From The Principal
Mr David Russell
WELCOME BACK
Recently, our Principal Mr Russell suffered an injury which will require him to take time off work. While Mr Russell will make a full recovery, please be aware that Mr Tuck will hold the role of acting Principal for the immediate weeks ahead.
It was a wonderful sight on the morning of Tuesday 6th February as we welcomed all staff and students back to school at the whole school assembly. Being the first assembly, we introduced and invested the 2024 school leaders. It was also pleasing to see their parents attending the assembly to witness this event. Both the school captains and myself gave speeches with the message that the students in 2024 need to challenge themselves, set goals and work towards them.
CAPITAL WORKS
Returning to school in late January I was disappointed to see that no work had commenced on the area to the east of the new building. Despite starting the discussions with the Victorian Schools Building Authority back in February 2023 work still hadn’t commenced as the wheels of the bureaucracy seemed to turn very slowly.
I have now been informed that the work will commence in the coming weeks.
STAFF
I take this opportunity to welcome all new staff for 2024.
| New Staff Teacher (initials) | Role/ Learning Areas |
| Aaron Petersen (APT) | Assistant Principal – Senior School/Student Voice & Agency |
| Daniel Williams (DWS) | Assistant Principal – Junior School/Inclusion (Term 1) |
| Justin Bennett (JBT) | Leading teacher – Inclusion (PE/Health/Special Education) |
| Simon Ross (SRO) | English |
| Irene Platis (IPL) | Maths |
| Agatha Koroneos (AKO) | Food Technology |
| Luke Jedd (LJE) | Drama (Term 1) |
| Holly Williams (HWI) | Vocational Major |
| Kirsty Warren-Carvalho (KWC) | Design Tech – Wood/Art |
| Kaye Baxter (KBA) | Maths |
| Kaori Teramoto | Language Assistant - Japanese |
| Kathy Ernst | Maths (Term 1) |
| Sandra Boutselis | French (Term 1) |
| Sue Osborne (SOS) | Library Manager |
| Arna Williams (AWI) | Food Technology Assistant |
| Lucy Treverton (LTR) | Instrumental Music/AEP Administrator |
| Jessie Sainsbery (JSY) | Education Support |
| Katie Boast (KBO) | Student Counsellor |
| Peter Collins | Maths (beginning 26/2) |
| Samantha Martinez | Maths (beginning 26/2) |
| Michelle Nicholas | Maths (beginning 4/3) |
And returning staff
| Ms Nicole Thorne | Humanities/ |
| Ms Courtney Nash | PE/Health |
I hope they all find their work at Parkdale Secondary College professionally rewarding.
MOBILE PHONE POLICY
A reminder regarding the mobile phone policy. Students are to place their phones in their locker when they arrive at school. The phone is then not to be used until the end of the school day. This is in line with the directive from the Department of Education.
BUSES
Again, I remind students that travel on the buses to school, in particular those students that use the dedicated buses that pick and drop off in the turning circle at the front of the school that this not a free service. The number of buses and the type of bus provided are determined by student usage. This figured is determined by the touching on and off of the MYKI card. Yes, the buses are getting crowded but the other day I watched, and it was confirmed by the bus driver, that the very full bus had only two students touch on. Additional buses will not be provided unless the patronage figures as provided by MYKI reflect the true number of students.
ACCIDENT INSURANCE
I wish to remind Parents/Guardians that the Department of Education and Parkdale Secondary College do not provide personal accident insurance for students. Parents/Guardians are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including any transport and ambulance costs. Student accident insurance policies are available from some commercial insurers and these cover a range of medical expenses not covered by Medicare or private health insurance.
PRIVATE PROPERTY
Private property brought to school by students eg: mobile phones, ipods, laptops etc. are not covered by school insurance, and that it is not the responsibility of the Department of Education and the College if that property is lost, stolen or damaged.
PRIVACY STATEMENT
Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and the Schools’ Privacy Collection Notice.
Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy
describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn.
We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use Microsoft 365 safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using Microsoft 365, please contact the school.
For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages:
- Amharic
- Arabic
- Dari
- Gujarati
- Mandarin
- Somali
- Sudanese
- Turkish
- Urdu
- Vietnamese