Vermont Secondary College Newsletter

Principal's Report 

Vermont Secondary College

CONCLUSION OF FIRST SEMESTER AND WELCOME BACK

Thank you to all staff and students for their significant contribution throughout the first half of the 2024 school year, aware that we started Semester Two subjects in the last two weeks of Term Two! 

 

Finally, a reminder to the college community that the student mid-year reports (Cycle 2) became available online in the last week of Term Two. Parents/guardians can access these reports through the ‘Compass Parent Portal’ available on the college website. If you have trouble accessing these reports or need password support, then please contact the General Office.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (D.E.) ANNUAL PARENT OPINION SURVEY 2024

In summary - 

  • An email will be sent to all VSC families by ORIMA Research on Monday 29 July.  It may hit your spam/junk mail, so please check
  • The survey opens on Monday 29 July and closes on Friday 30 August
  • The survey is sent to all VSC families, one response per family is requested
  • The Survey is available in many languages other than English
  • Do not share your unique login details as each family has its own personal login

Vermont Secondary College is conducting the annual Parent Opinion Survey to gauge what parents / caregivers / guardians think of our college. The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education (DE) that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage all families to participate. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct, future school planning and improvement strategies. The school only receives anonymous, collated results which we then use in our future planning.

All families will be invited to participate in the survey sent out via COMPASS on Monday 29th of July. The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open from Monday 29th of July to Friday the 30th of August 2024.

The survey is conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the survey period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in English and other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese.

 

In 2024 the college has its four yearly major review in Terms 2 and 3. The results from this survey, plus the annual staff and student opinion survey will help form a large percentage of the review and future planning plus the writing of the new 4-year Strategic Plan.

As the completion of the survey is anonymous, apologies to families if you receive a reminder but have already completed the survey. 

Thank you in anticipation.

SENIOR STUDENTS DRIVING TO AND FROM SCHOOL 

It is that time of year again when many of our senior students have obtained their drivers licence. It is crucial that all students driving a vehicle to and from school adhere to our guidelines and are very aware of our local residents, particularly in relation to parking at the back of the college. In the past some local residents have been concerned with how our students conduct themselves there including accessing cars during the day, loud music, poor driving habits, dropping litter and not supporting our local neighbourhood in a positive way.

 

In accordance with Department of Education (DE) guidelines, all students who wish to drive a car to and/or from the college must complete the relevant sections of this contract, have it signed by a member of the college principal team, and return it to the Heads of House before they commence driving to college.

 

The VSC contract states:

 

That if I drive to and/or from the college, I:

  1. will complete this agreement in full before I commence driving to the college.
  2. will not drive or park on college grounds.
  3. will adhere to all road rules – including driver safety
  4. will not park in Cowra Street or Devlin Street.
  5. will adhere to all parking restrictions around the college.
  6. will not cause any littering, nuisance or obstruction to residents and/or pedestrians whilst parking or driving to or from the college.
  7. will not drive myself to college functions, excursions, sports events etc.;
  8. will not transport other students to and/or from the college, or during any function connected with the college, as required by DE regulations. 
  9. will only transport siblings to and/or from the college if a parent/carer gives approval through completion and return of the relevant section below.
  10. will not go to my car during the school day (i.e. leave the college grounds).
  11. understand that the college may apply sanctions if I do not abide by the above rules.
  12. understand that City of Whitehorse by-laws officers and/or Police will be informed should I not abide by relevant road laws.
  13. understand that neighbours making complaints to the college about any matter related to student drivers will similarly be referred to City of Whitehorse by-laws officers and/or Police.

 

Any student who has gained their licence this year or gains it through to the end of the school year, need to pick up this form from the Heads of House/Student Managers and have it signed by a Principal class member. 

 

This issue is about the safety of our students and our local community, as well as respect for our neighbours. We would ask parents/guardians to support us and to have a conversation with your child about the use of their car during school hours.

VSC PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY – FRIDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER

The college will be holding a Professional Development Day for all staff on Friday 6th September and students will not be required at school. This is a day set aside for teachers to have a common planning day working on, and further developing, curriculum.