Principal's Report
From the Principal
Year 7 Orientation Camps
Last week our Year 7 camps were held at Anglesea with highlights including surfing, giant swing, high ropes, group sporting activities and the night walks. It was great that students and staff were able to make the most of this opportunity to connect and participate 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), Breanne Murphy (Middle School Secretary), Kim Schwarz and Bec Morris (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.
Our Year Level Coordinators were very encouraged 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.
School Council Update
After the recent process for School Council elections for department, parent and student representatives, I am delighted to declare the following ballot outcomes:
School Council Elections 2023 - Declaration of Ballot
Parent Representatives
Francis Killackey
Martin Roche
Samer Skaik
Cyrus Tengra
DET Representative
Cameron Campbell
Jasvinder Kaur
Student Representatives
Shaun Tengra (Year 11)
Siena Sotiropoulos (Year 8)
We warmly congratulate these successful candidates.
Can I also sincerely thank all staff, parents and students who nominated for this election for their interest and investment into our School Council and the continual improvement of the College.
Further to this – I am pleased to be able to announce the School Council Office Bearers for 2023/24;
Following our School Council Annual General Meeting conducted on Wednesday evening, our office bearers for our current Council are:
School Council President – Cyrus Tengra
School Council Vice President – Martin Roche
A warm congratulations is extended to both Cyrus and Martin upon their appointments to these crucial positions.
Recent School Councils have been very collaborative and fully supportive as we collectively focused upon improving all aspects of the College. I am confident that our current School Council will continue to work on behalf of our entire College community to help us meet the challenges of our quest to continually improve all elements of College operations. I would like to personally thank all Council members for being so willing to be involved and generous with giving of their time.
Cycle One College Reports
A reminder for parents that our College Cycle One reports will be available on the Compass system on Friday 17 March.
Our first assessment cycle, although reflecting a relatively short timeframe 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 improved upon in a timely manner that allows for a successful platform for learning growth throughout the year.
As the term comes to its conclusion it is hoped that parents and students will focus on this initial feedback to monitor learning progress and positive study habits.
Parent – Teacher - Student Interviews
Given the imminent release of our Cycle 1 reports, this is a further reminder that our Term 1 Parent/Teacher Interviews are to be held on Wednesday 29 March.
We encourage parents to avail themselves of this important opportunity to meet our teachers to discuss student progress. All bookings must be made via Compass.
Interview Times are:
Interviews 1.30pm – 4.45pm
Interviews 6.00pm – 8.30pm
The Parent - Teacher - Student Interview Booking System will be accessible from:
Year 12 Student Bookings - 12.00pm Friday 17 March until 4.00pm Tuesday 28 March 2023.
Year 7 to 11 Student Bookings – 10.00am Monday 20 March until 4.00pm Tuesday 28 March 2023.
We acknowledge that the logistics of the afternoon and evening make it difficult for all parents to meet with each teacher, I would therefore advise parents to be selective and prioritise their bookings.
If parents are unable to attend personally on the day or unable to secure an interview with a particular teacher, could I remind all parents that the COMPASS system allows for ongoing communication via email.
I would encourage parents to contact any teacher if they have specific concerns/queries regarding the education of their child. Alternatively, parents may contact Year Level Coordinators to arrange meetings and discuss overall performance or other issues.
Please find attached further information regarding Parent – Teacher - Student Interviews and booking information. For further booking instructions please go to https://www.compass.education/guide#section-09
College Open Night
On Thursday 16 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 4.45 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. This arrangement may well impact the number of parents and prospective students who are able to attend. In recognition of this, we have organised several 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.
John Roberts
Principal
Subject Contributions for students in Year 10-12
Subject Contributions for students in Year 10-12 have now been sent out via Compass and we invite parents to support our extensive electives program which provides options and opportunities for those in our Senior School.
East Doncaster Secondary College provides classroom consumables, materials and equipment for items and activities that students use, or participate in, to access the curriculum and we invite you to make a contribution for the elective subjects that your child is studying.
Please refer to the attached document for instructions on how to do this:-
Your financial assistance enables us to enrich and extend the learning experiences of our students.
We thank you for your generous support.
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 the 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 - Reminder
Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy.
Please take time to read our school’s collection notice, found on our website on the Policy Documents page. We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use platforms such as Compass, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace for Education safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education, please contact the school. For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages:
* Amharic
* Arabic
* Dari
* Gujarati
* Mandarin
* Somali
* Sudanese
* Turkish
* Urdu
* Vietnamese