International Students

International Student Learning Hub hosted Orientation Day 

The International Student Learning Hub welcomed 13 new international students who come from China, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Pakistan. International student leaders & buddies have been paired up with these new students to support them in adjusting to school life smoothly. Big thanks to the Principal team Glenn and Belinda who welcomed these students and their families on the first day of school.

Please find the reflection from a new student regarding the International Student Learning Hub below.

As a brand-new international student, I enjoy my time in DSC a lot and I have the access to the international student Learning hub. The hub is where international students to catch up before school, at recess, over lunch and after school. I come here a lot and meet with my buddies and play with our school therapy dog Bowie. whenever I am in the hub, I feel comfortable because everyone here is away from home same as me so I feel like I am not alone. This is my hub and I really like it.

- Saad BIN MUDASSAR

International Student - Berry Eain - nominated for VGLA 2023!

The Victorian Global Learning Awards are a celebration and recognition of what brings us together, the strength of Victoria’s international relationships and the esteem with which we are held internationally for global learning and engagement. But most importantly it is a celebration of our students, teachers, parents, principals and homestay families, and the contribution they make to our schools and community.

Our international student Berry Eain of Year 12 has been selected as one of the finalists for the Student Leadership Award category. Each year in Victoria, one international student from year 11 and one from year 12 will receive this award which recognises outstanding leadership. Berry is a great contributor to both our school and the wider community. Big congratulations Berry! 

International Students reading program

Our Reading program is consistent in our support of international students, who are still requiring some additional help to develop their reading and literacy skills. The program is run three times a week and provides one-on-one tutoring. After consulting with the experts of our school library, we decided to select the Booklife Readers series for our international students to read. 

Our reading program consists of the following activities: 

• Develop their reading confidence and skills, using the ‘Pause, Prompt, Praise’ reading support method.
• For unfamiliar words ask them to break down into units of sound and then encourage them to string these sounds together to pronounce.
• Read through the book twice to grow confidence. 
• Ask simple questions about the text to assess their understanding.
• Encourage student to use illustrations as prompts. 

We believe we work together to assist them, and they will achieve their goals in the future learning journey. 

Fur buddies for international students

Our school dogs Ziggy and Bowie are regular visitors to International Student Learning Hub and they are the best fur buddies for all international students! 

Ziggy and Bowie are the school dogs of Doncaster secondary college. Ziggy is a black dog. Bowie is a grey dog. They are extremely cute, fluffy and friendly. They never bite people. I often see them walking around the schools and in the international hub. You can also pet them and play with them at the international Student Learning hub. Tips! (They love their tennis balls)

-Lisa X.

I see Ziggy and Bowie very often in the international hub or outside of the international hub. Bowie loves to play with tennis balls and when I go to the international hub I play ball with bowie. Ziggy likes getting scratch from people I scratch Ziggy almost every time I see him and hug both of them a lot. I love our school dogs so much🐶

-Heather L.

Chinese New Year Celebration 

Red Envelopes

2023 is the year of the Water Rabbit with Lunar New Year celebrations from 22 January to 5th Feb. The sign of the Rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity in Chinese culture and 2023 is predicted to be a year of hope.

Doncaster Secondary College is always keen to celebrate the Lunar New Year with our international students. This year the International Team prepared bright, beautiful red envelope (known as 紅包, hóngbāo) packed with Luck Lollies for all internationals. The red colour symbolizes good luck and prosperity in Chinese (and other East Asian) cultures.

The red envelope is a treat/gift in Chinese culture also known as the hongbao. It is a gift/treat given on Lunar New Year. The hongbao contains lucky money that is given on Lunar New year to youth or people younger.It contains coins and other stuff. When I was told all of this i was really surprised because the hongbao has many meanings but to the simple mind it is just an envelope but it means so much. When i was originally given the hongbao i didn't know what it meant,  when my friend told me the meaning i felt happy that International Student Program gave us hongbao for good luck because that means so much that gave us this gift. The hongbao we got had Gold Coin chocolates in it which were very tasty, and I was very happy.

- Saad BIN MUDASSAR

I’ll go to the international hub almost every day to have lunch with all the international students and play with the school dogs (Ziggy and Bowie). I will meet my friend saad and other friends there. My new buddy saad and I go to the international hub for lunch. There are some sweets and chocolate in the red envelop and I shared with my friend as a little snack I think is unique and I can learn about the Lunar New Year culture.

-Nathan CHOW

International Student Buddy Program

International Student Program has launched a 'buddy program', pairing new students with existing DSC students, offering them support from peers who have adjusted well socially and achieved excellent academic results.

Here is the reflection of some of our buddies:

The first day I stepped into this school I was warmly welcomed by Ms Huang, the director of the international student program. She has paired me with two wonderful buddies from year 11 to guide me around the school and help me with the first few days of school. The names are Venus and Christy, they’re both from my home country, Hong Kong, which made me instantly felt like home. They taught me the basics of this schools, brought me around to classes, and even introduced the other year 10 students to me, which helped me adapt to the school environment even faster; I couldn’t be more grateful! 

-Karl NG

As a local student at Doncaster Secondary College, I am honored to be a buddy of the international students. Students from other countries, whether they are international or not, study in a completely different country, possibly speaking a different language, which is a huge challenge for all of us. 

I am happy to advise and support younger brothers and sisters like Karl. The first time I met him and discovered he was from Hong Kong, I was so excited to have someone from the same city as me, and I also wanted him to feel welcome. Therefore, I show him around campus, where his classrooms are, and give him as much subject advice as I can. Knowing Karl's interest in IT, I advised him to major in software engineering in his senior year. I am grateful for the opportunity to help international students adjust to their new study environment, and I keep hoping to see more international students at DSC in the future! 

- Christy KWAN

International Student Hub Game Friday kicks off

International Student Hub hosts a Game Day every Friday lunch time. Here is some reflection from our students. 

As an international student buddy, I was overjoyed to be able to serve as Ms Huang's assistant in order to keep the gaming centre open throughout today's lunch break. I help and teach overseas students how to play Rummikub and Connect Four at today's gaming centre. Surprisingly, many students do not know how to play Rummikub, which amazes me, but I am also grateful and honoured to have the opportunity to teach them. I teach students how to play Rummikub while also playing with them. Although Rummikub is simple to master, staying attentive is a tactic that cannot be overlooked. It also helps you improve your sequencing, pattern identification, and planning abilities, which is incredibly beneficial. We struggle and continually alter our tiles while playing the game, but it is also a highly enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, there isn't enough time to finish the game, but we all believe Lisa won because she only has one tile left, and I am really pleased of her learning effort as this is her first time playing this game.

--Christy KWAN, international student buddy

The game we played was called Rummikub, a tiled-based boardgame. I had fun competing with others and rearranging different tiles forming new combinations. Overall, it was a wonderful experience in the international hub.

--Karl NG, international student

The game I played was Rummikub. Christy gave me instructions on how to play the game and I went pretty well competing with the others. Overall, I absolutely enjoy game day at our international student hub.

--Lisa CHEA, international student

Sally Huang

Director of International Student Program 

Doncaster Secondary College