VUSC News

Principal's Message

Dear Families,

I hope the term is going well for you. This term we are beginning to prepare for next year with subject selections, new student enrolments and the VCE reforms. Could I please ask that you let our office know as soon as possible if you are moving out of the area or if your child will not be attending VUSC next year?  We would also appreciate you letting us know if your contact details have changed or you can update your phone number and email address yourself on the Compass parent portal. If you've forgotten your password, contact our office who can reset it for you. 

 

General Achievement Test (GAT)

All students enrolled in one or more VCE or scored VCE VET Unit 3 –4 sequence will be required to sit the General Achievement Test (GAT) sections A and B on Wednesday 7 September 2022. There will be no Year 12 VCE classes on this day however VCAL classes will still run.

 

Senior VCAL students will sit Section A only. To familiarise students with the requirements and structure of the GAT, we held GAT information sessions on Tuesday 23rd August. Students were given detailed examples of questions and were guided on how to write responses that would attract maximum marks. I would like to thank Mr Robert Goodwin who volunteered to run the GAT information sessions for our students. Mr Goodwin is an experienced member of staff and a Leading teacher, who is also a VCAA assessor of the final English Examination. 

 

2022 Annual Concert

Our VUSC Music department staff and students worked hard to put on an outstanding performance for staff, parents and students on Thursday 25th August in H-Block at our Senior Campus and we had a full house.

 

It certainly has been a very tough two years in the Performing Arts Department, and it was great to see all their hard work and effort come to fruition. What an amazing group of dedicated teachers and talented students we have at VUSC! Congratulations to all involved, the performances were brilliant.

 

Thank you to the staff who made this possible:

  • Miranda Orford - Head of Music
  • Rob Breen - Band Leader
  • Michael Smith - Year 7-9 Music Teacher
  • Nguyen Pham - VCE Ensemble leader and guitar teacher, who also managed the sound production for the evening!
  • Fiona Morris - Woodwind
  • Liam Krebs - Woodwind
  • Ben Cooke - Bass Guitar
  • Jo Ghiocas - French horn
  • Tony Le - Guitar
  • Sam Oliveri - Drums and percussion 
  • Tach Sutton - Voice 
  • Theo Pike - Drums and Percussion

School Production

Our school production was held on Thursday 18th and Friday 19th August, and it was outstanding! Congratulations to the students who all contributed to the creation of the production and performed to a packed house each night. 

A huge thank you to Mr Polizzi, Ms Fallon and Western Edge for the amazing performance and support for our students. The performers were excellent, and I was impressed that all the students participated enthusiastically in a variety of roles. How fortunate for our students to be involved in the production after two years of lockdown - and what a great team of teachers we have who put in so much extra time and effort to make this a standout production.

 

Parking

A reminder please to only park in designated parking spaces around the school and not to park in disabled zones if you do not have a permit. I appreciate that parking is limited and now that the weather is warming up, I encourage you to use the surrounding streets where possible. The school crossing has been completed at the Senior Campus which assists students to cross the road safely. 

 

Overdue Library Books

We currently have several overdue library books at both campuses. Whilst we are pleased that students are borrowing so many books, our library policy states that students can only have up to 3 books borrowed at one time and they must be returned by the due date. From term 4, parents/guardians will be sent an invoice to pay for lost books. Please ensure that any overdue library books which are at home are returned to school as soon as possible.

 

Mobile Phones – Important Reminder

The Victorian government and our school’s mobile phone policy makes it clear that students are not to use mobile phones whilst they are at school.  There are several reasons for this including student safety, and encouraging a focus on face-to-face social time with friends during the day.

 

The Department of Education has asked all schools to ensure that the policy is being implemented, particularly as they have recently seen an increase in anti-social online behaviour across the state.

 

Phones must not be used on school grounds.  They must be switched off and always left in lockers. Phones will be confiscated and will need to be picked up at the office by the parent/guardian if they are not in lockers.

 

COVID Safety Measures

The Department of Education has recently stated that all students over the age of 8 and all staff are expected to wear masks whilst at school.  This is not a mandate, but it is a COVID safety measure that we strongly endorse. 

 

Together with the vaccination and ventilation, masks are an essential element of a COVID safe environment.  Please support us to keep your child healthy.

 

Attendance

Extensive research over many years indicates that attendance is an important contributor to a student’s academic achievement and all school days matter. To put this into perspective, a student who misses school one day per fortnight is equivalent to missing four weeks per year or more than a year’s work over their school life. 

 

While VUSC's attendance data is commensurate with the state average, we seek your help in improving our attendance rates by: 

1. Actively monitoring your child’s attendance via the Compass portal 

2. Refraining from booking holidays during the school term 

3. Monitoring your child’s sense of belonging and connectedness to the school and raising issues of concern early with the relevant Year Level Co-ordinator or Middle/Senior School Leader.

 

Punctuality

Thank you to parents and guardians for your support in getting your children to school on time each day. We have had a focus on improving punctuality and have been contacting parents/guardians where lateness is an ongoing issue.

 

Regular attendance of over 90% is expected and being punctual is an essential life skill, and one that we continue to promote and foster.

 

Summer Uniform

A reminder to students and parents/guardians that all students are required to wear their summer uniform in term 4. Uniform items can be purchased from PSW or our Sustainable School Shop website at www.sustainableschoolshop.com.au. 

 

Enjoy the upcoming break and I look forward to seeing you in term 4. 

 

 

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.