From the Office

Attendance

To help manage your child’s/children’s attendance so that all absences are updated and accounted for on a regular basis – please help by following these few simple steps

This is particularly important for VCE students who have a 90% attendance requirement across all subjects

Daily Absences

• Please contact the attendance line before 10.00am to have the absence recorded
• Or Log onto the Parent Portal in Compass and record the absence yourself before 10.00am
• If you are leaving a message on the attendance line please leave the reason for the absence

Late to School

If a student will be late for any reason - with parent approval

• Notify the school via the attendance line where possible in the morning
• Or send a note with your child
• In both instances the students will need to sign in at the office on arrival.

To ensure that we can manage the welfare and safety of everyone in the school community it is important that the above steps are followed.

Any absence that is not recorded before 10.00am will generate an SMS message and remain unapproved until updated

• Please note that any ‘late to class’ entries cannot be approved by a parent as it is a student’s responsibility to attend each class on time.
• If the class absence is in relation to a school based activity then the absence will be updated by the school.

Parents who have any problems with recording absences on Compass should contact the school or the attendance line for assistance.

Kay Priestly

Attendance Officer

Ringwood Training's WELDING Short Course

RT's next Welding Short course begins on October 10th 2017, 6pm-9pm.

Learn how to use a welder or expand your current welding skills. 

Course Fee is $350.00.

For further information relating to this course or to enrol, please contact the RT Administration Office on 9845 7560 or Email: enquiries@rt.vic.edu.au

Art and Technology Exhibition

It won’t be long before our annual Art and Technology Exhibition is upon us. Our students are enthusiastically creating many pieces of work that will be on display. The exhibition will highlight the skills and talents of all our students as artists.

The Opening Night will be held on Tuesday 24th October at 7pm in the RT building (upstairs) at Ringwood Secondary College.

The exhibition is open to anyone, so come along and enjoy what will be a great school/community event. Entry by gold coin donation.

We look forward to seeing you on the Opening Night of the 2017 Art and Technology Exhibition.

Dina Mihailidis

Head of Visual Arts

From First Aid

Coughs and Colds

Nancy Davies and Kerrie Hausler

College Nurses

Career News

News for the Career Team

Helen Doherty

Careers

From the Chaplain

As Fathers day has just passed I thought it was only appropriate to share a poem of a Father.  

But this is not just for the Fathers as we can all take something from this poem.  

As parents its important to encourage our kids to appreciate that the goal is not the success but the journey and how they respond. 

The Race

Whenever I start to hang my head in front of failure’s face

My downward fall is broken by the memory of a race.

A child’s race, young boys, young men … how I remember well

Excitement sure … but also fear … it was not hard to tell.

They all lined up so full of hope, each thought to win the race.

Or tie for first, or if not that, at least take second place.

And fathers watched from off the side, each cheering for his own; 

And each child hoped to show his dad that he would be the one.

The whistle blew, and off they went, young hearts and hopes afire.

To win … to be the hero … that was each young child’s desire.

And one child in particular whose dad was in the crowd,

Was running in the lead and thought my dad will be so proud.

But as he sped down the field across a shallow dip,

The child, who thought to win, lost his step and slipped.

Trying hard to catch himself, his hands flew out in brace.

And mid the laughter of the crowd the child fell on his face.

So down he fell with lost hope; he couldn’t win not now.

Embarrassed, sad, he only wished to disappear somehow.

But as he fell his dad stood up, and showed his anxious face; 

This to the child so clearly said; “Get up and win the race.”

He quickly rose … no damage done … behind a bit, that’s all.

And off he ran with all his might to make up for his fall.

So anxious to restore himself, to catch up, and to win;

His mind went faster than his legs …he slipped and fell again.

He wished then that he had quit before, with only one disgrace.

I’m hopeless as a runner now I should not try to race.

But in the laughing crowd he searched and found his father’s face.

That steady look that said again, “Get up and win the race.”

So up he jumped to try again, 10 yards behind the last. 

If I’m going to gain those yards I’ve got to run real fast.

Exerting everything he had … regaining eight then ten.

But trying hard to catch the lead he slipped and fell again.

Defeat; he lay there silently … a tear dropped from his eye. 

There is no sense in running anymore … three strikes, I’m out, why try?

The will to rise had disappeared all hope had fled away.

So far behind, so error prone I’ll never go all the way.

I’ve lost – so what’s the use he thought. I’ll live with my disgrace.

But then he thought about his dad who soon he would have to face.

“Get up” … an echo sounded low … “Get up and take your place …

You were not meant for failure here … get up and win the race.”

“Get up” it said, “you have not lost at all.

For winning is no more than this – to rise each time you fall.”

So up he rose to run once more refusing to forfeit.

He resolved, that win or lose the race, at least he would not quit.

So far behind the others now … the most he had ever been,

So he gave it all he had and ran as though to win.

Three times he had fallen, stumbling … three times he had rose again.

Too far behind to hope to win … but he still ran on to the end.

They cheered the winning runner as they crossed the line first place.

Head high ... proud and happy … no falling, no disgrace.

But when the fallen youngster crossed the line … last place

The crowd gave him the greatest cheer for finishing the race.

And even though he came in last with head bowed low un-proud.

You would have thought that he had won the race to listen to the crowd.

And to his dad, he sadly said –“I did not do so well.”

“To me you won”, his father said. “You rose each time you fell.”

Now when things seem dark and difficult to face,

The memory of that child helps me in my race.

For all of life is like that race with ups and downs and all.

And all you have to do to win – IS RISE EACH TIME YOU FALL.

And when depression and despair shout loudly in my face,

Another voice within me says, “Get up and win the race!”

The original poem has been attributed to Dr.  D.H. “Dee” Groberg and has been slightly amended by 

Dr Gordon F Gatiss 2004-2006

Adam Bryant

Chaplain (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thurs)