Term 1
As we commence the term 1 holidays, I would like to wish you all a safe, happy and healthy term break. I also remind all students to take a few days off from schoolwork for a brain break. Then spend some time each day reviewing and revising the work undertaken to this point. This is particularly important for our VCE students.
The past 10 weeks have come and gone almost like a blur, so it’s a great time to stop and reflect on all that has been achieved. Celebrate successes and learn from opportunities. The parent student teacher interviews on Tuesday provided an occasion to do so. It was an ideal chance for parents and students to speak with their teacher and to take a moment to reflect on what has worked well and to perhaps put some strategies or structures in place to ensure continued improvement. My conversations with parents were overwhelmingly positive. Thank you for the positive feedback and support provided to our teachers and staff.
School Uniform
A reminder that the first three weeks of Term 2 is the winter uniform change over period. All students must be in winter unform by the end of Week 3 Term 2. Please ensure your children are prepared for the approaching cold weather and have the correct uniform items to keep them warm during the colder months.
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 administration office by the end of the school day, if confiscated. Should parents/guardians be unable to collect phones by after school, then they will be securely stored.
Attendance
Rosehill Secondary College has 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.
Year 7 Camp
I was fortunate to attend the Year 7 camp in late March to Forest Edge which has a superb camp set up and I was suitably impressed with the group I helped supervise. They were supportive and encouraged each other on the high ropes course. During the evening activities I was pleasantly surprised with the number of Carlton supporters cheering on the Blues during their victory against the reigning premiers. As a Collingwood supporter, Mr Derks was not so pleased!
Term 2 Timetable
There will be some slight changes to the timetable in Term 2. This will involve room changes, some staffing changes, with staff retiring and taking leave, and a swap of Period 1 and 2 on Wednesdays. In addition, there seems to be a stalemate with the early bus arrivals on this day. In the short term we will make a slight adjustment to the end of the day. These extra few minutes will enable more children to catch the local buses. T he end of the day on Wednesday for Term 2 will be 2:25pm.
Performing Arts
In more exciting news, I am pleased to announce that both Zoe Brown of Year 10 and Eden Comito of Year 7 have been successful in their bid to be part of the state school spectacular. In fact, Zoe is a Principal Dancer and Zoe a Principal Vocalist. This is a tremendous feat, so on behalf of the school community we congratulate them both on this wonderful achievement and we look forward to supporting them on this journey throughout the year. Tickets are available in June and the show will be telecast in December. Be sure to watch out for it!!!
Staffing
Finally, I want to acknowledge and thank our teaching and support staff. The success of our school is due to the commitment, hard work and passion of our staff. Teaching is a terrific profession, and our teachers and staff are brilliant at what they do. We have a moral obligation to develop young people into mature, tolerant, and well-rounded adults who will contribute positively to our society. Sometimes this requires tough love and tough decisions but ultimately, we are here to help guide your children and our students through this journey. We see this as a partnership and your support is much appreciated.
We are very fortunate to have had full complement of teachers this term, especially during the current teacher shortage. Many schools are not so lucky. Thank you for your continued support, kind words and understanding.
I also take this opportunity to wish Peter Furneaux all the best on his retirement. He has contributed to education for many years, joining Rosehill in 2007 from Footscray City Secondary College. We will miss the call of ‘GOOD MORNING’ and ‘Hoolly Dooly’ in the corridors of Rosehill.
Wishing everyone a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable term holidays. To all who celebrate, Happy Easter and Happy Eid al Fitr.
Arthur Soumalias
PRINCIPAL
