Principal's Report

From the Principal

It was with delight that we welcomed back our Year 7, 10 and 11 students on-site to our College on Friday 22 October, with our Year 8 and 9 students returning on Tuesday 26 October. After many, many weeks, it was wonderful to have our students and staff teaching and learning in our classrooms – a feeling of a community being reunited.

Such is the cycle of the school year that we have not had a complete student presence on-site as yet this term, with our Year 12 students concluding their on-site learning the week before. Perhaps it was a combination of returning students, some sunny weather and the lifting of a number of restrictions by the State Government, but there is no doubt that our school yard and classrooms were witnessing a lot of smiling faces, reconnections with friends and peers. In a year that has challenged all of us in so many ways, it has been uplifting to hear the laughter of our students, to witness the learning in the classrooms and to hold on to the hope that the resilience of our school community has enabled us to keep moving forward in these difficult times.

In the same sweep of emotions, in both this week and last, we were also vividly reminded of the serious nature of our current circumstances when we were informed of students attending on-site on separate days, subsequently testing positive to COVID-19.  This situation, culminating in a College closure today, is a very sobering reminder that we need to be very vigilant with our COVID-safe practices and ensure that we are supporting each other by the wearing of masks, ensuring hand hygiene and social distancing. There are still significant challenges ahead for us as a College community in Term 4. I am sure that we can continue to navigate this path with a collective, responsible approach and a determined focus upon ensuring the health and safety of our students and staff.

Above all, as has been communicated countless times in the past 20 months, if a student is unwell, even with very minor symptoms, they should not attend school and should get a COVID test.

The VCE Class of 2021

Our VCE Unit 3 & 4 students commenced their examinations on Wednesday 27 October with the English/EAL examination.

It was with great sadness that we were unable celebrate with our Year 12 cohort before their examinations commenced, as is our tradition. We are in the process of planning for a Year 12 Final Assembly immediately following the conclusion of the examination period. These plans will need to comply with the update settings and restrictions outlined by the State Government for and beyond Monday 1 November. We will communicate such plans to our students and families as soon as we are able to.

On behalf of our College community, I sincerely wish our students all the best in their examinations.

Parent Payments

As mentioned in our last newsletter, the 2021 Parent Payments are now available for parents to pay on Compass.

The Parent Payments are designed to supplement the Government’s allocation to schools to provide materials and services. These charges enable us to enrich and extend the learning experiences of our students in each subject. Once again, our School Council has made every effort to keep the cost and number of items that need to be paid for to a minimum. We also try to ensure that the costs are affordable for all parents and guardians.

Underlying the success and quality of the wide-ranging academic and co-curricular programs available to meet the diverse needs of our 1600+ students, is the voluntary financial support that we receive. This ensures that the provision of student wellbeing and support programs, major and minor upgrades to buildings, grounds, and classroom technology is made available for the benefit and enjoyment of all our students.

In addition, our College believes that access to our Health Centre/Sick Bay and the provision of high quality first aid is a crucial element in fully supporting our students. The College Health Centre is staffed by a fully qualified first aid attendant/nurse and is provided by the school during school hours so that immediate attention to illness or injury is always available to students.  This service is provided by the College School Council and is not funded by the Department of Education and Training. 

In order to continue to provide this valuable service, a voluntary contribution from parents is a vital component of allowing us to keep offering a fully operable Health Centre five days a week at our College.

[Clarification on Parent Payments – please note]:

Whilst we were originally advised that we were unable to provide payment plans for Parent Payments via Compass, after seeking clarification from the Department of Education, we have now been able to set up that facility and parents are now able to select two instalments for payments on 23/11/21 and 1/3/22 by clicking on the Course Confirmation/School Payments option in Compass.

If you would like to discuss setting up payment plans over more than 2 instalments, please feel free to contact parentpayments@eastdonsc.vic.edu.au or the General Office.

Planning for 2022

This is a reminder to the Parents/Guardians of students who will no longer be attending East Doncaster Secondary College in 2022.

If you have not already done so can you please contact the school to inform us of your child not attending in 2022. Such communication can be forwarded to College’s General Office or the Year Level Coordinators.

This information is vital for our coordination teams to plan and prepare classes and programs for next year and early indication of a student leaving is much appreciated, even though it is sad for us to be losing a student.

Please Note the following important dates, in consideration of the latest State Government announcements

We wish to advise parents/guardians of the following important dates: 

• Tuesday 2 November - Melbourne Cup Day Public Holiday
• Wednesday 3 November – Friday 5 November: the normal school program for all students in Years 7-11 (Year 12 VCE examinations continue)

John Roberts

Principal

Parent Payment arrangements for 2022

The Parent Payment arrangements for 2022 are now available via Compass on your home page under “Course Confirmation/Payments”.

Payments can be made through Compass or directly to the College via credit card or cash using the College Payment Envelope (when the General Office re-opens to parents).

If you do not wish to pay via Compass, please ensure you return a copy of the completed form to the General Office, available under “pay in person at the school” link at the bottom of the page in Course Confirmations/Payments, or you can request a copy from the College via 

parentpayments@eastdonsc.vic.edu.au

Payments are due by Tuesday 23 November 2021

Your ongoing support of 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

Census Data Collection – Student Family Occupation and Updating Family Details

Every year the Department of Education and Training (DET) conduct a census which helps determine the level of our schools’ student-based funding.

To ensure that the College is able to 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. These details are originally collected on your child’s enrolment form but are often not up to date.

For this census to be accurate we ask that all family details are up to date, including parent occupation and occupation code, employer and all contact details. Please complete the data collection form, even if you believe your details have not changed, and return to the College General Office as soon as possible. For assistance with identifying what occupation code to use please refer to the attached document.

It is also vital that families maintain up to date contact information. If your details change we ask that you please complete the Change of  Details Form and return to Reception or via email to east.doncaster.sc@education.vic.gov.au

This form is published in each edition of the College Newsletter. 

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.  Click on the below link to access these documents.