Term 2, Week 5 Newsletter - 2018, 1 June

Written on the 1 June 2018

From the Principal

Brian Schumacher
Principal

Rostrevor Celebrates its 95th Birthday
Thank you to everyone who supported our 95th Birthday Party on Saturday night. While the event provided a terrific opportunity for people to catch up with friends from the different Rostrevor entities we also appreciated the feedback from many people about other formats and types of activities that may have broader appeal and patronage. I also offer this public vote of thanks to all our sponsors whose generous donations made the evening possible. View 95 Year Event Facebook Album here

Reconciliation Week
Taking time out to share a meal with the girls and staff from Loreto at the recent Boarders' High Tea was a terrific way to mark the commencement of Reconciliation Week. Similarly, listening to the reflections of our students at this week's Assembly brought us a step closer to reconciliation. With Geoff Aufderheide providing a detailed account of our Cultural Safety Action Plan, I offer this public note of gratitude for the many ways in which our First Nations students have enriched the life of our community here at Rostrevor.

The Joy of Reading for Pleasure
In recent weeks we have been busy conducting a large number of enrolment interviews with boys who will be joining us in 2019 and 2020. A regular topic in our enrolment interviews with young students is the importance of reading for pleasure. During the interviews I like to take the opportunity to echo the wisdom of parents and primary school teachers by encouraging students to read as much as they can and to read for pleasure. I also urge them not to make reading a chore or a source of competition. The truth is that we all have different aptitudes for and interests in reading. It is also true that reading is a skill that develops the more we do it and makes everything else we do at school easier.

Sadly, in their global efforts to improve literacy, governments have focused too much on rankings between nations, states and school systems. In these comparisons Finland is often a country identified as having among the highest levels of literacy. It comes as no surprise, although rarely considered in the media commentaries, that the Finns have a very strong culture of reading for pleasure. According to one researcher this culture has evolved over many generations due to the length and severity of the Finnish winters that keep people indoors. Reading is a great pastime!

The lesson for me in all of this is to keep encouraging our children to read for pleasure and to keep offering them many different sources of reading. Eventually, that favourite author or book captures our imagination and we find it hard to put a book down.

"Reading was my escape and my comfort, my consolation, my stimulant of choice: reading for the pure pleasure of it, for the beautiful stillness that surrounds you when you hear an author's words reverberating in your head."

Paul Auster

Best wishes for the two weeks ahead.

Brian Schumacher
Principal

From the Deputy Principal

Frank Ranaldo
Deputy Principal

Teacher Professional Learning at Rostrevor College
Knight (2013) describes the effects of teachers striving for 'personal bests' as: "The rewards of challenging ourselves are enormous. When we pursue excellence, we gain deeper understanding of our purpose, a fuller knowledge of the contribution we make, and the satisfaction that comes from doing work that makes us proud. When teachers strive to be the best they can be, they have a more positive impact on the lives of children, and their actions encourage their students to start their own journey to strive for their own personal bests."

At Rostrevor we believe that a core component of teacher professionalism is a commitment to life-long learning and continuous improvement within our field. Consequently, we are committed to a process of professional reflection and goal setting for all academic staff where they engage in a regular process of personal planning and review. This is an opportunity for individual staff to plan and reflect on their perception of their performance in line with the AITSL (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership) framework, College priorities as well as Faculty priorities.

We utilise the Growth Coaching model to support individuals in articulating professional goals as well as meeting them. Coaching is a partnership to support individuals in meeting their goals. Coaching conversations are intentionally managed conversations that employ active listening, skilful questioning and other coaching skills tempered with high levels of emotional intelligence, in order to raise awareness and encourage responsibility in the coachee. The process involves clarifying goals, examining reality, exploring options, agreeing on actions and implementing and reviewing them. For teachers, coaching can be a highly personalised form of professional learning that enhances learning within classrooms, teams, leadership, and even towards career progression.

Teachers (coachees) use an online tool 'Circle Touchstones' which allows them to track their progress through a number of stages with ongoing support from Middle Leaders (coaches). Teachers can utilise a range of instruments available to collect data which can then be used to encourage data-driven conversations with their coaches to then inform the goal-setting process.

All teachers are currently engaged with a goal-setting cycle focussing on Standard 1 of the AITSL Professional Standards for teachers, namely, knowing students and how they learn. Over time, the plan is to work through each of the standards as well as set goals aligned with College strategic priorities, Faculty and/or House priorities and/or leadership aspirations.

Student Wellbeing & Learning
Academic excellence and wellbeing are inextricably linked students learn best when their wellbeing is nurtured and optimised, and they develop a strong sense of wellbeing when they experience success in learning.

Student wellbeing is the highest priority at Rostrevor. This includes emotional, physical, spiritual, social and mental wellbeing. Students are encouraged to maintain a healthy balance between their academic studies, recreation and sleep. For some of our Senior boys, this may include part-time work. Students are offered advice on how to balance these through our Pastoral Care Program.

Academic success is made possible by the skilled and experienced teachers who guide our students throughout their educational journey with us. Our Heads of Departments and teachers are passionate about their learning areas and pass their enthusiasm and knowledge on throughout the learning process. Through positive relationships with teachers, students are inspired to be the best they can be.

Rostrevor's core business is to provide students with a rich learning environment that is open, respectful, caring and safe. We achieve this by developing and communicating an explicit commitment to wellbeing through our Pastoral Care Program. Our Heads of House, together with Pastoral Care teachers oversee the wellbeing of each student to ensure that learning opportunities are maximised.

We know that quality classroom teaching has a profound influence on student learning and wellbeing. The curriculum explicitly teaches personal and social capabilities and equips students with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and strategies to understand and manage themselves and their relationships. The manner in which content is delivered (the pedagogy) focuses on building positive relationships between teachers and students and is responsive to the individual needs of students.

We recognise that academic excellence and student wellbeing are not mutually exclusive and respond by ensuring that our programs and practices encourage a positive sense of wellbeing, respectful relationships, engagement in learning and personal best.

Frank Ranaldo
Deputy Principal

Junior Years

Mr Geoff Aufderheide
Director - Junior Campus

Rostrevor College Reconciliation Action Plan
As Chairperson of the Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group I reported to the College community at our Principal's Assembly on Monday this week about the work that has been done in creating our own Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The working group has spent much of the last 18 months writing and developing our plan, engaging with all members of the community and developing aspirational goals or aims to position us for the future. Rostrevor College has a significant reputation in South Australia of working to Close the Gap on Indigenous disadvantage by providing opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young men to follow their dreams.

A RAP provides our wider College community with a framework that supports the national Reconciliation movement. Part of our plan includes practical actions that aim to contribute to reconciliation within our own community and, by those actions, send out a clear message to the broader State and National communities.

After extensive consultation the final draft of our RAP is being considered by Reconciliation Australia's Narragunnawali a school support program that assists in the development of an environment that fosters a higher level of knowledge and pride in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions. Narragunnawali is a word from the language of the Ngunnawal people (the traditional owners of the land where Reconciliation Australia's Canberra office is located) which means: Alive, Wellbeing, Coming Together and Peace.We are excited about the prospect of launching our RAP later this year and look forward to celebrating this moment with you all.

(Link to Reconciliation Australia's website: https://www.reconciliation.org.au/ )

RAA Street Smart Program
Each year all boys from the Junior Campus attend a program run by the RAA 'The Street-Smart Program'. This year our boys were highly engaged in the sessions and feedback from the presenters suggested they were impressed with the level of general knowledge our boys had about safety. Given an increase in traffic in the local area in recent times because of the housing development taking more shape, we feel it important to provide all boys with this training.

Most particularly we are encouraging boys who walk to school each day (or infrequently) to ensure they cross Glen Stuart Road safely by using some of the skills imparted during the sessions. One piece of advice for all boys was to: Stop, Look, Listen and Think before crossing the road. In saying that, the RAA advised , the safest way to cross the road if unsure, is to hold the hand of an adult. This is not always possible so we continue to encourage our boys to cross with great care and attention.

How does my Brain Work?

Throughout the past week we have been joined by Ms Kate Riggall, PhD student with UniSA at the Centre for Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience. Kate, with parental permission, has been running a Research Project (approved by Catholic Education SA) that provides information about how a young person's brain works under various conditions. The boys involved have very much enjoyed the experience and when Kate has concluded the study we keenly await her feedback.

This has been a very interesting experience for the boys complimenting the work we do in other year levels about our brains and how they work. They have really enjoyed wearing the 'hat' required for an EEG too!

95th Birthday

I'm sure others will write about our 95th Birthday celebration on Saturday night. It was a wonderful evening enjoyed by many. Our thanks go to the College Development Office for doing much of the work to ensure its success! Well done 'D' Team!
 

Best wishes,

Mr Geoff Aufderheide
Director - Junior Campus

Co-Curricular News

Mr Jeff Fischer
Head of Co-Curricular

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

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.

1st XVIII Match Report

Best: B Palmer-O'Connell, H Swanbury, X Tranfa, K Kenny, S Lanzoni, J Shute
Goal Kickers: T Matsis 4, X Tranfa 3, S Lanzoni 3, B Jarvis 2, A Lochowiak 2, C Bristow, J Shute, B Palmer-O'Connell: 1
 

There had been a lot of excitement and expectation for our clash with Prince Alfred as both teams were undefeated and despite the fact that PAC had not lost a game for well over 12 months, our recent form gave us some confidence that we could be competitive.
St. Michael's had been soundly beaten by PAC but word was that they were very spirited in defeat.

That was certainly the case in the first quarter where we matched them goal for goal. I felt we were a little fumbly though and asked for a concentrated effort to remedy this in the second quarter. To our disappointment, we fell away in a lot of other areas and Prince Alfred with more poise, better ball movement and getting on top in the centre square, got away from us to lead at half time

We talked about honesty at half time and not the obvious form of honesty but the football type, where we had to be honest in our chasing, honest in effort to support team mates and honest with our commitment over the ball. For Prince Alfred to kick the first 2 goals after half time certainly could have taken the wind out of our sails but to the players credit they just kept persevering. Each time PAC surged ahead, the Rostrevor lads hit back and scored multiple goals in a short period of time. After falling behind by as much as 25 points in the final quarter a late surge saw the boys draw within 4 points and as the forwards were pleading for a deliberate out of bounds 10m out from goal the siren sounded. As it turned out, we fell 4 points short but Prince Alfred were probably a few goals better than us on the day.

Beau Palmer-O'Connell was terrific all game and gave us some real spark up forward, in fact all our forwards had moments and proved that when the ball comes in quickly they can score heavily.Our accuracy in front of goal did get a lot better with 8 goals 2 during the third quarter, and in a solid result like this we also had many fine efforts.

Our onballers, Stefan Lanzoni, Xavier Tranfa and Josh Shute were honest and had some quality opposition to contend with but Shute just kept driving forward late in the game to give us a chance.

In defence Hayden Swanbury and Kynan Kenny rebounded and defended superbly.

Exciting rebounding defender Kynan Kenny again impressed by way of his ability to read the play across half back and use the ball well to rebound from defence. Kaya Scott and Cale Elefsen contributed plenty of run and carry, while second gamer Nathan McCarthy and Jacob Scutella provided some in and under hardness and tackle pressure.

I feel that we can keep improving in some areas that let us down and this week at training we focussed on to the importance of competing as we head into another tough game against St Peters in a battle for second spot.

Ron Fuller
First XVIII Coach

First XI Match Report

Round 1 Rostrevor 1st XI def Pulteney 3-1

Goals: N McNamara, A Melisi, V Pennino
Best: A Melisi, L Frangakis, D Frangakis

With Year 11's out on Retreat, our third match saw 5 debutantes pull on the red and black stripes for the first time as we secured a 3-1 win over Pulteney. The second Year 9 boy to debut for the team this year was Lachlan Fusco, who filled in the gloves for Jamie Signorello in goals. Fusco's presence on the pitch was felt, marshaling the squad from the back and proving valuable to the team. Two new fullbacks entered the frame, one in debutante Andre Lewinski and the other in Tyson Linsenmeier who dropped back to cover the flanks with a trusty performance. Luke and Daniel Frangakis entered the midfield, holding structure, composure and ensuring the spine of our formation was solid. After penetrating the Pulteney box for the first 20 minutes, our efforts were rewarded with Lachlan Barr winning a penalty, which Noah McNamara comfortably converted. Adam Leombruno and Vincent Pennino continued terrorising in wide areas, which allowed Alessio Melisi to continue exploiting their defensive line through the centre and slotting home a bottom corner strike to make it 2-0. The second half started lively with Alesandro Bucco, Nick Maio and Christopher Mercorella entering the frame. The fresh legs and added attacking depth resulted in Vincent Pennino heading home for a third to give the boys some breathing space. Deep into the half, our defensive prowess was put to the test with Pulteney throwing players forward and sending long balls to their tall target man, who converted and finished the game at 3-1. The boys are playing a fantastic brand of football and continue to collect the crucial 3 points. We look to continuing our winning ways as we face Trinity next Wednesday at the Parks.

Joseph Pipicella
First XI Coach

10A Soccer Trip
Due to the Commonwealth Games being held on the Gold Coast this year the annual EREA Football Tournament was held in Canberra with St Edmunds College hosting. Once again, Rostrevor entered a team in the Year 10 Division.

After farewelling loved ones early on a Thursday morning in Week 11 Term 1 the team set off in the hope of going one step further than last year (having lost the final in literally the last 30 seconds). Accompanying the students along with myself was the College Accountant Mr Peter Romeo, himself an old scholar and coach at club level. It wasn't long before Mr Romeo and the members of the team starting bonding while watching the latter stages of Juventus' loss to Real Madrid on the plane.

Upon arrival (the day before the tournament commenced), we took the opportunity to visit both the Australian War Memorial and the Commonwealth Parliament, where the boys engaged in a role play requiring a debate on the creation of a new law. The following day, we also toured the Australian Institute of Sport and were given a guided tour by an athlete who lives and trains on site. All students were captivated by the stories of sacrifice and heroism on offer at the War Memorial as well as being impressed with the level of dedication and discipline required to be a high performance athlete at international level. To the disappointment of most, we didn't have the opportunity to see Pauline Hanson in Parliament I however, couldn't understand the fascination.

With the absence of the Queensland teams, four schools fought it out in our division. A first up 3-1 loss to last year's winner, St Virgil's College (Hobart), was followed by convincing wins against Ambrose Treacy (5-1) and St Edmund's (Canberra) (18-0). The final saw a repeat of last year and unfortunately the result went the same way. After dominating possession in the first half which resulted in a couple of very good chances we didn't convert, St Virgil's struck on the stroke of half time. The mood at half time was sombre but with renewed enthusiasm the team fought on. As happens with must win games when you're behind, we over committed in attack in the hope of equalising but at the same time left ourselves exposed in defence, eventually losing 3-0 to a very well drilled defensive back 4 and a talented goal keeper. A special mention to Michael Centofanti who was the best player across the four games, Giovanni Eliasas Captain for his leadership and to Zep Ruggiero, who was a philosophical influence when things weren't going well in the final "Redemption Zep Redemption".

Once again, even though the team won't see it as consolation, we were congratulated for the way we played and conducted ourselves on and off the park. In fact, on the return flight, the father of a recent old scholar who kept this information to himself until we neared Adelaide, commented on how well behaved the boys were on the plane and that he felt proud of his association with Rostrevor.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the College Senior Leadership Team for endorsing our participation, Mr Romeo for his assistance, the parents for their support and to the team members for representing the College with pride.

Evan Pezos
10A COach

In other Co-Curricular News:

• Year 7 Arnav Kothari participated in The Young Archie 2018 held by the Art Gallery of NSW at the start of this year. His artwork has been recognised in the top 10% of entries. He received a letter of appreciation and Participation Certificate from the Art Gallery of NSW. 
• Year 7 Riley Craig has achieved second and third places in the Primary Division of the SAAS Cross Country Runs in the first 2 rounds of competition which is a great achievement against some tough opposition

Jeff Fischer
Head of Co-curricular Activities

Year 7 Arnav Kothari's art work 

10A Soccer Trip 

Week 4 Results