Important Parent Information

Student Lunches

Just a reminder to parents that we are unable to deliver lunches to students during school time.  It is the student’s responsibility to come and collect their lunch if it has been dropped off at Reception. Hot food is not suitable to be left at Reception.

PLEASE NOTE: Take-away food is not allowed at the College during school hours. Under no circumstances are students to be ordering take-away food to be delivered to the College.

Compass Parent Passwords 

Parents/Guardians are reminded to ensure their Compass password is updated regularly and to action password update prompts immediately. If you are prompted to reset your password, please do not let your password expire. This may result in you not being able to access Compass and you will need your password reset. 

If you cannot remember your Compass password, click on 'Cannot access account' to manage your own password reset.

If a parent requires their Compass password to be reset, please email the school at east.doncaster.sc@education.vic.gov.au with the following details:

• Student name
• Student Home Group
• Student D.O.B
• Parent name
• Parent Mobile

This may take up to 48 hours to reset (business days). Please note that parents are not to share their password with their child. For security reasons, password resets will not be provided over the phone. 

Compass Parent Guide

Compass allows you to access up to date and meaningful information about our College and your child's progress.  For assistance with Compass modules, please refer to the link and user guide below.

Refer to the attached document for a guide to Compass

or click on the below link ...

Student Absences

If a student is unable to attend school, is going to be late or needs to leave early, the school must be informed of ALL absences, whether it be illness, appointments, holidays or any other reason.  You can do this via the following options: 

Option 1

The easiest way is to Login to Compass with your Parent Login and  ADD AN ATTENDANCE NOTE .

Click here for Compass Login

Option 2

Calling the absence line BEFORE 8:30am on the day of the absence. Phone:  9842 2244 (dial option  1).

Option 3

Sending a note with the student for early departures.  Teachers will not allow students out of class without a note or an approval on Compass.

Option 4

For an extended time of absence, including holidays, the attached 'Student Absence Notification' form needs to be filled in and returned to the General Office.

Any unexplained absences will be followed up with an SMS notification. Please do not reply to this SMS as this service is not available.

Phone messages from students will not be accepted.

Parent contact details

Have you moved house or changed phone numbers?

If so, please remember to fill in the attached ‘Change of Details’ form. A form can also be collected from the General Office.  Please return this form as soon as possible. It is important that we have your most current details in case of an emergency.

It is also important that you keep your mobile phone number and email address details up to date on Compass. This is to ensure you do not miss out on vital information including student attendance alerts.

Second-hand Textbooks and Uniforms

📚 🎻 ⛹🏻‍♀️ We have partnered with Sustainable School Shop to provide families access to second-hand textbooks, uniforms, calculators, musical instruments, sports gear and much more!

Sustainable School Shop have preloaded items specific to our school onto their site. This makes it super easy to list your items for sale and to buy items.

👉🏼 See all the second-hand uniform items for sale here: 

https://www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au/stocktake/east-doncaster-secondary-college

👉🏼 See all the second-hand textbooks for sale here: 

https://www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au/booklist/east-doncaster-secondary-college

So jump onto the site, register and list your items for sale, you will be:

• reusing items rather than adding to landfill
• making money on items you sell
• saving money on items you buy
• providing another family in our school with cheaper items
• helping to create a culture of contact amongst our school community families!

💻 Login or Register here: https://www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au

Student Medical Expenses

Parents/carers are reminded that they are liable for all medical expenses incurred as a result of a student’s injury or medical need, including transport costs such as ambulance costs (this may include an air ambulance should that be considered necessary) while at school or participating in a school activity.

Parents/carers may not be informed prior to an an ambulance being called, depending on the situation. The College staff will use their judgment as to what action to take in cases of a student’s accident or sudden illness. 

We encourage parents/carers to have up-to-date ambulance cover and medical insurance.

Student accident insurance policies are available from some commercial insurers. These cover a range of medical expenses not covered by Medicare or private health insurance. It is also highly recommended that families have Ambulance Victoria Membership Cover if it is not included in your private health cover. Ambulance costs are very expensive and are not covered by Medicare.

Damage to Students’ Personal Items/Property

Parents/guardians are reminded that any personal item/property that is brought to school by a student is the responsibility of the student and is not the responsibility of the school and is not covered by school insurance. Refer to Personal Possessions Of Students Policy in the EDSC Policy handbook on the College website. Students are responsible for personal items/property they bring to school. Neither the Department nor the school is responsible if any student’s personal item/property is lost, stolen or damaged.

Cybersafety and Responsible Use of Digital Technologies

Cyberbullying is direct verbal or indirect bullying behaviours using digital technologies. This includes harassment via a mobile phone, setting up a defamatory personal website or deliberately excluding someone from social networking spaces. It is important to stay safe when you are online. It is also important to know where to ask for help and guidance if you are experiencing Cyberbullying. Please find below links to useful information and guidance on seeking help regarding Cyberbullying.  

https://kidshelpline.com.au/kids

https://www.esafety.gov.au/young-people

https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/counselling-support-services

If students have any questions regarding Cybersafety, Digital Learnings in Schools, or our Mobile Phone Policy, please contact the Middle School office or the Student Wellbeing Office. 

Child Safety and Wellbeing at East Doncaster Secondary College: information for families and the school community

The Victorian Government has announced new Child Safe Standards to further strengthen child safety across organisations, including schools. The new standards recognise the critical importance of families and the broader school community in maintaining and promoting child safety and wellbeing. 

East Doncaster Secondary College has reviewed and updated our child safety policies and procedures to ensure they meet the requirements of the new standards. These are available to view on our school’s website, via a Compass News Feed and at the school’s Reception. 

We are committed to continuous improvement in our approach to child safety and wellbeing and welcome feedback from families and members of our school community on ways we can further strengthen our child safety policies, procedures and practices. 

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions, please contact the Principal, Karen Boyle or Assistant Principal, Cameron Campbell. 

https://www.eastdonsc.vic.edu.au/our_school/child-safety-standards

Annual privacy reminder for our school community

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and the Schools’ Privacy Collection Notice.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy   https://www.eastdonsc.vic.edu.au/policy-documents , describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn. 

We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use Compass,Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education, Office 365, Edapt, Oliver Library Management System and Halaxy safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using these platforms, please contact the school.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages:

• Amharic
• Arabic
• Dari
• Gujarati
• Mandarin
• Somali
• Sudanese
• Turkish
• Urdu
• Vietnamese

College Philosophy

At East Doncaster Secondary College we have a strong tradition of academic excellence and we aim to promote and sustain a reflective learning culture. We want students to experience a sense of achievement and growth in their academic, personal, social and emotional development. We have high expectations of our students’ commitment to being mutually supportive and striving for success as learners. We are proudly multicultural with a student population from 43 nationalities including a number of International Students. 68% of our students speak a language other than English at home.

A student’s life at school is full of opportunities, being rich and varied with a range of co-curricular activities in music, sport, productions, debating, clubs as well as camps and international experiences for the educational and personal development of students. Our students are vibrant, energetic, and talented young people. There are many student leadership opportunities and we aim to continue to increase student access to decision-making and self-determination as learners.

We endeavour to create a "Culture of Curiosity" with goals of ensuring learning improvement for every student – every student, every period, every day.

Our school’s purpose is to develop passionate learners who are critical thinkers with the confidence and capability to engage in the global community.

Care and Compassion, Curiosity, Excellence, Fairness, Resilience, Respect and Teamwork are the core values that underpin the culture of our school as we embrace the challenges of 21st Century learning.

We aim to sustain a learning culture that provides every student with a sense of achievement and of being their best in their academic, personal, social and emotional development.