Acting Principal's Report 

Best wishes to our VCE Unit 3 and 4 and Senior VCAL Students

Well done and best wishes to our Senior VCAL and VCE Unit 3 and 4 students as they move through the final phase of your assessments. From many accounts, students sitting exams have expressed that they were as prepared as they could have been. This is a credit to the work that they have put in throughout the year and the strong partnerships students have forged with their teachers. Teachers have reported that the engagement of students during the lead up to the exams has been higher than ever before. This puts our students in the best possible position to achieve their goals.

Ms Eva McMaster (Senior Education Improvement Leader) sent a message to all of our students sitting exams. 

I would like to send my very best wishes to all students who are sitting their exams. I wish them every success! A huge thank you to school staff for getting our students to this point – it is up to them now to show everyone how exceptionally talented and resilient they are.

I would also like to express my congratulations to our outstanding VCAL students who have also endured a very challenging year. It has been great to see you continue to access your teachers as you finalise your assessments. I am very proud of the way you have partnered with your staff to build the VCAL program and contribute to our school. Through your conduct and efforts, you have continued to raise the profile of the VCAL program and develop a culture from which future students will benefit. I know that Ms McMaster would be very proud of our VCAL students too. It was her drive which led to this program being introduced to Doncaster Secondary College. In doing so, it has allowed us to provide learning opportunities which strive to meet the needs of all of our students.

Transitions

Whilst the ability to run on-site transitions for all of the 2021 Year 7 cohort is not yet possible, we do have the ability to run small group programs. Next Tuesday 17 November, Doncaster Secondary College will be running a pre-orientation day program for those students who are coming from schools where only 1-2 students will be transitioning to us. This is an excellent opportunity for these students to familiarise themselves with the College environment, meet their peers and get to know some of our DSC staff.

We also collaborated with East Doncaster Secondary College to run a grade 6 to year 7 transition presentation via WebEx. I have had feedback from our local Primary Schools on how great the presentation was, as well as how good it is to see the local secondary schools working together to benefit students within the wider community. We will continue to respond to the advice provide by the education department and look for opportunities to engage with our incoming Year 7 students and families. Congratulations to Mr Paul Annakis for the work that he has done in leading the transition program.

Graduation ceremonies are not permitted for students from the graduating year level and staff to attend. Being able to mark this transition for our Year 12 students and families is a significant opportunity to recognise and celebrate their achievements. The Valedictory assembly will be held on Wednesday 2 December and will be live-streamed for families. A recording will be available for purchase with details available on Compass.

Responding to the Department of Education’s Term 4 Priorities

In response to the Department of Education’s priorities of Learning Catch up and Extension and Student Wellbeing, a number of adjustments to the learning program have been implemented.

To reduce sedentary behaviour, increase physical activity as well as social health and wellbeing, staff are carefully planning learning activities which are practical and increase collaboration. Staff are also responding to recent PAT data and teacher judgements to differentiate the learning for the range of ability groups within the class. Whilst there has been a greater focus on numeracy and literacy catch up, staff are collaboratively designing tasks for higher achieving students, which allow for more complex and abstract thinking. I am incredibly proud of our staff for their ability to respond to the College and Department priorities throughout this incredibly challenging year.

Professional Learning Communities

Over the last two weeks, the Doncaster Secondary College leadership team has been involved in the Department of Education’s Professional Learning Community training.

Professional learning communities bring together teams of teachers and leaders with a singular focus on success for every student. They are characterised by teacher collaboration, shared practice, collective responsibility and the use of evidence-based teaching strategies. They ensure that student learning drives teacher learning through targeted professional learning. Professional learning communities are a proven way for schools to increase student learning by creating a culture that is focused on continuous improvement.

This structure will align with our current School Strategic Plan goals of maximising student growth through building practice excellence, and building teacher capacity to differentiate practice to cater to the range of student abilities. The Department of Education’s ‘Small group tutoring’ initiative will also increase our capacity to meet the needs of our students by identifying students who need ‘catching up’. We are currently in the process of reviewing student outcome data to identify students who will be involved in the program. The support provided to students may include the building of literacy and/or numeracy skills, and personal and social capabilities. The support may be provided through a combination of programs such as in-class small groups or withdrawing students for targeted intervention programs. Individual education plans will be developed for identified students with learning growth being monitored for effectiveness. Further information will be provided as planning progresses.

I would also like to take this moment to mention our staff who have been acknowledged by the Department of Education for their exemplary work. Ms Maria Zannis has received feedback identifying her drive and skill in leading the Middle Years Literacy and Numeracy Support (MYLNS) project. Asli Dulger has also been celebrated for her work as a teacher in the MYLNS program. Her practices which track student achievement and meet students at their point of need has been shared as an exemplar across the North Eastern Victorian Region of the Department of Education.

Significant Events

This week marked the significant National events of Remembrance Day and NAIDOC Week. The theme of this year’s NAIDOC week is 𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔𝑾𝒂𝒔, 𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝑩𝒆, and s all about recognising that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years.

Remembrance Day marks the date in 1918 when the First World War came to an end. On this day we remember those who have died or suffered in wars, conflicts and peace operations. The College usually attends the Doncaster RSL service however, due to coronavirus (COVID-19), this was not possible. A number of classes joined the Doncaster RSL Virtual Remembrance Day event. The College also organised a wreath to be delivered to the Doncaster RSL.

In 2021, the College will introduce a position of responsibility which will oversee the celebration and acknowledgement of significant events such as these. This role will also focus on how we connect these significant events to the curriculum.

Glenn Morris

Acting Principal