Principal's Report

Welcome to Term Two

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

EDUCATION AND TRAINING REFORM AMENDMENT (PROTECTION OF SCHOOL COMMUNITIES) BILL 2021: 

Information for Parents, Carers and Families

The Doncaster Secondary College community is an overwhelmingly positive and safe place for teaching and learning. The adults in our community understand the important role that we play in meeting student academic, engagement and wellbeing needs. The media has reported that the Victorian Government has introduced the Education and Training Reform Amendment (Protection of School Communities) Bill 2021. If passed through parliament, the proposed Bill would come into effect in May 2022. It aims to protect and keep school communities safe by preventing and deterring violent and aggressive behaviours from adult members of the school community, which ensures that schools are positive, safe and inclusive places to work and learn.

This Bill only applies to adult members of a school community who engage in violent and aggressive behaviour, and where conflict resolution measures through non-legislative avenues have failed. The proposed law will empower principals and other authorised persons to issue School Community Safety Orders in response to parents, carers and other adult members of the school community who engage in harmful, threatening, abusive or disruptive behaviours on school grounds or places where school activities take place, or inappropriate and harmful communication through emails and social media. The changes would ensure that all members of the school community are kept safe, and minimise any harm to their safety and wellbeing. There will be internal and external review mechanisms in place if a person who is subject to a School Community Safety Order wishes to appeal an Order. Arrangements will be available to ensure parents can remain engaged in their child’s learning and to minimise any disruption to the student. This Bill would not replace the existing avenues to raise any complaints, issues or suggestions with schools.

By engaging with these communication channels in a respectful and collaborative manner, we can continue to work together to support our students. Further information about the details of the Bill will be communicated to you if the Bill is passed by parliament.

MONASH/MANNINGHAM PRINCIPAL CONFERENCE

On Thursday, 6 and Friday, 7 May, the Principal team attended the Monash/Manningham Network Conference. Leadership through collaboration, creativity and trust was the theme for the conference. Dr Paul Browning, the founding Principal at Burgmann Anglican School in the ACT, led the conference on day one. He has also served as the Chair of the Association of Independent Schools ACT and on the Board of the Independent Schools Council of Australia.

Dr Paul Browning presented on the evidence base, and actions to build trust in an organisation. The preparedness of leaders to be vulnerable, offering trust to others, actively listening, working and learning collaboratively alongside colleagues are all actions which build trust. On Day two, Sabina Read spoke about Principal's health and wellbeing, challenges of the role, and our shared human experience. During periods of conflict, regardless of the outcome, people often just want to be heard. Providing opportunities for all parties to be heard is core to being able to move forward and repair relationships. We also heard from Bruce Armstrong, former Deputy Secretary of DET,  who spoke on some compelling research about the impact of technology on our community and education.

A key focus of the conference was to bring school leaders together to identify a common focus, collaborate and learn together. Doncaster Secondary College will partner with a range of schools including Warrandyte High School, John Monash Science School and Wheelers Hill Secondary College. The focus of the group will be to build the collective capacity of our school communities to:

• use assessment data to diagnose and identify student learning needs
• provide feedback on students’ progress against learning goals and curriculum standards
• analyse student achievement data to improve teacher practice 

CURRICULUM DAY

Curriculum day will be held on Tuesday, 15 June, the day after the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. The focus of the curriculum day will be on assessment and reporting.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

PLCs is an acronym representing Professional Learning Communities. This is an evidence-based approach where groups of teachers work collaboratively to lift student outcomes and growth in a specific learning area. This model also supports the development of teacher skill and ability. PLCs use an Inquiry Cycle that is informed by collecting and analysing data. Through the Victorian PLC initiative, the Victorian Government is committing $32.3 million to foster effective PLCs across the system. Doncaster Secondary College has completed 6 of 8 PLC professional learning modules and will begin implementation of PLCs in term 3. Why use PLCs?

• all learners achieve their personal best
• ensures consistency of high level teaching practices and learning experiences
• improves teacher efficacy and student learning outcomes
• helps effectively use data as a tool to inform our teaching and learning practices
• creates a collaborative community - working and learning together
• builds positive and respectful professional relationships 

ENROLMENTS FOR 2021

Primary school students will be submitting their placement preferences by Friday, 14 August.

Our school neighbourhood boundary can be found by following findmyschool.vic.gov.au. Findmyschool.vic.gov.au is updated annually to show school zones. The website shows the school zones for enrolment in the current academic year (2021) and the school zones for enrolment in the following academic year (2022). Access to our school for families living within our school zone will not change. Children who live in our school zone are guaranteed enrolment in our school if their parents/carers request it. No student currently enrolled in our school is required to change schools as a result of a zone update. Parents/carers with children living outside our zone still have the choice to request enrolment, but their enrolment will depend on our capacity. We will manage enrolments using the Department’s Placement Policy.

Student tests, aptitude tests or entry interviews must not occur prior to placement offers being made to parents/carers, including offers based on curriculum grounds. 

MUSIC PROGRAM

Quality music education provides children and young people with a range of developmental benefits. It enhances engagement and wellbeing, increases personal and social development, and improves outcomes in other curriculum areas (DET Victoria)

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Music Department, led by Mr Nick Dean and Ms Wendy Howes, for their commitment to providing an outstanding music program for our students. The Music Turbo Day allowed our Year 7 students to refine their individual skills, before bringing the ensembles together. Thank you to Mr Peter Brodie, Mr Howard Dillon, Mr Chris Ondaatje, Mr  Andrew O’Connell, Mr David Rowlands and Mr Joshua Verco for your work on the day. Music students and staff will be travelling to Mt. Evelyn for Music Camp on Monday, 24 May until Wednesday, 26 May. This will be another opportunity to refine their skills and strengthen connections with peers and teachers.  

Glenn Morris

Principal