It has been an exciting start to this term at Rosehill Secondary College.

Our building program for the new performing arts centre has finally commenced after many delays. Despite the imposition of the temporary fencing and less available space around C wing we are extremely pleased to see the progress of the project.

The outdoor reading space adjacent to the library has also progressed, and the deck is almost complete. We look forward to using this inclusive space later this term.

Finally, I can confirm that the planned upgrade to our school gymnasium toilets and showers will commence next year. I have had contact from the project management team at the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) and they confirmed the tender process for an architect will be finalised by the end of this month. Exciting times!

In the short term we wish our Year 12 students the very best of luck with the completion of either VCAL or VCE and encourage, support and expect a significant and sustained study and exam preparation effort from all our students who will be sitting exams in the coming weeks. A strong preparation, a commitment to doing and being the best you can and a passion for your work will give you every chance to achieve your goals. Well done on completing 13 years of schooling and we look forward to watching you grow and become a significant member of our global community.

As many know, I am an avid reader and wish to share that I have just started a new book, thanks Ms Snow, The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelidis. Remember, regular reading provides many benefits and is an essential component in helping us read for understanding, in particular when dealing with complex text and academic language encountered throughout secondary schooling and tertiary education.

Arthur Soumalias

PRINCIPAL

School Policies have been updated in line with Department of Education and Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority requirements. Parents may review these on the school websitehttps://www.rosehillsc.vic.edu.au/under Our School > Policies > Minimum Standards Compliance – June 2022.

On the 12th of September, 50 Year 10 students and 5 brave teachers met at Melbourne airport early in the morning. After a pleasant flight we landed in Hobart at 10am to some rather cold weather. Upon arrival, we met our coach driver and were taken on a tour of Hobart city before having lunch at Battery Point Park. We discovered that Hobart is a beautiful city, with lots of history on every corner. After our city tour, we went to the Museum of Old and New Art. MONA is an art gallery with various forms of modern art. Some exhibits were incredibly strange, and you have to have a very open mind to appreciate the beauty. After exploring MONA for a few hours, we drove to our accommodation in the Hobart CBD and then shortly after we walked to Salamanca Place to have dinner. Salamanca was a beautiful part of Hobart on the water, and we had so many different choices of restaurants to choose from. A group of friends and I went to an Italian restaurant for amazing pizza!

On day two we took a ferry over to Maria Island where we saw many beautiful sights and did two very big hikes. On the ferry ride we saw a whale breaching which was incredible. What made the hikes fun was that we saw many cute little wombats walking around amongst us. We spent the whole day on the island before coming back for Fish 'n' Chips in the fishing town of Triabunna.

On day three we travelled to Zoo Doo where we were able to get up close to the animals. My favourite was the birds and lions. After the zoo we went into the historic town of Richmond to have lunch. We had lunch at the famous Richmond bakery which had the best pies! After lunch, we travelled an hour down to the historic town of Port Arthur - the scenery was breathtaking! The tours provided us with lots of information about the penal colonies. After the tours and before the ghost tour, we had the opportunity to wander the grounds and explore the jail and living quarters. The ghost tour of Port Arthur was super creepy, especially since, as we moved around it got darker and darker. This made things worse since the guide told us that the lamps providing us with light needed to be off when he told stories.

On the last day we travelled from Port Arthur to the Huon Valley which took us about 3 hours. When we arrived, we had a guided tour around the Huon Pine walk which included a 50-meter-high tree top canopy walk and the ‘Airwalk’ viewing platform. This was lots of fun and many students stepped outside of their comfort zone and braved the heights. The views were incredible. We then did the two-hour trip back to Hobart where we got McDonalds. This pleased everyone! Finally, we arrived at Hobart Airport before flying home. Most students slept on the flight as we were all incredibly exhausted.

The Tasmanian camp was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed ourselves. I’d like to thank the teachers for taking us and for organising such a fun adventure.

Milly Pongrac

10D

Our most recent Year 10 Outdoor Education adventure was to Brimbank Park to complete the permanent orienteering course set up there. Nestled snugly on four sides by the meandering Maribyrnong River, Brimbank Park is an excellent natural resource to visit.

Available during opening hours, the permanent orienteering course provides both novice and elite orienteering enthusiasts with a means to practice and refine their navigation, map reading and compass skills. Equipped with a topographic map (available for free through Orienteering Victoria), a keen desire to explore and a real-life analogue compass, (yes that's right - not the digital compasses on our phones!) the students teamed up and traversed a diverse and unfamiliar terrain of Brimbank Park.

Two of our teams were able to locate all the unique markers at each of the 18 control points. I congratulate them for their excellent teamwork, strategising and navigation skills!

Overall, students had a wonderful time enhancing their navigation skills and immersing themselves amongst the sloping grasslands and majestic River Red Gums of the beautiful Brimbank Park.

Emily Nancarrow

OUTDOOR EDUCATION

VCAL SALVATION ARMY EXCURSION

Our Year 11 VCAL class recently attended the Salvation Army Homelessness workshop. The purpose of the program is to heighten the awareness and understanding of homelessness and poverty in Australia. Students are given an overview of the issue including statistics, causes and the impact on people when they are disadvantaged. Additionally, they are educated on the reality of homelessness and the program aims to challenge stereotypes and foster empathy for those who are experiencing difficult circumstances.

Our presenter, Julia started her workshop by defining homelessness: “Not having access to secure, long term and safe accommodation”. She then outlined the causes, statistics, facts and myths related to homelessness. We completed practical activities which initiated discussion on the challenges and hardships on those dispossessed, with special emphasis on the young.

The students learnt that there are 116,437 homeless people in Australia, that the majority of these are male, under the age of 25, and that the main cause of homelessness is domestic violence followed by lack of affordable housing. Surprisingly, we also learned that although the Indigenous population makes up 3% of the Australian population, 20% of them are homeless. The statistics for our state were also grim. There are 110,000 people on a public housing list in Victoria, which is growing by 500 people a day. On average the waiting time for public housing is 10 years. Five percent of the homeless are “sleeping rough”. Although during the start of the pandemic, our rough sleepers were housed in hotels and boarding houses, this is now not the case. There are 300 rough sleepers in the city of Melbourne.

The class was then taken on a guided city walking tour, highlighting the alleyways and public places where the homeless “sleep rough”. This part of the excursion was an eye-opener. We visited a number of locations where people try and find some temporary shelter, including Parliament gardens (where, ironically, the backdrop is 5 star hotels and the Paris end of Collins St). The distinction between rich and poor was evident. Julia told us real stories about real people at each location. She discussed the challenges the homeless faced on a nightly basis and how fear from violent attacks is uppermost on their minds.

The Salvation Army excursion is a confronting one for our students. It exposes them to people who have had challenging lives – some, through no fault of their own. In addition to understanding the homelessness issue, we feel this experience highlighted the need for tolerance and compassion towards those less fortunate than ourselves.

Vicki Handris

VCAL COORDINATOR

The Mock Exam Workshop

During the holidays, Year 12 students of Japanese, Modan Lu and Kumali Karunaratne, participated in a one-day oral exam preparation workshop organised by Rosehill Secondary College and St Columba’s.

Students learnt oral exam tips and experienced what the actual oral exam will be like. They also had an opportunity to meet Year 12 students who are learning Japanese from another school. By participating in these activities, they also shared their feelings about the oral exam and talked in Japanese for a day.

I would like to thank teachers from St Columba's College for their support and participation in this workshop.

Takanori Hayakawa

LANGUAGES KLA LEADER

Lowes October Sale

Rosehill Secondary College uniform supplier Lowes is having a sale 13th - 14th October 2022

Cardholders will receive 20% off all items. You can join their card program in-store or online.

This is an excellent opportunity for parents to purchase students' uniforms in preparation for 2023.