Senior School News

2025 Course Selection

I wanted to take the opportunity to inform students, parents and carers that the start of Term 3 will see us starting our planning for 2025. Students will be presented with many options and decisions regarding their studies for next year.  

Decisions around course selections can be complex. With this in mind, we encourage students to pursue passions and talents and keep their options open for future pathways. As a College we pride ourselves on the support and direction we provide students and parents with during this time.  

To assist with this, we are planning to conduct parent information evenings to provide further direction and information:

• Information Evening for Year 9 students moving into Year 10 took place on Thursday 25 July
• Information Evening for Year 10 students moving into Year 11 will take place on Tuesday 30 July

All Year 9, 10 and 11 students will also have a meeting with a course counsellor to discuss suitability of choices. These course counselling interview will take place via Microsoft Teams and parents are most welcome to attend with their child. Further communications regarding this will be provided to parents and students via Compass early next term.   

The dates for course counselling are:

• Year 12 2025 - Thursday 1 August
• Year 11 2025 - Tuesday 6 August
• Year 10 2025 (Current 9A-9F) - Wednesday 7 August
• Year 10 2025 (Current 9G-9L) - Thursday 8 August

Over the holiday break, students were encouraged to read through the subject handbooks and engage in discussions with their families about possible options and pathways for their future studies. It is important for students to select their subjects carefully.  See the attached links below.

VCE - VCE VM Course Selection Handbook 2025

Year 10 Course Selection Handbook 2025

Brett Lamb

Acting Assistant Principal - Teaching and Learning

Course Selection Information

For students entering Year 11 in 2025

Tuesday 30 July: Subject Expo and Parent Information Evening

Friday 2 August: On-line Course Selection Submission Deadline. A hardcopy of the selection form signed by a parent/guardian must be returned to the Senior School office no later than Friday 2 August.

Friday 2 August: Applications for VET subjects Deadline.

Tuesday 6 August: Course Counselling Interviews are on Tuesday 6 August. Interview times will be emailed to students on Monday 29 July. Interviews will be conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams. No Year 10 classes will be conducted on-site on this day; lesson plans will be placed on Compass. Students who have a Year 11 class on this day are to attend that class. Their interview can be conducted on site if needed

Course Selection Information - Year 10 and 11 students

 For students entering Year 12 in 2025

Please be reminded of the following dates:

Monday 29 July: On-line Course Selection Submission Deadline. A hardcopy of the selection form signed by a parent/guardian must be returned to the Senior School office no later than Monday 29 July.

Thursday 1 August: Course Counselling Interviews are on Thursday 1 August. Interview times will be emailed to students on Friday 26 July. Interviews will be conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams. No Year 11 classes will be conducted on-site on this day; lesson plans will be placed on Compass. Students who have a Year 12 class on this day are to attend that class. Their interview can be conducted on site if needed.

Attendance Reminder - as per Student Guide VCE and VCE VM 2024 

VCAA has directed schools to set the minimum class time and attendance rules. Where a student has submitted the required work but there has been a substantive breach of attendance rules, the school must assign N for one or more outcomes. The overall result for the unit will also be N.

It is essential that students meet the East Doncaster Secondary College attendance policy requirements as outlined by VCAA. The VCE involves frequent deadlines for work, Outcome Tasks and some School-Assessed Coursework (SACs) specify particular tasks are to be done at the College so that the student work can be authenticated and student skills can be assessed by their study teacher. 

Students absent from SACs or Outcome Tasks must provide a valid medical certificate covering the period of absence. The SAC will then be completed in the next session. If this is inappropriate, the time may be negotiated between the student and teacher. This will be communicated to the parents. 

Whilst involvement in sports/peer support and other College sponsored activities is encouraged, this needs to be balanced with class attendance.

VCE Attendance Requirements

The attendance requirement for VCE is 90%. 

Attendance will be recorded by teachers in Compass. Subject teachers should report students who are at risk of missing more than 10% of their classes in a unit or for their overall attendance (a double period counts as two lessons) to the VCE Coordinators.

The following will be taken into consideration:

• Reason for absence eg. Medical (certificate must be supplied), school commitments such as sports involvement, absence without legitimate cause.
• The student’s ability to authenticate work as their own
• Number of classes missed
• The student’s commitment to complete outstanding work

The following sanctions will apply:

• ‘N’ result for the unit
• A student’s enrolment at the College may be reviewed
• Disciplinary action for absence without legitimate reason
• Counselling

All absences from assessment tasks/SAC must have a medical certificate. Other absences require a note of explanation or a medical certificate. Notes from parents must be supplied to the General Office.

Medical certificates must be handed in person to the General Office.

Policies and Procedures 2024 document attached below for your information

Kate Leaumont

Head of Senior School

Deakin University Excursion

On Wednesday 26 of June, Year 10 students had the opportunity to attend an excursion to Deakin University to experience what it was like being a university student for the day. This is what Rudra, one of our Year 10 Captains, had to say about the day:

University gave me insight into what life would be like as a student after school. My favourite part of the excursion was the workshop - my group looked at biomedicine, and we did an experiment where we extracted our own DNA! No, we did not spit into a test tube and call it a day. We extracted the DNA using cool equipment like the water bath and then put the DNA into little necklaces. Other than biomedicine, a facility I found really cool was the nursing building with fake hospital setups with mannequins at each bed. The mannequins could bleed, vomit and have seizures just like real patients. I really enjoyed the excursion as it was helpful and informative. It motivated me to work harder to achieve my dreams, and I look forward to the opportunities I have in the future.

By Rudra

Year 10 Captain

The University Day Experience is one of the many ways that EDSC helps students like Rudra to make informed decisions about pathways beyond school!

Linda La

Year 10 Coordinator

Student Lunches

Just a reminder to parents that we are unable to deliver lunches to students during school time.  It is the student’s responsibility to come and collect their lunch if it has been dropped off at Reception. Hot food is not suitable to be left at Reception.

PLEASE NOTE: Take-away food is not allowed at the College during school hours.  Under no circumstancesare students to be ordering take-away food to be delivered to the College.

Student Compass ID/Library/PTV  Cards

Please remind all students that they must carry their Student Compass ID/Library/PTV  Cards with them at all times.

ALL students must sign in and out with their card at The John Landy Centre (Senior School Building)when they are arriving late or leaving early for any reason. 

The cards are also used for any student photocopying that is done at school. The EDSC Student Compass ID/Library card can be used as ID for student PTV (Public Transport Victoria) travel. They are required to carry this card as student identification while travelling on public transport.

If a student loses their card, parents/guardians are able to re-order a replacement card via the Compass parent portal.