Assistant Principals

From Mrs Stathatos

Assessment and Reporting

Reports will be published via Compass on the last day of term. Due to the continuous feedback model the college has adopted, and where students have had continuous feedback during the semester the reports will contain information on overall achievement, assessment task grades, absences and work habits. A letter about reporting is included in this newsletter. Our next Parent Teacher Student Conferences will be on Wednesday 30th August.

Year 9 InterGREAT

On Tuesday 20th of June- World Refugee day- the day that the Immigration Minister, Mr Dutton spoke to the media about garnering bipartisan support in parliament for the changes proposed to the citizenship laws, Year 9 InterGREAT students and their teachers were exploring the notion of citizenship and Australian values. Students undertook the citizenship test and shared the experience. I visited each class and saw engaged students and teachers working with topical material on a real issue. Such powerful exploration and education opens the door to being a responsible and productive citizen in our global community. The values of respect, integrity and personal best were certainly evident in classrooms across Year 9 during InterGREAT.

Debutante Ball –May 21st

The final Debutante Ball was held at the Grand and it was a special event highlighting the hard work and professionalism of the whole team that is involved in its production.

A huge thank you goes to the following people: MC Mitch Pierera, the dance instructors Tim and Caitlin Doyle, the senior school team led Mr James Barut, the parent helpers at rehearsals, the staff who supported the evening, the special guests that the Debutantes were presented to including the Principal and his wife Michael and Karen Phillips, the School Council President Craig Guscott, Brian Amos and Meredith Anderson, Julie Hughes and the members of the PCTA especially the President Tracey Howell and Vice President Michelle Shern, and the parents who stepped in to offer their support so generously when it was needed. Without Vicky Plydell and Deb Ball organiser Kathy Donovan, who have worked tirelessly for months and with good humour, this event would not happen. 

We are grateful to everyone who has played their part and especially Vicky and Kathy for going above and beyond the expectations of any volunteers. The Year 11 Debutante Ball will be held on Saturday March 3 2018 at the Grand Wantirna.

Education week

Education week activities included the PCTA Staff thank you morning tea which acknowledges the work that staff do every day for the students at Ringwood Secondary College. It was a most convivial event including the members of the Heritage and Alumni Committee and especially with the grandchildren of the first principal of Ringwood Secondary College, James Bennett being in attendance. This year we acknowledge two staff members’ twenty years of service to the college, Michael Phillips and Deb Wilkins.

As Semester 1 draws to a close it is an opportune time to relax during the holidays, recharge the batteries and look forward to an even better Semester 2.

Eleni Stathatos

From Mr Barut

JUNIOR SCHOOL

The youngest members of our school community have completed six months of secondary school! Fantastic achievement! Feedback from the Junior School team is that all students have forged friendships, acquaintances and a real awareness of the work that is required to do well and flourish in a secondary environment. No one asks students to do more than their personal best and RSC has a deep and rich history, with its teaching and learning offerings and its extra curricular programs, to challenge all our students to achieve their personal best. Reports will be posted on Compass next week for all parents to peruse and this is an important part of the learning journey – focus on learning growth. Whilst all the tasks are on Compass, with continuous feedback throughout the semester, the reports will provide an overview of values and attitudes to learning – important aspects of the development of the whole student.

Next Friday, the last day of term, the Year 7s will travel to the Karralyka centre for a House Trivia Challenge and pizza lunch….what a way to finish the term!

Good luck to all our students and thank you in advance for the Junior School team in their hard work in making this event happen.

The Year 8 cohort continue to thrive and establish themselves in a positive way into our school community and we are all looking forward to our move into our brand new, multi purpose Junior School in October.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Our Year 10s have just completed their mid semester exams for the first time…what a fantastic learning experience for them. They are to be congratulated for the way they took on the challenge of the occasion, their exemplary behaviour throughout and their attention to being in the right place at the right time! Thank you to the Middle School team for all their hard work during the examination period, notwithstanding our excellent staff who have to mark all the exams! Well done! Work experience is happening in the last week of term and a taste of adult working life awaits – good luck to all our students.

Early next term, all our Middle School students will be invited to select courses and pathways for 2018 and beyond. Of course, we seek the support of parents during this important time and there will be several information evenings that outline the process and the timeline will be posted on Compass in due course.

SENIOR SCHOOL

The impending break allows all to recharge and hit the ground running for the next term….revitalised, refreshed and rejuvenated. Putting aside the lame alliteration, the two week break can also be a trap for some of our senior school students, especially those undertaking Year 12. I can hear some of the commentary now:

1. ‘I’m going to sleep till midday!’
2. ‘I’m going to shop until I drop!’
3. ‘I’m going to do as many shifts as I can to save for schoolies!’
4. ‘I’m doing Foxtel, footy and focaccias!’

In fact, there are a plethora of activities that our senior students will have time for, and this is to be encouraged, but the advice is based around not forgetting one’s studies and maintaining a routine.

Research has shown that the body and the brain enjoy the consistency of pattern. Thus, the advice from many experts, including Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, is to keep those waking and sleeping hours almost the same. At a minimum, students must undertake to do at least three hours of homework per day, during the term break. Please assist your sons/daughters in this area by gently asking them about their plans and perhaps assisting them with their organisational health. As such, the noble pursuits listed above will be able to be fulfilled without guilt or regret.

Earlier this morning, we farewelled a number of Year 11 students who will be enjoying the sights of our beautiful country through the Central and Northern Australia Tour, eleven nights of flying and bussing. We wish all the attendees and staff a safe and memorable trip. No doubt they’ll have so much to share on their return. Just a reminder that Year 11 classes will be running as normal for those students back at school.

Have a great break

James Barut

From Mrs Allison

As this term draws to a close, it is a timely reminder for all students to reflect upon their academic performance by taking note of suggestions by teachers in their reports, and to utilise this feedback for increased engagement and academic improvement.

Thank you to all students, staff and parents for making the first half of the year such a positive, productive, energetic and exciting time. So many events have been made available to students to extend their breadth of learning, through co-curricular activities. It is a timely reminder for students, that it is never too late to join a sporting team, help out with fundraising activities or involve yourself in something positive!  

I would particularly like to thank our parent groups such as the Music Association, PCTA, and our Heritage team, to name a few, who work tirelessly for our College. Their energy, commitment and enthusiasm provide wonderful opportunities for our students.  I would encourage more families to become involved in College events.

This week’s wellbeing focus is: perseverance

What is perseverance? Why do some people succeed and others fail’?

Perseverance is doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.

Words such as persistence, tenacity, determination, resolve, resolution, resoluteness, purposefulness describe perseverance.

Angela Duckworth has written a book called Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance that explains her theory of "grit" as a predictor of success. She discusses how perseverance and passion matter as much as talent and intelligence and true success comes when we devote ourselves to endeavours that give us joy and purpose. Grit, the combination of passion and perseverance for a singularly important goal—is the hallmark of high achievers in every domain.

By cultivating a growth mindset (a belief that our talent and abilities can be improved with practice), it allows us to talk to ourselves more optimistically (by challenging the reasons for setbacks or failures as neither permanent or pervasive) so we can persevere. Ask yourself, when you’re faced with setbacks, disappointments or plateaus in your progress, what are the stories you tell yourself?

A few tips from parent zone www.parenttoolkit.com/news/perseverance-and-grit-can-be-taught

• Regularly encourage children to try new things. You may also want to try something new with your child, like roller-skating or a new arcade or video game. No one is perfect at anything when they start, and this is a great way to show your child that falling down or not winning isn’t the end of the world.
• Adjust the degree of perseverance needed. If children need a small challenge, present one related to activities they already have ability in. If they need a bigger challenge, take them out of their prior-experience comfort zone.
• Share some instances when you’ve needed perseverance and grit to accomplish a difficult task. We don’t often talk about our earlier failures, so children sometimes think that adult successes all come with ease.
• Be overt. Tell them that they are working on perseverance skills and let them know that struggle and failure are likely. Knowing that they are meant to struggle makes it much easier to deal with.

How can you fall down seven times, and stand up eight? Grit is the key element!  So, if you are interested, you may to do the ‘Grit’ survey that measures the character strength of perseverance.

https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/user/login?destination=node/465

https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/learn/grit

http://angeladuckworth.com/grit-scale/

www.parenttoolkit.com/news/perseverance-and-grit-can-be-taught

Enjoy the upcoming holidays!

Maria Allison