Assistant Principals' Report

Senior School

The very important subject selection process for current years 9, 10 and 11 students for 2017 is about to get underway. The Career Expo and Information Nights for our current year 9 and 10 students will take place on the 2nd of August. A letter will be sent home with all of the necessary details. It is most important that both students and their parents/guardians take advantage of this opportunity so that they are fully informed when it comes to making important decisions about subjects for next year and future pathways. Current Year 10 students will be making a very important decision about their pathway for the remaining 2 years of their school lives, whether it be the VCE or VCAL pathway, and as such students are encouraged to be diligent in this process.

The course selection handbook is now available in electronic form on the College website (click on ‘Curriculum’ tab and select the relevant section), and is another invaluable resource in helping navigate through this process. Limited hard copies are available upon request if parents do not have internet access. The Information Evening for Year 11 students who will be doing year 12 studies in 2017 will be held on the 25th July and parents should have received a letter of invitation by the time this newsletter is received. Year 11’s are also welcome to attend the Career Expo on the 2nd of August between 6.30 and 8.30pm in the Language Centre.

Following the Information Evenings, students will have individual course counselling sessions prior to making their final choices and submitting their selections. There will also be an additional session for parents to talk to counsellors on the 10th of August between 3.30 and 6.30 in the staffroom. It is not necessary to book an appointment.

Parents are encouraged to take an active interest in this process and to contact the College if there are any questions or concerns in relation to the subject selection process. It is very important that due thought and consideration is taken when making selections as it can be difficult and disruptive to make later changes to programs, and in some cases this is not possible. It is also worth noting that whilst all students are required to make selections for next year, promotion to the next year level of schooling is entirely dependent upon effort and results in their current year and each student’s progress will be reviewed at the year’s end.

Simon Jones

Chad Ambrose – Learning and Teaching Report

On Thursday 9th June 20 senior students tackled the 26km Two Bays Trail Hike. The hike was the brainchild of one of our senior leaders Seb Melham who wanted to use the hike as both a leadership activity and as a means to build confidence, resilience and persistence in students. Starting at the Cape Schank Lighthouse, the hike wound around Bushrangers Bay and across to Boneo Road. From there students hiked across Green’s Bush, before finally climbing up the infamous Seawinds Hill, across Arthur’s Seat and back down to Dromana. It was a massive effort, both from the teachers who organised the trek and the logistics of the day and more specifically for students, many of whom had never taken on a challenge of this magnitude. Seb and the participants are keen to make this an annual event, such is the sense of accomplishment they all felt at the end.

In other news, our DayMap upgrade is nearing completion with the final instalment the rollout of online excursions permission forms due for release in the coming weeks. End of Semester Reports will be available through student DayMap and the DayMap Parent Portal from midday on Thursday 23rd June. The upgrade of DayMap has also coincided with the development of the online Course Selection Guide for Years 10-12, which is now available for viewing through the Dromana College website (www.dsc.vic.edu.au). This resource was developed to assist with the course selection process, a process that will kick off in early Term Three with the Careers Expo and Year 9 / 10 Information Evening on Tuesday 2nd August.

Uniform Shop News 

Early in Term 3 an outdoor raincoat will be available for purchase from the uniform shop. Approximate cost will be $35.00. Students will be allowed to wear this coat outdoors during school hours.