Donald High School Doings

SCHOOL VALUES

Respect, Responsibility, Resilience and Learning.

Staff, students and parents are encouraged to ensure we all operate and conduct our business at school according to these core values that were established by various members of our school community for the school community throughout the school review process in 2019.

Key focus areas for Donald High School in 2024

As part of our Annual Implementation Plan, and as part of the findings from our school review this year, our school has identified a number of key priorities we will be focussing on in 2024. These include:

Striving for improvements in Literacy and Numeracy with a particular focus on Reading and Writing.
Re-focussing our teaching staff to teach according to our Donald High School Instructional Model and re-focussing classroom behavioural and learning expectations.
Using data to inform our teaching and learning for improved student outcomes with a focus on teaching students to their point of need.
Using student voice as a source of feedback inside and outside the classroom with a view to improving student engagement and connectedness; and
Striving for improvements in student mental health and wellbeing, and engagement and connectedness at school through specialist programs and support.

There is also an expectation of all students to ensure they continue to grow and develop as learners, and for staff to continue to strive for improvement in themselves and the students.

REFLECTIVE WRITING JOURNALS ON READING

All students in Years 7 – 10 have been reflecting on their reading, through completing a reflective writing task on the reading they have completed so far this term at the start of period 6 each day in reading time. These students complete 5 reading sessions and then 1 writing reflection every 6 sessions in reading time to ensure students are understanding and accountable for their reading. This new process has already assisted students to better understand and comprehend some of the words within and the overall books they are reading and will ultimately lead to better learning outcomes for our students.

PARENT OPINION SURVEY

A reminder to all parents that have received an invitation to participate in this year’s Parent Opinion Survey, that the deadline to complete this survey has been extended to Friday 20th September (end of Term). Whilst participation is voluntary, the Department of Education encourages all invited parents to participate, as the results of the survey are used to identify areas of strength the school has, as well as identifying areas and ways for improvement for our school. The survey should only take you 20 – 30 minutes. The survey is now open for responses until Friday 20th September (end of Term 3).

NORTH-WESTERN ZONE SHOOT

We had a student represent our school at the recent North-Western Zone Shooting competition in Echuca on Monday 2nd September. Hayden Clark finished third in a recent shoot in Swan Hill and earnt a place in this event. In this event, the conditions were very windy and Hayden achieved 20 out of 30 targets, after a bit of a slow start to adjust to the weather, placing him equal 4th out of 20 competitors. A great achievement Hayden in tough conditions!!

RUOK DAY ACTIVITIES

Our school held some RUOK Day activities on Wednesday 11th September. The activities included sessions on music and dance, an obstacle course, a Headspace workshop and a workshop with our Mental Health Practitioner, Tammy Barber. The sessions were all very engaging and worthwhile for our students to be involved in. Thank you to Mr. Rodger and the Vocational Major students for their organisation of this day and the activities, and to all the staff that participated in running activities and supervising students on the day.

SCHOOL TV

Please note that our school community now has access to a website called SchoolTV.

This website provides all members of our school community with a wide range of information and resources both in text and video form as well as asks people to complete surveys on a variety of topics on Mental Health and Wellbeing. It is a website that is used as a preventative measure to educate all people on the various topics and is a fantastic resource I recommend people access whether you are a parent, teacher or student.

The topics are conveniently arranged into a number of series. Topics feature interviews with leading youth wellbeing experts and researchers from around the world offering hours of relevant and practical information. Additionally, each topic includes a compilation of related resources from key organisations providing a comprehensive stream of content. Resources include informative fact sheets, articles, apps, books, podcasts, websites, and other videos - all related to a single topic, in one place for easy access!!

The website is found at donaldhs.vic.schooltv.me

ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL

Can parents and students please take note of the graphic below. Last year we had too many of our students missing over 15 days of school (some students over 20 days). Some students this year have already had over 15 unexplained absences (half or full days). Everyone should be prioritising education and learning for all our students. The more time students spend at school, the greater the outcomes for their learning. All Year 7 – 12 students are expected to be at school for the whole day on a ‘normal’ school day. The only exceptions are for illness, medical appointments, or a family bereavement. Parents are encouraged to adhere to these guidelines for their child’s attendance.

END OF TERM & SPRING HOLIDAYS

This is our last newsletter for the Term prior to the Term 3 Spring Holidays. I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone - students, parents, staff and the broader school community, a safe and happy holiday period. Enjoy a break from school and spending some extra time with family and friends. Please stay safe and I look forward to working with you all again from the start of Term 4 on Monday 7th October.

I am available to talk to people at the school to assist you with any enquiries if required and can be contacted to make an appointment or have a discussion on Ph. (03) 5497 1205.

Paul Aikman.

Principal

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