Term 4, Week 5, Newsletter - Thurs 16 November 2017

Written on the 16 November 2017 by Rostrevor College

From the Principal

Mr Damian Messer
Principal

The 2017 year is rapidly coming towards a close and, for our Year 12 students, this is more than evident as next week will see their last official attendance at the College.  Exams have gone very well and we look forward to their Graduation and Valedictory Ceremony next Thursday.  The boys have done a wonderful job all year and the diligent way in which they have gone about their exams over the past fortnight has come as no surprise.  We hope that their results will be all that they hope for and we wish them every success in their future pathways. 

During the past week, we have been able to thank a number of people for their voluntary service to the College during the year.  I would like to send my thanks to all those parents and friends who have made a contribution for the benefit of our boys and who work with them during the year.  Our College could not function without the wonderful support that our external associations provide, and I know our boys and everyone at the College are grateful for your support. 

Since our last newsletter our major community event, the Twilight Fair, has taken place.  The event proved to be very successful and, once again, this could not have happened without the fantastic organisation and support of our Parents' & Friends' Association, the Fair Sub-Committee and the Stall convenors, which ensured the success of the night.  I would also like to thank the Operations staff, as well as College staff and students for the support of the event and in working so closely with the P&F during the night.  I thank you, our College community, for attending and taking the time to come and enjoy the event for, without that support, the event would not be as successful as it deserves.

As the year draws to a close, a reminder that final day for students (end of Term 4, 2017) are:

  • Reception to Year 9
Wednesday, 6 December 2017
  • Year 10
Tuesday, 5 December 2017
  • Year 11
Tuesday 5 December 2017

College Board 

Recently, the College Board asked for parents to participate in a survey and below is a summary from our Board Chair, Dr Vin Thomas, about the progress.

"The Board appreciated the efforts of many parents to complete the recent Board Consultation Survey.  We were impressed by the obvious trouble taken by respondents to complete the survey and the many supportive and helpful comments made of areas to build on, but also to change and improve, including facilities upgrades, increased focus on STEM, suggested areas for staffing resources, reinforcing Rostrevor's 'points of difference', building on Rostrevor's proud tradition (particularly in sport), along with many other thoughtful suggestions and comments.  A great beginning and many thanks.

For your interest, the reason gaining the highest weighted average (9.21) of the ten reasons for enrolling a son at Rostrevor College was 'Rostrevor College develops good young men of character', closely followed by 'Rostrevor College has good facilities' (8.37); 'Rostrevor College has a reputation for attending to the needs of all students, irrespective of academic ability' (8.28); and 'Rostrevor College has a good academic reputation' (7.92).

'Educational programs' (7.48), 'Sporting reputation' (6.69), 'Boys only school' (6.40), 'Catholic school' (6.19), 'Good music program' (4.45) and 'Father/Grandfather attended' (3.16) completed the choices.

These will be considered carefully, along with other comments gained by the consultative process the Board intend to use during next year, as we work towards our next strategic plan to set directions from 2019."

Yours in Edmund

Damian Messer
Principal


From Leadership

Mr Frank Ranaldo
Deputy Principal 

Twilight Fair

The Twilight Fair held at the end of Week 3 proved to be an outstanding success in its rejuvenated format. On a bitterly cold evening, the support from the Rostrevor community was first class with a large attendance joining in the spirit of the occasion. As mentioned leading up to the evening, such events are not possible without community support. The hard work and dedication of our Parents' & Friends' Association and College staff played a significant role in its success. To all those who helped, a big thank you for your contribution.

Volunteers Thank You

On Tuesday, we celebrated and thanked volunteers for their ongoing support of the College. It may at times seem as though the work done goes unnoticed, however, I can assure you that this is not the case. As mentioned above, without such groups, the College would not be able to undertake some of the projects required to benefit students; to be able to acknowledge them on this occasion was a highlight.

It has become a custom to acknowledge Volunteer of the Year at this event and present the Minister of Education Volunteer's shield. The shield was presented to two very worthy recipients, Kathryn Pisani and Cristina Clemente.

SACE Examinations and Results Release

The SACE Examinations are well underway, with less than a week to go for the remaining examinations. No doubt, this can be a stressful time for some, however, I am sure that commitment to study will allow students to reap the rewards. In general, students have been very positive and should be proud of the way they have conducted themselves not only during the examination period but throughout the year.

SACE Board results will be released on Tuesday 19 December. Students will be able to access their results online via the SACE Board website. The boys have been encouraged to log into 'Students Online' using their SACE Registration number and PIN well prior to the results release data to ensure that they can gain access.

Middle and Senior Years Examinations

Our younger students are making preparations for their upcoming examinations. Year 10 and 11 students will sit exams in Week 7 and Year 7-9 students in Week 8. Subject teachers and Heads of Faculty will work with students to ready them for these important assessments. Additionally, for a number of years now, Rostrevor has employed the services of Elevate Education to present a series of seminars to our students regarding study skills. The following tips are provided by Elevate Education and are available via their student portal: http://au.elevateeducation.com/ (password rondo).

Tip 1: Control stress Stress is a perfectly natural reaction to a difficult situation such as exams. We need a little bit of stress or else we simply would never put in any effort for anything! The problem is when this stress gets totally out of hand and you start freaking out.

Before any exam you're bound to see people frantically pacing around outside the exam hall. If someone comes up to you sweating, chewing their fingernails and downright stressed out, the chances are that they're just going to make you more nervous. Stress is contagious! If you can, try to avoid hanging around with everyone before the exam and especially those people who you know are prone to stressing you out!

Once you get into the exam hall and have a chance to sit down and settle, take a few deep breaths in and out. When we get stressed we actually change the way we breathe. Believe it or not, by doing a few simple breathing exercises, you'll get more oxygen flowing to your brain, which actually allows you to think more clearly! Awesome! A pretty simple way to do this is to put your hands on your stomach and when you breathe out make sure your shoulders stay still and stomach moves out.

Tip 2: Use your reading time wisely! The first few minutes of an exam are absolutely crucial! First and foremost, when you are given your exam paper, you'll be given a certain amount of time to read through it before you can start writing. This is called reading time and it is absolutely GOLD! Make sure you read every question at least twice so that you fully understand what you're being asked to do. This is when we want to start planning in our heads how we're going to answer the question. The most important piece of equipment in these first few minutes will be your highlighter. We want to highlight all the key words in the question the ones that specifically tell us what it is they want us to answer.

Tip 3: An exam is not a memory test! When we get tested in primary school, our teachers are simply looking to see if we remember what we learnt. It's more or less a memory test. The bad news for us in high school is that exams are not a memory test at all. Our teachers will expect that we remember the information they are now looking to see if we can apply what we've learnt to answer any question they ask us.

One of the most common pieces of feedback written on a student's paper is "did not answer the question". As you're going through the exam, keep reminding yourself to simply answer the question. If it means writing 'answer the question' on the top of the page, then do it! Every time you catch yourself simply writing out your notes in the exam, stop and ask whether you've actually responded to the question you're being asked!

Summer Co-Curricular Assembly

We will hold our Summer Co-Curricular Assembly on Friday. This provides the opportunity to acknowledge students for their outstanding contributions to the College's vast Co-Curricular Program.

We always look forward to students presenting their reports with enthusiasm, each sharing the highlights of their respective group/team, their successes and their participation, reminding us of the importance of co-curricular activities away from the class setting.

Co-curricular offers our young men the opportunity to function as part of a team, learning the importance of all members contributing to a group performance. No matter what the activity, the measurement of success is intangible; it includes many measurements which may vary for each participant. Success is winning, improving performance, learning a new skill, camaraderie, learning to share, recognising the importance of reliability, developing communication skills, to name just some. It reminds us that success is available to all who participate.

It is important that we not only congratulate those who win awards but also those who willingly participate in these activities, to all parents who help with coaching, transport and assisting on match days, and to our staff for their continued involvement in this essential dimension of our College life. Without this combined effort, it would not be possible.

Pastoral Care Program

Pastoral Care at Rostrevor College refers to action taken within our school to promote and foster personal, social, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing. Optimal wellbeing is characterised by positive feelings and attitude, positive relationships with others, resilience and satisfaction with self and experiences and engagement in learning.

While the principles underpinning 'Pastoral Care' at the College are founded on the importance of developing meaningful and sustainable relationships between students as well as between students and staff, one of the aspects of the program is the access to guest presenters. During Extended Pastoral Care recently, students in Years 8, 10 & 11 were engaged in the following presentations:

Year 8 - Encounter Youth: 'Know Your Limits'

In a time when developing an identity is everything, we encourage young people to be part of the majority who make positive choices when socialising and celebrating with their mates. We begin a conversation about why young people are generally riskier beings, the positive and negative risky situations they may face (e.g. peer pressure, underage drinking, and drug use) and discuss key strategies to prevent or deal with those situations.

Year 10 - SAPOL: 'A Guide to Obtaining your L's & P's'

This interactive program presented by a current serving police officer, discussed the methods of obtaining a driver's licence; the conditions relating to Learner and Provisional licences; the risks associated with driving; and why being a passenger in a vehicle driven by a young person is potentially risky.  The program included discussions on crash risks, speeding, alcohol and drugs, fatigue and driver attitudes to road safety.

Year 11 - RAP (Road Awareness Program)

Participants were given a confronting and realistic insight into road crash trauma including vision of real crashes and crash survivors. Real life crash survivors, many now living with permanent disability or loss of a loved one, shared their stories as part of the presentation. Students usually find this element of the presentation the most emotional, but draw inspiration from the crash survivors' resilience and strength. They learn that road safety is their responsibility and gain a clear understanding of the consequences of choices on the road.

God bless.
Frank Ranaldo
Deputy Principal 


Br John Ahern
APRIM

Over the past two weeks the Youth ministry classes have been busy running retreats for younger students. In week three the year 11 group conducted a retreat for our year 8 cohort. The theme was around being not just a Rostrevor survivor but a thriver. The retreats are based on three key principals of Youth ministry: Connection, proclamation and Response. Hence games are played and key inputs from the older students and well as a lot of group work. A liturgy in the afternoon which included a guided meditation brought the retreat to a climax. Well done to Mr Sachse for writing the retreat and to his class and mine for their efforts. Similarly the year ten YM classes are giving retreats to the year fours for Rostrevor and St Joseph's Hectorville.

The Gospel last Sunday was the parable of the ten bridesmaids waiting for the bridegroom to turn up for a wedding banquet.  Five are described as foolish or less than wise. (The Greek word used to describe them is the word from which "moron" is derived.)  Those five were "foolish" because they were negligent and did not plan ahead.  The other five were "wise" because they had made sure to bring extra oil for their lamps, just in case the bridegroom was delayed. The story reminds us that the Church year is coming to an end and we will soon be preparing for the coming of Christ at Christmas. Like the wise women we need to be prepared and the four Sundays of Advent help us to do this. In spite of the busyness of the end of the year let us prepare our hearts for this special time.

Br John Ahern
APRIM


Junior Years

Mr Geoff Aufderheide
Director - Junior Campus

Dear Members of the Rostrevor Community,

Transition of new students to the Junior Campus
This week we have hosted our new students to the Junior Campus for the 2018 academic year. I can very proudly report that our current students have taken the responsibility of showing their new peers around with great confidence and friendliness. Our boys continue to show us how proud they are of their school and we are indebted to them for their support of our new boys. The Transition day has followed a 'New Parents Information Night' held on Tuesday evening in our Music suite and we were delighted to welcome these parents and carers into our vibrant College community.

Transition will continue this Friday as we host the first of two opportunities for our youngest enrolments in Reception to come in and experience our wonderful school. We eagerly await their arrival Friday morning!

Student Leadership Process

This week we commenced the leadership discernment process for our 2018 Student Leadership Team. At this time each year, we often reflect on the leadership of our current group of Year 6 leaders and, in particular, our Campus Captain and Vice-Captain. This year we have been ably lead by our Campus Captain, Charlie Crafter and Vice-Captain, Thomas Washbourne. Charlie and Thomas have shown tremendous leadership this year, most often by providing a positive role model for their peers in the Junior Years. They have represented the College well in supporting me when running school tours and regularly run our Assemblies in Callan Hall. I wish to take this opportunity (although they haven't quite finished their term of office) to sincerely thank them both for their efforts and support of our student body. They are truly 'Men for others' and are a credit to their families.

During this week I announced to the student group that our new Campus Captain for 2018 is Ignatius Crafter and our Vice-Captain is Henry Knight. We are delighted for these boys and wish them every success as they take on these roles officially at our end of year Assembly. Equally, we are incredibly proud of the nine other Year 5 boys who nominated for the roles. Whilst they missed out (this time) it is a great satisfaction that so many applied with a level of confidence. No doubt they will keenly seek out nominations for House Leadership roles coming up soon and also the Music Captain/Vice-Captain roles.

Carols Junior Campus Style

We are pleased to remind members of the College community that the Junior Campus boys will be hosting a Christmas Carols event again in 2017. We have also extended our invitation to the families of the Stepping Stone Early Learning Centre whom we look forward to seeing on the night. This 'feast of festivities' will be held on the lawns in front of the Whitehouse on Friday 1 December and will showcase the musical talents of our boys and Junior Music Coordinator, Mr Elias Degeorge. The evening will commence at 7:30pm and is free to attend. The Rostrevor College community is invited to join us for what will be a fantastic night for all! Rumours abound that we may indeed have a visit from the man in the red suit again this year, which I'm sure will give the boys and girls a thrill. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Kind regards,

Geoff Aufderheide
Director, Junior Campus

 


Senior Years Co-Curricular News

Mr Jeff Fischer
Head of Co-Curricular

Summer Co-Curricular Assembly

Congratulations to the boys who will be recognised as the most valuable player or participant in the various awards presented at this week's assembly.

Friday Messenger Bowl T20 v Pulteney

Friday T20 Messenger Bowl

Rostrevor 7/158 in 20 overs (Kyle Brazell 72 (55), Hugh Walker 35 (22), Sam Rahaley 22 (25)
defeated Pulteney Grammar 46 all out in 15.4 overs (Kyle Brazell 4/1 incl. Hat Trick, Ben Homan 4/2)

This was a comprehensive win, although in hindsight, we probably lost a few more wickets than we would have liked given the evenness of the competition in qualifying for the Grand Final.

After winning the toss, we lost 2 wickets in the first 3 overs, however a run rate of 8 per over showed the intent that we needed. Kyle Brazell batted well, hitting the gaps and combining singles and boundaries on a wicket that was a little slow and this made timing the ball difficult. Murphy Short and Sam Rahaley made solid starts but unfortunately couldn't go on and score big. Harrison Rahaley was run out backing up too far and Christian Leddicoat was a little unlucky in his dismissal to a high full toss. Hugh Walker came to the crease and right from the start put the ball into gaps, ran well and hit the bad ball to the fence regularly. In the end 7/158 was always going to be a tough chase for Pulteney. 

In reply, Cameron Taheny and Riley Slack both bowled tidily and restricted the Pulteney batsmen from the start. At 2/39 in the 8th over, the result was never really in doubt, however we needed to make sure we took as many wickets as possible. Ben Homan, in his first game, bowled superbly and attacked off stump. He and Kyle Brazell bowled beautifully in tandem to take the last 8 wickets for only 7 runs. Homan finished with 4/2, whilst Brazell's 4 wickets cost only 1 run and he finished the innings with a superb hat-trick. The boys all performed well enough to qualify for the Messenger Bowl Final against Adelaide High this Friday at Adelaide High, in what looms as a great challenge for the team and one which we eagerly look forward to.

Saturday Messenger Shield

Rostrevor 9/173 in 40 overs (Harrison Rahaley 87no, Jake Slivak 22, Dylan McGregor-Baptista 15, Hank Burton 14)
defeated Westminster 144 all out in 36.5 overs (Cameron Taheny 4/29, Harrison Rahaley 2/19, Hank Burton 1/8)

Prior to the start of the game, we congratulated Jake Slivak (#688), Ben Homan (#689) and Hank Burton (#690) who all made their 1st XI debuts this weekend. All 3 boys showed enough to suggest they will be very valuable players moving forward for the College.

On one of the better batting wickets in the competition, we were soon in trouble after winning the toss and batting. The Westminster opening bowlers both bowled excellent lines and length and we slumped to 4/28 after 7 overs. From that point on, Jake Slivak joined Harrison Rahaley and they put on 49 for the 5th wicket. Slivak played confidently in a tough situation when he came to the crease. Dylan McGregor-Baptista continued his good form from this term, although he didn't go on with his start. Hank Burton in his first game was excellent scoring almost a run-a-ball 14 in a really important time for our innings. The support he gave Rahaley was excellent. Despite a few quick wickets late in the innings, to post 9/173 after being 4/28 was a great recovery and shows the importance of having boys in the lower order who can contribute with the bat.

In reply, our first 3 overs were expensive with some wayward bowling. From that point onwards, Cameron Taheny and Riley Slack were excellent and both attacked the stumps. Within a short period of time, Westminster went from 0/23 to 3/25. At the drinks break, they had reached 4/64, however Taheny's second spell was electric and he left Westminster reeling at 8/83. In particular, his direct hit run out was one of the best pieces of fielding seen at this level. Other important contributions with the ball came from Harrison Rahaley, Hank Burton and Ben Homan. The Westminster tail wagged, however we wrapped up the last wicket with another run out to win the fixture by 29 runs. Considering that we had lost our last 3 fixtures v Westminster, this was a very pleasing result which takes us to 4-0 in the Saturday competition.

Bill Trewartha (1st XI Coach)

In other Co-curricular News:

  • Year 10 and 1st XI cricketer Kyle Brazell batted and bowled superbly on Friday afternoon, scoring 72 runs from 55 balls before claiming a hat-trick in the T20 contest against Pulteney which most certainly contributed to the team qualifying for the Messenger Bowl final by just 0.1 percent.
  • With 6 first choice players missing from the 10A team due to 1st XI selection, the side truly was presented with a challenge on Saturday against St Peter's. To the boys' credit, they batted beautifully with Will Warren stepping up to the challenge by top scoring with 38 runs and also claiming 3/8. Although the side was narrowly defeated, they showed great strength of character and deserve to be praised for the manner in which they played on Saturday. 

 

If your son, be he a current or past 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


Senior Years Results

Junior Years Resluts 


 

 

 

 


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