DMSC
Bryce Day and Olivia Lehmann
2020 School Captains
Dimboola Memorial Secondary College (DMSC) was proclaimed in 1921 and is unique in the sense that it is the only Memorial School in Victoria.
DMSC is a small rural secondary college situated in the Wimmera Region 36 km from Horsham. It is a traditional secondary college in its curriculum design but prides itself on its broad senior offerings including VET/VCAL and VCE pathways.
Everything we do at DMSC is designed to deliver ever improving learning experiences and outcomes that will enable all students to leave DMSC with the skills, knowledge, behaviours and values that drive quality life experiences.
From our Principal - Friday 18th September
On behalf of our school, I want to say a big thank you to all our students, parents and carers for your continued resilience and support during Term 3. I know remote and flexible learning has not always been easy, but through our collective efforts, our students have continued to make valuable progress in their learning. You can be confident that our school will support any student who has fallen behind to catch up.
Term 4 is important for every Victorian student, and our teachers will strive to deliver high-quality learning for everyone. Whether we’re teaching remotely or face-to-face, our focus for Term 4 is on making sure that every student is supported in their wellbeing, learning and transition needs.
The Victorian Government has outlined the staged return to on-site schooling as part of its gradual roadmap towards reopening.
All Victorian schools will continue to provide remote and flexible learning for the remainder of Term 3, except specialist schools in rural and regional Victoria, who will continue on-site schooling consistent with current arrangements.
Term 4 on-site schooling arrangements for students
Subject to the advice of the Victorian Chief Health Officer, the Victorian Government has released a staged approach for students to return to on-site schooling.
The purpose of the plan is to get students back in the classroom as soon and as safely as possible without putting at risk all that has been achieved through the period of restrictions to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
To achieve both these aims, the return to onsite learning needs to be staged, just as the easing of all other restrictions is staged.
There are two reasons for this.
The first is that in metropolitan Melbourne, health authorities need to monitor the impact of students and parents beginning to move across the city again before schools move to a full return. Having one million students return to school all at once could compromise the ability to monitor this impact.
The second reason is that VCE students must return in week one of Term 4 and must be able to complete the threehour General Achievement Test (GAT) that week. In order to ensure the focus is on these students and the appropriate safety measures are in place, this means no other students can be on-site on our secondary or P-12 campuses the week before the GAT.
This is the best way to ensure the ongoing safety of the whole community.
For our school, the following arrangements apply:
The Victorian Government has announced that regional and rural communities will progress to the Third Step of the roadmap for reopening from 11:59pm Wednesday 16 September 2020.
From Monday 5 October:
- VCE and VCAL students (including Year 10 students enrolled in VCE or VCAL programs) can attend on-site for the GAT and essential assessments
- students enrolled in Years 7 to 10 will continue to learn from home.
From Monday 12 October:
- all school students, including Years 7 to 10 and VCE and VCAL students will return to on-site learning.
Health and safety measures
The Term 3 remote and flexible learning arrangements were put in place to significantly reduce the movement of more than one million students and their families across Victoria, to help slow the spread of coronavirus ( COVID-19).
Thanks to you and your family for contributing to this on behalf of our school community.
As on-site schooling resumes, we will continue to have in place strong measures to protect the health and safety of students, staff, families and the community. This includes restricting parent access to school grounds and continued emphasis on hand hygiene and physical distancing where possible.
Whether your child is, or children are, returning to face-to-face learning or will be continuing with remote and flexible learning, please be assured we will be focused on three key priorities in Term 4:
Mental health and wellbeing
Our highest priority will be the wellbeing, particularly the mental health, of every student and member of staff. This means effectively mobilising all available resources to support our most vulnerable students and enabling staff to access the relevant support services.
Learning and excellence
Some of our students have thrived in the remote and flexible learning environment, others have maintained their learning progress, and some have fallen behind, despite their best efforts and those of their families and teachers. Our priority will be supporting both those who need it to catch up and those who have progressed to continue to extend their learning.
We will make every effort to ensure successful transitions for the Grade 6s moving into Year 7, and the Year 12s moving into employment or further education and training.
We know some families are worried that their child may have to repeat a year due to the disruptions of coronavirus (COVID-19). There is little evidence to support the benefits of repeating a year to catch up. Instead, schools will use teaching strategies that draw on the best evidence available to help students meet their learning needs.
Parents, families and carers can be confident that the best option for almost every child is to stay with their peer group, whether that is moving from Grade 6 into Year 7 at secondary school, or students moving up any year level in between.
Our school, working with you, has shown it can be flexible and adaptable in responding to the challenges of coronavirus (COVID-19) and will continue to meet student needs as we look towards the end of the 2020 school year and ahead to 2021.
Progress reports
All students have received their Term 3 progress report which can be accessed via the XUNO parent portal. If parents have not been able to find these, they should contact the school for assistance. Alternatively , the report can be emailed or a hard copied sent in the mail if required.
VCE Revision Lectures
DMSC has arranged access to a range of revision lectures for students studying a Unit 3 or Unit 4 subject. Mr Werner has provided students with a timetable for these lectures on Edmodo. Lectures will occur throughout the school holidays and students are strongly encouraged to participate in these and other revision opportunities provided by their teachers.
Year 12 Parent-Teacher phone meetings
These were conducted on Wednesday afternoon and staff were able to discuss their child’s progress. Feedback from parents has been that they believe these phones calls provide valuable information about ways to help their child consolidate their learning.
Camps, Sport and Excursions Funding (CSEF)
If your employment circumstances have recently changed, your child may be eligible to receive some of this funding. Please contact Kaye in the office at the start of next term if this applies to you.
Happy Holidays
Thank you to the wonderful staff at DMSC, who have worked tirelessly throughout this term to meet the challenges of remote learning 2.0. Their positive outlook and enthusiasm have been an inspiration to all. I hope everyone is able to spend some time during these holidays in a place that they have longed to visit for some time. Stay safe and travel well.
Sally Klinge
Advice and Other Documents
Wellbeing
- Advice for students (Dept. Education & Training Website)
- Brochure - Partners in Wellbeing
- Flyer - Partners in Wellbeing
Headspace Factsheets
- Coping with Stress
- Work/Study Challenges
- Telehealth FAQ
- Family Conflict Factsheet
- Financial Support for Young People
- Balancing online schooling and working from home
Community Activation and Social Isolation Initiative (CASI)
VCE, VCAL & VET News
VET Update (26th August)
The following update has been provided by Federation TAFE regarding COVID-19 protocols and advice for the return of VET DSS programs to the Wimmera Campus.
Exam Dates
- 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.
Timely applications for courses commencing in 2021 close on September 30 at 5pm.
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.
DIMBOOLA MEMORIAL SECONDARY COLLEGE
post PO Box 40 | Dimboola | Victoria, 3414
phone 03 5389 1460
fax 03 5389 1981
email dimboola.memorial.sc@education.vic.gov.au
Website by Wangara Consulting
