Teaching and Learning

The Importance of Reviewing Student Reports

Semester 2 reports will be available on Compass from 3:00pm on Friday 12 December. These reports provide a valuable snapshot of each child’s academic progress, strengths, and areas for development. When reviewing the report, it is important to look beyond the grades alone and also consider the work habits, including behaviour and effort, as these play a key role in overall learning progress.

To access your child’s report on Compass:

1. Log in to your Compass account via the app or web browser.
2. Select your child’s profile.
3. Click on the ‘Reports’ tab.

4. Open the Semester 2 report to view or download.

    

Taking the time to review all aspects of the report helps families understand how their child is tracking and whether any additional support may be needed. It also opens the door for meaningful conversations about learning and goal setting. We encourage all parents and carers to read through the reports with their child and discuss any next steps together. Working in partnership is essential to supporting every student’s success.

Year 7 Instrumental Music Performance

On Tuesday 2 December, our Year 7 students who studied instrumental music in Semester 2 performed for their peers. iRock and our students delivered a fantastic showcase, with some Year 7s even taking the stage for solo performances! The event highlighted just how quickly our talented students have developed their musical skills, and they should all feel incredibly proud of themselves for performing so confidently in front of an audience.

Please note that any student wishing to participate in instrumental music lessons in 2026 can do so by clicking on the offer in Compass and accepting it, making payment, or arranging a payment plan. 

We are excited to welcome even more students into this exceptional program next year. 

Getting Ready for the 2026 School Year

Here are some simple things students can do over the holidays to feel confident and prepared for the new school year:

• Label your stationery and books so everything is easy to find when school starts.
• Read regularly, especially English/Literacy novels you enjoy, to keep your reading skills strong.
• Complete any holiday homework your teachers have set.

• Revisit topics you found tricky in 2025 by re-reading notes, watching revision videos, or practising a few questions.

   

Taking small steps over the break can make the start of 2026 smoother and less stressful.

Booklists for 2026

Please don’t forget that you will need to purchase the required textbooks for 2026.  

How to Order

Families can place their orders via the Campion Website: www.campion.com.au and use the 2026 short code: 3DQM

 Students need to place their order by 19th December 2025. Other order/delivery options will be available for families who do place their order after this date. 

9C Cummins Inc Excursion

Written by Shanmukhi Ponnam 9C

Recently, our Year 9 class visited Cummins as part of a careers and workplace learning excursion. It was arranged by the Inspired By You mentors, who have been visiting our class once every month. The purpose of the trip was to help us explore different job pathways, understand how a real company operates, and to hear and learn directly from professionals about their experiences.

Cummins is a global power technology company known for designing, manufacturing, and distributing engines, generators, and power systems. They work on developing cleaner and more efficient technologies. Cummins operates worldwide and supports many industries such as transport, mining, construction, and energy.

The day began with an icebreaker activity, which helped us get comfortable, and prepared us for the next sessions. After that, we went on a workplace tour, where we explored a range of different roles within the company. This included manufacturing, mechanical engineering, finance, marketing and corporate law. It was very interesting to see how each job fits together to keep a large company running, and how every employee contributes in their own way.

We then took part in a mentor panel. Cummins employees and mentors spoke about their experiences, their career journeys, and what their everyday work looks like. We had the chance to ask questions not only about their jobs, but also about university and how they got to where they are now. Hearing real experiences made the idea of future careers feel much clearer and more achievable. With the help of their answers and advice, we were able to learn a lot more about how jobs look like.

After lunch, we participated in networking sessions. This gave us a chance to speak directly with mentors and practice introducing ourselves in a professional setting. Finally, we completed a mock interview activity, where mentors interviewed us individually, and gave us feedback to work on. This activity was extremely beneficial and helped us build confidence for real job interviews in the future.

Overall, the Cummins excursion taught us many skills, exposed us to a variety of careers, and gave us a better understanding of what working in a professional environment is like. It was a very helpful experience that will support us in planning our own future pathways.

Lyndale's Chinese Program 

End-of-Year Chinese Program Highlights

As we come to the end of the school year, our Chinese classes have celebrated a term of creativity, cultural exploration, and hands-on learning. Here are some of the wonderful experiences our students have taken part in:

Year 7 Chinese – Colours and Cultural Meaning

This term, our Year 7 students learned how to introduce their family members. For their Common Assessment Task, they created family posters introducing different family members’ name, age and nationality in Chinese. Students demonstrated excellent effort and creativity, producing colourful and thoughtful posters while building confidence in describing the people closest to them.

At the end of the Term, Year 7 students also explored the symbolism of colours in traditional Chinese culture and learned how colours can express emotions, virtues, and character traits. Building on this understanding, they designed their own Chinese opera masks, using colour choices thoughtfully to represent personality and mood. The final artworks were vibrant, imaginative, and demonstrated a strong grasp of cultural meaning.

Year 8 Chinese – Exploring Food and Drinks

Our Year 8 students spent the term learning language related to food and drinks, building confidence in expressing preferences, ordering items, and understanding Chinese dining culture. As part of their Common Assessment Task, they also created their own menus, showcasing creativity and practical language use.

A highlight of the year was our excursion to a Chinese hotpot restaurant last week, where students put their learning into action. They used chopsticks, practised ordering in Chinese, and enjoyed a delicious meal together. It was a wonderful opportunity to experience authentic Chinese dining culture in a fun and memorable way. Here are some of the students’ comments on the excursion:

“My favourite part of the excursion was choosing different foods because there were so many options and I got to try new things!”

“I was surprised to see so many different foods available and how tasty they are!”

“Trying out new dishes was the highlight of the excursion – I tried enoki mushrooms and it was crunchy and really good!”

Whole-School Summer Program – Spring Roll Workshop

As part of our end-of-year summer activities, students participated in a special Spring Roll Making Workshop, led collaboratively by the Chinese and Food Technology staff. Students learned about the cultural background of spring rolls and then made them entirely from scratch, including mixing the dough, rolling the pastry, and preparing the fillings.

After cooking, students tasted their handmade spring rolls and completed a reflection on the significance of food in their own cultures, considering how food connects to identity, family traditions, and celebrations. It was a highly engaging and meaningful way to end the year.

We are incredibly proud of the enthusiasm, creativity, and cultural curiosity our students demonstrated throughout the year. It has been wonderful to see them engage so thoughtfully with both the language and the rich traditions behind it.

Thank you to all students, families, and staff for your support of the Chinese program in 2025. We look forward to another exciting year of learning and cultural discovery ahead.

SRC Honours Remembrance Day 

On 11th November Remembrance Day, members of the Lyndale Secondary College Student Representative Council (SRC) had the honour of attending the community ceremony at the Dandenong War Memorial. Our student leaders laid a wreath on behalf of the entire school community, solemnly observing the service and displaying great respect and gratitude for those who have served. We commend them for representing our college with such dignity.

Remembrance Day 2025

On the 11th of November, the SRC was invited to the Remembrance Day Commemoration Service. Rain, hail or shine, the community have always come together to pay respects to our fallen heroes. We listened attentively to speeches and poems from RSL members and other local high schools, and then Shanmukhi and I laid down a wreath on behalf of the school. It was a huge honour and we were very thankful to have been invited to this service.

By Dominique Perumal 

STEM big day out

During November, we welcomed Grade 5 students from Lyndale Greens Primary School, Woorana Park Primary School, Rosewood Downs Primary School and Dandenong North Primary School to our school for the STEM Big Day Out.

Students participated in a range of exciting activities, including Electronics, Light Experiments, Electric Circuit Experiments, and a major highlight—our VR room. They were given a taste of secondary school life as they moved around the campus attending various classes.

In preparation for their visit, the primary schools worked through a STEM activity booklet created by Lyndale Secondary College. This helped students build confidence and get ready for the hands-on sessions they completed during the day.

There were many excited students who left feeling enthusiastic about attending high school, with many commenting on how much fun secondary school can be!

Congratulations to Our Rotary Scholarship Recipients

Congratulations to the following students who have been awarded scholarships generously provided by Rotary. 

These scholarships recognise their hard work and commitment and will support them in receiving all of their 2026 textbooks, ensuring a confident and successful start to the 2026 school year.

We are incredibly appreciative of Leanne Byron, President of Rotary Dandenong and Endeavour Hills, who continues to be an outstanding and valued supporter of our college. Her ongoing commitment, along with the support of Rotary, makes a meaningful difference to the educational journey of our students.

We look forward to seeing these well-deserved students continue to grow, thrive, and achieve success with the encouragement and support of Rotary behind them.

Congratulations to:

• Bella Archer

   

• Jesse Jansen

   

• Shelby Leighton