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Muse Exhibition, with Commendation Awards for Prep to
Year 4 and awards for Excellence and Commendation to
Years 5 and 7 to 11.The Art Society has continued to grow in
student engagement and activity this year, promoting Visual
Arts throughout the School.
Students have had the opportunity to strengthen their
performance skill through a variety of Junior and Senior
School student Drama productions and collaborations with
Trinity Grammar and Scotch College this year.The highlight
was the very professional Ruyton/Trinity Musical Production
of Sweet Charity, nominated for six Lyrebird Awards.These
productions have showcased the depth of talent across the
School and enabled our girls to gain confidence and
experience in the public arena.The annual Performing Arts
House Festival (PAHF) was once again a spectacle of
creativity and resourcefulness, highlighting the way in which
our girls work collaboratively and creatively. Congratulations
to all Houses and particularly to the Year 11 girls for their
leadership and co-ordination of the event. Last year Ruyton
launched the Interschool Theatre Festival for Year 9 and 10
students and once again our students demonstrated the
power of performance to explore a current issue with the
audience. One of the most powerful performances of the
year was the VCE Drama class exploring the issue of Asylum
Seekers in Australia. A deeply thought-provoking and
confronting performance, it demonstrated extensive
research and exploration of multiple perspectives without
shying away from the harsh realities.
Along with the Visual Arts and Drama, Music is an essential
component of life at Ruyton.The many concerts, soirées,
recitals and Assembly performances throughout the year, in
addition to the classroom programme, reflect the
importance of Music at Ruyton.This year we enjoyed the
Gala Concert, Contemporary Music Concert and Jazz Night as
our signature events. Musicians also played an important
part in the production of Sweet Charity.Throughout the
year Ruyton girls from Junior School and Senior School
competed successfully at eisteddfods and the Victorian
Schools’Music Festival.
This year our GSV teams have continued to compete with
dedication and a clear focus on supporting each other and
aiming to achieve personal best. Ruyton teams placed first in
Cross Country, second in Swimming and third in Athletics.
Given the size of Ruyton compared to a number of schools
we compete against in this competition these results reflect
the dedication and commitment of our students and the
strong team spirit they always exhibit. In addition to the GSV
title our 2014 Cross Country team enjoyed their eleventh
successive overall victory at the State Cross Country
Championships and State Road Relays, continuing to
demonstrate their excellence and validate the high regard in
which they are held.These are only some of the highlights of
our sporting results this year.There have been many personal
bests and team successes. Most importantly, our girls have
showed grit and determination and have understood the
need for commitment, resilience and endeavour.They have
stood together during some challenging times this year,
demonstrating clearly their appreciation as well as their
compassion and care for others.
As a member of the Generation Safe Global network Ruyton
has continued to navigate the realities of the digital world.
This year we have continued our focus on developing
programmes and strategies that ensure digital integrity and
resilience at Ruyton. As part of this work, Cyber Safe Kids and
Parents of Ruyton (POR) presented a series of workshops
designed to educate parents about living with and using
digital media and how to positively engage with daughters
about digital media usage.Thank you to Ms Robyn Treyvaud,
parents, staff and students who worked collaboratively to
present these workshops.
This year 24 Year 10 girls participated in our International
Exchange, visiting schools in Canada, USA, UK, France and
China.The value of this programme is reflected in the
increasing number of students taking up this opportunity.
The programme is designed to allow girls to develop
independence, resilience, leadership and life skills as they
experience life in another country, challenging their ways of
thinking and experiencing unique learning opportunities. Six
Year 8 students had the opportunity to take part in an
interstate exchange programme, exchanging with students
at Meridien School, Sydney and Seymour College, Adelaide.
In March we enjoyed the opportunity to host 13 students and
one teacher from the Sheng Kung Catholic Girls’ School in
Taiwan. In May we hosted students and staff from the Girls@
theCentre programme, Centralian Middle School, Alice
Springs.This programme assists disadvantaged indigenous
girls to stay at school and succeed in their studies, exploring
opportunities for further education.While these girls come
to Melbourne from different settings overseas, as well as
from Central Australia, and experience many new things,
it is the learning that happens between them and our girls
as they both see life from different perspectives that is
most important.
Principal’s Report (Continued)
Annual Report 2014
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