period 1 (which begins at 8:50am) will receive an automatic after school detention, unless a note with an acceptable excuse is provided by a parent/carer. An acceptable excuse is a doctor’s appointment, illness, etc.
We have this system because we believe that:
i. Research shows the best learning occurs early in the day;
ii. Students must be organised and prepared for all classes;
iii. Our teachers and students who are punctual should not have their lessons interrupted by late students;
iv. Period 1 sets the ‘tone’ for each day.
Therefore we ask all parents to support our expectations by ensuring students arrive at school each day by 8:30am so they can get organised for the start of Period 1 at 8:50am.
UNIFORM
Please ensure your child comes to school wearing the correct uniform that is in good condition at all times (clean, no tears/marks, ironed shirts, etc.). When wearing shorts or long trousers, a plain black belt and plain college grey socks must be worn. Only polished black lace-up shoes are acceptable for all students. Facial piercings such as nose studs are not acceptable and students will be instructed to remove such piercings on-the-spot. Clear studs are also not permitted. We want students to wear the uniform with pride and it is an important part of our school culture.
A reminder to parents/carers that the sports jacket is only to be worn with the sports uniform. This replaces the Kia spray jacket that will be phased out and is no longer sold by the uniform supplier, Bob Stewart. Students in Year 12 may still wear this jacket with their sports uniform this year.
Students in the Junior school may wear their sports uniform for the whole day if they have a double period of sport or PE. Some Year 9 subjects will require students to be in sports uniform occasionally - classroom teachers will inform students in advance where necessary. For days when students do not have PE/sport or only a single period of PE/sport, they must be in full summer/winter uniform.
Students in the Senior school may wear their sports uniform for the whole day if they have a double period of sport or PE which is a practical class only. Please note that not all PE sessions in Senior school are practical lessons - classroom teachers will inform students in advance where necessary. At all other times students must be in full summer/winter uniform.
The College blazer is the outer uniform garment for all students in Years 7 - 12. Blazers are optional in Terms 1 & 4; however, when travelling to/from school, students wishing to wear an outer garment must wear their blazer (rather than the College jumper). The blazer is the compulsory outer garment in Terms 2 & 3.
Please note that our uniform provider, Bob Stewart, has a store in Centre Rd, Bentleigh. Parents in financial difficulty are encouraged to contact our Student Wellbeing Coordinator, Mr Peter Gale, for assistance with the provision of uniforms.
SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS
School photographs will take place on Thursday 17 February. Please ensure your child attends in correct summer uniform. Parents interested in purchasing school photos do not need to do anything before photo day. Unique codes will be issued to all students on the day. This will provide details about registering online. When images are available, all parents who have registered will be notified by SMS and email - they can then view and order. This year all school photos will be delivered directly to families.
CHROMEBOOKS
McKinnon’s Chromebook program plays a vital role in delivering an effective and engaging curriculum. Its success relies on all students using the same platform - as such, all students need to have a Chromebook purchased through our supplier. This ensures the device is preconfigured to our school domain (providing access to specific educational apps/tools), and connects seamlessly to our network (wifi/printing). All repairs/support can also be managed by our IT team - which saves family's time and money!
If families need to purchase a new Chromebook, please contact the IT office on help@mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au
More information about our Chromebook program, including student expectations about using their device, is available on the College website.
We thank all families for supporting this important part of our teaching and learning program.
PROGRESSIVE ACHIEVEMENT TESTING (PAT)
PAT Testing will once again take place for all students in Years 7 to 9 in the areas of Reading, Grammar & Punctuation, Spelling, Maths and Science. These tests focus on monitoring student growth over time and allow our staff to tailor their teaching to the needs of individual learners in our classrooms. These assessments reflect the College's commitment to deliver the best program to each student.
WALNUT ST GATE LOCKED
Please note the Walnut St Gate is locked at all times. Students accessing the school from the north must enter and exit via the Draper St gate. The Draper St gate is locked from around 9.30am to 2.30pm.
BIKE SAFETY and SECURITY
Last year we provided a roof for the bike sheds at the main campus so that students can keep their bikes out of the weather during the day. There are now more spaces for bikes to be secured. We ask that all students lock their bike with a secure lock each day. It is impossible to investigate stolen bikes when they are not properly secured. Please note we do not have insurance to cover the loss of students’ personal belongings, so to prevent bikes being stolen please make sure your child is using a secure bike lock.
We also take this opportunity to remind families about the importance of students wearing an Australian Standard certified bike helmet when riding to and from school. Parents/guardians will be contacted and consequences given to those students who fail to adhere to this road rule.
Finally, please talk to your child about riding safely to and from school, or any other time for that matter. McKinnon Rd is extremely busy at the start and the end of the day and therefore students need to be extra careful of cars and other vehicles to ensure their safety.