Principal's Report
Welcome to Term One 2022
All students are active participants in a learning culture that promotes academic excellence and personal development through a diversity of challenging experiences.
VISION
“Working together, learning together” – Working together to enable all students to achieve their potential and become confident, effective learners who contribute productively to society.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
Doncaster Secondary College acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which our school is situated, the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to elder's past, present and emerging and extend that respect to any and all Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people. We value the ongoing contribution to the cultural heritage that the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung people provide to our school as well as the city of Manningham. We recognise that this land was never ceded and there is no treaty, and we commit to efforts towards reconciliation as a school community. We at Doncaster Secondary College are inclusive of individuals from all backgrounds including the LGBTQIA+, culturally and linguistically diverse as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Welcome back to the beginning of a new school year. Whilst term 1 brings a sense of excitement that comes with the start of each new school year, it also brought some nervousness which comes with uncertainty of what is to come. The Department of Education guidelines ensure that we continue to prioritise health and safety, and in doing so, ensure that schools stay open and the learning can continue. The measures being implemented to prioritise health and safety in Victorian schools include the mandated vaccination requirements for school staff, the strong encouragement for all students to be fully vaccinated (third-does vaccinations are now available for 16-17 year old), twice weekly Rapid Antigen testing highly recommended for staff and students, mask wearing in all indoor spaces, physical distancing and the provision of hand sanitiser and air purifiers. Where the community has been impacted by COVID-19 related absences, we will make every effort to provide support to families and to ensure continuity of learning.
2022 is an incredibly exciting time for our community. The new School Strategic Plan (SSP) brings significant opportunities for our school to build on our previous achievements. The passage below outlines the learning journey which we have just begun, our priorities and rationale.
At Doncaster Secondary College we aim to maximise learning growth for all students no matter the starting point, and develop learners who are self-aware, respectful of diversity and able to navigate social relationships. Through year 7-10, there will be a particular focus on achieving growth in literacy, numeracy, the personal and social capabilities, and critical and creative thinking. Improving in these areas will develop the knowledge, capabilities and attributes that will see our students achieve success at school and thrive throughout their lives.
A new School Strategic Plan (SSP) has seen the introduction of an organisational design structure to align school resources to meet our organisational and strategic goals. The introduction of three 'mini-schools', each with a clear vision and understanding of their role in the learning journey of our community, will provide the leadership and structure required to improve student learning outcomes. Professional Learning Community (PLC) instructional leaders have been appointed to lead professional learning teams. These teams will be embedded within each mini-school. PLC instructional leaders will receive time and training to build their capacity to lead teams effectively, including using an evidence-based cycle of curriculum planning and evaluation. A culture of collaboration within mini-schools and PLCs will lead to an increase in teachers observing each other's practice and learning from one another. Peer observations will support the sharing of best practice, build awareness of the impact of teaching, and strengthen the use of the instructional model.
PLC instructional leaders will facilitate inquiry cycles which enhance staff capability in assessment to plan to meet students' diverse learning needs, measure growth and inform teaching and learning. Data driven dialogue within PLCs will lead to the development of a school assessment framework which is purposeful and understood by all members of the community. It is this understanding which will strengthen the learning partnership between school and home. Students will take increasing responsibility and identify the next steps for their learning when they are able to accurately identify their skills, knowledge, and capabilities. An assessment framework used at all levels of school operations will allow staff and leaders to measure and track individual student and cohort growth, identify strengths and plan to address gaps in school processes, teacher knowledge and practice.
Developing learners who are self-aware, respectful of diversity and able to navigate social relationships aligns with the Education State's "Happy, healthy and resilient kids" targets. The targets state that school will be a positive experience and nurturing environment for our children to develop confidence, social skills, and healthy life habits. Doncaster Secondary College's whole-school approach to wellbeing provides comprehensive tier 2 and 3 interventions to support students' wellbeing and mental health. A new organisational design structure will require mini-school leaders to prioritise the refinement of processes and procedures which continue to provide this support.
Everyone in our community deserves to be respected, valued, and treated equally. We know that changes in attitudes and behaviours can be achieved when positive attitudes, behaviours and equality are embedded in our education settings. Respectful Relationships (RR) is about embedding a culture of respect, inclusion, and equality across our entire community. This approach leads to positive impacts on student’s academic outcomes, their mental health, classroom behaviour, and relationships between teachers and students. Doncaster Secondary College will continue in our role as a RR lead school and further develop our implementation of a whole-school approach to Respectful Relationships (RR). A key component of RR is the delivery of the Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) curriculum. Mini-school leaders will evaluate and enhance the classroom approach to social and emotional learning through the delivery of the RRRR curriculum and development of tier 1 primary prevention programs.
Throughout the SSP, there will be a focus on extending student agency in their learning, leading to improvements in achievement, engagement, and wellbeing. It is important that all students believe that they are capable and valued members of our school community. Teachers will embed opportunities within lessons for students to develop agency, and in doing so become independent and self-regulating learners who take responsibility for their learning and lives. Students will be pressed to think deeply about their learning and set and monitor learning goals that use reflection strategies and exercise agency relating to their learning experience.
When schools and families work together, children can become more engaged with their schoolwork, achieve better academically, stay in school longer and develop better social skills. Effective partnerships enrich wellbeing, achievement, and engagement by focusing on student needs, and aligns with our motto of 'Working together, learning together'. The development of the 'learning partnership' will articulate the high expectations for all members of our community and links to the key improvement strategy of 'Embedding programs and processes to welcome parents/carers as partners in their child’s learning'.
I look forward to leading our community as we strive to achieve our goals in 2022.
Glenn Morris
Principal