Principal's Report 

COLLEGE COUNCIL MEETING 21ST MAY 2024

The VSC College Council held their monthly meeting on Tuesday 21st May. The council is pleased with progress of the new gymnasium, and it is good to see that it is finally going up after having been in the planning stage for several years. Council discussed and approved measures to address any possible hurdles that may come up and it is expected that the gym will be in use by early next year.

VSC can consider financially assisting students when competing at state, national and international level in their various endeavours. College Council was happy to approve support for Andrea Foong Year 10 who recently competed at the National Championships in artistic swimming. Congratulations to Andrea for her remarkable performance at the 2024 Australian Artistic Swimming Championship held in Brisbane from the 2nd to 6th May 2024.

Andrea secured gold medals in both the Free Age Team and Junior Mixed Duet categories. 

The reports of the subcommittees for Finance, OHS, Principals report, and the student reports were tabled and approved. This included the annual revision of various policies dealing with the handling of money at the school as well as adding additional monthly motions to be considered and implemented by the Finance Committee.

Vermont Secondary College will have its review of its 4-year Strategic Plan (2021-2024) this year starting with Validation Day on the 29th of May. The review panel and various staff and students will participate in this process, and you might encounter them throughout the school in the coming weeks. The outcome of the review will be the basis for the development and writing of the next 4-year Strategic Plan.

Frank Drost – Council President

SCHOOL FUNDRAISER HELD FRIDAY 17TH MAY

Hi, my name is Nazia (Year 11 at Vermont SC) and I am fundraising to help me bring my sisters to Australia. 

I came to Australia in 2021 after the Taliban took over our country. I came with the Afghan women's soccer team. I was evacuated to Australia from Kabul with my team and have been living in Australia since this time. I arrived as an Unaccompanied Humanitarian Minor (UHM) and have been separated from my sisters and brother since my arrival. They have been living overseas in difficult circumstances in two other countries.

Since arriving I have continued to play with my team and attending school in Melbourne. I have been missing being with my family and it is very important to me and them that we be reunited.

My sisters have been granted refugee visas to come to Australia but as the proposer of the visas it is my responsibility to fund the cost of the flights for them to come to Australia. I would be very grateful for any help that I can receive to help me with this cost.

The school was able to raise $2,608 on the free dress day and female staff versus students’ soccer match last Friday. The college also donated a further $250 to the GoFundMe page.

Below is the Go Fund Me page for Nazia for anyone interested in donating. 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/donate-to-help-nazia

thank you, Nazia.

VSC LOOP DRIVEWAY

A reminder to all parents that family cars should not be driven into the school grounds to drop off or pick up students. Please drop your child off in one of the side roads off Morack Road and allow them to walk into the school. At the end of the day for the pick-up please follow the same procedure.

We currently have several parents driving into the loop driveway at the end of the day to pick up their child and getting caught in behind or in between the five waiting school buses. Parents are then driving out in the wrong direction. The loop driveway is one-way only with the entrance starting at the Boronia Road end of the school.

While on traffic issues the Whitehorse Council and Victoria Police have requested that I communicate the following message to the school community in relation to road safety and their upcoming enforcement activities. 

“Whitehorse Council and Victoria Police are committed to improving the safety of students in the areas surrounding schools.  Encouraging motorists to slow down when driving around schools is an important component of our ongoing campaign to reduce the trauma in our community caused by road crashes.

Victoria Police will be concentrating their efforts over the coming months on enforcing speed limits in streets surrounding schools.” 

The Department of Education (DE) are also reminding parents/carers about speed limits in designated school speed zones during specified times (8:00 – 9:30 am and 2:30 – 4:00 pm). A reminder that Morack Road at the front of our school has a set speed of 40kmh all year around.

TAX DEDUCTIBLE BUILDING AND LIBRARY FUNDS

As tax time is approaching, parents/guardians are reminded that donations to Vermont Secondary College’s Library Fund and Building Fund are Tax Deductible and the College welcomes donations of any size. While we have received government funding for the new Gymnasium complex this will go towards the building itself. The college will need to provide funding for all resources required within the complex.

Direct deposits to: BSB 033 -135; Account No: 56-6475 Account Name: Vermont Secondary College Council Official Account.   Please use your child’s student code as the identifier. All money raised is used to enhance facilities for your student/s. Receipts will be forwarded to you for tax purposes.