Assistant Principals
What does the recent Hollywood Academy apology to Sacheen Littlefeather,
a Native American woman, have to do with learning at Ringwood Secondary College?
The intrinsic and interconnected world in which we live in has all sorts of example of injustices perpetuated throughout history to minority peoples. Making the connections from real world examples to the content studied in a range of subjects adds a level of engagement as part of our learning. One example of the relevance of this event is Year 9 English students reading about the attitudes to the Native American populations in the past and bringing their sensibilities and attitudes to discussions and writing, enriching the learning process. More broadly, the more connections we make to the world of the text and to real life and our own experiences, the greater empowerment we provide to our students to be ethical, considerate and kind individuals in our wonderful community.
The end of the term is approaching quickly and all students are engaged in one form of assessment or another depending on their year level and subjects. While assessments are varied, one message is consistent- that students attend school and do their best. This past fortnight staff professional time has focussed on strategies to encourage active learning as students take increasing responsibility for asking questions to deepen their knowledge and using feedback to improve their skills. Students are activated to employ the positive learning behaviours to support their learning. It continues to be a dynamic and effective teaching and learning time at the College.
The Parent Connect session held on Wednesday evening was a great success. A team of experts from the College informed parents on strategies to use with their children in actively building their wellbeing skills. The partnership between parents and the College was evident in the collaborative nature of the session and we thank parents for being our partners in enabling the conditions for their children to flourish at home.
Our Careers Team has been very productive working with students and families to secure pathways for our students.
Here are some of the successes we had in Term 2 and what’s currently happening in Term 3.
In Term 2:
258 students registered for their Morrisby assessment and 247 students completed their profiling and had their interview with a Morrisby Consultant.
All year 10 students received one on one Managed Individual Pathways (MIPs) career counselling sessions in preparation for Term 3 subject selection.
174 students successfully completed work experience from 20th June to the 24th June.
In Term 3:
All year 10s received one-on-one course selection interviews to assist them with their subject selection.
48 students were interviewed for the VCE-Vocation Major program for 2023, the calibre of students and demand has now created two VCE-VM classes for year 11 2023.
Week 5 of Term 3 one on one VTAC appointments have seen eager Year 12 students attending an appointment with Careers to start their tertiary applications for various universities in Victoria and interstate. These students will be continually supported throughout the remainder of the year and January next year.
Apprenticeship and employment students have commenced seeking work readiness support from careers in preparation for their applications and interviews.
Awards celebrations
It was fabulous to acknowledge the Junior School students at the recent Awards Ceremony who have achieved excellent results last semester. The Middle School Awards ceremony will equally recognise Year 9 & 10 students who have achieved outstanding results. Such successes are an inspiration for students to continue to work effectively and reap the benefits of their efforts. Well done to all.
Our performing arts are thriving with many students and staff involved in the musical production ‘Urinetown’. It was another high-quality Ringwood Secondary College production that showcases the wonderful talent of our hardworking students and staff. Congratulations to all our music students who have performed to the best of their ability in the Victorian Schools Music Festival.
Congratulations to our Sporting teams especially our table tennis team for their skilful, persistent efforts to excel in the State School Sport finals. Thank you to Wayne Houben for his expert coaching and long-term support at our college.
We have a large number of pre-service teachers gaining their teaching experience at Ringwood Secondary College. Students from The University of Melbourne, Monash University, Swinburne University, The Australian Catholic University, RMIT, Latrobe University, Victorian University and Deakin University have had placements with us and we are so fortunate to have their energy and enthusiasm at our College. Their mentor teachers are wonderful at providing guidance and expertise to enable the pre-service teachers to gain valuable experience at such a large school. We know that they enjoy their time with us and we do miss them when they leave us.
Eleni Stathatos on behalf of the Assistant Principals, Maria Allison and Agatha Fedrizzi