Assistant Principals' Report

Term 2 has started well, and students have been engaging in a broad range of co-curricular activities, including: Athletics Day, interschool sports, the Year 7 & 8 Alternate Program Day, Middle School Cyber Safety presentation, Morrisby Careers Profiling and Senior Student Study Skills sessions. These events are significant in the way they provide opportunities for our students to develop positive relationships with their peers, build their Personal and Social Capabilities and explore ways to engage with our broader school community. Additionally, it supports students to develop their knowledge of how to move into the world of work.  

The beginning of the term was marked by ANZAC Day, and we are very fortunate to have a range of student leaders and school captains who lead the local ceremony at the Doncaster ANZAC Memorial, and here at school, for all students. The guidance and support provided by the Music Department, in particular Nick Dean and Wendy Howes, was instrumental to the success of this event. Moreover, Mr Dean and Ms Howes have engaged our music students at their annual camp this week in Mt Evelyn at the Oasis campsite. This was an amazing opportunity for students to work with and develop friendships with students across the College, and the students were able to positively engage in building their skills and their collaborative sound. Thank you to all our music teachers and music students! 

Attendance  

We are implementing a range of processes to ensure that students and families are supported by the school to maximise learning growth. Attendance is a part of this important work.   

If your child has been away for more than 8 days this year, you should expect contact from the respective Year Level Team, regarding supports and interventions as required. Attendance is linked to key educational and life outcomes, and we wish to partner with all families to support each child’s attendance. We also know that students are healthier and happier when they have the routine of school. Our Wellbeing Team is extensive and here to support students and families who need it to keep attendance percentages positive. 

No more than 20 days of absence a year is required for students to achieve a satisfactory result in all units and subjects across Years 10 to 12. This standard will continue to be reinforced throughout 2026 and into 2027. If your child is absent from school, a medical certificate is required, but this does not reduce the educational impact on a student’s learning. If your child is experiencing ongoing medical concerns and cannot attend school, please contact the relevant mini school to ensure internal and external supports are in place for your child.  

Visitors to the School (including Parents/Carers) 

If you need to visit the school during school hours, please make sure you report to the front office reception and sign in. This is a legal requirement. It is not appropriate for parents or non-school staff to be walking through the school without first signing in and then being escorted by a member of staff. This is essential for maintaining child safety.  

Social Media and Appropriate Behaviour 

A timely reminder around the expectations of social media use, and the implications of not demonstrating respectful behaviour when online, or in person. The college strongly supports the Federal Government's decision to ban student access to social media accounts until the age of 16, the reason for this is we often work with students who are not equipped or learnt how to appropriately interact online and we encourage you to be well informed with this new law and discuss with your child the implications when they make choices to bypass the age verification steps when joining an online platform.  

The eSafety commissioner's view is that Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X, YouTube, Kick and Reddit are age-restricted platforms, among others. This list may change in the future. 

The social media age restrictions aim to protect young Australians from pressures and risks that users can be exposed to while logged in to social media accounts. These come from design features that encourage them to spend more time on screens, while also serving up content that can harm their health and well-being. 

For more information about the ban, please review the details provided here: 

https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/industry-regulation/social-media-age-restrictions 

We ask all parents/carers to regularly monitor and support the learning of their young people in using their mobile phone and any social media platform. Here are some tips that can help families  monitor social media use and screen time: 

• Create ground rules with your children - if you allow them to have Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok, ensure that you can look at their accounts when you wish.  
• Regularly look at your children’s Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok accounts. Ask them about their friends to help ensure that they do not accept unknown users from all over the world. Look at the pictures that your children are adding and ensure that their location cannot be recognised from the pictures (e.g. with school or sporting logos).  

• Limit phone use time. Bring this up when you are creating ground rules with your children so they feel like they also have some input. Have a look at apps like https://ourpact.com/ , which allows parents to manage their children’s screen time, block specific apps or block access to texting apps if needed. 

   

Supporting student learning with Cyber Safety 

On Wednesday, 20th May, our Middle School students participated in an engaging and informative cyber safety presentation delivered by Susan McLean from Cyber Safety Solutions.  

Susan is widely recognised as one of Australia’s leading experts in cyber safety and online behaviour, with more than 27 years’ experience in Victoria Police, where she became known as Australia’s first “cyber cop” focused on young people and online safety. 

During the session, students explored important topics including respectful online behaviour, social media use, cyberbullying, online grooming, digital reputation, sexting/sextortion, privacy, possible legal consequences of unsafe behaviours and the importance of making safe choices online. Susan’s presentation was practical and direct, engaging our students through real-life examples and situations, helping our young people better understand both the opportunities and risks that come with engaging in the digital world. 

We encourage families to continue these conversations at home and to access further information and support through trusted online safety resources. 

Parents may find the following websites particularly useful: 

• eSafety commissioner - https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents 

• kidshelpline - https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/issues/staying-safe-online 

• ReachOut Australia - https://parents.au.reachout.com/staying-safe-online 

We also encourage families to report directly to the eSafety commissioner https://www.esafety.gov.au/report/what-you-can-report-to-esafety or reach out to local police for intervention and support for incidents that occur on social media and online sites that are not directly managed by the school. 

Mobile Phones Use at Doncaster Secondary College 

Doncaster Secondary College maintains clear expectations regarding mobile phone use to ensure learning environments remain focused, respectful, and safe for all students. These expectations are outlined in the Mobile Phone Policy, available on the College website. 

In line with Department of Education and College policy, students must have mobile phones switched off and securely stored during the school day, including during classes. Mobile phones are not to be used to record, photograph, or share content at school. 

Any misuse of mobile phones—including messaging, social media use, filming, or sharing images—will result in consequences in accordance with College policy. 

Partnering with Families 

Families play an important role in supporting these expectations by: 

• Reinforcing the College’s mobile phone policy at home 
• Monitoring social media and messaging platforms used by their child 
• Discussing appropriate and respectful online behaviour 
• Supporting limits on screen time, particularly before and during school hours 

Further information can be found in: 

• School Planner 
• DSC Mobile Phone Policy (College website) 
• eSafety Commissioner – www.esafety.gov.au 

By working together, we can ensure mobile phones do not interfere with learning, well-being, or positive relationships at Doncaster Secondary College. 

Uniform 

A reminder that DSC has a uniform policy that is designed to keep our classrooms positive and equal. It also supports students to be ready for the workplace where specific uniform requirements are often expected–whether it be formal suits or protective equipment, specific shoes or lab coats. Additionally, it helps create pride and connectedness between students and with the school.  

We’ve noted that a small number of students are wearing pants that are not compliant with the school policy. Please note that students are expected to be wearing dress pants as outlined in the student planner and on our school website, and that fleece pants of any shape do not address this expectation. For more information about the expected uniform requirements, including images about what is appropriate, please see our school STUDENT-DRESS-CODE-POLICY.pdf or consult the student planner.  

Students who wear the uniform incorrectly will continue to receive consequences from the school, which helps support them in building their resilience and understanding of proper attire in certain places.  

If students have concerns about the uniform, we encourage them to approach their Student Representative Council members to productively pass these concerns along. 

Cheers,

Belinda, Wes, Elisha and Kristin