Principal’s Report

Principal’s Report – 24 July 2026

A warm welcome back to our students and families for the start of Term 3. I hope that the break provided an opportunity to relax and recharge. Along with the shift in the weather, there is also a shift in focus in Term 3 for many of our students. Our VCE students are now focussing on continuing to build their skills, understanding and confidence needed to perform well in their end of year exams. This is particularly the case for our Year 12 students who will be completing externally assessed exams. Students in Years 9-11 also commence the process of planning for the successful transition to the next level of study through our course selection and course counselling programs.

Sitting alongside our teaching and learning program, which is well underway with semester 2 officially starting in the final week of last term, students also have the opportunity to engage in our vast co-curricular program. Students involved in our College Production ‘Backstage Pass’ have continued rehearsals over the school holidays and are now in their final weeks of rehearsals before performing to audiences on Thursday 13 August and Friday 14 August. I do encourage our school community to get behind this by purchasing tickets. Inter-school Sport opportunities continue throughout the term as well as many excursions across the year levels. For our Year 11 students, the camps program in week 6 is a highlight and for Year 10 students our Work Experience program in week 10 sees students engage in a wide array of workplace experiences. I am confident that our students are more than ready to embrace the opportunities and challenges of the term ahead; both in the classroom and beyond.

Senior School 2027 Student Course Selection

This week we began the important process of supporting students and their families as they make informed decisions about their Senior School subject selections for 2027. This is a critical time for students to reflect on their strengths, interests and aspirations.

Over the next few weeks students and families will be supported via information evenings, workshops and individual course counselling sessions to ensure that they make choices that support their future pathways. 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. It is also important that families understand the array of VCE and VCE Vocational Major opportunities that are available to students.

On Thursday evening we held our Year 10 2027 Information Evening with a similar opportunity for Year 11 2027 next Tuesday (28 July). There are several informative resources for this process on Compass newsfeed. I encourage families to regularly log into Compass to keep up to date with this important information.

The more informed our students are, the more likely they are to make choices that lead to both success and enjoyment in their learning, whilst also supporting their future pathways. Subject handbooks were made available on Compass at the end of last term; I encourage all students and their families to review the relevant subject handbooks carefully to ensure they are making informed decisions. Our information evenings and course counselling interviews will also provide students and parents with the opportunity to ask questions to support decision making.

If you require further information, please contact Assistant Principal, Brett Lamb or Assistant Principal for Senior School, Kate Leaumont.

Senior School Careers Pathways Expo

On Thursday 16 July we held our annual Careers Expo for our VCE students. It was well attended by representatives of many public and private providers of tertiary education programs and courses and was an important element of the series of opportunities provided to our students. Congratulations to our Pathways Team led by Craig Browne, ably assisted by our Senior School Coordinators for their organisation. It was encouraging to see the enthusiasm and engagement of our Year 11 and 12 students as they explored potential future pathways by speaking with representatives from Melbourne, Monash, Deakin and Swinburne Universities and other training providers.

Outstanding Student Achievement – Premier’s VCE Awards

On Tuesday 21 July I was very proud to attend the Premier’s VCE Awards, held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, in support of our East Doncaster Secondary College award recipients from the class of 2025. The annual Premier’s VCE Awards recognise students who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the VCE and VCE VM. Of the 65,586 students whom completed the VCE in 2025, 322 outstanding students were recognised for their accomplishments. We are very proud to have three of our students recognised.

Runyu (Richard) Kang was awarded as one of the Top Three International Students in Victoria. This is an outstanding achievement for Richard and one that he should be extremely proud of. His achievement is a testament to his hard work and dedication to his studies. As mentioned in a previous newsletter, Richard also won the International Student of the Year Award for 2025 at the Victorian Global Learning Awards. We are so proud of his achievements and know that he will continue to succeed in his university studies.

Harris McNamara received a Premier’s VCE Award for Classical Studies which he undertook as an accelerated study in Year 11 last year. It was wonderful that his Classical Studies teacher, Jesi Amirah, was able to attend the event to celebrate Harris’s outstanding achievement. Congratulations to Harris. We wish him every success as he completes his Year 12 studies this year.

Cheng Li received a Premier’s VCE Award for Chinese First Language, taught by Meihui Wang. Unfortunately, Cheng was unable to attend the event due to a clash with her university exams. Again, receiving this award is an exceptional accomplishment. Congratulations to Cheng.

2026 NAPLAN Results

As you will be aware, the NAPLAN results for 2026 have been released to schools. We are in the process of preparing for mailing the confidential reports for each student that participated. Families should start to receive these during week 4 and 5 of term.

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual national assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. All students in these year levels participate in tests in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and Numeracy.

These tests provide parents and schools with an understanding of how individual students are performing at the time of the tests. NAPLAN tests are one aspect of the school’s assessment and reporting process, and are not a replacement of the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about individual student progress.

For further information on how to read and interpret the report please see the NAPLAN Information for parents and carers brochure on the EDSC Compass News Feed.

Finally, I would also strongly recommend that the student NAPLAN report is kept in a secure location as the College is unable to provide replacement copies.