Dimboola Memorial Secondary College

Latest Updates

Advice and Other Documents

Student Timetable for Remote Learning at DMSC - added 5 Aug

Recommended Workload Guidelines for Years 7-10 - added 5 Aug

Parent Support with Remote Learning at DMSC - added 5 Aug

On Site Attendance Form

COVID-19 Support Contacts

Coronavirus advice (Dept. Education & Training Website)

Information for VCE Students (VCAA Website)

Information Sheet - Parents and Edmodo

Wellbeing Page for more Resources >>

Letter re Remote Learning - Wednesday 5th August

Dear Parents and Carers,

As you are aware, the Victorian Government has advised that all schools in regional Victoria will move to remote and flexible learning as of today.

This means that all students who can learn at home must learn from home. This is a very clear directive by the Victorian Government based on the advice of the Chief Health Officer.

This is not an action being taken lightly, and I understand it may cause you and your family concern and stress. Please know this step is being taken to slow the spread of the virus and ensure the health and safety of all Victorians.

Most of our teachers will also be working from home. All of them have been working hard to put curriculum plans in place to ensure continuity of learning and to support the wellbeing of all our students. All student work can be found on the school's online learning platform - Edmodo, and parents can monitor their child's work by joining the various subject groups.

A proposed timetable for students has been provided on the school's website under the COVID-19 heading - Student timetable. Students and parents are encouraged to use this as a guideline to assist them with completing their schoolwork. A checklist will also be provided each Friday for students in Years 7 to 10 to summarise the work that is due for the following week. This will be posted on the relevant year level Edmodo page and also in the school newsletter.

A parent information sheet has also been provided under the heading Latest Update. This contains contact details regarding student welfare, technical support and other general enquiries. It also outlines how parents can assist their child with learning from home.

Mentors will phone parents and carers each Friday to check on the progress of each student. Please be aware that this call may register as a private number.

On-site supervision will be available for students in Years 7 to 10 in the following categories:

children whose parents cannot work from home and where no supervision arrangements can be made

children in out-of-home care

children deemed by Child Protection and/or Family Services to be at risk of harm

children identified by the school as vulnerable (including via referral from a family violence agency, homelessness or youth justice service or mental health or other health service)

any child with a disability

Should you wish your child to attend on site, please contact the school to arrange this. An on-site attendance form needs to be completed and approved prior to your child attending on site. This form can be downloaded from the DMSC website.

This is clearly going to be a challenging time for all of us. It is going to be critically important that we work very closely together to ensure that we provide the very best possible support for the ongoing wellbeing and learning of our students and your children.

A factsheet about Learning from Home has been provided by the department and this can be found on our school website under the heading Tips for Parents.

Our website also has links to regular updates from the education department regarding VCE and VCAL, together with wellbeing support links and tips.

Thank you for your ongoing support during this time.

Sally Klinge
Principal

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day is celebrated each year around the 4th August.

It is important that we at DMSC show our support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, as well as learn about the crucial impact that culture, family and community play in the life of every the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child.

The theme for 2020 is "We are the Elders of tomorrow, hear our voice".

Elders hold a significant role in the Aboriginal community. They are the holders of traditional knowledge and are often called up to provide reassurance, comfort and hope, especially in times of uncertainty.

School Community Letter - Sunday 2nd August

Dear parents, carers, students and staff

Earlier today, the Victorian Government announced that, on the advice of the Victorian Chief Health Officer, regional and rural Victoria will move to Stage 3 restrictions and metropolitan Melbourne will move to Stage 4 restrictions to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

These requirements apply to all schools across the government, Catholic and independent sectors and across all metropolitan Melbourne and rural and regional Victoria.

The changes to schools' operations will come into effect from Wednesday 5 August, following a student free day on Tuesday 4 August, and are likely to apply until the end of Term 3.

As outlined in the Chief Health Officer's advice on Friday, schools remain safe places for staff and students - but these steps are critical measures to reduce the movement of students and families across the state.

There are implications for our school, and for families in our school community.

A summary of what the changes mean for schools is below.

METROPOLITAN MELBOURNE

PREP TO YEAR 10

Prep to Year 10 students will continue with remote and flexible learning.

The criteria for students that can attend on-site has changed as follows:
children whose parents are permitted workers. The Victorian Government will provide further advice about this over the coming days

vulnerable children in out of home care, children known to child protection and other agencies and children the school identifies as vulnerable

children with a disability who also fit one of the above two categories.

SENIOR SECONDARY YEAR 11 AND 12 (VCE AND VCAL)

All Year 11 and 12 provision for both VCE and VCAL will move to remote and flexible learning.

The GAT will be rescheduled from Wednesday 9 September to Wednesday 7 October.

The schedule for the VCE examinations and release of results will remain as previously advised.

Further information about consideration of disadvantage and coronavirus (COVID-19) will be provided shortly.

SPECIALIST SCHOOLS

On-site provision in specialist schools will only be available to children whose parents are permitted workers, and vulnerable children.

RURAL AND REGIONAL VICTORIA

PREP TO YEAR 10

Prep to Year 10 students will move to remote and flexible learning.

On-site supervision in rural and regional Victoria will be available to:
Children whose parents cannot work from home

Vulnerable children

Any child with a disability

SENIOR SECONDARY YEAR 11 AND 12 (VCE AND VCAL)

All Year 11 and 12 provision for both VCE and VCAL will move to remote and flexible learning.

The GAT will be rescheduled from Wednesday 9 September to Wednesday 7 October.

The schedule for the VCE examinations and release of results will remain as previously advised.

Further information about consideration of disadvantage and coronavirus (COVID-19) will be provided shortly.

SPECIALIST SCHOOLS

Any child enrolled in a specialist school in rural and regional Victoria will be able to continue to attend.

Any parent of a child enrolled in a specialist school in rural and regional Victoria who wishes to keep their child at home can do so, and where possible, the school can provide learning materials and activities for the child and their parent to complete at home.

TIMELINE

Monday 3 August will be a 'normal' day of school under current arrangements, with students attending on site learning asked to take all their necessary learning materials home.

Tuesday 4 August will be a student-free day across Victoria to enable teachers, especially in rural and regional Victoria, to prepare for flexible and remote learning.

Wednesday 5 August will be the first day of new arrangements for schools across Victoria

This is a day ahead of the statewide introduction of the Stage 3 restrictions in rural and regional Victoria, but will provide for a smooth transition and will enable as much continuity of learning as possible.

STAFFING

Schools will ensure sufficient staff are available for necessary on-site supervision.

Staff not required for on-site supervision will work from home.

I will provide an update soon about arrangements for remote and flexible learning at our school.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

Sally Klinge
Principal
Dimboola Memorial Secondary College

VCE/VCAL News

Exam Dates

Exam times and dates have been released by VCAA. Click here to see the exam timetable on the VCAA website.

VCE and VCAL results will be released to students at 7.00am on Wednesday 30th December.

VTAC Registrations Open from 3rd August

The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) is the central point for applications to Victorian universities, TAFEs, and Independent Tertiary Colleges. Students who wish to apply for any course in 2021 in Victoria, will need to register with VTAC which opened on August 3.

VTAC Powerpoint Presentation

You can download a presentation giving a detailed overview of the VTAC process as either a Powerpoint or PDF from the links below.

Applying for tertiary study in 2021 presentation - Powerpoint

Applying for tertiary study in 2021 presentation - PDF

From our Principal - Friday 7th August

It was a sad day on Monday when staff and students once again said goodbye for the next six weeks. Remote Learning version 2 has begun and staff have been going to great lengths to ensure that this has been a smooth transition back into what is now familiar territory. This time around, there are a few small changes, which have been outlined in the parent document that can be found on the DMSC website under Latest Updates. Students will continue to have their work posted on Edmodo and Year Level Coordinators in Years 7 to 10 will arrange WebEx meetings each week to ensure that the students have the opportunity to see one another and join in some group activities with their peers.

Timetables

The timetable for the Year 11 to 12 students remains the same while students in Years 7 to 10 will follow a modified timetable that follows the recommendations of the Department of Education and Training. This is the same as it was during Term 2 Remote Learning and can be found on the DMSC website.

Work checklists

Teachers will post the work for the following week each Friday morning on the year level pages and copies of this document can also be found in the newsletter each week. A checklist of what students in each year level need to complete will be compiled by the Year Level Coordinators each Friday and posted on the year level page. Students found this document to be particularly helpful last time.

On-site student supervision

On-site supervision will be available for students in Years 7 to 10 in the following categories:

children whose parents cannot work from home and where no supervision arrangements can be made
children in out-of-home care
children deemed by Child Protection and/or Family Services to be at risk of harm
children identified by the school as vulnerable (including via referral from a family violence agency, homelessness or youth justice service or mental health or other health service)
any child with a disability

Should you wish your child to attend on site, please contact the school to arrange this. An on-site attendance form needs to be completed and approved prior to your child attending on site. This form can be downloaded from the DMSC website and must be submitted and approved by 3pm Friday of the week prior to your child attending on site.

All students who attend on site must bring their own food and drink and should not attend school before 8.40am. Students will be temperature checked on arrival at the front office and must sign in to record their attendance. Please be aware that hard copies of student work will not be provided and it will be the student’s responsibility to arrange printed versions of any work.

Mentor check-ins

Mentors will phone parents and carers every Friday to check on the progress of each student. Please be aware that this call may register as a private number.

Attendance

Students need to ensure that they “like” an Edmodo post, submit work or participate in a WebEx session to be recorded as attending on any given day.

Working from home

The only staff who will be on site will be those who are supervising students who meet the criteria. This means that students who can work from home must work from home.

Curriculum Day

Next Friday 14th August is a Curriculum Day for all staff, which means that students will only have four days of school work next week. Staff will be using WebEx to discuss ways of using student data to develop and extend each child’s potential.

VCE update

Today the Minister for Education James Merlino announced that every Victorian Year 12 student will be assessed individually for their VCE scores and ATAR ranking, with any adverse impacts in their lives from COVID-19 being taken into account. This will put all students on a level playing field with every student across the state.

School Review

Due to the sudden transition to remote learning, our School Review has been postponed until further notice.

Take care and stay safe.

Sally Klinge

Click here for this week's full newsletter.

Bushfire At Risk Register

Our school is on the Bushfire At Risk Register (BARR).

Schools on the BARR must close on a determined Code Red day in their weather district. No staff will remain on site and all out-of-school care programs (including vacation, before and after school programs) will not operate on such days.

As a bus coordinating school all bus routes will be cancelled.

Click here for more information.

Click here for fire danger ratings on the CFA website.

Senior Pathways Options

VCE, VCAL, SBAT, VET

A short video on Senior Study Options.

Click here to watch