Assistant Principals' Report

We kicked off Term 3 with a focus on Careers and Pathways across the College, this focus is very important for our Year 7-11 as it provides an opportunity for all students to participate in conversations around their short- and long-term goals. All students participated in the subject selection process over two days and our students were very resilient and able to adapt to the technology challenges that occurred during this period. 

Our Course Counselling sessions for Year 9’s & 10’s was a fantastic opportunity for families to engage in the conversation around what course selection is appropriate for their child and the aspirations they have. We are very impressed in the way our students have invested time into their career pathway. 

We have also had a very action packed extra-curricular program over the term including the Duke of Ed practice overnight camp and their weeklong camp in the mountains surrounding Mansfield, many of the Year 9 students who attended really enjoyed the challenging experience, highlighting their growth in resilience, practical application of problem solving and communication. 

Our 2024 production A Midsummer Night’s Dream was a smash hit and gave students across the whole school a chance to collaborate and perform together, developing their confidence and teamwork skills. Their ability to decode Shakespearean language and bring to life the bard’s classic work was commendable and we are so grateful to all the staff who supported the students to engage in this amazing event, led by director, Emma Wood. Brava! 

Attendance

We are implementing a range of processes to ensure that students and families are supported by the school to maximise learning growth. Attendance is a part of this important work. 

If your child has been away for more than five days, you should expect contact from the respective Year Level Team, regarding supports and interventions as required. Attendance is linked to key educational and life outcomes, and we wish to partner with all families to support each child’s attendance. We also know that students are healthy and happier when they have the routine of school. Our Wellbeing Team is extensive and here to support students and families that need it to keep attendance percentages positive.

90% attendance is required for students to achieve a satisfactory result in all units and subjects across Year 10 to 12. The 90% attendance standard will continue to be reinforced throughout 2024 and into 2025. If your child is absent from school, a medical certificate is required. Please note that attendance below 90% without medical documentation in 2025 may impact a student’s subject selection options across the College. 

We all want our students to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school every day. Students develop good habits by going to school every day – habits that are necessary to succeed after school, whether in the workplace or in further study.

Missing school can have a big impact on students academically and socially. It can affect their test results, it can affect their relationships with other students, and lead to social isolation.

There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind and can affect their educational outcomes.

Each missed day is associated with falling behind in subject topics and assessment tasks, and lead to fewer subject choices and may impact on achievement in years 11 and 12 and post-school pathways.

It’s never too late to improve attendance. Even in the middle years, when school can seem the most challenging for students and when attendance rates can be at their lowest, going to school more often can make a big difference. Everyday counts.

Senior School students must also remember how vital it is to not miss school days. We have a 90% attendance requirement that exists to support students to meet requirements of the courses being undertaken. It is nearly impossible to complete all aspects of outcomes and receive an S, when you miss more than 90% of classes. Absences during a SAC require a medical certificate. We understand that gaining access to a GP can be very difficult at the last minute, so please keep in mind that medical certificates can be attained from most pharmacies.

Bullying and Culture Survey

This term our Year 7 & 8 students have had the opportunity to participate in the Bullying and Culture survey. This survey is an important tool which supports school leaders to understand the experiences and perspectives of our students.

Questions on the survey include asking students to share who is consistently behaving in antisocial and bullying ways in the yard or in class. Students that are identified and supported to consider their behaviour and make appropriate changes. After the survey we work with relevant students and their families to support them to consider behaviour and upskill them with techniques to be a safe, supportive and inclusive member of our community.

Bullying prevention at Doncaster Secondary College is proactive and is supported by research that indicates that a whole school, multifaceted approach is the most effective way to prevent and address bullying. Our ability to effectively reduce and eliminate bullying behaviour is greatly affected by students and/or parents and carers reporting concerning behaviour as soon as possible.

We encourage students to speak to their Managing Me Teacher, Year Level Coordinator, Positive Climate Leader or any trusted member of staff including teachers, wellbeing staff, social worker etc. Parents or carers who develop concerns that their child is involved in or has witnessed bullying behaviour at Doncaster Secondary College should contact the Year Level Coordinator.

Doncaster Secondary College understands the importance of monitoring and following up on the progress of students who have been involved in or affected by bullying behaviour.

To ensure that we develop a supportive learning culture, we strongly encourage families to have a conversation at home about the importance of maintaining a safe and respectful environment, as well as our school's zero-tolerance policy for bullying. By working together, we can ensure that our school community remains a positive and supportive place.

Serious bullying, including serious cyberbullying, is a criminal offence and may be referred to Victoria Police and can also be reported on the eSafety Commissioner website -  https://www.esafety.gov.au/  For more information please see: Brodie’s Law (https://www.vic.gov.au/brodies-law)  Our College motto is Working Together, Learning Together. We do this through celebrating our differences. We provide care and compassion for every person in our community and have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to bullying and workplace harassment. For more information, please look at our Bullying Prevention Policy

Child Safe Standards

Doncaster Secondary College Child Safe Standards Policy supports to create and maintain a child safe organisation and protect students from all forms of abuse. As a Victorian school we continue to build and our existing child safe practices with the aim to strengthen our culture of child safety and protect children and young people from abuse. 

The Child Safe Standards include requirements to keep children, young people and students safe, including:

• involvement of families and students in child safety
• schools’ focus on safety for Aboriginal students
• better management of child abuse risks in online environments
• governance, systems and processes for keeping students safe.

We provide multiple opportunities across the year to engage our School Council and staff with training and the opportunity to share practices that maintain the Child Safe Standards. This year we have identified through avenues of feedback that we need to increase our students to the exposure of the Child Safe Standards language and resources available. We encourage families who are keen to understand more about our practices to review the Child Safe Standards powerpoint that describes each standard and a summary of some of our practices. 

If you would like to read more about Child safe standards you can access our policy on the school website or visit the Department of Education’s Policy page Child Safe Standards: Policy | education.vic.gov.au

School Saving Bonus - $400

In Term 4, 2024, families with a child enrolled in a government school from Prep to Year 12 in 2025 will receive the one-off $400 School Saving Bonus. The $400 School Saving Bonus provides families with support for education-related costs, such as school activities and/or school uniforms and textbooks.

The School Saving Bonus is not available for full-fee international students, home schooled students, TAFE students and students attending kindergarten in 2025.   

Actions for parents and carers

Before 18 October 2024, the Department of Education is asking parents and carers to:

• Complete enrolment: If your child, or children are changing government school for Term 1 2025, or starting Prep or Year 7 in 2025. For more information, read about Enrolling in School. 
• Check your contact information: Ensure your email address and phone number is up to date with us. You can do this by updating your details though the Compass portal or emailing: doncaster.sc@education.vic.gov.au

We need to ensure your contact information is up to date as the Department of Education will email you twice:

• in October, to verify your email address
• in November, with your $400 School Saving Bonus.

Please check your junk mail regularly to make sure you do not miss an important email.

To learn more about the School Saving Bonus, download the School Saving Bonus Information sheet for government school parents and carers or visit vic.gov.au/school-saving-bonus.

Senior School Priorities

As our year 12 students move into their final months, DSC has arranged for trial exams for all year 12 subjects. Some of these exams will be assessed by a VCAA examiner. These experiences and the feedback students receive is essential for preparing them for the final exams, but also to help them understand what they need to be focusing on during their private study time and their final study weeks in term 4. It is important to remember that the term 3 holidays are not traditional holidays for our year 12 VCE students. They should be revising and engaging in practice exams to feel and be as prepared as possible.

Senior School and classroom teachers are also supporting students to be as prepared as possible by running Masterclasses for many subjects. These are additional opportunities for students to gain support, ask questions and prepare for the final examination period. Students should refer to the timetable shared by the Senior School or pop into the Senior School to ask directly about when and where these Masterclasses are taking place.

Additionally, we have employed three Academic Advisors whose role is to work in the classroom and individually with high performing students to help maximise their results. These advisors are three ex-students, all 90+ ATAR performing students, who are wanting to give back to the DSC community. Students who are interested in working with these advisors should reach out to the Senior School.

Belinda McGee, Kristin Skennar & Wes Pfitzner

Assistant Principals