Principal's Report

Term Three concludes

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

Dear Parents/Carers, Students and Staff,

As we move towards the end of a disrupted term, we look forward to Term 4 and the hope that it will bring us back together in some form.

At this time I would like to congratulate all students for their fantastic participation and involvement in the College program activities and acknowledge the outstanding work of all staff in coming together to help our community get through this challenging time. Our College motto of “Working Together, Learning Together” has certainly been embodied through the actions of our community.

Wellbeing Action Team

The fifth meeting of the Wellbeing Action Team this year was run remotely due to lockdown. There was a general sense that the most recent lockdown was creating a great deal of fatigue for students, staff and families alike, but several resilient members of the school community engaged in a discussion about priorities for the return of students to on-site learning once restrictions are eased.

Our Student Wellbeing Coordinator, Drew Hanna, introduced the key priorities shared by the DET from the last time students returned from an extended lockdown, so that members of the team would have time to reflect on their responses. These three priorities were:

• Attendance- It is critical that we re-engage those students who may have disengaged during this recent period of remote and flexible learning. We can’t effectively support our students’ wellbeing and learning unless they are attending classes.
• Wellbeing – We know from previous experiences that some students may be unsettled on their return, and students won’t learn effectively until we establish a positive climate. There is good advice and a range of resources available, visit Supporting students’ mental health and wellbeing.
• Learning - Re-engaging students in a full learning program is important to maintaining and extending student learning but the re-establishment of structures, routines and positive classroom relationships is pivotal for this to occur.

Encouraging attendance was identified as a challenging issue, given the contentious nature of the public discussion around vaccination and community safety. While some were focused on the importance of returning to school for mental health and wellbeing, others were concerned about student health and safety in a less controlled environment than the home. Given the public discourse around attitudes towards safety precautions, including vaccination, the consensus of the team was that the school has an important role to play in maintaining high expectations around student’s respect towards one another and the appreciation of diverse perspectives. Some consideration was given to the possibility of running an alternate program in the first days of school that supported students to build empathy and engage in healthy and respectful discussions about other topics, to promote tolerance and acceptance.

Another emerging insight was the difference in focus between the needs of senior students, and particularly year 12s, compared to the needs of younger students. The Wellbeing Action Team generally agreed that a return to the regular curriculum program should be deprioritised for younger students so that more focus could be placed on identifying where students’ are at in terms of attendance and wellbeing, as well as establishing norms and routines and rebuilding social skills and networks. However, several parents of senior students spoke of their sense that what their children most wanted and needed was not to introduce so much change so close to exams. One suggestion was that students stay at home given they are in a routine now, with on-site attendance focusing on exam skills through formal Trial Exams. It was also suggested the year 12s be surveyed about their preferences for return to school plans. This feedback has been shared with the senior school and curriculum team.

Communication was identified as something the school had done really well so far, and the importance of maintaining this as students returned to ensure that families, staff and students were all clear on the expectations around managing safety, such as mask-wearing. Families also spoke of the powerful role the school could play in sharing accurate information to combat misinformation in the community. Information about COVID-19 vaccines including how to book, vaccine eligibility and where to get your vaccination can be found by following the link COVID-19 vaccines | Coronavirus Victoria

Vaccinations

In regards to vaccinations for staff, the advice from DET is that all staff should get vaccinated as soon as possible, both for their own and their families’ protection and for the protection of students, colleagues and the community. I have been encouraged by the response of my staff to this advice. 

To determine current levels of vaccination among the Victorian school workforce, all school staff have been requested to complete a very short survey to indicate their vaccination status. The department will provide data collected in a de-identified and aggregated format to the Victorian Centre for Data Insights (VCDI). VCDI supports government departments and agencies in using data to develop strategies and make improvements to workplace experiences and safety measures. This data will then be further aggregated and provided to the Department of Health for whole-of-Victorian-government reporting. My reason for informing you of this is to build confidence in our community that our staff are doing all they can to keep our community safe.

The term break is now a time for our students to take some time to focus on their health and wellbeing. The easing of some restrictions will see increased opportunities for the community to re-connect in a COVID-safe way. Whilst I will be looking to take a break and invest time back into my health, wellbeing and family, I will continue to update our community with any information provided to me regarding a return to school. Stay safe and once again I look forward to us all coming back together soon.

School for Student Leadership

I am pleased to advise that Doncaster Secondary College has been allocated 6 places at the Don Valley Campus, School for Student Leadership for term 4, 2022. The School for Student Leadership is a Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET) initiative offering a unique residential education experience for year nine students. The curriculum focuses on personal development and team learning projects sourced from students' home regions. Further information on this opportunity will be provided in term 4.

Glenn Morris

Principal