Acting Principal
From Ms Allison
Welcome to Ringwood Secondary College for 2022, a year for regeneration, exploring possibilities and unlocking our potential! I do hope that you enjoyed a relaxing and restful holiday with your family and friends. The year has begun relatively smoothly with our students reuniting, rekindling friendships and creating connections with staff and fellow students. As in 2021, it needs to be a year focussed on connections and reconnection with highlights including the commencement of the year 7’s, new students, new and returning staff. I extend a warm welcome to our new families and look forward to many years of celebration, connection and collaboration together.
Brene Brown delivers a similar message when she defines connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard and valued; when they can give and receive without judgement; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.
I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our staff, students, and families for supporting Ringwood Secondary College (RSC) in 2021. The development of emotional empathy combined with everyone’s efforts ensured the wellbeing and safety of everyone was forefront and centre of our thinking. These collective efforts created positive change that will hopefully continue to provide exciting opportunities and experiences for our students. My hope is that our college community continues to foster creative talent and the growth of flourishing and thriving individuals.
Congratulations to our 2021 Year 12 VCE and VCAL cohort for their perseverance and tenacity to achieve fine outcomes that included 24 students achieving ATAR’s over 90, and 8 students with ATAR’s of over 95. I am very proud to announce that Julia Rooney-Watson is our College Dux, achieving an ATAR of 98.40. Congratulations Julia! Statistics reflected a median study score of 30.00, a mean study score of 30.00 and 7% of study scores over 40.
High achievers included Lachlan O’Donnell 97.85, Olivia Henry 97.45, Nicholas Roe 96.80, Flynn Commins 96.50, Daniel Watson 96.40 ,Joshua Clements 95.40, Audrey Goodman 95.20, Emilie Young 94.30, Nathan Dunn 94.25, Samuel Rhodes 94.25, Megan Rennick 94.20, Fanwen Zheng 93.75, Htoo Pway Bwint 93.70, Natasha Gaspari 93.45, Brooklyn Owen 93.25, Clinton Bouphasavanh 92.80, Tarni Cavanagh 92.35, Darcy Bystersky 92.15, Klay Po 92.05, Liam Huttig 91.65, Lucy Philp 91.00, Charlotte Pratley 90.75 and Scarlett Cuthbert 90.70.
The upcoming weeks will be busy with important events to help inspire and reconnect our community:
- The Prefects Induction-a celebratory time for teachers, parents and students and our college leaders
- Leadership training for our junior and middle year level leaders
- Music Recruitment Evening for all Year 7 students, parents and carers
- Rehearsals for our musical production ‘Urinetown’
- Sporting team selections and interschool sport
Student leadership is strongly embedded across the college with our Year 12 students willing to lead and become great role models of our college vision and values. The year 12 student leaders for 2022 are:
Head Prefects: Sienna Sleigh and Brooke Humphreys
Deputy Head Prefects: Hannah Walne and Gimhan Seneviratne
House Prefects
Frazer-Gimhan Senevirathne
Mabo-Madi Bailey
Freeman- Mylee James
Jackman-Hannah Walne
Chaplaincy-Kaila Bergmann
Cultural Diversity-Dim Khawm Kim, Vunglawhnuam Naluak
Performing Arts-Brooke Humphreys, Sienna Sleigh
Sport-Mia Busch, Cade Cavanagh
Visual Arts-Kaila Bergmann
Wellbeing-Zoe Fretter
Music-Matt Nolan
Philanthropy-Chelsea Hillier
Student leaders, Alyssa Solidiga and Jackson Smith represented our college in 2021, as the year 10 Student Wellbeing Action Team (SWAT) closely working with Maroondah City Council (MCC) Early Childhood and Youth Services. They were successful in winning the Impact Award for the SWAT. In this week’s staff meeting. Alyssa and Jackson presented a student’s perspective on the activation of student voice and agency in the classroom. I would like to thank them both for their insight and very detailed planning to convey pertinent views about reinvigorating student voice and activating curiosity for learning.
The VCE Season of Excellence showcases work produced by outstanding VCE students who completed performing or visual arts, technology, design, or research studies in 2021.
Top Designs (VCD) and Top Class (Dance) and (Music) feature our students and I am delighted to announce that Brooke Humphreys has been selected to performing her VET Contemporary solo from 2021 in Top Class Dance, Wednesday March 16th. 2pm, at the Melbourne Recital Centre. Tickets are available via the Melbourne Recital Centre: www.melbournerecital.com.au/events/2022/top-class-dance-2022.
Kaila Bergmann received a perfect score (50) in Visual Communication Design and her School Assessed Task (SAT) folio was selected for Top Designs which will be displayed at the Melbourne Museum exhibition in March. Congratulations to both Brooke and Kaila for their outstanding achievements and selection in the VCAA Seasons of Excellence, particularly in the context of another uniquely challenging year. Lacey Shattock (Dance) and Charlie Lodge (Music) are to be congratulated as they were shortlisted and auditioned to perform for the Seasons of Excellence. This is a fine achievement that reflects their hard work and excellent VCE results.
The tender process for the STEM centre is underway with Clark Hopkins Clarke (CHC) working with the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) to finalise builders. At this stage construction will commence in Term 2 with the current Science and Technology rooms being relocated. Other environmental work includes extensive landscaping for an access ramp located alongside the gym that winds down to the oval. This project, to be completed in early March, will provide increased safety and inclusive accessibility for all our students and staff.
The Department of Education and Training have continued to fund all Victorian schools to operate the Tutor Program to supports students whose learning was impacted during remote and flexible learning in 2021. Selected students will receive intensive learning support to providing them with an opportunity to catch up and improve their learning. This program will commence soon with parent/carers notified if your child is identified for potential support.
Welcome to our all our new and returning staff. For some staff, this is a new adventure, whether it be their first teaching appointment or transitioning from another profession. I hope they have a year of great accomplishment and happiness.
New staff:
Nilly Bani-Careers Practitioner
Jai Edwards-Sport Trainee
Marco-Jaime Galluci-Business Management
Jamie Griffiths-Food Technology/Health
Cameron James-English
Segev Livnat-LOTE Assistant
Naomi Lowry-Science
Kathryn Mahoney-Junior Sub School Leader/PE/Maths
Erin O’Sullivan-Visual Arts
Natalie Murray-Food Technology
Matthew Oates-English/Tutor
Sylvia Tandberg-Visual Arts
Sharon Wang-IT/Library Technician
Olivia Winczura-French/Legal/EAL
Debra Zhang-English
Returning staff:
Kevin Bonnett-Music
Lucas Craig-Mathematics
Jessica Duffy- English/Tutor
Maddi Fiorelli-PE
Allison Kenins-Mathematics
Corey Lucas-Evans-Event Management/AV
Nathan O’Malley-Humanities
Eleni Stathatos-Assistant Principal/English
I would like to leave you with this quote that conveys a strong message-we all need to work with each other and understand that every one of us has a role to play in creating positive and healthy conditions no matter our interests, passions or expertise.
“It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. We are made to live together because of the interrelated structure of reality.” — Martin Luther King Jr
PRIVACY COLLECTION STATEMENT – Information for parents and carers
During the ordinary course of your child’s attendance at our school, school staff will collect your child’s personal and health information when necessary to educate your child, or to support your child’s social and emotional wellbeing or health. Such information will also be collected when required to fulfil a legal obligation, including duty of care, anti-discrimination law and occupational health and safety law. If that information is not collected, the school may be unable to provide optimal education or support to your child or fulfil those legal obligations.
For example, health information may be collected through the school nurse, primary welfare officer or wellbeing staff member. If your child is referred to a specific health service at school, such as a Student Support Service officer, or school-engaged psychologist, the required consent will be obtained.
Our school may use online tools, such as apps and other software, e.g. Compass, to effectively collect and manage information about your child for teaching and learning purposes, parent communication and engagement; student administration; and school management purposes. When our school uses these online tools, we take steps to ensure that your child’s information is secure. If you have any concerns about the use of these online tools, please contact us.
School staff will only share your child’s personal or health information with other staff who need to know to enable the school to educate or support your child or fulfil a legal obligation. When our students transfer to another Victorian government school, personal and health information about that student will be transferred to that next school. Transferring this information is in the best interests of our students and assists that next school to provide optimal education and support to students.
In some limited circumstances, information may be disclosed outside of the school (and outside of the Department of Education and Training). The school will seek your consent for such disclosures unless the disclosure allowed or mandated by law.
Our school values the privacy of every person. When collecting and managing personal and health information, all school staff must comply with Victorian privacy law. For more information about privacy including about how to access personal and health information held by the school about you or your child, see our school’s privacy policy: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Pages/schoolsprivacypolicy.aspx
Throughout this notice, ‘staff’ includes principals, teachers, Student Support Service officers, youth workers, social workers, nurses and any other allied health practitioners and all other staff at our school. This includes employees, agents and service providers (contractors) of the Department, whether paid or unpaid.
School Council Elections 2022
Nominations are now open for three parent vacancies, four school employee positions, two student vacancies on our School College Council for a two-year term. If you are an enthusiastic parent, staff member or student interested in getting more involved and having a say in what our college is doing, or know someone who is, we would love to hear from you. We are looking for people who are committed to improving the educational outcomes for all our students.
Effective school councils have a broad range of experience, skills and expertise. Face-to-face and online training is also available to help councillors develop the skills and knowledge for the job. Parents find their involvement satisfying and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging.
If you would like to find out more information, please contact myself or Karen Carden. Nominations for School Council will close on Thursday March 3rd, 2022. Nomination forms are available, via email, from Karen Carden kcarden@ringwoodsc.vic.edu.au
Maria Allison
Acting Principal