Principal's Report
Vermont Secondary College
LATE ARRIVAL AND SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
We have a large percentage of students arriving at school late on a daily basis. This figure is often 50+ students in the morning. It is important to note that classes begin at 8.45am each day and so students need to be in the college grounds by 8.30am approximately.
The late arrivals are usually repeat offenders so it would be appreciated if parents/caregivers/guardians spoke with their child if they are perennial late arrivals. Your support in this is very much appreciated.
The following article ‘it’s not okay to be away …nor to be late to school’ by Michael Grose adds some good insights and is available at:
More information on school attendance is also available on the DE (Department of Education) web site at:
https://www.vic.gov.au/attendance-and-missing-school
WHY GOING TO SCHOOL IS IMPORTANT
Going to school every day is an important part of your child’s education. Children and young people learn new things at school every day, connect with friends, have fun and develop good habits that help them to succeed. Attending and participating in school will help your child:
develop important skills and knowledge to help them learn
develop social and emotional skills such as good communication, resilience and teamwork
establish friendships with peers which help develop self-esteem and a sense of belonging.
There is no good number of days for missing school. Where possible, you should avoid your child missing school, for example, make appointments for your child outside of school hours and keep family holidays to outside term time.
Missing one day per fortnight adds up to missing four weeks of school a year.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (D.E.) ANNUAL PARENT OPINION SURVEY 2025
Thank you to the parents, caregivers and guardians that have so far completed the annual survey, greatly appreciated.
As at 11:36 am, Wednesday 27 August 2025:
| Number of families invited | Number of survey responses | Response rate (%) |
|---|---|---|
1322 | 71 | 5% |
NOTE: The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open online from Tuesday 19 August to Friday 19 September 2025.
Our school is conducting this survey offered by the Department of Education (DE) and is seeking your feedback. The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage and appreciate your participation. We will continue to send out a reminder over the coming weeks, apologies if you have already completed the survey.
Our school will use the survey results to assist in identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies. All families are invited to participate in the survey, and a link will be forwarded to all families.
The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Resources are also available in additional languages to assist parents / caregivers / guardians who speak a language other than English at home.
Please reach out to the school directly for survey guides in your language. Once completed and compiled by the DE the survey results will be communicated to College Council and parents / caregivers / guardians via the Annual Report available on the College website (under ‘About our College’ – School Accountability & Improvement Framework).
Last year we used the survey results to plan and write our new Strategic Plan 2024 – 2028 also available on the College website.
Thank you in anticipation.
VSC PRODUCTION – ‘SHREK THE MUSICAL’
Reviews for the show have been first-rate, and it is a credit to the whole production team expertly led by Tori Adams. The time, effort and dedication to get the production up and running each year is phenomenal and a real credit to Tori and all others involved.
For all staff this role is additional to their regular teaching allotments and responsibilities.
I thank all staff, students and parents involved in ‘Shrek the Musical’ for their commitment and dedication throughout this year to take on such a large, and successful, undertaking.
VSC PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY – FRIDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER
The college will be holding a Professional Development Day for all staff on Friday 5th September and students will not be required at school. This is a day set aside for teachers to have a common planning day working on, and further developing, curriculum.
TERM THREE 2:30PM FINISH – Friday 19 September 2025
A reminder to the school community that on the last day of Term 3, Friday 19th September, we have a 2:30pm finish. Term 4 begins on Monday the 6th of October, ending Friday 19th of December.