Principal's Report - 17th July

Welcome Back!
I hope every member of the DMSC community enjoyed a safe and restful two weeks, away from the routine of bells, PE gear, packed lunches, homework and clean uniforms!

NAIDOC Week
Naidoc Week traditionally falls during the last week of the school holidays, therefore we postpone our celebrations until the first week back. While we are immensely proud of the achievements of all of our students, during this week of acknowledgment, it is timely to consider some of the accomplishments of our Indigenous students.

DMSC was thrilled last year to appoint our first Indigenous School Captain, Kynan Clarke – then equally as proud to appoint Tristan Rayes to the role this year. Tristan was asked to speak at a Principals’ Forum earlier this year and he spoke with such maturity and sincerity about his experiences at school and his hopes for the future.

Year 12 student, Tania Morrison, is one of the first young women to take up an Indigenous traineeship with Victoria Police. Tania commenced at the Horsham Police Station at the start of last year and in a few short months, will graduate with her Certificate 3 in Business Administration.

Year 11 student, Yasmin Harradine, is passionate about art and football! Yas has been playing competitive women’s football for the past two seasons and her dedication to her art commenced at an early age. This year, Yas has had some of her work exhibited in Melbourne and this Friday, a magnificent mosaic, designed and created by Yasmin (with some help from others) will be unveiled at the front of our Admin Building. The huge sign says, “Welcome” in English and also in the Wergaia language, Dalkaiana Wartadj. This sign will be a lasting legacy left by Yas and a beautiful way to acknowledge our area’s Indigenous connections and history.

Year 9 girls, Niah Boundy and Kaitlyn Beeton, were recently selected to join an Indigenous Leadership camp in Melbourne. Together with Tristan Rayes, they participated in a range of cultural and personal development activities and their skills will be further enhanced when they travel to Darwin in September for the next stage of the program. We have many other Indigenous students and some of their profiles appear later in the newsletter.

INVITATION
All members of the DMSC community are invited to the official unveiling of our ‘Welcome’ sign on Friday July 20 at 2.30pm. the ceremony will be held in front of the Admin building.

Awards
At yesterday’s General Assembly, we presented the largest amount of both Academic and Values Awards that we have so far at DMSC over the past three and a half years. (At one assembly) All staff are proud of our students’ achievements and it was wonderful to see a lot of new names on the recipient list.

Parent Teacher Interviews – end of Term Two
Thank you to the many parents and carers who attended our Parent Teacher Interviews in the final week of last term. Staff reported a steady flow of parents and all agreed that the timing of the interviews, immediately after reports had been distributed, worked very well.

Feedback on student work
I would like to remind parents to ask your children for the Edmodo codes to their subjects. This will enable you to track their progress throughout the term. Many teachers post feedback on Edmodo, so you can see where your child needs to improve. Please also ask to see any work handed back to your student, as this too, shows where improvements need to be made. It is far more effective to use this progressive feedback in terms of identifying areas to improve, rather than waiting until the end of Term or Semester to see a final result. And of course, should you wish to receive more feedback on your child’s progress, you can do this by calling or emailing the respective staff member.

Attendance
As a new term commences, it is timely to remind parents and carers of the need to support your child to attend school. The majority of our students attend regularly, however a few students slip into the habit of having regular days off. Every day missed from school can result in a student falling behind and then the added pressure of having to catch up. If the absences become regular, the impact on their learning is significant.

Please look at your child’s report from last term and if they have between 5-15 days absent for the term, this can equate to approximately TWO years absent from school between Years 7 and 12.

Even being late to school each day, has a marked effect on your child’s attendance. A student who is half an hour late each day, misses over 16 DAYS of learning for the school year.

Remember, it’s not okay to be away!

Anne Gawith
Principal