Principal's Message

Dear Families,

As you are all aware, the current lockdown has been extended in Metropolitan Melbourne until 11:59pm Thursday 19th August. The Senior Campus is open with office staff and Principals on site. Please contact our office on 8312 0200 for general queries or to speak to the IT team if your child requires IT assistance. Phone calls to the Junior Campus are being diverted to the Senior Campus.

Although we do not know the long-term impacts of these lockdowns, what is known is that caring, consistent and open parenting which demonstrates positive coping strategies is vital for children and young adults. Young people and children who see this parenting style have greater resilience and wellbeing which allows them to adapt to large changes, such as those made from lockdowns. To help ease the stress on relationships, we’ve collated some tips from Seasons for Growth:

Listen and be involved

Check in regularly with your child. Listen carefully - their concerns may be different to what you expect. Calmly acknowledge and validate their feelings, then problem solve together as best you can.

Try and keep previous routines

This not only applies to every day routines but also involves supporting children to engage with schooling, and checking in with them throughout the day to ensure they have the support they need to continue engaging. Online schooling can be frustrating for students, however not engaging can create feelings of anxiety when returning to school.

Get outside and get active

Even through it is winter, outdoor exercises reduces stress and boosts mental health. Taking a break and stepping outside into a different environment can also aid regulation.

Make memories

Lockdowns won't go on forever, so try and use this time to try something new to make memories. Maybe have a games night, do some baking or try learning an online game your child likes.

Be Present

Put down your phone, turn off the TV. Put thoughts of the crisis aside. To have quality time together, really be here.

Do things together.. and apart

Make sure there are times in the day where everyone can do their own thing.

We also acknowledge that for some people, home may not be a safe place. In this case, please seek support from the organisations listed below, or let the school know. We are here to support students and families in this time, so if your family is experiencing conflict or difficulties, please let us know.

We will get through this together.

Parent Line 13 22 89
Lifeline 13 11 14
Relationships Australia 1300 364 277
Headspace 1800 650 890
Kids Helpline 1800 551 800
Safe Steps 1800 015 188
National 1800Respect Line 1800 737 491
InTouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence 1800 755 988
Police 000

For more services, please visit https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/ServicesAndSupport/family-and-child-support-services

Annual Concert - Wednesday 1st September

The college warmly invites our school community to support our music students and enjoy some spectacular music performances. This event will showcase the hard work and talent of our students, who are demonstrating the college values of ‘Aspire to Achieve’ and ‘Respect Ourselves and Others’. We look forward to seeing you there.

The concert will be held at:

Brimbank Salvation Army Church

2A Roseleigh Blvd, Sydenham

6.00pm (5.30 for tea and coffee)

Later Years Expo and Course Counselling sessions

Despite the recent lockdown, Course Counselling for Year 10 moving into Year 11 and Year 9 moving into Year 10 for 2022 was able to take place over the past two weeks. This included Year 10 pre course selection information sessions run remotely by our Careers/Pathways Team with the support of the Year 10 teaching staff.

During these sessions and interviews, students received information to assist them to make informed decisions about subjects they should study next year aligned with their interests and career aspirations.

The Later Years Expo ran online on Microsoft Teams on Monday 26th July due to COVID-19 restrictions and was extremely well attended. The session provided parents and students with an overview of the different pathways students may choose to select at VUSC. The online session provided an opportunity for parents and students to ask questions throughout the evening.

It is a credit to the Careers/Pathways staff and Senior School Leader that changes to the implementation of these programs could occur seamlessly in this rapidly changing environment, particularly with the uncertainty about when we would be onsite. The intensive work this involves is done with passion and integrity by all staff who support and assist students to make these decisions, in the knowledge they will have the support of all those at the school to achieve success.

At this stage, we have successfully completed the Year 10 interviews online and are in the process of completing the Year 9 interviews in person with individual students. Any student who was unable to attend their interview can reschedule by contacting the Careers Office or speaking with their Year Level Coordinator.

We wish all our students well with selecting their courses and thank all the staff and parents involved for their support in this process.

Scholarships

A reminder that scholarship applications for entry in 2022, for Year 10 Academic Excellence, Year 10 Music Excellence, Year 10 and 11 Rugby Academy, and Year 9 and 10 Deep Learning must be submitted to the school by Friday 20th August 2021.

Applications are available on Compass and on our website at vusc.vic.edu.au, and must be emailed to the school at victoria.university.sc@education.vic.gov.au.

Wear It Purple Day – Friday 27th August

Wear It Purple day is on the last Friday of August and this year it falls on the 27/8/2021. The principles of Wear It Purple are to:

Advocate for and empower rainbow young people
Celebrate and promote the value of diversity and inclusion in all community settings
Raise awareness about sexuality, sex and gender identity and challenge harmful social cultures
Champion rainbow role-models to help young people establish the confidence to be who they are.

It sits within the strategic framework ‘Every Student is Known, Valued and Cared For’ and seeks to build Emotional, Social and Spiritual Wellbeing capacities. This also aligns with Rights Resilience and Respectful Relationships by creating a safe environment for children at VUSC.

This year VUSC will be implementing Wear It Purple day by:

encouraging students to wear a purple accessory item or a purple ribbon
providing information in home groups
providing cookies with purple smarties
making a pledge wall
having a stall in the lunch areas where we provide information on Wear It Purple day
help kids make rainbow/purple ribbons.

2021 Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey

Our school is conducting the annual Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey offered by the Department of Education and Training (previously known as the Parent Opinion Survey). We want to know what parents/caregivers/guardians think of our school. The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, student engagement and experiences of remote and flexible learning. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies.

A random selection of families will be invited to participate in this year’s survey and have been sent a link. All responses to the survey are anonymous. The 2021 Survey is open from now until Friday 3 September.

The survey is available in a range of languages other than English. These include Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Chin (Hakha), Hindi, Japanese, Somali, Turkish, Punjabi and Greek. You can find the translated survey information on the Compass post titled Parent Opinion Survey.

The survey results will be communicated to parents/caregivers/guardians through annual reporting, to School Council, and via the newsletter. Last year we had an increase in parent uptake and we are hoping that this will be increased again this year. We use the information to enable us to better support students and families, and to ensure that the parent perspective is reflected in our planning for 2022. Please speak to your child’s Year Level Coordinator if you would like more information.

Please take care of yourselves and each other. I look forward to seeing you all when we return on site.

Elaine Hazim

College Principal

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Child Safety at VUSC

Victoria University Secondary College is a child safe organisation committed to protecting students from all forms of abuse.

Our College has stringent protocols in place and endeavours at all times to be fully compliant with the Child Safe Standards set out under Ministerial Order 870.

Our College has the following documents and policies in place to achieve compliance with the Standards. All of these documents are available for downloading on our website or contact the school for a copy.

Commitment to Child Safety
Child Safety Policy
Child Safety Code of Conduct
Child Protection Policy and Procedures