Principal's Report

The focus for the remaining few weeks of the 2021 school year, is to continue to reinforce the school routines and good habits that we know help make school a happy place for our students and staff.

For some, these routines have been thrown askew over the past few months, therefore this has been a strong focus since our return. Locker organisation, getting to class on time, having the correct equipment every lesson, correct uniform, the mobile phone locked away, fully charged laptop each morning are all simple things in isolation but play an important role in ensuring students’ experience a positive day. Often not adhering or meeting these aspects of a school day can cause angst, so I ask that you continue to support your children and our school, by helping them be organised and well prepared each morning for the remainder of this year.

Our current Year 11 cohort has just completed a two-week Year 12 orientation program and can now have a well-earned rest. I strongly recommend that they use some of the time between now and the end of 2021 to read their novels. Year 10 have just completed the truncated exam program and will commence Year 11 orientation on Monday 29th November. Their final day will be Wednesday 1st December.

Thank you to Ms Bruckard and the team of Year 10 English staff who delivered a targeted literacy support program for Year 10 students over the past three weeks.

Year 9 students have finally had their individual careers consultation to review their Morrisby assessment. This has been a terrific initiative from DET in recent years, and I know many students use this assessment and findings to help consolidate possible future pathways.

Well done to Mr Raiti and the staff who supported this program. It may even provide ideas and possibilities for Year 10 work experience in 2022.

Elephant Ed were onsite and conducted age-appropriate workshops on consent for our Year 9 students on Wednesday 24th November. As lead SWPB school and a Respectful Relationships school these workshops help us provide clarity and understanding around the interpretation of positive consent. 97% of students who participated indicated that they would like a continuation of similar programs.

Next week on Friday 3rd December, students in Years 7-9 will have an athletics day at school. This is in lieu of the Athletics Carnival. Thank you to Mr Sarpa and the Health and Physical Education department who have organised this day to provide an opportunity for students to participate in a range of activities, concluding with a staff vs Year 9 students Ultimate Frisbee challenge.

Activities week will start on Monday 13th December for students in Years 7-9 and will culminate in year level excursions scheduled for Thursday 16th December. Year 7 will make their way to the East Keilor Leisure Centre pools, Year 8 to Bounce in Essendon Fields and Year 9 will spend some time shopping in Harbour Town. This will be an early finish day at 2.30pm. Payment can be made via Compass for these programs.

I also take this opportunity to inform you that as of 2022, Rosehill will have a different student management and wellbeing structure. The college is moving to a three-sub school system, with a Year 7/8 sub school, Year 9/10 sub school and a Year 11/12 sub school. There will be a leading teacher in charge of each sub school. Year level and assistant coordinators will remain in place like previous years.

Finally, I would like to congratulate Tori Foster and Nathan Roberts appointed School Captains for 2022, who will be well supported by Vice Captains Danielle Choo Koon and Anoosha Thambi. They will work and lead many of our highly capable student leaders across the school. Thank you to all the Year 11 students who undertook this process in what was the most competitive in recent times. It was a very strong field with many capable candidates, a true testament to the college’s many leadership offerings helping to develop leadership capacity for our children.

Kind regards,

Arthur Soumalias

Principal

College Calendar

Friday 26th NovemberLast day for Year 11
Monday 29th November - Wednesday 1st DecemberYear 10 to 11 Orientation

Wednesday 1st December

Last day for Year 10
Thursday 2nd DecemberPAT Testing, 2022 Year 7

4.00 pm - 6.00 pm

Tuesday 7th DecemberYear 7, 2022 Orientation Day
Wednesday 8th DecemberSTEP Digital Portfolio Evening 6.00pm
Thursday 9th DecemberCurriculum Day
Monday 13th DecemberYear 12 Graduation
Tuesday 14th DecemberAwards Night
Thursday 16th DecemberFinal Day for Students

Students dismissed 2.30pm

Library

As the end of Term 4 is fast approaching- please make sure all overdue books are returned, thank you.

Awards Evening

The annual Awards Evening for 2021 will be held on Tuesday 14th December at St Bernard’s College Auditorium, Rosehill Rd, Essendon, commencing at 7:00pm.

As the culture of our College has evolved to reflect our academic focus and commitment to excellence, the Awards Evening provides the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate student achievement. Music and dance performances feature during the evening and at the conclusion of the presentations, the College Captains for 2022 are inducted.

Awards for academic excellence are presented for each of the Key Learning Areas at Years 7-11 and for each Year 12 subject studied at the College. A number of special awards are also presented throughout the evening including: Year Level Dux Awards; ‘Optima Semper’, Best Always Awards; ADF Long Tan Leadership and Teamwork Awards; Ampol Best All Rounder Award; Community Award; RMIT Excellence in Science Award; Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars Program Recipients; and Student Encouragement Awards.

The Rosehill Secondary College community gratefully acknowledges the sponsorship provided by the following organisations and individuals: Artelier Art Supplies; Australian Defence Force; Coughlan Motors, Essendon; Ampol; Cavalier Art Supplies; Insight Publications; Melbourne University; Pennisi Real Estate, Essendon; RMIT; Sunbury Coaches, Mr Shane Jacobson and Bendigo Bank.

Due to COVID venue protocols, only recipients and limited family members will be able to attend. Students receiving an award and their families will be personally contacted.

Gladys Mora

Awards Coordinator

The Salvation Army Youth and Homelessness Year 9 Incursion

The Year 9 Interdisciplinary Studies Program has students participating in City Experience in Term 4. This would include various excursions to Melbourne and visiting different venues in our CBD. One of them being a visit to the Salvation Army, where the Salvo's School Engagement Team would explain the work they do for the community and teach youth homelessness to school communities.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the normal Year 9 Program could not run as planned and we were not able to visit the site in person. The school was offered an online interactive incursion, where students were presented with the rising issue of youth homelessness.

We would like to thank the Salvos School Engagement Team: Grace Davidson, Janoel Liddy and Julia Malone for providing us the opportunity to become more aware of how they attend to immediate needs and provide long-term recovery support. We commend the Salvos on their successful programs like ‘The Lighthouse Cafe at Project 614’ and ‘The Market Place’. We hope to continue a future partnership with fundraising in 2022.






Images: Courtesy of the Salvation Army





Alexandra Viney

The Year 9 ID Program also participated in another online incursion with the Victorian Institute of Sport. We were privileged to have Alexandra Viney, an Australian Paralympic Rower present to us. Alexandra was a member of the PR3 Mix 4+ at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. She shared her personal journey in the presentation and it was admired by the whole Year 9 cohort. We were amazed by the strength and perseverance she displayed when faced with physical and mental challenges. Her determination to pursue a career in sport science and have a second chance in rowing resonated with many students. Alexandra’s life was turned upside down after the car accident but she put her mind to it and has achieved some amazing things since. This showed us that no matter the challenges, we too can all succeed if we put our minds to it.

Our message to Alexandra:

Congratulations on representing Australia in July at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. We wish you the best in your continued campaign to raise awareness around road safety, mental health, women in sport and opportunities for those with impairments. We look forward to seeing you in the 2024 Paris Paralympics.



Images: Courtesy of the Victorian Institute of Sport





(Written by Claudia Bradilovich, Madina Shekheldeen, Jasmine You and Ms.Viglione)

2021 English Achievements

In March 2021 the ABC called on high school students across our city to share their stories in the Takeover Melbourne competition. The Takeover Melbourne initiative is run by the ABC with major partner VicHealth and support from City of Melbourne and the Centre for Multicultural Youth.

This was an opportunity for students to share their experiences and passions in their writing. We invited the students of Year 10 at Rosehill Secondary College to participate in this writing competition as part of the creative writing component of their English course. Students were given the opportunity to share their personal stories of their heartfelt experiences and challenges as teenagers in Melbourne.

It gives us great pleasure to congratulate three of our students and aspiring writers in Year 10, Sean Gledhill, William Teuma and Hung-Vy Nguyen, for their inspirational stories and honourable recognition of their work. All three students were successful in submitting winning entries and receiving the acclaim that they deserved for their hard work and willingness to share through their writing, their memories and personal growth from these learning experiences.

Below are the links for the audio and video stories that were co-produced with the ABC producers, based on the original text entries submitted by the students.

Congratulations on your winning entries Sean, Bill and Hung-Vy!

Sean Gledhill (10C): https://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/programs/takeover-melbourne/winner-sean-essendon-west/1361658

William Teuma (10B): https://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/programs/takeover-melbourne/winner-bill-craigieburn/13603498

Hung-Vy Nguyen (10E) https://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/programs/takeover-melbourne/winner-hungvy-kealba/13607882

So that brings it to 29 winning entries announced and three of these students are Rosehill students!

CONGRATULATIONS AMALIA!

Amalia Corbalan's (7B) story "Bush Rain" will be published in an Australia-wide anthology. I have included a copy of this story below. It's such beautiful writing.

Bush Rain

I blinked hard, trying desperately to change the unusual orange hue in the tent back to normal. A carousel of questions whirled through my head. I ferociously shook my sisters awake, eager to discover what the mysterious glow was. What wishes and desires we had for New Year’s Eve disappeared completely, as we gazed, horrified at the sight before us. We stepped out into what seemed like the planet Mars, a blood-red sky engulfed with a thick orange haze. Earth was choking on its bushland as fragments of burnt nature came silently spluttering down and it cried ash. The suffocating smoke surrounded us and it felt like it was attacking our lungs and noses. It was something out of a horror movie, but the look on mum and dad’s faces told me that this was not the worst of it.

The sky’s grey blanket covered our view of the beach across the road. I could still make out though, the herd of people that had appeared in front of the Tathra Life Saving Club. I wondered what all the commotion was. Curiosity pulled me in their direction and across the road. Bunches of worried faces gathered in football huddles all over the carpark. Their cars, trailers and caravans occupied what little space was available. Much of Australia’s bushland was being barbecued and these people had fled the fire’s fury and made it to their lifeboat, this small beachside town. Unfortunately, the insatiable fires were rapidly closing in on the town.

Down at the beach, ink-coloured waves pulsated and washed-up clumps of charred bush and piles of ash, covering the once pristine beach. The charcoaled debris was strewn in artistic patterns for as far as the eye could see. Birds had vanished. The lucky few had escaped to a safer environment. The rest were eerily washed up amongst the debris. What is usually a place of serenity and happiness, was now a distressing scene. I stared at the horizon for an eternity, where the red met the blue whilst ash rained down on me. Despite the roaring heat of the blood sun, a shiver ran up my spine when I realised we might not make it out in time.

The word around town was that vital supplies like Ventolin and petrol were becoming scarce. Suddenly I became aware of my tight chest and took an exaggerated breath in, desperately craving clean air. We hastily made our way down the street to the local Pharmacy under the street lights that had been turned on by the false night.

We walked back to our campsite with heavy hearts. I was on the verge of tears. Mum and Dad had made the decision to leave and attempt to return home. We were some of the lucky ones who were able to fill up our tank with petrol. The difficulty was finding a safe route home as most of our usual eight-hour journey was up in flames. Time was running out as more and more towns were being consumed by the ferocious beast severely limiting our pathways home. For hours I helplessly watched my parents pack up our campsite at a speed they’d never done before. Heartbroken our holiday was over, we scrambled into our soot covered car and joined the long queue that led us out of town. My lungs inflated to full capacity as I breathed in the filtered air from the car. I closed my eyes, exhausted, not knowing what the journey home would entail.

- Amalia Corbalan (7B)


Nina De Goederen & Sirocha Bruckard

English

2021 Fireworks Exhibition at The Incinerator Gallery

Congratulations to Gillian Poparisut and Nafeesa Zulfikar of year 12 Studio Arts and Art. Both students have been successful in exhibiting their artwork in the 2021 Fireworks Exhibition at The Incinerator Gallery.

The exhibition will be held on Friday 10th December at 6 pm.

https://incineratorgallery.com.au/exhibition/fireworks-2021/


Elisa Errichiello

Art

Afterschool Tuition Program

Commendation is required for all staff and students, as we have endured such a long and difficult period of remote learning. However, now that we are all back on site, on familiar ground and back to face to face learning, students need to embrace the opportunity to receive that extra assistance from teachers and their peers, in their learning and completion of set work.

The Afterschool Tuition program will be accessible to all students once again on Monday 29th November and Monday 6th December from 3.30 pm to 4.30 pm in the college library where students are welcome to attend to complete their final learning tasks for the year.

The Afterschool Tuition program will then recommence in 2022 at the start of Term 1 on a weekly basis. Parents and students will be notified of the details pertaining to this program and its recommencement date early next year.

If you have any queries about the program please do not hesitate to contact Ms De Goederen at this email address: nina.degoederen@education.vic.gov.au

2024 Booklist Year 7 - 12

Please note all orders must be made online via Campion. No orders will be accepted at the Rosehill Secondary College Administration Office.

2024 Senior School Year 10 12 Booklist

2024 Year 9 Booklist

2024 Year 8 Booklist

2024 Year 7 Booklist

College Newsletter, Issue 15 - 26 Nov 2021

2021 English Achievements

In March 2021 the ABC called on high school students across our city to share their stories in the Takeover Melbourne competition. The Takeover Melbourne initiative is run by the ABC with major partner VicHealth and support from City of Melbourne and the Centre for Multicultural Youth.

This was an opportunity for students to share their experiences and passions in their writing. We invited the students of Year 10 at Rosehill Secondary College to participate in this writing competition as part of the creative writing component of their English course. Students were given the opportunity to share their personal stories of their heartfelt experiences and challenges as teenagers in Melbourne.

It gives us great pleasure to congratulate three of our students and aspiring writers in Year 10, Sean Gledhill, William Teuma and Hung-Vy Nguyen, for their inspirational stories and honourable recognition of their work. All three students were successful in submitting winning entries and receiving the acclaim that they deserved for their hard work and willingness to share through their writing, their memories and personal growth from these learning experiences.

Below are the links for the audio and video stories that were co-produced with the ABC producers, based on the original text entries submitted by the students.

Congratulations on your winning entries Sean, Bill and Hung-Vy!

Sean Gledhill (10C): https://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/programs/takeover-melbourne/winner-sean-essendon-west/1361658

William Teuma (10B): https://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/programs/takeover-melbourne/winner-bill-craigieburn/13603498

Hung-Vy Nguyen (10E) https://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/programs/takeover-melbourne/winner-hungvy-kealba/13607882

So that brings it to 29 winning entries announced and three of these students are Rosehill students!

CONGRATULATIONS AMALIA!

Amalia Corbalan's (7B) story "Bush Rain" will be published in an Australia-wide anthology. I have included a copy of this story below. It's such beautiful writing.

Bush Rain

I blinked hard, trying desperately to change the unusual orange hue in the tent back to normal. A carousel of questions whirled through my head. I ferociously shook my sisters awake, eager to discover what the mysterious glow was. What wishes and desires we had for New Year’s Eve disappeared completely, as we gazed, horrified at the sight before us. We stepped out into what seemed like the planet Mars, a blood-red sky engulfed with a thick orange haze. Earth was choking on its bushland as fragments of burnt nature came silently spluttering down and it cried ash. The suffocating smoke surrounded us and it felt like it was attacking our lungs and noses. It was something out of a horror movie, but the look on mum and dad’s faces told me that this was not the worst of it.

The sky’s grey blanket covered our view of the beach across the road. I could still make out though, the herd of people that had appeared in front of the Tathra Life Saving Club. I wondered what all the commotion was. Curiosity pulled me in their direction and across the road. Bunches of worried faces gathered in football huddles all over the carpark. Their cars, trailers and caravans occupied what little space was available. Much of Australia’s bushland was being barbecued and these people had fled the fire’s fury and made it to their lifeboat, this small beachside town. Unfortunately, the insatiable fires were rapidly closing in on the town.

Down at the beach, ink-coloured waves pulsated and washed-up clumps of charred bush and piles of ash, covering the once pristine beach. The charcoaled debris was strewn in artistic patterns for as far as the eye could see. Birds had vanished. The lucky few had escaped to a safer environment. The rest were eerily washed up amongst the debris. What is usually a place of serenity and happiness, was now a distressing scene. I stared at the horizon for an eternity, where the red met the blue whilst ash rained down on me. Despite the roaring heat of the blood sun, a shiver ran up my spine when I realised we might not make it out in time.

The word around town was that vital supplies like Ventolin and petrol were becoming scarce. Suddenly I became aware of my tight chest and took an exaggerated breath in, desperately craving clean air. We hastily made our way down the street to the local Pharmacy under the street lights that had been turned on by the false night.

We walked back to our campsite with heavy hearts. I was on the verge of tears. Mum and Dad had made the decision to leave and attempt to return home. We were some of the lucky ones who were able to fill up our tank with petrol. The difficulty was finding a safe route home as most of our usual eight-hour journey was up in flames. Time was running out as more and more towns were being consumed by the ferocious beast severely limiting our pathways home. For hours I helplessly watched my parents pack up our campsite at a speed they’d never done before. Heartbroken our holiday was over, we scrambled into our soot covered car and joined the long queue that led us out of town. My lungs inflated to full capacity as I breathed in the filtered air from the car. I closed my eyes, exhausted, not knowing what the journey home would entail.

- Amalia Corbalan (7B)


Nina De Goederen & Sirocha Bruckard

English

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