Principal's Message

Dear Families,

As we come to the end of another year, I take this opportunity to thank you for the overwhelming support you have provided both your child/children and our staff throughout 2023. Education is a partnership and with your continuing support and regular feedback as the most important adults in your children's lives, we, together as partners will continue to work together to ensure your children, our students reach their individual best.

Our students have all now completed their exams and are preparing for the end of the year. It’s a time of great excitement for our Year 12 students as they nervously await their results. We trust that their hard work and dedication to their studies brings them the academic rewards they deserve. Whilst our students are preparing for the end of the year, we are preparing for the beginning of 2024. We are looking forward to meeting our incoming Year 7 students on Orientation Day and welcoming them to VUSC. It’s an exciting opportunity for them to get a taste of life in secondary school before they commence in 2024.

VUSC Graduation and Presentation Evening - All welcome

We are excited to celebrate our 2023 Graduation and Presentation Evening on Wednesday 13th December.

On this night, our Year 12 students will graduate and students from both the Junior and Senior Campuses will receive awards and scholarships for outstanding efforts and achievements throughout the year. I congratulate all the students on their fantastic efforts this year and wish our Year 12 students every success in their future endeavours.

This is a ticketed event as seating is limited. All tickets are free of charge. Year 12 families may order up to 6 tickets each, including the student. All other families may order up to four tickets each, including the student. Tickets are available now at https://compasstix.com/e/zafay5a0yg.

I look forward to seeing you there -

Where: Lakeside Banquet & Convention Centre – Lakeview Ballroom

Address: 65 Melton Highway Taylors Lakes 3038

When: Wednesday 13th December, to be seated by 6.15pm ready for a 6.30pm start.

Congratulations

Year 12 student Vanessa Le has been studying VET Apparel, Fashion and Textiles this year and was recently awarded 1st Prize for Day Wear at the 2023 Fashion Awards! Congratulations Vanessa and well done, we are all very proud of you!!

Current Years 7—11 Students

Students in Years 7—11 continued with learning programs throughout this term and participated in a range of activities including reflection on their exam results, their learning and general progress. This targeted reflection is important to the development of their learning goals for 2024. Students will complete a range of work programs in Step Up that is aimed at ensuring students are prepared for their next level of schooling.

In week 11 this term we have arranged three days of excursions for Year 7 -9 students. Full details of the events have been published on Compass. Students are advised to get in early as numbers are capped.

INSPIRE Exhibit

The INSPIRE Exhibit held last week at the Senior Campus was an enormous success. Thank you to our families and the primary school families who attended to view exemplar works by our students. The event included a drama performance, music performances, artworks, STEM posters, media projects, rugby successes, robotics and much more!

Congratulations to Mr On and several other staff for their organisation of the event, and to our students for their amazing works and achievements.

Yearbooks

The 2023 Yearbook will be available in December and provided to the Year 12 students at their Graduation. A post will be published on Compass when the yearbooks arrive. Students from Years 7 – 11 will be able to purchase a copy from the general office at either the Junior or Senior Campus. Families who have pre-ordered a yearbook may pick up their copy at their campus office.

Year 7 Orientation Day

The Orientation Day for next year’s Year 7 students will be on Tuesday December 12th. This is always an exciting time for the new students and us. We are delighted that our enrolment numbers increase each year and next year is no exception. This is a great endorsement of the quality program and teaching we offer here at VUSC. We look forward to welcoming the new students and their families and I would like to thank the community for the faith you show you have in our college.

Grade 6 students are required to wear their primary school uniform on the day and arrive at the Junior Campus by 9am. Students should bring a pen and their lunch, or money to buy lunch at the canteen. Students will be dismissed at 3.02pm.

This is a student free day for all Year 7 - 11 students.

Staffing 2024 – Valuing Staff and Building Capacity

In term 4, the planning and preparations for the 2024 school year are well under way. We have commenced the development of our staffing plan for next year. The key driver of this plan is having an accurate figure regarding our student enrolments for next year. Currently we have 240 Year 7 students enrolled to commence their formal secondary education next year at VUSC. Thank you to those parents who have taken the opportunity to inform the school that their children will not be attending VUSC next year.

Several staffing positions have been advertised and filled for 2024. Victoria University Secondary College is a destination school for quality applicants. With regards to workforce planning, the overall goal is to retain, develop and attract quality people to the school. With an increase in student numbers, I have recruited staff to the school from diverse academic fields with specialist area expertise such as Chinese, EAL, English, Physical Education, Physics, Numeracy and General Science. Over 500 applicants have been screened over the past month. Newly appointed staff will be introduced to the community in the first newsletter of 2024 and to students at the first school assembly of 2024.

School Strategic Plan 2021 – 2024

2024 will again be a busy year for us as we continue our focus on implementing the last year of our Strategic Plan with the key goal being Improving Student Learning Growth. While our enrolments continue to grow (next year we will have around 1200 students) we will continue to promote our successes and achievements to the wider community so that we remain the school of choice.

Our school’s Strategic Plan for 2021 – 2024 sets out our strategic goals, priorities, and targets. The three major goals of the Strategic Plan are:

Improve the learning growth and achievement of every student -

Identify and target the learning needs of all students.
Review, monitor and embed the school-wide instructional model.
Enhance the capacity of teachers to implement evidence-based teaching and learning strategies.

2. Empower all students to become confident and self-reliant learners -

Enhance student voice, agency, and leadership across the school.
Review and monitor the attendance policy.

3. Improve the wellbeing of all students -

Further enhance the Positive Behaviour Model.
Review and monitor the college student wellbeing framework.

Next year we will undergo a full school review. This will then inform our next four-year strategic plan from 2025 - 2028.

Tutoring Program

The tutoring initiative program for 2024 will continue to support those students whose NAPLAN results are below the National Minimum Standard.

To ensure every school can participate effectively in the program, each school, irrespective of size, primary, secondary or specialist, or level of disadvantage, will receive a base level of funding to engage tutor support, with additional loadings reflecting levels of both enrolments and disadvantage. VUSC has been given a budget from the government to fund this program again for 2024. We are currently planning and recruiting for this program.

And finally....

I would like to thank our amazing staff, students and families for a fantastic year. Everyone has worked extremely hard to provide the very best education and support to our students and help them achieve their goals. Congratulations to our students who have achieved so much this year, in their own personal journeys, their educational progress and their career pathways. I look forward to working with you all again in the New Year.

I would also like to acknowledge the generous support of our College Board throughout 2023. This year, parent, community, and staff members were joined by excellent student representatives, and this has provided even greater diversity and strength of voice to the school’s governance. I would like to thank the Board for all their support and commitment to the continued growth and development of the college.

On behalf of all the staff and College Board at VUSC I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

Elaine Hazim

College Principal

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Child Safety at VUSC

Victoria University Secondary College is committed to providing a child safe and child friendly environment, where students are safe and feel safe.

Our child safety and wellbeing policies outline the measures and strategies we have in place to support, promote and maintain the safety and wellbeing of our students:

Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
Child Safety Code of Conduct
Child Safe Standards Risk Register
Child Safety Responding and Reporting Obligations Policy and Procedure

All of our policies are available on our school website here. As valuable partners in promoting and maintaining child safety and wellbeing at VUSC, we welcome and encourage your feedback.