ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS' REPORT
OPEN NIGHT
Once again our staff and students presented our school very positively on Wednesday 8 May for Open Night. Over 1000 people attended a busy night.
Staff and students presented wonderful displays of our teaching and learning program, which I am sure engaged the audience. Many thanks to our staff and students involved, our School Captains Erika Phan and Xavier Verdnik for their presentation, Mrs Jenny De Kretser for her organisation and Mr Peter Quinn for his leadership of the Junior School.
THE YEAR 12 THEATRE STUDIES PLAY
Our Year 12 students in Theatre Studies produced and performed the famous play, The Importance of Being Earnest, over three nights from Wednesday 1 to Friday 3 May. Every student took a role in the production, whether this be performing, producing or design. It was a truly outstanding production. We would like to acknowledge Lisa Glanville for her leadership of this group.
CLASS OF 1969 REUNION
On Sunday 5 May we saw a very noisy gathering of classmates who left McKinnon High School 50 years ago. The Principal’s Afternoon Tea is now a regular event. Following a musical welcome from one of the school’s String Quartets, a lovely introduction from Assistant Principal Mr Richard Long and a group photo, we were taken on a school tour which highlighted the changes since the Class of 1969 were here as students. All seemed very impressed.
We would like to acknowledge Mr Peter Quinn, Head of Junior School, Mrs Tania Burnell for catering and Matan Zaacks (Year 10) for his photographic work. I would also like to thank Claire Bujega, Melanie Lynch and the Thistlelonians for their input. A most successful and rewarding back to school celebration was had by all!
AMBULANCE COVER
I encourage all parents to have family ambulance cover. Schools do not cover costs of an ambulance if one is called. Sometimes children present to sick bay and a judgement is made that we call for ambulance assistance. We always do our best to look after all students and we have a duty of care while they are with us. Ambulance cover is quite cheap as opposed to ambulance cost without cover. I also ask all parents to ensure contact details are accurate and changes to phone numbers, addresses and work details are provided in case of an emergency.
Ambulance Victoria membership information:
FAMILY COVER Quarterly $23.59
1 year $94.35
3 year $283.05
5 year $471.75
Visit the Ambulance Victoria Website for more information:
TRAFFIC CONGESTION
At the start and end of each school day the traffic situation outside the school along narrow McKinnon Road is chaotic at best. Please do not park illegally or in the bus zone. Try and pick up your children a distance away from the school if possible. Please do not drive into the school at all and always take greater care on wet roads. Thank you for your support in this matter.
NEW FRONT FENCE
Work has commenced and is progressing well on our new fence. This will provide more security to students and teachers, as well as frame the front of the school appropriately, befitting the esteemed school that we are. Work should be complete by the end of term.
NAPLAN TESTS
We would like to thank the students of Year 7 and 9 who undertook NAPLAN this week, and extend our thanks to the parents for their support of the process. We were very impressed with the student’s punctuality and effort in these tests. We have a proud tradition of very strong NAPLAN results and I am sure this years’ students will ensure this continues.
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.
TAX-DEDUCTIBLE BUILDING FUND
In recent years many families and ex-students have made generous donations to our tax-deductible Building Fund. The College will use such funds to support the next stage of our redevelopment of the College’s facilities throughout the school. The new facilities will replace many buildings from the mid-1950s.
Further information about our building fund and the next stage of our redevelopment can be found on our website at http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au/p/building-fund.html. On behalf of the staff and students of McKinnon, we sincerely thank all those who have contributed to our Building Fund.
MYKI TICKETS
Many excursions require students to provide their own ticket for public transport. Before any excursion using public transport, students must ensure they have a myki that has a positive balance. Read more at http://www.myki.com.au/
EXAMINATIONS
All students in Years 9, 10 and 11 will be completing exams in the coming weeks. Teachers and students put in a significant amount of additional work to ensure that academic excellence is achieved by all those who seek it. This is a busy and challenging time for students and teachers alike, and we congratulate them for their efforts. Many senior students will also undertake the VCAA General Achievement Test (the GAT) on Wednesday 12 June and we wish them well in this important task.
MCKINNON’S UNIFORM POLICY
McKinnon is very proud of its uniform policy and we want to ensure all students follow it appropriately. Currently, they should be in either full winter uniform (including a blazer to and from school) or PE uniform (if they have PE/sport on that day). The correct PE uniform comprises:
- Blue McKinnon-branded shorts or track pants
- Red McKinnon PE polo shirt and/or McKinnon rugby top
- Blue Kia rain jacket (Years 10-12 only) or PE jacket
Please note that no variations or additions to this policy are acceptable. If new items need to be purchased the McKinnon uniform shop is open on the following days/times:
- Tuesday (8:15am – 12 noon)
- Friday (12:30pm – 4:00pm)
- 1st Saturday of the month (9:30am – 12 noon)