PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

VISIT BY PREMIER DANIEL ANDREWS

On Wednesday 2 March, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews was the very special guest at our assembly held for the official opening of the East Campus of McKinnon Secondary College.

Premier Andrews, along with local member Nick Staikos, enjoyed touring this incredible facility and experiencing the look and feel of our East Campus.

Also in attendance was the Regional Director Ian Burrage, the Assistant Principals and the Senior School Captains. The musical items were played by the String Quartet consisting of Andrew Seamer (Year 12), Jennifer Huang (Year 12), Phoebe Rodda (Year 10) and Jack Sweeney (Year 10), and the National Anthem was sung by Meirav Berger (Year 11).

It was a wonderful occasion as we linked the assembly to all the classes at both East and the Main Campus. Again, I cannot but feel the privilege of the legacy we all leave with this campus. It will indeed continue to serve the community for many generations to come. 

CIS

On Wednesday 23 February, it was with some pride that I was able to provide representatives of the Council of International Schools, with whom we are closely affiliated, with a tour of the new East Campus. 

Our visitors, Norm Dean and Ray Davis, marvelled at the facilities available to our Years 8 and 9. They were impressed in particular with the learning spaces which have been purpose-designed to accommodate a number of disciplines. 

As we proceeded through the levels of the building they remarked on the quietness of the campus – clearly the acoustics are working superbly. Norm and Ray also sensed the tone of the students who seemed genuinely aware of the unique opportunity being offered to them. As first users of the campus, they probably feel proprietorial about their place of learning. It augurs well for when it is time for them to return to the main campus.

The CIS monitors our commitment to continuous improvement and while the facilities at East Campus assist us in this endeavour, it is the teaching that makes the difference. All the classes we visited on that day had the learning intentions and success criteria prominently displayed on the board. And it was very clear to me that the teachers were succeeding in engaging their students. I congratulate our teachers on their commitment to excellence and applaud our students for responding to the challenge being laid out for them. 

As for the CIS, it has been a fruitful partnership and will remain a vital component of our journey of improvement.

YEAR 12 FORMAL

As always, much effort was undertaken to ensure this event was a tremendous success. What a joy it was to celebrate together.

Students looked glamorous and I was very grateful for the efforts of the Senior Student Managers for their organisation of this important occasion.

I also thank our student leaders for their assistance and the many staff who were in attendance and made this event possible.

The class of 2022 continue to be very united in their resolve to be celebrating the year together. They really are a wonderful year level, and I thank them for being tremendous ambassadors and a credit to their families.

HOUSE MUSIC FESTIVAL

House music rehearsals are well and truly underway, and despite students travelling from east to main on occasion for rehearsals, everyone is fully involved and it’s joyous to see. 

I thank Miss Vrisk for her organisation of these rehearsals. I thank the House Captains for developing school spirit and bringing together a showcase of talent. 

I am sorry that parents, grandparents and the other students will only get to see this via a link, but it’s best to be safe than sorry. We look forward to a very successful House Music event on Tuesday 22 March.

SCHOOL COUNCIL

The following are members of the 2022 School Council and I thank them for their ongoing service.

PARENT REPRESENTATIVES:

Andrew Brough

Daphne Cohen

Gerd Diegelmann

Vladimir Finn

Carly Griffen

Lana Kaper

David Nicolaides

Tim Stephens

DET REPRESENTATIVES:

Harriet Barrow

Simon Hughes

Emma Mullane

Peter Quinn

COMMUNITY MEMBERS:

Alan Bullas

Geoff Woolnough

STUDENTS REPRESENTATIVES:

Liana Kelemen (Year 12)

Thomas Wever (Year 11)

In attendance: Pitsa Binnion, Michael Kan, Richard Long and Lachlan Noble.

PARENT EVENINGS

Thank you to all the parents who have engaged with the virtual Parent Information sessions. The support of our parent community is always very much appreciated and the Heads of Sub-school, Student Managers and teachers enjoy the strong partnerships that are built.

EDUCATION SUB-COMMITTEE: ANNUAL REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY

At the next Education Sub Committee of School Council on Tuesday 15 March we will be presenting the College's 2021 Annual Report. All members of the school community are invited to attend. We will commence at 7pm and meet at the General Office of the Main Campus.

ATTENDANCE

We all want our students to get the best education possible, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school each and every day.

School participation helps people to develop important skills, knowledge and values which set them up for further learning and participation in their community. Children and young people who regularly attend school and complete Year 12 or an equivalent qualification have better health outcomes, better employment outcomes, and high incomes across their lives.

Missing school can have a major impact on a child’s future. 

There is no safe number of days for missing school. Every Day Counts.

Each day a student misses puts them behind and can affect their educational outcomes.

I thank parents for their support regarding this matter.

CYCLING AND PEDESTRIANS

With the 2022 school year underway, some students riding to and from school may be tempted to ride on footpaths. However, doing so can place pedestrians at significant risk of harm. The Road Safety Rules state that cyclists over 12 years are NOT permitted to ride on the footpath unless:

• they are accompanying a child under 12 years e.g. a parent supervising their child): or
• they have a physical or intellectual disability making it undesirable, or impracticable to ride on the road (and they have a certificate signed by a registered medical practitioner). 

Please be vigilant at all times. Please use the school crossing and the roundabout which are there for your safety whilst crossing the road.

TRAFFIC CONGESTION

Our staggered times at the end of the school day definitely assists the traffic congestion. Despite the improvement we have had a couple of students injured while riding their bikes.

I urge parents to continue to be very vigilant and make sure you follow all the road rules and be extra careful around busy times. We will continue to communicate care with all the students.