From the Principal

At the conclusion of what has been another quite challenging semester it seems appropriate to take to a moment to reflect upon the achievements of our College community in yet another year that has tested us all.

Firstly, acknowledgement should be given to our students for their resilient and pragmatic approach to life this semester. Through the positive climate that welcomed us at the commencement of the year, to the two lockdowns that have once again punctuated our normal lives, our students have had to cope with the great uncertainty of the times whilst focusing on their learning and progression. This has not been easy, but in general terms, it has been an effort reflecting maturity and adaptability.

Secondly, our staff have yet again been innovative and creative in their approach to their teaching and ongoing support of our students. I am also sincerely grateful to our parents whose support and trust in the College has enabled us to jointly navigate the past months in a positive fashion.

Next semester, we will continue to adapt and evolve to meet the changing needs of our students, motivated by a firm desire to keep all in our community safe and supported. To this end, we will continue to give a firm undertaking to update you with relevant information concerning any developments with our COVID-Safe protocols and guidelines as approved by Victoria’s Chief Health Officer and the Department of Education. These guidelines will inform our curricula and co-curricular program throughout Term 3 and will provide clarity about the impact on events, programs and activities in our College. Our aim is to continue to provide a high quality and engaging teaching and learning program whilst maintaining the safety of our community.

With the completion of Term 2 this afternoon, as a College, we are all looking forward to a break to re-connect with family and friends. I trust that all of our students and staff members have a safe and enjoyable holiday. I look forward to welcoming back our students to commence Semester 2 on Monday 12 July.

Cycle 3 student reports

As mentioned in our previous College Newsletter, the rescheduling of our assessment and examination program in recent weeks has necessitated a similar re-adjustment of our Cycle 3 report timeline.

Our Cycle 3 reports will now be published on the Monday of week 3 of the next term.

With or without reports, with the term at an end, given that this semester has once again presented challenges to all, it is an ideal time for our students to reflect on their outcomes and to set goals related to areas for improvement for their second semester studies.

For students in the senior school, our Cycle 3 reports early next term will provide constructive feedback that informs their practices as they strive for a highly successful year and completion of their VCE examinations.

For many of our students, I would like to reinforce that it will also be an important time to recognize and celebrate their achievement and offer a positive reflection of the consistent effort they have made. It is, at times, an overlooked element – the acknowledgement of great efforts and outcomes, the reinforcement of good working practices!

Although the reports are archived for the duration of your child's enrolment with us, I would strongly advise that you download your own copy and save this to your home computer for your future use.

Mental Health Practitioner

I am please to share with our College community that we have appointed a Mental Health Practitioner to join our Wellbeing Coordination team from the commencement of Term 3.

Maddison Sill comes to our College with experience in both school, corporate and support agency settings. We are very pleased to welcome Maddison to our College.

The Mental Health Practitioner Initiative was introduced by the State Government in 2019 in a phased approach. It is envisaged that all Victorian Government Schools will have ongoing access to a mental health practitioner by the end of 2021. This initiative was funded on the research showing that one in seven young Victorians aged between 4-17 is estimated to have experienced a mental health issue. This is compounded by the findings that mental health issues that present during school years frequently predict more serious lifelong mental health issue that are diagnosed later in life – half of diagnosed mental health disorders start by age 14, three quarters by age 25.

The Mental Health Practitioner’s role in our College will focus on the mild to moderate mental health needs of our students with an emphasis on early intervention. Where our young people may need more intensive, immediate support, our Mental Health Practitioner will liaise with our wider Wellbeing Team and relevant external agencies and services. A strong emphasis on primary prevention and mental health promotion will also be a crucial component on the role.

EDSC supporting the Big Freeze

East Doncaster Secondary College has been proud to make our small contribution to the fight to find a cure for Motor Neurone Disease over the last six years.

There is a close link between our College and the Daniher family. The owner of one the cleaning companies employed by our school is Terry Daniher.

Terry is also a 300+ game AFL legend, a former Essendon FC captain and part of a famous footballing family. Together the four brothers, Terry, Anthony, Chris and Neale played a total of 752 games of VFL/AFL footy. In 2013, Neale Daniher was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. Since then, the family has led a passionate pursuit of finding a cure for MND. An article on the Essendon FC website outlines the magnitude of the challenge in finding a cure for this terrible disease -

“More than 2,000 Australians are currently living with MND. The disease causes the nerve cells controlling movement, speech, breathing and swallowing to slowly die. Thanks to the (fundraising) work of the Danihers, two new drug trials have commenced and another two are scheduled to begin later this year. The Danihers are calling on all Australians to continue to support the cause, so enough funds can be raised as quickly as possible, so that every Australian MND patient can access a new drug trial.”

I would hope that all of our College community can note that our own EDSC Big Freeze will be held on Tuesday 13 July (the second day of Term 3). An initiative led by our student leaders; we will conduct our own ‘Big Freeze’ ice-bucket challenge at the College during our lunch break. A number of staff and students will brave the chilly conditions to be drenched by ice buckets to raise money for this great cause.

All funds raised go directly to helping to find a cure for Motor Neurone Disease and to support people and families fighting the disease! Please help us meet our fundraising target!

Staffing Changes for Term 3

From the start of Term 3, we will have a small number of staff changes.

Angie Fusinato, Toni Willoughby, Cathy Bruce, Tina Marchant and Betty Liu will be absent on long service leave for varying periods of the new term.

Jordan Negrin will be leaving at the end of this term and commencing an ongoing appointment at Edgars Creek Secondary College. We wish Jordan well.

Helen Wilson, after over 40 years of teaching service, has communicated her intention to retire effective from the end of this term. As Helen leaves us, we sincerely thank her for her commitment to teaching, her passion for impacting upon the learning lives of many students and her tangible connection and contribution to our College.

On behalf of all members of our College community, I would like to thank Helen and Jordan for their efforts and their commitment to our College.

Please note

Term 3 commences on

Monday 12 July 2021

John Roberts

Principal

Census Data Collection – Student Family Occupation and Updating Family Details

Every year the Department of Education and Training (DET) conduct a census which helps determine the level of our schools’ student-based funding.

To ensure that the College is able continue to provide quality programs and an efficient learning environment for our students it relies on being supported by Department funding. Student Family Occupation details are an important component used by the DET to formulate our correct level of funding. These details are originally collected on your child’s enrolment form but are often not up to date.

For this census to be accurate we ask that all family details are up to date, including parent occupation and occupation code, employer and all contact details. Please complete the data collection form, even if you believe your details have not changed, and return to the College General Office as soon as possible. For assistance with identifying what occupation code to use please refer to the attached document.

It is also vital that families maintain up to date contact information. If your details change we ask that you please complete the Change of Details Form and return to Reception or via email to east.doncaster.sc@education.vic.gov.au

This form is published in each edition of the College Newsletter.

College Philosophy

At East Doncaster Secondary College we have a strong tradition of academic excellence and we aim to promote and sustain a reflective learning culture. We want students to experience a sense of achievement and growth in their academic, personal, social and emotional development. We have high expectations of our students’ commitment to being mutually supportive and striving for success as learners. We are proudly multicultural with a student population from 43 nationalities including a number of International Students. 68% of our students speak a language other than English at home.

A student’s life at school is full of opportunities, being rich and varied with a range of co-curricular activities in music, sport, productions, debating, clubs as well as camps and international experiences for the educational and personal development of students. Our students are vibrant, energetic, and talented young people. There are many student leadership opportunities and we aim to continue to increase student access to decision-making and self-determination as learners.

We endeavour to create a "Culture of Curiosity" with goals of ensuring learning improvement for every student – every student, every period, every day.

Our school’s purpose is to develop passionate learners who are critical thinkers with the confidence and capability to engage in the global community.

Care and Compassion, Curiosity, Excellence, Fairness, Resilience, Respect and Teamwork are the core values that underpin the culture of our school as we embrace the challenges of 21st Century learning.

We aim to sustain a learning culture that provides every student with a sense of achievement and of being their best in their academic, personal, social and emotional development.

Privacy and Data at East Doncaster Secondary College

East Doncaster Secondary College uses a number of digital platforms to support your child’s education, such as Compass, Google Drive and Office 365.

The College has an Information Security Policy and complies with the Department of Education and Training Privacy Policy. Click on the below link to access these documents.

Clubs @ EDSC