International Students

Reading Program T2 2025

In Term 2, 2025, our international team continues to support international students in improving their English proficiency to meet course progress requirements. The schedule for the program has been posted on Compass.

We run the reading program during recess and lunchtime, using these sessions not only to support students' reading skills but also to check in with them about their overall learning progress. For example, we remind students to complete and submit tasks on Compass on time, listen actively in class, follow instructions, and work on improving their learning habits and study strategies etc.

This term, our team continues to collaborate with EAL/ELC teachers, who have kindly provided learning materials used in their classes. We use these resources to help students revise what they’ve learned, prepare for upcoming lessons, and strengthen their revision skills.

Strategies include:

• Reviewing class notes to:
  • Consolidate learning
  • Encourage students to take accurate and meaningful notes in future lessons
  • Promote the use of dictionaries to understand unfamiliar words
• Reading and comprehending articles such as “Cell Phones in Class”, including:
  • Answering comprehension questions
  • Creating personal vocabulary lists

Example – Matching words with meanings:

• Dismayed – greatly surprised or confused; troubled by something unexpected
• Complaint – a statement expressing dissatisfaction
• Lobby – to try to persuade lawmakers to pass certain laws

In the end, we hope that through participating in this reading program, our international students will grow in confidence and achieve their best at Doncaster Secondary College.

Ning 

International student program assistant

2025 Global Learning Student Voice Mentoring Session

Doncaster Secondary College’s 2025 Global Learning Student Voice members recently had the privilege of participating in a special mentoring session facilitated by a representative from the International Education and Partnership Division (IEPD). This session was part of a broader initiative aimed at empowering young leaders with the knowledge, skills, and guidance needed to create meaningful change within their school and wider communities.

During the session, our students received thoughtful insights, constructive feedback, and practical strategies to help strengthen and expand their student-led initiatives. A particular focus was placed on enhancing the promotion of the Neighbourhood Watch Competition—one of this year’s key Global Learning projects.

Student Voice members were encouraged to think more innovatively about how to engage a broader audience—especially younger students—and to explore creative ways of fostering deeper community involvement. The session not only offered valuable direction but also reignited our students’ passion and confidence in their ability to lead.

Student Reflections:

“The session helped us think creatively about how we can involve both our school and the wider community in our projects. It challenged us to make our ideas more engaging and inclusive, especially for younger audiences.”

“We now feel more confident and better equipped to take action. The session has motivated us as we continue working toward promoting this year’s global theme of ‘Global Change.’ We’re excited to apply what we’ve learned and make a lasting impact in our school and beyond.”

We extend our sincere thanks to the IEPD for supporting student voice and leadership at Doncaster Secondary College. Opportunities like this empower our students to grow as active global citizens—leading with empathy, creativity, and a shared vision for a better future.

2025 Global Learning Student Voice Representatives

– Meyly (Elly) Te, Kuysing (Kyle) Te, Baoyinge (Peter) Xue, Madison Nguyen, Elyse Van Der Mei, Junyu (William) YAN

2025 NHW & DSC Project: 

DSC International Student Program Partners with Neighbourhood Watch Manningham

With the support of our Assistant Principal, Ms Belinda McGee, the Doncaster Secondary College International Student Program is proud to launch a new collaborative initiative—the ‘Watch Out – Safe Zone’ Contest—in partnership with Neighbourhood Watch Manningham.

This exciting student-led project aims to promote crime prevention awareness among teenagers by creating engaging, youth-friendly materials. Traditionally, Neighbourhood Watch’s resources have been in printed form, which tend to resonate more with older community members. However, we saw a valuable opportunity for our students to explore creative and modern ways of communicating these important messages to a younger audience.

Recently, two representatives from Neighbourhood Watch Manningham, Mr Morris and Ms Lew, visited the International Student Learning Hub to meet with our 2025 Global Learning Student Voice members. During the session, students presented their poster and Compass newsfeed drafts for feedback. The NHW team provided thoughtful suggestions, including how to make the contest more appealing, fair, and inclusive—especially for junior students.

Our students were enthusiastic and engaged, asking insightful questions and sharing fresh ideas on how to make a real impact through this campaign. The session forms part of a broader initiative to empower our student leaders with the skills and confidence to drive meaningful change in their school and community.

Students Reflection: 

I’d like to extend our appreciation to Mr Morris and Ms Lew for their support and guidance in helping us host the ‘Watch Out – Safe Zone’ Contest. Their feedback—such as renaming the contest to make it more appealing and refining how the artwork highlights key crime prevention themes—was incredibly helpful. We also discussed ideas to ensure fairness in judging and encourage more junior students to get involved. These insights will make the contest more engaging and impactful.”

-Madison Nguyen, Elyse Van Der Mei, Junyu (William) YAN

We really valued the opportunity to participate in the NHW project meeting. It gave us a deeper understanding of how Neighbourhood Watch builds safer communities and inspired us to consider how young people like us can contribute. A fun part of the session was brainstorming creative project titles like ‘Let’s WATCH OUT for Each Other’ and ‘Creating Safer Communities.’ The contest prizes—$100 for first place and $50 for second place for both Senior and Junior student cohort—definitely add excitement and motivation!”

-Meyly (Elly) Te, Kuysing (Kyle) Te, Baoyinge (Peter) Xue

International Student Leadership Spotlight: William Yan

At Doncaster Secondary College, we are proud to see our international students stepping up, taking initiative, and becoming active voices in school leadership. One outstanding example is William Yan, a Year 8 international student, whose commitment to student voice and school improvement is truly inspiring.

At the beginning of this year, William joined the Junior School Improvement Team (JSIT)—a student-led initiative that brings together students and teachers to discuss important issues and propose ideas for positive change. Not only has William been an active contributor, but he has also taken on the responsibility of chairing the team’s meetings—a role he has embraced with enthusiasm and maturity.

“In each meeting, a student opens with the Acknowledgement of Country, followed by teachers introducing the topic of discussion,” William explains. “We then collaborate as a group, sharing ideas and suggestions on how we can improve areas like the progress report.”

William says being part of the JSIT has been a valuable opportunity to grow as a leader, strengthen teamwork skills, and gain confidence in public speaking and decision-making. Most importantly, it has given him the chance to represent international students and contribute meaningfully to the school community.

“It’s a great way to have our voices heard and to help make the school a better place,” William says.

His involvement highlights the importance of creating inclusive platforms where all students—local and international—feel empowered to lead, collaborate, and help shape the school experience for themselves and others.

We encourage more international students to get involved in leadership opportunities at DSC, whether through school improvement teams, student voice forums, or community projects. Your perspective matters, and your contributions can make a real difference!