Principal's Message
Dear Families,
It has certainly been a busy term for students and staff, and I congratulate them all on their hard work, particularly during NAPLAN and exams. We've had some exciting events this term as well which our school community has really enjoyed and are featured in this newsletter.
This term staff raised $811 for the Cancer Council with the Biggest Morning Tea held at both campuses, and a number of VCAL students raised funds for Melbourne City Mission and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre as part of their community projects. Well done to all!
I'm sure everyone is looking forward to the school holidays and I hope that our students, staff and families enjoy a well deserved break.
Western Chances Reception at Government House
A small group of staff from our school were invited by the Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria, and Anthony Howard AM QC, to a reception at Government House for a Western Chances event. Western Chances currently have 46 scholarship recipients at Victoria University Secondary College and those of us at the reception were fortunate to also catch up with several of VUSC’s past students during the evening. Ms Terry Bracks, who established Western Chances in 2003, addressed the gathering and spoke of how proud she was of all past and present recipients and how far the program had come in the 19 years it has been running.
Exams
Exams have now been completed for our Year 7 to Year 11 students. I am very proud of the way students conducted themselves throughout the exam period especially the Year 10 & 11 students who sat their exams at the old Brimbank campus.
All Year 12 VCE students will be sitting for their ‘Practice Exams’ in the last week of Term 2. We do this early in the year as it is the most crucial time for all Year 12 students to put extra time and effort into their studies to get the most out of their final year at school. It is compulsory that all students who are sitting external VCE exams must attend. The Year 12 exam timetable was distributed so that all students know when their exams are on.
Victoria's Senior Secondary Education
You may be aware that Victoria’s Senior Secondary Education is changing from 2023. From next year, all students will enrol in VCE.
The VCE will include the Vocational Major, which is a 2-year program that will replace Intermediate and Senior VCAL. There will also be the Victorian Pathways Certificate for those who need flexibility in their learning; this replaces the Foundation VCAL certificate. The Victorian Pathways Certificate will not provide students with a VCE completion. Schools currently offering VCAL will switch to the VCE Vocational Major from 2023 however students currently in Year 11 who are halfway through their VCAL certificate will be able to finish it next year.
The new VCE program means that students will have more educational choices, a higher quality curriculum and better workplace experiences – preparing them for further study, training at TAFE or work. Students will have access to high quality, relevant vocational education and applied learning opportunities.
Senior Secondary Expo
This year’s Senior Secondary Expo will be held in Week 3 of Term 3, on Monday 25th July. We’re looking forward to welcoming families of Year 9 and 10 students to the Senior Campus where the Expo displays will be in the open learning space of Building D (STEAM Building). Students and families will attend an information session for their year level in Building B first before heading over to the Expo.
At the Expo we will be explaining the changes to the Victorian Senior Secondary Education as mentioned above which will become effective next year.
The Year 9 Information Session will take place at 5pm and the Year 10 Session, at 6pm. This will be followed by an opportunity to speak with teachers to find out more about the subjects that are offered. Students in Years 9 and 10 will be undertaking career investigations as part of their Inquiry subject so of course they will be exploring their future career options and will be curious and interested to find out more about each subject. There will also be a session about the Rugby League Academy for interested students.
All Year 9 and 10 students will be given information about the upcoming Expo and course counselling early next term.
Be Well Stay Well
The wellbeing day at the Junior Campus, “Be Well Stay Well” took place on Tuesday 24th May. All Year 7, 8 and 9 students were placed into four groups to attend four different workshops on the day. The day was a huge success and both staff and students made me very proud.
The same program will run at the Senior Campus on Thursday 21st July (Period 1 for Year 11 & 12 VCE students and the whole day for Year 10 students) and Friday 22nd July (Period 1 for all Year 11 & 12 VCAL students) in week 2 of Term 3.
School Wide Positive Behaviour Support– Blue Level Acknowledgement
It gives me great pleasure to report that our school has received the Blue Award Level for our implementation of School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support! This award is to acknowledge how the fundamental elements of SWPBS have been implemented at our college.
It is wonderful to see the ongoing commitment of our college in creating a more positive and effective learning environment for all students.
Virtual Victorian Young Leaders to China program
Victoria University Secondary College was selected to participate in the Virtual Victorian Young Leaders (VYL) to China 2022 Program this year in conjunction with the Beijing Culture and Language University.
Ten of our Year 9 students were offered a place in this year’s virtual pilot program from 30th May to 10th June on WebEx. All participating students had to select their preferred Chinese name and were referred to by that name by students and teachers in China. Students were involved in Chinese language classes, Chinese culture classes and self-study/tutorials, as well as opening and closing ceremonies. A huge thanks to Wayne Ding for his organisation of the program and supporting the students in their participation, the facilitators in China were very impressed!
New Child Safe Standards
The Victorian Government has announced new Child Safe Standards to further strengthen child safety across organisations, including schools. The new standards recognise the critical importance of families and the broader school community in maintaining and promoting child safety and wellbeing.
As a result of the review of the Child Safe Standards, our school has updated our child safety policies and procedures to ensure they meet the requirements of the new standards. These are available to view on our website here.
We are committed to continuous improvement in our approach to child safety and wellbeing and welcome feedback from families and members of our school community on ways we can further strengthen our child safety policies, procedures and practices.
If you have any suggestions, comments or questions, please contact me at the school.
Enjoy the rest of the term,
Elaine Hazim
College Principal
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Child Safety at VUSC
Victoria University Secondary College is committed to providing a child safe and child friendly environment, where students are safe and feel safe.
Our child safety and wellbeing policies outline the measures and strategies we have in place to support, promote and maintain the safety and wellbeing of our students:
- Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
- Child Safety Code of Conduct
- Child Safe Standards Risk Register
- Child safety Responding and Reporting Obligations Policy and Procedure
All of our policies are available on our school website here. As valuable partners in promoting and maintaining child safety and wellbeing at VUSC, we welcome and encourage your feedback.