VUSC News Issue Thirteen

Dear Families,

It has been a very busy year for Victoria University Secondary College. It was the third year implementing our Strategic Plan and we continue to make significant inroads into establishing VUSC as a Professional Learning Community (PLC) with all teachers who teach the same subject meeting regularly and working collaboratively to improve student learning in their classes. Teachers have increased capacity to use student learning data to identify and close learning gaps. We have also continued our focus on improving student literacy, with our teachers focusing on Tier 2 vocabulary acquisition and the use of vocabulary in writing. We have been tracking students' progress using our VUSC Reading and Vocabulary continuum with great success.

 

Year 12 VCE Results

Congratulations to the VCE Class of 2019 on their excellent results, the hard work and dedication of both the students and teachers has meant we have maintained or improved upon most of our previous years’ results. The school has improved its median and mean ATAR (Australian Tertiary Entrance Rank) results significantly by a 10% increase from 2018. The school has also improved its mean study score of English to 31.03 (last year we had a mean English score of 29), a massive improvement from last year and a number of our subjects had mean study scores above 30. 

I look forward to seeing you all at the Presentation Evening where we will announce our VUSC Dux for 2019 and celebrate the success of our Year 12’s achievements.

 

STEAM Fair - Science, Technology, Art and Mathematics

Thank you to our families and staff who visited the STEAM Fair last week (see photos above and below) - an exhibition of exemplary student work in science, art and technology. A huge thank you to all of the students who contributed their work, time and effort into the STEAM Fair, including our music students who played for the visitors. Thank you also to our staff who assisted with the organisation of the day. It was an amazing event, congratulations to all and well done!

 

Orientation Day

On Tuesday 10 December we welcomed over 210 fresh new faces to the school for our Year 7 Orientation Day. These grade 6 students enjoyed lots of fun activities designed to make their transition to secondary schooling easier. We look forward to welcoming them all to our school community next year.

 

Presentation and Graduation Evening

Students and their families are invited to attend our annual Presentation and Graduation Evening at the Moonee Valley Racecourse on Wednesday 18 December. On this evening our graduating Year 12 students will be presented with their Certificates, and special achievement awards and scholarships are presented to students at all year levels. The evening will also feature solo and group musical and vocal performances by our students and staff. 

Families are asked to be seated by 6.45pm for a 7pm start. 

Parking: All event parking will be in the free Centre car park, which can be accessed from Dean Street via gate 6, or Wilson Street via gate 7. Limited disabled car parking is available from Thomas Street, via gate 10 and then additional spots are available in the centre car park.

 

Congratulations Miss White

Our school congratulates Miss White on her recent Netball Community Award for supporting boys and girls of all backgrounds and abilities to participate in netball! Well done Miss White!!

 

New Mobile Phone Policy

You may be aware that the Department of Education will require all government schools to implement a new Mobile Phone - Student Use Policy next year. The policy states that students who bring a mobile phone to school must have it switched off and stored in their locker from the first bell to the last bell of the day. Families may ring the school office if they need a message given to their child. The College Board has approved the new policy which is attached below. Students and their parents will also be required to sign an agreement regarding computer, internet and mobile phone use at the beginning of next year. 

 

Year 12 Formal

On Thursday 21st November, the Year 12 students had the opportunity to celebrate the end of their secondary school journey at their Formal held at the Lakeside Reception Centre in Taylors Lakes.  This was a great opportunity for the students to celebrate finishing their VCE or VCAL studies in a really fun, thoughtful and creative way.  Groups of students organized different entertainment that was both humorous and reflective in regards to their secondary school journey.  One group performed a couple of choreographed dance routines to the delight of the audience.  Overall it was a wonderful way to celebrate together.  Throughout the night students and staff danced to the music of the DJ and drums, posed for photos in the photo booth and were treated to a two-course meal.  Congratulations to Dan Sullivan and his team for organizing this wonderful event.  

 

Step Up Programs for 2020 Classes

Step up programs for Year 7 - 11 students were run in the final weeks of this year which provided students with the opportunity to experience their classes for 2020.  This means that students have an idea of what to expect prior to starting in Term 1 next year.  All programs were very successful in preparing students for the next steps in their secondary school journey and helping them to connect with their classes, subjects and teachers.  Those in VCE next year will have some homework to complete over the break but will still have plenty of time to relax and recalibrate prior to starting next year. 

 

Yearbooks

The 2019 Yearbook is now available. Students from Years 7 - 9 should have received their copy last week. Students in Year 12 will receive a yearbook at Presentation Evening. Year 10 and 11 students will be given a yearbook at the first assembly next term. 

 

Looking Forward to 2020

2020 will again be a busy year for us. We will continue our focus on implementing the final year of our Strategic Plan with the key goal being Improving Student Learning Growth. While our enrolments continue to grow (next year we will have around 1050 students) we will continue to promote our successes and achievements to the wider community so that we remain the school of choice.

 

In Term 2 of 2020 we will undergo a school review prior to developing our new Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan sets our direction for the next 4 years (2021 to 2024) and includes our primary goal of improving student learning growth. A great deal of planning, organization and focus groups will take place before the review even commences. Stay tuned!

 

Please see the Important Dates in this newsletter and Compass for start dates for students in Term 1. 

 

And finally....

I would like to thank our amazing staff, students and families for a fantastic year. Everyone has worked extremely hard to provide the very best education and support to our students and help them achieve their goals. Congratulations to our students who have achieved so much this year, in their own personal journeys, their educational progress and their career pathways. I look forward to working with you all again in the New Year.

 

I would also like to acknowledge the generous support of our College Board throughout 2019.

This year, parent, community and staff members were joined by four excellent student representatives, and this has provided even greater diversity and strength of voice to the school’s governance. I would like to thank the Board for all their support and commitment to the continued growth and development of the college, and to always ensuring that it provides high quality education and opportunities to the young people of VUSC.

 

On behalf of all the staff at VUSC I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a safe and relaxing break.

Child Safety

Victoria University Secondary College is a child safe organisation committed to protecting students from all forms of abuse.

Our College has stringent protocols in place and endeavours at all times to be fully compliant with the Child Safe Standards set out under Ministerial Order 870.

Our College has the following documents and policies in place to achieve compliance with the Standards. All of these documents are available for downloading on our website or contact the school for a copy.

  1. Commitment to Child Safety
  2. Child Safety Policy
  3. Child Safety Code of Conduct
  4. Child Protection Policy and Procedures