Welcome to Term One

All students are active participants in a learning culture that promotes academic excellence and personal development through a diversity of challenging experiences.

VISION

“Working together, learning together” – Working together to enable all students to achieve their potential and become confident, effective learners who contribute productively to society.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

Doncaster Secondary College acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which our school is situated, the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to elder's past, present and emerging and extend that respect to any and all Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people. We value the ongoing contribution to the cultural heritage that the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung people provide to our school as well as the city of Manningham. We recognise that this land was never ceded and there is no treaty, and we commit to efforts towards reconciliation as a school community. We at Doncaster Secondary College are inclusive of individuals from all backgrounds including the LGBTQIA+, culturally and linguistically diverse as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

SCHOOL REVIEW

As a Victorian Government School, Doncaster Secondary College is working towards the Education State targets. The targets have been developed across the system so as all schools focus their efforts on the areas that allow students to develop and achieve their best. The Education State target areas are:

Learning for life More students achieving excellence in reading, maths, science and the arts.
Happy, healthy and resilient kids Building the resilience of our children and encouraging them to be more physically active.
Breaking the link Ensuring more students stay in school and breaking the link between disadvantage and outcomes for students.
Pride and confidence in our schools Making sure every community has access to excellence, in every government school and classroom.

Improving student achievement, engagement and wellbeing outcomes are at the centre of everything we do at Doncaster Secondary College. As part of the improvement cycle, each Victorian Government school undertakes a review every four years. Throughout 2021, the College will provide opportunities for students, families, teachers and education support staff to take part in a process that evaluates our strengths, areas for improvement and the impact of our improvement efforts. An independent analysis is completed which will then inform the development of our next School Strategic Plan (SSP), and the decisions relating to priority-setting, initiatives, strategies and actions for improvement. Opportunities to take part in our review will be communicated throughout the year.

FIRTH REVIEW

Today I had the opportunity to hear from John Firth, a former CEO of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA). John Firth was engaged by the Government to lead a review into vocational and applied learning in senior secondary schooling. The recommendations from the review have been made so as all Victorian secondary students have access to high-quality vocational training that:

meets their strengths and interests
gives them the skills they need
leads them into further training, education and, ultimately, a great job.

The Victorian Government has accepted in principle all of the review’s recommendations. The recommendations include:

Victoria should move to an integrated senior secondary certificate, with vocational education embedded in the VCE.
Vocational and VET training should be more closely aligned with Victoria’s growth sectors and local industry needs. This training should be available to every senior secondary student.
A new Foundation Pathways Certificate should be created to formally recognise the skills and achievements of students who are not ready to complete Year 12.
All students who fully or partially complete vocational and applied learning subjects should receive an enhanced Statement of Results to provide a full picture of their strengths, capabilities and achievements when they finish school.
Schools should receive more support to deliver vocational and applied learning.

Whilst the majority of our students complete a full VCE program, we have increasing numbers of students studying a School-Based Apprenticeship and Traineeship/VCAL program, as well as a combined VCE/VET program. The recommendations align with our values and priorities which means that we are well-positioned to deliver a fully integrated senior secondary certificate by the 2025 target.

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL CAPABILITIES: SELF-MANAGEMENT

Self-management refers to our ability to understand ourselves as learners and use strategies to manage ourselves in a range of situations. In developing self-management skills, students are able to:

express emotions appropriately
develop self-discipline and set goals
work independently and show initiative
become confident, resilient and adaptable

Whole-school strategies aimed at supporting our students to build these skills include the:

implementation of classroom entry routines
communication of learning intentions
implementation of the classroom management plan
provision of opportunities to review and reflect on learning

As part of our classroom entry routine, students are greeted as they arrive at class, they are asked to check if they have their learning materials, including their planner, and given the opportunity to collect anything that they may need. This is already having a positive impact on the organisation of our students and their on-task time. There will always be reasons for students needing to leave class, and in these instances, they must have their planner signed by their classroom teacher. I encourage you to speak to your child about the importance of self-management and how you use these skills in your life. Through connecting their experience at school with home, our students will be able to develop these important life skills.

E-LEARNING DAY - WEDNESDAY 10 MARCH

On Wednesday March 10, students will study from home on tasks that teachers set on Compass. This E-Learning day will coincide with the Professional Practice Day (PPD) for staff, where they are provided with time-release from all of their classes. Regular teachers will not be available during the day. The impact of PPDs can be considered as students have between 5 and 6 teachers across the week. The E-Learning day aims to reduce the Adhoc disruption to classes over the course of the term.

If your child is unable to study from home, please email the key contacts below as we will ensure that we have enough casual relief teachers (CRTs) employed to supervise students.

Year 7-9 Keshia.Winter@education.vic.gov.au
Year 10-12 Elizabeth.Podger@education.vic.gov.au

Further information regarding the first E-Learning day will be provided closer to the date. If we were to again be affected by COVID restrictions and enter remote learning prior to this date, we will bring forward the E-Learning day to align with this period.

RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS

Over the past fortnight news in the media has highlighted the importance of quality sexuality and respectful relationships education. A key component of our education programs is the teaching of consent and what it looks like. Doncaster Secondary College delivers a sexuality education program in Health and Physical Education classes from Year 7-9, whilst the Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) curriculum is delivered from Year 7-12 across DiSCovery, Health and Physical Education, and English. The topics within the RRRR curriculum include Emotional literacy, Personal Strengths, Positive Coping, Problem Solving, Stress Management, Help-Seeking, Gender and Identity, and Positive Gender Relations. Throughout the year, our Respectful Relationships team will keep our community updated on the work which we are doing to ensure that our community promotes and models the positive attitudes and behaviours required for healthy and respectful relationships.

There are a number of avenues to reach out to if you are concerned about your own safety or that of someone else.

If you are in need of emergency assistance, contact the police on 000.

If you have experienced violence or sexual assault and require immediate or ongoing assistance, contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732). Counsellors from the National Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence hotline are available for you to talk to.

For confidential support and information, contact Safe Steps’ 24/7 family violence response line on 1800 015 188.

Glenn Morris

Principal

Dates to Remember