Middle School News

Middle School

Wow what an extraordinary term we have had. Many ups and downs, including another lockdown. I wish to congratulate and commend all staff, students and parents on displaying the College value of resilience through uncertain times. It makes all of us proud as Middle School leaders, that students adapt so quickly to changing circumstances and we thank all parents for their ongoing support. We have had a number of positives to talk about in the midst of all the chaos.

Year 7

Absolutely amazing. Students should be super proud of their behaviour, effort and attitude throughout the semester, especially during and returning from lockdown.

Year 8

Again amazing. Capped off in a great showing for the Year 8 Dodgeball tournament held on the last day at lunchtime. Thank you to the 80 plus students who participated and a special shout out to the Year 8 Team, Ms Trist and Mr Novak for their vision and organisation of the event.

Year 9

Another amazing year level who displayed outstanding organisational and listening skills in preparation for their first exams. As a team the Year 9 coordinators, Mr Robb Ms Catalano and Ms Morris did an outstanding job preparing students for the process and expectations for this exam period. As a team we just finished discussing how well students listened to instructions and carried out their exams in the right manner displaying the College values of excellence and teamwork.

From all of us in Middle School, we wish everyone the best for a well deserved break. Please stay safe and we look forward to everyone returning next term happy, healthy and well rested. 

Justin Bond

Head of Middle School

Upcoming Course Selection for 2022

As we reach the mid-year break, I wanted to take the opportunity to inform parents that the start of Term 3 sees us start planning for 2022. Students in Years 8-11 will be presented with many options and decisions regarding their studies for next year.

Decisions around course selections can be complex. With this in mind, we encourage students to pursue passions and talents and keep their options open for future pathways. As a College we pride ourselves on the support and direction we provide students and parents with during this time.

We are planning to conduct parent information evenings to provide direction and information.

• Information Evening for Year 9 students moving into Year 10 will take place on Thursday 22 July.
• Information Evening for Year 10 students moving into Year 11 will take place on Thursday 29 July

All Year 9, 10 and 11 students will also have a meeting with a course counsellor to discuss suitability of choices. These course counselling interview will take place via Microsoft Teams and parents are most welcome to attend with their child. Further communications regarding this will be provided to parents and students via Compass early next term.

The dates for course counselling are:

Year 12 2022- Tuesday 3 August

Year 11 2022- Wednesday 4 August

Year 10 2022- Thursday 5 August

Students and parents will have access to subject handbooks which have been posted on Compass Newsfeed and on the College website. We do encourage that these are referenced over the break and that students are engaging in discussions with their families about possible options for their future studies.

Karen Boyle

Assistant Principal - Teaching and Learning

Year 7-9 Homework Club/Study Session - 

Students in Years 7-9 are invited to join our Homework Club/Study Session every Wednesday from 3:30pm - 4:30pm in the 400 open area. There will be a maximum attendance limit of 25 students per session.

Please note that this is an opt-in event and places are offered to those who opt in and give consent first. Parents must opt in and also give consent for each session they wish their child to attend. Parents who have already returned a consent form (paper form) must now also opt-in via Compass and provide consent for your child to have permission to attend each Homework/Study Session.  If consent is not given via Compass then your child will not be allowed to attend. 

Sessions may be cancelled due to staff rostering. Cancelled sessions will be removed from your child’s schedule each week.

Please ensure you make arrangements to get your child home at the conclusion of each session. 

Please contact Bree Murphy, Middle School Secretary,  at the College if you have any queries on this process.

Breakfast Club

Every Tuesday morning in The John Landy Centre, there will be free food for ALL students. 

Foodbank Victoria are providing nutritious food items for students to eat before they start their day. There will be cereal, fruit, toast, baked beans & spaghetti, fruit cups and muesli – no need to order, just rock up.

Student Lunches

Just a reminder to parents that we are unable to deliver lunches to students during school time.  If your child has forgotten lunch, it can be left at the General Office but it is the student’s responsibility to come and collect it. 

Hot food is not suitable to be left at the office.  PLEASE NOTE:- Take-away food is not allowed during school hours.

Under no circumstances are students to be ordering take-away food to be delivered to the College.

College Charges 2021

East Doncaster Secondary College Council would like to thank you for your support of the College as we endeavour to provide the best possible education for your child.

In order to provide quality programs and a comfortable and efficient learning environment for our students, the College relies on strong support from the College community. The College Charges are designed to supplement the Government’s allocation to schools to provide materials and services. These charges enable us to enrich and extend the learning experiences of our students in each subject. Please find attached the explanatory Parent Payments Parent Letter and Parent Payment Policy. 2021 College Charges are now available for parents to pay on Compass. 

Please note that there is no additional charge incurred if paying online via Compass.

For further information regarding our Parent Payments Policy, please refer to the attached documents.

1 to 1 Digital Learning Program 2021

In 2021 we will continue with our whole school 1 to 1 Digital Learning Program for all students.

Our Year 7 and 10 students will be required to purchase a laptop, Year 8, 9, 11 and 12 students will continue with their laptop from 2020.  The purchase of these devices is crucial to the learning program as students will access eBooks rather than an extensive number of expensive textbooks.

Details of the 1 to 1 Digital Learning Program for all students and important information regarding suitable devices are detailed in the attached policy.

Student Compass ID/Library/PTV  Cards

Please remind all students that they must carry their Student Compass ID/Library/PTV  Cards with them at all times.

ALL students must sign in/out with their card at the General Office when they are arriving late or leaving early for any reason. A reminder that Year 12 students are required to sign in/out at The John Landy Centre Compass Kiosk.

The cards are also used for any student photocopying that is done at school. The EDSC Student Compass ID/Library/PTV  is also the student PTV (Public Transport Victoria) cards. They are required to carry this card as student identification while travelling on public transport.

If a student loses their card, parents/guardians are able to re-order a replacement card via the Compass parent portal.