Principal's Report
From the Principal
As we return for Term 3 at East Doncaster Secondary College, our students face an important and challenging period of study in their academic year, but also have access and engagement to an array of activities and opportunities (some of which will be highlighted below).
At most year levels we plan for their successful transition to the next level of study through extensive course selection processes. Our VCE students are at the stage of both consolidating their learning and developing the skills and understanding to succeed in the end of year VCE examinations. It’s also a time with lots of school activities including multiple Music Concerts, interschool Sport, our student performances in our ‘The Show Must Go On ’student talent show, our Year 11 camp and alternative event program and our Year 8 camp to Foster North. A diverse, busy, challenging and engaging term lies ahead of us!
Outstanding Student Achievement – VCE Premier Awards
On Wednesday we were very proud that three East Doncaster Secondary College students were recognised in the VCE Premier’s Award ceremony. The top 298 VCE students of 2021 were presented with certificates to commemorate their achievements.
Mark Knight and Alina Chan from our ‘class of 2021’ were presented with awards for their excellence in their Biology and Further Maths subject respectively. To add to the magnitude of their achievements, both Mark and Alina received their outstanding results whilst still undertaking their Year 11 studies.
Furthermore, Kristy Arulrajah, received a Premier’s VCE Award for being a Top All-Round VCE High Achiever, which is given to students who achieved outstanding results in five or more of their subjects – an excellent achievement.
It was a delight to see such hard-working students being rewarded for their efforts. We congratulate and are very proud of Kristy, Mark and Alina!
NEVR Music Concert - Spotlight
North East Victoria Music Concert
On Monday evening I had the very great pleasure of watching some of our region's most talented Music students perform at the Melbourne Recital Centre in the annual North Eastern Regional concert – ‘Spotlight’.
The concert presented a mix of musical ensembles and soloists from secondary schools presenting a variety of genres in a showcase of the excellence taking place in school rehearsal rooms every day. This concert also featured guest artists like The Royal Australian Airforce Big Band.
East Doncaster had our Chamber Strings ensemble representing us admirably. Our student performed with a high degree of technical skill and enthusiasm and were very well received on the evening. They were well supported by our talented Instrumental Music Coordinator Carl Williams, who played a pivotal part in the event as one of three Producers for the concert.
Congratulations to our Chamber Strings ensemble and to Carl Williams.
SSV Cross Country State Championships
Four of our most talented distance runners represented the college in the SSV Cross Country State Championships held at the Yarra Valley Racecourse during last week.In cold and muddy conditions, our students represented our College in a great fashion - pitting themselves against the best cross country runners in the state.
Results from the day were as follows:
Maisie H- 9th placed in the Girls U/14 event
Maddie H- 28th placed in the Girls U/16 event
Megan O - 13th placed in the Girls 17-20 event
Flynn W - 4th placed in the Boys U/16 event
I think it should be noted that finishing in the top 30 athletes in such an event is a significant achievement at this level. These are outstanding results from our students and as a College we congratulate them.
Well done Masie, Maddie, Megan and Flynn!
Athletics Carnival
On Tuesday the annual EDSC House Athletics Carnival was held at Tom Kelly Athletics Track. After a very chilly start to the day, we were blessed with clear sunshine throughout the event. The day was once again enjoyed by all students and staff with many participants competing in track and field events as well as a variety of novelty events. The atmosphere across the day was relaxed, friendly and inclusive as students embraced the opportunity to connect with each other, led in large numbers by the Year 12 cohort, our House Captains and the organisation of our Student Leadership Coordinator, Kerryn Murray.
In relation to the athletic performances during the day – it was great to see some long-standing College event records broken by our talented students who are setting their own benchmarks.
A sincere thank-you is extended to our School Sporting Carnival Coordinator, Michael James and his team of willing and able assistants for making the event such a success.
Senior School 2023 Student Course Selection
This week we have begun the valuable process of supporting students and their parents with making informed individual choices of their prospective studies in Senior School in 2023.
Establishing goals for future success are important for the students at our school community. For many, their future plans rest upon successful completion of VCE studies at Year 12. Other students will look at the availability of viable alternatives in vocational and pathway settings.
Over these next few weeks students will be supported through an involved course selection process. 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.
On Thursday evening we held our Year 10 2023 Information Evening with a similar opportunity for Year 11 2023 next Thursday (28 July). There are several informative resources to support this process available on the Compass Newsfeed facility.
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 our Senior School communications, all students currently in Year 9, 10 and 11 will have an individual course counselling session to ensure that choices made are appropriate for each student.
This year, Course Counselling Interviews will once again be conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams, commencing on Tuesday 2 August.
Course counselling for students will take place on the following days:
Year 12 2023 (Current Year 11) - Tuesday 2nd August
Year 11 2023 (Current Year 10) - Wednesday 3rd August
Year 10 2023 (Current Year 9) - Thursday 4th August
Interview times will be sent to students shortly. Parents are welcome to participate in this interview if they are able to be home with their child at this time.
I would highly recommend that if any student or parent requires further information or clarification on these matters, please contact Assistant Principal, Karen Boyle or Head of Senior School, Kate Leaumont.
Cycle 3 student reports
As mentioned in our previous College Newsletters, with Term 2 being a week shorter than usual, this necessitated a similar re-adjustment of our Cycle 3 report timeline.
As a result, our Cycle 3 reports were published last Friday.
With these reports, given that last semester has once again presented challenges to all, it is an ideal time for our students to reflect on their outcomes and to set goals related to areas for improvement for their second semester studies.
For students in the senior school, our Cycle 3 reports will provide constructive feedback that informs their practices as they strive for a highly successful year and completion of their VCE examinations
Senior School Careers Pathways Expo
Last week we held our annual Careers Pathways Expo for our Senior School Year 11 and 12 students. It was well attended by representatives of many public and private providers of tertiary programs and courses and was an important element of the series of opportunities provided to our students to assist them to make informed pathway choices. Congratulations to our Pathways Team led by Craig Browne, ably assisted by our Senior School Coordinators.
John Roberts
Principal
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Parent Payment arrangements for 2022
The Parent Payment arrangements for 2022 are 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 were due by Tuesday 23 November 2021
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
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.