All In This Together
Staying Connected
“I can’t get motivated”, is often the basis of a conversation in many households or classrooms in this period of remote learning 2.0.
Each of us has the ability to assist in making this time of learning from home one in which we stay connected in our classes and motivate each other. Without the presence of friends and the classroom buzz, it’s often easy to feel isolated. This in turn leads to a loss of motivation.
You have all the available online tools, resources and support to maintain connections. Connecting with your peers and teachers will give you the extra motivation that you need to engage with online learning for the extended period that we now find ourselves in with Stage 4 restrictions being implemented throughout Melbourne. It also helps you to know that in these unprecedented times you are never alone.
Our parents or carers are also uniquely placed to motivate child(ren) at home, but each young person needs to know how you can help. Communicate with the young people in your household directly so that you are aware of:
- Exactly what work your child should be doing at home
- Workspace or resource requirements for your child’s home learning
- Due dates for assignments so that you can provide reminders where necessary
- Simple activities that you can do to support remote learning on a day-to-day basis
- Any signs that your child is disengaging or needs assistance.
We have got this covered, but it definitely requires the continuing and supportive partnership and effort between home and school.
Just to lighten the mood a little too, I am interested to receive your top 5 tunes for a COVID 19 playlist. I am looking for entries from each year level and there will be some random prizes selected from those that make a submission, including the one that closely matches mine. Put your creative talents to work and we will share the music across the RSC Community.
Let’s all continue to cultivate a desire among students to want to connect and ensure that the development of positive relationships remains a priority for maintaining motivation levels in the weeks ahead.
Michael Phillips OAM
Principal
Islands of change…
Margaret Wheatley’s idea of creating an ‘island of change’ is interesting. She theorises that the ability to co create and to serve other people as our circumstances change creates an ‘island’. Therefore, the communication methods we choose to influence people will directly impact on those in our circle of influence and will hopefully create effective change to restore sanity in our islands. Through personal reflection and awareness of our actions, our values and how our behaviours can influence and shape people, so these islands can prosper.
I extend my gratitude to all staff and students who have embraced the next phase of whole school remote learning in such positive manner. The resilience and fortitude of staff and students all has been wonderful to observe. Times ahead will continue to be challenging, and more than ever coping strategies are essential.
So, take time out for yourself and most importantly be kind and compassionate to each other and help to build one of the strongest resiliency traits: intelligent optimism. This is not about a “new normal,” but rather creating the types of enterprises, communities, and environments that we want.
You may wish to access this website Resilience Now that has tips to help parents work and school from home. On the website is a free e book Helping our kids get back to school well.
https://www.resiliencenowforparents.org/back-to-school-well
Other updates include:
Teacher Wellbeing Workshops
Several Ringwood Secondary College staff are currently participating in a 7-week series "Caring for Teacher Wellbeing’ workshops" facilitated by Danielle Jacobs from Michelle McQuaid’s Wellbeing Lab. The free workshop series have been made available through the Maroondah Positive Education Network (MPEN).
Pathways planning and subject selection for 2021
The pathways team have been very busy interviewing all Year 10’s with regards to subject selection for 2021 and in the new future will move to interviewing the Year 12’s with regards to VTAC applications. I do extend my gratitude to the pathways team for their untiring guidance and hard work to support our students with their decision making.
Maria Allison
Assistant Principal
A message and Report from your College Council……
To all students, families, staff and others within the Ringwood Secondary College Community, we would like to send out a huge “HELLO”!
As a Council, we are reaching out to all of you, to let you know we are thinking of everyone in the school community during these challenging times. Council members also wish to send out a special message of empathy and support to the Year 12 cohort for what has been a very difficult and challenging final year for you all. We are extremely proud of all RSC students who have worked so hard to adapt and cope so well with the rollercoaster ride we are all on as we try and each do our part in getting through these Pandemic times.
We want to report to the school community that we are still conducting council processes, business and meetings. (All on Zoom of course). As a council, we want to reinforce that we continue to work toward our underpinning commitment to improving the educational outcomes for all RSC students. Along with Principal Michael Phillips, the Parent Members and the Department of Education and Training (DET) members, we make up what we believe to be a healthy, robust and effective College Council. Each of us brings a broad range of experience, skills, expertise and leadership to the sub-committees and to Council as a whole. To enhance this, several parent members and I, as President, have accessed the DET on-line training that has helped us further develop our skills and knowledge in helping run an effective school council.
College News………..
The College Council and Sub-Committees have met several times on Zoom over term 2 and 3. Council members have continued to remain enthusiastic and positive, but have also provided extra support and an empathetic ear to all the challenges the college have been working through during this Pandemic. Overall, however, we have achieved several goals and worked on many plans moving forward.
At our last Zoom Council meeting on 29th July, we learned that Assistant Principal, Eleni Stathatos, has been appointed Acting Principal of Emerald Secondary College. While we are sad to lose a hardworking and effective Assistant Principal and DET Council member, all Council members are thrilled for Eleni, and wish her all the best in her new and exciting role. Council would like to acknowledge Eleni’s enormous contribution to RSC in so many areas. Her efforts, leadership and hard work on Council and with the PCTA and RSC Ball has been outstanding, highly valued and greatly appreciated. We will miss you Eleni!
Council is pleased to report that the Ringwood Secondary College School Review has been completed and approved by DET, and endorsed by Council. It was acknowledged that the overall report was extremely positive! Our Strategic Plan has also been completed and signed off. On Wednesday 29th July Michael Phillips and myself met with our local state member MP Dustin Halse (on Zoom). We discussed the progress of our long-standing application for state funding for the completion of the major capital works at RSC, that are the remaining part of our Master Plan. This includes our much needed STEM building and a new sports complex. Dustin Halse seemed quite positive about our prospects of receiving this funding in the next two budgets, so our fingers remain crossed!
Council discussed the implementation of the annual surveys for Council, Staff and the school community and it was decided that these surveys would have to occur in Term 4, given the current Pandemic situation.
Council had a discussion led by Adam Bryant on behalf of the Chaplaincy Program, where we heard several different ideas and imaginative ways in which the program could continue its activities and fundraising events by using an on-line platform. Council agreed this would be an important development to continue to provide support and maintain a good connection to the student community during these isolating times.
There was a buzz of excitement as Michael Phillips reported that the new Senior Building Project is nearly complete! We are all thrilled with this news and Council enjoyed a slideshow on Zoom of all the different areas of this amazing new building. We were told that we should be ready to “move in” on 3rd September! It has been a shining light of excitement and positivity to have our new Senior Complex built during such difficult times. Council would like to thank the college community for your patience with the changed dynamics of the grounds and functioning while the capital works were going ahead. We also congratulate the builders on a great job!
The Policy and Education Sub-Committee continue to meet on Zoom and apply
the “three R’s” (review, revise and renew) to all DET and college policies and procedures that need updating. This committee is led by Matt Tucker and chaired by Parent Member Sarah Szubanski, and we work well as a team to keep our policies and procedures current and ensure they meet the VRQA and DET requirements. Council were presented with a new possible addition of a winter woolen beanie to the College Uniform. We were most positive about this and look forward to the feedback of students, which we are sure will also be positive! The three potential Beanie designs will be presented to the students later in the year, with the hope that the beanies will be available in winter 2021.
The Resources Sub-Committee is led by a great team and is chaired by Parent Member Ian Roadnight. Many great ideas were discussed at Resources in July, with future directions and opportunities being planned as we look forward to an exciting future at the College. Watch this space for these developments! The finance reports from Joe Gleeson were again very positive with the College budget and finances continuing to be in good shape, despite the challenges of the Pandemic.
The Facilities Sub-Committee and OH&S are two extremely productive groups, led by Chris Salisbury and the reports given by Parent Member Terry Bebe. The college works, repairs and maintenance is a huge job and it is incredible how much is achieved. This is always evident by just looking around the College, as the buildings, facilities and grounds look amazing!
Shayne van der Heide, director of Ringwood Training, presented his report to Council, where it was acknowledged that RT was running at its highest capacity and with great success of its VCAL and training programs. Shayne shared and discussed with us his vision for the next three years, and invited Council’s direction and ideas toward this looking forward. Several ideas and proposals were discussed and Council committed to work with Shayne on developing this direction for Ringwood Training and its exciting future.
Overall, we again wish to offer our support, understanding and empathy to all of the College Community during these challenging Pandemic times. Please take care, stay safe and be kind to yourselves and each other. We will leave you with these following quotes……
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” – Tolkien
“This too shall pass. It may pass like a kidney stone, but it will pass” – Unknown
Teresa Lodge
Council President
on behalf of your College Council