UNIFORM

Students have been wearing their uniform with pride and we thank all families for supporting the school’s uniform policy. There are, however, some areas where we need additional support from parents/carers.

School blazer - this must be worn to/from school during Terms 2 & 3. During the warmer months of Terms 1 & 4, the blazer is optional and students may wear just a shirt/dress; however, if they choose to wear an outer garment to/from school, it must be a blazer (rather than the College jumper);
Footwear - students must wear black leather lace-up school shoes; shoes with low heels, buckles or black runners are not part of the summer/winter uniform;
General appearance - hair styles must not be extreme and colours must be natural; jewellery and make-up should not be obvious/excessive; the only accepted facial piercing is a single nose stud; students need to be cleanly shaved.

SCHOOL CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Parents/carers can access the College’s calendar via the McKinnon website. The link can be found on the right-hand side of the homepage (below the link to Compass). The calendar shows the year’s upcoming activities, including camps, information nights, music performances, etc.

SCHOOL PHOTOS

School photos were taken last week. If families are interested in viewing/purchasing photos they need to register online using the individualised code provided to each student on Photo Day. If you don't have your image code, or need assistance, please contact Arthur Reed Photos directly: 03 5243 4390 / customerservice@arphotos.com.au. Information has been posted on the Compass newsfeed.

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.

SCHOOL POLICY REMINDERS

Administration of Medication Policy - if students are required to take medication during the school day, parents/carers must complete and return this Medical Authority Form to the Health Centre, together with the medication (which needs to be clearly labelled with the student’s name, the dosage required, and the time the medication needs to be administered). It is crucial that families and the College work together to ensure this process is always implemented safely.

Privacy Policy - McKinnon Secondary College needs to collect and use personal data associated with students and parents/carers for standard school functions. We comply with all aspects of the Department of Education and Training’s Privacy Policy. Information about that policy can be found here.

Students in College photos/videos - as part of the enrolment process, parents/carers provide permission for their child to be involved in photos/videos taken by the College. These media are used for standard school functions (e.g. documenting school events such as sporting carnivals and assemblies). If parents/carers want to withdraw this authorisation, it is their responsibility to inform McKinnon Secondary College on 8520 9000.

SAFE ONLINE BEHAVIOUR & ACCEPTABLE USE OF ICT RESOURCES

Please impress upon your children the need to use social media in a safe and responsible way. The College runs targeted sessions explaining this to students, but it is also important for parents/carers to discuss this issue with their children.

With students regularly using their Chromebooks to complete schoolwork, it is important to reinforce the importance of using technology in an acceptable manner. We expect our core values of respect and integrity to be reflected in every aspect of our students’ lives, including their use of ICT. As Chromebooks rely on the internet, restrictions to specific websites are determined by the internet connection that is being used. While at school, McKinnon’s internet connection is filtered to limit students’ ability to access inappropriate content and social media platforms.

When connecting at home, the Chromebook’s internet access will be in line with the family’s home internet connection. There are many options available for routers with parental controls, while it may also be worth contacting your Internet Service Provider (ISP) - most of these may already offer parental controls for your service.

CAMPS, SPORTS & EXCURSIONS FUND (CSEF)

CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities, for students in Years 7 to 12. If you hold a valid means-tested concession card (e.g. Health Care Card) or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. Application forms are available from the Finance Office. For more information about the CSEF click here.

PARENT/CARER INFORMATION SESSIONS

Our information sessions provide opportunities for parents/carers to meet the Student Management teams and receive important information about the year ahead. We encourage all families to attend these events. Please be advised these sessions are designed for parents/carers and students should not attend:

Years 8 & 9 Information Session - Tuesday 18 February, 4:30pm, East Campus Gym
Year 7 Information Session - Monday 3 March, 4:30pm, McKinnon Road Campus Hall
Years 10 & 11 Information Session - Tuesday 20 May, 4:30pm, McKinnon Road Campus Hall

Please keep your eye on the Compass News feed for these resources.

HOMEWORK

At this point in the year, it is important that parents/carers check that their children are getting into the correct habits with homework. The school diary has recommended homework hours stated for each year level, as does our Homework Policy (available on the College website). These suggested times should not just be used to finish set tasks from class but also to review topics covered in class and complete wider reading.

Students in Years 7-10 should be writing all deadlines in their diary and we ask parents/carers to check diary entries regularly to help students develop their organisation skills. Our VCE students are expected to record all key dates and deadlines in their Google Calendar (or whichever platform/format they have chosen to use).

As all students in Years 10 to 12 have exams in June and/or November, effective revision skills are essential. If no homework has been set for a given evening, students should revise work already completed so that revision is not left to the last minute.

NAPLAN TESTING

NAPLAN testing will be undertaken by all students in Years 7 and 9 at the following times:

Year 7 - Wednesday 12 March, Thursday 13 March, Friday 14 March and Monday 17 March;
Year 9 - Wednesday 12 March, Thursday 13 March, Friday 14 March and Monday 17 March.

These tests will be conducted during periods 1 and 2 for Year 7s and periods 3 and 4 for Year 9s on test days. All tests will take place in classrooms at each campus.

A NAPLAN information brochure for parents and caregivers can be found here.

Students are required to bring a charged Chromebook, wired headphones (please note that wireless headphones do not work) and a pen for planning. Physical calculators, rulers and protractors are not required for the Numeracy test as they are available in the online test format.

Over the next few weeks, students will be using a series of ‘NAPLAN at McKinnon’ videos and presentations to prepare for this testing. These will be made available via Google Classroom. Students will be undertaking practice tests using the NAPLAN demonstration site to get used to the test format. We encourage parents/carers to review the preparation resources with their child and to explore the NAPLAN demonstration site.

https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site

If your child is currently in Year 7 or Year 9 and has been offered adjustments to testing conditions in NAPLAN in the past, please contact the school as soon as possible so we can ascertain whether these adjustments can be applied again for 2025.

Please email these inquiries to Peter Quinn (qui@mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au) with the subject line - NAPLAN 2025 ADJUSTMENT. These requests must be submitted no later than Friday 21 February.

YEAR 10 CAREER INTERVIEWS

Careers interviews will shortly be undertaken by every Year 10 student. During the interview, the careers team is checking current academic progress, discussing strategies for improvement and exploring potential career pathways. Students are also shown the VTAC website to determine essential requirements including ATAR and prerequisite subjects to help students with choosing their VCE subjects for next year. Parents can view the summary of each interview by accessing the Insights tab in Compass and scrolling down to "Pathways -Year 10".

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