From the Principal

As I noted in our first newsletter of the year, it was so pleasing to see our students back at our College after such a challenging year in 2020. In that fashion, this year had commenced with a sense of optimism and great energy.

The events of the sudden short-term lockdown initiated by the State Government last Friday, have surely presented as a setback but not one that our students, our teachers and College community cannot overcome.

With very little notice we, all of us, proved that we were able pivot to a remote learning environment that is capable of meeting the needs of our young learners.

Can I extend a message of thanks to our staff, our students and our families for the manner in which they supported the events of this week and made the most of a situation out of our immediate control.

We have lots to be proud of as a College community, especially the ways in which we embraced the challenges that COVID-19 presented in 2020. While there will still be uncertainty in 2021, we know that this community is resilient, adaptable and supportive. We are confident that whatever challenges may come our way again in 2021, that we will manage them well together.

The College continues to be guided by the relevant government and education authorities in relation to COVID-Safe practices. In adhering to these guidelines, there will be a continuing need to make changes to the ways in which we organise College events and activities to ensure the wellbeing of all members of this community. Any changes will be communicated to the community in a timely manner.

School Council Update

With the tenure of our 2020-21 School Council completed at our School Council meeting held on Wednesday 10 February, we had the following vacancies for School Council membership:

Four Parent representative

Two DET representatives

Two Student representatives

Upon the closing of nominations last week, it was very pleasing to receive a good number of nominations – this is the lifeblood of a vibrant, proactive, progressive School Council.We received six nominations to the parent vacancies; two nominations for the DET vacancies and three nominations for the student representatives:

Parent Member Category: Nick Milani, Peng (Patrick) Ow, Sally Shaw, Cyrus Tengra, Stefan Kazakis

Martin Roche and Stephen Corner

DET Member Category: Cameron Campbell and Jas Kaur

Student Member Category: Mariam Elmeligi, Harris Kazakis and Oscar McNamara

We have commenced the process, therefore, in conducting an election ballot for the parent and student vacancies in full accord with current Department of Education guidelines.

The ballot for parent vacancies will be conducted by postal vote. All families with students attending the College will receive a ballot paper and brief information on each of the candidates.

The ballot for student vacancies, in which all students will be afforded the opportunity to cast a vote, will be held at the College in designated class times.

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

Due to 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.

I will update our College community in upcoming Newsletters on the final composition and office bearers for our 2021-22 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.

Clubs Expo – Tuesday 23 February 2021

One of the exciting elements about being a student (and a staff member) are the opportunities that exist outside of the classroom. Opportunities to find, follow or develop an interest or a passion beyond the immediate structures of a school curriculum.

Central to these opportunities is the clubs that the College offers for student participation and engagement.

We are therefore pleased to announce that next Tuesday is our annual Clubs Expo Day.

On this day, all the clubs at our College will be promoting their club activities and encouraging students to join.

I would encourage all students to join us in the middle courtyard at some stage of the lunchbreak on that day and sign up for clubs that link up with their interests, hobbies and areas of passion.

There will be an assortment of activities run by the clubs on this day, with the chance to win prizes for participation!

Clubs currently on offer in 2021:

Badminton / Literature / Breakfast Club / Chess / Pride / Sustainability and Environment / Art and Anime / Electronics / Board Games / Table-Top Games / School Events / Computer Club / Media Squad / Interact / Debating / K-Pop / Dance / Maths Club

Parent – Student - Teacher Interviews Wednesday 31 March 2021

A reminder for parents that our College assessment schedule has well and truly commenced. Cycle One reports will be available on the Compass system on Friday 11 March. Although still a little while off, this will be followed by Parent-Student-Teacher interviews on the afternoon and evening of Wednesday 31 March.

Term 1 is a period of time that is marked by the refreshing energy of a new year and offers a positive platform for the academic year ahead. Our first assessment cycle, although encompassing a relatively short time-frame, offers feedback at an early stage of the school year. It is our aim that this 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.

COMPASS Communications at EDSC

The COMPASS Learning Management system in use at East Doncaster Secondary College provides parents an opportunity to monitor many important aspects of their child’s learning and wellbeing.

I hope that parents of our Year 7 students will have already discovered the potential of the Compass system to inform them of College operations, upcoming events, student attendance data and learning outcomes.

Parents are encouraged to maintain regular communication whenever there is a concern via the Compass portal. As mentioned, parents are also able to check daily attendance and can send emails directly to teachers requesting clarification of learning progress or related issues.

We are committed to improving the quality of communications to parents – especially in relation to student learning. The management of Learning Tasks including descriptions, due dates, confirmation of submission and feedback on learning performance are all ways for teachers to engage and inform parents and students within this information feedback loop.

If you are encountering difficulties in accessing and using the COMPASS system, please do not hesitate to contact our General Office.

Parent Contact Details

Whilst on the subject of College communication, a reminder to all parents and guardians to please update their contact details with the College.

Whether this involves a change of residential address, an updated mobile phone or work number, it is essential that we have the latest available information on our data-bases.

If an urgent situation, a medical condition or an emergency was to eventuate, it is critical that we are able to contact parents and guardians as quickly as possible.

2021 College Open Night

Click on the above flyer or the below button to make your booking - bookings open Monday 22 February 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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