Dear Parents/Carers,

Reflections on 2021:

As we head towards the final few days of the school year, I want to take this opportunity to thank members of our Lyndhurst Secondary College community.

Firstly, I would like to thank all of our staff members for their work over the course of this year. Remote learning has presented most of us with one of the most significant challenges of our careers in education. Our ways of connecting with, supporting and challenging young people have all had to shift, and our fundamental skills as educators and support staff have had to rapidly advance. I thank all of our staff for their dedication to their classes and students they work with, as well as their work in ensuring our school was able to operate as effectively as it did during the periods of lockdown experienced in 2021. I know we will take our learnings from 2021 and work these into our practice moving forward, as it is important not to simply revert back to the ‘old ways’, but rather embrace the elements that enable us to be better educators, to support students more effectively and to work with families and the wider community.

Secondly, I wish to thank all of the parents and carers of our students. Without your support at home, our students would not have been able to survive or thrive during the periods of remote learning. We know it is a tough job to work from home yourself whilst having young people you are trying to get onto classes and support with school work. We also know that for many, you were trying to balance having young people at home whilst you were still at work. For your support and staying connected with the school, we thank you.

Lastly, to our students. We are all proud of the efforts students made to connect during remote learning, as we know that at times, it was a process that made people feel overwhelmed and sometimes even isolated. We appreciated every WebEx class you attended, every task you submitted and every email or message you sent to get feedback or ask questions. This all helped us as a school feel like we were doing what we are here to do, which is support and challenge all young people to be the best learners they can be.

Looking forward to 2022:

2022 School Fees

All families will have received information regarding their school fees for 2022. These fees are critical to help support the school in running our many programs and essential areas for students. If parents/carers have any problems accessing Compass or making payments, please contact or visit the Main Office and our team can help you here. We can also support with parent/carer Compass passwords if these need to be reset for the following year. More information on school fees can be accessed at https://www.lyndhurst.vic.edu.au/student-life/booklists-fees/

Uniform

Prior to the return, it is important that all young people have the resources they need for the following year. This includes all their uniform, books, equipment and most importantly a device (laptop/iPad) for learning.

A key area that contributes to our school identity and pride is the correct wearing of our uniform. Please note that the College began a process of phasing out our old uniform in 2019. From 2022, all year levels are expected to be in our new school uniform. This means that the white polo, spray jacket and grey pants/shorts are no longer able to be purchased or worn. More information about uniform can be accessed from https://www.lyndhurst.vic.edu.au/student-life/uniform/

We will be conducting regular checks of uniform in the first few weeks to support our uniform policy and it is expected that students are in full school uniform from the first day of Term 1.

Books and Equipment

Parents and carers should have also received the booklist, which is also available from https://www.lyndhurst.vic.edu.au/student-life/booklists-fees/ Making sure all students have the resources they need in the form of books and equipment is a critical foundation for success, so we thank families in advance for their ordering of these so students have access to all their resources for day 1 of Term.

Laptops and Devices

Finally, having a device for learning at both school and home is critical for all of our young people. As a College, we operate a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program to enable families to purchase devices at their price points. We do have devices that we as a school recommend which are available for purchase via Edunet. This can be accessed from our website https://www.lyndhurst.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Edunet-Parent-Spec-Sheets-Lyndhurst-Secondary-College.pdf

Edunet also offers payment plans via Zip Money to help families spread the payments over time.

Please note if purchasing from another store, there are minimum specifications we ask for with devices. We do not support the use of mobile phones, small tablets or Chromebooks in the place of a fully functional device. It is recommended for a laptop in order to be able to use all the software required as a student.

Start Up Program 2022

Lastly, it is important that all young people are prepared for a positive start to the school year. Our Start Up Program for 2022 has been organised for the following dates:

Friday 28th January: Staff Start Up Day 1 (no students)
Monday 31st January: Staff Start Up Day 2 (no students)
Tuesday 1st February: Year 7, 11 and 12 students return.
Wednesday 2nd February: All year levels return.

During this first week, all year levels will have a specialised Start Up Program tailored to their needs, which will include sessions to support them have a positive start to the year.

We look forward to seeing all our young people ready to learn at the start of 2022 and I wish all members of our LSC community a safe and restful holiday period.

Ms Eloise Haynes

Principal

Important Information

Key dates to remember

Semester Two Reports