RSC News

Around the School

BOUNCE

I am really happy to be co-ordinating this program again for 2018. Over the year, Bounce will run on a weekly basis with the same teacher for the whole year. There will be year level assemblies and House activities dispersed throughout the term also. The aim of Bounce is to provide students with the opportunity to practice strategies to develop resilience, positive mental health practices as well as developing positive relationships with peers and staff.

 

It is really important to develop resilience in our young people for a number of reasons.

  • To develop the ability to learn from experiences. To bounce back and beyond (post traumatic growth)
  • Resilience leads to ‘happiness’ and therefore increased cognitive capacity
  • Fosters and promotes a growth mindset
  • Increased confidence and self-belief (decision making, peer pressure etc)

 

The focus for term 1 is as follows: 

Year 7 and 10 – Relationships - Supportive Friends Program Year 7 and 10’s will be working together each week and will have House Activities together too to strengthen peer relationships and connection.

Year 8 and 9 - Emotional Literacy

Year 11 – Surviving VCE

Year 12 – Study Skills. This includes stress and time management and skills for success.

 

Emotional Literacy is vital for students as emotions, feelings and relationships become increasingly complex through adolescence. If students are able to label the emotion they are experiencing at the time they are experiencing it, it can significantly reduce the negative impact that emotion has on the body. It also provides students the ability to find a solution to the problem, thereby promoting a growth mindset and increasing hope. If your child is struggling to articulate their feelings, a good strategy to help them would be to ask them to recognize the physical responses in their body first. This might help you to understand the emotion they are experiencing and then increase their vocabulary and emotion recognition.

 

If you are concerned about your child, please contact the House co-ordinator or Wellbeing team.

 

Kati Recinos

Bounce Co-ordinator

Host Families Required

We are looking for families interested in hosting year 10 and 11 students visiting from our sister school Montfort College in Chiang Mai Thailand from 17 March to 27 March.

The students will be arriving in Australia to be picked up by their host families from Ringwood Secondary College. The students will be attending regular hours at school including activities organized by the school.

 

This is a fantastic opportunity to be immersed in a different culture as well as support our school community and relationship with our sister school.

 

Any one who will like to express interest please contact Evelyn Boldt at: eboldt@ringwoodsc.vic.edu.au

Maroondah City Council Awards

On the 26th January, Ringwood Secondary College and two RSC students were recognised for the contributions they make to Maroondah City Council in the annual Australia Day Awards. The Community Event of the Year was awarded to the Bounce into Mental Health Carnival – an event held annually by the college, to promote positive education and positive mental health and wellbeing. Students, staff, parents and local mental health organisations have the opportunity to involve themselves in a range of activities during recess and lunchtime. RSC invites local and broader community organisations to raise awareness of their programs, as well as invite students to hold various stalls to raise funds or awareness about a range of causes.

 

The RSC Bounce into Mental Day Carnival succeeds in the following ways:

  • Increase awareness of support services available through the school, the local community and those available online and via phone that can be accessed by young people.
  • Increase the overall understanding of positive psychology, character strengths and increase overall student and staff wellbeing.
  • Recognise and acknowledged the differences in students’ cultures, beliefs and religions and to celebrate the differences through information sharing, stalls and activities.
  • Increase student and staff knowledge of local programs and support services and invite these services to attend and self-promote.
  • Increase student and staff knowledge about a range of topics, services and social causes that students are concerned about or interested in.
  • Encourage leadership skills in our young community members in helping plan, promote and run a significant event.
  • Encourage physical health through a range of activities that both staff and students can participate in.
  • Allow a day filled with fun and celebration to acknowledge our amazing school community, support available and the strengths and skills of our young people.

 

The RSC Wellbeing team, along with all the staff and students work together every year to make this day a great success and we look forward to the next Bounce Into Mental Health Carnival on Tuesday 24th April.

 

Both Georgia Read and Phoebe Roach were nominated for their ongoing contributions to, not only to Ringwood Secondary College, but the wider Maroondah community.

Georgia, the recipient of the Young Citizen of the Year Award, is an active member of Ringwood Secondary College’s Stand Out, a group of students whose aim is to stamp out homophobia in all its forms while establishing and maintaining an anti-homophobic culture at RSC for both staff and students. Georgia chairs the weekly Stand Out meetings and attends year level assemblies to inform students of the groups activism. Since 2014 Georgia has supported the RSC Bounce into Mental Health Day Carnival by leading the Stand Out group activities and raising money for future events. She also runs activities for Glue Zone, a weekly program during lunchtime designed to encourage all students to socialise with their peers. Since 2015 Georgia has volunteered at Interchange Outer East where she supports young people with disabilities. She has assisted in the development of the Maroondah Youth Service program SAGAA (Sexuality and Gender Acceptance Alliance). Georgia is a member of the New Community Church where she volunteers as a childcare and disability worker.

Phoebe was a finalist for the Young Citizen of the Year Award for her commitment to RSC and the City of Maroondah. Phoebe has achieved a great deal over the past four years including: a scholarship to the Magic Moments Youth and Business Summit; three RSC RADAR (Respect and Diversity at Ringwood) Awards; the Maroondah Super Citizen Award; Excellence in the Arts and Year 11 Wellbeing Captain. Her work with the RSC Respectful Relationships Committee; the Maroondah Wellbeing Action Team; and tutoring local primary school students have had a significant impact on those she has worked with.

 

Congratulations Georgia and Phoebe, we are super proud of you both.

 

Anna Benson