From the Office
Ringwood Training Open Night
Join us at the College for the Ringwood Training Open Night on Tuesday 8th August 7 - 8 pm
School Council
The new RT Manager Mr. Shayne van der Heide was introduced to the School Council and welcomed aboard. He was unfazed by the “Huge shoes to fill” comments.
From our Fashion Editor:
Three samples of a new student summer dress were on display, two of which were preferred by student leaders. After some discussion the majority of School Council members supported the option, that they felt represented Ringwood SC the best. The dominant green colour has been replaced and maroon and grey tones introduced via the check pattern, piping and the buttons; white collars and sleeve trims add a nice contrast and would look very smart with the charcoal jumper. There is no change in style to the dress.
This change will be progressively introduced over the next two years commencing in 2018 for all new students. The dress will be on display in the administration office later this term.
“Improving School Governance” folders were distributed to councillors that had requested them; this will enable them to partake fully in the assessment and review of School Council and how well it works.
The Principal, Mr Michael Phillips reported on the Building Project status of the new Junior School and Library. The building is still on track to be finished for term 4; a proposed grand opening date in late September was mooted. It was also suggested that an open day for the community should be held for them to see the hard-earned tax dollar at work. The budget is still healthy and additional funds have been received to resolve drainage problems encountered. Extensive landscaping and paving outside the Library is underway and the rendering of the front wall has been approved. Painting in the main building will commence shortly.
In Finance the budget is overall in a healthy position although student fees are down slightly which may be due to the large number of activities and events causing a strain on parental cash available.
Annual Implementation Plan: for Improving Student Outcomes – 6 month snapshot was presented. This outlined improvement strategies to be taken over a flexible two to three year period. There are a number of teacher teams working together to build consistency of practice and the council is pleased with progress being made.
Facilities have been beavering away as usual with some more classrooms having a fresh coat of paint; the oval has another level of piers installed; as mention last month, the lighting bars in the PAC are now all motorised ready for the 2017 production. It was noted that 100 solar panel are now installed and electricity charges at this stage are less than last year. The girl’s uniform may become less green but the school gets more and more green every day.
Ringwood Training
The automotive section is, well, ‘motoring’. The numbers are steadily climbing and close to 100 students at a time in the facility. The question was asked as to the limits on the facility to effectively train more students. Mr van der Heide will investigate what issues may arise in the future. The CISCO course has 48 more students due to an arrangement with another college. The laser cutting machine has been sold off and will be replaced by a state of the art plasma cutter when the necessary partnerships are in place.
The signage for the RT is under review; some is already installed on the Hill St facing windows but needs more recognition from Bedford Road.
RT will be hosting a Professional Development Activity and a workshop for IT Teachers, VETis Trainers, Careers and VET Practitioners.
The Satisfaction Survey has been completed with over 95% of students saying they would recommend the training and organisation.
Thanks once again to the recently retired RT Manager, Mr. Joe Pollock; huge shoes to fill indeed.
Charles Heathcote
School Councillor
Attendance
COMPASS MANAGEMENT OF STUDENT ATTENDANCE BY PARENTS
MESSAGES CAN BE LEFT ON THE ATTENDANCE LINE 9845 7519 AT ANY TIME - NIGHT OR DAY
- Parents - It is important that you call in absences or update Compass on a daily basis
- Just a reminder that any June/July unapproved absences need to be updated now
- If you receive an SMS message advising that your child is not at school please ring the attendance line on 9845 7519 as soon as possible
Your support with all matters attendance is appreciated.
Attendance Officer
From the Chaplain
THE HEADLINES READ: Wimbledon 2017: Roger Federer 'always believed' he could win again..... The confidence of a man who had already won 7 Wimbledon tittles but had been on a 5 year drought.
It's an amazing story of somebody who many people would have believed nearing the end of his career. But I think this highlights something pivotal for a lot of us in our own personal lives. The first of those being perseverance.
Perseverance results in training and hard work despite the odds being stacked up against you. Perseverance understands that things don't come easily and require real effort at times. Secondly, the inner voice - what is the recording that you are playing in your head? For Federer he would have moments of thinking what am I doing here and why don't you just give up reinforced by the negative influence of what was written in the tabloids. However, he didn't waiver from his own self belief that "he could win again".
What areas do you feel you need to show perseverance in?
Where is your inner voice leading you to discouragement. What are the thoughts that you project on yourself and how can you switch it to one of self belief?
There is enough negativity out there so no need being so hard on yourself. Who knows maybe your own personal victory is just around the corner?
Adam Bryant
Chaplain (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thurs)
Careers
Year 12
Year 12 students need to be actively exploring their career pathways. VTAC opens on the 7 August and closes 28 September. Although there are some courses that close early. These include several courses at the Victorian College of the Arts. For example the following courses close on the 31st August: Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance), Bachelor of Fine Arts (Animation), Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television), Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television) Bachelor of Fine Arts (Screenwriting). Please check the dates carefully!
All Year 12 students will be interviewed to ensure appropriate pathways and in a year level assembly the VTAC process will be outlined. It is an exciting time for year 12s!
Year 9, 10 and 11
Year 10 and 11 students need to be seriously considering their subject selections for 2018. Attending Open Days should be a major part of their investigations.
Students will be required to submit subject selections on the following dates:
Year 11 students on the 21 August
Year 10 students on the 22 August
Year 9 students on the 23 August
The RSC Careers website is a wealth of information, please take of advantage of this resource.
Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre
VTAC have just released a new app which gives you access to Prerequisites 2020
The new VTAC App is free and includes the Prerequisite and Course Explorer for years 10 through to 12.
CourseSearch is currently being finalised and will be available from Monday 24 July.
News from
- La Trobe University
Aspire Program at La Trobe La Trobe offers an Early Entry program called Aspire. This program is designed to acknowledge secondary students who work hard to make positive changes in their schools and communities through volunteering. The Aspire Early Admissions Program acknowledges a student’s volunteering efforts when they apply. As a successful applicant, students receive an offer into their course in September before they receive their ATAR - Aspire Early Admissions Program
Key dates for the Aspire Program Applications already open – 1 June 2017 Applications close – 31 August 2017 Notification of Outcome – from mid-September 2017
ACU
Early Achievers' Program - Closing date extended!
We are excited to share that the Early Achiever’s Program has a new, extended closing date of 31st July. This provides students extra time to finalise their applications.
APS Careers in Psychology seminar 2017
Calling all VCE students! The ACU Melbourne Campus will host the Australian Psychological Society (APS) Careers in Psychology seminar. The event is presented by the APS Melbourne Branch Student Working Party, and provides secondary and undergraduate psychology students with an insight into several specialist areas of psychology.
Date: Thursday 3 August 2017, 6pm – 9pm Venue: Cathedral Hall, 20 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, Victoria, 3065.
Free public event. Refreshments provided. Enquiries: melbapsstudents@gmail.com
Pre-Audition Workshop
NICA is a national not-for-profit arts training organisation registered as a cultural organisation and primarily funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Communications and the Arts. Auspiced by Swinburne University of Technology, NICA is the only training institute of its kind in Australia.
Students keen on applying for one of the NICA courses in 2018, or simply want to advance their circus skills, might like to participate in a one-day pre-audition workshop on Saturday 29 July 2017. Find out more and/or register at NICA Pre-Audition Workshop
Helen Doherty
Careers / Vet Convenor