Principal's Report
From the Principal
COVID-Safe Setting Update
The Victorian Government relaxed its COVIDSafe settings on 26 March 2021.
Changes to the COVIDSafe settings include allowing more visitors in the home, changes to mask wearing in some settings and updates to density limits in some settings. There are limited changes for schools.
Visitors continue to be welcome at our school, however face masks must be carried by individuals 12 years and over at all times and worn when physical distancing of 1.5 metres cannot be maintained.
Individuals aged 12 years and over must continue to wear a face mask when on public transport, school buses and when in taxis or ride share vehicles – unless they have a lawful exemption.
Thank you for your understanding and support throughout this term as we continue to implement COVIDSafe practices at our school.
I look forward to welcoming our students and families back to more school events in Term 2.
School Council 2021/22
After sharing the composition of our new College School Council in our previous Newsletter, I am pleased to be able to announce the School Council Office Bearers for 2021/22.
Following our School Council Annual General Meeting conducted last week, our office bearers for our current Council are:
School Council President - Stefan Kazakis
School Council Vice President – Cyrus Tendra
Finance Committee membership – Stephen Corner, Thomas Lam and Martin Roche
Recent School Councils have been very collaborative, supportive and focussed on improving all aspects of the College. I am highly confident that our current School Council will continue to work on behalf of our entire College community to help us meet the challenges of our continual improvement agenda. Can I personally thank all Council members for being so willing to be involved and to give of their time.
Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews
On Wednesday afternoon and evening we conducted our first Parent – Student – Teacher interviews for the year.
After the challenges of 2020, it was certainly pleasing to see so many of our families use this event to reinforce the partnership we share in forming successful learning pathways for our students. From my observations and feedback provided throughout the afternoon, the interviews were valued by parents and students and the mood was very positive.
If parents were unable to attend personally on Wednesday or unable to secure an interview with a particular teachers, could I remind all parents that the COMPASS system allows for ongoing communication via email. I would encourage parents to contact any teacher if they have specific concerns/queries regarding the education of their child. Alternatively parents may contact Year Level Coordinators to arrange meetings and discuss overall performance or other issues.
A special mention is also extended to our Parents and Friends Association for their efforts over the afternoon and evening in selling home-made cakes and hot cross buns and raising funds for their next project. Their presence and assistance is always valued!
Outstanding Student Achievement
Eastern Zone Swimming
Last week our students competed in the School Sport Victoria Eastern Zone Swimming Championships at the AquaNation pool in Ringwood.
Overall the team finished the carnival in 2nd place in the Region!.
This was a great achievement by the 27 students who proudly represented the College and marks the best ever results that our College has achieved in a regional swimming carnival.
The major highlights from the day were the following students who received gold medals;
Logan COX 9I (winning 5 events)
Farida TAHA 8D (winning 4 Events)
Victoria MCKENZIE 8I
Courtney MUDGE 8B
Charlie MCKENZIE 9C
Daniel BRAY 12 G
Cady YEUNG - Relay
Courtney MUDGE - Relay
Farida TAHA - Relay
Victoria MCKENZIE -Relay
These students will represent the College in the SSV Swimming Championship in the first week of Term 2. We wish them well!
For a more detailed report on the Carnival, please refer to a later section of this Newsletter.
Congratulations to all competitors for their contributions to individual and team success.
We are very proud of your effort!
Staff Farewell
Today we farewelled Helen Wilson, who is on leave for Term 2. We wish Helen all the best in the coming weeks and look forward to seeing her back with us in Term 3.
We also farewell Yan Jiang who has been with us this Term on a family leave replacement position. We thank her for her contributions to the College and wish her all the best.
Term Holidays
It seems as if we have just successfully negotiated the start of the school year and now the Easter Term Holiday break looms large on the horizon. Given the extreme challenges that 2020 presented us all, it has been very satisfying to have been able to welcome back students and staff on-site this term and to reconnect with our College community in a very tangible fashion.
My observations would be that the energy levels of our students has diminished somewhat towards the end of this term and the initial excitement of being back at school has left many of our students quite fatigued. Other schools appear to be observing similar traits. It seems, then, that the upcoming Easter period and school holiday break is opportune and timely.
Thank you to all of our parents for the many ways that you have supported your sons and daughters and their teachers throughout Term One. Our students are to be commended on the positive way they approached the short lockdown this term, how they were able to manage memories of past lockdowns and navigate the uncertainty of knowing whether this year’s lockdown would extend well beyond the five days.
A reminder to all families that Term 2 will commence on Monday April 19.
I sincerely hope that all members of our school community enjoy a safe and restful holiday period and make the very most of the opportunity to connect with family and friends.
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.