Principal's Report 

END OF TERM ONE

Thank you so much for the continued support of the college community over the last 10 weeks in so many activities, both within the classroom and in the broader co-curricular program. As always VSC has been an extremely busy place and I thank the staff and students for their continued time, effort and enthusiasm. 

There is obviously much uncertainty within the broader and school community around the pandemic but it is important to focus on the things that you have within your control and also to focus on the things, such as family, that is of a higher level of importance.

Enjoy the break and we will see everybody back and ready to go for Term Two.

WELL DONE TO THE VSC SWIMMING TEAM 

Congratulations to the Vermont Secondary College swimming team for performing so well at the Eastern Metropolitan Regional (EMR) final last week at Ringwood with 22 students, 27 events and 8 relays on the day. It was an outstanding team effort and well done to Amy Malander and Shaun Gillespie (Sports Coordinators) for organising and supporting the team. Thanks also to Karin Hubble and Leanne Callegaro for their support of the team at the event. This is an extremely strong competition against many schools in the EMR including Balwyn, Brentwood, Ringwood, Mount Waverley and Glen Waverley.

The State finals are being held on Thursday 22nd April at MSAC and four individual students as well as one relay team, have made it through to the State finals. 

We wish them all the best on the day and a full report of their fantastic results. 

EMR finals can be read under the VSC Sports section in this newsletter.

VSC MARCHING BAND AND THE ANZAC PARADE

Each year the VSC marching band has participated in the ANZAC parade up St. Kilda Road in the city on ANZAC Day. Unfortunately this did not occur last year and is also not occurring this year however on Sunday the 18th of April the VSC marching band will be participating in the annual Ringwood RSL commemorative ceremony. 

Our talented marching band will be led by Ben Muddyman and as usual, supported on the sidelines by many parents. Best wishes on the day.

Please refer to the Music section for times and more information. 

END OF TERM DATES SCHOOL ATTENDANCE FIRST WEEK BACK TERM TWO

 A reminder that Term One concludes on Thursday 5th April with a 2:30pm dismissal time.

Term Two runs from Monday 19th April until Friday 25th June, 2021 (10 weeks).

TIME MANAGEMENT SEMINAR

On Wednesday the 17th of March, the year 10 and 11 students each attended a session from Elevate Education about time management skills and strategies. The seminar covered topics such as how to manage procrastination, work/life balance, the idea of study groups and study timetables, and the importance of practice tests and exams. Feedback from the students was positive with comments such as 'the presenter was very relatable and had some good ideas'  and 'it was engaging and funny with good stories'. We hope that parents and guardians can encourage students to try out some of these ideas at home soon.

EVERY DAY AWAY IS A DAY YOU POTENTIALLY FALL BEHIND

The following is an excerpt from the DET (Department of Education and Training) website:

The importance of full time attendance 

We all want our students to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school each and every day. 

School participation helps people to develop important skills, knowledge and values which set them up for further learning and participation in their community. Children and young people who regularly attend school and complete Year 12 or an equivalent qualification have better health outcomes, better employment outcomes, and higher incomes across their lives. 

Missing school can have a major impact on a child’s future – a student missing one day a fortnight will miss four full weeks by the end of the year. By Year 10 they’ll have missed more than a year of school. It is important that children develop habits of regular attendance at an early age. 

There is no safe number of days for missing school. Every Day Counts.

Each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes. Limited school participation is associated with a greater chance of dropping out of school, disruptive and delinquent behavior and may lead to a cycle of rebellion against authority.

I thank the school community in anticipation and/or your continued support in this matter.

YEAR 7 PARENT TRANSITION INFORMATION EVENING – FIRST WEEK BACK TERM 2

Tuesday 20th April 6.30pm Hotham 

Wednesday 21st April 6.30pm Macedon

Thursday 22nd April 6.30pm Stirling

More information can be found under the Year 7 section of this newsletter

COLLEGE COUNCIL - ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY - 20th APRIL, 2021

The VSC Annual Report to the school community will be held on Tuesday, 20th April 2021 at 6.30pm. At this meeting the VSC 2020 Annual Report to the school community (a reflection of the previous year) will be presented, and once ratified by College Council and by the Department of Education and Training (DET) it will be placed on our college website. Members of the college community are welcome to attend.

Once ratified, the 2020 Annual Report to the school community will be available on the college website as well as the Victorian Registrations & Qualifications Authority (VRQA) website at: www.vrqa.vic.gov.au. Once there click on ‘State Register’ and enter ‘Vermont Secondary College’.

TAX DEDUCTIBLE BUILDING AND LIBRARY FUNDS

As tax time is approaching, parents/guardians are reminded that donations to the Vermont Secondary College’s Library Fund and Building Fund are Tax Deductible and the College welcomes donations of any size. These funds are very much required for the college to maintain our many buildings and provide much needed resources for the classroom and library to benefit our students. Thank you to the families that have chosen to contribute.

Direct deposits to: BSB 313-140; Account No: 12050892, Account Name: Vermont Secondary College. Please use your child’s student code as the identifier. All money raised is used to enhance facilities for your student/s. Receipts will be forwarded to you for tax purposes. ​