Ruyton School Council
This year, the Ruyton Student Council (RSC) comprised a
dynamic team of students from Years 7 to 12, very capably
led by RSC Captain, JessWat. The RSC is a student-run body,
representing all girls in Senior School and considers matters
pertaining to uniform, facilities, the curriculum and
co-curricular activities.
This year, the RSC ran two major events: The UNWomen
Walk for Women and the Girls’ Night In. The UNWomen
Walk for Women has grown since its inception in 2010 to an
event involving students from over ten schools. Organised
by a team of students from Ruyton, Melbourne Grammar
and Trinity Grammar schools, theWalk took place on
Friday 3 May at the Tan. The event is always a lot of fun, and
greatly anticipated by the students. Over $2000 was raised
for UNWomen.
This year, the success of the event was acknowledged when
it was awarded the Enterprise Award at the VicSRC State
Conference. This award recognises a student-initiated and
run event that links schools with the community.
The second event was the Girls’ Night In Movie Night, held
in September. Girls from Years 7 to 12 met in the Courtyard
Café for pizza and a trivia competition, before snuggling
into Royce Theatre to watch
The Princess Diaries.
It was a
delightful evening for all participants, and enabled girls to
develop further their friendships across year levels.
Both of these events accentuate the sense of community
that Ruyton girls value so much in their school.
Ms Julie Hoskins,
Special Programmes Co-ordinator
Science
‘The scientist is not a person who gives the right answers;
he’s one who asks the right questions.’
Monsieur Claude
Lévi-Strauss
Science at Ruyton in 2013 has provided students with
myriad opportunities to ask questions, form hypotheses
and design and execute investigations. Sometimes this may
lead to those questions being answered, or more likely,
more questions arising that require further investigations.
Such is the nature of Science!
Practical work is the focus of the Science classroom.
It allows students to think about a problem from an inquiry
perspective: how to find information, explore ideas and
draw conclusions from what they have observed. Students
in Year 9 have the opportunity to put their skills into
practice as they prepare for the Science Talent Search (STS)
during their unit on Scientific Method. This year we had
a number of students whose entries were submitted to the
STS, with many of these entries being awarded bursaries.
Experimental work provides a wonderful opportunity for
individualised-learning, as students have the ability to
extend their research, according to their particular
interests.
Experiences outside the class room are an important part
of the programme in Science. At the Senior level, there are
many opportunities for students to build upon their
knowledge and skills in real-world settings. Physics
students explored the motion and forces of amusement
park rides at Luna Park, visited LaTrobe University to study
Photonics and visited the Australian Synchrotron. Year 11
Physics students attended the Australian Grand Prix to
learn about STEM technologies in the design of Formula
One cars and race track design. Biology students travelled
to Queenscliff to explore the ecology of the region. Year 12
Biology students visited the Gene Technology Access
Centre (GTAC) to work with DNA.
Year 12 Chemistry students visited LaTrobe University,
putting into practice some of the theory they have covered
on analytical instruments. A visit to the Melbourne
Aquarium to study the practical importance of controlling
the pH of water enhanced the work done on Acids and
Bases by Year 11 Chemists. Psychology students engaged in
activities with Prep and Grade 2 girls to understand
changes in thinking through development.
Years 7 and 10 students have taken advantage of Swinburne
University programmes in Astronomy and Physics. Year 8
students made use of the Melbourne Museum to support
their learning in the Rocks and Minerals unit of work. The
Year 8 camp in Queenscliff allowed students to further
investigate the ecological concepts that were covered as
part of the Ecology topic.
The role of the Scientist in the community is an important
one and the opportunity for students to meet with current
scientists and discuss their work is important. A number
of Year 10 students attended a Careers in Chemistry
seminar at the Australian Synchrotron and some Year 9
students travelled to the Melbourne Museum to hear from
young scientists discussing their current research. The
Year 10 Ethics in Science unit has provided opportunities
for students to engage with staff from the Red Cross Blood
Bank, the Thalassaemia Association and DonateLife.
Ruyton students participated in the following Science
enrichment programmes and competitions, gaining
commendable results: the Big Science Competition, the
International Competitions and Assessments for Schools
Science Competition, the Australian National Chemistry
Annual Report 2013
19
