Assistant Principal's News

Smoking Ceremony - First day of Term 1 2024

On the first day of school this year, Dion Edwards from the Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place joined our Year 7 and 12 students to conduct a traditional smoking ceremony.

Smoking ceremonies are an ancient First Nations cultural practice designed to cleanse a space, remove any negative energy and protect the wellbeing of all. Dion started the ceremony with a Welcome to Country, welcoming us to the lands of Wurundjeri in the Kulin nation that we are fortunate enough to live and work on.

His message to EDSC students was a simple one -  to enjoy yourself, be kind to others and be considerate of the lands that we are on.   

St Claire’s Walk 

The school has received a number of formal requests from the Body Corporate of St Claire Walk – the complex that fronts onto George Street north-east of the College.

Firstly, it is to remind parents of the on-going issues relating to parking inside St Claire Walk and the driveway alongside the property. Whilst waiting to collect students from school, please do not park in these areas. This is private property and parking there makes access for residents very difficult. 

Secondly, it appears that a number of our students are using the paths and roads within this complex to access Blackburn Road. As private property, this should not be the case. 

Students are reminded to use the public footpaths on George Street if they are heading to and from the Blackburn Road intersection and beyond. 

As a school community, we would appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

Cameron Campbell

Assistant Principal

2024 NAPLAN Testing

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 students will be held in March this  year.  NAPLAN tests will be delivered online between Wednesday 13 March and Monday 18 March.

NAPLAN tests assess student knowledge and skills in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation)  and numeracy. Over time, the NAPLAN tests provide parents, teachers and the school with a rich source of information on how students are progressing in literacy and numeracy as they advance through their schooling.  Individual student results will be provided to parents and students later in the year.

All students are expected to participate in the NAPLAN Online tests. Catch up tests will be available for individual students who are absent on test days up to  and  including  Monday 25 March 2024. Students are asked to make sure that they arrive punctually for each of the test sessions.  They are required to bring headphones for the Language Conventions test. Headphones are also optional for the Writing and Numeracy tests. 

The testing schedule is:

 *Specific test times for each year level will be published closer to NAPLAN testing period

Further information can be found in the attached brochure to parents.

Preparation: 

Students will be provided with the opportunity to undertake practice to ensure that they are comfortable with the tools on the online platform. Familiarisation will occur in the form of practice Writing, Reading, Language Conventions and Numeracy tests.

Students and families may also develop familiarisation with the online platform via this link: https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site

Jarrod Sturnieks

Acting Assistant Principal

Teaching and Learning