Principal's Report
Principal Report
I warmly welcome everyone back for the start of Term 3 and hope that our East Doncaster Secondary College students and their families enjoyed the opportunity to relax and recharge over the break. As we return for Term 3, our students face an important and challenging period of study in their academic year. Our VCE students are at the stage of both consolidating their learning and developing the skills and understanding to succeed in the end of year VCE examinations. At most year levels we commence the process of planning for the successful transition to the next level of study through our course selection and course counselling programs. It’s also a time with lots of school activities including interschool Sport, many excursions across the year levels, our Year 11 camp program, Year 8 camp and our Year 10 Work Experience program. The term promises to provide diverse and engaging experiences for all, both in and outside of the classroom. I know that our students are up for the challenges that lie ahead!
Senior School 2025 Student Course Selection
This week we have begun the valuable process of supporting students and their parents with making informed individual choices for their prospective studies in Senior School in 2025.
Establishing goals for future success are important for the students of our school community. For many students, their future plans rest upon successful completion of VCE/VM studies at Year 12. Over these next few weeks students will be supported through information evenings, workshops and individual course counselling sessions. I would encourage every family to engage in this process to maximise opportunities for success. In many cases, the correct decisions made in the formative stages of the VCE journey can have such a positive impact upon the outcomes achieved.
On Thursday evening we held our Year 10 2025 Information Evening with a similar opportunity for Year 11 2025 next Tuesday (30 July). There are several informative resources for this process on the Compass newsfeed facility.
The better informed our students are, the more likely their choices will lead to success in learning and to future pathways. Subject handbooks were made available on Compass at the end of last term; I encourage all students and their families to review the relevant subject handbooks carefully to ensure they are making informed decisions. Attendance at our upcoming information evenings will also provide students and parents with the opportunity to ask questions to support decision making.
If you require further information on this, please contact Acting Assistant Principal, Brett Lamb or Head of Senior School, Kate Leaumont.
Senior School Careers Pathways Expo
Last week we held our annual Careers Pathways Expo for our Senior School students. It was well attended by representatives of many public and private providers of tertiary education programs and courses and was an important element of the series of opportunities provided to our students. Congratulations to our Pathways Team led by Craig Browne, ably assisted by our Senior School Coordinators for their organisation. It was very rewarding to witness these sessions and the interaction and engagement of our Year 11 and Year 12 students as they started to make connections towards new aspirational pathways or consolidated their current views by liaising with representatives from Melbourne, Monash, La Trobe, Deakin and Swinburne Universities and other related institutions.
Outstanding Student Achievement – VCE Premier Awards
On Wednesday last week we were very proud that two East Doncaster Secondary College students were recognised in the VCE Premier’s Award ceremony. The top 310 VCE students of 2023 were presented with certificates to commemorate their achievements.
Belle Shi and Samuel Ting from our ‘Class of 2023’ were presented with awards for their excellence in their English and Chemistry subjects respectively.
It was a delight to see such hard-working students being rewarded for their efforts. We congratulate them and are very proud of Belle and Samuel.
2024 NAPLAN Results
As you will be aware, the NAPLAN results for 2024 have been released to schools. We are in the process of mailing the confidential reports for each student that participated. Families should start to receive these next week.
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual national assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. All students in these year levels participate in tests in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and Numeracy.
These tests provide parents and schools with an understanding of how individual students are performing at the time of the tests. NAPLAN tests are one aspect of the school’s assessment and reporting process, and are not a replacement of the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about individual student progress.
For further information on how to read and interpret the report please see the attached NAPLAN Information for parents and carers brochure.
Finally, I would also strongly recommend that the student NAPLAN report is kept in a secure location as the College is unable to provide replacement copies.
SSV Cross Country State Championships
Two of our most talented distance runners represented the College in the SSV Cross Country State Championships held at the Yarra Valley Racecourse during last week. In wintery and muddy conditions, our students proudly represented our College - participating against the best cross country runners in the state.
Results from the day are as follows:
Daniel - 13th Boys 12-13 Years
Ryan - 59th Boys 12-13 Years
Well done on an outstanding set of results from our students. Finishing in the top 30 is a significant achievement at this level. Their commitment and competitive spirit.
We look forward to watching the progress of these students in the coming years!
EDSC Once Again Supporting the Big Freeze in 2024
East Doncaster Secondary College has been proud to make our small contribution to the fight to find a cure for Motor Neurone Disease over the last seven years.
Drawing once more upon the close link between our College and the Daniher family, we were delighted that Terry Daniher could attend the College on Tuesday June 25 to oversee our own EDSC Big Freeze – Ice-Bucket Challenge during our lunch break. An impressive number of staff and students braved the chilly conditions to be drenched by ice buckets to raise money for this great cause.
At last count, we raised close to $1000 for this worthy cause.
Sincere congratulations to all those involved and to all who donated!
East Doncaster Students Depart for the Alpine School
East Doncaster Secondary College has been fortunate enough to once again secure student placements at the Alpine School, Snowy River campus, located at Dinner Plain in the Victorian Alps, this term. The four Year 9 students selected to participate in the program are Mazen, Ethan, Adam and Dhyey.
The Alpine School is a Department of Education Multi-Campus School, specialising in leadership and enterprise education for students in Year 9. This placement enables around 30 students from differing backgrounds to share the experiences and opportunities provided through the program. The school aims to develop skills in leadership, enterprise education and team-based learning. We hope that our team enjoy the experience immensely. Having wished them all the best in a meeting with them last Friday, I noted that they are really positive about meeting the daily challenges in this exciting environment.
Congratulations to all involved. We are looking forward to having them share their experiences with our wider school community upon their return.
Outstanding Student Achievement
I would like to acknowledge the efforts of Yee-Yuan (Year 12), Kishen (Year 11) and Shih-Yaun (Year 8) for their outstanding achievements in Badminton. These three students competed at the under 15 & 19 Badminton Championship held in Perth over the school holidays.
All students performed exceptionally well, completing the 3 out of 3 National Individual events.
The results of the team events are below:
Shih-Yuan:
- National Champion Boys Doubles Winner under 15
- Silver medallist Mixed Doubles under 15
- Captain of Victorian Team and Winner/Gold Medallist of team events beat WA team 1 by 5-1 in the final round
Yee-Yuan:
- Silver medallist Girls Doubles under 19, lost in a nail-biting final of 21-23 in the 3rd set, partnered with Kishen
- Bronze medallist Mixed Doubles under 19
- Quarter finalist of Girls Singles under 19
- Yee-Yuan and Kishen were in Victorian Team under 19 with the team clinching silver, losing to NSW after a hard fight
Kishen:
- Silver medallist Girls Doubles under 19, lost in a nail-biting final of 21-23 in the 3rd set, partnered with Yee-Yuan
- Silver in the team events
Outstanding achievements from three very talented young athletes.
Well done Yee-Yuan, Kishen and Shih-Yuan!
2024 Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey
We are conducting the annual parent / caregiver / guardian Opinion Survey offered by the Department of Education and we are seeking your feedback on our College. The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage all families to participate. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies.
All families are invited to participate in the survey. An email with the link to complete the survey will be sent in the coming days. This email will also provide a PIN for you to access the survey.
The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open online from Monday 29 July to Friday 30 August 2024.
Census Data Collection – Student Family Occupation and Updating Family Details
Every year the Department of Education conduct a census in August which helps determine the level of our schools’ student-based funding. To ensure that the College is able to continue to provide quality programs and an efficient learning environment for our students it relies on being supported by Department funding. Student Family Occupation details are an important component used by DE to formulate our correct level of funding. These details are originally collected on your child’s enrolment form but are often not up to date. For this census to be accurate we ask that all family details are up to date, including parent occupation and occupation code, employer and all contact details. Please complete the data collection form, even if you believe your details have not changed, and return to the College Reception as soon as possible. For assistance with identifying what occupation code to use please refer to the attached document.
It is also vital that families maintain up to date contact information. If your details change we ask that you please complete the Change of Details Form (below) and return to Reception or via email to east.doncaster.sc@education.vic.gov.au
Karen Boyle
Principal