Principal's Message
Dear Families,
Congratulations and thank you for your outstanding efforts during another term of remote learning. I am incredibly proud of our VUSC community, together we have all done an amazing job to stay connected and focused on learning during these very challenging circumstances. Thank you to all who have provided feedback about remote learning and your personal experiences. It has been a very demanding few months and both staff and students have provided feedback on what is working well and what we can improve.
This term we have shared some photos of our staff working from home, to let students know that they are not alone and we are doing our best to make this work together!
In Term 4, all Year 7 to 10 students will continue remote learning from home for the foreseeable future. Year 11 and 12 students will return to the Senior Campus from Monday 12 October. Year 12 VCE students and Year 11 students studying a Y12 VCE subject will be required to come to school for the GAT on Wednesday 7 October. Mrs Atzarakis has posted more information about this on Compass.
Safety procedures and social distancing measures will continue in Term 4 for those students and staff in attendance. Parents will still need to make an appointment to visit the office. Payments can be made online on Compass instead of visiting the office.
RU OK Day
Last week we celebrated RU OK day a little differently. I think it is important that everyone looks after their own mental health, as well as checking in on their loved ones. It has been a strenuous and stressful year to date and with this in mind I sought approval from DET and our College Board President to have a student free day on Friday 18th September, the last day of Term 3. Students are encouraged to use this day to focus on their wellbeing and catch up on any outstanding work if required.
Last week our VCAL students took over Year 7 classes online to educate our junior students on mental health strategies for RU OK Day. They explored such questions as:
Why do we need to ask someone if they are OK and listen to their answer?
Asking someone if they’re OK can help them cope with stressful times, such as exam periods or when school work is building up.
Asking people around you if they’re OK and demonstrating effective listening skills can help friends feel valued, supported and connected.
Why do we need to encourage action and check in our mates?
When you need information to support someone, there are people and places in your community that you can turn to for assistance. Encouraging friends to seek help early will enable them to manage the situation and potentially stop the problem growing bigger.
Checking in on our mates assists in letting them know we have been thinking about them, wanting to know how they are and encouraging them to seek support if needed.
Congratulations to the VCAL students who did a fantastic job during these lessons which I had the pleasure of attending. Thank you also to the VCAL staff for supporting these students and sharing teaching strategies for them to use in their classes.
More information can be found at:
https://www.ruok.org.au/join-r-u-ok-day
Congratulations
Congratulations to our Junior Campus Laboratory Assistant, Nish Sureshkumar who recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! This term we also farewelled STEM Leader Alison Clarkson who is due to have her first child in the coming weeks. We wish both Nish and Alison and their families all the very best.
VTAC Applications: Year 12 students
The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) is the central point for applications to Victorian Universities, TAFEs and Independent Tertiary Colleges. Students planning to apply for any courses in 2021 in Victoria will need to ensure their applications are submitted by the following dates as well as payment of application fee of $41. Please contact the Careers Team if you have any questions.
VTAC Key Dates
| Applications through VTAC close | Wednesday 30th September at 5pm |
| SEAS Applications close | Friday 9th October at 5pm |
| Scholarships through VTAC close | Friday 9th October at 5pm |
| Payment of VTAC Application Fee of $41 Due | Wednesday 30th September at 5pm |
Virtual Tour
Our virtual tour is now live! Go to our website at https://www.vusc.vic.edu.au to find the Virtual Tour link on the home page. As we cannot have tours onsite, prospective parents and students can now tour the College online in preparation for their start to secondary school next year. Further information will be available online early next term for students entering Year 7 in 2021.
Wear It Purple Day – Monday 31 August
Both the Junior and Senior SRC students worked extremely hard to recognise ways to support 'Wear it Purple Day" within our school community. This took place on Monday 31st August and both staff and students showed support for the day.
Wear It Purple is an event which helps support teenagers who are being isolated, bullied and harassed, due to their sexuality or gender identity. Our VUSC community decided to stand up and speak for those who are being targeted due to their sexuality and gender identity. Wear It Purple has recognised the number of suicides caused by bullying and harassment, which led them to conclude that this problem needs to stop, and have more people support the aim of their campaign, so that the death toll stops.
The SRC students came up with the following ways to support the day:
- Staff and students to change their Teams logo to the one designed by the SRC students above
- Staff to wear something purple if they are on camera
- Staff to change all writing or headings in Teams to purple
- Change the Teams background to the Wear it Purple Day background
- Encourage students and staff to look at the provided site to understand what the day is about.
School Holiday Online Program
This upcoming school holidays Mushroom Group, North Melbourne Football Club (The Huddle) and Melbourne Victory are offering young people aged 12-18 the opportunity to participate in an online school holiday program, aimed to engage, entertain and build skills.
These programs are funded by the Department of Education and Training.
Please see the flyer below for information on how to register.
Please check our Community News and Services page in this newsletter for lots of programs available in our local area and online.
Free Triple P Positive Parenting Program
Families can now access free expert parenting advice through the online Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, courtesy of the Department of Education and Training.
The program is relevant to families with children between 2 and 16 years and provides strategies to deal with specific challenges, such as building children’s resilience and dealing with conflict.
There are courses specifically for parents of toddlers to tweens, and for parents of pre-teens to teens.
It gives parents strategies to:
- raise happy, confident kids
- manage misbehaviour so everyone in the family enjoys life more
- set rules and routines that everyone respects and follows
- encourage positive behaviour
- take care of themselves as a parent
- feel confident they’re doing the right thing.
Parents can sign up to the Triple P program via this link.
Finally, I hope you all have a restful break and stay safe and well. I look forward to another interesting term and in particular to welcoming back our Year 11 and 12 students on Monday 12 October.
Elaine Hazim
College Principal
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Child Safety at VUSC
Victoria University Secondary College is a child safe organisation committed to protecting students from all forms of abuse.
Our College has stringent protocols in place and endeavours at all times to be fully compliant with the Child Safe Standards set out under Ministerial Order 870.
Our College has the following documents and policies in place to achieve compliance with the Standards. All of these documents are available for downloading on our website or contact the school for a copy.
- Commitment to Child Safety
- Child Safety Policy
- Child Safety Code of Conduct
- Child Protection Policy and Procedures