International Day of People with Disabilities

On Wednesday, Dandenong High School celebrated International Day of People with Disabilities. A great occasion, in the beautiful sunshine, where students learnt about Disability and Inclusion, participated in an activity run by Headspace, entered a lolly guessing competition, received a free icy pole and made a pledge by placing a circle on the board: “I pledge to accept, respect and include all people of all abilities”. They also learnt some great facts along the way, i.e. 5.5mil people live with a disability in Australia.

Overall, great participation and a great success. We continue to work towards creating an inclusive culture within Dandenong High School.

Kate Holt

Disability Inclusion Administration Officer

Meet the Team!

My name is Sebastian Perriam and I am one of the counsellors at the school. I have worked at Dandenong High School for almost three years and I enjoy providing support, guidance and mental health advice to the students at the school.

I believe that laughter is the best medicine and I try to implement humour into my practice when building relationships with others. I love sport, such as AFL, basketball and cricket, watching comedy and playing video games. An unusual skill of mine is that I can remember the VFL/AFL Premiers since 1980. I welcome anyone to test this.

Drumbeat

During Term 4, a group of students were involved in the Drumbeat Program. Drumbeat is a fun, interactive group where students learn to play Djembe drums. The rhythmic playing assists student with self-regulation, learning collaborative skills and developing social skills with peers and staff.

Here are photos of the final performance!

David Ogden

Student Support Services Team Leader

Community Noticeboard

School Student Broadband Initiative

Free internet until December 2025!

The Australian Government has announced that they are extending the School Student Broadband Initiative until 31 December 2025.

The extension means that the SSBI nomination period will remain open until 31 December 2024 with free National Broadband Network (nbn) internet service for all new and existing families on the SSBI until 31 December 2025.

Is my family eligible for the School Student Broadband Initiative?

To be eligible, families must:

✓ Have a child living at home that is enrolled in an Australian school.

✓ Not have an active National Broadband Network (nbn®) Internet service at home. Having a mobile internet service does not affect eligibility.

✓ Live in a premises that can access the National Broadband Network via a standard connection – this will be checked for you.

✓ Not have had an active nbn connection during the previous 14 days.

Call 1800 954 610 (10am – 6pm AEDT Monday to Friday, excluding Victorian Public Holidays) and their team will check your eligibility. Click the link below to find out more!

Introducing ACA – People Outdoors: Camps for People Living with Disability

‘Adventure For All’ People Outdoors, a program of the Australian Camps Association, was established in 1989 to provide outdoor recreation for people of all ages living with disability. Our programs include two-night weekend through to four-day residential camps held during the school holidays. Our participants are looked after by our team of disability support workers for the duration of camp. So, if you’d like the opportunity to experience the social and developmental benefits of adventure outdoors, please contact our team on 03 9863 6824 or visit our website for more information – www.peopleoutdoors.org.au

2024	Start date	Finish date
Term 1	Monday 29 January (students start 30 January)	Friday 28 March
Term 2	Monday 15 April	Thursday 28 June
Term 3	Monday 15 July	Friday 20 September
Term 4	Monday 7 October	Wednesday 18 December

2025	Start date	Finish date
Term 1	Tuesday 28 January (students start 30 January)	Friday 4 April
Term 2	Monday 22 April	Friday 4 July
Term 3	Monday 21 July	Friday 19 September
Term 4	Monday 6 October	Friday 19 December

Calendar

2024 Term Dates

2025 Term Dates