Principal's Report
A warm become back to Term 2 to all of our students and families. I do hope that the break, which was also blessed with wonderful weather, provided an opportunity to rest, recharge and spend much valued time with family and friends. As we begin this new term, we’re excited for the learning opportunities and activities ahead. Our focus continues to be on fostering curiosity, growth and connection both in and out of the classroom.
With the first two weeks of term already completed, there have already been numerous opportunities for our students to shine and embrace new experiences.
ANZAC Day commemorations
On Thursday 24 April, we conducted year level assemblies to commemorate ANZAC Day. Whilst all assemblies provide an important opportunity to connect and reinforce our College Values, our Term 2 College assemblies have always coincided with ANZAC Day and as such carry with them an increased level of importance. As is our tradition, these assemblies were entirely student led, and I was enormously impressed last week by the efforts of our student leaders and by all students in attendance who responded respectfully throughout.
It was also wonderful to continue our connection with Roseville Retirement Village with Tim Bourke and our Middle School student leaders visiting them on Wednesday 23 April to lead their ANZAC Day service. I thank our Middle School Captains Kiana and Ryan and Vice Captains Rahaf and Gavin for their wonderful contributions to the community of Roseville.
On Friday morning, our Year 12 College Captains Darell and Isabella, alongside our Middle School Captains Kiana and Ryan, had the great honour of leading the Doncaster RSL Dawn Service. Our students were exemplary in their duties and were repeatedly commended by members of our local community.
This year marked 110 years since the Gallipoli campaign, and we can all be very proud of how well our students represented our school community and the honour and respect they gave to all those who have served and died in times of war. I would also like to acknowledge our Recital Choir who performed ‘In Flanders Fields’ and led those in attendance in the singing of the Australian National Anthem. I also thank Tim Bourke and Carl Williams who worked closely with our students for this service.
On Tuesday this week, Assistant Principal Cameron Campbell and I were honoured to accompany a group of student leaders to the Rotary Club of Templestowe Schools Anzac Day Service on Tuesday at the Templestowe Memorial Reserve. College Captains Darell and Isabella, alongside College Vice Captains Affan and Habiba, laid a floral wreath at the memorial on behalf of all students and staff to honour all our fallen soldiers in a very moving ceremony.
Year 9 City Experience
This week saw half of our Year 9 students participating in the College’s annual City Experience program.
Students from 9A-9H were challenged to expand their knowledge of the City of Melbourne and to develop their skills of independence, problem solving and collaboration whilst also demonstrating responsibility for self and care and compassion for others. As has become a tradition on the first day of the program, the week began with a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony at the group’s daily meeting point. During their week in the city, the students participated in an Amazing Race, visited Sea Life display at the Melbourne Aquarium, Old Magistrates Court, The Royal Botanic Gardens, The Shrine of Remembrance, The MCG, Old Melbourne Gaol, City Watch-House, The Big Issue classroom and the Queen Victoria Market.
Our city provides students with a wealth of experiences and insights. Students figure out the city ‘grid’ while moving between locations and get ‘lost’ in hidden laneways that often hold many gems worth exploring. In no time at all they become confident and comfortable as they navigate the tram and train systems, discover the best food locations, marvel at the architecture and even enjoy the entertainment from the city buskers. The week-long program certainly provides the opportunity for our Year 9 students to participate in an array of enjoyable and educational pursuits that expand their horizons from the immediate sphere of our local community. This experience also plays a pivotal role in preparing our students for the challenges of our Work Experience Program in Year 10.
I am sure that 9I-9P who participate in the City Experience program in week 5 will also revel in the experiences that await.
Celebrating Student Achievements
Alpine School - Snowy River Campus
East Doncaster Secondary College has been fortunate enough to once again secure student placements at the Alpine School for Student Leadership this term. The Alpine School is a Department of Education School, situated on the Snowy River, specialising in leadership and enterprise education for students in Year 9. This placement enables around 40 students from differing backgrounds to share the experiences and opportunities provided through the program. The school aims to develop skills in leadership, enterprise education and team-based learning.
The four students participating in this wonderful Alpine experience during Term 2 are Chloe, Rosalyn, Ryan and Emily. They began their adventures last Sunday morning. Initial reports received from our team are that they have settled well and are enjoying the experience immensely and whilst being challenged in this environment, they are positive about meeting the challenges ahead.
Congratulations to them and it will be great to have them share their experiences with our wider school community during Term 3.
EDSC students bring home the Gold!
Congratulations to Kryshant and Kriish who have been training intensively as members of the Victorian State Hockey Team. The boys and their fellow teammates have proudly been hailed the Australian Champions in the U16 age category. Quite an extraordinary achievement!
In addition, both Kryshant and Kriish have been further recognised for their talents by becoming a part of the Australian U16 national squad; a squad that comprises of only 24 boys across the country. This honour places them as potential candidates for the 2032 Olympics Squad. We are behind you all the way boys and are so proud of your incredible achievements. Watch this space!
Outstanding results at the State Swimming Finals
Following on from some great successes at the Regional Swimming Championships late last term, our EDSC Swimming team achieved its best result in school history, setting new SSV records and finishing 2nd at the 2024 SSV State Swimming Championship held at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre yesterday. This is an outstanding result and we are so proud of the amazing efforts of all students involved. Congratulations to all team members!
All members of the EDSC team performed particularly well on the day but a special mention is afforded to Ishaaq for placing first in a total of 5 individual events and Courtney for placing first in two individual events. Special mention to Leona for also placing first in her individual breaststroke event. Our relay teams also performed impressively with our teams placing first in the following events: Girls 17-20 Medley Relay, Girls 14 Freestyle Relay, Boys 12-13 Freestyle Relay and Boys 15 Freestyle Relay.
We could not be prouder of our very talented students. Congratulations to them all!
A more detailed summary of events and team members can be found within this Newsletter. Please refer to the report from our Coordinator of Sporting Carnivals, Michael James.
A warm welcome to our new staff members
We warmly welcome a number of new staff members to our College.
Adeline Seta has joined our College, taking on the role of First Aid Officer. Troy Wass and Thomas Simcic are new additions to our English and Humanities Domains. Henry Coard has joined our Psychology team. Finally, Dan Li and Sally Wei who are joining us as Chinese Language Assistants and will be working closely with our Year 12 Chinese language learners.
I have no doubt that our new staff will settle in quickly into our community.
Election Day Sausage Sizzle
A reminder, that the Performing Arts Centre at our College will be used as a polling booth this Saturday. As has become somewhat of a tradition, our Parents and Friends Association will be conducting a sausage sizzle during the day to raise funds for our school and hopefully to make the voting experience a little bit more enjoyable. We would love our families to stop by and say hi to our wonderful parents and indulge in a sausage or two!
School Zones - See our school zone online
A reminder to our school community, with the primary school transition period about to unfold, that the Department of Education has an easy to navigate website that helps parents identify their local public school online.
The Findmyschool.vic.gov.au website was launched with the aim of displaying every Government school zone across the state. The website highlights the choice of public schools available to the Victorian community.
If any parent or student wants to know more about the public secondary school options in our area, or you know someone who is interested in enrolling at our school, try https://www.findmyschool.vic.gov.au today.
Karen Boyle
Principal
Parent Payments 2025
Parent payment arrangements for 2025 are now available to view and action in Compass.
We encourage all families to carefully read all the information provided and invite you to plan to make a financial contribution to the school for the 2025 year.
These payments support the objectives of the school, including the enhancement of student learning, access, equity, inclusion and wellbeing. The school ensures that costs to parents are kept to a minimum and are affordable for families.
We appreciate all the support that families provide to make East Doncaster Secondary College a school that is highly regarded for its commitment to excellence.