Around the School

BMX Open State Titles

Jake took part in the BMX Victorian Open State Titles in Warrnambool on the 17th-18th November.

We were very proud that he made the Finals in his class - 15 Boys - the first time he has done so in 6 years of competing (always in a large, tough class).  He came away with a V8 plate which means he is the 8th best in Victoria in his age group.  In Victoria, the State Titles are ‘open’ - which often means Jake will be competing against interstate riders as well.  Of the top 8 riders in Jake's class, 4 of them were actually from interstate.

Facilities report

The last few weeks have proven to be very busy at the school. We are currently sanding back the gymnasium to enable new line marking and re-varnishing.

This along with the new padding and glass backboards will provide a vastly improved stadium for the school community to enjoy. The front fence now has most panels installed and is looking great. A lick of paint has freshened up an office in Wellbeing and we are looking forward to several large jobs over summer holidays including the restumping of woodwork rooms, painting of rooms 702 and 700 and carpeting of Auto and room 702.  Recently an additional handrail was installed beside the Auto stairs to improve safety for the many staff and students using the building. Preparation for next year’s capital works is well under way with feedback being sought on initial plans, surveyors mapping out the site and other contractors preparing reports. Very exciting.

Other recent works include installation of a new hot water service for rooms 1-10, commercial dishwasher for Food Technology, repairs to the Science corridor roof, and landscaping the RT Hill St garden.

A big thank-you to all the facilities staff, cleaners and facilities committee for the work undertaken throughout 2018.

Chris Salisbury

Facilities Manager

From the Chaplain

Gifts that keep on giving:

I’m always challenged by Christmas when I see the frenzy of shoppers race around the car park like dodgem cars, followed by the chaos inside as people speed through Eastland trying to hunt down those last minute gifts.  Lines always seem to be busy and stores seem to run out of that one item you badly wanted, which of course will be restocked the day after you need it.  

The Year 12 alternative to schoolies students and I were really challenged last week on our camp about the difference between empathy and sympathy.  By definition, sympathy is to take pity at someone’s misfortune. We were challenged, however, to think about an empathetic response, that is one where you take the time to think about the persons perspective. The challenge with empathy is that it can take more time but it’s worth it because it goes a lot deeper for both ourselves and the recipient. I was thinking about this in relation to Christmas.  

Whilst giving presents isn't necessarily a sympathetic response to our friends and family it can often be a quick response and one that can end up more of a chore.  Then I was thinking of my own personal challenge for Christmas and that was to be more empathetic to the person who stole the car park I had been waiting for, or to the person who jumped the line in front of me and what about that family member who I struggle to speak to as they share about how their year has been. I wonder what that may add for me this Christmas as I attempt to share in the real gifts of Christmas, gifts of Joy, of Love and of Peace! 

Trusting your Christmas is one of challenge and happiness and look forward to catching up and hearing some of the stories in the New Year!!

Adam Bryant

Chaplain(Mon, Tue, Wed, Thurs) 

Year 10 Formal

The Year 10 Formal was held at Linley Estate on a balmy evening on Monday 10 December. The students gathered in the grounds, finding their friends and exchanging wide-eyed compliments as parents, proud as punch looked on taking the odd sneaky snap, trying not to embarrass their young man or woman.

The formal is important for the Year 10's as they get a chance to dress up, have a 3-course meal and a sing and dance with their friends to celebrate a year of hard work and to farewell those on alternative pathways for 2019.

As we parted the curtains to let the students into the ballroom, their eyes lit up and the mood was set for a fabulous evening. Their attitudes matched their outfits as they ate their meals, piled into the photo booth and hit the dancefloor.

I would like to thank Kate Hine and the Formal Committee for volunteering their time to make decisions and organise their cohort prior to the event, and to all the staff that volunteered their evening to supervise the event and let their hair down on the dancefloor. All of us Middle School staff will miss this wonderful cohort and wish them all the best for 2019.

Mrs. Jacqui Godfrey

Middle School Mabo House Coordinator

Careers

Please read the upcoming Careers Information

Helen Doherty

Careers Coordinator

Australian Supermodel of the Year Finalist

Congratulations to Lacey Shattock, Ringwood Secondary’s Year 8 student for qualifying as a finalist in the Australian Supermodel of the Year (ASOTY) Teen Division modelling competition.

Earlier this year Lacey competed in Miss Fashion Week Australia’s National modelling competition, where she won Miss Fashion Week Australia (Teen u 15yrs) so progressing to Australian Supermodel of the Year seemed to be a natural progression for her.

As part of her participation in the ASOTY competition, Lacey is proudly supporting CanTeen, raising awareness and funding for 12-25yr olds with cancer in their worlds, whether it’s their own or a friend or family member.

If you are interested in helping sponsor Lacey’s journey you can do so by contacting her directly at cali-fit@optusnet.com.au or donating to CanTeen at  chuffed.org/fundraiser/asoty-for-canteen-8918

The ASOTY finals take place in Bali in 2019.

Opportunities for our Graduates

For our graduating year 12s and anyone wanting to give back please consider Volunteering.

When you volunteer, you not only gain skills and knowledge, you give back to the community. Opportunities are available in areas such as emergency services, education, social justice, environment, heritage and culture, and sport and recreation.

Time commitments vary too. You can either volunteer full-time, part-time, occasional, or just the one-off.  These are just some of the volunteering opportunities available. You'll need to follow the links provided for more information and to register interest.

https://careers.vic.gov.au/career-pathways/volunteering-1909

Ms Sharlene (Charlie) Hetherington

Girls in STEM

The 2018 Superhack was a competition at Melbourne University over the weekend of 1st & 2nd Dec,  where four year 10/11 girls used previous and newly learned knowledge of I.T. and programming, in order to use Arduino software to manipulate a Zumo Robot.

We met our mentors on day 1 who were there to help us learn all we needed to know for the competition on day 2. Day 1 consisted of a presentation from the woman running the competition then followed by several hours of explanations, learning and coding.

Day 2 was the big competition; four and a half hours were given to us to complete the task which was to save a civilian from being trapped in a burning room. The weekend was a really fun way to conclude the school year and brought four girls who would not necessarily interact together to overcome a challenge.

Emily Vains