Principal's Report
From the Principal
School Review – Term 3
The College will undertake extensive work next term to prepare for the School Review that takes place in Term 3.
It is legislated that all Victorian Government Schools undertake a detailed review on school operations, policies, governance and compliance, child safety standards, Curriculum planning and documentation, reporting and assessment, staffing procedures and OHS matters.
We have been working to ensure that our current practices, protocols and policies are in accord with the legislated requirements that governs schools, whilst also analysing multiple sources of school data to evaluate our success as a College in meeting the articulated goals of our last School Strategic Plan 2020-23.
Early next term we will be organising focus groups of parents and students in this expanded review process in order to capture a wider College focus on our progress as a highly effective secondary College, with aspirations to achieve further growth in student outcomes.
The formal Review process will commence at our College on Wednesday 26 July and will continue until we host a formal College Review Day on Wednesday 14 August. It is anticipated that we will receive our official Review Documentation in the initial weeks of Term 4 with the expectation of completing a new School Strategic Plan 2024-2027 by mid Term 4.
I will keep our College community informed of our progress in this respect over the coming months.
Parent – Teacher - Student Interviews
A further reminder that our Term 1 Parent/Teacher Interviews are to be held on Wednesday 29 March.
We encourage parents to avail themselves of this important opportunity to meet our teachers to discuss student progress. All bookings must be made via Compass.
Interview Times are:
Interviews 1.30pm – 4.45pm
Interviews 6.00pm – 8.30pm
We acknowledge that the logistics of the afternoon and evening make it difficult for all parents to meet with each teacher, I would therefore advise parents to be selective and prioritise their bookings.
If parents are unable to attend personally on the day or are unable to secure an interview with a particular teacher, could I remind all parents that the COMPASS system allows for ongoing communication via email.
I would encourage parents to contact any teacher if they have specific concerns/queries regarding the education of their child. Alternatively, parents may contact Year Level Coordinators to arrange meetings and discuss overall performance or other issues.
Please find attached further information regarding Parent – Teacher - Student Interviews and booking information. For further booking instructions please go to https://www.compass.education/guide#section-09
Parents and Friends – Annual General Meeting - Monday 27 March
Although detailed information will be posted in another section of this Newsletter, I wanted to take the opportunity to remind our College community that the Annual General Meeting of our wonderful Parents and Friends Association will held at our College in the The John Landy Centre at 7.00pm next Monday evening (27 March).
The Parents and Friends Committee is a friendly group of interested parents who provide assistance at various school functions throughout the year such as information nights, school production, parent/teacher interview days etc. Our PFA also undertake fundraising activities to raise extra funds to use on worthwhile projects that will benefit the College community.
I would invite any parents, especially those new to the College in 2023, to consider involvement with our vibrant and energetic PFA.
EDSC win 2023 Whitehorse Division Swimming Carnival
It is with great pride that we announce that EDSC have won the 2023 Division Swimming and Diving Carnival once again this year.
Held on Friday 10 March at Aquarena (in Lower Templestowe), our swim team, comprising of 32 students, took out the 2023 championship:
Overall Team Scores from the carnival:
764 - East Doncaster SC
692 - Box Hill HS
568 - Blackburn HS
508 - Koonung SC
Congratulations to the following students who were awarded age champions:
Girls 12-13 – Cally YEUNG
Boys 17 – Charlie MCKENZIE
Eugene TANG broke one record on the day in the 50m Butterfly (32.74), previously held by our current student Logan Cox!
This qualifies are successful team members to advance to the Eastern Metropolitan Swimming Carnival on March 28, where we will have a number of individual swimmers and seven relay teams participating – we wish our team all the best for this next challenge.
Harmony Week Showcase
I was very pleased and proud to attend our Harmony Week Showcase in our Performing Arts Centre today during the lunch break. The event presented a range of student performances to showcase the wonderful talent of our students and the magnitude of cultural diversity that is found within our College.
We are a College with students from over forty nationalities, from six continents, and from many different languages and cultures, yet the level of harmony between students and between families across our community is something of which to be proud.
Our College proudly embraces and seeks to foster inclusion, respect and dignity for all.
A special note of thanks is extended to Evan Jones and our Performing Arts Captains for their planning and organisation of this event
Outstanding Student Achievement
We were very proud to recently learn that our Year 9 student Steven Chen (9K) has been selected to attend the SEA Open Short Track Trophy in Singapore and to represent Australia in the upcoming World Skate Oceania Speed Skating Championships in Brisbane from 6-10 April.
A fantastic achievement, we wish Steven all the very best!
In a similar fashion, we would also like to warmly congratulate Aidan Han (12E) for competing this week in the 2023 Paddle Australia Canoe Sprint National Championships at the Champion Lake Regatta Centre in WA.
Aidan will also be participating in the 2023 Oceania & Paddle Australia Canoe Championships in Geelong during the Easter period.
Best of luck and well done, Aidan!
Traffic congestion around our College
Can I take this opportunity to remind the families of our College community of the need to be cautious when driving and parking at drop off and pick up times of the day around our College. As a large Secondary College with over 1750 students attending daily, we have many students being transported to our College by car which presents a potential for danger to our students and other drivers.
I’m sorry to have to report that there are still a number of parents who commit traffic violations by either parking in the wrong places or doing U-turns over the continuous white line along George Street at the front of our College. Some parents are driving in and out of the Administration car park, creating danger for students and turning into heavy traffic.
In our Stadium car park on Dryden Street, we also witness a great deal of traffic congestion daily.
The safety and wellbeing of our students must be the primary concern for us all and I would sincerely encourage all parents to ensure that the busy, crowded, often hectic school drop-off and pick-up periods are managed in a fashion that does not endanger the safe passage of our students.
After recent conversations and visitations, I am hopeful that the Manningham Council will more regularly visit the College to monitor traffic flow and parking and assist us in ensuring a safe environment for all
John Roberts
Principal
Curriculum Contributions Year 10-12 Subjects
Curriculum Contributions for Year 10-12 subjects are on Compass and we invite parents to support our extensive electives program which provides options and opportunities for those in our Senior School.
East Doncaster Secondary College provides classroom consumables, materials and equipment for items and activities that students use, or participate in, to access the curriculum and we invite you to make a contribution for the elective subjects that your child is studying.
Please refer to the attached document for instructions on how to do this:-
Your financial assistance enables us to enrich and extend the learning experiences of our students.
We thank you for your generous support.
Parent Payment arrangements for 2023
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Please find attached the Parent Payment arrangements for 2023. They are available for payment via Compass on your home page under “Course Confirmation/Payments”.
Alternatively, payments can be made directly to the College via credit card or cash using the College Payment Envelope. Please ensure you download the attached form for the appropriate 2023 year level. Payment envelopes can be dropped off at the College in the locked drop box at Reception.
Your ongoing support of the College allows us to continue to offer a broad range of programs and enhanced curriculum experiences.
Please refer to the attached Parent Payments Policy and further links to information via https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/parent-payment/policy
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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.
Privacy and Data at East Doncaster Secondary College - Reminder
Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy.
Please take time to read our school’s collection notice, found on our website on the Policy Documents page. We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use platforms such as Compass, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace for Education 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 Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education, 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