Middle School News

End of Year Values Assemblies

Recently all year levels in middle school attended one of two Values Assemblies. First was the Year 9 Values/Graduation Assembly. This was a really positive event, headlined by some fantastic musical acts from Alex , Christian, Rachit , Ashton and a few creative videos from Abhishek, Thai, Kosta, Alisa and Liam. Congratulations on a fantastic effort to perform/show their creative skills in front of the cohort. 

Next there were farewells and speeches from current Year Level Coordinators as well as some words from Principal John Roberts before launching into the focus of the assembly which was to congratulate the Value Award winners from Term 4 (attached).

All in all it was a great way to farewell Year 9 2021 and wish them all the best in Senior School from 2022 onwards 😊

Year 7 and 8 were involved in a less dramatic but still fantastic, combined assembly the following week. Again we were wowed by the skills of our musical students with Lauren, Leah and Cheryl starting us off with a fantastic Flute piece. Next John Roberts again addressed the assembly, but the focus was really on the strengths of our students throughout this year and those who were awarded Values Awards (attached above). A fitting end to an otherwise trying and testing year once again.

Activities Week

During this week students in Years 7 – 9 who signed up on time were able to attend certain activities to finish the year off with a bit of fun and frivolity. Year 9 attended Gumbuya World on Monday 13 December, Year 8 Luna Park on Tuesday 14 December and Year 7 attended both RampIt Indoor Skate Park and Ninja Parc on Wednesday 15 December.

Photos demonstrate the awesome fun these students had throughout the day and was well worth it. 

Final Message

As I mentioned earlier, 2021 has been another testing year. More lockdowns and uncertainty again tested the metal of our school and the wider community and again our College values stood the test of time. Students and their families demonstrated great resilience once again to continue to grow, learn and make the most of lockdown's minimal opportunities. I couldn’t be prouder of the way both Middle School students and staff who adapted so seamlessly to lockdowns and again back to onsite learning. 

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Year 8 Coordinator Lily Trist for all her work with students this year and wish her all the best as she steps away from Coordination in 2022. We now welcome Leanne Kaufmann to replace her. Also, we welcome Kate Hesselmans to join the Year 9 team and congratulate Rebecca Morris who is now taking up a more permanent role as one of three Year 7 Year Level Coordinators in 2022.

From all of us here in the Middle School team, I would like to wish everyone in the EDSC community a happy and healthy Christmas and New Year. Please stay safe and I hope to see everyone refreshed and eager to learn in 2022. Thank you.

Justin Bond

Head of Middle School

Activities Week - Science

Science students were challenged on Monday, as a part of Activities Week, to create a ‘marble run’ out of only icy-pole sticks and masking tape. There were two contests: to make the slowest marble run, and then to make the marble run exactly 12 seconds long! Students had a great time using both trial and error and physics principles to get their ball rolling! 

Uniform Shop PSW - Retail Stores reopening

PSW Kew East store is now fully open to vaccinated parents, as per the Governments guidelines, from Saturday 30 October, so parents not wanting to order online will be able to visit the store from Saturday to purchase their uniform needs in person.  The shelves are fully stocked. 

1 to 1 Digital Learning Program 2022

In 2022 we will continue with our whole school 1 to 1 Digital Learning Program for all students.

The purchase of these devices is crucial to the learning program as students will access eBooks rather than an extensive number of expensive textbooks.

Details of the 1 to 1 Digital Learning Program for all students and important information regarding suitable devices are detailed in the attached policy.

**Please note that the JB Hi Fi Solutions portal is no longer open for the sale of devices. This service is not available for 2022 purchases.

Student Compass ID/Library/PTV  Cards

Please remind all students that they must carry their Student Compass ID/Library/PTV  Cards with them at all times.

ALL students must sign in/out with their card at the General Office when they are arriving late or leaving early for any reason. A reminder that Year 12 students are required to sign in/out at The John Landy Centre Compass Kiosk.

The cards are also used for any student photocopying that is done at school. The EDSC Student Compass ID/Library/PTV  is also the student PTV (Public Transport Victoria) cards. They are required to carry this card as student identification while travelling on public transport.

If a student loses their card, parents/guardians are able to re-order a replacement card via the Compass parent portal.