100 Days of School
On Wednesday 7th August, our Foundation students celebrated the milestone of 100 days attending McKinnon Primary School. We want to say a big congratulations to all of the students on reaching such a great milestone! They have all done such a fantastic job and the school is very proud of how well they have started their school life at McKinnon PS.
You will have noticed that the students and teachers dressed up as 100-year-olds to help in the celebration. Our Foundation teachers decorated the classrooms and the students spent the day doing a range of different activities involving the number 100.
2025 Foundation Meet, Greet and Play Session
We are very excited to be welcoming our 2025 Foundation students to McKinnon for transition. We are launching this process this term with a Meet, Greet and Play Session on Thursday 29th August. We invite all 2025 Foundation students who have been enrolled to join us at 9:15am – 9:45am in the rainbow playground.
This will allow students and parents to meet each other and some of our teaching staff and student school leaders. Attending this session means your child is just one step more prepared and familiar with our school and allows you to set up playdates before the September school holidays.
Further information about this session will be sent to all families who have enrolled for 2025. If you have not yet enrolled, or you know someone who is planning to attend next year and has not put in their enrolment form please let them know they need to do this immediately, as they were due last week.
Please contact the school office if you have any questions about the enrolment process.
Class Placement- Please email the office by 20th September with “Class Placement” in the Subject Heading.
During Term Three, we ask for any requests for class placements for the following year. The reason we ask so early is that formulating the 2024 classes is a long and complex process involving many factors. If you email us, we will take this into consideration; if you do not email the school, we cannot change classes for your child after they are formed.
This information is crucial for us to have while we are forming the classes, as last-minute switches are not able to happen. Our teaching and support staff spend a long time considering all the needs of students when forming the classes, however, if you feel there is something you would like taken into consideration (e.g. separations, pairings or complex needs or experiences), then please email the school at mckinnon.ps@education.vic.gov.au
Every year, we have a handful of families that are upset with where their child has been placed. Please do not put yourself in this situation and instead email the school this term with your class placement request information. Do not wait until after the classes are formed or into the following year to say that your child needs to be separated from another as this will not be able to happen.
If you are planning on leaving Mckinnon Primary in 2025, it would be greatly appreciated if you could notify the school as soon as possible by emailing the office.
SRC UPDATE AND FRIDAY TREAT FUNDRAISING
Last week, we welcomed our Semester Two representatives to the Student Representative Council! The SRC meets every Tuesday at lunchtime to work on communication and cooperation skills while discussing student topics, suggestions and improvements to our school. The SRC are very excited to announce ‘Friday Treat Fundraising’ starting on Friday, 16th August. Raising money towards student sports equipment and student-run clubs, they will be selling icy poles from the school canteen from 1:30 to 1:50 pm. The icy poles will be limited to one per child and cost $1 each. We will be selling to certain year levels each Friday. Please see Compass News for reminders and more information.
SCIENCE WEEK
Science knowledge and skills are an important and fun component of student learning. Physics, earth science, chemistry and biology are heavily integrated into our units of nquiry, however, it’s exciting to celebrate Science as a school community. This year, we have a video competition, science quizzes and student demonstrations leading up to and during Science Week. We have already had some wonderful submissions to our video competition, those students who are interested in participating have until Wednesday, 21st August, to submit their experiment. Please see our school science Padlet for more information. Students who participate in the video competition and science quiz in classrooms have a chance to win a small prize at our next whole school assembly.
YEAR SIX PYP EXHIBITION
In Term Three, our Year Six students take part in a collaborative learning experience called the PYP Exhibition. This is an exciting and memorable process where we support students in exploring, documenting, and sharing their understanding of an issue of personal significance. This year, we are exploring the transdisciplinary theme of ‘How the world works’ through the central idea of ‘Science and technology can change our lives’. Students have been exposed to a wide range of carefully selected provocations to spark their curiosity and wonder. Soon, they will be taking control of their inquiry, developing questions, researching and forming groups to create meaningful experiences to promote action and change of thinking in their audience during exhibition week. It’s already been a great journey for our students and we are looking forward to seeing the culmination of their hard work at the end of the term.
Exciting News: Our Playground is Complete
We are delighted to announce that our new playground is now complete and ready for students to enjoy. The new playground is equipped with a variety of structures and play areas designed to promote physical activity, creativity and social interaction. We thank our school community for being so patient with the adjustments to school access needed in order for the construction to be completed.
Book Parade
Book Week is approaching in a few weeks and with it, our Book Parade will be held on Friday 23rd of August! From classic literary figures to modern-day heroes, students are encouraged to dress up as their favourite book characters. This is a wonderful opportunity for children to express their love for reading and bring their beloved stories to life.
Please look out for more information in the coming weeks. If you are interested in the Children’s Book Council of Australia shortlist for 2024, please visit https://cbca.org.au/shortlist-2024/
Specific Consent for Inclusion in Media for Website and School Publications
An event, Specific Consent for Inclusion in Media for Website and School Publications, has been planned for Friday, 30 August 2024. McKinnon Primary School will be organising media sessions for a series of photos and videos that we will use to improve and update our existing communication tools and further promote the school. This media may be used in a variety of formats – newsletters, flyers, website, information to current and future parents, at the discretion of the school through official communications.
Please complete the consent if you approve that your child be included in photos in classrooms, grounds and other school-based activities. Full student names will not be disclosed. Photos/media will not be for individual distribution. Consent does not guarantee your child will be included in these sessions, as timing and opportunities will be random. The closing date for consent is 30th August 2024.
David, Andrew and Amanda