Principal's Report
From the Principal
Our College purpose statement is: To develop passionate learners who are critical thinkers with the confidence and capability to engage in the global community, and that is a goal that we work towards in many ways. Sometimes we find great success and pride in being able to achieve these ends in a very literal sense.
This week, our student talent show – ‘The Show Must Go On’ has been conducted at the College, including two day-time performance and a well-received community concert last night.
Our Year 8 students will next week have the opportunity to participate in a wonderful camp experience in South Gippsland. Two weeks ago, our Year 11 students were participating in camp set in the majestic the Ski Fields of North-East Victoria. Our Year 10 students will undertake their work experience placements in the last week of term in a wide variety of vocations and locations,. Advanced planning has begun for our 2023 NASA tour in the USA in a great trip that includes visits to San Francisco, Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, Nashville, Tennessee and Orlando and Los Angeles. We are in preliminary discussions with our sister-school in Italy to re-engage with each other in a meaningful way, which I hope, would mean travel to and travel from Italy within the next 18 months.
These experiences are fantastic opportunities to add yet another dimension to the richness of school life for our students. We are very proud of the wide range of opportunities for such experiences available to our students and for the maturity and growth we see from our students when participating in such wonderful programs and tours. The experiences that we have so acutely missed over the past few challenging years. When you move daily experiences from the classroom to broader settings, your dreams and aspirations are raised to new horizons, your cultural understandings are both sharpened and meaningful engagement in local and global communities are immeasurably strengthened.
‘The Show Must Go On’- Student Performances
Student excitement was elevated this week week as the College’s traditional student performance concerts took place after a two-year absence. ‘The Show Must Go On’ was presented over two performances this week to allow for both our Senior and Middle School students to attend. An evening performance of the show was staged on Thursday evening with great support by our local community. It was great to see the level of participation from our young and talented students cheered on by enthusiastic support from an engaged audience. The diversity of performances was yet again a testament to the talent that many of our students display.
Congratulations to Evan Jones, Scott Copeman, Amanda Broxham, Megan Thompson, Kerryn Murray and the Student Leadership team and the staff and students who assisted in the organisation, production and backstage management of the show.
It was great to see this event back and running!
Parent – Teacher - Student Interviews Thursday 8 September
A further reminder that our Parent – Teacher - Student interviews are to be held on Thursday 8 September. We encourage parents to avail themselves of this important opportunity to meet our teachers to discuss student progress. Students are not required to attend school on Thursday 8 September 2022 but are encouraged to attend interviews with parents and teachers.
Interview Times are as follows:
Afternoon Interviews 1.30pm – 4.45pmEvening Interviews 6.00pm – 8.30pm
Year 10 Work Experience
The last week of Term 3 promises to both a busy and productive time at the College. For our Year 10 cohort, however, there will be some distinct opportunities and challenges as they participate in Work Experience.
It is well documented that Work Experience programs offer students the opportunity to:
- develop employability skills
- explore possible career options
- understand employer expectations, and
- increase their self-understanding, maturity, independence, communication skills and self-confidence
Apart from the earlier starts and later finishes, the challenges of work experience placements are numerous. The program does, however, offer students an insight into the world of work and the pathway possibilities. I wish all our Year 10 students all the best as they enter our wider community.
General Achievement Test (GAT) 2022
All students undertaking a Unit 3 & 4 subject, as well as Year 12 VCAL students, are required to sit the GAT in 2022.
The GAT will be held on Wednesday 7 September 2022 and is administered at school.
Questions asked in the GAT are based on general knowledge and skills that students have already learnt throughout their schooling. No special study is required to sit the GAT.
The GAT will now be delivered in two sections:
Section A will assess literacy and numeracy (2 hours + 15 min reading time) – 9:30am to 11:45am
Section B will assess mathematics, science, technology, the arts and humanities. (1.5 hours + 15 min reading time) – 1:15pm to 3:00pm
All senior secondary students in Victoria, including Senior VCAL students, will sit Section A.
All students enrolled in one or more VCE Unit 3–4 subject (including scored VCE VET) will sit Sections A and B. This includes students who are not planning to undertake their scored assessments (non-scored VCE students).
Students should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the start time for each session.
John Roberts
Principal
One VCE online events for parents and students
Victoria’s senior secondary education is changing
From 2023, the new VCE Vocational Major will replace Intermediate and Senior VCAL. This means the VCE will recognise different students equally.
About the changes to senior secondary education
From 2023, students will have more education choices, a higher-quality curriculum and better workplace experiences.
The changes are a result of the Review into Vocational and Applied Learning Pathways in Senior Secondary Schooling (the Firth review) which found changes were needed to improve vocational learning in schools.
For more information about the new One VCE and Vocational Major, refer to: Many Talents One VCE
Parent online briefings
The Department of Education and Training and the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority are partnering with Parents Victoria to deliver an online briefing about the changes to senior secondary education:
- Wednesday 7 September 2022 at noon via Microsoft Teams. Register to attend
- Thursday 8 September 2022 at 7:30 pm via Microsoft Teams. Register to attend
Come along to learn about how students in Years 9 to 11 will have more education choices, a higher-quality curriculum and better workplace experiences.
One VCE Ask Me Anything session for students
The Department of Education and Training and the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority are partnering with VicSRC to host a One VCE Ask Me Anything (AMA) session.
This is a chance for years 9 to 11 students to hear from the government and have their questions answered.
- Tuesday 13 September 2022 at 7:30 pm via YouTube Live. Registration not required.
Students can get answers to their questions about the new VCE. Parents and guardians are also welcome to join and ask questions.
For more information and to join or ask a question:
- refer to YouTube Live page
2022 Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey
Our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents/caregivers/guardians think of our school. The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education and Training that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. We encourage all families to participate in this survey. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies.
A random sample of approximately 30 per cent of parents/caregivers/guardians have been selected to participate in this year’s survey, which has been sent via email.
The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey will be conducted from Monday 15th August to Friday 16th September.
The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the fieldwork period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in a range of languages other than English. These include Arabic, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, Chin (Hakha), Hindi, Japanese, Somali, Turkish, Punjabi and Greek.
The survey results will be reported back to our school at the end of September. This information is then published in the College’s Annual Report to the Schools Community, which is published on the EDSC website and updated at the end of Term 1 every year.
If you have any further queries regarding this survey, please contact Reception.
Advertise in our College Newsletter
Do you have a business or are you part of a community organisation?
Do you want to reach over 1,000 families in the area every fortnight?
Our fortnightly e-newsletter has space available at either A5 or full page and can include direct links to your website (no social media sites).
Pricing:
$25 - A5 size per edition
$50 - A4 full page per edition
$10 – for community groups A5 size per edition
$200 - per term
$700 - per year
Email the attached form to
east.doncaster.sc@education.vic.gov.au or contact us on 9842-2244 for more information.
Parent Payment arrangements for 2022
The Parent Payment arrangements for 2022 are available via Compass on your home page under “Course Confirmation/Payments”.
Payments can be made through Compass or directly to the College via credit card or cash using the College Payment Envelope (when the General Office re-opens to parents).
If you do not wish to pay via Compass, please ensure you return a copy of the completed form to the General Office, available under “pay in person at the school” link at the bottom of the page in Course Confirmations/Payments, or you can request a copy from the College via
parentpayments@eastdonsc.vic.edu.au
Payments were due by Tuesday 23 November 2021
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
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
East Doncaster Secondary College uses a number of digital platforms to support your child’s education, such as Compass, Google Drive and Office 365.
The College has an Information Security Policy and complies with the Department of Education and Training Privacy Policy. Click on the below link to access these documents.