Principal's Report
From the Principal
As we return for Term 3, given our current context, what will remain certain during this term is uncertainty. Uncertainty about how the challenges raised by the COVID-19 virus will evolve and about the measures which will be put into place to manage its spread and minimise harm. What is certain is the strength and adaptability of our East Doncaster Secondary College community to manage the challenges of change and uncertainty associated with the virus. Over these past few months, we have adapted to new ways of learning and teaching, interacting and providing support for each other.
Although immensely disappointed that we could not commence this new term with all students attending, we were delighted to welcome back our senior students. Year 12 is a milestone year and what a year 2020 has been so far for our Year 12 students. With the support and leadership of all of our VCE teachers and Senior School Coordination team, the Year 12 students have continued to feel connected and engaged as a year level cohort. What has emerged is a sense of hope, resilience, optimism and a “can do … get on with it attitude”. We are very proud of our Year 12 students.
The commencement of the term also saw the introduction of temperature checking. Well done to our senior students who adapted quickly to the new processes. Last week saw the wearing of face masks as mandatory for all students and staff, both on campus and as they travel to and from the College. We are all experiencing a level of anxiety and uncertainty in these challenging times, however, it really must be noted that our staff and students are displaying an enormous resilience as they quickly adapt to this ‘new normal’ and accept the collective responsibility of trying to do the right things by each other, in support of each, because of the respect for each other.
Senior School 2021 Student Course Selection
This week we have begun the valuable process of supporting students with making informed individual choices regarding their prospective studies in Senior School in 2021.
Establishing goals for future success are important for the students of our school community. For many their future plans rest upon successful completion of VCAL, Headstart or VCE studies at Year 12.
Over these next few weeks students will be supported through an involved course selection process – one this year, because of current circumstances, that will need some modification, a liberal dose of patience and a preparedness for those involved to ask questions if unsure of what is expected. I would encourage every family to engage in this process to maximise opportunities for success. In many cases, the correct decisions made in the formative stages of the VCE journey can have such a positive impact upon the outcomes achieved.
Because of our inability to hold on-site 2021 Information Evenings this year, we have placed a number of informative resources for this process on the Compass Newsfeed facility.
We encourage all students and their families to pay particular attention to the Course Selection Information video that is available via Compass Newsfeed, as this will address all of the common questions.
It is also crucial that students reference the subject videos so that they have a true sense of what they are selecting, and perhaps gain insight into subject areas that they had not previously been aware of. Course Selection Videos.
As per previous communications, the College subject handbooks are also a valuable resource and can be found on the Compass Newsfeed as well as on our website.
The better informed our students are, the more likely their choices will be relevant and lead to success in learning.
As has been communicated via Senior School, all students currently in Year 9 and 10 will have an individual course counselling session to ensure that choices made are appropriate for each student.This year, Course Counselling Interviews will be conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams, commencing on Tuesday 4 August.
Course counselling for students will take place on the following days:
Year 12 2021 (Current Year 11)- Tuesday 4th August
Year 11 2021 (Current Year 10)- Wednesday 5th August
Year 10 2021 (Current Year 9)- Thursday 6th August
Interview times will be sent to students before next Tuesday. Parents are welcome to participate in this interview if they are able to be home with their child at this time.
Students will still be required to engage in their learning on the day of course counselling. Teachers will ensure that a lesson plan is provided that students can follow independently and be more flexible in their day to accommodate their interview time. Students who are undertaking accelerated studies can still attend school for their class as long as it does not clash with their interview. Students have been asked to communicate with their teachers if they are going to be absent for this reason.
If you require further information on this, please contact Assistant Principal, Karen Boyle or Head of Senior School, Kate Leaumont.
School-Based Apprenticeships at EDSC – Our Headstart and VCAL programs
Once again in 2021 East Doncaster Secondary College is pleased to offer exciting opportunities for students to undertake a School Based Apprenticeship or Traineeship in combination within the VCAL or VCE platforms.
These offerings are now possible under the VCE – Headstart banner and in conjunction with our existing membership of the VCAL ‘atEast’ consortium of schools.
Headstart is an initiative introduced last year by the Victorian State Government to increase the number of students undertaking high quality apprenticeships and traineeships, while still completing their senior secondary studies through flexible arrangements.
Headstart Apprenticeships and Traineeships are designed to provide a strong pathway for students wishing to transition from school into employment in their chosen field.
The Headstart program is now available in over 100 schools in ten clusters across nine sites in Victoria, targeting an additional 1,700 new apprenticeships and traineeships from 2019–2022.
Via Headstart and VCAL, our College offers a flexible program to
- allow students to study at school to complete VCAL or VCE subjects
- scheduling time for them to complete (or partially complete) a Cert II, III or IV Qualification at TAFE
- use the skills they learn in the TAFE studies while being employed for between 1 and 3 days each week
Depending on the certificate and industry qualification, a School Based Traineeship can be completed over a 12 – 24 month period. This means that a student leaves school fully qualified to work in their industry, or gain entry into higher qualifications. The credits they accumulate through TAFE and work are added to those completed at school (their school based subjects) to allow students to achieve their VCE or VCAL certificate.
Apprenticeships are partially completed, with students rolling into full time apprenticeships upon completing their VCE or VCAL certificate at school.
For further information, please refer to the article by Kelly Kingham, our VCAL and Headstart Coordinator, in a further section of this newsletter or feel free to contact Kelly at our College.
College Production
I wanted to take the opportunity to communicate a decision that we have made regarding the 2020 College Production of Back to the 80’s in Term 3.
We have decided that in the best interests of the health and safety of our students and staff we will not conduct the College Production this year.
This decision is based upon the fact that there are currently multiple restrictions on social interaction within our community and the very high probability that some restrictions will remain enforced well into and possibly beyond Term 3 of our school year.
We are very disappointed for our students that the challenges of the present times have prevented our 2020 cast and crew with the opportunity to be involved in a production we were very excited to see on stage.
A much appreciated message of thanks and support
Census Data Collection
Every year the Department of Education and Training conduct a census which helps determine the level of our school's student-based funding.
To ensure that the College is able continue to provide quality programs and an efficient learning environment for our students it relies on being supported by Department funding. Student Family Occupation details are an important component used by the DET to formulate our correct level of funding. Please see below for important information regarding ensuring your details are up to date and how this impacts on school funding.
Please complete and return the attached form if there are changes/updates to be made.
Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability
Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019).
Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:
- year of schooling
- category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional
- level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.
This information assists schools to:
- formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools and consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools.
The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability.
The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government’s Privacy Policy (https://www.education.gov.au/privacy-policy).
Further information about the NCCD can be found at NCCD Portal (https://www.nccd.edu.au).
If you have any questions about the NCCD, please contact the College.
John Roberts
Principal
Updated Anaphylaxis Policy
At our February School Council meeting we updated and amended our College Anaphylaxis Policy.
The amendments (whilst important) were quite minor and related to the provision of epi-pens for students in our Food Technology classroom spaces.
Please see attached for a copy of this policy.
1 to 1 Digital Learning Policy 2020
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.