Principal's Report
From the Principal
Remembrance Day
Our College commemorated Remembrance Day today.
At 11.00 am this morning, we settled classes quickly and allowed our teachers and students to reflect the significance of the day. It is important for us as a College community to ensure that we stopped our daily routine to reflect not only on the sacrifices made by those before us but also to appreciate the quality of our own lives and to recognise our responsibilities as citizens within our community,
Our Middle School Student Leaders, Darell Ho and Rhianna Dhingra, delivered the following reading to the College;
Good morning, as you may be aware, today is Remembrance Day.
We believe it is important, as a united school community, that we devote a few brief moments this morning in recognising the significance of this day for our Nation.
Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the end of the First World War in Europe.
At 11 am on the 11th of November 1918 the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare. For Australia, as for many nations, the First World War remains the most costly conflict in terms of deaths and casualties. From a population of fewer than five million people in 1914, over 400,000 Australians enlisted in the armed forces. Of that, over 60,000 were killed and 156,000 were wounded.
On Remembrance Day it is important that we pay tribute to all Australians who fought in conflicts around the world - be it in the First or Second World Wars, the Korean or Vietnam wars or more recently in Iraq and Afghanistan. We also remember those who have been peacekeepers around the world, including most recently, East Timor.
We must also consider and be respectful of those who suffered and died in the countries where these conflicts occurred. We know that they too are reflecting on their losses today.
Here in Australia we can easily take for granted that we have never had major conflict on our soil. Our country is full of promise and opportunity where our democratic way of life allows us significant freedom of speech and action.
Today, we therefore stop to reflect not only on the sacrifices made by those before us but also to appreciate the quality of our own lives; to recognise our responsibilities as citizens of a global community and to celebrate the harmony of our richly multicultural community.
For out of the war came a lesson which transcended the horror and tragedy.
It was a lesson about ordinary people – and the lesson was that they were not ordinary.
On all sides they were the heroes of that war; not the generals and the politicians but the soldiers and sailors and nurses – those who taught us to endure hardship, to show courage, to be bold as well as resilient, to believe in ourselves, to stick together.
That is surely at the heart of the ANZAC story, the Australian legend which emerged from the war. It is a legend not of sweeping military victories so much as triumphs against the odds, of courage in adversity and of mateship.
I will now read a poem, it is called ‘The Fallen’, and it has become the Ode of Remembrance:
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
We will now reflect and pay our respects with a minute’s silence.
I thank Darell and Rhianna for their efforts, and our students for the manner in which our small Remembrance Day tribute and commemoration was delivered.
Mobile Phone Policy
As mentioned in our College Newsletter at the commencement of this term, the Department of Education has asked schools to remind their communities of the State-wide ban of mobile phones during the course of school days.
All College community member should be aware that the Department of Education mandated a policy that establishes from Term 1 2020:
- students who bring mobiles phones to school must have them switched off and securely stored during school hours
- the school must provide secure storage for mobile phones that are brought to school
Exceptions to the policy may be applied if certain conditions are met.
Schools have been required to develop a local mobile phone policy, as we have done from the commencement of 2020, that must include how this ministerial policy will be implemented. Schools will manage non-compliance in accordance with their existing student engagement policies.
This policy is a state-wide mandate. We are being directed to implement this.
With the severe challenges of the past three years, it is understandable that this policy has not been front of centre of normal College operations. It would seem, however, to be timely reminder to all staff, students and parents and we would ask for the support of all parents in assisting us to implement this policy
I raise this issue once again, as it appears that we have a number of students who are finding it difficult or choosing not to comply with this state-wide mandate. We will keep working with our entire student cohort to ensure that we are consistently and equitably communicating and enforcing this policy and would be appreciative if this messaging could be reinforced at home.
PSW Exclusive Late Night Shopping Event for EDSC Families
I also wanted to take this opportunity to remind our College community that our uniform supplier, PSW will host and open their PSW Kew East store exclusively for all East Doncaster Secondary College families to purchase their uniform needs after their standard trading hours.
We encourage all families to attend this exclusive shopping night.
PSW will run this event on Tuesday 22 November.
PSW Kew East store will open from 5:00pm to 8:00pm to help working families attend this exclusive shopping event. We encourage parents to book a fitting session for this evening on the PSW website. Families are still able to attend this shopping night without booking a fitting session.
As part of this event promotion, PSW will provide each family with a EDSC sports cap if they spend over $400 in one transaction during this event.
Please see the attached flyer for details.
Planning and preparation for 2023
This is another quick reminder to the Parents/Guardians of students who will no longer be attending East Doncaster Secondary College in 2023.
If you have not already done so, can you please contact the school to inform us that your child will not attending next year. This information can be communicated to the staff members in our General Office or the Year Level Coordinators.
This information is vital for our Year Level Coordination teams to plan and prepare classes and programs for next year.
Your cooperation on this matter would be most appreciated.
John Roberts
Principal
Parent Payment arrangements for 2023
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Please find attached the Parent Payment arrangements for 2023. They are available for payment via Compass on your home page under “Course Confirmation/Payments”.
Alternatively, payments can be made directly to the College via credit card or cash using the College Payment Envelope. Please ensure you download the attached form for the appropriate 2023 year level. Payment envelopes can be dropped off at the College in the locked drop box at Reception.
Your ongoing support of College allows us to continue to offer a broad range of programs and enhanced curriculum experiences.
Please refer to the attached Parent Payments Policy and further links to information via https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/parent-payment/policy
Advertise in our College Newsletter
Do you have a business or are you part of a community organisation?
Do you want to reach over 1,000 families in the area every fortnight?
Our fortnightly e-newsletter has space available at either A5 or full page and can include direct links to your website (no social media sites).
Pricing:
$25 - A5 size per edition
$50 - A4 full page per edition
$10 – for community groups A5 size per edition
$200 - per term
$700 - per year
Email the attached form to
east.doncaster.sc@education.vic.gov.au or contact us on 9842-2244 for more information.
College Philosophy
At East Doncaster Secondary College we have a strong tradition of academic excellence and we aim to promote and sustain a reflective learning culture. We want students to experience a sense of achievement and growth in their academic, personal, social and emotional development. We have high expectations of our students’ commitment to being mutually supportive and striving for success as learners. We are proudly multicultural with a student population from 43 nationalities including a number of International Students. 68% of our students speak a language other than English at home.
A student’s life at school is full of opportunities, being rich and varied with a range of co-curricular activities in music, sport, productions, debating, clubs as well as camps and international experiences for the educational and personal development of students. Our students are vibrant, energetic, and talented young people. There are many student leadership opportunities and we aim to continue to increase student access to decision-making and self-determination as learners.
We endeavour to create a "Culture of Curiosity" with goals of ensuring learning improvement for every student – every student, every period, every day.
Our school’s purpose is to develop passionate learners who are critical thinkers with the confidence and capability to engage in the global community.
Care and Compassion, Curiosity, Excellence, Fairness, Resilience, Respect and Teamwork are the core values that underpin the culture of our school as we embrace the challenges of 21st Century learning.
We aim to sustain a learning culture that provides every student with a sense of achievement and of being their best in their academic, personal, social and emotional development.
Privacy and Data at East Doncaster Secondary College
East Doncaster Secondary College uses a number of digital platforms to support your child’s education, such as Compass, Google Drive and Office 365.
The College has an Information Security Policy and complies with the Department of Education and Training Privacy Policy. Click on the below link to access these documents.