Donald High School Newsletter

From the Principal

Mr. Paul Aikman

Donald High School Doings

 

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.

 

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 various 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, The Wellbeing Barometer, Social Media & Comparison Culture, Shaping Healthy Masculinity (new) and Gender Diversity (new).

 

BULOKE YOUTH HEALTH EXPO 2025

 

Many of our Year 9 & 10 students attended the Buloke Youth Health Expo on Tuesday 20th May. The day was filled with a number of engaging presenters and speakers as well as a number of activities the students could have a go at in the lunch break. Topics presented included Mental Health Fitness, Nutrition Choices for the Mind, Body and Learning from the EWHS, CPR Training information from Ambulance Victoria, Being an Upstander from Women’s Health Loddon Mallee and the Risks of Vaping, Alcohol and other Drugs presented by some of the regions School Nurses.

These topics were well received by the students and engaged them in the various sessions.

The lunchtime activities were delivered by various organisations including Active Schools who had a Physical Light & Reaction Time Challenge, EWHS who had their Smoothy Bike making delicious smoothies, Ambulance Victoria who had mannikins out to practice CPR on, Headspace Swan Hill that had information on their programs, the Buloke Library Service, the KIT Van, Resource Smart Schools and RecLink who also had some physical games and activities for the students to try. 

Overall, the students and staff present had an enjoyable day of learning and fun. Thanks to Miss. McKay for accompanying me on the day to assist with supervision and coordination of our students.

 

SCHOOL FETE

 

A big thank you to all our students, staff, parents, family members and wider school community for their support of our School Fete last Friday 23rd May. Staff and students were busy organising, planning and working on food and drink stalls, a hamper to raffle and activities to run for the fete. Many thanks to everyone that donated shopping items for the hamper and other goods to be sold in the food stalls. It was great to see so many parents, grandparents, friends, Primary School students and staff and the broader Donald community come along to enjoy the festivities. We believe this event will raise in excess of $3000 which is a great effort for a small school community event. A massive thank you to Caitlin Cavanagh and Belicia Francis for their organisation and planning of this wonderful school event, and the other school staff and students that worked hard throughout the day to make the fete a success. A great team effort and a job well done!!

 

LODDON MALLEE DISTRICT CROSS COUNTRY

 

Congratulations and well done to Hugo Funcke, Layla Griffiths and Halle Rice on their efforts and performances in the Loddon Mallee District Cross Country on Tuesday 27th May. All these students competed in their respective age and gender groups over the 3km running course in St. Arnaud. Hugo finished 7th overall in the 15 year old boys’ event, Layla finished 15th in the 14 year old girls event and Halle finished 33rd in the 15 year old girls event. All students should be extremely proud of their efforts and achievements as the school is. Hugo has now qualified for the State finals as he finished in the top 12 placings. Well done, Hugo!! Thank you to Mr. Cashin and Mr. Tatchell for their organisation and coordination of these students to be able to compete at this level and thank you to the parents that transported and supported the students on the day of the event.

 

DIGITAL MEDIA LITERACY SAFETY WEBINAR

 

Due to our school’s ongoing commitment to supporting youth wellbeing through its partnership with SchoolTV, we would like to invite parents, carers, grandparents, educators and school leaders to attend an exclusive webinar supporting primary and secondary students.

WEBINAR: Digital Media Literacy & Safety (Part II)

DATE: Wednesday, 18 June 2025

TIME: 7:30 pm

Join us for an exclusive session with two of Australia's leading experts in youth wellbeing and cybersafety, Susan McLean and Dr Michael Carr-Gregg. They will share invaluable insights on how to empower young people to navigate the online world safely and responsibly.

Topics in this webinar include:

  • Artificial Intelligence

  • Misinformation & Algorithms

  • Sexting and Sextortion

  • Online Grooming

**** IMPORTANT ****

Please note, this webinar is a one-off event and will not be available to replay later.

Please note: Participants must register prior to the commencement of the webinar to gain access.

The following link will take you to the registration page for the webinar:

http://donaldhs.vic.schooltv.me/webinar/east-coast-digital-media-literacy-safety-part-2

We look forward to having you join us for this insightful and engaging session.

From the SchoolTV Team.

 

MENTAL HEALTH ROADSHOW IN HORSHAM IN LATE JULY

 

Dr. Michael Carr-Gregg is the special guest speaker at two sessions of a Mental Health Roadshow in Horsham later this year.

There is a session for Educators in Horsham on Wednesday 30th July 2025 between 4.30pm – 5.30pm and another session for parents to attend on the same night between 7.00pm – 8.00pm. All parents, students and staff were sent an email about this last week with a QR Code on the flyer attached to the email to register your attendance if interested. 

 

REGULAR ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL

 

At Donald High School, we are excited to welcome your child 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.

We want to support your child / children to have a positive start to this term. 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 full 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.