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place and individual and gave them an opportunity to
share some personal moments and experiences.
As has been the practice over a number of years, we
endeavoured to ensure that all year levels were involved in
an excursion, incursion or other out-of-class activity.
Students visited the NGV for a number of different
exhibitions, including the Italian Masterpieces, the VCE
Season of Excellence (Media, Visual Communication Design,
Art, Studio Arts, and Product Design and Technology), Mid
Century Modern, Sketching in the Gallery, Visual
Communication in Context (gallery viewing and workshop),
Marker RenderingWorkshop, David Harradine
(Photographer) in the CBD, Ceramics incursion (practical
workshop) and Jean Paul Gaultier. All of these excursions
enhanced the classroom experience, offering the girls some
interesting perspectives on both 2D and 3D art and design
works. Many involved lectures giving an overview of what
was ahead, whilst others allowed girls to be involved in
practical workshops, where they applied some of the
techniques that were evident in the exhibitions. They used
iMotion, made 3D models and completed a series of
observational drawings that allowed them to walk away
from their experience enriched and more informed.
Initial planning has begun for a series of murals that will
adorn the hoarding around the new Margaret McRae
Centre site and next year’s Art Society will be able to
complete these murals as part of their scheduled activities.
Art Society has continued to grow this year and it is
important to acknowledge the work that chairs Gillian Lim
and Joanna Cookson did to ensure that the group was
engaged, welcoming and inclusive. Both Gillian and Joanna
were enthusiastic and passionate and this was infectious. A
number of girls received Art Certificates for their regular
and ongoing participation in Art Society and other art
related activities.
This year’s Muse exhibition was very special for a number
of reasons. As well as having a huge array of work to
display, a lot of extra work was put into ensuring that every
girl from Prep through to Year 8 had at least one piece of
work displayed. For the first time Art Awards for Excellence
were presented to girls at Year 5 and Years 7-11.
Commendations were presented to girls from Prep-Year 4
and Years 7–11. Year 6 and 12 were awarded with Certificates
for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts as they were
presented with subject awards at their respective Speech
Nights to acknowledge their achievements. Our special
guest, Dr Christopher Marshall, was very complimentary of
the work on display and suitably impressed by the work, in
particular some of the very ambitious installations that
were presented by our talented Year 12 students.
I extend my heartfelt thanks to all the Art Department staff
for their commitment, hard work and encouragement of
the girls. Thank you to the FORArt committee for their
continued support, and special thanks to Gillian Lim and
Joanna Cookson for their enthusiasm and commitment to
the Art Society group.We say au revoir and wish our Art
Assistant, Mrs Fiona Copper-White, well as she embarks on
her next exciting role as a mother.
Ms Sara Valentino,
Dean of Art
Community Service
‘Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.’
Albert Einstein
The Community Service Programme fosters a sense of
personal and social responsibility, promoting the
importance of empathy and generosity. Students are
supported to take on new challenges, to collaborate, plan
and lead with integrity. Ruyton has made links with a
number of organisations within our local community, and
internationally, in the hope of aiding in the provision of a
better life for others.
Throughout the year students have been working tirelessly
to collect food, clothes, toiletries, linen, nappies and toys for
the SIDS foundation, St Vincent de Paul, Cottage by the Sea
and theWesley Mission. Each Year Level also worked
industriously to offer support in a variety of ways to their
specific charity. One Year 10 student participated in the
Leukaemia FoundationWorld’s Greatest Shave, while Freya
Solomon (Year 12) led the Ovarian Cancer Awareness Day
and educated students about the symptoms of the disease
and the importance of regular screening.
The FareShare Schools in the Kitchen programme provided
a unique opportunity for Year 8 and Year 9 students to learn
about the reality of hunger in our community. The girls
prepared meals which were distributed to schools with
children from disadvantaged backgrounds and to
community food programmes run by St Vincent de Paul,
local church groups and women’s shelters. Several students
said they experienced a sense of accomplishment and
fulfilment, showing that Ruyton’s commitment to the
community goes beyond monetary donations.
Annual Report 2014
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