Principal's Message
Dear Families,
We have had a very positive start to Term 2 with students engaged in a variety of learning programs and excursions across the college.
Term 2 is a busy term with Semester 1 and Unit 1/3 work ending mid-June and semester one exams occurring to consolidate this knowledge. Semester 2 and Unit 2/4 work will commence once exams have been completed.
We honoured the ANZACS
The College commemorated ANZAC Day on Thursday 24th April with students and staff, gathering to remember and pay their respects to those who have served in the armed forces. We hold this service annually in honour of the anniversary of when Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed on the beach at Gallipoli in Turkey on 25 April 1915. Thank you to our SRC students and Ms Yuki for organising this event to commemorate a very important day at our college.
Parent Teacher Interviews
Parent teacher interviews were held on Tuesday 25th March. We thank all those parents and guardians who took the opportunity to meet with teachers to discuss their child’s progress. The conversations are always useful for all involved and assist us to provide the best outcomes for students as well as providing a forum for parents to meet all their child’s teachers. Please contact your child’s Year Level Coordinator if you were unable to attend and would like some feedback on your child’s progress.
Open Day
On Monday 28th April we hosted our annual Open Day event for prospective Year 7 students and their families. The day began with morning classroom tours followed by an interactive tour in the evening with presentations from our staff and students. This was a great day/night with over 500 people attending. The night was successful due to all the staff and students who were able to talk about some of the fantastic learning opportunities that exist at Victoria University Secondary College. A huge thanks to the 100+ students who volunteered to help and all the staff who supported this event. Also special thank you to Mr Dowie for organising Open Day and ensuring the overall event was a success.
Semester One Exams
Year 7 to 11 students will commence their semester one exams on Thursday 5th June. This is an important process for students to ascertain their level of achievement for each of their subjects and offers a great opportunity to plan for the next stages of their senior schooling. The results are key to their continued growth. Year 12 exams will commence on 10th June. Exam timetables will be provided to all the students in the next few weeks.
Student Attitudes to School Survey
Our school is conducting a survey to find out what students think of our school. The Attitudes to School survey is an annual student survey offered by the Department of Education. The survey assists schools in gaining an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school. Our school will use the survey results to plan programs and activities to improve your child's schooling experience.
Students from all year levels (7 to 12) will participate in the survey. They will complete the survey online during school hours using a purpose built secure online survey tool. Students are not identified in any of the results. A summary of the survey results will be reported back to the school in Term 3 in our school newsletter.
Hosting Chinese Principal Delegation
We are excited to announce that our school will once again host 12 Chinese Principal delegates on May 21st. This visit reflects the ongoing commitment to international collaboration and the sharing of educational best practices.
They are interested in the following:
- Curriculum: An overview of our curriculum and how it meets the diverse needs of our students.
- Teaching and Learning: Insights into our innovative teaching methods and learning environments.
- Student Results: Our strategies for improving student outcomes through collaboration among staff, students, and the community.
- Data Usage: How we utilise student data to inform an enhanced educational practice.
This visit provides a wonderful opportunity to showcase our school's achievements and learning environment.
Celebrating Our Honours Band Success
I am thrilled to share an exciting achievement from a talented Honours Band, which recently competed on Saturday, April 19th (Easter Saturday) at Methodist Ladies College (MLC), for the Australian National Band Championship. It was an incredible honour and pleasure to witness our students showcase their talents alongside schools from across the state.
I am proud to announce that our Honours Band secured an impressive 2nd place! Their performances were nothing short of professional, reflecting the hard work and dedication our students put in. During the last week of the Term One holidays, they practised every day at school to refine their techniques and ensure they were performance ready.
A special mention goes to Mr Breen, our Music Leader, whose guidance and expertise have been instrumental in elevating our students to this remarkable level of achievement. His commitment to nurturing their talent is truly our greatest asset. VUSC continues to support our students as they pursue their musical passions!
Legal Panel
Mr Grant Anderson, our Legal Studies teacher, organised a panel of legal professionals from a range of different legal career fields on Thursday 24th April to talk to our senior school students about their profession and what led them to make that career choice.
The panel members who attended on the day were:
- Her Honour Magistrate Heather Lambrick
- Ruth Shann SC
- Gary Saunders, Koori Court officer
- Shea Grant, solicitor, Emma Turnbull Lawyers
- Esraa Saleh, past student of VUSC
The afternoon commenced with each panel member introducing themselves and their role of work, the positives, opportunities, and challenges they faced and encountered throughout their career.
The students were attentive throughout the session. Hearing about the background of each of the panel participants was a great way of relating to students through "humanising" the law and the people who work in it. Students were then given an opportunity to ask panel members questions. Light refreshments were provided at the end of the session which enabled staff, students and panel members to have informal chats.
Well done to Charlotte Katoanga who gave a very warm thank you speech to the panel on behalf of the school.
Students were eager to provide feedback on the panel and how they were engaged and inspired:
“I really enjoyed hearing about the paths taken towards becoming a lawyer, and the personal reasons and motivations for being so passionate about law and criminal law especially. The panel helped give insight into the nature of the jobs as well as the challenges and benefits that can come from a career in law.” – Dakayla Year 11
“I enjoyed listening to the experiences of different people involved in the legal community. All of the people had their own view and experience which I enjoyed.” – Jacob Year 10
“I really liked the legal panel because it demonstrated the different roles of lawyers which I never knew because I used to think that lawyers were just lawyers and that they all had the same role. I also liked how all the lawyers were very enthusiastic about their jobs.” – Tony Year 10
“I liked the legal panel because it included engaging information and interesting facts. I liked the diversity of the members there with their experience in law.” – Athena Year 10
“I really enjoyed the panel and found it very helpful to find out more about different pathways that I may want to pursue. It also helped me become more informed about certain roles and what they do.” – Natalia Year 11
“I found the panel to be very enjoyable as their different pathways gave an insight into potential future careers.” – Isabella Year 12
Congratulations to Mr Anderson for always going above and beyond to engage our students in their learning.
Congratulations
A huge congratulations to Year 12 students Chloe Truong and Diego Sanchez who have been chosen to participate in the State Schools Spectacular in September! Chloe will be playing the trombone and Diego will be assisting in audio production. Well done to these students on such a fantastic achievement.
Congratulations also to both our Boys and Girls Intermediate Volleyball Teams for becoming Keilor Division Champions once again! Both teams will now play in the regional event in Geelong this month. Congratulations also to our Senior Girls Basketball team who are also Keilor Division Champions. Our Senior Boys Basketball team played really well but unfortunately missed out on playing finals by a couple of points only. Well done to all of these students for demonstrating our school values!
Chinese Sister School Visit – Homestay Families required
We are excited to announce that a number of Victorian sister schools in China will be sending their students and teachers to visit Australia early in Term 3 again this year. VUSC will be hosting up to 20 students (10 junior and 10 senior) and 2-3 teachers from Tuesday 29th July to Saturday 2nd August 2025.
The Chinese students will require homestay for four nights and must be transported to and from school during the week. Students will ideally be placed in pairs, particularly junior students. Host families will receive an information pack and $300 per student to assist with expenses. The students will need to return to our school on the morning of Saturday 2nd August to be picked up by their tour bus.
All participating homestay family members over the age of 18 years must comply with the Working With Children Act which requires them to undertake a mandatory Working With Children Check prior to hosting visiting international students. Volunteer Working with Children Checks are free and applications are available online.
Please consider playing an important role in the success of our sister school visit. If you would be willing to host one or two of our sister school students, please email Anita Stanley at anita.stanley@education.vic.gov.au.
Year 10 Careers Panel Event
Our Careers team will be hosting our annual Year 10 Career Panel event on Tuesday 24th June from 1.45 – 3.00pm at our Senior Campus in Cairnlea.
On that day we will have representatives from a range of professions and industries to help students consider their options, when making their senior subject selections.
Participants will be organised into panels aligned with occupational fields and/or subject areas. Each panellist will speak about their backgrounds and careers, and students will be given an opportunity to ask questions to make informed decisions regarding their subject choices for 2026.
If you are in the workforce and you would be interested in sharing your career experiences with our students, please contact Ms Kristy Muratore, Careers Coordinator on 8312 0200. Please see the flyer attached below.
Rian Kumar - Muay Thai National Champion
Finally, a huge congratulations to Year 7 student Rian Kumar who made it on the front page of the Brimbank Star Weekly newspaper in week 1 this term for being awarded a Gold Medal in the National Muay Thai Championships on the Gold Coast recently! Rian is now off to the Youth World Championship in Abu Dhabi in September! Good luck Rian!
The importance of regular school attendance
At VUSC,we prioritise regular school attendance. We will work with families to ensure students are in class with their peers and teachers and enjoying all the benefits that brings.
Attending school every day means experiencing what counts – the learning, friendship, fun and opportunities that can shape your child’s future.
We understand that there are times when your child will need to miss school but to ensure minimal disruption to their education, please consider scheduling family holidays or medical/dental appointments outside of school time. If your child is well enough to attend but is worried about friendships, schoolwork or exams, please encourage them to come to school. Avoiding school can make these feelings worse and can create a negative pattern of behaviour.
If your child is having difficulty attending school, please talk to their Year Level Coordinator about getting support.
We know that parents and carers can be juggling challenges daily to get your children to school. If your child must miss school, notify us as soon as possible via the Absence Hotline on 8312 0243 so we can work together to support them.
For more information about the importance of everyday attendance, see Attendance and Missing School.
Remember, Every Day Counts.
Enjoy the rest of the term,
Elaine Hazim
College Principal
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Child Safety at VUSC
Victoria University Secondary College is committed to providing a child safe and child friendly environment, where students are safe and feel safe.
Our child safety and wellbeing policies outline the measures and strategies we have in place to support, promote and maintain the safety and wellbeing of our students:
- Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
- Child Safety Code of Conduct
- Child Safe Standards Risk Register
- Child safety Responding and Reporting Obligations Policy and Procedure
All of our policies are available on our school website here. As valuable partners in promoting and maintaining child safety and wellbeing at VUSC, we welcome and encourage your feedback.