Term 2
Welcome back. I hope families enjoyed the time together during the school holidays. This is a short term, only nine weeks. The first few weeks have started well, and we have been fortunate to enjoy some lovely autumn weather. Already much has happened. Our federal member of parliament the Hon Bill Shorten and Naomi Wolfe - Lecturer, Faculty of Education & Arts from the ACU, presented and engaged our Year 10 students as part of their active citizens program. Our Year 12s attended a career expo at Caufield on Thursday 27th April, and by all reports many students found this very beneficial. We hope this has helped solidify future career paths. Our Year 9 students have commenced their Morrisby survey, this is a terrific program that provides individualised assessment for each child and unpacks possible strengths to pursue as a career. Once the testing is finalised, DET will send expert staff out to the school to discuss and review the finding of each student in a 1-1 interview. Most students find this very valuable and helps identify areas of study post-secondary schooling.
Open Day
Thursday 4th May was our annual Open Day, and it was terrific to see so many happy faces. I would like to acknowledge our staff – teaching and educational support, in particular Ms Snow (organiser) and Ms Kelly for putting in the time and effort to make it such a successful day.
Open Evening
A reminder that next Tuesday, 9th May is our Open Evening. The school day will conclude at 1:30pm with all classes running on a reduce time. We thank families and students who volunteer to assist with the evening’s events. We anticipate that the school tours will conclude by 6:45pm, in time for the principal’s address. Most student volunteers will be finished at that time other than our presenters.
Student Leadership Program
Thank you to Ms Hart and Mr Vincent for running our Leadership Program on Friday, 5th May. Our student leaders from across the year levels spent the day discussing all things leadership. We hope our future leaders gain some insights to help them become better people and leaders for our school and the community. We are very fortunate to have so many wonderful children keen to be involved in such programs.
Staffing
A warm welcome back to Mr Rossitto and Mr Bertoli returning from long service leave – it’s terrific to have two very experienced staff back. In addition, Ms Nan Li returns from a year’s leave to oversee our International Student program.
As you would be aware there is a significant teacher shortage across the state and country, so I it’s vitally important that we are able to fully staff our school and provide consistency for your children and their learning journey. I encourage all parents and guardians to take some time to thank our teachers and staff. The industry is losing so many teachers… some schools are sending children home every day as they are not able to run classes. It only takes a moment to say thank you for your hard work and commitment to making a real difference to society by educating our young people and helping shape them into fine young adults who will contribute positively to our community.
Gym Upgrade
Last year we received close to $500,000 to upgrade our gym toilets, foyer and change rooms. I am pleased to report that this work is due to commence at the end of this term. The tender process is almost complete, and we anticipate a builder to be appointed in the coming weeks.
ATOS Survey
The annual Attitudes to School Survey will be administered this term. This survey has been running for over 20 years and the information collected allows our school to make important decisions on student perception of what’s working well and what might need more attention. Please familiarise yourself with the details provided in this newsletter
Mobile Phones
Mobile phones and air pods must remain in lockers during the school day. As per our Mobile Phone Policy, parents/guardians will need to collect these items from the general office if confiscated. If unable to be collected, they will be securely stored until they are.
Attendance
Rosehill Secondary College has a strong tradition of regular attendance. I remind parents and guardians that children need to be at school every day unless genuinely ill.
It’s not okay to be away.
Please contact the relevant student management team if you need support with school refusal. There is an expectation that all parents/guardians vigorously support the college attendance policy and actively discourage children from staying home unnecessarily.
School Planners
We require all students to have a school diary and to carry it during school hours. The student diary is used to communicate between school and home. It serves as a record for uniform issues, late to class and out of class passes.
From Week 3, failure to produce the diary when required, will result in a coordinators lunchtime detention regardless of whether a handwritten note is provided.
The student diaries can be purchased from the school office for $7.00.
Arthur Soumalias
PRINCIPAL