From the Principal

As the College and our wider community attempt to return a more normalised state of operations, the last weeks seemed to have provided more challenges for us all.

A vicious Melbourne storm followed by a power black-out for the entire school day severely compromised our program and for perhaps the first time ever we were forced to undertake VCE examinations without electricity supplies. The attitude and resilience of our Year 12 students on this day was remarkable and all students and staff involved deserve full praise for the manner in which the examinations were completed.

Could I also extend a very sincere thank you to all of our parents that were able to both access and act upon our late messaging and not send their children to school on the day. The irony and unfairness of missing yet another day of school after the prolonged lockdowns of recent months was felt acutely by us all.

To further compound the situation we were challenged just days later with an on-site exposure to COVID-19 necessitating a one day closure of the College in order to trace and contact the identified Primary Close Contacts. Once again, we had given very little notice of these circumstances and we wish to thank our EDSC community for their continued support. Particular thanks go to the members of the community that have stayed away while they have been feeling unwell, to those who have gone out and had a COVID19 test and to those who have stayed at home in quarantine when told to do so. The care and compassion you continue to show is keeping our community safe. Given our recent experiences with COVID19 exposure, we wanted to reinforce to students, parents/carers and staff of the processes that we all need to follow;

What to do if you are unwell?

One of the most important things we can do to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in our community is to stay at home when we are unwell, even when we have the mildest of symptoms.

If a child is unwell, even with the mildest of symptoms, they must stay at home. If a child becomes unwell during the day, they should be collected from school as soon as possible.

If a child has any of the symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) outlined below, however mild, they should get tested with a standard PCR test and they must remain at home until they receive their results:

• fever

• chills or sweats

• cough

• sore throat

• shortness of breath

• runny nose

• loss of sense of smell or taste

Parents should continue to follow current school policy and public health advice. If your child is unwell, even with the mildest of symptoms, they must stay at home and get tested for COVID-19 with a standard (PCR) test, regardless of a negative rapid antigen test result.

What do I do if my child has tested positive for COVID-19?

The first thing they must do is isolate/quarantine. If your child has been infectious while at school (the infectious period is considered 48 hours prior to the onset of COVID19 symptoms) then please contact the school on 9842 2244 to advise us of the positive test result. Your child will need to remain in quarantine until they receive written medical clearance from the Department of Health (DH).

What do I do if my child has been identified as primary close contact (PCC), or has otherwise been advised to self-quarantine?

If you have been advised of this by theDepartment of Health (DH) you must abide by their quarantine rules. If your child is considered a close contact of someone at school, a member of the College leadership team will make contact over the phone and work through a process with you. We will follow up this call with an email. Students who are fully vaccinated will need to quarantine for a period of 7 days following their exposure. Partially or unvaccinated students will need to quarantine for 14 days. The Department of Education (DET) has just released a rapid antigen testing program. From Monday 15 November 2021, the Department of Education and Training will implement a state-wide roll-out of this program with any new COVID-19 exposures at school sites. The College has not received specific details of this roll-out at the moment, but we will certainly share information on this as and when it arrives.

If I am unsure of what to do?

Please make contact with the school and we can assist you. DET has put in place many supports for schools and their community. If you need help, you can call us or contact the COVID hotline on 1800 675 398 or visit https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/

Remembrance Day

Yesterday the College commemorated Remembrance Day.

At 11.00 am on Thursday 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 on the sacrifices made by those before us.

Our Middle School Student Leaders Shaun Tengra & Haim Kaur delivered the following reading to the College;

Good morning, as you will 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.

For us, this morning, 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.

But today also isn’t just about soldiers. It’s also about remembering those who lost family because of war. It’s about remembering the mums, dads, brothers, sisters, and wives who have lost a loved one. The saddest part about war is that its greatest impact lies not in winning, but in the death of those involved.

So today we should think for a while about those who cannot come home to their families. Let’s think of the families who never got to see their loved ones again.

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 Shaun and Haim for their efforts and our students for the manner in which our small Remembrance Day tribute and commemoration was delivered.

To our Class of 2021– Final Assembly and Celebrations

Despite the massive disruptions of the past months, next week we will be celebrating the graduating class of 2021 with a Final Assembly on Friday 19 November (two days after the final VCE examination), involving our Year 12 students and staff. Sadly, the present level of COVID related restrictions has meant that we are unable to have parents and family members in attendance as would usually be the case.

This event will allow staff and students to meet together as a group and celebrate the achievements of the 2021 Year 12s with an Assembly in the stadium, commencing at 11.00 am, to be followed by a picnic lunch and concluding with a COVID-safe Colour Run. The Final Assembly will be recorded and an edited presentation will be made available to parents and family members.

The arrangements for the day are as follows:

Students will arrive at school at recess in full school uniform (all students and staff must wear a mask for the Assembly and can remove it only for organised photos)
The assembly will start in the stadium at 11am sharp. Students will be sitting in their English/EAL class groups
Assembly will finish around 1pm
Food & drink will be then provided by the school, with a picnic lunch to be held in the Upper Courtyard
Students may bring their school shirts/dresses for signing and modified uniforms to change into after the assembly
Students will need a change of clothes (wear white!) for the Colour Run. We also recommend that students wear some form of eye protection, such as goggles or safety glasses for the Colour Run
Celebrations will conclude at approximately 3.00 pm

** Please note that due to the Final Assembly and the celebrations we will undertake with our Year 12 students on Friday 17 November, all students in Years 7-11 will be dismissed from the College at the conclusion of Period 4 (12.40 pm).

2021 Art Show

So much of our normal College program has been disrupted in the past two years that it has been very difficult to acknowledge and celebrate student achievement and creativity, especially in the visual and performing arts.

In order to somewhat compensate for this situation, our Art Learning Domain have done a splendid job in compiling and displaying an on-line 2021 EDSC Art Show, you can still watch it here as an unlisted, private YouTube video. https://youtu.be/3OiQp_NQ4jY

Such wonderful and creative work from our students!

Outstanding Student Achievement – Manningham Civic Awards

Following its cancellation in 2020, this year’s Manningham Civic Awards were announced on 29 October in a scaled-down, COVID-safe event.

We were very pleased and proud that our Year 12 student, College Vice-Captain Sulaymaan Hafeez was nominated for and received the Manningham Young Citizen of the Year award.

Young Citizen of the Year – Sulaymaan Hafeez

This award recognises the outstanding contribution made by a young Manningham resident to improve our local community. This can be demonstrated through leadership qualities, inspiring others through action or being a positive role model.

When being presented with this award, Sulaymaan was presented with the following citation:

Despite completing Year 12 in a challenging year, Sulaymaan didn’t stop serving his community. He is Vice Captain at East Doncaster Secondary College, a member of the Youth Advisory Council at EACH Doncaster and a volunteer at the United Muslim Migrants Association Doncaster Mosque where he ensures patrons adhere to COVID-safe requirements, assists seniors with IT access and mentors younger students.

Well done, Sulaymaan, an outstanding effort!

Planning and preparation for 2022

This is another quick reminder to the Parents/Guardians of students who will no longer be attending East Doncaster Secondary College in 2022.

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 2022

The Parent Payment arrangements for 2022 are now available via Compass on your home page under “Course Confirmation/Payments”.

Payments can be made through Compass or directly to the College via credit card or cash using the College Payment Envelope (when the General Office re-opens to parents).

If you do not wish to pay via Compass, please ensure you return a copy of the completed form to the General Office, available under “pay in person at the school” link at the bottom of the page in Course Confirmations/Payments, or you can request a copy from the College via

parentpayments@eastdonsc.vic.edu.au

Payments are due by Tuesday 23 November 2021

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

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.

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