College Newsletter

Principal's Report

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

COLLEGE OPEN NIGHT

On Tuesday 16th March, we had the opportunity to invite the wider community to Doncaster Secondary College for Open Night. This is an important occasion for prospective families and students to get to know our community and understand if the Doncaster Secondary College values and vision for learning align with their own.

The restrictions which are still in place for schools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic meant that we needed to adjust our organisation of Open Night. We were not able to bring families into our Presentation and Performance Centre for a formal presentation, therefore a series of short, informal videos for prospective parents and families were filmed. We hope these videos will give families an insight into life at Doncaster Secondary College and the opportunities which are available to their children. 

 

The video series is available via the following link: https://doncastersc.vic.edu.au/college-open-night-video-series/

 

The night was split into two sessions, with over 650 people in attendance. Whilst there are always pros and cons to doing things differently, the overwhelming feedback from the community highlighted the warm welcome that they received from the staff. The format of the evening allowed them to ask questions and connect with staff in each of the faculty areas. I would like to thank the Middle School, Learning Area Leaders, Transitions, and Resources and Facilities teams for their leadership and coordination of the event. I am incredibly grateful for my staff, student leaders, and school council members who attended and engaged so positively with our wider community. Paul Annakis our Transitions Coordinator and I have met to identify the positives of the change in format, as well as areas for improvement in 2022. If you have friends or family interested in finding out more about Doncaster Secondary College, please invite them to attend one of our tour mornings. More information is available via the link: https://doncastersc.vic.edu.au/college-tours/.

 

SCHOOL COUNCIL

School councils play an important role in Victorian government schools. On Wednesday we welcomed our new parent/carer council members, Ross Moll, Lisa Masoni and Eva Dean. We also have two students joining the school council in 2021, Chole and Dylan. The comprehensive student leaders report and accompanying presentation of the SRC goals for 2021 was a highlight of the meeting. It was an example of just how far the school has come with our efforts to empower our students by developing a range of student leadership roles at all levels of the College.

 

I would also like to congratulate Vicky Paradisis on becoming our School Council President for 2021.

 

The role of the school council president is to:

  • effectively chair school council meetings (ensure that everyone has a say in meetings and that decisions are properly understood and well-recorded)
  • be a signatory to contracts, the school strategic plan and financial accounts
  • together with the school council, endorse the school pre-review self-evaluation, terms of reference for the school review, school strategic plan, annual implementation plan and annual report and communicate this information to the school community
  • ensure school council stays focused on improving student outcomes
  • with the principal, be school council’s spokesperson and official representative on public occasions
  • with the principal, confirm in the school’s annual report that the school has met VRQA registration requirements

Vicky takes over as School Council President from Sofia Georgiou. Sofia was first elected to the role of School Council President in 2014. Sofia has been such an outstanding School Council President who has an excellent understanding of the needs of our families. Sofia will remain on School Council during 2021 to support both Vicky and I through our first full year in our roles. I will ensure that Sofia is acknowledged more formally for her contribution to the College.

 

Andrew Mishura will take on the role of School Council Vice-President, and Julie Daniell continues in the role of Treasurer. Thank you to Andrew, Julie and all of our School Council members for your willingness to actively support our College.

 

DAD'S AND FATHER FIGURE'S GROUP

Drew Hanna (Student Wellbeing Coordinator) has organised for Doncaster Secondary College to partner with the fathering project. The fathering project’s purpose is to bring fathers and father-figures together to inspire and equip them to positively engage with the children in their lives – for the benefit of kids. This in turn means that we can support the next generation of kids to have happier and healthier futures. I hope that Dad’s and Father Figures within the Doncaster Secondary College community will join us for the launch of our DSC Dads group on Wednesday night from 6 pm. There will be a free BBQ and guest speaker to help start the initiative. Please let dadsgroup@doncastersc.vic.edu.au know that you are coming so as the event can be catered for. This is a great opportunity to meet, socialise and share with our parent community as well as set some positive examples of healthy masculinity for our students.

 

Glenn Morris

Principal