News and Events for 2009

Chinese Reading competition
I congratulate Isabelle (Year 9) who won third prize in the Victorian Chinese Reading Competition.  Students are judged by their fluency and accuracy in speaking the language and Isabelle’s achievement is a well deserved recognition of commitment to her Chinese studies.

Science Careers Breakfast
As part of the celebrations of National Science week, there was a breakfast held last Thursday at RMIT University, which I attended with Mrs Galt and Emily Stevenson. Hosted by the charismatic Bernie Hobbs (ABC Science broadcaster, New Inventors Judge and Environmentalist), the forum type catered event was aimed towards high-school students and teachers as well as scientifically inclined individuals in the work force.
An array of three professionally diverse yet like-minded speakers honoured the event, sharing their views on science and in particular the environmental sciences that are become increasingly popular both in research and practice around the globe.
Honours student Clare Grandison spoke of her experiences as an Environmental Science student at RMIT and of her work on the Vietnam Project – an international environmental research project. Darren Pace, a chemical engineer with Shell Australia, spoke of current oil refining practices and future aspirations for the fuel industry. While final speaker, Tanya Ha, a writer, television presenter and environmentalist spoke about the easy and practical ways we can apply sustainable practices in everyday life. Tanya has several highly commended and credited publications to her name including her most recent book: Green Stuff for Kids – which is aimed at fostering environmentally sound attitudes and behaviours in the younger generation, in the hope that this will help to secure a more environmentally aware society for the future.
In an engaging and easy to understand presentation, all the speakers communicated their own career paths and how studying science can lead you in many directions, even directions you have never before considered. The breakfast was a very interesting, very informative event, and one that I would definitely recommend to any aspiring scientists offered the opportunity of attendance next year.

Tournament of Minds
Congratulations to the three Tournament of Minds teams and to Mrs Tait, Mrs Taylor and Mrs Turner for an outstanding effort in Saturday’s TOM Competition held at Swinburne University. The girls looked amazing in their own hand-made costumes and were very confident in their dramatic delivery of their problem to the judges. Thank you to the teachers for all the hard work put into helping the girls this term. Thank you also to the parents who came along to watch and a special thank you to Mrs M Anderson for helping out at the last minute. 

Ruyton Winter Ball 
Thank you to the many parents who supported the School by attending the Ruyton Winter Ball. It is wonderful to have so many enthusiastic supporters of our vision for Ruyton. 

The creativity of the organising committee was amazing. In the more casual atmosphere of the Medallion Club, Etihad Stadium, parents and staff were able to gallivant on the dance floor, mingle freely in the spacious environment and relax in very pleasant company. The whole evening took on the sporting flavour of the venue with all the tables decorated as major sporting venues, keenly fought Foosball matches taking place in the wings and solid bidding for live and silent auctions. The MC for the evening was Jan Jaclyn and I thank her for keeping the ball rolling while the rest of us played.

The success of this evening resulted from the enormous amount of time and energy expended by the Ball organising committee which has been so competently led by Kerri Laidlaw. I thank all the members of this committee for their work. The girls and staff of Ruyton, both current and future, are indebted to these parents for your efforts.

The funds raised at the Ball provide support for

• the redevelopment of our Junior School so that all the girls who start their education at Ruyton can have excellent facilities in which to learn.  This redevelopment includes new classrooms for Prep and Year 6 and a Centre for Creativity which provides Junior School with an Art and Design Studio, Science and Technology Laboratory, Music classroom and practice rooms, a Multi-Purpose room and Educational Development rooms.

• the Ruyton Community Scholarship which has been wonderfully successful as we have been able to provide an opportunity for a girl to reach her potential through having the advantages of a Ruyton education. The funds raised on Friday evening will help us to expand this programme in the future

I know that you will have already seen the wonderful list of sponsors and donors for the Ball and I thank all of these generous people and organisations who have supported us so well.

In particular, I thank Mr Anthony Starkins, CEO and Founder of First Samuel Ltd for the First Samuel’s support for our 2009 Winter Ball. 
The funds raised at the Ball provide support for

• the redevelopment of our Junior School so that all the girls who start their education at Ruyton can have excellent facilities in which to learn.  This redevelopment includes new classrooms for Prep and Year 6 and a Centre for Creativity which provides Junior School with an Art and Design Studio, Science and Technology Laboratory, Music classroom and practice rooms, a Multi-Purpose room and Educational Development rooms.

• the Ruyton Community Scholarship which has been wonderfully successful as we have been able to provide an opportunity for a girl to reach her potential through having the advantages of a Ruyton education. The funds raised on Friday evening will help us to expand this programme in the future

I know that you will have already seen the wonderful list of sponsors and donors for the Ball and I thank all of these generous people and organisations who have supported us so well.
In particular, I thank Mr Anthony Starkins, CEO and Founder of First Samuel Ltd for the First Samuel’s support for our 2009 Winter Ball. 
Boorondara Gifted Cluster Day At Ruyton
Last Wednesday we had guests from a number of schools in the Boroondara region, including Scotch, MLC, Fintona and Camberwell Girls, who were invited to participate in an Art / Poetry Day at Ruyton. These students were joined by a number of selected Year 9 students from Ruyton to explore the link between selected classical art works and poetry.
The day involved an art appreciation analysis of particular works and a poetry analysis of corresponding poems. Students then wrote their own poem, drawing inspiration from a classical painting and having researched the story behind the painting.
I would like to thank Mrs Alison Davies who volunteered her time and expertise to make this a memorable day for the students. Feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive for the opportunity of not only furthering their education and knowledge but also mixing with other like-minded students with a passion for the same subject.

Science Stars
In Term 2 this year, 123 Ruyton students in Years 6 and 8 participated in the ‘2009 International Competition and Assessments for Schools Science Competition’, organised by Educational Assessment Australia at the University of New South Wales. Our students achieved very pleasing results.
Senior School students received their results in School assembly on Tuesday 18 August as part of Science week. They were presented with their certificates by Associate Professor Tom Kotsimbos who spoke to the students about his work in heart lung transplantation.
Highlights of the Senior School results are as follows:
• Two students, Betty and Lauren have been awarded a High Distinction, placing them in the top 1% of the state
• Fourteen students (21% of the Year 8 entries from Ruyton) have been awarded Distinction Certificates, placing them in the next 10% of the state.
• Nineteen students (28% of Year 8 entries from Ruyton) have been awarded Credit Certificates, placing them in the next 20% of the state.

Science News
Congratulations also to the 47 students who competed in the Rio Tinto Big Science Competition. This was offered as an extension activity, on a Friday afternoon after school and the students competed with enthusiasm. The challenging series of 30 questions were completed in 75 minutes and our students gained outstanding results. Betty Xiong of Year 8 deserves special mention as she achieved a perfect score!

Windchimes come 2nd at Waverley Eisteddfod
A huge congratulations to Ms Sonja Horbelt and the girls in Windchimes who performed at the Waverley Eisteddfod last Saturday. The girls played brilliantly to win Second Place in the Large Instrumental 14 Years and Under section. This is an outstanding achievement, as most of the ensembles the girls competed against were secondary students. The adjudicator was particularly impressed with the polished performance and presentation of the girls.

Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
Last Tuesday the Year 3 and Year 4 students attended the ‘Mad Hatter’s Tea Party’. The girls’ hats were colourful and creative and the food was truly fit for the occasion. The girls proudly paraded in their hats and guided their parents and siblings around to view the Art Exhibition.  The Year 6 Art Team were our official judges on the day and, due to Book Week activities, will announce the awards during Assembly on Wednesday 26 August.  I would like to thank all the Class Reps and the parents who kindly offered their help with food and preparation. 

Kindergarten
This week has been a truly exciting week for the Kindergarten children. The children were visited by a lady who taught us all about butterflies and the life cycles. Some of the Kindergarten children were given the opportunity hold on to the butterflies as well! They stood in a pop-up cage and held stick with sugar water on the end to attract the butterflies. The butterflies were so beautiful with all the colours and patterns on their wings.
The Kindergarten children have enjoyed creating beautiful butterfly creations and have been great helpers in helping to construct our 3D sculpture of a butterfly using chicken wire and plaster. We are looking forward to the completion of our butterfly sculpture so that we can hang it up in the room for everyone to see.

Girls’ Pre Prep
At Girls’ Pre-Prep, we really enjoyed our Favourite Shoes Day, it was great way to recognise similarities and differences. All the girls drew their favourite shoes and had the opportunity to express their individuality.
We have also been busy sorting lots of tiny bits of crepe paper to create a magical collage, we look forward to this collaborative piece of work developing. The girls had a recent and informative visit from Mr Anthony Coulson, the Ruyton swimming instructor to discuss his job and different strokes that he teaches in the pool. We have a had a great response from the questions we sent home regarding our growing and becoming in the community project, and look forward to our dress up day on Thursday 20 August.

University of Melbourne - BHP Billiton School Mathematics Competition 2009
The following girls have been awarded prizes in this year's University of Melbourne School Mathematics Competition:
Tenille - Certificate of Merit in the Intermediate Division
Karen - Certificate of Merit in the Intermediate Division
The competition is sponsored by The University of Melbourne and BHP Billiton. It is organised by members of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at The University of Melbourne. The competition is of a demanding standard, designed to identify real mathematical talent. Approximately 4000 Victorian students enter and some 150 are awarded prizes. The nature of the problems is different from that encountered in school mathematics syllabi, being less mechanical and requiring a higher level of mathematical insight and creativity.

Year 8 LEAP – Learning Enrichment and Achievement Program
‘Aprons at Abbotsford Convent’

Budding Master Chefs donned their aprons at Abbotsford Convent and set to with huge enthusiasm to create an array of dishes during the recent LEAP workshop. Learning about the influence of migrants in historical and contemporary times has led the girls to investigate why people left their home countries and the struggles they encountered when they arrived in Australia. The legacy of migrants is apparent in our modern life in Melbourne, especially in our cuisine.

To begin the unit, Food Technology and Education Consultant Andrew Taylor demonstrated the basics of food preparation, hygiene and safety and concluded with cooking Money Bags - small deep fried meat and vegetable filled pastries found in a number of Asian countries. The girls learnt about garnishes and produced beautifully turned tomato roses, curled celery and orange segments to enhance their dishes. With these understandings, the demands of producing a full meal was easier, and in the commercial kitchen at Abbotsford Convent Andrew presented them with the challenge of cooking:
• Hand made pasta ravioli filled with spinach and ricotta with a creamy mushroom sauce
• Jambalaya and cornbread – a dish from the Deep South of the US
• Vietnamese spring rolls and Vietnamese salad

One of the key features that we seek to build in the girls in LEAP are the skills of collaboration, co-operation and teamwork. Twenty-four people working on three different dishes, all in the one kitchen requires careful consideration of others. Additionally, the tasks have to be allocated among the group. There were some cries of ‘Where is the garlic, I’ve looked everywhere,’ and anguished gasps when the egg shell fell into the pasta flour, but the processes were mostly handled efficiently. Chopping, slicing, browning, baking and finally assembling, resulted in some remarkably professional dishes. The dough for the ravioli initially looked very unlikely, but repeated milling through the pasta machine produced thin and pliant sheets. Small mounds of spinach and ricotta were used to fill the sheets and these were then cut into shape and cooked in boiling water. Plated up, with mushroom sauce delicately spread over the top, and carefully garnished, the ravioli was transformed into a highly appealing dish.

Of course, so much of the enjoyment of cooking is the anticipation of eating your work. The girls weren’t disappointed, nor where their teachers! Three meals with distinct textures and flavours; a variety of colours; and very creative and proficient plating up approaches produced a feast for the eyes, nose and finally, the palate.

The next step will prove to be an even more demanding challenge. Each girl will consider which cuisine she would like to choose recipes from and then prepare and cook a meal for her family. But it is not only the cooking which she will have to do, but also the planning of the entire event from acknowledging the constraints, such as having a vegetarian in the family, to creating a budget, purchasing the ingredients, drawing up a realistic time-line, designing the table setting, cooking and photographing the meal, and of course, finally cleaning up. The family is asked to do a guided evaluation of their daughter’s meal. The comments are often along the lines of that they would love their own budding Master Chef to produce a meal of that standard each week!

MAP
Last Friday, P - 2 girls enjoyed their first Multi-Age Programme (MAP) session. The girls were divided into multi-age groups, with the Year 2 girls as the leaders of each group, and enjoyed activities including cooking, board games, science, art and craft, card games and drama. The Year 2 girls were excellent as the ‘Star Sisters’ to the Prep and Year 1 girls. The girls’ next MAP session will be on Friday 21 August.

Travel Smart
Congratulations to Elisa (4MC) for completing 120 walks and Annabelle (4MI) for completing 80 walks on the Glenferrie Groovers Walking School Bus. Well done girls!

Year 9 Camp
After a week of challenging weather, Year 9 girls returned from a ski camp that was obviously enjoyed by all concerned. It was a delight to hear teachers describe the group as happy, positive, courteous and supportive – a view that was shared by other people they came in contact with and who made a point of complimenting the girls on their attitude and behaviour. Many of the participants learned new skills or honed existing capabilities whilst also experiencing the value of team work and co-operation in a great environment. Congratulations to all the girls who contributed to the success of the camp and special thanks to the staff involved.

A great sense of achievement!
What a great time we all had at tree planting on Sunday! The Friends of Back Creek were very impressed by the hard work of the 35 planters from Ruyton. More than 20 girls, from Year 5 through to Year 12, seven staff members and a number of parents came along to the now-annual event. We planted a variety of native grasses, groundcovers and shrubs in various locations along Back Creek in Camberwell.
The Site Co-ordinator, Mr Robert Brierley from the Friends group, calculated that we planted more than 1100 plants during our two hour working bee. He described us as being like a "reverse plague of locusts – re-plenishing vegetation at a rapid rate!" He was very keen to have girls from Ruyton return and help out with other planting events during the year, so watch this space! The weather was sunny during the planting, but to finish off the perfect day, all our new plantings would have received a lovely drink during the rain on Sunday night.
I would like to thank all the staff, girls and their parents who gave up part of their Sunday (including a Sunday sleep-in!) to do their bit for the planet. As one girl said at the end of the day, it was great to come away feeling like you'd really done something worthwhile, and it was fun!

Kindergarten
The Kindergarten children have enjoyed playing doctor with the stuffed animals in our Veterinary Clinic dramatic play area. The children are taking good care of the animals in their care – “nursing sick wombats and fixing dogs with broken bones.” We are hoping to invite a veterinarian, to come and visit us at Kindergarten to show us how to care and look after animals.
We wish to thank parents who have already come for our Come and Read sessions. The children are fascinated to see the different books and stories which are being brought in for story time.

Fitzwilliam St Pre Prep
We commenced the community project this week looking at the focus line  ‘learning and becoming in the community.’ The Pre Prep children had their first meeting and morning tea with the Kangaroo Kindergarten group to share their dreams and illustrations regarding what they would like to be when they grow up. It was wonderful to watch the children interact and share their work.
The Fitzwilliam Street Pre Prep children have continued to share their interest regarding the circus by putting on performances in the ‘Big Top’ inside and the trapeze outside. The shows have included acts such as ring masters, tiger tamers, acrobats, clowns, ballerinas and stunt men. The children have also decided that they would like to write a letter to the circus to discover more about the different roles in the circus. 

Return of the Forbidden Planet
A lot of creativity, hard work and hours of rehearsal is required to produce a successful school musical.  The outstanding performances of Return to the Forbidden Planet demonstrated the dedication of the cast and crew and showcased the wonderful talents of the girls and boys of Ruyton and Trinity.  I congratulate all those students and staff involved and particularly Mr Lauber, the Director and Producer of this year’s musical. 

International Programme

Last week we once again cemented our relationship with YuXin School, Beijing by welcoming a group of students and staff to Ruyton.  YuXin is our Chinese International Friendship School and as such forms part of the global network of schools which makes our Year 10 International Programme so successful. Through establishing global relationships we aim to increase our understanding of different cultures and develop friendships with girls at Ruyton and girls in diverse countries. 

Da Vinci Day
At the end of Term 2, sixteen girls from Year 7 competed in Da Vinci Day at MLC. The two teams placed seven and eight out of twenty five teams from all around the state. They competed in ten different areas including games of strategy, code breaking, engineering, forensics and art/poetry.
The girls had been involved in a training programme before the day and utilised this training to their advantage. Where one team came first in English and tied second and third in Maths and Forensic Sleuths, the other team came first in Art and Poetry. The 'Angels and Demons' themed Art/Poetry combination which they produced, in less than an hour, is going on display in the M building.

CARE BEAR JOBS
To care is to give someone or something serious thought or attention.  We show we care through our words, our body language and our actions.  We care for our friends, our family, ourselves, members of the wider community, our property, animals and the environment.

It is overwhelmingly obvious that the girls in the Junior School at Ruyton certainly CARE for not only their friends, family, animals and the environment but for those members of our community who are in need.  But we are not surprised!  Every day, we as teachers and parents of Ruyton interact and are witness to our girls’ kindness, thoughtfulness and genuine care for one another.

As you are aware, our WHOLE SCHOOL VALUES ACTIVITY for CARE was a particularly special one. Strathewen Primary School has an enrolment of 35 children. The school that they lost had a vegetable garden, a frog pond, a huge slide that came down the hill and a mud brick cubby. Art and Music were a huge focus at Strathewen Primary School and every year the students worked hard to produce wonderful pieces of work for the Whittlesea Agricultural Show. They had a wonderful Science programme with interesting experiments ‘on the go’, a pet yabby, sea monkeys and a bearded dragon called ‘Puff’.

Currently they are operating out of some empty portables at Wattle Glen Primary School. At the moment the area is fairly bleak. Many of the families are displaced and the students are travelling to school on 4 different buses, coming from all directions.

The sponsorship money raised by the Junior School girls through their role as CARE BEARS during the recent school holidays raised the amazing TOTAL of $3072.85.  We are extremely proud of the girls and their wonderful effort, thought and consideration for Strathewen Primary School.  CARE BEAR jobs showed much ingenuity and included giving mum and dad a massage, collecting golf balls for dad, cleaning the cubby house, setting the table, raking the leaves, pulling out weeds, helping at the supermarket, making mum cups of tea, learning how to make lunch, helping grandma, polishing shoes, looking after baby cousin and walking the dog. 

This amount is simply wonderful, and will allow us to purchase not only 2 sets of listening posts, something the school lost and would very much like to replace, but a large selection of audio books for shared reading, to accompany the listening posts.  In the coming weeks we will personally deliver these items to Strathewen Primary School, a journey we are certainly looking forward to.  We extend a sincere thank you for your support of the Junior School Values Education Programme.

Fitzwilliam St Pre Prep
Thank you to author and illustrator Jane Tanner for visiting with Fitzwilliam Street Pre Prep. Jane shared her illustration techniques with the children and even gave us a sneak peak of her new book with her illustrations modelled on her next door neighbour - one of our very own Pre Preps!

Music
Congratulations to Brigette who came 1st in the under 16 Vocal Solo Section of the Manningham Eisteddfod.  Well done, Brigette, it’s a great achievement! 

Ruyton Drama Girls Receive Award
Throughout Semester 1 the Performance to Production students worked diligently and enthusiastically to devise a performance piece for the 14th Monash Schools’ Theatre Festival. In response to stimulus provided by the festival, the girls created a stunning ensemble exploring the issue of eating disorders. The performance met with rapturous applause and they received glowing praise from the feedback panel. The Monash School’s Theatre Festival is not set up as a competition. It does, however, acknowledge outstanding achievement. At the festival end, the feedback panel reflects on the entire programme of performances and this year awarded Ruyton a Performance Making Award. This prestigious award acknowledges outstanding achievement in the exploration, expression and communication of ideas, and the creation of a fresh, engaging theatrical piece.

Prep Excursion to Scienceworks
On Tuesday last week we went to Scienceworks with our buddies from Trinity. We went on a very big bus. We had lots of fun looking at all the displays in Nitty Gritty City. It was fun pretending to work in the café. We set the table and made coffee and sandwiches. It was very noisy in the music room. At the Planetarium we saw Tycho Goes to the Moon and we learnt about the stars in our night sky. After we ate our lunch, we played on the equipment outside in the sun. Some of us were very tired on the way home in the bus. Thank you to the three mothers who came along to help Mrs Bush look after us all.
Prep BA Girls

It was a long way on the bus to Scienceworks. We had our morning tea when we got there and then we went into our groups. We looked around at all the different things. Then it was time to go into the Planetarium. We saw Tycho goes to the Moon. We lay back in our seats and we saw the planets and the stars. At lunchtime we saw the Trinity Preps and then we had a play together on the equipment. At 1 o’clock it was time to go to Nitty Gritty City. We liked the café and the piano and the log. It was a great day!
Prep BE Girls

Walking School Bus
A BIG “congratulations” to all the girls that have been walking to school during the cold weather.  They have not only been enjoying the brisk walk to school, but also a tasty warm Milo drink on Fridays. Girls who have walked on Mondays or Tuesdays can also get their drink on Friday, and you’ll get an extra marshmallow if you walk on the bus twice in a week!
A recent survey of Melbourne school children found that 62% would PREFER to walk to school (Herald Sun 11/5/09).   Developing healthy lifestyle behaviour when children are young is vital, so why not give a Walking School Bus a go!

VCAA Plain English Speaking Award
Congratulations to Cara who won the regional final of the VCAA Plain English Speaking Award.  Cara is now invited to participate in the state semi-finals on Tuesday 23 June. I wish her well in this competition.

Australian Geography Competition 2009
Congratulations to all the girls who participated in the Australian Geography Competition.
All students in Year 9 and 10 participated in the competition in March by completing a challenging multiple choice test. VCE students were given a choice and Anna in Year 12 chose to participate.
Ruyton can again be proud of the results which reflect significant achievements in the Intermediate and Senior sections of the competition. Girls who have received certificates should be proud of their involvement and their achievements.
The highest score was shared by Olivier (who was the highest achiever last year) and Shimona. There are 96,000 students from almost 800 schools participating in the competition this year.
The list of high achievers gets longer every year and this is very encouraging. It reflects an interest in the world around us and an awareness of a geographic perspective of the world.
The results were announced in School Assembly yesterday (Tuesday June 16).

Link-a-Lift Scheme
The Link-a-Lift Scheme is a scheme you can use to link with other Ruyton families to make sharing a car ride to or from school easier. From the Ruyton website you log on to the Link-a-Lift Program with a confidential ID number. You can then search for other potential car sharers in your area.
You choose how much information you put in and you communicate directly with the other sharer via email.
A small group of volunteers are trialling the software in the next few weeks to iron out any glitches. We hope it will be ready for use next term.
We look forward to your support.
Remember – it’s free to use; it’s a first and it’s environmentally friendly!

Year 3 and 4 Production
What a wonderful Year 3 and 4 Production of Alice on the Land of Wonder we all witnessed last week. The girls were amazing – what talented actors, singers and dancers we have! Thank you all for your support of the girls and of Ms Cosgriff, Mrs Barker and Mrs Parker throughout the production journey. It has certainly been a busy term, particularly for the Year 4 girls who also attended camp recently. Congratulations to all!

Year 4 Minerals Victoria Incursion
As part of the Rocks and Minerals unit, a presenter from Minerals Victoria worked with the Year 4 girls today. During the session, the girls learnt about how rocks and minerals are obtained from the earth and how minerals are used in our lives. The presentation reinforced the concepts that have been learnt and discussed in the classroom this term and also provided the girls with the opportunity to ask relevant questions to an expert in the area of geology.       

Kindergarten
Last week, the Kindergarten children were paid a very special visit by their Grandfriends. The children took pride in showing off their Kindergarten and play activities, and enjoyed playing with their Grandfriends. The Kindergarten staff would like to thank everyone for coming and taking time to spend with the children in Kindergarten. The morning was a special time for relationship building and connecting.
We are continuing our discovery of colours, with our focus this week on yellow and green. This continues to connect the children with the colours in our natural environment, and in particular those which are coming with the arrival of winter. 

Pre Prep Fitzwilliam Street
The children have embarked on a collage workshop. The project came about as a response to the children's request for more ‘cutting things’ and is designed to foster the development of the children's fine motor skills. 
The children are also currently researching the works of Henri Matisse, as Matisse's later works were created with paper collage. Following Matisse's technique, the children agreed on the colours and designs for each scene.
Continuing the artist focus, the children have been studying the works of Monet and in particular, his garden. The children have been observing the colours and techniques used in his works to create their own gardens.

Congratulations to Alice Adams (Year 7), who has been accepted into the chorus of the Victorian Youth Opera for their forthcoming production of Benjamin Britten's The Little Sweep. The production will be performed in early October.

STOP THE PRESS…
We have just been informed, due to the outstanding performance of Paganini Strings at the Boroondara Eisteddfod, they have been invited to take part in The Showcase Concert on Saturday 25 July.  Congratulations to Ms Johnson and the girls.

The Insect Play
Congratulations to the cast, crew and staff involved in The Insect Play, the Scotch/Ruyton Middle School production. This was a highly entertaining play, which was humorous, thought provoking and greatly enjoyed by responsive audiences. The cast is to be commended for their ability to challenge audience with complex concepts explored in this script, and for the empathy and wit of their characterisations.

Kindergarten
What great fun we had at our Teddy Bear’s Picnic last Friday. The Kangaroo and Kookaburra children looked the part, dressed in their special picnic attire, as they journeyed their way to the Moreton Bay Fig Tree, their special teddies in tow. A great time was had by all as we sat around the tree and munched on our honey sandwiches, fruit skewers and teddy bear biscuits which the Kindergarten children had helped to make. We enjoyed playing together and had a run on the oval.

Music
Congratulations to all the girls who performed in the Flute Soiree last Wednesday night and to all who performed in the VCE Soiree on Monday night. Well done to all, the standard was extremely high!

Breakfast with Ahmed Fahour
Parents, work colleagues, and staff shared a most pleasant morning last Thursday in the company of past parent Ahmed Fahour. Mr Fahour, the former NAB executive who rebuilt the once-struggling Australian unit into one of the nation's banking giants, peeled back the complex layers of the current global economic situation and how Australia is placed within it with clarity and deep knowledge, quoting historical events, key players and inconceivable sums of money with the ease of an alarming intellect. Mr Fahour also shared his views on the just delivered budget, putting into perspective the reality of our economic future. A former Wall Street banker with Citigroup, Mr Fahour spoke of his present preoccupation with the establishment of the Government-sponsored finance house, the Australian Business Investment Partnership, essentially 'insurance' to finance commercial property projects should our banking system collapse.
The intimate, relaxed atmosphere allowed members of the captivated gathering to enter into relevant, insightful discussions with Mr Fahour over an exotic Syrian banquet in honour of his homeland.
Regarded as one of the most charismatic figures in business, and with a frightening level of energy, Mr Fahour also revealed himself as immensely interesting – the last guests leaving an hour after the breakfast had ended.
Current parent (of Sophie,Year 3, William, Early Learning 07 – 08 and Charlotte, Kindergarten '11) and equity strategy analyst Hamish Tadgell introduced Mr Fahour and his towering expertise in business, banking and investment as positioning him perfectly to extol not only the fallout, but speed with which the world economy has been effected by the financial crisis. We thank Mr Tadgell for his insightful words and for accepting our invitation.
Thank you to Mrs Perini for her organisation of Breakfast with Ahmed Fahour.

Year 11 and 12 Formal
What a wonderfully happy and successful occasion this was! Held on Friday evening, glamorous girls in Years 11 and 12 and their partners enjoyed a fun night of dinner and dancing in the lovely setting at the Lincoln of Toorak. Congratulations to Ms Jodie Warner for the organisation of this event and also to the Formal Committee who assisted her. Their efforts resulted in a happy and memorable evening for all.

Year 8 Hostesses for Open Day
Last Wednesday morning, the School was open for families considering Ruyton as a future school for their daughters. They had the opportunity to visit classrooms, talk to staff and see our facilities. One of the most important contacts those parents had, was with a group of our Year 8 students who were chosen as hostesses for the morning. They showed our visitors around Ruyton, answered their questions and talked about their school experiences. The feedback from families was really positive and many of them commented on how impressed they were with the hostesses.

Open Evening
Thank you to the girls and parents who attended Open Evening last Thursday. I hope the opportunity gave parents more of an insight into some of the work your daughter has completed so far this term, and the different ways that girls learn in the classroom. Thank you also to the staff members for their efforts in preparing for the Open Evening.

Earth Hour
Last Friday, the girls had a fun time working without electricity or computers for one hour, as we showed our support for Earth Hour.

Terrific TravelSmart Day!
Last Thursday was another successful event in our TravelSmart programme! So many families took part in our Term 1 TravelSmart Day. Many of those who live locally walked of course, but even many who live far away parked and walked the last part of their journey. It was also particularly pleasing to see a greater number of families had made carpooling arrangements than has previously been the case.
The hope, of course, is that these events will turn into habits and that ‘travelling smartly’ will evolve naturally from such special events. The Year 6 Marketing Team members are learning much about how to promote events and develop ideas through their involvement in the scheme.
Two girls, Elisa and Nikita , were very curious to see which classes were the ‘smartest travellers’ on the day and so their whole class, 4MC, graphed the results as a Maths/IT activity. 

The TravelSmart prize, drawn out of a hat in today’s Assembly, and announced by members of the Green Team, was donated by ‘Eco-Limo’ and we thank them for their donation and support.

Congratulations to Clare (5BL) for being the first Ruyton student to achieve 120 walks
on the Walking School Bus.  A fantastic effort, Clare!

Congratulations also go to another Glenferrie Groover, Fiona (1LG) who has achieved 80 walks. Not bad for someone who has only just had her 6th birthday!

Both Clare and Fiona were recognised in Assembly this morning and received beautiful certificates, designed by the Yr 6 Marketing Team, for their great achievements.

Thank you, once again, to our volunteer conductors and drivers who ran an additional service on Thursday this week, so that their passengers could meet the ‘real’ Walking School Bus at the School gates on TravelSmart Day.

Australian Brain Bee Challenge
Recently, as part of their Psychology studies, eight Year 10 students participated in the 2009 Australian Brain Bee Challenge. Girls were required to study complex material from a primer and then complete a 30 question online multiple-choice test during class time. The test contained some very challenging questions which examined their knowledge of the brain and nervous system.
As a result, two girls, Georgia and Isabella, have been selected to compete in the individual section of the Victorian State Final of the competition, to be held at the University of Melbourne on 16 June. Ruyton has also been invited to enter the Team Challenge section. The four person team will be comprised of Georgia and Isabella, Elizabeth and Katarina. The girls will be competing for a chance to attend the Australian and New Zealand Final at the Australian Neuroscience Society Meeting in Sydney in late January, 2010.
We wish the best of luck to all girls who are competing in the final.

Year 6 Ruyton and Trinity Buddies
As a component of the Year 6 Leadership Programme and to further strengthen the connection with our Year 6 Trinity buddies, with whom we have been sharing correspondence, the Year 6 girls today joined the Year 6 boys from Trinity Grammar School to hear Eloise Southby-Halbish’s thoughts and personal experiences as they pertain to Leadership.
Eloise is a former Commonwealth Games, gold medal winning Australian netball representative, whose illustrious playing career includes leading the Melbourne Phoenix to five Commonwealth Bank Trophy titles in her nine seasons in the competition.
After hearing Eloise, the Year 6 girls and boys spent morning tea together and took part in some organised, co-operative group work activities. Some of the girls will report in next week's Wednesday Weekly with their reflections.

Music
Congratulations to Stephanie who performed in the Boroondara Eisteddfod and came 2nd in the 16 years and under String section. She also performed in the recent Dandenong Eisteddfod and came 2nd in the 25 years and under Cello section. Well done, Steph! 
 
Congratulations to Maria who performed in the Boroondara Eisteddfod and came 1st in the 10 years and under Piano section.  She also performed at the Music Society and came 3rd in the 12 years and under Piano section.  Well done, Maria!

Jelly Baby Day
On Friday 1 May the entire Junior School participated in a colourful Jelly Baby Day to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Everybody looked fantastic and we thank everybody for their effort, creativity and enthusiasm. During lunch hour the girls in Years 3 - 6 had a ball participating in games such as 'Guess the Number of Jelly Babies in the Jar' and the ever-popular 'Coin Toss'. Students in Prep - Year 2 also completed some beautiful and vibrant colouring-in entries. The prize winners for these activities were announced in today's Assembly.
Throughout the week, the Community Awareness Team sold official Jelly Baby badges from the foundation and were delighted to be sold out by the time Friday's fun and festivity had finished. It is with great pleasure that we can announce a total of $1,297 was raised by the Junior School. Thank you students, parents and teachers for your support.

Boroondara Eisteddfod
Congratulations to the girls who participated in the Boroondara Eisteddfod on Monday. Out of eight schools, the Windchimes group played extremely well and were awarded Third Prize. 

Congratulations to all the girls who participated, attended and acted as officials at our House Athletics Sports on Monday. There was great enthusiasm and plenty of House spirit and it was impressive to see so many girls really giving their best in all the events. This year we had a very high level of attendance, which was most pleasing for the House Captains who worked so hard to get their House members involved. As always the PE staff, led by Mrs Angela Allen, ran a most efficient operation and we managed to complete the programme of events, in spite of the damp weather. Results will be announced and presentations made at our Assembly on Friday.

Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day
Another lovely day was had by all on Monday at our Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day. A very big thank you must go to the girls who performed in the concerts, Mrs Barker and all of the Music Staff for preparing the girls and to the teachers for organising wonderful activities for our guests and the girls. Thanks must also go to the mothers who helped in the Courtyard Cafe in the morning and afternoon sessions, serving tea and coffee.

Australian Business Week
Recently Rebecca Starkins (Year 12) participated with 60 students from across Victoria in the 2009 Australian Business Week State Programme convened by Deakin University, Faculty of Business and Law.

I congratulate Rebecca on her involvement and representation of Ruyton at this event. Rebecca will present a report on the activity in the near future.

During the week, students developed an understanding of the skills needed in running a multimillion-dollar business, developed new friendships and experienced the value of teamwork. Rebecca developed skills in planning, communication, presentation, negotiation, time management and problem solving while exploring some new vocational directions.

Girls at the Centre
In conjunction with The Smith Family, Ruyton will this term welcome ten girls from Alice Springs High School from Sunday 24 May to Friday 29 May. This is a new and exciting venture for Ruyton, one that we hope will form the foundation of a relationship between our schools which will provide new opportunities for the girls. 

A successful visit this year will help us establish a long term partnership with The Smith Family, a partnership which is designed to support their Girls at the Centre programme. This visit to Ruyton by the girls has been structured to give them an experience of life outside their daily situation and will comprise classes and activities at Ruyton, universities and around Melbourne.

From the visit it is anticipated that the aspirations of the girls will increase as they perceive more diverse pathways through education and that they will establish bonds with each other to provide support as they try to establish and achieve future goals.

Yu Xin School Tour
Ruyton will again welcome fifteen students from Yu Xin School, Beijing this year from
Sunday 19 - Sunday 26 July. We are awaiting confirmation of these dates however wish to invite all Senior School students of Chinese and their families to register their interest to host one or two girls.

Ruyton has an established and strong relationship with Yu Xin School. We have enjoyed numerous successful language and cultural tours of each other's country and school during our partnership.

The cultural understanding, appreciation and the personal growth which occurs during these tours is invaluable and greatly enriches the maturity of our girls as they work towards global citizenship. As a school, our international reputation and ties are also strengthened.

GREEN NOTE - Recycling Assembly
For our final student-led assembly of Term 1, the team of Captains created a very entertaining and informative presentation about recycling at Ruyton. Dressed as various recyclable and non-recyclable items, the Captains provided facts about the advantages of recycling, offering plenty of encouragement for the whole school to support our recycling program. As the girls pointed out, one of the most compelling reasons for recycling is the reduced energy used in recycling compared to creating products from new materials. This is particularly true for cans and aluminium products - recycling steel cans saves 87% of the energy it takes to make the cans from raw materials! The Captains also stressed the importance of avoiding contamination of recyclables by not placing non-recyclables in with the recycling.

James Curnow Concert
The members of the Concert Band were privileged over the holidays to rehearse and perform with prominent American composer James Curnow. Mr. Curnow has written over 800 works for both brass band and wind band and has had his music played all over the world. He regularly writes commissions for school, community and professional bands and is in high demand as a conductor and clinician. Mr. Curnow is also President of Curnow Music Press, who is now owned by Hal Leonard Music.
During the rehearsal, the girls worked through the two pieces the band had rehearsed in Term 1. Mr. Curnow spoke about the blend of sound and the importance of ensuring that pitch and tone matched in order for there to be one homogenous sound both within each group of instruments and the whole band. He also spoke of the importance of maintaining tempo, despite changes in volume and style. The girls then took part in a concert at the Ringwood Salvation Army featuring music written by James Curnow. The night included performances by the Ringwood Salvation Army Brass Band and Choir, as well as the Grainger Wind Symphony. The girls performed Curnow’s Dance Episodes and Blockbuster Percussion and did an excellent job of both pieces. Congratulations to all girls who took part over the holidays and to the parents for allowing the girls to take part.

Year 8 Camp
Enjoying a week of marine based activities at Queenscliff, Year 8 girls have returned after a most successful camp experience. The staff who accompanied the girls were impressed with how involved the girls were in the activities and their curiosity about their environment. Canoeing and surfing were favourites, so too close encounters with marine ‘wildlife’! The girls are to be congratulated on the way they conducted themselves and made the most of their experiences.

Kangaroos and Kookaburras
Last Friday, all Kindergarten children jungle walked their way to the groovy beats of the Lightning Creek Band. We flicked away flippity bats, walked across a rickety bridge and even tiptoed past the crocodiles! Our first Kindergarten incursion has given the children insight into the joys of music and experiencing a range of instruments, sounds and rhythms.

Congratulations
Congratulations to Sally who recently performed her VCE Drama Solo at Top Class at The Melbourne Recital Centre. Sally auditioned and was selected to appear at this prestigious event following her achievement of a perfect score for her Solo Performance examination in 2008.

Congratulations
We were notified this week that Eugenie Muggleton’s VCE Art has been selected for inclusion in the Top Art exhibition to be held 25 March to 14 June, Ian Potter Centre, NGV, Federation Square. I congratulate Eugenie on this outstanding achievement. 

Year 7 Camp
Girls in Year 7 have returned from a most successful three days of camp at Weekaway. Having had to postpone and shorten the camp, girls made the most of this opportunity to be together and undertake many bush activities and work together in teams. The teachers who accompanied the students were impressed with their energy and enthusiasm, particularly for the canoeing and bush rescue activities!

Women’s Day Breakfasts’
On Wednesday 4 March we were given the opportunity to attend the UNIFEM International Women’s Day Breakfast. UNIFEM, the United Nations Developmental Fund for Women, was established in 1976. It was set-up as an organisation to assist women’s empowerment and gender equality around the world. UNIFEM has four strategic goals which it bases its fundraising and awareness activities around:
• Reducing women’s poverty and exclusion
• Ending violence against women
• Reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS among women and girls
• Supporting women’s leadership in governance and post-conflict reconstruction
The aim of the breakfast in 2009 was to raise awareness that women in underdeveloped and even developed countries are still victims of violence. The international speaker we had the privilege of listening to was Fozilitun Nessa, who was the victim of an acid attack after refusing to marry her neighbour. After the vicious attack, she underwent five reconstructive surgeries. Although her doctors recommended further operations, Fozilitun chose not to undergo anymore surgery as she believes that her scars are part of who she is and her history. She wears them to remind others of the awful violence to which women can be subjected. Although Fonzilitun’s attack was in 1999 this kind of awful attack is still a means of revenge on women. A reported 187 attacks occurred in 2007, with the majority of victims being women under the age of 18.  Fozilitun’s speech reminded us of how very lucky we are living the way we do, and of the traumatic and inhumane things that women face around the world that we need to address.
We were encouraged to continue to educate others about Fozilitun Nessa and other acid burn victims’ fates. We are excited about the fundraiser that we and the rest of the RSC will be running this year, the UNIFEM Spring Walk, and we hope many Ruyton girls will take part.
On Friday 6 March, we were fortunate enough to attend the Alliance of Girls’ Schools International Women's Day Breakfast held at Queen’s Hall, Parliament House. At the breakfast, we listened to the Hon. Andrea Coote speak about the role of women in parliament which was followed by guest speaker and past Ruytonian, Dr Diana Bowman (’98). Dr Bowman's main focus was on nanotechnology and the implications from a legal and scientific perspective. Her words were truly enlightening and it was inspirational to hear a past Ruyton student speak about her academic and personal achievements. She proved that through hard work and determination anything is possible.

Year 6 Leadership Programme - Prep and Year 6 Buddy Programme
Our Prep and Year 6 girls have commenced the highly anticipated and very exciting Buddy Programme for 2009.  Following careful and intricate pairing of the girls by the girls' classroom teachers Mrs Bennett, Mrs Bush, Mrs Turner, Ms Hallipike and Miss Cockwill, the girls have already spent three recess times together getting to know one another.  This has seen girls sitting quietly talking to one another, others straight away ‘up and at it’, skipping and playing together. 
This highly rewarding programme will see the girls in Prep and Year 6 spend their Wednesday recess together every week and see them involved in classroom activities throughout the year that will encourage the development of a broad range of skills for both the girls in Prep and Year 6. This year, the programme will see the Year 6 girls listening to their Prep buddy read their reader on a weekly basis. The Year 6 girls have practised reading by ‘tracking’ the words with their finger as they read, as the Prep girls are encouraged to do. Already, the Year 6 girls are amazed at the reading ability of the Prep girls.
We look forward to sharing with you, some of the activities the girls will be involved in throughout the year. 

National Young Leaders Day...
On Monday the girls in Year 6 attended the National Young Leaders Day at Hisense Arena. The National Young Leaders Day has developed into one of the largest youth leadership events in Australia, with approximately 5,000 children in attendance. This is a significant component of our Year 6 Leadership Programme as the girls continue to understand and aspire to the qualities of a good leader. The objectives of the day included...
• challenging students to grasp their new opportunity and serve their community with enthusiasm and excellence 
• promoting the value of inspirational and positive role models as examples to others, by exposing students to a diverse range of leaders and their views on leadership
• educating students about the need to grow in knowledge and practical skills in the areas of excellence and leadership.

There was an exciting line-up of speakers, including the Premier of Victoria John Brumby, author, Kirsty Murray, OAM-triple Olympic Gold Medallist (rowing), Drew Ginn, General Manager of Halogen Foundation, Mike Martin and Channel 9 Presenter and host of Getaway, Catriona Rowntree.

Summer Concert
On Thursday 19 March, Ruyton musical performances for 2009 commenced with the most delightful Summer Concert. Despite the threatening rain and consequently a change of venue to Royce Theatre, the atmosphere of this twilight event was maintained by the delicious FORMA supper in Derham Lane. The musicians maintained the enjoyment of the night through their wonderful performances. I congratulate all the performers and thank Mr Smith, the music staff and FORMA parents for organizing such a successful event. 

Year 2 Trinity Buddy Visit
On Friday 13 March the Year 2 Trinity boys came to visit the girls in Year 2. With much excitement they played ‘get to know you’ games, interviewed each other and had lunch together. The girls enjoyed meeting their buddies and look forward to writing each other letters and visiting the boys at Trinity in Term 2.

Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars
Each year the University of Melbourne selects students from Years 10 and 11 to be involved in the Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars Program. Ruyton is asked to nominate four or five of its top student achievers who then apply to take part in the programme. Successful applicants participate in a two year programme which includes among other activities, revision lectures in units 3 and 4 and master classes at Year 11. Upon enrolment at the University, Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars participate in the first Year Program and may be eligible for a Commonwealth supported place in the New Generation degree of their choice. They may also be eligible to receive a $2.500 relocation allowance and a Melbourne Global Scholarship valued at $2500.  

I congratulate the following girls who are currently Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars –
Year 12 - Sarah and Stefanie
Year 11 – Greta and Emma

International Women's Day
International Women's Day was celebrated worldwide on Sunday 8 March. We celebrated in the Junior School today with all girls wearing green (Give), white (Women) and violet (the Vote) ribbons in their hair and with some Year 6 girls talking about the importance of the day at Assembly this morning.

Pre Prep Wellington St
On Wednesday 25 February, our Wellington Street Pre Prep was filled with the most heart warming sound as Michaela's dad, John, a trained tenor shared his talent with the students. He admitted that the girls were the most honest audience he had ever witnessed! Following his visit, we have attempted to sing well-known nursery rhymes in opera style! If parents have any hidden talents which they would like to share, please come forward as the children have a great sense of pride when their family is part of our programme.
We also thank Phoebe’s grandparents for letting us visit the Tawny Frogmouths in their garden. The children really enjoyed the sense of adventure. As a group, we have discovered that the Tawny Frogmouth is a bird, not an owl and we have been discussing the word camouflage.

Year 7
The Year 7 girls enjoyed their two day mini-camp on Thursday and Friday last week and it proved a great opportunity for them to work in teams and across form groups, as part of getting to know each other. I was really impressed with the enthusiasm and co-operation shown by the girls and also their creativity. In the ‘newspaper fashion’ activity, each group dressed a model with a design made entirely out of newspaper and sticky tape and the end results were wonderfully creative and stylish! In the session ‘Year 7 has Talent’, they proved it! The excursion to the Botanical Gardens and the range of activities undertaken, was also highly successful.

That the two day programme was so interesting, varied and worthwhile can be attributed to the efforts of all the staff involved.

Year 1 Excursion to Trinity
The Year 1 Ruyton and Trinity students were involved in a most enjoyable morning of learning and getting to know each other on Thursday. It was lovely to observe how quickly the children familiarised themselves with each other, playing in the Trinity grounds and sharing their interest in marine life.
The children all created a ‘Who Am I’ quiz to share with their buddies. We were all amazed by the variety of the creatures featured and found that we could challenge the Trinity boys with our tricky clues.
The girls have been busy writing thank you letters to their friends and we hope that this will lead to regular communication.
It was most worthwhile to meet with the Trinity teachers and their students and we are already planning another get together later this semester.

Congratulations
We received notification this week that Sally has been selected to perform in Top Class Drama, VCE Season of Excellence 2009. I congratulate Sally and encourage students and parents to attend her performance.

Leadership Ceremony
Last Wednesday students, staff and parents joined together to acknowledge the leadership of all our Year 12 girls. The ceremony blended traditional elements such as the Pledge and Declaration, with recent innovations

Congratulations
At the first assembly for 2009 we presented two awards for academic excellence in Year 11, 2008.
The Catherine Wood Scholarship is awarded to the girl who achieves top academic results for Year 11. The scholarship for 2008 was awarded to Lily.

The Monash Prize presented for outstanding academic achievement was awarded to Stefanie. Dr Maria Athanassenas, Senior Lecturer, School of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Science at Monash University awarded the prize to Stefanie.

Congratulations to Brigette who was chosen to sing the National Anthem at the flag raising ceremony at the Town Hall on Australia Day and later sang at Caulfield Racecourse. Very few people are chosen for this prestigious event and we are all very proud of Brigette!

Staff Professional Learning
Trinity and Ruyton staff members joined as part of the staff preparation days at the beginning of this school year to listen to Mr Tony Mackay speak on ‘International and National Directions in Education’. The National Curriculum directions were a key aspect of Tony’s talk and he is well placed as the Director of the Centre for Strategic Education and as Deputy Chair of the National Curriculum Board to comment on the progress of these crucial moves for Australia.
He acknowledged the importance of the underpinning knowledge and skills in the discipline areas in modern education, and most encouragingly, it appears that the earlier national curriculum directions will be broadened to include all of our established discipline areas, including the Arts. Tony stated that the curriculum must also contain features such as the development of skills of problem solving, creativity and communication and collaboration, to prepare our students for a successful life.
No longer are education directions limited to the input from educationalists and politicians; increasingly we are seeing the involvement of large companies such as Cisco, Microsoft and Intel and this is supporting the 21st century learner. The directions for education as stated in the recently tabled Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians is to enable young people to become
- Successful learners
- Confident individuals
- Active and informed citizens
and that this can be achieved through multiple education pathways with wider community support for the realisation of a successful education for all students.
To conclude, Tony made special note of the prominence of the development of educational directions in Victoria. The state has led a good number of the direction as a profession and as a jurisdiction, and has many of the decision making bodies sited in Melbourne.