Principal's Report
From the Principal
Welcome to Term 4. It was with great excitement that we welcomed our Year 12 students back to on-site learning at the start of this term! Their first day back required our students to sit the GAT (General Achievement Test), but it was also a great relief to finally have this test completed after so many postponements during the course of this year.
Following the GAT, our Year 12 students returned to normal classes and the chance to reconnect with their peers and their teachers as they commenced their exam revision tasks.
This week has witnessed our Year 12 students enjoying a “Dress-Up Theme Week”. Monday saw our “M & Ms day” where students wore a single colour, followed by “Twins Day” and “Occupation Day”.
Thursday had our students participate in the now traditional “Primary School Day”, where most students did their very best to fit into the uniforms that once were well-fitting and comfortable in Grade 6 but are currently used as a measuring stick for student growth over the past six-year period. The week has finished with a burst of colour and creativity in the Halloween theme today.
The safety of students and staff, however, remains the priority of the College during these challenging times, especially with increasing COVID case numbers in the Manningham area in the past weeks.For this reason we have made the decision to complete next week’s timetable, our Revision and Exam Preparation program for all Year 12 students (and Year 11 students undertaking a Unit 3/4 subject) remotely, with both students and staff off-site.
I have no doubt that the decision will be met, at least initially, with a great deal of disappointment from our students who have cherished the return to classes just last week and were so looking forward to their last week of formal classes next week.
Whilst we may all be disappointed with an outcome that will not see our students in our classrooms on-site next week, we sincerely hope that our decision will be viewed as one made to ensure the health and safety of our young people in such an important period of their academic year.
This stage of the year, even in a normal year without the extreme challenges of 2021, can be quite demanding for our senior students and their families. In such circumstances, experience suggests that it is best to attend carefully to the basics – this includes establishing and implementing a study plan, ensuring a balanced diet and regular sleep patterns, maintaining periods for recreation to clear the mind and relax, and turning off mobile phones and social media forums whilst studying or sleeping. Finally, it is important to make use of the availability of teachers for support and guidance right up to the exam itself. The fantastic resources and last-minute tips provided by teachers can be overlooked or under-estimated in this busy period, however, I would encourage all students to maximise the use of their best resource – their teachers.
Finally, I would like to wish all our senior school students the very best for the forthcoming examination period.
College arrangements for on-site learning– October 26
We will welcome back our Year 7, 8, 9 and 11 students on Tuesday, 26 October, with our Year 10 students to return on Thursday 28 October. This return to the College will be staged until Friday 5 November, when it has been announced that all students will return to school on a full-time basis until the end of the term (if the advice from the Department of Education and Victoria’s Chief Health Officer remains unchanged). Please see below:
We acknowledge that the return to on campus learning will have some challenges for students as they adjust to changes in routine, travel arrangements and additional COVID safety protocols at our College, while at the same time enjoying reconnecting in person with their friends and teachers.
Each of our students needs to be commended for their resilience, adaptability and overall positive approach to the many changes that have come their way. During this unprecedented period, each of our students has been supported unconditionally by their families and our staff to remain strong and optimistic, able to in deal with uncertainty and change.
Should you have any concerns or queries about your son or daughter transitioning back to school or continuing with their online learning, please contact the relevant Year Level Coordinator or Wellbeing staff at our College.
Parent Payments 2022
The College released all documentation on our Parent Payments late last week after being approved at our previous East Doncaster Secondary College School Council meeting. Our School Council would like to thank our parents and guardians for their support of the College as we endeavour to provide the best possible education for your child.
In order to provide quality programs and a comfortable and efficient learning environment for our students, the College relies on strong support from the College community. 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. All School Council decisions in this realm have been based on our commitment to ensure access to learning is not limited by family financial capacity.
2022 College Charges are now available for parents to pay on Compass. Please note that there is no additional charge incurred if paying online via Compass.
For further information regarding our Parent Payments Policy, please refer to our College website and Compass homepage.
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 ensures we have the materials and facilities to run programs successfully. East Doncaster Secondary College School Council and its Finance Sub-Committee work closely with the Principal Team and Business Manager to set recommended Parent Payment schedules that meets the budgetary requirements of the College. 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 your, and all other children.
In addition, our College believes that access to our Health Centre/Sick Bay and the provision of high quality first aid is an important 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.
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:
If you would like to support the College using flexible contribution arrangements of two or more instalments, please complete the form in our News Feed titled “Parent Payments - Flexible Contribution Arrangements” and return to parentpayments@eastdonsc.vic.edu.au or feel free to contact the General Office.
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.