Donald High School Newsletter

From the Principal

Mr. Paul Aikman

DONALD HIGH SCHOOL DOINGS – Week 4, Term 1

SCHOOL VALUES

 

Respect, Responsibility, Resilience and Learning. 

Staff, students and parents are encouraged to ensure we all operate and conduct our business at school according to these core values that were established by various members of our school community for the school community throughout the school review process in 2019.

 

Key focus areas for Donald High School in 2025

 

As part of our new Annual Implementation Plan for 2025, and as part of the findings from our school review at the end of 2023, our school has identified a number of key priorities we will be focussing on this year in 2025. These include:

  1. Striving for improvements in Literacy and Numeracy with a particular focus on Writing.
  2. Continuing to get our teaching staff to teach according to our Donald High School Instructional Model, focussing on explicit teaching and learning, and re-focussing classroom behavioural and learning expectations.
  3. Using data to inform our teaching and learning for improved student outcomes with a focus on teaching students to their point of need.
  4. Using student voice as a source of feedback inside and outside the classroom with a view to improving student engagement and connectedness throughout the school; and
  5. Striving for improvements in student mental health and wellbeing, and engagement and connectedness at school through specialist programs and support.

There is also an expectation of all students to ensure they continue to grow and develop as learners, and for staff to continue to strive for improvement in themselves and the students.

 

NEW WEBPAGE TO HELP FAMILIES AND STUDENTS PREPARE FOR A NEW SCHOOL YEAR

 

A new school year is an exciting time for students and families, but it can be a big step – particularly for those starting Prep or moving to secondary school.

The Department of Education has published a webpage with resources and information to help you prepare for the new school year.

During the school holidays, please consider reading through the resources, which include:

· tips to help transition between kinder and Prep and primary to secondary school

· what to expect at school

· help with school costs and fees

· health and wellbeing guidance to support children’s mental health. Please refer to the New year of learning webpage A new year of learning | vic.gov.au

 

NEW STUDENT LEADERS FOR 2025

 

Congratulations and thank you to the following senior students who have been appointed as School Captains and Year 12 SRC members for this year:

Texas Davis & Abby Griffiths (School Captains).

Indy Gill & Tiarnah Hepworth (School Vice-Captains).

Curtis Rice, Ben Perry & Charlotte Bickett (Year 12 SRC Members).

All these senior student leaders will be recognised and celebrated (as well as some other student leaders) at our School Leader Induction Ceremony on Monday 24th February.

I look forward to working with all these students throughout the course of this year.

 

SCHOOL TV

 

Please note that our school community now has access to a website called SchoolTV.

This website provides all members of our school community with a wide range of information and resources both in text and video form as well as asks people to complete surveys on a variety of topics on Mental Health and Wellbeing. It is a website that is used as a preventative measure to educate all people on the diverse topics and is a fantastic resource I recommend people access whether you are a parent, teacher or student.

The topics are conveniently arranged into a number of series. Topics feature interviews with leading youth wellbeing experts and researchers from around the world offering hours of relevant and practical information. Additionally, each topic includes a compilation of related resources from key organisations providing a comprehensive stream of content. Resources include informative fact sheets, articles, apps, books, podcasts, websites, and other videos - all related to a single topic, in one place for easy access!!

The website is found at donaldhs.vic.schooltv.me

Some of the most recent special reports on the SchoolTV website include: Eating Anxiety, Healthy Study Habits, The Cost-of-Living Crisis, Navigating AI Relationships, Confidence & Motivation and The Wellbeing Barometer.

 

HOT WEATHER

 

With Summer really in full swing now, it is important that we are all vigilant in being prepared and aware of the possibilities as a result of the hot conditions. Students, parents and staff must be aware about wearing a broad brimmed hat, sun smart clothing, sunglasses and sunscreen when outside and to use shaded and cooler areas when possible. It is also important to drink lots of water to stay hydrated, drinking twice as much on the hotter days than normal. Please also stay aware about the risk of fires in the region and the regular updates on changing weather conditions through the Vic Emergency app., and your preferred weather app., especially when fires are close. There is also the increased activity of snakes (that have been recently sighted in the school yard). If you see a snake, please leave it alone and move away from it when you can and then let a staff member know you saw a snake and its whereabouts please, so we can keep people away from it and possibly have it professionally removed from the premises.

 

INTERHOUSE AND NORTH CENTRAL DISTRICT SWIMMING SPORTS 

 

Our annual Interhouse Swimming Sports were held at the Donald Pool on Friday 7th February in very warm conditions. With student enrolment numbers continuing to decline slightly, this may be the last year we have 3 houses involved in our interhouse sports events. It was great to see all the students either actively involved in the swimming events or assisting with specific jobs on the day like setting up and packing up equipment and serving at the BBQ throughout the day. There were a number of great individual and team performances on the day, with Jeffcott House winning the sports overall. The winners of most of the individual events all qualified for the North Central District Swimming carnival at St. Arnaud on Monday 17th February. Our students that competed on the day at the NCD Swimming Sports competed hard with no real stand out performances on the day. Some of the relay teams gained a place which was a good effort, on a day where our opposition was quite good as some schools had competitors that are still involved in swimming clubs.

 

VICTORIAN MOBILE DENTAL HEALTH VAN VISIT

 

Our school is receiving a visit from the Victorian Mobile Dental Health Van on Monday 24th February. Some students have already returned their consent forms to see the dentist on site on this day. Other students that may be interested in seeing the dentist on this day, may obtain a consent form from the General Office and complete and submit it by Friday 21st February, to be a late addition to the list of students already scheduled to see the dentist.

 

SCHOOL COUNCIL NOMINATIONS FOR 2025

 

We are calling for nominations for School Council for 2025 as follows:- 

Vacancies – one (1) DoE staff position, three (3) Parent rep. positions, two (2) Student rep. positions and four (4) Community rep. positions are available – Nominations close Friday 28th February. Voting, if needed, up until Friday 7th March. 

 

REGULAR ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL

 

At Donald High School, we are excited to welcome your child back into the classroom................

Being at school is critical for your child’s learning and their mental health, physical and social wellbeing.

Everyday counts.

You and your child / children are an important part of our school community, and we look forward to welcoming you back to school from the start of Term 1.

We want to support your child / children to have a positive start to the year. We will do this by working with you to help create positive school attendance routines from day 1.

We will also work with you to support your child’s / children's learning and wellbeing and offer help when required.

We can provide a wide range of support for students................

We understand that the reasons for not attending school can be complex. Schools have access to a range of specialist staff and programs that can provide additional support for your child / children, depending on their needs. For example:

  • Tutor Learning Initiative – we have tutors at the school to provide targeted small group learning support for children identified as performing below their expected standard in literacy and numeracy for their age.

  • School Breakfast Club – our school breakfast club provides students with a free, healthy breakfast to positively impact on their learning and attendance, and access to a nutritious lunch if needed.

  • Specialist mental health and wellbeing teams can provide direct support to students or connect you with relevant external services for additional support.

  • Your child / children may need an Individual Education Plan which can help everyone involved to understand and implement the goals and strategies to help them with their learning.

  • Where intensive support is needed to improve your child’s / children's attendance, we can put in place a Student Support Group to work with you and assist with understanding their needs and developing a comprehensive support plan.

  • We can connect with the department’s Student Support Services who can respond to a range of student health and wellbeing needs; and

  • We can also help connect you to a range of services outside of school that can assist you and your child / children.

MORE INFORMATION ON ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL 

 

Can parents and students please take note of the graphic below. Last year we had too many of our students missing over 15 days of school (some students over 20 days - half or full days). Everyone should be prioritising education and learning for all our students. The more time students spend at school, the greater the outcomes for their learning. All Year 7 – 12 students are expected to be at school for the entire day on a ‘normal’ school day. The only exceptions are for illness, medical appointments, or a family bereavement. Parents are encouraged to adhere to these guidelines for their child’s attendance.

 

I am available to talk to people at the school to assist you with any enquiries if required and can be contacted to make an appointment or have a discussion on Ph. (03) 5497 1205.

Paul Aikman.