Term 2, Week 1 - 2018, 4 May

Written on the 4 May 2018 by Rostrevor College

From the Principal

Brian Schumacher
Principal

Welcome Back to Term 2
As you will read in Mr Ranaldo's comments, the boys have made a terrific start to the term. This week we welcome a small number of new students to the College and to the Boarding House. We hope that these newest members of our community enjoy widespread support as they settle in.

The start of the winter term also signals the much-awaited commencement of winter sport. While the first game for some teams is not until next week, many will run onto the court or field this Saturday. Congratulations to all the boys who have been selected in the 1st VXIII and 1st XI. We know how many of you have looked forward to representing your college at the highest level in our senior teams.

We extend our best wishes to every boy and every team. May you enjoy the thrill of competition and the learning that comes from testing your skills against similarly passionate young men from other colleges. At the same time, may your determination and sportsmanship reflect the best of the Rostrevor tradition.

Generations in Jazz
Congratulations to our musicians representing the College in Mt Gambier this weekend at the annual Generations in Jazz Festival. Of course, such ventures wouldn't be possible without the generous and passionate support of a large group of teachers, parents and friends. Music is such a vital part of our lives that we often take it for granted. Yet we could not imagine a world without music. Therefore, we give thanks for the gifts of those who find fulfilment in music and for the joy they bring to the world.

Celebrating our 95th Birthday
With our Big Birthday Cocktail party only a few weeks, away we look forward to sharing the night with as many parents, friends, staff and Old Collegians as possible. With entertainment, great company and the drawing of our major raffle it promises to be a night to remember. Follow the link below to purchase your tickets or call our Development office to purchase over the phone. Don't forget to buy some raffle tickets too.
 

Brian Schumacher
Principal

From the Deputy Principal

Frank Ranaldo
Deputy Principal

Welcome Back
It was great to see the return of the boys to school this week, bringing an empty school back to life again after the two-week break.

Term 1 was long for all of us and hopefully students and families have had an opportunity during the holiday break to reflect and discuss the content of their son's report. As students return for Term 2, Pastoral Care teachers (Years 712) will conduct an "Academic Reflection" with their students. This reflection allows students to consider strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats which can influence their performance. As part of this process, students are required to set some goals and to develop an action plan for the next term. Hopefully the content of the analysis and the overall process is discussed at home. Parents are welcome to contact their son's Pastoral Care teacher should they have any questions.

Parent-Student-Teacher-Interview Evenings
The information provided to you about your son's progress on the Term 1 Report may be discussed in greater detail at our Parent-Student-Teacher Interview evenings.

On Monday, Years 7-12 teachers had the opportunity to meet with boarding families to discuss their sons' academic progress. Parent-Student-Teacher Interview evenings for day students are on the following days:

• Surnames A-L:   Wednesday 9 May Callan Hall (2.00pm-8.00pm)
• Surnames M-Z:  Thursday 17 May Callan Hall (2.00pm-8.00pm)

I look forward to seeing you there.

Academic Shield & Academic Awards
Rostrevor College has developed a tradition of striving for excellence and for recognising academic achievement. Our consistently excellent Year 12 results are a testament to this and we look forward to similar results from our current cohort. Recognising academic achievement is an extension of the importance placed on learning, particularly classroom learning, which we, as teachers, consider the fundamental basis of your education at Rostrevor.

We acknowledge that not all students will attain the highest standards and that excellence is measured in different ways for each student. Rather, it is the process, the aspiration, the diligence and improvement which we also award, which underpins our academic pursuits.
Following each reporting cycle, three awards are available to students based on the following criteria:
 

• Palma Merenti Award students in Years 1- 12 who achieve a GPA >=90
• Principal's Award students in Years 1-12 who achieve a GPA between 85-89.99
• Christian Brother Award students in Reception to Year 12 who achieve an A for effort in either all or all but one subject; where applicable a B grade is the cut off for the additional subject.

Students who receive either a Palma Merenti or Principal's Award are ineligible for the Christian Brother Award. 

Palma Merenti Award winners are acknowledged at our Principal's Assembly and recipients of Principal's and Christian Brother Awards are acknowledged at House Assemblies.

We have had a strong start in the Middle and Senior Years with a total of 159 awards being achieved 44 Palma Merenti Awards, 66 Principal's Awards and 49 Christian Brother Awards.

Term 1 Palma Merenti Award Recipients are:

The Academic Shield acknowledges how well students in each House perform in their studies.

We determine the recipient of the shield by calculating the Grade Point Average for each student and then calculate an average for each House. This then gives us a percentage out of 100 for each term.   
At the end of the year, we award the Godfrey Hall Academic Shield to the House with the highest score averaged over 3 terms. Last year the shield was awarded to Webb House.

Frank Ranaldo
Deputy Principal

Junior Years

Mr Geoff Aufderheide
Director - Junior Campus

Welcome back to Term 2!

Co-Curricular Program - Winter Sports
The dam officially 'burst' this morning and we are now experiencing some of the weather that we are accustomed to for this time of the year. The rain always signals the beginning of the Winter Co-curricular competitions and it has been energising to see large numbers of boys training and preparing for the season ahead. We are indebted to the many wonderful staff, parents and carers as they take on roles as Team Managers or Coaches to support our boys in engaging in the vast Co-Curricular Program the College offers. Mr Tim Baccanello, JY Co-Curricular Coordinator has advised parents and carers about accessing information efficiently and effectively via the College Portal. The Junior Fixtures section will have up to date information on timing, locations and any last-minute advice or instruction. Feel free to contact Tim with any questions or concerns you may have. It is important too that we all communicate with team coaches, particularly if your son is unavailable for any selected games/competitions. In saying all of this, we certainly wish all our teams the very best as they take on a new season of competition and add to the rich history and tradition of the Sports Program at our school.

Choomalaka! As is customary, we will aim to teach the Junior Campus students the Rostrevor 'War Cry' during next week so they can celebrate victory like so many before them.

Great Leadership
At the end of last term our House Leaders ran an exceptional sports competition for the final week. Using skills developed in Physical Education classes, the boys did a fine job of organising and hosting an 'Inter-House European Handball Competition'. The aim was for maximum participation by all and we were encouraged by the  number of boys keen to be involved. These games provided our Leaders with an opportunity to lead by example and promote House Spirit. Having observed some of the games, I can assure you all that it was highly competitive but played in great spirit. We're sure our Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 boys also enjoyed a chance to learn some of the skills in a smaller and more supportive environment during Recess breaks throughout the week.

Egan House were the eventual winners and we look forward to putting the pressure on them later this term when we hold our annual Soccer World Cup up on the Senior Tennis Courts. These courts were upgraded last year and continue to be an exceptional facility for our boys to use.

Parent-Student-Teacher-Interviews 
At the end of Term 1 all families would have been able to access their son's School report for the term. This 'Indicator' report provides us, as parents and caregivers, with assessments on academic performance and effort given throughout the first 11 weeks of the school year.
These reports are designed to provide a basis for conversation at home with your boy/s about how the term went and what goals may need to be set for improvement or maintaining a solid grade into Term 2. In addition, we provide an opportunity in the next two weeks for parents and caregivers to spend some time sitting with a teacher to discuss that progress in greater detail. Our aim is to extend on the information included in the report and to assist in setting academic goals for the next teaching period.

I would encourage all parents and caregivers to ensure they have made the time to meet with their son's teacher/s to ask questions or seek clarification on grades or effort.

95th Birthday Celebrations
The Rostrevor College Community celebrates 95 Years in 2018. During that time, we estimate that over 10,000 young men have been 'advantaged' by an education at our College. It's hard in Adelaide not to run into a 'Rossie' boy in all walks of life. That is worth celebrating on its own!
I would like to encourage as many of our community members to purchase a ticket to attend an event that has been supported by the College, Parents and Friends, Foundation and the Rostrevor Old Collegians' Association:

'Rostrevor College celebrates 95 Years'
Saturday 26 May, 6:30-11:30pm, Adelaide Town Hall
Tickets: $100 per person, Cocktail Food and Beverages
Cocktail Attire

Best wished for the term ahead

Mr Geoff Aufderheide

Director - Junior Campus

Senior Years Co-Curricular News

Mr Jeff Fischer
Head of Co-Curricular

Last weekend was the final round of summer co-curricular sport for Term 1 and the competition will resume in Term 4.  Training and trials for Terms 2 and 3 winter sport have commenced this week and it is always pleasing to see the boys utilising the soccer and AFL goals in their play time during the day.

Winter Co-Curricular:
The fixtures for the winter co-curricular season have been uploaded to the Rostrevor website at https://www.rostrevor.sa.edu.au/fixtures.html with most matches commencing on May 12 and only Open Football being played this coming Saturday.

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.  https://www.rostrevor.sa.edu.au/fixtures-winter.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'/caregivers' 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.

Communications:
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 Saturday 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.

In other Co-Curricular News:

•  Congratulations to Year 12s Luke Valente, Ben Jarvis and Jacob Kennerley along with Year 11 Cameron Taheny on their selection to the state U18 AFL squad.
• Year 10 Alexander Trzcinski and Year 9 Jakob Sellmann have recently been selected in the under 16 State basketball team that will compete later this year
• Year 10's Xavier Tranfa, Matthew Dnistriansky, Ned Carey and James Warton were part of Norwood's U16 SANFL team that finished on the top of the table at the end of the preliminary rounds and qualified to play finals this weekend.

Jeff Fischer
Head of Co-curricular Activities