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 2024. 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 2025. 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 2025. 

VUSC Graduation and Presentation Evening - All Welcome

We are excited to celebrate our 2024 Graduation and Presentation Evening on Wednesday 18th December. 

On this night, our Year 12 students will graduate and students from the Junior, Senior and iCan 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. 

Families of award winners have been notified. 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://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/graduation-and-presentation-evening-tickets-1075149373719

I look forward to seeing you there:

Where:  Lakeside Banquet & Convention Centre – Lakeview Ballroom

Address:  65 Melton Highway Taylors Lakes 3038

When:  Wednesday 18th December, to be seated by 6.30pm ready for a 6.45pm start.

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 2025. Students are now completing a range of work programs in Step Up over the next two weeks which is aimed at ensuring students are prepared for their next level of schooling. 

The final day for Year 10 and 11 students will be the last day of Step Up on Friday 13th December. In week 11 this term we have arranged three days of excursions for Year 7 -9 students to celebrate the end of the year. Full details of the events have been published on Compass. Semester 2 reports will be published on Compass on Thursday 19th December.

Yearbooks

The 2024 Yearbook will be available this month 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 10th. 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, with approximately 300 students enrolled. 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 have shown 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 & 8 students. Year 9, 10 and 11 students will be participating in the Step Up program at the Senior Campus on this day. 

Staffing 2025 – Valuing Staff and Building Capacity

In term 4, the planning and preparations for the 2025 school year are well underway. 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. 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 2025. 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 English as an Additional Language (EAL), English, Physical Education, Art, Mathematics and General Science. Over 500 applicants have been screened over the past few months. Newly appointed staff will be introduced to the community in the first parent newsletter of 2025 and to students at the first school assembly of 2025. 

School Strategic Plan 2025 – 2028

2025 will again be a busy year for us as we focus on implementing our new School Strategic Plan with the Key Goals and Key Improvement Strategies being:

Goal 1: To maximise the learning growth of every student.

Key Improvement Strategies:

• Build all leaders capacity to effectively embed change across the college.
• Enhance teacher practice to enable a consistent instructional model and deepen the use of High Impact Teaching Strategies within the model.
• Build staff capacity to effectively use data to inform planning and delivery of differentiated teaching and learning. 

Goal 2: To strengthen the engagement and wellbeing of all students.

Key Improvement Strategies:

• Develop policies, processes and classroom practices to support student inclusion.
• Develop and embed a multi-tiered approach to support positive student behaviour, attendance and wellbeing.

Tutoring Program

The tutoring initiative program for 2025 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 2025. We are currently planning and recruiting for this program.  

And finally....

I would like to thank our amazing staff, students and families for another fantastic year. Everyone has worked extremely hard to provide the very best education and support to our students and helped 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 2024. 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 and Wellbeing at VUSC: Information for families and the school community

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

The Victorian Government has announced new Child Safe Standards to further strengthen child safety across organisations, including schools. The new standards recognise the critical importance of families and the broader school community in maintaining and promoting child safety and wellbeing. 

VUSC has reviewed and updated our child safety policies and procedures to ensure they meet the requirements of the new standards. These are available to download below and can also be viewed on our school website. 

We are committed to continuous improvement in our approach to child safety and wellbeing and welcome feedback from families and members of our school community on ways we can further strengthen our child safety policies, procedures and practices. 

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions, please contact your campus and speak to your Campus Principal.