Term 1, Week 1 - 2018, 01 February

Written on the 1 February 2018 by Rostrevor College

From the Principal

Mr Brian Schumacher
Principal

Blessed with cooler weather for our first week back at school, it has been very rewarding to see how quickly all of the boys have settled into the routines of lessons and how much they have enjoyed reconnecting with their teachers and peers.

As we complete the first week of the 2018 academic year I congratulate our newest students who have made a terrific start to their time at Rostrevor. While it will still take a few weeks for each of you to feel at home here, it usually gets a little easier every day. The experiences of joining new communities and welcoming new people into our lives are great skills for life. Likewise, I am grateful for the generous welcome extended to each of us who are new this year.

After hearing past students and teachers speak about the significance of the opening gathering in the Valley, I was delighted to finally be part of it all. The occasion was made more significant given the large number of parents in attendance. From where I was standing, I could see the entire cohort of boys surrounded by many staff and parents. It was an image that symbolises the important partnership between us. I am also very grateful for the Parents and Friends group who made time to welcome families and host the morning tea on the front lawn.  It was very enjoyable getting to know people, while listening to parents speak of their experiences and share their aspirations for their sons is also a vital part of my learning about the Rostrevor community.

Congratulations to our 2017 graduates who achieved outstanding SACE results. As you can see from Mr Ranaldo's  report, the entire cohort were richly rewarded for their efforts in 2017. It is also important that I take this opportunity to thank and congratulate all the teachers who have contributed to the education of the Class of 2017 during their years at Rostrevor. Having reviewed the Rostrevor SACE results for the last five years, the grades and ATAR scores were not surprising. They continued a clear trend of annual improvement that reflects the commitment of staff to providing every boy with an excellent education that will serve them well for many years after they graduate.

Holiday upgrades

Schools, like our own learning, are a work in progress and the recent vacation period provided our grounds and maintenance team with the opportunity to continue the program of upgrading our facilities in readiness for the year ahead. Some of the bigger projects included
  • Installation of the new hot water system for the boarding house
  • Completion of the sustainable lighting project and installation of solar panels
  • New safety line marking on steps and ledges
  • Preparation works for the new sustainability classroom

and perhaps most importantly

  • Refurbishment of the Junior School toilets

A year of review

Following on from the recent Strategic Plan community consultation conducted by the College Board, the first half of 2018 will be a period in which we review all aspects of our operations. With the renewal of the College's registration due in June and the commencement of my term as Principal, the timing is perfect for this process of school development.

Thankfully, the responses from hundreds of parents, staff and students in 2017 has provided us with some rich feedback that will shape our future directions. Similarly, your responses to our formal parent satisfaction surveys and informal comments and suggestions help us to refine and grow the opportunities that we provide for the boys. I look forward to keeping you updated on these developments throughout the year.

Thank you once again to everyone for your warm welcome and encouragement. I feel blessed to find myself here with you at Rostrevor.

With best wishes for the weeks ahead.

Brian Schumacher
Principal


From Leadership

Frank Ranaldo
Deputy Principal

Welcome Back

Welcome to the 2018 academic year! A special welcome to our new students and their families.

Rostrevor is truly a community of learners a community that places learning at the forefront of all that we do. And we always strive to prepare students, to the best of our ability, for careers, opportunities and life after school.

As most would know, our marketing campaign for the past few years has been "See Further", a theme that has emerged from market research, promoting Rostrevor as a school which encourages students to achieve beyond their capabilities, to have high aspirations and to take advantage of the many opportunities on offer to reach for the stars!

The promotional pictures show students looking out into the sky and space at constellations which form images representing the many options and pathways on offer at a school level and also for future study and careers. It is very much future-focused and that's what we are at Rostrevor from our strategic directions and school improvement plan, to the technology available to staff and students to the professional learning undertaken by staff.

The staff at Rostrevor are dedicated to creating a safe and supportive environment that supports learning and provides everyone with an opportunity to succeed to be the best that your sons can be.  We do this through holding every member of our community to high expectations.
Mr Evan Pezos and I had the opportunity to speak with all students in years  7-10 on the first day of school. As we move into the new school year we reinforced four major expectations:

  1.  Show respect - we show respect by cleaning up after ourselves, the school yard and through using appropriate language and behaviour to foster a productive work and learning environment. Show respect to teachers, support staff, parents and each other.
  2. Act with integrity - we can show the school community who we are by promoting an honest, fair, and non-judgmental work and learning environment, that honors self-reflection and open communication about our needs. We have all made choices, good and bad.  We must accept those choices and move forward to take advantage of every learning opportunity afforded to us.
  3. Accept and support all members of our community - you are all members of the Rostrevor community and we should endeavour to promote and encourage each other through setting high goals and to help all members of the community succeed when faced with adversity.
  4. Strive for excellence - strive to do your very best in all aspects of schooling, in the classroom, on the sporting field, on stage, in the school yard or out in the community. Support and encourage others to be their best too.

As we begin our journey together in 2018, know that we are here to see your son succeed and to become the community leader that lives up to the ideals I have just mentioned. Rostrevor is one of the best schools in South Australia and your son will be supported and challenged in all his interactions to help him grow and achieve his personal best. 

2017 SACE Results

I would like to offer my congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2017 on their success in their final year of schooling. At our Dux Assembly on Friday 16 February, we will acknowledge their achievements and, in particular, congratulate our Merit Winners and students with ATARs above 90.

I look forward to hearing from our 2017 Dux, Lawson Nitschke, who achieved an ATAR of 99.65. Lawson was closely followed by our Proxime Accessit, Flynn Pisani who achieved 99.55.

For the first time we achieved 100% SACE completion, and credit must go to teachers who persevered with those few students who needed extra support and encouragement to meet subject requirements.

It was pleasing to see that 29 students received an ATAR of 90 or over; this represents 29.3% of the eligible Year 12 cohort, almost one third of the students. Furthermore, just under 50% of our cohort achieved ATAR scores of 80 or above. This is an outstanding achievement and offers great confidence to those in lower year levels who aspire to such academic excellence.

98.6% of all subject grades were either A, B or C; 32.4% of grades were A's and 78.1% were A's and B's only. This is excellent and underlines the good work of staff in encouraging students to do their best.

A total of 18 Merits and an additional 19 A+ grades were awarded to the boys who graduated last year. Four Year 11 students undertaking Stage 2 subjects were awarded Merits. Again, this is both very pleasing and encouraging.

It is also pleasing to note that 19 students who completed full Certificate III's in Vocational Education & Training, as part of their senior secondary studies at Rostrevor, have had their VET results recognised as Stage 2 ATAR accredited subjects.

These figures should give the Rostrevor community great confidence in the expertise of not just our Year 12 teachers, but all teaching staff, as well as the support services we offer to assist students to achieve their personal best.

At Rostrevor College we encourage and inspire our boys to achieve their personal best as we believe it's the best measure of success. Particularly in the year of 'Seeing Further', the level of dedication our Year 12 cohort demonstrated towards the College, their studies and their future pathways was outstanding, and this was reflected in their results. We wish all our students the very best for the future and thank them for continuing to advance Rostrevor College's strong academic reputation.

God Bless

Frank Ranaldo
Deputy Principal


Senior Years Co-Curricular News

Mr Jeff Fischer
Head of Co-Curricular

Co-Curricular 2018
Welcome back to all students, parents and staff to the start of another year of Co-Curricular Activities. Rostrevor enjoys a strong co-curricular tradition and a proud reputation in the SAAS competition. The boys are provided with an excellent range of activities to be involved in, and I would encourage all boys to take advantage of these opportunities. 

I would like to outline a number of the expectations of the College in regards to the co-curricular program.


Sport Program: Middle and Senior Years sporting competitions begin in Week 2. The program will be made available to coaches and posted onto the Rostrevor College Website under Co-Curricular. As many schools have not yet finalised their teams for the season, a final draw for the whole term cannot yet be provided.

Away venues: When your son has a scheduled away match, he is required to seek a map to the ground which will be available on-line from the College website under Co-Curricular.  (http://rostrevor.staging.thewebconsole.com/fixtures.html)
Schools do not always play on their actual grounds; therefore, it is important to check where the match is being played. Maps are usually available by Wednesday of the upcoming weekend at the latest but I am reliant upon the opposing school to forward this information.

Activities Expectations: The College continues to adopt the policy that students play for the school as their first priority, if the activity is offered by the school. Students are free to participate in activities outside of the College, as long as they do not interfere with their involvement in the College Co-Curricular Program. Students who have nominated for an activity are expected to attend all training sessions and games. Our nominations to SAAS are based on the number of students who select each activity, therefore, it is inappropriate for a student to decide that he no longer wishes to do the activity or would prefer to do another, without the approval of the Head of Co-curricular.

Student Availability: Students are required to make themselves available for all matches indicated in the program. Where a student does require exemption from a weekend fixture, he should ask his coach as early as possible and by the Wednesday preceding the game at the latest. If an unexpected illness or problem occurs on Friday night or Saturday morning, students must get a message to their coach to avoid consequences. All teachers are contactable via email and contact with outside coaches such as old scholars and parents should be discussed at training or games.

Uniforms: The College expects all students to be dressed appropriately for the activity they are undertaking. It is the parents' responsibility to ensure that their son/s have and wear the correct uniform for both practice and matches. If you have any questions about what is expected, please contact the Uniform Shop.

Communication: Our Co-Curricular Program is very extensive and occasionally things will not go entirely to plan. Please contact me if a problem arises and we can work to resolve the issue before it becomes a major concern. I will be equally happy to hear from you when things go well. I look forward to meeting many parents at Rostrevor on Saturdays and I hope that you enjoy watching your son's team play and take the opportunity to meet his coach and other parents. Good luck to all students involved in co-curricular activities this year. Always give your best effort, and enjoy your involvement in the program.

Cancellations: Middle and Senior Years training will be cancelled if the forecast temperature is 38 degrees or greater. Junior Years training will be cancelled if the forecast temperature is 35 degrees or greater. Weekend games will be cancelled on the Friday if the forecast temperature is 38 degrees or greater. Please check the section on the Rostrevor website under Co-Curricular Late Cancellations if you are unsure about a change in the program due to weather.

In other Co-curricular News:

  • Congratulations to Year 10 Sam Rahaley who has the honor of being the youngest male to make his A-grade debut in Kensington District Cricket Club's 147-year history.  Sam, along with newly enrolled Year 10 Mackenzie Best have also been selected to participate in the School Sport SA 15 and under boys' cricket team to compete in South East Queensland in early February.
  • Congratulations also to old scholars Bruce Kamau ('12) and Paul Izzo ('12) who have not only been in great form in the A-League, but recently competed for Australia's U23 soccer side in the AFC Championships.

If your son, be he a current or old scholar, has made any significant achievement in an activity outside of the College, please pass this on to me via email to jfischer@rostrevor.sa.edu.au or by phone, so that I can include his achievements in the weekly newsletter.

Jeff Fischer
Head of Co-curricular Activities


 

 

 

 

 

 


Author:Rostrevor College

A CATHOLIC BOYS' DAY AND BOARDING COLLEGE IN THE EDMUND RICE TRADITION RECEPTION TO YEAR 12

Glen Stuart Rd Woodforde Sa 5072 Australia