Assistant Principals' Report

Safety Reminder:

School Pick-Up and Drop-Off Zone 

With many new families joining the DSC community, we would like to remind parents of safety issues around the school pick-up and drop-off zone located on Church Road.

This area is designed to improve safety for students and to reduce congestion during the busy morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times. Please note that this zone is strictly a 1-2 minute parking spot. You must also not double park, or stop in the line of traffic to pick-up or drop-off a child, as this forces children onto the road and causes traffic congestion. Parking in the bus zone is also prohibited.

If there are no spots available in the pick-up/drop-off zone, there is plenty of parking available in neighbouring side-streets.

Please be aware that parking regulations are enforceable by Manningham Council, so if you choose to park illegally you may be booked.     

We look forward to your support to help us provide a safe environment for our children and to maintain traffic flow during these buys times.

Belinda McGee

Assistant Principal 

Homework at Doncaster Secondary College

If you ask students what the most exciting part about returning to school is, they are unlikely to say it is homework. Yet homework plays an important role in secondary school learning. The most comprehensive research on homework suggests that there is a positive correlation between homework and student achievement, meaning that students who complete homework do better in school. (Xu, 2010; Zimmerman & Kitsantas, 2005).

Homework supports student learning and wellbeing by: 

• providing opportunities for students to review, revise and reinforce newly acquired skills
• providing opportunities for students to apply new knowledge
• providing opportunities for students to prepare for future lessons
• encouraging students to enrich or extend knowledge individually, collectively and imaginatively
• fostering good lifelong learning and study habits

The evidence also suggests that the quality of the homework is more important than the quantity. Our teachers strive to make sure that homework is purposeful, curriculum-aligned, appropriate to the students’ skill level and age, and designed to help students develop as independent learners. Students play a part, too: they can make sure that they are putting their best effort into their homework so that it becomes truly educational and consolidates their skills, and doesn’t just become busywork. 

At Doncaster Secondary College, the following expectations apply at different year levels: 

Years 7 and 8: 5-6 hours per week

Years 9 and 10: 8-10 hours per week

Years 11 and 12: 15 hours or more per week

As parents, carers and kin, you can support your children to engage with homework effectively by ensuring there is a balance between the time spent on homework and recreational or family time. Another important role for you is talking to your children about their homework: you can encourage them, and also help them to make links between the homework and their previous experiences, family cultures, histories or languages, and relevant interests or hobbies. 

One of the most important things you can do to help your children is to make sure that there is a quiet study area for them to complete their homework. Moderate the use of technology (particularly relating to mobile phones) and check-in with your child to make sure they have everything they need. 

Students are also encouraged to attend Homework Club after school on Thursdays. This will begin running later this term, so keep an eye out on Compass Newsfeed for the opening date. 

Our Homework Policy can be found in the Student Planner and the College website. You can click here to access it.                                        

Elisha Sadikay

Assistant Principal