Assistant Principals
From Mrs Hughes
A very warm welcome to all students and families for the 2016 school year. I trust you all had a relaxing, happy and safe time during the January break. In particular, welcome to our new cohort of Year 7 students and new students at other year levels. We are delighted to have you and your family join our community and trust you will enjoy your secondary education at the College.
It has been very pleasing to see students settle into classes, being focused on their work and adjusting to the new daily routine. Year 7 students in particular have been very keen to use their iPads, meet teachers and students and commence their new subjects and routines.
Second Hand Uniform Sale
Families who have not yet collected unsold items and/or cash payments from the sale held last December may collect money and items from the general office during the week Monday, 8 February to Friday, 12 February. The College will retain any items or money uncollected by this date.
School Uniform
It has been wonderful to see our Year 7 students proudly wearing their new uniform. Overall students have been wearing the correct uniform but there are some students wearing old uniform items. There was a two-year phasing in period, ending in 2015, to recognise families that had made recent purchases of items that were being discontinued. We ask that families support the College and ensure their child/ren wear the correct items each day. We expect students will bring a signed note from their parent/guardian to their Community Coordinator if they are out of uniform. Uniform detentions will be held on a regular basis to encourage adherence to the requirements. A copy of the Student Dress Code is attached for your information.
We apologise for the delay in the availability of the wide brimmed sunhat. PSW advise there have been production problems and we are hoping these hats will be in stock very soon.
Visitors to the College
Throughout the year there may be times when parents/guardians need to visit the college to discuss a matter with a member of staff. If this is the case, please contact the College to arrange an appointment prior to attending – due to teaching commitments, teachers are often not available during the day. As outlined in our Visitors Policy, all parents/visitors attending the College must report to the Administration Office to sign-in prior to entering other sections of the school. Thank you for your support.
From Mr Barut
Senior School
We welcome all our VCE students to the start of the school year
It is with great pleasure and high expectations that we welcome all our VCE students and their families to the 2016 academic school year.
As per our traditional opening assemblies, the VCE cohort were invited to reflect on their final years of secondary schooling. For the 12s, approximately 32 weeks of classes and extended school life awaits them before their first examination. For the year 11s, their last exam will occur in 2017, but the focus for success, and achieving one’s personal best is the constant message.
The senior school students will always be the spiritual leaders of a school and they will always be role models for the other year levels.
As such, classes have started very well and students have settled into their new subjects and most have mapped out a workable study routine.
The Senior School team is always available to assist all our students on their educational journey.
This year’s team is:
Mr James Barut – Assistant Principal
Mr Matthew Porter – Head of Senior School
Mrs Cathy Menz – Year 12 Community
Co-ordinator
Ms Natalie Kosnar – Year 12 Community
Co-ordinator
Mr Matthew Saunders – Year 11
Community Co-ordinator
Ms Anna Urbano – Year 11 Community
Co-ordinator
Ms Fiona Sawyer – Year 11 Community
Co-ordinator
We look forward to a sensational 2016.
From Mrs Stathatos
Middle School
Welcome to all our students and their families to Middle School. We have begun the year smoothly and students have familiarised themselves with their new subjects and teachers, while the expectations about working and behaviour as a student of the Middle School has been clearly outlined by each of the co-ordination teams.
Ms Watson’s report sums up the very energetic and positive start to 2016.
Welcome to 2016!
Hello and welcome to the start of what we know will be an exciting and busy year for Middle School students. It certainly appears that our staff and students have all enjoyed a restful break and are motivated to achieve great things in 2016.
There have been a few changes to the Middle School team this year. We would like to introduce ourselves and look forward to supporting you and your child in their endeavours:
Middle School Assistant Principal:
Eleni Stathatos
Year 9 Coordinators (allocated by form group)
- Alyce Bailey – 9A, 9B & 9C
- Shane Asbury – 9D, 9E & 9F
- Kim Watson – 9G, 9H, 9I & 9J
Year 10 Coordinators (allocated by surname)
- Michael Kent – A-Ga
- Benn Jamieson – Ge-Me
- Jonathon Rogers (Sub-school Leader) – Mi-Z
Uniform
As it is the beginning of a new year we felt that it was worth reminding parents of the expectations surrounding uniform for RSC students. Girls should be wearing either the college dress or tailored charcoal shorts and a white shirt with college logo. Boys are to wear tailored charcoal shorts and a white shirt with the college logo. Please note that polo shirts are no longer acceptable. All students must be wearing white ankle socks and black, leather lace-up or buckled shoes that can be polished.
We have noticed a tendency for students to wear socks with branding such as the Nike tick or Globe written on them. The uniform policy clearly states ‘plain white socks’ so these branded socks are not considered uniform. We ask that parents please try to provide only plain white socks for their child. Thanks so much to parents for their continued support with our uniform policy and also to the many students who continue to respect our college rules.
Year 9 InterGREAT
On Tuesday 2nd February we launched our 2016 interGREAT program. The program is being directed by Year 9 coordinators, Alyce Bailey and Kim Watson, who are supported by an amazing staff team as follows:
9A Peter Vlahos
9B Jacqui Godfrey
9C Alyce Bailey
9D Emma Lim
9E Anna Urbano
9F Miss Jessikah Wintle
9G Victoria White
9H Jonathon Rogers
9I Jess Lundie
9J Kim Watson
Our very first guest speaker was Hugh Van Cuylenburg who spoke to the students about gratitude and mindfulness. Hugh shared his experiences in India and talked about how this inspired him to start his company, ‘The Resilience Project’. Feedback from the students about his talk was exceptionally positive and we encourage you to ask your Year 9 student about it if you have not already been told all about it. Hugh will return later this year to talk to our Year 9s about empathy.
Year 9 Camp
All year 9 students will be heading off to the Phillip Island Adventure Resort on Monday 7th March for a three-day adventure camp. Notices were sent home on Wednesday of this week with forms for medical and dietary requirements and information about what to pack. Please make sure that the medical forms are returned to the First Aid room by Friday 19th of February. If your child is unable to attend for some reason please inform the relevant community coordinator. We do not need to hear from parents of students who will be attending World Tour at this time.
Year 10 Work Experience
Year 10 classes have started well and students are working hard to ensure that they achieve their very best. We ask that students, who have not yet arranged their placement for work experience later in the year, please do so as soon as possible. If you have any questions be sure to contact Karen Hallam in the careers department via email: khallam@ringwoodsc.vic.edu.au
Student Leaders
During our fortnightly Common assembly on Tuesday we presented our Year 9 leaders with their badges. Congratulations to the following students:
Year 9 leaders: Alice D’Arcy, Kayla Jenkins and Josh Joyce
Sports Captains: Harry Norman and Imogen Hansen
Dance Captains: Emily Standfield and Taylor Blakemore
Music Captains: Ashlee Huynh and Patrick Cottin
From Mrs Allison
Junior School
Welcome back to school for 2016!
2016 is set to be an exciting, life-changing year for your son/daughter full of new experiences, achievements, challenges and positive learning. The Junior School has been buzzing with excitement throughout the past week. Students have settled well into their classes and together with their teachers are looking forward to having a very positive year. The uniform looks sensational!
The College is a rich tapestry of opportunities for enriched learning and involvement in leadership, performing arts, sport or debating to name a few programs. All students and their families are encouraged to become actively involved, meet new people and fully embrace what the Ringwood Secondary College community has on offer.
The next few weeks will be very busy for Year 7 students with upcoming events:
Photos Tuesday, Feb 9th, Information Evening Feb 10th, Wellbeing Transition week commencing Feb 15th (7A-7E) 16th (7F-7J), Swimming Sports Feb 12th, Prefects Induction Feb 18th (Period 4 only), Music Recruitment Evening Feb 22nd, Ambassador training Feb 17th and Adventure Park, Feb 19th. The Year 8 students are not as busy but will be involved in College photos on Tuesday (9th) and the Swimming sports (12th). Tryouts for the 2016 Musical production, ‘Anything Goes’ will be held during the next few weeks and students are encouraged to audition or apply for backstage positions.
Students in year 7 experienced their first Common session last Tuesday that will held each fortnight and alternate with a Bounce class. This week in Common, the year 7 Students were introduced to important points to remember.
Hats are available for purchase from PSW and both students and parents are encouraged to download the Australian UV Alert app onto their iPhone, iPad and Android devices. It provides the UV rating and weather forecast for the day. The app lets you know when you do and don't need sun protection, making it easier than ever to be smart about your sun exposure all year.
http://www.sunsmart.com.au/tools/interactive-tools/free-sunsmart-app
The Year 7 students will receive their diaries next week and are now encouraged to record their homework and any upcoming events to assist with time management and organisation. The diary contains many worthwhile resources and parents are encouraged to check it weekly and discuss ‘What went well’ for the week.
Congratulations to all students who have applied for leadership positions for 2016. Positions including portfolios and responsibilities are very diverse and will be announced shortly. The ambassadors will be involved in the College tours for prospective 2017 students throughout the next few months.
The Junior School team for 2016:
Elizabeth Keenan (Junior Sub School Leader and Year 7 C, D and H Community Head)
Samantha Asbury (Year 7 A, G, H, and J Community Head)
Andrew Scott (Year 7B, E, and F Community Head)
Annie Van Eeden (Year 8A, F and G Community Head).
Faith Stepniewski (Year 8C, D, H and J Community Head).
Peter Anderson (Year 8B, E, and I Community Head).
Staff are always very approachable and will aim to support your son/daughter throughout the year.