College Newsletter

College information

Remote learning video message to students 

With our Year 7-10 students having returned to flexible and remote learning this week, the Head of Middle School, Mrs Spiteri, and Head of Senior School, Ty Dennis, shared a short video to students offering tips and words of support. You can view the video by clicking this link. 

Have you joined the DSC Lap of Australia Challenge?

 

Throughout the next five weeks of remote learning, all Year 7-10 students will attempt to complete a virtual lap of the Australian mainland. Students will be given time to participate in this challenge throughout their respective Health and Physical Education practical lessons, however they can continue with the challenge in their own time as well. Parents, siblings and pets are all welcome to join in the fun too!

 

The Challenge

To collectively complete a virtual lap of Australia (14,000km) by walking, running or riding throughout the remote learning period. The aim is to complete the challenge by 21 August 2020. Full details of how the challenge works are available on the Compass newsfeed. 

 

There will be updates throughout the challenge to see which classes and year levels are performing the best and to see how close we are to achieving our school goal. There will even be a team made up for staff.

 

Why is this challenge important?

The current restrictions enforced in Victoria have caused an increase in screen time and sedentary behaviour. It is also important to note that The National Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that a high school student should complete 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. We hope that this challenge motivates students to meet the recommended guidelines, which would in turn improve their physical, mental and social health throughout these uncertain times.

 

Prizes

Although the overall goal will be to complete a virtual lap of Australia, there will be prizes up for grabs for extra motivation. The class that records the most amount of kilometres throughout the challenge period will receive their choice of an Archery Tag or Bubble Soccer practical lesson upon their return to face-to-face learning. The best performing individual student will win a Rebel Sport prize pack.

 

Mr Eugene Pring

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Subject selections: What will you choose?

 

This term students will get the opportunity to select subjects for next year. Information about the range of subjects we offer and what students should consider in terms of their strengths and interests will be covered in DiSCovery. 

 

Some Year 9 students will be invited to consider picking a VCE subject to complete in Year 10. These students are nominated by their teachers on the basis of their academic achievements and study habits. 

 

Any student who receives an invitation is encouraged to consider the pros and cons of doing a VCE subject early. 

 

The main positive is the experience it gives in the demands of VCE, preparing for the end of year written exam and the GAT. 

 

The main negative is the strain it can place on the rest of a student's program: sometimes students spend so much time on their VCE subject that they neglect their other Year 10 subjects. We recommend speaking as a family to decide if doing a VCE subject in Year 10 is the right choice. Students who are invited to do so will receive further information about what they will need to do. 

 

All students are encouraged to make the most of the upcoming DiSCovery lesson, as this is where subject selection information will be shared. They are also encouraged to ask their DiSCovery teacher if they have any questions about the process or which subjects to choose. 

 

Ty Dennis, Head of Senior School

PSW Trading Hours 

 

Our school uniform supplier, PSW, has advised that there is no change to their retail trading hours. There are however strict procedures including mandatory wearing of face masks, no physical contact with products and restricted numbers of visitors inside the store. 

 

Online orders will continue to be processed as usual. A ‘click & collect’ service will also be operational soon. Please refer to the PSW website for further updates as the situation will be regularly reviewed.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transdev Services: Message to school community

 

Transdev will continue to operate all school services in order to support students who are learning on-site.

 

The safety of students and our drivers remains a priority, so please note the information below:

  • We are no longer accepting cash on board our services. Students are still required to travel with a valid ticket, however we ask that you advise your child to top-up before they travel.
  • We have increased the frequency of cleaning and sanitisation of all our buses, including “high touch areas” such as handrails and posts, grab straps, seat top handles, window ledges and bell presses.
  • We are requesting all passengers who can, to enter and exit the bus via the rear door to maintain social distancing. If your child needs the bus lowered or the ramp, our drivers will assist them to board via the front door.
  • If a child feels unwell, they should not travel and get tested.

Despite the extraordinary times, we continue to focus on keeping an essential service running and ask for your support in ensuring your child touches on when catching our services.

 

Transdev Melbourne Schools Team

DSC Short Story Competition: deadline extended

 

 

We'd like to advise students that the DSC Short Story Competition entry deadline has been extended. All entries will now be due by 11:59pm on Monday, 3 August. 

 

Please see the Compass newsfeed for all the competition details. If you have any issues uploading your story to the learning task please email your submission to: Fiona.Cowan@education.vic.gov.au. 

 

Good luck to all entrants!

 

Fiona Cowan

English Learning Area Leader