College Newsletter

Principal's Report

Welcome to Term Four

All students are active participants in a learning culture that promotes academic excellence and personal development through a diversity of challenging experiences.  

 

VISION

“Working together, learning together” – Working together to enable all students to achieve their potential and become confident, effective learners who contribute productively to society.

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

Doncaster Secondary College acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which our school is situated, the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to elder's past, present and emerging and extend that respect to any and all Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people. We value the ongoing contribution to the cultural heritage that the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung people provide to our school as well as the city of Manningham. We recognise that this land was never ceded and there is no treaty, and we commit to efforts towards reconciliation as a school community. We at Doncaster Secondary College are inclusive of individuals from all backgrounds including the LGBTQIA+, culturally and linguistically diverse as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Returning to School

Seeing our Senior VCAL and Unit 3 and 4 students and teachers return to on-site learning and reconnect with each other has been a real highlight and has brought me great joy. It has also reminded me that they will soon head out into the world beyond Doncaster Secondary College. We have, and continue to do everything possible to provide them with the support they need for their learning, and transition to the next phase of their life.

 

As we progress along the Victorian Chief Health Officer’s Roadmap for a staged return to onsite learning in Term 4, I acknowledge that this will be both exciting and daunting for many in our community. I can assure you that we are carefully planning for the return to on-site learning by considering the social, emotional, academic and health and safety needs of staff and students. Staff workshops have been developed to focus on preparing for this transition and I have also included our Head of Middle School, Ms. Lisa Chiuchiarelli’s newsfeed communication. Please begin to engage your child in conversations around the return to onsite learning, using the following dot points to facilitate a conversation.

 

Health and Safety  

We will be following the DET Operations Guide to ensure that health and safety protocols are followed in an effort to the risk of COVID-19 transmission at school.  We will use the 5R classroom management plan to help students follow health and safety rules, and support students to wear properly. Unless students have a medical exemption, they MUST be wearing a mask from home before they enter the school gates.  

 

Preparing for a more structured routine  

Start setting your alarm clocks to your onsite wake-up time. This will help you to arrive on time and ready to learn when we are back on-site. Info: Sleep Hygiene 

 

Uniform  

Find it, make sure it is clean, ironed, and ready for your first day. If you have grown out of an item and have not had a chance to replace it, please come to school with a signed note from your parent/guardian explaining this, and the sub-schools will provide reasonable support.

 

Wellbeing, Connection & DISCovery Activities

Keep an eye on the Newsfeed and the year-level MS Team channels for fun ways to connect with your peers.  Attend, engage and actively participate in your DiSCovery classes. A lot of work and thought has been put into these lessons to support students to make a smoother transition.  

 

Below are the dates which are set out for the staged return to onsite learning in Term 4:

  • Year 7  will return full time from Tuesday 26th October.
  • Year 8-9 will return for two days per week (Tuesday and Wednesday) from Tuesday 26th October. Year 8s and 9s will return full time from Friday 5th November.
  • Year 10 will return for two days per week (Thursday and Friday) from Thursday 28th October. Year 10s will return full time from Friday 5th November.
  • Year 11 will return full time from Tuesday 26th October.

Remote Learning has been very challenging for everyone, not just for students and teachers, but also for families with their own personal circumstances. However, we would really like to congratulate our school community for the way in which we have coped with the current circumstances. It really has been a testament to the resilience that we have within us – and you’ve possibly found more resilience than you believed you had. We know and understand that it has been tough, but we have continued to learn a lot and make the most of our opportunities. Well done!

Message to Year 12 Students

I acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation who are the traditional custodians on the land which Doncaster Secondary College is situated, and pay respects to elders past present and emerging, and also pay my respects to any First Nations people who are in our College community and may be reading this. I am including the acknowledgement of country in this message as I would like you to take a moment to think about those who have come before you, the challenges that they have faced, and to highlight the extraordinary resilience which is part of our history.

 

The shared experience that we have had, and that you have had together, is not one that you would have envisaged when you thought about the final two years of secondary school. I am sure that you were looking forward to the significant moments and rites of passage that others have been afforded. It leaves us with a sense of loss of what might have or should have been. Accepting that we cannot control everything and focusing on what we can control will help you to move forward and prepare for the next opportunity when it arises.

Whilst some have thrived and others have struggled, I am sure that if you take some time to reflect, you will see that you have learned a great deal about yourself that you may not have known if you didn’t have this experience. It is those lessons which you can take with you into the exam period and life beyond Doncaster Secondary College.

 

As you move into the exam period, I want you to feel reassured that your teachers have done this before. They will continue to partner with you and prepare you for the final performance. Please know that your performance in the final exams is not purely a result of the last two years. Instead, it is the culmination of everything that you have done prior to entering formal education, through Primary School and Year 7-10. During this time you have developed skills, capabilities, knowledge and understanding which you are able to draw upon.

 

Don’t lose sight of the goals which you had pre-COVID, and if you have lost your way with your goals, which is understandable, take the stance of ‘I will bring my best to everything that I do’. Every year I see our top performing students completing past papers, self-assessing against examiners reports, and accessing their teachers for feedback and reteaching key concepts. Take the time to think about your strategy, and share it with your peers, teachers and family so as they are able to support you. I wish you all the best as you move through this period.

 

And I will finish off by acknowledging your teachers for all that they have done during this challenging time. You are central to everything that they do in our school and I can assure you that you are their priority.

Unit 3 and 4 Exam Preparation, Health and Safety

Doncaster Secondary College prioritises the health and safety of our community members and is continuing to follow the advice communicated by the Department of Education and Training.  The current situation requires:

  • The final day of classes for Unit 4 VCE Students is Tuesday 19th October
  • SWOTVAC will be held remotely. Unit 4 teachers will open the MS TEAM for their Unit 4 class during the times normally scheduled for that class and students will access it as they desire.  The teacher will be available for the whole 75 minute period
  • Students and teachers may make alternative or additional arrangements to meet in small groups by inviting them to meet on MS TEAMS at a time which is mutually agreeable
  • No face-to-face assemblies can occur in any form at this time

 

We are committed to ensuring our students remain healthy and are able to sit for their final assessments to complete their VCE.

 

We are in the process of working through the recently communicated ‘New Settings For Safe, Successful VCE Exams’. In summary, the public health team is making important changes to the management of school exposures and students who become primary close contacts – ensuring Year 12s can sit their VCE exams with confidence, while keeping the broader community safe. These changes have been made possible by the efforts of every single Victorian who has stepped up to get vaccinated – particularly final year students themselves, with more than 80 per cent of 17-18 year-olds already at least single-dosed, giving the public health team the confidence to enable students to complete their exams. Communication is currently being developed for school staff, students and families of students studying Unit 3 and 4. I will forward this communication to you when I receive it.

School Review

Our School Review has started and we have completed our Validation Day and Fieldwork Day 1. Our School Review is led by a panel that consists of an external review officer, our School Council President, a Secondary School Principal, DET Regional Office staff, and our Principal team. This is common practice and every school participates in a review every four years. The review will evaluate the College’s growth and improvement since our last review in 2017. Over the Review days, the panel will examine documentation and evidence, including school data, and run focus groups with staff, students and parents/carers.

 

On Validation Day (first day of the review) the Terms of Reference (TOR) were developed in the areas of Achievement, Wellbeing and Engagement. The TOR are questions posed by the panel which require a more detailed investigation and analysis on the fieldwork and final review days. The TORs are as follows:

 

  • Achievement: How can we use evidence of learning to know and plan for all students to maximise learning growth?
  • Wellbeing: How can we create a safe environment with learners who are self-aware, collaborative and respectful of diversity?
  • Engagement: How do our practices and processes maximise engagement and activate agency for learning?

Fieldwork Day 2 will be held on Tuesday 19th October, with the Final Panel scheduled for Friday 22nd October.

 

 

Glenn Morris

Principal