College News – 4 December 2025

Wishing the Rostrevor community a blessed and merry Christmas. May your family be gifted time to make memories, share in peace, joy and love, and celebrate the birth of Christ. Whatever your plans may be, I pray that these holidays provide an opportunity to spend quality time with your loved ones, relax and rejuvenate ready for another exciting school year in 2026.  

As 2025 draws to a close, I would like to acknowledge and thank the staff members who, after making meaningful and lasting impacts on the educational journeys of Rostrevor’s students, will embrace new challenges in 2026 beyond our College. Our community wishes Peter Steel, Richard Sachse, Tom Hodkinson, Sonja Robinson, Barrie Bryan, Bryce Linford, Jake Slivak, Ky Haddad, Carla Saponari, Alice Wyness, Lawrence Latisenka and Michelle Lumsden all the best in their new ventures. A special congratulations goes to much loved Junior Years teacher, Deb Monaghan, who is retiring today after 23 years shaping the minds of Rostrevor’s youngest learners. 

In particular, I wish to thank our outgoing Deputy Principal, Frank Ranaldo, for his outstanding 26 years of service to Rostrevor College. An Old Collegian from the Class of '82, Frank has held a variety of teaching and leadership positions over his time at Rostrevor. He is a true icon within our community, and his legacy will be felt for generations to come. We hope that as he moves on to his next chapter at Nazareth College next year, the red and black spirit never stops flowing through his veins. 

I now look ahead with eagerness to the beginning of the 2026 school year, when we will welcome Year 7, Year 12 and new Middle and Senior Years students for their Orientation Day on 27 January, before the whole College community gathers for the Opening Ceremony and first official day of Term 1 on 28 January. 

Shana Bennett 

Our end of year Advent Liturgy was celebrated this morning with our Reception to Year 9 students. As we gathered, we were reminded of the meaning of Advent, the time when we begin to get ready for Christmas, not just by decorating or giving gifts, but by preparing and opening our hearts. It’s a time to slow down, to think about the journey of and birth of Jesus, and to remember the gifts He brings us: hope, peace, joy, and love. 

Middle Years students reflected on the wreath themes, thinking about times in the year where love, peace, joy and hope were shared amongst our community, while Junior Years students helped us to pray over the wreath by inviting people to notice the light that God brings into our world, symbolic through the candles we light. 

As we journey through the remaining days of Advent, we invite God to bless our community as we move towards Christmas, filling our homes with kindness and filling our hearts with gratitude. 

Congratulations to Xavier Conhye and Angus Hehir who have been named as the 2026 Junior Years Captain and Junior Years Vice Captain respectively. They will be supported by the Portfolio Captains: George Georgiou (Sport), Joel Desteno (Arts) and Isaac De Leo (Identity).  

All these boys have displayed tremendous leadership skills over their time at the College, and our community looks forward to seeing them thrive in their new roles as they lead Rostrevor’s youngest learners in 2026. Junior Years House Captains will be elected and announced in Term 1 of 2026.   

On Monday night, Junior Years students welcomed their families to the College to end the year with a Christmas Celebration. It was a wonderful opportunity for the boys to showcase the Christmas songs they had learnt in Music, as well as the hip hop dancing skills they had mastered in their weekly Groundforce Dance lessons. It was a festive evening full of laughter and community spirit. Thank you to all the families who contributed generously to the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal on the day.  

Why choose an all boys education? At Rostrevor, we understand boys and how they learn.

We take the time to get to know every boy, understand his individual needs and build on his unique strengths to challenge him to be the best that he can be. We are now welcoming applications for enrolment for day and boarding students commencing in 2027 and 2028. 

Yesterday we held our end of year Rite of Passage Ceremony for the 2025 Year 6 cohort. A Rite of Passage is a ritual event that marks a person's transition from one status to another, and in this case marks the transition from Junior Years to Middle Years and all the changes and milestones that come with it.  

The Year 6 Rite of Passage ceremony celebrated each young man for their journey thus far and for their future ahead. During the event we also asked God's blessing on all the Year 6 students as they embark on their journey in Year 7 in 2026. 

The Reception to Year 6 classes and some of their families gathered in Callan Hall on Tuesday this week to officially acknowledge and congratulate those students who have excelled across a range of areas this year. Students’ achievements and participation across summer co-curricular, School Sports SA teams, the Catholic Schools Music Festival, the CESA STEM Mad South Australian and national competitions and ICAS were all recognised. The huge number of Junior Years students choosing to extend themselves through these extracurricular opportunities is truly fantastic, proving the merit of expanding their learning beyond the classroom. We also took the opportunity to acknowledge four Year 6 students who have consistently displayed the College’s values set out by our Touchstones; Liberating Education, Justice & Solidarity, Inclusive Community and Gospel Spirituality.  

For boys who benefit from extra activity to boost their wellbeing, Rostrevor’s Resilient Kicks initiative is a 20-week program of non-competitive physical and social experiences that combine resilience and coping strategies with fun and physical activity. The final component of the Resilient Kicks program for 2025 was a trip to TreeClimb in the city. Led by Resilient Kicks Counsellor and Old Collegian Tyson Linsenmeier (’18) and hosted by Old Collegian Harrison Rahaley (’17), the boys showed great resilience as they overcame a number of different challenges presented to them on the day. The camaraderie and teamwork shown by every student involved in the program was outstanding and we look forward to continuing with Resilient Kicks in 2026. 

This term’s Year 7 Agriculture class harvested their radish crop this week, after trialling how different rates of fertiliser impacted yield. They engaged in the preparation of the soil, sowing of the seeds, regular management of the crop and finally harvesting. Mr Sangermano's Year 4 class had a fun time on Wednesday being shown around the farm – feeding the sheep and goats, observing the reptiles and collecting eggs from the chooks. The new batch of ISA Brown hens have also just started laying, and can be purchased from Sam Powell via email at spowell@rostrevor.sa.edu.au. 

Rostrevor College entered three teams across Years 7, 8 and 9 in the 2025 Manchester City Football Schools Australia Cup over the weekend. Held in Melbourne, the tournament featured strong competition from several schools from across the country including St Laurence’s College, Parade College, Waverley College and St Dominic’s College. 

The Year 7 side delivered an impressive performance throughout the tournament, finishing in third place. Their consistent effort and defensive strength were recognised at the awards ceremony, where Aiden Chee was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament for the Year 7 competition – a significant individual honour that reflects both his skill and composure under pressure.  

Rostrevor’s Year 8 team also secured a third-place finish, demonstrating solid teamwork and strong tactical understanding. Despite facing tough opposition, the group maintained a high standard of play across all matches and represented the College with pride.  

The Year 9 squad completed Rostrevor’s consistent showing by finishing third as well. Their campaign showcased determination, discipline and moments of excellent attacking football. The team’s balanced performances contributed to an overall successful tournament for the College. 

In addition to team results, Henry Askem was awarded Rostrevor College’s Player of the Competition, recognising his outstanding contribution, leadership and overall impact across the tournament.