Whole school events such as our Swimming Carnival, Year 7 Camp, the return of interschool sports, in-school excursions such as Medieval Day and Rosefest, have been important in helping build the social health and mental wellbeing of our students. The opportunity to interact, co-operate and work together are essential skills in a successful society and these skills, are arguably even more important after a year of significant isolation. Congratulations to our community for the sustained effort this term. I am certain that all students and staff are looking forward to a well earned break.
To our Year 12 Cohort, take a few days to unwind and relax but remember to complete the set work you will undoubtably have to complete over the next few weeks. Remember, Year 12 is a marathon, a long-distance race, keep up with the work by completing some regular work each day. Please speak with your teachers if falling behind.
It’s been fantastic to see a number of guest speakers in our College during the term. As part of our Year 10 Civics and Citizenship Program, our local State Member, Ben Carroll (who has been a fantastic supporter of our College and education in our local area) and the Moonee Valley Mayor, Cam Nation and Deputy Mayor, Katrina Hodgson were in attendance in person and discussed and explained the various levels of government to our students. Bill Shorten (Federal Member) was unable to attend in person, but was also kind enough to prepare video message for us. The importance for our students to understand and appreciate government and politics and be aware of issues that impact their lives now and in the future is vitally important.
The Year 7 Camp was a great success. I was fortunate to attend for two days and can report that our students and staff were magnificent. Camp staff reported that our school group were extremely well mannered and behaved. I rotated through 4-5 different groups and found the students were very much engaged in the activities and participated keenly and with large smiles on their faces. It’s opportunities such as these, that helps build strong friendships between students and long-lasting rapport between students and staff. Well done to the Junior School team for once again running a successful camp.
Our tutoring program is well underway and ILPs are being developed for every student involved in the program. This excellent initiative from DET will run all year and we have made some minor adjustment to the tutor staffing due to Ms Beechey taking maternity leave. A new literacy tutor will commence part time for the start of Term 2. The focus for Term 2 will continue to be Year 9, Year 11 reading support (selected students will receive notification this week), Year 8 and 10 supported by the MYLNS funding. If you have any queries regarding the program please contact our Tutor Coordinator Ms Bevinetto.
Additional work which is complementing our literacy tutoring, has been the access to expertise from both Misty Adoniou who spent 11th March working with our Heads of Department and English teachers, with a focus on writing throughout the day and, Terri Campbell who is working with us to further improve our reading program. Katarina Ivas our literacy Specialist is working closely with Terri and together they have assisted our Key Learning Area (KLA) leaders to conduct an audit of the literacy demands of their faculties. Katarina and Terri are also working with our Literacy teachers to assist them in further enhancing their skills to ensure a consistent approach in delivering reading conferences. Our work in this area is very exciting and I look forward to the progress and growth we will make this year.
The oval will be available for the start of Term 2. I have lost count of the requests from students as to the oval’s availability. I suspect it will be a very popular area next term. I would like to commend the students and the Physical Education staff for their patience this term and the ability of students to compromise and share the limited spaces throughout the school and on the basketball courts.
Late last year, Ms Mckay and I successfully secured funding for an additional counsellor. I can now report that we have appointed a new student counsellor, Alexander Reely. He is due to commence in Week 1 next term, and is a qualified counsellor and as a bonus, a qualified music teacher. We look forward to having Alexander join our welfare team and the Rosehill Community. He will be working as a counsellor two days per week, fully funded by the national Chaplaincy in Schools Program. I’d like to acknowledge OnPsych, the service provider, for their support and assistance during this process.
In more exciting news, we held a site visit with the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) Manager Paul Hilton, Geoff Cosier (Project Officer) and three architectural companies. This is the next step in the process of appointing an architect for the new $10.204 million dollar capital works. Once the architect is appointed we will begin what is known as AMP Phase 2 and this is essentially the planning and design stage of the new buildings. This process can take up to 46 weeks, so we do not anticipate any works until early next year.
I can report that the School Council for 2021 has been formed with the following members.
- President – Gwenda Griggs (parent)
- Vice President – Christina Kotsafaras (parent)
- Treasurer – John Spasevski (parent)
- Parent member – Mike Lloyd
- Parent member – Natalija Homatopolous
- Parent member – Mark Heintz
- DET member – Daria Villiani
- DET member – Natalie Fitzgerald
- DET member - William Stubbings
- DET member - Danielle Murray
- Student member – Nikala Bervanakis
- Student member – Emily Baker
The 2020 Annual Report to the school community provides an opportunity for the school community to celebrate achievements, reflect on the school’s performance, and understand where and how improvement efforts have enhanced student achievement, engagement and wellbeing.
The Annual General Meeting will be held from 5.15pm - 6.15pm on Monday 26th
April. Please notify Judith Wright on 9337 2488 of your attendance by 4.00pm on Wednesday 21st April, 2021.
Finally, on behalf of the staff at Rosehill Secondary College, I wish all families a safe, happy and healthy Term 1 break, and to all who celebrate Easter, wishing you a very Happy Easter.
Warm Regards,
Arthur Soumalias
PRINCIPAL
