Epping Secondary College Newsletter

Principal's Report

“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose —with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” ~ James Stockdale

 

As a school Principal there are many pieces of paper that come across my desk and many, many readings over a number of years that influence and support the work that we do at the school and how we approach things.  In Book Week 2021 I am turning to one of the great leadership reads, that of Good to Great by Jim Collins.  In this title, Jim talks about the Stockdale Paradox which is based on the story of Admiral James Stockdale, who was a Prisoner of War during the Vietnam War (also a very fitting mention given Vietnam Veterans Day was celebrated recently on August 18th).

 

Collins told the story of Admiral James Stockdale who was a POW during the Vietnam War. Collins notes, “It just seemed so bleak—the uncertainty of his fate, the brutality of his captors, and so forth…how on earth did he deal with it…?”

 

When Collins asked that very question directly to Stockdale, he replied, “I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade.”

Collins followed with another question: “Who didn’t make it out?”

 

“The optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart….

 

This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose —with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

 

With the currently high levels of media coverage around coronavirus we can all be guilty of continually hoping that the numbers will be better today, or tuning in to the press conference, hoping the Premier or PM will announce an end to lockdown.  Often this translates to us feeling less hopeful with each passing day.  This loss of hope can impact your motivation, relationships and your health.

 

So don’t put yourself in that position.

 

Know that this will end. Because it will.

 

Ask what can you do today that positively impacts your motivation, relationships or your health? And do that instead.

 

Have you considered:

  • Displaying gratitude and thankfulness to someone who is important in your life.  This may be a parent, a friend, a family member or your pet cat or dog.
  • Displaying acts of kindness and filling another person’s bucket.
  • Committing to being healthy – with regular exercise, eating healthy foods and getting a good night’s sleep.
  • Connecting with others via the phone, facetime or over the back fence.

With all of this in mind I would like to thank and acknowledge our students for the work and effort that they continue to put into their learning and maintaining a connection with school.  It has been great to see the many efforts students are making to keep on top of their school work and maintain social connections with their peers.  Don’t forget to check out some of the great social activities that our Year Level Coordinators are running via Team Meetings each week.  Congratulations to our Year 12 students who continue to push through the challenges and remain focused and motivated around their studies throughout this current lockdown.

 

Thank you to our parent community, who continue to support their children with remote learning, often whilst juggling multiple demands, including their own work at the same time.  Your ongoing support is invaluable and we appreciate the support and direction you are providing to your children at home.

 

Finally, to our staff at Epping Secondary College, who continue to put our students first and who are working extremely hard to ensure students have the opportunity to remain connected to school, continue their learning and continually monitor the health and wellbeing of our students.  It really is taking a team effort and on behalf of our school community I thank you for the unrelenting efforts you are making to support our students in these times.

 

2021 Parent / Carer Opinion 

Survey, Responses Due, 3 September, 2021 

Many of our Parents / Carers have been randomly selected to complete The Department of Education (or DET) 2021 Parent Opinion Survey.  Please complete the Survey by Friday 3 September. The data from the Survey will be carefully analysed as part of our ongoing work to further improve the College. 

 

Details about the 2021 Parent / Carer Opinion Survey can be found in the XUNO News Feed of randomly selected parents.

 

Updated information for VCE and VCAL students

Following the release of further information by the Victorian Curriculum & Assessment Authority (VASS) yesterday afternoon, we are now in a position to provide you with further information in regards to a number of VCE Unit 3/4 and Year 12 VCAL matters for our Senior students.

 

General Achievement Test (GAT)

The GAT has now been rescheduled for Thursday 9th September from 10:00am to 1:15pm.  This decision is subject to public health advice and further information will be provided to all students over the coming weeks about specific GAT arrangements at Epping Secondary College, including COVID-Safe practices and steps students can take to ensure a more successful GAT experience.

 

Conducting School Based Assessments

One of the challenges with remote learning has been the administration of school based assessments, particularly SACs and SATs in certain subject areas.  From Monday 30th August, essential VCE and VCAL assessments will be able to be delivered onsite when this cannot take place remotely.  Indicative COVID-Safe practices will include only small groups of 10 students in attendance and only onsite for the designated assessment time.  We are awaiting further advice in this space and once this is available for information will be provided to students, staff and parents/carers.

 

VCE Examinations

At this point in time there has been no change to the VCE Examination timetable for 2021.

 

Consideration of Educational Disadvantage

We know and understand that the move in and out of onsite learning throughout the year has impacted student learning, despite the  best efforts of school staff, students and parents/carers.  Given this situation, Consideration of Educational Disadvantage will again be a factor in determining final VCE and VCAL results for all students.  This process will take into account the individual impact of coronavirus on each student so that their results are fair and reliable.  The CED process is based on the impact at the student level for each and every student.

 

As a school we know these are challenging times for our students.  Our team of teachers, coordinators, support staff, Principal Team and Wellbeing Team are all available to provide support at this time.  The health and wellbeing of our students is first and foremost and students and parents are encouraged to reach out for assistance where it is required.  Please do not hesitate in contacting us via XUNO or the school office on 9401 2599.

 

Brad Moyle

Principal