From the Principal

SCHOOL VALUES

Respect, Responsibility, Resilience and Learning. 

Staff, students and parents are encouraged to ensure we all operate and conduct our business at school according to these core values that were established by various members of our school community for the school community throughout the school review process in 2019.

Key focus areas for Donald High School in 2026

As part of our new Annual Implementation Plan for 2026, and as part of the findings from our school review at the end of 2023, our school has recently identified a number of key priorities (main key improvement goals in bold type) we will be focussing on in 2026. These include:

1. Striving for improvements in Literacy and Numeracy.

2. Continuing to get our teaching staff to teach according to our Donald High School Instructional Model, focussing on explicit teaching and learning using the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM) 2.0, and re-focussing classroom behavioural and learning expectations.

3. Using data to inform our teaching and learning for improved student outcomes with a focus on teaching students to their point of need.

4. Increase the active participation of all students in their learning and wellbeing.

5. Using student voice and agency as a source of feedback and student choice inside and outside the classroom with a view to improving student engagement and connectedness throughout the school; and

6. Striving for improvements in student social and emotional learning, and engagement and connectedness at school through specialist programs and support.

There is also an expectation of all students to ensure they continue to grow and develop as learners, and for staff to continue to strive for improvement in themselves and the students.

SCHOOL COUNCIL 2026

Our School Council Annual General Meeting was recently held on Tuesday 17th March with the presentation of our school’s Annual Report and the election of School Council for 2026. The Annual Report highlighted some key positive elements of our school – Learning Growth in Literacy and Numeracy Naplan results and Teacher Judgement data, as well as attendance across the whole school and the improvements in student connectedness at our school. We also reflected on the great improvements we made last year to the facilities and grounds. We had 2 parent members re-elected to a 2-year tenure (Kathy Campbell and Kerrie Hepworth) with 1 vacancy remaining for a parent representative position, 3 staff elected (2 re-elected – Tony Cashin and Karyn Goode and 1 newly elected staff member in Kim Griffiths) and 2 new student members elected (Chase Campbell and Nikki Sak – our 2026 School Captains). Leigh Funcke and Pam McConville were also co-opted onto School Council as Community members for this year. Thank you to all of these members of our school community and the current members for putting their hand up to assist in the governance of our school by being on School Council. 

NAPLAN TESTING 2026

NAPLAN Testing has continued this week for our Year 7 & 9 students and will be held from Wednesday March 11th at various times over Weeks 7, 8 & 9 this Term. There was a slight glitch in the testing regime across the State, with some technical issues during the Year 7 & 9 Writing test, but these issues have been rectified for future testing periods. Please note the scheduled NAPLAN sessions to be aware of and note that if your child is absent or late to a scheduled session, they will be required to complete a catch-up session(s) up until Monday 23rd March.

STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN 2026

Teaching and Education Support Staff have been and will continue to complete professional learning sessions throughout this year on the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0), the use of Positive Classroom Management Strategies (PCMS) and adjustments and strategies to engage students in classes so they can focus more on their learning and are more connected with their school. These sessions occur on a fortnightly basis and will also include a whole school Professional Development Day in Horsham on Wednesday 6th May (Term 2) as part of the Grampians Schools Network to learn from behaviour and learning specialist Dan Petro.

NEW POLICY ON OUR SCHOOL WEBSITE

We have recently added the following revamped DoE racism in schools policy onto our School Website for all people to refer to and adhere to please.

Preventing and Addressing Racism in Schools: Policy | education.vic.gov.au

INTERIM PROGRESS REPORTS

All of our Teaching staff have commenced completing Interim Progress Reports for all students on their Term 1 learning. These will be completed over the next couple of weeks with access to these reports available from the end of Term on Xuno. These reports are an indication of a students progress and form the basis for discussions at Parent-Teacher Interviews that occur in the second week back in Term 2.

REGULAR ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL

At Donald High School, we’re excited to welcome your child back into the classroom................

Being at school is critical for your child’s learning and their mental health, physical and social wellbeing.

Every day counts.

You and your child / children are an important part of our school community, and we look forward to welcoming you back to school from the start of Term 1.

We want to support your child / children to have a positive start to the year. We will do this by working with you to help create positive school attendance routines from day 1.

We will also work with you to support your child’s / children's learning and wellbeing, and offer help when required.

We can provide a wide range of support for students................

We understand that the reasons for not attending school can be complex. Schools have access to a range of specialist staff and programs that can provide additional support for your child / children, depending on their needs. For example:

• Tutor Learning Initiative – we have tutors at the school to provide targeted small group learning support for children identified as performing below their expected standard in literacy and numeracy for their age;

• School Breakfast Club – our school breakfast club provides students with a free, healthy breakfast to positively impact on their learning and attendance, and access to a nutritious lunch if needed;

• Specialist mental health and wellbeing teams can provide direct support to students or connect you with relevant external services for additional support;

• Your child / children may need an Individual Education Plan which can help everyone involved to understand and implement the goals and strategies to help them with their learning;

• Where intensive support is needed to improve your child’s / children's attendance, we can put in place a Student Support Group to work with you and assist with understanding their needs and developing a comprehensive support plan;

• We can connect with the department’s Student Support Services who can respond to a range of student health and wellbeing needs; and

• We can also help connect you to a range of services outside of school that can assist you and your child / children.

   

MORE INFORMATION ON ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL 

Can parents and students please take note of the graphic below. Last year we had too many of our students missing over 20 days of school (the equivalent of 1 week per Term / 4 weeks for the year = too many days missed) (some students over 25 days - half or full days). Everyone should be prioritising education and learning for all of our students. The more time students spend at school, the greater the outcomes for their learning. All Year 7 – 12 students are expected to be at school for the whole day on a ‘normal’ school day. The only exceptions are for illness, medical appointments, or a family bereavement. Parents are encouraged to adhere to these guidelines for their child’s attendance.

I am available to talk to people at the school to assist you with any enquiries if required and can be contacted to make an appointment or have a discussion on Ph. (03) 5497 1205.

Paul Aikman.