student productions. From the Trinity/Ruyton Musical
Grease, to the Prep-Year 2 colourful production entitled
Kaleidoscope, these productions have showcased
outstanding student talent and have highlighted the
dedication of our staff. The annual Performing Arts House
Festival (PAHF) once again demonstrated the amazing
talent and resourcefulness of our Year 11 girls, and their
inclusiveness as they engaged every girl in the Senior
School in this spectacular production. It was particularly
pleasing to note that the Malthouse Theatre selected the
9/10
electiveWorkshop for a Dramatic Performance as a
basis for script stimulus for future students undertaking
the task.
Music is an essential part of the Ruyton experience, as
featured in Junior and Senior Assembly each week, the
many concerts, soirées and recitals throughout the year, as
well as the classroom programme. This year we enjoyed the
first-ever combined Ruyton Trinity Orchestra Concert and
the inaugural Choral Assembly. The Music Concert saw the
first public performance of our Chinese Ensemble, a group
of 18 students playing traditional Chinese instruments.
This has been a joint project developed by the Chinese and
Music Departments and has given the girls an increased
awareness of Chinese ways of living, values and arts.
Ruyton girls are well known for their high-level of
engagement in co-curricular activities. This is particularly
evident in the number of girls who participate in weekly
GSV sport, Rowing and Saturday Netball. This year our Track
and Field and Cross Country teams have continued their
journey of achievement with GSV Division 1 victories. The
2012
Cross Country team enjoyed unprecedented success,
building on a strong foundation set by hundreds of Ruyton
girls over the past 15 years. This year, their tenth successive
overall victory at the State Cross Country Championships
and State Road Relays has seen them write themselves into
the history books as one of the premier sporting schools in
Victoria. It is an outstanding feat and reflects the depth of
talent, hard work and determination of our girls and the
expertise and commitment of their coaching staff.
At the start of 2012 the Strategic Directions 2012 – 2016
document was shared with the Ruyton community.
Learning, Growing, Connecting and Resourcing are the core
focus for our strategies in order to achieve our vision, while
maintaining and continuing to strengthen our reputation
and culture. Parents, staff and students participated in
focus group workshops to inform the Board and School
Executive in their development of the Strategic Directions.
The plan has been used to determine the focus of the
operational plan for 2013 and will continue to do so in the
coming years.
The use of digital technologies continues to impact on
learning and teaching. As part of our strategic planning
the ICT committee has worked with Ms Sylvia Guidara to
develop the Digital Learning vision and five year strategy
for Ruyton.With the vision of
‘
Digital learning will engage,
inspire and transform learning and teaching at Ruyton Girls’
School’
four main pillars clearly emerged as the basis of the
plan : Learning Focus Areas, Key Technologies, Professional
Learning, and Management/ Infrastructure. As part of
the implementation plan the School is embarking on a
series of innovation projects over the next five years. The
first project, implemented this year, was the iCollaborate
Innovation Project. This explored the collaborative use
of iPads and relevant apps across a variety of learning
environments in Early Learning, Junior and Senior School.
This action research is an important part of the Digital
Learning Strategy.
Ruyton has joined the Generation Safe network this year,
an organisation that offers resources and expert advice
to assist schools in navigating the realities of the digital
world. Through a 360 degree self-assessment we have
explored all aspects of Digital Citizenship. This work will
continue next year to further develop programmes and
strategies that ensure digital integrity at Ruyton.
Early this year Ruyton released its Responsible Online
Behaviour/iCare 1.0 policy to the Ruyton community. The
policy recognises that the online environment and social
media are significant aspects of many people’s lives,
particularly the generation we are currently educating. The
main aim of this policy is to provide all Ruyton community
members with a clear framework of behaviours that
constitute positive and safe digital citizenship. The policy is
the result of a collaborative process involving staff, students
and external professionals.
During 2012 our staff have been working collaboratively to
explore what personalised learning means at Ruyton, and
how this translates into our classrooms and beyond. This
has led to the development of the Ruyton Personalised
Learning Philosophy statement, to underpin our curriculum
development and our pedagogy:
‘
Ruyton acknowledges that
students learn in many different ways and strives to develop
an understanding of each individual as a learner. Girls are
empowered to develop independence and promote risk-
taking in their learning. They are supported and challenged
to reach their full potential intellectually, physically,
emotionally and socially.’
Annual Report 2012
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