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As part of our Digital Strategic Plan the Library has been a
centre for change and for collaboration. Students and staff
have been able to communicate, connect and collaborate
through a range of social media and focus group activities.
The library catalogue is now searchable outside of the
School, providing links to a rich collection of online resources.
Recognising the power and opportunity of collaboration an
eBook consortium has been established with Mentone Girls’
Grammar School and has been recognised by the School
Library Association of Victoria, naming Mrs Julie Purcell and
Mr David Feighan fromMentone as joint recipients of the
School Library Association of Victoria’s Innovator’s Grant
2014. At Ruyton our Library is truly seen as a place of
engagement, where members of our community meet to
connect, plan, research, collaborate and dream; a place where
learning is valued, celebrated and enhanced.
We welcomed Dr Michael Davies as the 10th Headmaster
of Trinity Grammar School this year and are pleased that
the Ruyton-Trinity Co-ordinate Programme continues to
thrive as an important part of the opportunities offered by
both schools.
Our Junior School staff have continued to develop their focus
on inquiry based learning as a leading pedagogy for our
Junior School students. Mrs Nicole Ginnane, incoming Head
of Junior School, joined us at the commencement of Term 2
2014 and her expertise and experience in this area has been
advantageous.This work has also included development of a
new and unique Year 4 curriculum to focus on the needs of
pre-adolescent girls as they discover their place in the
community as active citizens, able to make a difference.We
particularly thank Ms Tanya Cockwill and Ms Cate Hallpike,
Year 4 teachers, for their work in leading this development.
Junior School Staff have worked in collaborative teams with
leading experts in the field, while the ELC staff have been
exploring the place of digital learning to support student
learning and make it more visible.The ability of students to
document their learning experiences and to reflect
personally has been noticeable.The employment of Mr
Julian Mutton, Digital Learning Mentor for Junior School/ ELC
this year, has significantly advanced this work, providing
strong support for our staff, students and parents.We look
forward to Mr Brett Moller, joining us in 2015 as Director of
Digital Learning, a whole School leadership position.
This year Chinese was introduced at Year 3 to ensure that all
Junior School students experienced an Asian and European
Language programme prior to making their language choice
for Year 5. In 2015 Chinese will be extended to Year 4. In
addition to this programme the French Department has
successfully implemented French club, an after school
programme for Year 3 students in 2014, to enable a degree of
language maintenance for those students who may already
know they want to study French in Year 5.With Chinese and
French reading programmes and the introduction of La
Petite Bibliotheque our girls have a rich additional language
experience in the Junior School.
The Learning Enrichment and Achievement Programme
(LEAP) in Year 7 and 8 provides a unique opportunity for our
girls to develop skills to equip them for learning in a
changing world through an interdisciplinary approach.
Review of the programme this year has seen the introduction
of a focus unit on Growing Up Digital.This programme will
continue to evolve and meet the changing needs of our girls
as learners and citizens of their world.
Personalised learning continues to be the central tenet
guiding our professional learning programme with staff
continuing their learning and honing their expertise in
relevant areas. In addition to focusing on inquiry based
learning, digital learning and differentiating learning
all teaching staff at Ruyton undertook a Collaborative
Inquiry research project to explore how digital tools could
be used to personalise learning.The sharing across the
School and ongoing learning from this work by the staff
has been significant.
Ruyton girls are well known for their high level of
engagement in co-curricular activities.This is particularly
evident again this year in the number of girls who have
participated in choirs, ensembles, debating, drama
performances, and sporting commitments.This engagement
strengthens their sense of belonging, individual risk taking
and endeavour, and builds opportunities for friendships
across the year levels.
As a community we respect and value the important role
of the Arts in educating our girls and young women.
Through their involvement in Performing Arts and Visual
Arts Ruyton girls have had a multitude of opportunities to
express themselves creatively this year; challenging their
ability to generate ideas, problem solve, adapt, communicate,
imagine, create, curate, co-operate and take risks. In both
curricular and co-curricular experiences our girls have the
opportunity to explore Arts in the wider community, through
excursions, artists in residence programmes, practical
workshops and competitions.
In the Visual Arts this year many of our students explored
the theme Arts for Peace, examining the importance of
promoting cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and social
cohesion. In November the Annual Muse Art Exhibition
showcased the work of students in the School, from ELC to
the exceptional VCE work produced by our Year 12 students,
emphasising the importance of exhibiting work. For the first
time student awards were presented at the Opening of the
Annual Report 2014
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