Laptop Program

Our Laptop Program is vital in supporting student learning. Our classroom teachers rely on students having their own fully charged and operational laptop at school. We will be making some spot checks in the coming days to help ensure laptops are being brought to school.

We note that for a small number of our students, they have borrowed a laptop from the College to support them with their learning across their subjects. This group of students are asked to return their loaned laptop to our IT Department as soon as possible.

Headstart Program for Year 7-9 Students

Our Year 7 – 9 students will begin their Headstart Program on Monday November 27th. This will see students complete their first two weeks of their 2024 program. Please note that attendance is not only compulsory but extremely important to ensure that students are up to date and fully prepared for the 2024 year. We ask that all students attend Head Start with fully charged laptops, fully stocked pencil cases and a book to write in. Text books are not required at this time. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch with your child’s Team Leader.

School Tours

We would like to advise our community that our last day for School Tours for 2023 will be Wednesday, 29th November. Tours will recommence from Week 4 in Term 1, 2024 and can be booked through our website when school returns in 2024.

Transition Days for Year 6 into Year 7 2024

Tuesday, 12th December is the State-wide Orientation Day for the 2024 Year 7 students. To make the transition as stress free for your child as possible we will also have an extra Transition Day on Monday, 11th December. We understand that some primary schools may have events on this day, however, we do encourage students to attend. Any student who needs to leave early must be signed out at the office.

We are requesting that students wear their Primary School uniform on these days; this will assist us with better identifying students and also takes away the pressure for students of 'what to dress in' for the two days.

Our school day starts at 8:55am. We would therefore expect students to arrive by 8:45am, to be ready for their day. Both days will conclude at 3:15pm.

The focus of the Monday program will be Wellbeing and it will allow students to familiarise themselves with the day-to-day operation of the College. We will be holding a BBQ lunch on Monday for the students. They will need to bring morning snacks (in addition to a water bottle), and snacks and lunch on Tuesday, as the canteen will be closed on both Transition Days.

On Tuesday students will be able to experience a normal day at secondary school. They will be assigned classes and will get the opportunity to meet many of our staff and to move around the College. We will be doing some preparation on reading the school timetable and there will be plenty of help on hand. Your child will need to bring pens, dress comfortably in their primary school uniform, wear covered sensible shoes, and carry a water bottle (in addition to their morning snacks and lunch (on Tuesday)).

If you have any concerns or need further information, please contact the College on 5945 1433. We look forward to meeting your children.

Covid-19 Update

Dear Parents and carers,

There is at present an increase in community transmission of COVID-19 in Victoria.

You can help us keep our school as safe as possible by taking 2 important steps:

Ensure your COVID-19 vaccinations are up to date. Information on how and where to get vaccinated is available on the Get vaccinated webpage.
If your child shows symptoms of COVID-19, please ensure they stay home and get tested. The easiest way to test is to use a rapid antigen test (RAT). Free RATs are available from your local council where you can collect 2 packs of 5 RATs and an extra 2 packs for each person in your household. People with a disability and their carers can get 4 packs of 5 RATs. You are not required to have a Medicare card and you can collect RATs as many times as you need. You can also buy RATs at supermarkets, pharmacies and other retailers.

If your child has symptoms but tests negative, please ensure they stay home until they no longer have symptoms.

If the RAT test result is positive, please ensure they say home for at least 5 days and until there are no more symptoms.

Thank you for your support – these steps will help us all stay well.

Buses replace trains on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines & Narre Warren Station closed

Due to the Webb Street level crossing removal project, Metro Tunnel Project and Metro Infrastructure works, buses will replace trains on sections of the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines in November and December 2023.

Buses replace trains between	Dates
Dandenong and Pakenham	9.30pm Friday 24 November to 9.30pm Sunday 26 November
Westall to Cranbourne and Pakenham	9.30pm Sunday 26 November to last service Tuesday 28 November
Dandenong to Cranbourne and Pakenham	Wednesday 29 November to 1am Saturday 2 December
Dandenong and Pakenham**	1am Saturday 2 December to last service Sunday 10 December
Parliament and Oakleigh	1.30am Saturday 2 December to last service Sunday 3 December
South Yarra and Oakleigh	9.10pm to last service each night, Tuesday 5 December and Wednesday 6 December

*From first service to 8pm on Friday 24 November, there will be express buses between Parliament and Westall.**Express buses will operate from Dandenong to Glen Waverley due to other disruptions on the inner sections of the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines.

***Express buses will operate from Dandenong to Glen Waverley from 1am Saturday 2 December to last service Sunday 3 December, and from 9pm to last service each night, Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 December due to other disruptions on the inner sections of the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines.

Passengers are advised to allow extra travel time and that the above disruption dates and times are subject to change.

Narre Warren Station closure

Narre Warren Station will close from Monday 11 December to late March 2024.

Find everything needed to plan your journey, including; disruption and station closure information, pedestrian access changes and more at ptv.vic.gov.au/cranpak

Road impacts

Due to Metro Trains’ bridge renewal works at the Woods Street railway bridge, Beaconsfield Avenue will be closed to traffic under the railway bridge, between Woods Street and Soldiers Road, from Wednesday 15 November to Thursday 7 December.

Detours and traffic management will be in place during this time.

How will this affect you?

There will be additional travel time added to most people’s journey.

A range of buses will operate to help make your journey as direct as possible.

If you need to discuss alternative travel arrangements prior to travelling, or require assistance with journey planning, service information and up-to-date timetable information, please visit ptv.vic.gov.au or call 1800 800 007.

For other languages, visit ptv.gov.au/languages or call 9321 5450.

Pakenham Level Crossing Removal Update

To find out the latest road closures and updates on the level crossing removal please click here.

Uniform Changes for 2024

Scholarships to support students

Scholarships are available for eligible students in Grade 4 to Year 11, and for Year 12 students planning to do tertiary studies in 2024.

Student scholarships

The Department of Education administers a number of scholarships that are available to eligible students who are enrolled in Grade 4 to Year 12 in 2023.

Applicants for these scholarships will be evaluated on their:

participation in school activities
community involvement
academic achievement

Scholarships are either one-off payments or cover the duration of the student’s course or annual study.

Many of these scholarships have specific eligibility criteria so please refer to individual applications for more information. Applications are open and close on Thursday 1 February 2024.

For more information and a list of available scholarships, refer to the 2024 Student scholarships for Grade 4 – Year 12 fact sheet.

For information on how to apply, refer to Student scholarships.

Support Your Child's Education with 12 Months Free Internet at Home

The Australian Government has established the School Student Broadband Initiative to provide free home internet for one year for up to 30,000 eligible families with school-aged students.

The initiative aims to boost education opportunities. NBN Co is leading the rollout of this initiative across the country.

How the School Student Broadband Initiative can help your child

Children who can access online learning at home as part of their education are more likely to engage in classroom activities.

Access to fast internet at home can also support children to build their digital skills, learn how to safely use the internet and take part in a world that is more reliant on digital technology.

Eligibility

To be eligible, families must:

* have a child living at home enrolled in an Australian school in 2023

* not have an active National Broadband Network internet service at their home (having a mobile internet service does not affect eligibility)

* live in a premises that can access the National Broadband Network through a standard connection. NBN Co will check this for you after you apply

* register interest with your school and complete a consent form to be assessed for eligibility.

How the School Student Broadband Initiative works

If you are eligible, your home internet service will be provided at no cost for one year with a participating internet provider over the National Broadband Network. Each internet provider has its own step-by-step process to get you connected, which may involve you providing identification.

Once you sign up, the internet provider will help you set up your connection. The initiative does not include devices such as a computer or tablet. Other members of your household can use the internet service provided through this initiative.

The one-year period will start from the day your service is activated with your chosen provider. At the end of the one-year period, you will not be placed onto a paid service by your internet provider without your consent. The Australian Government is considering options beyond the one-year free period.

How to apply

* Complete the School Student Broadband Initiative consent form, which can be accessed here, and return the completed form to the College. Paper copies can also be obtained from the General Office.

* NBN Co will use student address details on the consent form to confirm eligibility.

* If you are eligible, NBN Co will issue a voucher for your family to use to sign up with a participating internet provider. This will be provided to you by your school.

Please note: NBN Co will review the home address for eligibility. No personal information other than your main home address will be shared with NBN Co. Please see the consent form for details about how personal information will be used.

Find out more

For more information about the School Student Broadband Initiative, visit https://www.infrastructure.gov.au

Contact with Us

Facebook

https://facebook.com/pakenhamsc

Instagram

https://instagram.com/pakenhamsecondarycollege

Website

https://www.pakenhamsc.vic.edu.au

Key Dates

Dates for your diary