From Mrs Stathatos

New Intersection

A gaggle of luminaries including the Mayor for Maroondah City Council, Mayor Tony Dib JP, Deputy Mayor Nora Lamont, Cr Kylie Spears, Cr Mike Symon, Head Prefects of Ringwood Secondary College, Didier Iriarte Fattel and Ariel Parker, were fortunate to witness the operation of the long awaited traffic lights at the intersection of Bedford Road and Great Ryrie Street. The aim of the traffic lights is to make travelling on Bedford Road safer for all users especially the local primary and high school students who will be assisted by a school crossing supervisor at peak times. Federal Government funds were directed to this project and the local council has advocated for and delivered the project. Caution while travelling on Bedford Road is still required especially as the changing traffic conditions accommodate improvements in the operation of the lights.

Progress Reports and Parent Student Teacher

The Progress reports and Parent Teacher Student Interviews are an opportunity to discuss student progress on work behaviours and academic achievement at this early stage in the year. A list of teacher locations for the interviews on Thursday 30th March will be posted on Compass next week. Online bookings will close on Monday 27th March at 4pm.

The Debutante Ball

The photos say it all. It was a magnificent night with so many parents and students expressing their delight and gratitude for the event. There are many people to thank for making this night so special but most of all we thank our students, and their families, for their involvement, co-operation and support. Our Debutantes are truly a credit to the college. With two more Debutante Balls to manage, I will take the opportunity to thank everyone involved at the end. Next term Year 11 students will be involved in the Deb and information will be provided to families of these students via Compass next week.

Curriculum Day

Please be aware that Tuesday 18th April is a designated Curriculum Day which means it is pupil free. Staff from MEC schools are congregating at the college to hear speaker Glen Pearsall present on the topic of ‘Effective Feedback and Assessment.’ This will be followed by staff workshops for the rest of the day. School commences on Wednesday 19th April for all students with Year 7 Immunisation on the day.

Eleni Stathatos

Assistant Principal

From Mr Barut

Across the Sub Schools:

Students at RSC are very lucky to have committed student leaders to support them in their developmental growth throughout their secondary schooling, both academically, socially and in a welfare paradigm. We see the journey as everyone working as team – school leaders, teachers, students and of course, you, our parents/carers. Thus, as a school community we all need to work together as a team to ensure the best possible outcomes for all. To that end, House Co-ordinators are available to answer any query you might have that relates to the learning or welfare of your son/daughter. These conversations need to always be respectful, timely and cover off on three aspects –decision, action and accountability. To expand on this idea, decision pertains to an outcome, action reflects putting structures and agreements into place and accountability points to all parties keeping up their end of any negotiated action. The importance of being solution focussed must be at the forefront of every interaction, in a positive environment.

I will leave you with the best definition of teamwork I have heard:

‘The only reason I’m here is for everybody’s success….’

Parent Teacher Interviews:

Please make an appointment to speak to your child’s teachers at next week’s parent/teacher interviews. This is a great opportunity to catch up and discuss the learning, transition and events that have occurred in this very busy term.

Staff look forward to your appointment with them.

Compass Photos:

Verification of Compass photos is almost complete – that means, the ordering that has taken place, will be processed in due course. If you have any questions about the photos, please contact Compass directly. Email: support@jdlf.com.au

Mr James Barut

Assistant Principal

From Mrs Allison

The end of semester one is fast approaching and it is an important time for all students to continue to focus and complete all tasks to the highest-level possible. With assessing well underway, it is vital that any missed or incomplete work is submitted for assessment as soon as possible. Parents are encouraged to access Compass to check progress of their son or daughter and contact staff if the need arises. Progress reports will be available, via Compass and Parent Teacher interviews will be held next week on March 30th.

This week’s wellbeing focus…

Technology and Cyber Bullying

As the term progresses it is timely to think about the importance of adopting safe practices regarding young people and technology. Most phones and laptops have cameras and video capabilities, and parents need to closely monitor the use of technology by their children. It is not uncommon for students to be texting and phoning each other well into the night, a practice that inadvertently disturbs their sleep patterns.

Cyber bullying is bullying that is carried out through the internet or mobile phones. Cyber bullying is bullying that is done through the use of technology. For example, using the Internet, a mobile phone or a camera to hurt or embarrass someone is considered cyber bullying. It can be shared widely with a lot of people quickly, which is why it is so dangerous and hurtful.

Being safe from bullies online

Do not share your private information like passwords, name and address, phone numbers with people, you don’t know. This can also include sharing of photos of yourself, your friends and your family

Don’t respond to messages when you are angry or hurt; to strangers or to people you know. This will often encourage them to continue or increase their harassment of you
Log out and stop messaging if you feel you are being harassed
Remember you have the option to block, delete and report anyone who is harassing you online and on your mobile
Find out how to report bullying and harassment on each of the different social networks that you use
Keep a record of calls, messages, posts and emails that may be hurtful or harmful to you
Remember to set up the privacy options on your social networking sites like Facebook in a way you are comfortable

http://au.reachout.com/cyberbullying

http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/teens/how%20do%20i%20deal%20with/cyberbullying.aspx

Mental Health Day

Every year our Wellbeing staff, in collaboration with Maroondah City Council Youth Services, organise’ a ‘Mental Health Day’ for the College community. This year, it was another successful day full of activities and fun, and provided a great opportunity to create a positive environment in which the emotional health of young people could grow and flourish. Thank you to all students, staff and parents for their hard work and commitment. To encourage increased positive emotion and communication, you could regularly ask your son or daughter ‘What went well today’. Be surprised by their candid responses, focus on listening to their story, and enjoy their enthusiasm behind the ‘telling of the story’.

Wellbeing Profiler Survey

Last year, Ringwood Secondary College, along with eighteen local schools, participated in The University of Melbourne’s Wellbeing Profiler Survey, via Maroondah City Council Youth Services. The data we received from the survey was incredibly insightful and has been used to develop future interventions in our school through our ‘Bounce’ classes and level assemblies, so as to address a range of important issues. This year we were offered the opportunity to re survey our students, an opportunity we enthusiastically accepted. The reason we are surveying our students is so that we can measure change in our students over time, as well as to identify areas for improvement and areas of strength.

The Wellbeing Survey was completed online in class by each participating student. The collated data will be later compiled into a comprehensive report outlining each year level’s results within

The University of Melbourne’s six domains of Wellbeing:

Psychological Well-being: Young people’s beliefs and attitudes about their own value, their outlook on life, and their engagement with life. 

Cognitive Well-being: Young people’s perception of their quality of life, competence and accomplishments and their capacity to be mindful in the present moment.

Emotional Well-being and Strengths: Young people’s perceived ability to manage their emotions and their ability to use their strengths in their daily lives. 

Social Well-being: Young people’s perceived quality of relationships with their parents, teachers, peers and community. This domain also taps into the presence of bullying, loneliness and pro-social behaviours.

Physical Well-being: Young people’s perception of their general physical health, their physical appearance and their quality of sleep. 

Economic Well-being: Young people’s perception of economic stability in their home environment.

These reports will also be provided to Maroondah City Council. This data will be used and published in municipal reports which will be publicly available. Please note however that all published data will be de-identified - no student’s individual responses will be identifiable.

Mrs Maria Allison

Assistant Principal

Performing Arts and Music

Rehearsals