From the Principal

As we adjust to a new COVID-norm, we commend our students on the ways they managed the sudden lockdown and the return to on-campus learning all in the one week. What remains certain for us all is the uncertainty of the pandemic and comfort in knowing that we continue to be here for each other and we are committed to supporting all members of this community through these challenging times.

School Council Elections

A reminder that we have commenced the process for conducting an election ballot for the parent and student vacancies in our College School Council.

The ballot for parent vacancies is being conducted by postal vote. All families with students attending the College will by now have hopefully received a ballot paper and brief information on each of the candidates.

The ballot for student vacancies, in which all student will be afforded the opportunity to cast a vote, will be held at the College in designated class time next Tuesday (9 March).

Both ballots will be completed by Thursday March 11 and will be declared by Monday March 15.

A further reminder, also, that because of this election process, our next School Council meeting (that will also incorporate our Annual General Meeting) due to be held on Wednesday 10 March, will now be held on Wednesday March 24.

East Doncaster Secondary College is very lucky to have had a rich history of School Councils that have been collaborative, supportive and focussed on improving all aspects of the College. I would encourage all parents to be involved in the process to form our new School Council.

** Please note that our School Council AGM is an open public forum. Please refer to our Compass homepage for details of how to attend this forum for those that wish to do so.

Year 7 Orientation Camps

This week our Year 7 camps were held at Anglesea with highlights including surfing, giant swing, high ropes, group sporting activities and the night walks. The weather was a bit mixed over the course of the week, however, the students and staff involved adapted to the conditions and participated with enthusiasm in the range of events planned for the week.

Could I acknowledge the Middle School team for their extensive planning of the event – in particular Justin Bond (Head of Middle School), Tina Marchant (Transition Coordinator), Mark Rickard and Kim Schwartz (Year 7 Coordinators). Thank you to each of our staff who contributed to the success of the camps and gave up their own valuable family time in doing so.

Having spent a day down at the camp on Wednesday, it was encouraging to witness the interactions between students as their confidence, friendships and connection with each other grew visibly in that short space of time. I trust that our students enjoyed their camp; every indication was that this was certainly the case.

Whitehorse Division Swimming

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of attending the afternoon session of the Whitehorse Division Swimming and Diving Carnival at the Aquarena in Doncaster. A contingent of over 25 competitors proudly represented our College in a great fashion. At the conclusion of the Carnival, East Doncaster Secondary College once again won the overall tally of the events – a terrific performance by the team!

Although our squad of swimmers this year was smaller in numbers than previous years, it was fantastic to see the entire squad participate with such enthusiasm – with most swimmers entering into multiple events and relay teams. Well done to the entire squad, we were very proud of your ‘can-do’ attitude on the day!

A special mention is afforded to the following swimmers who were declared age champions of the event:

Alex Yip – Under 13 Male

Courtney Mudge – Under 14 Female

Christian Yip – Under 14 Male

Jeffrey Ko – Under 16 Male

Gabriel Botuyan – Under 17 Male

Daniel Bray – Under 20 Male

A squad of students will now compete in the EMR Finals on 23rd March at the AquaNation pool in Ringwood.

Congratulations to our Sporting Carnival Coordinator, Michael James, Event Coordinator, Glenn Baker, and our Physical Education staff who assisted on the day.

Parent and Friends Association – Annual General Meeting - Monday 22 March

On behalf of our vibrant Parent and Friends Association, all parents are invited to The John Landy Centre at our College at 7.00pm on Monday 22 March to meet our current committee members.

At 7:00pm, the PFA will conduct their AGM. All committee positions will be declared vacant, including President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Communications Officer, School Council Representative and General Members.

The Parents and Friends Committee is an informal, friendly group of interested parents who provide assistance at various school functions throughout the year such as information nights, school production, parent/teacher interview days etc. They also fundraise with a focus to raise extra funds to devote to worthwhile projects that will benefit the College community.

It would great to see parents new to our College in 2021 join the PFA and add to the devoted, energetic team that give so much back to our College.

Cycle One College Reports

A reminder for parents that our College Cycle One reports will be available on the Compass system on Friday 11 March.

Our first assessment cycle, although reflecting a short time-frame for all subject areas, offers important feedback at this early stage of the school year. It is our aim that this level of initial feedback will allow for positive outcomes and work-habits to be reinforced and for identified issues to be addressed and improved upon in a timely manner that allows for a successful platform for learning growth throughout the year.

Given the major disruption to student learning last year, it is hoped that parents and students will focus on this initial feedback to monitor learning progress and positive study habits.

College Open Night

On Thursday 18 March the College will host parents and students of our community at an Open Night to introduce our school to them. The evening will commence with School Tours at 5.30 pm. We look forward to this opportunity to showcase the varying dimensions of our College to prospective families of our community.

Attendance at this year’s Open Night will be by booking only due to the restrictions we face to ensure a COVID-safe environment. This will impact the number of parents and prospective students who may be able to attend. In recognition of this, we have organised a number of extra College Tours to be conducted for the remainder of Term 1. I would refer parents and students to the College website for further details of both events.

Safety on the roads of our community

Can I once again remind all within our school community to be conscious of their responsibilities in ensuring the neighbouring streets are safe for our students and all drivers.

I would further urge all parents to please be alert to the road signage on all boundary roads surrounding the College, and remind you to not either double park or cross the continuous white line in George Street – this is illegal and presents danger to others.

In the Sports Centre Car Park, parents should proceed towards the southern end of the car park before stopping for their children to alight the vehicle – stopping near the crossing presents a log jam behind you and a danger to our students; please pull to the side when stopping.

As a large Secondary College with a student population at just over 1600 students, it is imperative that we consider the risks that are presented to our students at those extremely busy school arrival and departure times when so many young people and so many cars are present within the surrounding streets of our College.

At all times, we must have the safety of our students as a clear priority.

Parent Teacher Student Interviews Wednesday 31 March 2021

Please find attached information regarding the parent teacher student interviews held on Wednesday 31 March 2021.

Bookings open on Compass on:

Year 12 Student Bookings - 12.00pm Monday 15 March until 4.00pm Tuesday 30 March 2021.

Year 7 to 11 Student Bookings – 12.00pm Wednesday 17 March until 4.00pm Tuesday 30 March 2021.

School Council and 2021 Annual General Meeting - Open Meeting

We are extending an invitation to the College Community to attend the March School Council meeting and Annual General Meeting. This will be held at 7.30 pm on Wednesday 24 March. Interested parties are asked to please contact Lisa Bull at Lisa.Bull2@education.vic.gov.au for further details and to register attendance. All attendees must be registered by 4.00pm Monday 22 March.

John Roberts

Principal

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. The attached documents provide further information about these services, privacy and how data is managed.

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