Donald High School Newsletter

From the Principal

Mr. Paul Aikman

DONALD HIGH SCHOOL DOINGS 

 

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 2025

 

As part of our new Annual Implementation Plan for 2025, and as part of the findings from our school review at the end of 2023, our school has identified a number of key priorities we will be focussing on this year in 2025. These include:

  1. Striving for improvements in Literacy and Numeracy with a particular focus on Writing.

  2. Continuing to get our teaching staff to teach according to our Donald High School Instructional Model, focussing on explicit teaching and learning, 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. Using student voice as a source of feedback inside and outside the classroom with a view to improving student engagement and connectedness throughout the school; and

  5. Striving for improvements in student mental health and wellbeing, 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 TV

 

Please note that our school community has access to a website called SchoolTV.

This website provides all members of our school community with a wide range of information and resources both in text and video form as well as asks people to complete surveys on a variety of topics on Mental Health and Wellbeing. It is a website that is used as a preventative measure to educate all people on the various topics and is a fantastic resource I recommend people access whether you are a parent, teacher or student.

 

The topics are conveniently arranged into a number of series. Topics feature interviews with leading youth wellbeing experts and researchers from around the world offering hours of relevant and practical information. Additionally, each topic includes a compilation of related resources from key organisations providing a comprehensive stream of content. Resources include informative fact sheets, articles, apps, books, podcasts, websites, and other videos - all related to a single topic, in one place for easy access!!

The website is found at donaldhs.vic.schooltv.me

 

Some of the most recent special reports on the SchoolTV website include: Eating Anxiety, Healthy Study Habits, The Cost of Living Crisis, Navigating AI Relationships, Confidence & Motivation, The Wellbeing Barometer, Social Media & Comparison Culture, Shaping Healthy Masculinity, Gender Diversity, Sibling Relationships and Anxiety and Young People (new).

 

NCD INTERSCHOOL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

 

We had approximately 25 students attend the North Central District Interschool Athletics carnival on Friday 15th August. All of these students represented the school well in their respective events at this carnival. Some of the better performers on the day have been identified in the Sports section of this newsletter. Thanks to Mr. Cashin, Mr. Tatchell and Miss. Cavanagh for their organisation and coordination of the students on the day and for the duties they performed at the NCD carnival.

 

BUILDING AND REFURBISHMENT WORKS THROUGHOUT THIS TERM

 

As most people would be aware, work has already started on our school with some building and refurbishment projects throughout this term, including:

1. Re-surfacing of the Outdoor Basketball and Netball Court area and restoration of landscaping in this area;

2. Removal of School portables from the West end of the Campus and restoration of landscaping in this area; and 

3. Refurbishing the Car Park area at the East end of the Campus.

 

As a result of these works, from Friday 25th July we needed to put some general rules and guidelines in place to ensure everyone's safety and clearance of these areas. 

There are areas of the school that are fenced off with temporary fencing to stop unauthorised people accessing these areas throughout the period of time these works are completed. We ask that all students, parents and staff stay well away from these areas for your own safety, and that you have a greater awareness of large machinery and trucks in these areas throughout this Term.

 

In addition to this, Year 12 students will need to access the main East Wing building from the front entrance rather than through the Girls Breezeway as they normally do, due to the works. We encourage you all to act safely and cautiously when accessing the East Wing from the Year 12 room.

 

All students are also to be aware not to bring mud and other remnants from these works inside, as grassed areas may become quite 'torn up' with the recent rain and trucks and machinery accessing these areas.

 

Students riding bikes to and from school may ride along the footpath to and from the direction of Goodwin Village, but if they are entering and exiting the school from the East end gate of the Campus (from Camp Street), please get off your bike and walk your bike to and from the bike shelter as traffic in this area will be busy. 

 

Cars and students riding are also asked to not use the West end entrance (off Stawell Road) at the back of the school please until the end of Term 3 (Friday 19th September). 

When the East end Car Park works are being completed, we also ask that cars use the West end Car Park (off Camp Street) please to access the school.

 

We thank everyone for their cooperation and patience throughout this Term and encourage you all to adhere to these safety guidelines and rules, whilst we undertake these necessary building and refurbishment projects.

 

PAWS PROGRAM

 

Over the last 2 weeks (Monday 18th, Tuesday 19th, Monday 25th and Tuesday 26th August) we have had the Paws Program at school working with a number of identified students on their social and emotional development, engagement, social cohesion and inclusion and stress management and mindfulness. The program uses trained dogs (Bailey and Cailey) to assist in delivering subtle but important messages to the students on these topics. The program has been well received by the staff and students involved and we thank Miss. O’Brien for her work in getting this program to our school for the benefit of our students. 

 

REGULAR ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL

 

At Donald High School, we’re excited to welcome your child 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.

We want to support your child / children to have a positive start to this term. 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. We had too many of our students missing over 15 days of school (some students even more days - half or full days) in the first semester of this year.

 

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.