Principal's Report

From the Principal

As we return for Term 3, given our current context, it is unfortunate that we continue to face a clear level of uncertainty. Uncertainty about how the challenges raised by the COVID-19 virus will evolve and about the measures which will be put into place to manage its spread and minimise harm. 

What is certain is the strength and adaptability of our East Doncaster Secondary College community to manage the challenges of change and uncertainty associated with the virus. Over these past eighteen months, we have adapted to new ways of learning and teaching, interacting and providing support for each other. 

Although the positivity that initially greeted the commencement of this new term with all of our students attending, soon led to that all too familiar sense of disappointment at the prospect of another lockdown, it really must be noted that our staff and students are once again displaying an enormous resilience as they quickly adapt to this ‘new normal’ and accept the collective responsibility of trying to do the right things by each other, in support of each, because of the respect for each other.

Whilst we are all experiencing a level of anxiety and uncertainty in these challenging times, it does appear that if, as a collective, we remain united, connected, supportive and responsive, we will be getting more things right than wrong.

We just have to keep on trying to be our best versions of ourselves, no matter how difficult, in order to obtain the best and safest outcomes. 

GAT Announcement 

The VCAA today announced that the GAT (General Achievement Test), that must be undertaken by all students doing a Unit 3 and 4 subject, has been moved from Thursday 29 July to Thursday 12 August .

Students will be given further details about seating and venues closer to the date of the GAT. 

The VCAA also announced that all students undertaking a unit 3 and 4 subject will be able to apply for CED (Consideration of Educational Disadvantage) due to impacts of COVID on their education this year .  This is a process by which students' final results are looked at in light of any disadvantage students have suffered. The application process for this will be explained to students once the information  regarding applications, procedures and dates, has been forwarded to schools .

If there any further changes to the VCE program we will notify students as soon as possible. 

Senior School 2020 Student Course Selection

This week we have begun the valuable process of supporting students and their parents with making informed individual choices of their prospective studies in Senior School in 2022.

Establishing goals for future success are important for the students of our school community. For many, their future plans rest upon successful completion of VCAL, Headstart or VCE studies at Year 12. 

Over these next few weeks students will be supported through an involved course selection process. Because of our current circumstances, we will need to make some modifications to this process. I would encourage every family to engage in this process to maximise opportunities for success. In many cases, the correct decisions made in the formative stages of the VCE journey can have such a positive impact upon the outcomes achieved.

Because of our inability to hold on-site 2022 Information Evenings this year, we have placed a number of informative resources for this process on the Compass Newsfeed facility.

We encourage all students and their families to pay particular attention to the Course Selection Information presentation that is available via Compass Newsfeed, as this will address many of the common questions.

It is also crucial that students reference the subject videos so that they have a true sense of what they are selecting, and perhaps gain insight into subject areas that they had not previously been aware of.

As per previous communications, the College subject handbooks are also a valuable resource and can be found on the Compass Newsfeed as well as on our website.

The better informed our students are, the more likely their choices will be relevant and lead to success in learning. 

As has been communicated via Senior School, all students currently in Year 9 and 10 will have an individual course counselling session to ensure that choices made are appropriate for each student.

This year, Course Counselling Interviews will be conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams, commencing on Tuesday 3 August. 

Course counselling for students will take place on the following days:

• Year 12 2022 (Current Year 11) - Tuesday 3rd August
• Year 11 2022 (Current Year 10) - Wednesday 4th August
• Year 10 2022 (Current Year 9) - Thursday 5th August

Interview times will be sent to students shortly. Parents are welcome to participate in this interview if they are able to be home with their child at this time.

Given the changes to our usual process, I would highly recommend that if any student or parent requires further information or clarification on these matters, please contact Assistant Principal, Karen Boyle or Head of Senior School, Kate Leaumont.

Changes to VCE have been announced

Presently, Victorian students can graduate with one of two senior secondary certificates, the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL). A state-wide review has been conducted in relation to senior secondary education and recently we received correspondence from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) in relation to changes to secondary school certificates. An extract of this correspondence follows;

For further information, please refer to a more detailed article on this subject matter by Kelly Kingham, our VCAL and Headstart Coordinator, in the 'Senior School News' page later in this newsletter or feel free to contact Kelly at our College.

Cycle 3 student reports

As mentioned in our previous College Newsletters, the rescheduling of our assessment and examination program in Term 2 has necessitated a similar re-adjustment of our Cycle 3 report timeline.

Our Cycle 3 reports have been published today.

With these reports, given that last 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 will provide constructive feedback that informs their practices as they strive for a highly successful year and completion of their VCE examinations

Parent Opinion Survey 

The Parent Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education and Training that is conducted amongst a sample of randomly selected parents at each school.

It is designed to assist our school in gaining an understanding of parents’ perception of school climate, student engagement and relationships with our parent community. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 15-20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the fieldwork period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in a range of languages other than English. These include: Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Chin (Hakha), Hindi, Japanese, Somali, Turkish, Punjabi and Greek.

Approximately 30 per cent of parents will be invited to participate in this year’s survey and parents are chosen at random. All responses to the survey are anonymous. This year, the Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey will be conducted from Monday 19th July to Sunday 22nd August.

Our Assistant Principal, Cameron Campbell will make contact with the randomly chosen parents early next week via email. He will send you a link and a PIN unique to our school. Thanks in advance to those of you who take part.

The survey results will be reported back to our school at the end of September. This information is then published in the College’s Annual Report to the Schools' Community, which is published on the EDSC website and updated at the end of Term 1 every year. If you have any further queries regarding this survey, please contact the General Office.

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.