Spring 2018
reporter the ruyton
STOP PRESS: SPECIAL 140 EDITION LEVEL UP VILLAGE NEWS REACH-IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
ruyton
from the study
In 1878 the newly-widowed Mrs Charlotte Anderson began a school in the back room of her rented home at 63 High Street Kew with her two sons, four daughters and some of her nieces and nephews. She employed a governess, Miss Flora Barton, to oversee the lessons. When another girl, Maud King joined them, the boys were moved on to other schools and arrangements began to shape themselves into something official: Mrs James Anderson’s Classes – A School for Girls. More girls soon joined the Anderson girls and Maud King, the first official Ruyton student, for lessons. By 1880 Mrs Anderson reported that she had 21 students, enough to warrant advertisements in The Argus. As 1881 drew to a close Mrs Anderson made the decision to move her school from her rented premises to Edgecomb in Studley Park Road. With the new property came the need for a new name. Mrs Anderson honoured her great grandfather, the vicar of Ruyton XI Towns in Shropshire England, and named her school Ruyton Girls’ School. This woman of great courage, grit and determination remained Principal until 1888. Her vision laid Ruyton’s reputation for sound scholarship, opportunity and challenge for girls; maintained fiercely by those who followed in her footsteps. This belief is still at the heart of all we do today, as we foster the individuality of each girl in a caring and safe environment; nurturing her intellectual, physical, social and emotional qualities essential to flourish. The Ruyton we know today, situated at 12 Selbourne Road, with over 900 students from Early Learning to Year 12, is a community that is deeply connected and proud of what we stand for. As an independent, forward thinking girls’ school we are committed to preparing girls for a lifetime of learning, leadership and engagement in our global community. We are a community that believes in girls. This is who we are. As I write this column I sit in the Principal’s Study in Henty House, overlooking the Moreton Bay Fig tree. The daily routines of Ruyton are easily observed from here: the smallest of our girls whispering to the fairies in the tree, our athletes running in the morning, our Early Learning students peering through the windows on their way to Library, or our Senior girls sitting under the windows of Henty, full of social chatter as they eat lunch. It is the rhythm of Ruyton, a rhythm that always seems to be buzzing with the excitement of the moment and the mystery of what lies ahead. I sit in the same study used by Miss Hilda Daniell OBE, Miss Catherine Wood, Miss Margaret McRae, Mrs Prue Gillies AM, and Mrs Carolyn Anderson. I often wonder about days past, particularly when the boarders were living in Henty House and the mischief they surely made. The desk I sit at is the very same desk used by Miss Daniell, a proud old scholar who led the School, and indeed saved the School, as Principal from 1913 to 1952. Portraits of Miss Kitty Snowball, Miss Maud King (Mrs Maud Butler Walsh) and Miss Daniell hang on the walls. We are a community proud of our history and use the wisdom it provides to inform our future. 2
It is fair to say that Miss Daniell lived and breathed Ruyton. When she resigned as Principal she soon began to write the History of Ruyton, partly because she was missing the School so much. We can glean from her writing that she strongly believed Ruyton had always been a home school, with a friendly association and co-operation between the teacher and the student, resulting in a much happier and more wholesome atmosphere. She felt this homely atmosphere had been greatly enhanced by the fact that Ruyton had actually been a home for many years, when Mr Henry Henty and his family lived there. The beautiful garden meant a lot to the girls, just as it does today, and Miss Daniell believed it contributed greatly to their development. It was with great interest that I read Miss Daniell’s Annual Report from the School’s Golden Jubilee year in 1928. She outlined how Ruyton has always provided a good, broad and cultural education and in its first 50 years had been privileged to witness a silent revolution in educational ideas and methods. She remarked, ‘It is amazing to me that, in spite of all the work done by psychologists and educationists in recent years, there should still be people who affirm that it does not matter what a girl learns, as she will probably marry, and it will be all wasted. When you think of the tremendous power for good or ill that a mother has over the developing minds of her children, surely it is of supreme moment that she should bring a cultivated intellect and trained judgement to her task. It is the recognition of this fact that caused enormous development in girls’ education which has taken place in the last 20 years. In the early years of our history Australia demanded of her women immense moral and physical courage, and an endurance that was almost superhuman. She demanded it, and she got it, often from highly educated and sensitive women. Those crude pioneering days are over for the most part, and the children and grandchildren of these women are now a power in the land, and are already obtaining abroad a reputation for progressiveness. We must see that the education we give our girls shall not fall short of what is required to fit them for their life’s work.’ A great deal has changed in our world since Miss Daniell wrote these words 90 years ago. Yet her words still strike an important chord: education is for life and it matters a great deal what our girls learn. We now live in a world where content is ubiquitous; free and growing exponentially. Our physical landscape, teaching methodology, understanding of the social, emotional development of girls, adolescents and young women have all evolved. What we know is simply not enough in today’s world, nor has it been for some time. Literacy, numeracy and knowledge of the disciplines will always be an essential component of being an educated person, but learning how to ask deep questions, how to interrogate information, and how to apply thinking in different contexts is education future-proofing; it is a necessity, not an option.
It is increasingly important to take our knowledge and apply it in new and unfamiliar situations, to actively seek issues and problems and solve them critically and creatively. We need to be able to innovate and to have the ability to determine what to do when we actually don’t know what to do. These are the new measures of true learning. The shared vision in the recent Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Report on Education 2030 is that our young people ‘will need to be responsible and empowered, placing collaboration above division, and sustainability above short-term gain. In the face of an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world, education can make the difference as to whether people embrace the challenges they are confronted with or whether they are defeated by them.’ It is hard to believe that our current Prep girls will be finishing Year 12 in 2030, but we are very aware of our responsibility to educate these young women for their future. We know that students learn best and engage fully when the work is meaningful and there exists real purpose and challenge. We strive to provide opportunities for student voice and agency, whilst equipping our young women with future-focused skills, attitudes and dispositions. We inspire girls to be bold. We educate girls to live lives of impact and purpose. I believe both Mrs Anderson and Miss Daniell would be immensely proud of our young Ruyton women today and have great admiration for the families and educators who support them so well. We are a community that believes in girls. This is who we are.
Stellar students – Premier’s VCE Awards
Each year the Premier’s VCE Awards celebrate the top performing students across Victoria, recognising their outstanding academic achievements in the VCE. This year 274 students received 302 awards across 85 subjects. We congratulate Roshica Ponnampalam (’17) on being recognised as one of the 23 Top All-Round VCE High Achievers, achieving study scores of 46 or higher in at least five VCE studies. We congratulate Callie Evans (’17) on receiving Study Awards in three subjects: English, History: Revolutions, and Literature. Callie was one of only three students to achieve this in three subjects. The Principal, Ms Linda Douglas
the ruyton reporter
community matters from the president of the board
‘Creativity is intelligence having fun.’ Professor Albert Einstein’s words were exemplified with great enthusiasm and joy at the Ruyton Gala Concert this year. In celebration of our 140th year our girls took to the stage and provided a stellar evening of entertainment. With two specially commissioned works and a programme that evoked a range of emotions from both performers and audience, our girls showcased their impressive musical talent. The number of girls taking part in this event was significant, reinforcing the importance of the Performing Arts at Ruyton. Royce Theatre, originally built in 1960, refurbished in 1987 and upgraded in 1998, has served as the main School hall and performance space for decades. With the current configuration no longer serving the needs of the School adequately, the services of Sally Draper Architects, together with Hayball and Schuler Shook, have been engaged to redevelop the School’s northern precinct, including Derham House, Royce Theatre and the Library Resource Centre. This is the final project in the current master plan, a plan that has seen the Ruyton landscape continuously refreshed and enhanced so it can best support the learning and wellbeing of our girls in the rapidly changing education space. The Margaret McRae Centre, South House and the redeveloped Junior School have all supported a new era of learning at Ruyton. Royce is central to the life of every Ruyton girl, from her first Early Learning Concert through the years of Assemblies, Performances, Concerts, and finally, the last day of Year 12. Royce is our soul, our heartbeat, our inspiration; it feeds our creative spirit and keeps us connected. We gather here to celebrate the achievement and endeavour of our girls, to learn, to experiment and to provide support for each other. Connection is one of the strongest defining attributes of the Ruyton community, and when you stand on that stage you feel embraced and supported by the audience. It is this sense of connection that will remain as Royce is reinvented as a fully equipped Performing Arts Centre, including much needed purpose-built rehearsal spaces, practice rooms and storage, as well as a complete internal renovation of Derham House. The Library Resource Centre will also undergo a transformation as part of this project. It is a central learning hub of the School, a space well-used by staff and students alike throughout the course of the day. While incorporating increasingly flexible spaces into the Centre, our aim is to develop an environment that enhances both staff and student learning and provides increased opportunities for them to come together to collaborate, mentor, co-create and communicate. We look forward to sharing updates about this exciting project in 2019, through the planning and preparation stage. The Ruyton Board is deeply committed to ensuring the School’s continued leadership in girls’ education. The core of our vision is maintaining the current size of our student population. We know that the size of Ruyton is central to who we are; the powerful sense of connection that exists within our School and the fact that each of our girls is valued for who she is. We know the size of our School enables us to know our girls well, empowers them to achieve, and helps them make strong connections and networks within our community.
staff news
ruyton’s own rising stars ‘While good leaders provide a model for others to follow, they also support their colleagues to reach their own potential and inspire them to have the confidence to innovate.’ Dr Jim Watterston, Dean of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education. Annually, The Educator magazine recognises 30 of education’s most promising young leaders: the Rising Stars. This is the third time the awards have been given to recognise vibrant leaders who lead change and are at the forefront of innovation, inspiring others in the process. We congratulate Mrs Jacinta Huntsman (Greer) and Mr Jake Plaskett who have both been acknowledged as Rising Stars. The Sponsor of these awards, the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, acknowledges that the leadership the Rising Stars show in implementing innovative work in their schools demonstrates their skills, knowledge and passion to embrace the kind of change necessary to thrive in the 21st century. We are proud of the work undertaken by Jacinta and Jake and acknowledge the passion they bring to the School.
It is the role of the Board to run the School prudently today, whilst also ensuring sustainability and accessibility for the future. We manage our resources very carefully with these goals in mind. Late last year we explored the opportunity to purchase the two properties adjacent to those already owned by the School on Selbourne Road. It was determined that not only would this give the School new scope for the long-term facilities vision, but also provides a low risk investment and flexible options for some of our non-learning and teaching activities in the short term. Early in 2018 we finalised the purchase of both 27 Selbourne Road and 70 Wellington Street and the School has now assumed possession of one of these properties. As part of the School’s next master plan, to be developed for the next 15 – 30 years, we will consider how we incorporate these spaces to best achieve our long-term vision for learning and wellbeing at Ruyton. It is the prudent financial management of the School, along with the strong support of our community, that has made this possible, providing new and exciting opportunities for the future generations of Ruyton girls. With strong governance central to the Board’s purpose, recently we embarked on a Board performance review with consultants, Effective Governance. Ruyton benefits from a high performing board, with diverse membership, a range of skills and experiences, and an excellent grasp of the requirements for good governance, in particular in regards to stewardship of funds, risk management, execution of strategy and relationship with the Executive. Ruyton has an open board nominations process, advertising positions in School publications, and utilises a skills matrix to ensure a good mix of skills and views at the table. Board members are appointed for a fixed term to ensure appropriate Board renewal. We have been fortunate to have a range of people from our community including parents, former parents and other independent people, willing to volunteer their time and expertise to be part of our Board. The honest and critical assessment undertaken by Effective Governance confirmed these strengths and also identified a number of key areas for improvement. The recommendations will be thoroughly reviewed by the Board and an implementation plan will be set in place that will ensure the Board continues to work at an exemplary level. In Term 3 Mr John Gillam resigned from the Ruyton Board, taking on the role of Chair of the Trinity Council. On behalf of the Ruyton community I thank John for his service to Ruyton over the past years. We look forward to working with John in his role as Chair, as Ruyton and Trinity continue to enjoy a strong and purposeful educational partnership. Mr Peter Kanat, President of the Ruyton Board.
Junior School teacher Ms Brigitte Hook and husband Glenn Higgins were thrilled to announce the safe arrival of daughter, Amara Rose, in June. Congratulations to all of the family.
We congratulate Ms Stephanie Mooney, Senior School teacher, and family on the safe arrival of their new baby, Alice Demerise, who was born in May.
As Dr Watterston concludes, the leadership displayed by all the Rising Stars is ‘an integral part of a successful educational environment’. spring 2018
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foundation supporting our girls on their learning journey This year we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our community, both financially and in kind. We strive to establish many opportunities where we can collaborate to support our girls in their education and development. Thank you for the trust you place in us as we nurture all our girls. Mrs S A’Beckett Mrs K & Mr N Adams Mr M Aldous & Mrs S Horn Mr N & Mrs O Alevras Mrs L and Mr M Alexis Mr A Allibon Mr D & Mrs M Alysandratos Mrs C Anderson Ms L Anderson & Mr I Curry Dr F Andrewes & Dr E Warne Mrs J Andrews Mrs M & Mr T Angliss Mr G Anquetil & Ms T Young Mr V & Mrs H Antonopoulos Ms V Savinos & Mr G Aquino Ms K Armstrong Mr N & Mrs E Assetta Ms M & Mr S Atkinson Mr L Bai & Mrs M Gao Mr J & Ms S Balaskas Dr A Baldes Mrs J Balfour Mrs K & Mr M Bamford Mr R & Ms L Banting Mr P & Mrs Z Baré Mr P Wilmshurst & Ms G Baron Mr A & Mrs S Bateman Mr D Batt & Dr C King Mr B & Mrs J Bayley Mr O Beadle & Ms V Harris Mrs E & Mr T Beattie Ms F Beck & Mr S Robertson Mr J & Mrs M Bedelis Mr H & Mrs S Bell Mr W Bell & Dr V Keleher Ms C Bennet & Mr W Kenafacke Ms T Bernard & Mr J Bornstein Mrs D Berold Ms G Berry & Mr T Simpson Mr J & Mrs S Berti Mrs E Blumbergs Ms A Blyth Mrs J & Mr R Blyth Bob Stewart Ms K Booth & Mr R Franich Mr P Borash Mrs M Bottaro Dr A & Mrs C Boussioutas Mrs J Branson Ms J Brentnall Ms L Broadfoot Mrs C & Mr G Brown Mr C Brown & Ms F Mazzocco Mrs K & Mr N Brown Ms J & Mr M Browning Mr J & Mrs K Buckley Mrs B & M W Burke Mr N Calil & Ms S Tossoun Ms M Campbell & Mr T Rachcoff CAMPION EDUCATION Mrs A & Mr M Caplan Mr J & Mrs F Carbone Mr G Carey & Ms E Williamson Mr G Cartledge & Ms E Van Bavel Mr J & Mrs F Cazanis Mr G Cen & Ms L Li Ms C Chai & Mr M Wang Mr H Chan & Ms J Liu CHARTWELLS Mr K Cheah & Ms S McGrath Mr B Cheang & Dr B Goh Mr A Chen & Mrs M Nong Mr Y Chen & Ms S Lin Mr D Chen & Mrs G Wen Mr W Chen & Mrs C Li Mr J Chen & Mrs M Yin Ms J Chen (Jun Hui) Mr L Chen & Ms L Zhan Mr L Chen & Ms Y Wang Mr S Chen & Mrs H Zhang Mr W & Mrs X Chen Mrs W Chen & Mr Brent Fang Mr S & Mrs H Cheng Dr D Chiang & Dr E Tan
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Mr A & Mrs L Clarke Mrs M Clarke Mr B & Mrs J Cleeve Dr I Collins & Ms J Thomas Mrs S Colvin Ruyton Community Ms A & Mr M Condon Dr N Cook & Dr L Luu Mr R Cooper & Ms S Jayaswal Mr S & Mrs W Cooper Mrs C & Dr S Cran Mr R & Mrs S Crockett Mrs F Crosby Dr I Crosby Dr T Crozier & Ms M Kossenas Dr A Gomez De Castro & Ms C Cuesta Mr I & Mrs J Cunningham Ms B Currie & Mr A Ham Prof P & Mrs R Currie Mr D Curry Mrs L Curry Mr G & Mrs S Dalton Ms P Darling & Mr W Lee Mr S Davison & Ms K Devlin Mr M & Mrs S Dayman Ms D & Mr P De Bortoli Mrs S de Kretser & Mr A Hogg Mr D & Mrs M Dellaportas Mr K Dempsey & Ms T Eadie Mr S Dick & Ms C Rhodes Mr P Ding & Ms H Sun Ms Q Ding & Mr L Shen Mr W Dixon & Ms A Stewart Mr S & Mrs T Dluzniak Dr L & Mrs V Do Ms C Dodson Mrs S Dong & Mr S Zou Mr P & Mrs P Dontschuk Mr C & Mrs A Doufas Mr G & Mrs V Doufas Ms S Dougall Ms L Douglas Mr L Dow & Ms A Fyfe Mrs R Dowling Mrs K Downes Dr C & Dr I Driscoll Mr S Du & Ms S Ooi Ms J Duncan Mr I & Mrs M Edney Ms J Edwards Mr R Edwards & Ms Suzanne Cumming Mr P Ekers Mrs J & Mr M Elford Mr A Elnakeeb & Mrs M Mostafa Mr S & Mrs K Fallscheer Ms C Fan & Mr E Smith Mrs M Fan & Mr H Xu Mr Y Fan Mr O Farrugia & Ms G Magnan Mrs L Feng Mr S Feng & Mrs J Wen Mrs W Feng & Mr D Liu Mr M & Mrs E Finocchiaro Ms J Fitz-Nead Mrs B Fitzpatrick-Haddy & Mr S Haddy Ms O Fowler Mrs R Franet Ms C Fraser & Mr C Davey Mr C & Mrs C Furey Mr D & Mrs M Gallace Mr R Gannon & Mrs A Helps Ms P Gardner Mr X Ge & Ms L Shao Mr Y Ge & Mrs H Mao Dr N & Mrs J Gelber Mr A & Mrs J Genovese Ms F Gibbons & Mr S Uthmeyer Ms J Gibson & Mr P Trigar Mr J & Mrs H Gillam Mr A & Mrs G Gillon Mrs N Ginnane Ms A Gleisner
Mr B Graham Mr D Graham & Ms A Wright Mrs M & Mr M Gray Mr J Green & Ms S Heath Ms K Greene & Mr B Trahar Mr D Greenwood & Ms D Smith Dr K Griffin Mr B & Mrs R Griffith Dr L Griffiths & Mr D Roche Mr A Grollo Miss E Grover Miss S Grover Mr Y Gu & Ms J Zhang Mrs G & Mr W Gumley Mr Z Guo & Ms M Zhou Ms S Guo & Mr D Simmonds Mr W Guo & Ms X Li Mrs W Guo & Mr J Miao Mrs S Gusset Mr A Hale & Ms S Smith Mr D Hall & Ms S Sloan Mr G & Mrs L Hall Mr S Hall & Mrs L Hall-Powell Mr A Hamilton Mr C Han & Mrs N Liu Mr D & Mrs F Hancox Mrs C & Mr S Harris Mrs D Harris Mrs J Harris & Mr G Hincksman Mr B & Mrs K Harrison Mr D He & Mrs M Zhou Mr H He & Mrs T Xu Mrs H He & Mr D Xu Mr P Heath & Dr G Singleton Mrs H Henderson Mr O Hereford & Ms A Reed Mr K & Mrs L Hill Mrs K & Mr T Hogg Mr M & Mrs N Holding Ms G Holland & Mr D Schaefer Mr A & Mrs N Honey Ms K Hoogenraad & Dr A Wragg Dr T Horng & Dr H Toh Mr J & Mrs L Houlihan Ms F Hu & Mr Q Wang Mrs A Hu & Mr Y Kuang Mrs J & Mr M Hu Mr F Huang & Ms H Pang Mr K Huang & Ms L Qin Mr Y Huang & Ms N Yu Mr J & Mrs K Hudson Ms E Hughes Mrs T Hughes Mrs G & Mr M Hund Dr R Irimia Mr D Iser & Mrs N Wellington-Iser Mr B & Mrs P Issa Dr E & Mr R Jamieson Mr E & Mrs S Jansen Mr Y Jia & Mrs W Zhu Mr B Jiang & Mrs Y Zhang Mr Y Jiang & Dr Y Zhang Ms P Jin & Mr J Wang Mr D & Mrs J Johnson Mrs H & Mr P Jordan Dr S Joseph & Mr J Kelly Mr C & Ms P Juebner Mr P & Mrs R Kanat Ms S Kanat Dr C & Mrs P Karopoulos Dr S Karunaratne & Dr B Kodithuwakku Ms J Kaur & Mr R Singh Mr D & Mrs A Kelly Mrs M Kendall Mr A & Mrs K Kenyon Mrs M Keppell Ms L Kerr Mr N & Mrs F Kerr Dr J & Mrs H King Ms S King & Mr B Sutherland Mrs D & Mr P Kleeman Dr R & Mrs J Kleiman Mr P Kokovas & Ms S Saltsidis
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Australia Mr L & Mrs S Lachal Mr D & Mrs A Lambert Mr S Lan & Mrs A Phung-Lan Mr A & Mrs A Lane Mr S Lardner & Ms K Streckfuss Dr W Lau Mr A Lay & Ms I Lim-Lay Mrs L & Mr R Lea Ms T Lee Mrs J Leigh Ms S Leong Prof T Leong & Dr P Khaw Mr Y Li & Mrs H Zhang Mr D Li & Mrs X Shen Mr H & ‘Mrs F Li Mr H Li & Ms J Lin Mr H Li (Haoshen) Mr H & Mrs F Li Mr Y Li & Mrs H Wu Mrs L Li & Mr Y Shi Mr M Li & Ms Mei Wang Mr R Li & Mrs L Zhou Mr Y Li & Ms L Zhang Ms Z Li & Mr Q Yi Mr F Liang & Ms L Liu Ms X Lin & Mr T Xu Mr F Lin & Ms T Rudometova Mr A & Mrs S Lindsey Mr J Ling & Mrs T Zhou Mrs A & Mr G Lintzeris B Liu (Beilin) Ms F Liu & Mr J Luo Mrs L Liu & Mr J Wang Mr P Liu & Mrs J Wang Mrs S Liu & Mr J Wang Mr X Liu & Ms K Zhang Mr G & Mrs S Long Ms L Look & Mr J Neoh Mr B & Mrs J Lord Mrs J & Mr J Louzis Mr M Lovett Mr S & Mrs M Lovett Mrs B & Mr G Lowe Mr Y Luo & Dr G Yuan Ms E Ly & Mr T Wong Ms S Lyall & Mr D Royce Ms J Macdonald Ms S Mackie & Mr J Rives Ms S MacLaren Mr T & Mrs R Magdich Mr A & Mrs K Magoutis Mr S & Mrs D Makrigiannakis Mrs D & Mr N Malamas Dr M Malcolm & Mr R Price Assoc Prof S Mandelstam & Dr G McGillivray Mrs A & Dr D Mandrawa Ms M Manzi & Mr F Mentes Assoc Prof A & Dr E March Mr J Marchant & Ms M Utter Ms F Mardling & Mr D Murray Ms F Marsden & Mr C Braithwaite Mr Marsh Mr C & Mrs F Marsh Ms C & Mr J Maslen Mrs J & Mr J Mason Ms W Mattschoss & Mr C Taylor Mr D & Mrs S McCall Mr D & Mrs L McCarthy Mrs L McCarthy Mr R & Mrs B McClure Mr D McCombe & Dr G Pettigrew Ms J McFarland Mr D & Mrs V McLaughlan Mr S McLeay & Ms W Schrader Mr D & Mrs S McLeish The Hon. Justice C McMillan Mrs K & Mr S McPhail Dr R & Dr R McRae Mr B & Mrs D Meehan Dr R Mehra & Mrs C Wang Mrs L Mei & Mr F Tang Melbourne Dymocks Mrs M & Mr P Michael Mr M Mileo & Mrs A Winters Mileo Ms A Milionis & Mr N Popelianski Miss K Miller Ms E Milne
Mr A & Mrs L Miritis Mr J Mitchell Ms K Mogensen & Dr J Strohfeldt Ms K Moir & Mr D Turner Mr D & Mrs J Monsell-Butler Mr K & Mrs S Montagu Ms J Morgan Dr S & Mrs C Moten Dr A Moulden OAM Mrs M Moutsidis & Mr K Skoullos Mr L & Ms P Mugavin Mr S & Mrs S Muir Ms M Muirhead OAM & Mr T Gleisner Ms M & Mr R Mulia Mr I Muller Mrs C & Mr M Mullins Mrs A & Mr C Mulready Mr B & Mrs J Musgrove Mrs M Myers Dr R Nair & Dr B Whitehouse Mrs S Nan & Mr J Liu Mrs L & Mr S Nania Ms S Neaves & Mr P Stewart Ms G Nelson & Mr R Simpson Mr P & Mrs N Nelson Mr S Newnham Mrs A & Mr R Ng Dr H Nguyen & Ms C Tran Mrs T & Mr W Nheu Ms D Nicholson & Mr M Tinney Ms M Nolan Mrs M O’Brien Mrs D O’Neil & Mr C Whittfield Mr D & Mrs B Odman Old Ruytonians Association (ORA) Ms S Ong & Mr M Rodrigues Mr A Osmond & Ms F Griffiths Ms Q Pan & Mr J Yang Mr A & Mrs K Panagopoulos Mrs A & Mr T Papamarkou Mrs P Pappas & Mr J Ryan Parents of Ruyton Mr A & Mrs K Paszkiewicz Miss J Pearson Mr C Peng & Ms H Si Mrs A & Mr B Peters Mrs J & Mr T Peters Ms T Peters Ms A Phillips Dr J & Ms V Phillips Mrs N Phillips Mr W Plaskett Mrs A & Mr E Polites Dr E & Mrs M Ponnampalam Mr B & Mrs F Power Mr C & Mrs J Preston Mr C & Dr M Price Mr D & Mrs K Rasmussen Mr A Ravindran & Ms T Menyen Mr N Reilly & Ms Kathryn Watt Mrs J Ren & Mr J Zhao Mr A & Mrs L Rigg Mrs C & Mr P Riva Ms L Roberton Ms S Robertson Mr I & Mrs J Robson Miss M Rodgers Mrs N & Dr P Rodway Mrs E Royce Mrs N & Mr A Rule Ruyton Ruyton Building Fund Ruyton Fathers’ Association Ruyton Foundation Mr C & Mrs H Samartzis Mr A & Mrs S Sando Mr D & Mrs R Schultz Dr H & Mrs A Sciberras Mrs P Serpell Ms Y Shan Mr C Shao Mr P Sharples Mrs A & Mr R Shute Mr G Siamosn & Mrs V Smirlis Mrs J & Mr M Sibree Mrs M & Mr P Simondson Ms E Smart Mrs L Smith Mrs M Smith OAM
Mr P Smith Soul & Wolf Pty Ltd Mrs K Soumprou Mr D & Mrs P Spicer Mrs D Stanbury Mr A Starkins Miss V Steggall Miss K Strickland Dr X Sun & Dr X Wang Ms X Sun & Mr B Zhang Mr R & Mrs S Sutherland Mrs S & Mr S Swingler Miss E Syle Ms G Symmons Mr M Tamvakologos & Ms P Walker Mrs J Tang & Mr X Wu Mr P Tang & Mrs S Yu Mr M & Mrs A Tascone Ms K Taylor Dr M Tee & Mr T Wu Mrs K Teh-White Mr G Teng & Mrs J Han Mrs S & Mr T Thompson Mr B & Mrs K Tibb Mr D & Mrs G Timm Mrs A & Mr D Tooby Mr D & Mrs M Traverso Mr J West & Ms M Tribe Mr D & Mrs K Tucker Mr H & Mrs G Tuxworth Mr P Upperton Mrs L Valentic & Mr N Vernon Mr D & Mrs S van Gerrevink Mrs J & Mr J van Haandel Mr R & Mrs K Van Zyl Mr M & Mrs J Verrocchi Mr M & Mrs F Verrocchi Ms G Verteegen Mrs K & Mr M Vinecombe Mr A & Mrs P Vogan Mr A & Mrs P Vogan Mr T & Mrs F Wagner Mr D & Mrs V Waldron Mrs P Wallace-Smith Mrs B & Mr S Walmsley Mrs L & Mr G Walsh Mrs C Wang & Mr H Wu Mrs H Wang Ms Y Wang Mrs F & Mr T Warner Mr A & Mrs T Watson Mr D & Mrs J Waugh Dr A & Mrs D Weeraman Mrs D Weetman Mrs C & Mr P Wijeyaratne WILLIS AUSTRALIA LIMITED Miss L Wills Mr J & Mrs N Wilson Mr A & Mrs A Wong Mrs D & Mr J Woodrup Mr A & Mrs J Woollard Mr M & Mrs K Woolrich J Wotherspoon Mr J Wu & Ms M Yang Ms W Wu & Mr X Xu Dr J & Mrs N Xanthopoulos Mr Y Xie & Ms E Wang Mrs J Xie Mrs D Xu Mr L Xu & Ms L Gu Mr W Xu & Ms Na Li Mr K & Mrs S Yan Mr D Yang & Ms Y Xie Mrs Y Yang & Mr J Yu Mr P & Mrs Y Yeardley Mr S Yong & Ms Y Cheng Mrs Y Yu & Mr J Goh Mr A & Mrs I Zaparas Zart Art Mrs J & Mr P Zervos Mr C Zhang & Ms Y Wang Mrs H & Mr L Zhang S Zhang Mrs J & Mr F Zhang Mrs Y Zhao Mr S Zheng & Ms J Zhu Mr Y Zheng & Ms H Wu Mr G Zhu Mr L Zhu
the ruyton reporter
Be yourself, be a strong, educated woman
A Journey of Philanthropic Giving
Scholarships are important to some members of our community, who otherwise would not have the opportunity to access a quality education. In this, and in future editions of the Ruyton Reporter, we talk to a past scholar to discover what made a difference in her life.
eishi bandara (’12) When did you start at Ruyton and what was your experience here? I started at Ruyton in 2004, when I was in Year 4 and had just moved from South Africa. I remember being so worried about whether I would fit in. As soon as I arrived, all the girls welcomed me with open arms, and I realised I was at home at Ruyton. I was involved in a few different things, trying my hand at choir, bass guitar, basketball – all activities I was quite terrible at, but still had fun with. I really enjoyed art, and at one point ran a surprisingly popular knitting club. However, it was debating I fell in love with, and I followed that through from Year 8 until Year 12, when I was elected Debating Captain.
I absolutely love Ruyton! I recently started following Ruyton on Instagram and I cannot believe the number of truly amazing people and variety of experiences that form part of our girls’ learning. I knew a lot went on, but I had no idea THAT much went on! I feel that the girls are very privileged to have these opportunities, but I am also very conscious that it is not luck that they are at Ruyton; it is their parents’ hard work and sacrifice that makes this all possible for them.
When did you become passionate about medicine? Why? Medicine has always been something that piqued my interest, as it combines so many different subjects and elements: science, problem solving, practical skills, empathy, social justice, and much more. But I really became passionate about medicine once I started my clinical placements, in my third year of studying. There is something truly amazing about treating someone medically - you are seeing the human spirit at its strongest, and at its most vulnerable. I believe the relationship between patient and clinician is more symbiotic than most people realise. Patients come to you for help, but often they end up teaching you just as much!
One of the key aims of the Ruyton Foundation is to nurture and enhance the culture of philanthropy at Ruyton. We believe that giving to girls’ education is important and enabling all girls at Ruyton to be the best they can be underpins all that we do. With the hugely successful fundraising we conducted in March for the financial needsbased Founder’s Scholarships, hundreds of people from our community joined us on a journey of philanthropic giving. It was fabulous to see the spirit of Ruyton on show with the Old Ruytonians’ Association and many Old Ruytonians partnering with us to support the education of girls whose families would not otherwise be able to afford to send their child to Ruyton. In this way they are expressing gratitude for the educational opportunities that were afforded to them in their time at Ruyton and it is now their wish to share the benefits with those who are not as fortunate. In this Ruyton Reporter we profile Eishi Bandara who talks about what a difference was made to her life by receiving a Ruyton scholarship. The process of awarding the inaugural Founder’s Scholarship to a worthy recipient commenced in June and we look forward to welcoming a student to the School in 2019.
Who had the greatest influence on you at Ruyton? There are so many people! But one very clear memory I have is eating lolly snakes in Mrs Jennifer Nicholls’ office in Year 7, and thinking how great it was that someone who seemed so powerful and important could remember every single one of our names. I was extremely sad to hear of her passing in 2014 and I will always remember how kind she was to us, even though we were the bottom of the pecking order! And, of course, Mr Zavattiero had a big influence on my debating and public speaking skills. My parents won’t forgive him for making me and my sister even more argumentative! What have you taken away from your days at Ruyton? I grew up having a strong sense of social justice, thanks to the community work Ruyton does, and also great public-speaking skills, thanks to debating. Ruyton has given me the tools to stand up for myself, to speak up when I think something is wrong, and above all, to be kind and empathetic in a world that often emphasises cruelty and negativity as strength. What advice would you give to girls starting at Ruyton and how they might go on to live their lives? Get involved! Ruyton is a safe place for you to truly explore your interests, to try things out that you might be bad at (for instance - me in a choir.) You never know what you could fall in love with – I actually hated debating in Year 8, and became Debating Captain in Year 12! And be yourself; be a strong, educated woman. Don’t shy away from being passionate and argumentative, and use that strength to lift others up who may not have the same opportunities as you.
i love ruyton because … ‘believing in girls is one of the greatest gifts we can give them.’ – Amy M
Diversity, inclusiveness, and social equity enrich the experiences of our whole community. There are many international and well-recognised academic studies that demonstrate that greater diversity, inclusiveness and social equity makes us all more diligent and harder working, drives creativity and innovation, improves problem solving, changes the way we think and leads to growth. I am very proud to raise funds for scholarships of this kind. Ruyton was the first girls’ school in Australia to conduct a campaign using the online Charidy platform. We are able to share our learnings at round table discussions with Foundation Chairs from other Melbourne girls’ schools. We meet at Ruyton a few times a year to share ideas, successes and challenges, debate issues and provide a supportive network for each other. We share a collective goal of raising the profile of giving to girls’ education and we have a vested interest in seeing each other succeed. In this 140th year of the School, we are excited to announce the launch of the Moreton Bay Fig Society on Thursday 1 November. This Society honours all Ruyton’s benefactors who have so generously chosen to support the School through a gift in their will. Old Ruytonians from 1975 and earlier have been invited to come along and witness first-hand the buzz of a School day and enjoy a morning tea in the Junior School space. A handful of women will be inducted into the Moreton Bay Fig Society, we will enjoy a song from our Junior School girls and hear from one of Melbourne’s most experienced philanthropy executives and author of Savvy Giving: the Art and Science of Philanthropy, Genevieve Timmons. I hope many of you will join us for what will be a most enjoyable morning and a great opportunity to see the Junior School in action, hear from the Principal and reconnect with past students from your era. Lastly, in Term 3 we extended a very warm welcome to Mr Frank Huang, who has joined the Foundation Committee. Frank has a daughter, Chloe, in Year 9 and he has been a very active volunteer in the Ruyton community for many years. We thank Frank for continuing to give so generously of his time and talent to Ruyton and for joining our Foundation Committee. Ms Fiona Griffiths (’87) Chair, Ruyton Foundation Committee
spring 2018
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the journey starts here Powerful learning: Reggio Emilia inspiring our pedagogy and practice One of the goals for learning and teaching at Ruyton is to ‘develop and implement authentic and student-centred learning programmes driven by the Reggio Emilia Approach, Inquiry-based, blended/project learning.’ Our teaching community is working towards developing and implementing powerful learning programmes to enhance student experience and have a greater impact on learning. Early Learning staff are embracing the opportunity to work towards this goal by exploring the Reggio Emilia approach to teaching young children. We have been both challenged and inspired by these ideas: innovations for working with children in different ways and discovering new possibilities for learning and teaching in our context. Reggio Emilia, a town in northern Italy, is internationally acclaimed for its approach to education from birth to six years, and now is being closely watched for its work and research in the primary education space. In Reggio Emilia, children are seen as citizens from birth, with rights, capabilities and enormous potential. Quality education is recognised as a right for children and families and schools are seen as places for promoting the rights and culture of children. Ruyton Early Learning staff have been transforming our approach to pedagogy and practice by incorporating the principles of Reggio Emilia into our Strategic Plan and everyday practice. We have implemented a cohesive approach to our learning and teaching environments by creating aesthetically engaging spaces with a range of provocations, and intelligent materials and resources to enable deep learning. The look and feel of our Centre have changed and continues to evolve, as we strive to create more welcoming and consistent spaces that children can move between during their day.
We have introduced pedagogical documentation across Early Learning, creating a collaborative culture where educators are working more as researchers to interpret and analyse the learning and plan for possible next steps of learning and development. You can witness this through each group’s Floorbook, via the learning stories on our Storypark app and by viewing the documentation on the walls of the Centre. Staff are now reflecting on their documentation and collaborating weekly to design programmes that foster learning opportunities through a social-constructivist approach. Children are participating in projects that enable them to work in small groups to wonder, inquire, communicate findings and take action. Inspired by these ideas and more, we are working closely with our colleagues in the Junior School to reflect on our practice and re-imagine our approach to education at Ruyton. Over the year we have participated in shared Professional Learning opportunities and cross-School dialogue to help us align our thinking and develop programmes to further enhance student experience and learning. The opportunity to work collaboratively across sub-schools excites us as we continue to explore the possibilities for learning and teaching at Ruyton. You can find out more about the Reggio Emilia Educational Project at: https://reggioaustralia.org.au/ Miss Sarah Denholm, Director of Early Learning.
i love ruyton because … ‘I like to feed the worms and play at the art table.’ – Trixie
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the ruyton reporter
‘We will look after the land’: Pre Prep children develop their Acknowledgement of Country
‘We would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land. We promise to take care of this land, the animals and the people. This land was, is, and always will be Wurundjeri Land.’
i love ruyton because … ‘I learn to take photos and because I like the big girls working in my classroom.’ – Wendy
Term 3 began with our Co-Ed Pre Prep Group unveiling their Acknowledgement of Country. The acknowledgement was created through a collaborative process. Children and educators worked together to share their learning, knowledge and understanding about the land and its people. Since starting their journey in Early Learning, the children have engaged with Aboriginal dreamtime stories, relaxed to the music of Gurrumul Yunupingu and connected with the natural environment that surrounds them. As the children have delved deeper in their learning, their desire to question and learn about the history of Australia has developed into an ongoing inquiry project. The Co-Ed Pre Prep Group took time to think about and share what they were thankful for, with this work forming the wording of the acknowledgement. Here we share some of the children’s contributions to the development of the acknowledgement: ‘We will look after our animals and fish.’ ‘Thank you for letting us be here.’ ‘We will look after the land.’ ‘If we take something, we will replace it.’ ‘Thank you for the birds in my garden.’ ‘Thank you for the footy grounds.’ ‘We acknowledge that you looked after the kangaroos and koalas.’ ‘We thank the Wurundjeri people.’ ‘Thank you for the big trees and small shrubs.’ Reconciliation Australia states that ‘An Acknowledgement of Country is an opportunity for anyone to show respect for Traditional Owners and the continuing connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Country.’ We thank our children for showing respect, interest and care for our land and its people as they engaged in this process. Co-Ed Pre Prep invite all Early Learning families and members of our School community to participate in the Acknowledgement of Country during our daily morning meetings. Please contact us if you would like to participate.
i love ruyton because … ‘Ruyton has made me the girl I am today.’ – Penelope V
Miss Sarah Denholm, Director of Early Learning, Ms Katie Lewis Early Learning Co-Educator and Mrs Helen Wild, Early Learning Educator
spring 2018
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the spirit of ruyton Celebrating 140 Years of the Spirit of Ruyton This year Ruyton is proud to celebrate its 140th anniversary. Throughout the year there have been many events and activities planned to commemorate this important milestone. In May we introduced Spirit Week also, which will become an ongoing feature at Ruyton. We shall celebrate the Spirit of Ruyton each year by remembering those who came before us, who established the strong foundations of our learning community, as well as celebrating what makes us unique today. The 140 Gala Concert took place at the Melbourne Recital Centre in September and the Ruyton community enjoyed a superb spectacle of musical entertainment. A full report, together with details of the 25th Anniversary Celebrations of the Co-ordinate Programme, will be included in the Autumn Edition 2019 of the Ruyton Reporter. On this page and in our special four-page supplement you will find out how we have been commemorating this wonderful year. We undertook a project whereby we asked students, staff and members of the community the question: ‘Why do you love Ruyton?’ The answers we received were thoughtful, spontaneous, fun and insightful. Many of the quotations have been mounted in frames and are on display around the School and we have published them throughout this edition of the Ruyton Reporter. In addition, a project was commissioned called The Spirit of Ruyton. Questions were crafted to elicit responses from members of our community to discover what Ruyton meant to them and how it has influenced them; our attempt was to define the spirit of Ruyton. Over 50 members of our community were interviewed and their responses were recorded. Here, and in the four-page supplement, we share some thoughts on the Spirit of Ruyton. Mrs Elizabeth Beattie, Co-ordinator of Communications
i love ruyton because … ‘it is full of the best people in the world.’ – Cassandra W
spirit of ruyton
‘I like that we get free playtime and swimming. The swimming lessons are really fun, like in PE and outside School. PE is really fun too because we get to play games. I love everything about Ruyton and the playground too. Reading is also really fun. I don’t like arguments, so it is fun because we don’t fight at School. It’s also really fun ‘cause we get to make stuff for Mothers’ Day. I like coming to School because I get to see my friends too and play games with them like tiggy. We get to learn stuff too, which is important I think. That’s also fun.’ Charlotte Nelson, Prep
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spirit of ruyton
‘Ruyton is my second home. Having been a teacher here for over 15 years, I feel the School has changed in many ways, but one thing that has always remained constant is the pride our girls have for their School and their learning. It is a caring and challenging environment we teach in and learn in everyday – and I couldn’t think of a better place to be. Ruyton has definitely influenced me and my teaching. I have learned a lot from both students and colleagues. Ruyton has taught me effort, enthusiasm, appreciation and the fact that Drama and the Arts are integral to a wellrounded education. Every individual has something to contribute; we may all like different things but we can all be celebrated.’ Mrs Georgie Parker, Junior School Drama Teacher
the ruyton reporter
engaged communities thought bubbles ‘I believe I wouldn’t do so well coping with Day Zero. I think if Day Zero came to Australia, life would be pretty crazy. Everyone might try to steal water.’ – lucy t ‘They will get 25 litres of water a day per person in plastic water jugs. This is for all their usages - baths, showers, washing clothes, washing dishes, drinking, brushing teeth and lastly washing hands. This may seem a lot of water, but it isn’t.’ – harriet c ‘I would just crack if we were facing Day Zero in Australia because I am used to using so much water.’ – sophie k ‘You would have to use your water reasonably. You have to use the water to brush your teeth, flush the toilet, showers, washing dishes, clothes and to drink. My buddy in LUV has to take two minute showers to save water. I am worried that my buddy who doesn’t live right in Cape Town will go through Day Zero.’ – grace a ‘Day Zero is the most feared day in Cape Town. Honestly, it would horrible if I was in Cape Town on Day Zero! I waste about 95 litres a day. I waste a lot of water. I’m starting to make a change, but I do use TOO MUCH water. For us, Australia, our biggest water issue is that water is being wasted.’ – taliah w
Level Up Village Project – Nurturing Global Relationships In Term 2 our Year 4 girls became only the second school of students in Australia to become involved in the international programme Level Up Village. The mission of Level Up Village is to globalise the classroom and facilitate seamless collaboration between students from around the world via pioneering Global STEAM (STEM + Arts) enrichment courses. We became digital pen-pals with classes at Bay Primary School in South Africa, some 40km outside of Cape Town. Our girls were paired or grouped with students from that school and while the STEM focus for both schools was the Global Water Crisis, our girls gained much more than the experience of building aquifers and water filters. Our Year 4s made videos to share with their buddies, undertook joint project tasks and learnt a great deal about the impending and looming fear in South Africa that is Day Zero, a predicted day postponed in 2018, where the taps in homes throughout Cape Town would not turn on due to a generational drought. While our girls had to reflect on their family’s own current water use, they learnt a whole lot more. We set time each week to make video entries for our buddies in South Africa to read. While these revolved around the Global Water Crisis there were also times when joint questions were posed, such as ‘If you came to my country where would I take you?’ It was great relationship-building, with some of the South African children wanting to take our girls to wildlife parks and some of our girls wanting them to visit the MCG and Great Barrier Reef. Some students at Bay Primary in Kalk Bay don’t have internet or technology at home and sometimes their exposure to suitable technology occurs only once a week at school. Lessons in sympathy and empathy were highlights of our learning journey, as was working collaboratively with classmates and students half a world away and experiencing the foibles often associated with technology being managed and stored in different parts of the word. Mr Tony Doyle, Teacher of STEM and Green Team Leader
i love ruyton because … ‘I get to do STEM. I like STEM because I get to solve difficult problems and make coding designs.’ – Lucy S
The photos show some of the desalination and water aquifer experiments we had to undertake as part of the course.
spring 2018
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be bold, be brave and believe in yourself A Roaring Success
Believe and Achieve – Leadership Assembly Semester 1 Steph
On Friday 10 February we welcomed our guest speaker, Captain Lisa Norman from Qantas. She is the head pilot for Qantas’ new 787 Dreamliner Programme. Lisa has had 30 years flying experience and countless flights. She says ‘It’s the best job in the world and I’ve got the best office – soaring across the world’.
Lucy
To begin her speech, Lisa spoke about having an amazing life and the importance of having a good mindset. Her three main ideas were: (seek inspiration) inspire, believe in yourself and be grateful (for your talents). Lisa focused on inspiration coming from within and the importance of having a try with no regrets. By following her passion, she realised that she had potential to achieve her goals regardless of not knowing how to get there.
Jess At the start of 2018, Year 6 girls were pleased to find out that we would be performing The Lion King for our production. In each Drusic lesson (Drama and Music) we learnt more about rehearsal etiquette and fine-tuned our acting and singing skills. Warm ups were very important, so we could prepare for all of the action during the rehearsals. The African music was quite complicated at the start, due to the difficult pronunciation of each word. Mrs Barker was very clear about the pitch. Recreating an all-time favourite Disney movie as our own was challenging. While learning the music we realised how complex each song was in its own way. For example, the Circle of Life with all different parts created such a dynamic song and Be Prepared was also quite challenging because, while you were singing, you needed to have your facial expressions tell the story. Rehearsals for The Lion King went well, especially in the weeks leading up to the final performance. We learnt the importance of not wasting time while we rehearsed, as that would affect our performance. At the start we thought we would never get it done, but after all the rehearsals we now know that it is easier than it looks and lots of fun. Rehearsals were very fun and interesting. They taught us heaps, not just about acting and singing, but also the importance of listening to each other.
Lisa ignored the negative talk, and showed resilience and persistence. By saying to herself ‘believe and achieve’ she was able to overcome all of her challenges and be available for all the opportunities that came her way. After achieving her goals, Lisa was faced with the question ‘But what next?’ This enabled her to look for more challenges and realise she had even greater potential.
Victoria
Currently, the percentage of women flying for Qantas is only 5%. Qantas’ goal is to reach an intake that is 50% men and 50% women within the decade.
Lotus
Lisa’s talk inspired us to find our passion, and follow it; to keep believing in ourself; and to show gratitude for our gifts and strengths. We will take on Lisa’s advice and will endeavour to be bold.
Claudia
From her inspirational presentation, we arrived at the 2018 Year 6 motto, ‘Be bold, be brave and believe in yourself.’
In Drusic we needed to use our collaborative skills to create our production. We realised that we needed to listen to the teachers when we were backstage and on stage. The final show was brought together by collaboration as a cohort. We realised how important it was to sing in every song and try our hardest to bring our character to life. We needed to show emotion and react to everything, and not just stand still. We finally had our performances on Wednesday 13 June and Thursday 14 June. Everyone was very nervous at the start. Even when we made some mistakes, the audience didn’t notice, and we kept going. Everyone was amazing! Hearing the audience clap and cheer made us very excited to keep going. We can’t wait until our next production, our first in Senior School. Lauren Chau, Jessica Dixon, Ava Minetti, Captains Ava Carbone, Megan Cheng, Alexia Doufas, Matilda Lan, Jessica Price, Team Members
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the ruyton reporter
powerful learning A Library … More than Books ‘The Ruyton Library houses so much more than books. As well as being a well-loved resource, it provides girls with opportunities for friendship, entertainment, and inspiration. Whether you’re looking for a book, playing chess, drawing, or just escaping from a game of tag at lunchtime, the Library is a retreat for everyone. Teachers and students alike can feel at home in the Library, because that’s what it is: a home for everyone at Ruyton.’ Lotus Das-Hyland, Year 6
This year, the Junior School Library has been a source of many collaborative learning experiences and provided a number of exciting opportunities for users to engage with reading beyond Library class. Girls who took part in such activities comment on their involvement:
Pop-Up Library in Junior School Open Space
The Story of Stamps with Mrs Lee
Zoe Polites, Year 4
‘Stamp Loads of Fun … This amazing stamp activity started off as a raffle … a raffle that was so popular we needed to have it on two different days. We had to send an email stating why we should attend. You would get an email from Mrs Lee saying if you were chosen. It was an extremely cool journey, learning a bit of the history of a few stamps. Also, it was very interesting how Mrs Lee became so interested in stamps in the beginning. We also learnt how to keep stamps their natural colour forever.’
‘I liked that all the new books were down there and I thought the decorations were cute. I saw all those books and didn’t know we had most of them in the Library. It was easy to look at them. I borrowed the new Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls book and an AFL women book for my brother.’
Emma Trace, Year 5 ‘I found it interesting to learn about Macquarie Island. It was interesting to know that they were trying to kill all of the rabbits. It was also interesting to know that a stamp can tell a story.’ Sarah O’Shea, Year 4 ‘I found the stamp history collecting very interesting. I learnt there is more to stamps than just sticking them on letters. It was a privilege to attend an activity like this at the Library.’ Courtney Curry, Year 5
Library Lovers’ Day Origami with Mrs Cheng ‘On Library Lovers’ Day, Mrs Cheng put a lot of effort into organising an Origami Club. We made lots of origami hearts that are all different colours. Library Lovers’ Day is where everyone celebrates the love of reading and the love of books, that is why we made hearts. I enjoy coming to the Library to try different activities and, of course, to read!’
‘The Ruyton Pop-Up Library was very efficient because everyone got to borrow and read books out of the Library. It was a massive success and everyone enjoyed reading books in the Open Space.’
Emma Kilby, Year 2 ‘When I was looking [at the Pop-Up Library] there were a lot of people. There were really new books and I had never seen them. I picked one up and read a little bit. I liked that we didn’t have to walk up the stairs, we just had to walk to the Open Space [where] there were a lot of books, like the actual Library’.
This is the question posed on the website of Eat Up, who marshal a band of volunteers and hospitality students to help make and deliver lunches to students in Melbourne and country Victoria, so they don’t miss out on lunch. Throughout the year, on Wednesdays after School, girls from Years 5-8, together with staff members, are volunteering to make these sandwiches. As you can see from the photographs, there is no shortage of girls to help out with this very worthy cause. ‘Eat. Learn. Grow. It’s so simple, a kid would get it.’ www.eatup.org.au/
Library Team Reading Challenge ‘In Term 2, the Library team held a reading challenge for the Preps to Year 5s. They had two weeks to read books and fill in a table to show what they have read. This challenge was for the students to read more and to enjoy reading. The students who read the most books received a certificate and a prize. A lot of girls participated and many younger children enjoyed the reading challenge. The outcome of this challenge was great and I’m sure that, in the future, there will be another reading challenge for the girls to participate in.’ Lily Sun, Year 6
Visiting the Library after School ‘I like to read and my mum looks for books for herself.’ Lara Zhang, Year 2
‘The origami programme was really fun because everyone got to learn how to make an origami heart. It was really fun to do something different in the Library and do it with my friends.’
We hope that you too can experience the many learning experiences and opportunities Ruyton Library has to offer, within and beyond our Library walls!
spring 2018
‘It’s hard to believe, but there are many young Aussies who go to school each day without any lunch. And without food, concentration is compromised. Which means learning is compromised. Which means their future is compromised. And that’s not really fair, is it?’
Natalie Kum, Year 2
Fiona Zhu, Year 6
Ashleynn Liang, Year 5
Eat. Learn. Grow.
i love ruyton because … ‘it gives me lots of opportunities to do things I have never done before.’ – Leija M
Ms Amy Brown, Teacher Librarian, Junior School and Early Learning
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reaching out … reaching in Reflection from the School Co-Captains 2018 ‘Though we may be leaving Ruyton, we know that Ruyton will never truly leave us.’
As we begin to reflect on our final year at Ruyton, we recall fond memories of what has been an extremely busy, yet highly enjoyable and rewarding 2018. This year, the leadership team has endeavoured to emphasise the importance of celebrating individuality and embracing diversity and, with the support of the Year 12 girls, we have held various events in the hope of inspiring each girl to reach her dreams in her own unique way. Whether it be in the classroom, on stage in Royce Theatre, on the sporting field or out in our local community, we have seen girls trying new things for the first time, reaching their own personal goals and overcoming challenges with courage and zest. From a Year 12 perspective, it is hard to believe our incredible adventure has almost reached its conclusion. As our cohort counts down its final days of schooling, we find ourselves overcome with a plethora of conflicting emotions. It can only be compared to the bittersweet feeling of finishing a good book. While we may furiously turn the final pages, eager to discover what will happen next, there is also a kind of reluctance to draw the last chapter to a close, as we long for the story to continue endlessly. But just as we may read our favourite books over and over again, so too can we revisit the shared experiences we have had over the years, as the memories of our time at Ruyton live on through the amazing friends and teachers we have met along the way.
To the class of 2018: we are forever grateful for your support and friendship. This year would not have been the same without those little moments we have shared together: the lunch time karaoke, the surprise ‘Christmas in July’, the baked goods that always appeared in the Year 12 area just when they were needed most. On behalf of all the Year 12s, we would also like to thank the staff for their guidance and continual support. We express our gratitude to all those who have shared this journey with us, for being there through the highs and the lows, and for making our time at Ruyton so special. The lessons we have learnt at Ruyton have readied us for the excitement of the future to come, and we know that, when the final day arrives, we will walk through the gates on Selbourne Road with the knowledge that we all have the potential to make an impact in the wider community, and the belief that each of us is capable of finding our way in the world, no matter the adversities we may face. Though we may be leaving Ruyton, we know that Ruyton will never truly leave us. Jessica Hepworth and Tess Stewart, Co-Captains 2018
i love ruyton because … ‘we are presented with so many opportunities to learn and grow.’ – Holly T
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the ruyton reporter
Creative and Critical Thinking of an Entrepreneur
Starting a business can be an incredibly daunting experience for anyone. Try to mix in the ebb and flow of a demanding study schedule of a VCE student who is competing against 85,000 peers - one might say we have an impossible task! This would not have been realised had it not been for the tireless efforts of Eliza Li and her Reach-In Entrepreneurship Immersion Programme, which saw its inaugural launch this year. The programme started with the question ‘What is an entrepreneur?’ This stimulated us to think creatively, begin to understand entrepreneurship and finally to launch our products. The next stage was formulating and developing ideas into tangible business ventures. I started a social enterprise called Strike an Accord and developed a platform for young Australians to discuss youth issues. The final triumph of the programme was when we all launched our business ideas at Ruyton’s Inaugural Pitch Night. We invited our friends and family, our mentors and possible investors, to whom we successfully pitched our ideas. It was an eventful evening, complete with networking and handshaking. All of us now understand the hard work of creating a business but have gained far more than that. We now have the creative and critical thinking of an entrepreneur and can bring something to the table in a competitive work force, which will give us the ability to stand out. We thank Eliza for guiding us through the programme and for always supporting us with her time and energy. Vinhara Goonesekera, Year 12
i love ruyton because … ‘Ruyton believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself.’ – Cath F
spring 2018
The Reach-In Entrepreneurship Immersion Programme run by Eliza Li was an experience that was truly unforgettable. It taught me numerous life skills on how to be a successful business launcher and founder. Through Eliza’s relaxed and fun presentations, she taught us many important things that have changed the way I view most businesses. I now realise how rapidly they can transform from being a crazy idea to scaling into a successful business. One important piece of wisdom that Eliza taught me is that you can start up a business from nothing and work your way up. This really has inspired me to dream big as I now realise that anyone has the opportunity to be an entrepreneur. All you need is an idea, motivation to pursue that idea and the time to launch a product or service to turn it into a business. Before experiencing the programme I would have struggled to push through and actually make my start-up a reality. Thanks to Eliza’s guidance and support, she inspired me to meet all of the challenges I faced and turn my idea for healthy yet delicious snacks into my very own business, Houla Balls. I now feel confident in my abilities to run my very own business and I am eager to know what Houla Balls will transform into. Alice Houlihan, Year 11 Being part of the Reach-In Entrepreneurship Immersion Programme was truly a highlight of being at Ruyton. I was able to learn so much about entrepreneurship thanks to Eliza’s tutelage and the inspiring guest speakers we listened to every week. Most importantly, I was able to extend my knowledge about running a business outside the classroom. Pursuing music as a hobby, I wanted my business venture to have an element of music, and with my newly-minted AMusA, I proceeded to launch a start-up teaching adults how to play piano! The experience of working together with the other girls in the team and helping each other grow through our entrepreneurial journey was very rewarding. I am so grateful of this opportunity and the supportive community at Ruyton for planting seeds of innovation in our minds, thus helping us to turn simple ideas into a reality.
reach-in entrepreneurship immersion programme 2018
As we develop the next generation of young leaders, it is not only important to strengthen traditional leadership and service qualities, but also to empower students to subscribe to the entrepreneurial mentality: that we can learn from all our actions, no matter how small. Reach-In is an agile entrepreneurship programme introducing students to the power of grassroots initiatives, young founders and learning from small iterations of projects that aren’t at scale. The intention is to prepare Ruyton girls to be more versatile in the shifting paradigm of the modern workforce, which encourages entrepreneurial thinking and solutions. The 2018 Reach-In Entrepreneurship Immersion Programme designed and facilitated by Eliza Li (’15), has one simple objective: to inspire young women to launch or join projects they are passionate about. This opportunity, offered to all students in Years 11 and 12, commenced with a five-part speaker series during Term 1. Presenters included Ms Rebecca Starkins (’09) founder of Little Makes Big; Ms Lauren Brown, Founder of Nanager and winner of StartUp Vic’s Female Founder 2017; and Steph Huang, Founder of Homegirls (an organisation empowering refugee women) and winner of Big Ideas Social Enterprise Competition 2017. At the conclusion of the speaker series participants had the opportunity to commit to a series of further workshops. These provided enthusiastic students and teams with a framework and the tools to begin testing their ideas in the market, culminating in a Pitch and Network evening, themed Can One Girl Change the World? Mrs Cathryn Furey, Assistant Principal, Director of Learning
Annabel Hsu, Year 11
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girl power Launch of Ruyton’s Internship Programme i love ruyton because … ‘the teachers encourage you to do your best.’ – Konstantina
‘It was amazing to see the difference I had made …’ Asha Jassal, Year 9 In our globally-connected, technologically enhanced world, where the most prevalent jobs being advertised did not exist five years ago, it begs the question: how are we preparing our young people to be successful in their adult life?
Girl Power in STEM During the winter holidays, I attended a programme called Girl Power in STEM. It was three days long and was packed with all kinds of different workshops and inspiring presentations given by experts from all different fields of engineering. I thoroughly enjoyed being in the company of so many like-minded peers and made many new friends. Although I was not able to make a definitive decision about finding an occupation in the future, I now know much more about the field of engineering, not only as a career choice, but also as something hugely important to humanity. As part of the programme we were required to present video packages that addressed the challenges for women in Engineering and IT. We presented them on the final day and the Future Students’ Team were part of the audience. Out of the several workshops and presentations given, my favourite was the panel night. We were able to meet young women who were working in the fields of engineering, and they shared personal experiences that gave significant insight to what it was like to be a woman working in STEM fields. It gave me the incentive to aim to be like them in the future, and showed me that, as long as I have perseverance, I can get anywhere I want. I gained a lot from this camp, and I’d recommend any girl who is passionate about STEM to apply for this programme. It was an eye-opening experience that educated me about engineering and motivated me to achieve my dreams and do the best that I can in life. Chloe Huang, Year 9
In order to continue supporting our girls to become leaders within our global community, we introduced the Ruyton Girls’ School’s Internship Programme – an authentic, project-based work experience elective offering for students in Years 9 and 10 that connected student interns with industry professionals and organisations beyond the four walls of the classroom. Unlike our work experience programme, the Internship Programme is completed onsite over an extended period of time and is centred around a major work or project. After nine weeks of extensive professional development, which included creating résumés, covering letters, digital portfolios, user manuals and vision boards, our students were interviewed by leaders of industry to secure a six-week internship across a range of fields. Kelly Ng, Year 9 reflected on the Internship elective by saying, ‘This may only be an elective, but I have learnt a lot throughout the semester. Internship was something I’ve always looked forward to and will miss [now it’s complete] as the elective helped me discover things I didn’t know about myself and has helped me be more open-minded about my future.’ The girls democratically engaged in the course by determining which positions they were interested in applying for and how to manage their own time and workflow. Year 9 student Emily Johnson shared, ‘I thought it was great that the course was impacted by the students and that we could contribute to the work we had to do and determine how we spent our time. Being able to have choice of what internship we wanted to apply for ensured that everyone in our class was doing something they enjoyed.’ In the first iteration of the programme, our girls successfully secured internships as Data Scientists and Research Assistants, alongside Post-Doctoral research fellows and as Graphic Designers and Quality Assurance Testers for creative studios, to name a few. ‘I was able to complete tasks that adults with university qualifications are doing. I completed a thematic analysis, a generalised linear model and presented the information to my mentor to be used in a published report …’ stated Zoe Boussioutas, Year 9. Asha Jassal, Year 9, said, ‘It was amazing to see the difference I had made, even if it was only small, because it really made me feel like I was doing something worthwhile.’ The Ruyton Internship Programme aimed to provide exposure and experience that will help our girls make increasingly considered choices about their future academic and professional journeys. The programme also challenged them to take risks and actively engage in their work, which included the acquisition of new skills and knowledge in order to support the work of their mentors.
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Year 10 student, Jade Alexander stated, ‘to successfully complete my internship, I required knowledge about gait speed; what it is and how it works. I also needed knowledge about circuitry and how to solder wires. Finally, I required knowledge on how to use Arduino and the software used to programme the optical lens …’ The monumental success of this programme was due in part to our girls’ character, citizenship, endeavour and integrity, but also as a result of the gracious support and authentic projects provided by our Internship Mentors. Dr Amanda Krause, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions, engaged a student intern to support her research about how people emotionally respond to music. After the completion of the Semester 1 Internship Programme, Dr Krause shared, ‘I have two Year 10 work experience students from another school with me today and I just wanted to commend Ruyton for the Internship Programme you have built for the girls. By comparison, I am much more aware of how great a student intern Zoe was and how impressive your girls are at Ruyton.’ Mr Jake Plaskett, Director of Learning Innovation the ruyton reporter
140 years of rich history Making a Big Splash
The Ruyton Aquatic Centre was opened on 6 June 2008 by Australian swimmer, Mrs Nicole Livingstone OAM and I commenced 18 months later in January 2010. The Centre has a very busy schedule, with PE classes during the day for the girls, a pre-school programme for children from six months to school entry each morning from 9am to 11am and in the afternoon we have school-age children in the Learn-to-Swim programme. We also have a squad programme and swimming club run by Mr Andrew Goetz. My role consists of liaising with the PE Department to organise swimming lessons, hiring and training staff to teach the programme, and controlling the plant room to keep our water clean and warm. It is fabulous to see the children progressing in their swimming, sometimes starting off a little nervous, then, as they gain confidence and skills, progressing through the programme to achieve squad level, with over 1600 students in the Centre’s Swim School programme. Mrs Jenny McMillan, Aquatic Centre Manager Like many of Ruyton’s facilities, building the Aquatic Centre was enabled by a fundraising campaign where, impressively, the School community raised the necessary $500,000 between May and September 2006. Construction commenced in March 2007, with the promise that students would be swimming in the pool by Term 2 of the following year. On the grand opening day, Year 6 girls were given the honour of having the first dive in the pool. Ms Cathy Dodson, Archivist
The Ruyton Flag Story The Ruyton Heritage Collection is fortunate to receive many wonderful donations of photographs and memorabilia that help record and preserve the unique identity of the School. In 2017, Mrs Diane Andrews (Read ’63) made the donation of a rare, and very fragile, example of a navyblue silk flag with a hand-embroidered Ruyton crest. The flag is hand sewn onto a smooth wooden stick and has been provisionally dated as from the 1915-1940s.
Ruyton Running Team, 1946 (Ruyton Heritage Collection)
Diane found the flag in an antique store on the Mornington Peninsula in approximately 2014. The flag was in a delicate state, but, recognising the Ruyton crest, Diane felt compelled to purchase it. The antique store staff reported that the flag had come from the estate of an elderly woman and had been in the store for ‘an extended period of time’. Research indicates that the Ruyton Flag was probably one used in interschool athletic competition ‘flag races’, which were popular in the first half of the 20th century. In such races teams ran relay-style, with their School’s flag held aloft in the manner of an 18th century soldier charging into battle. Each school’s flag was an important public symbol of school identity and was made with care and used with pride. Though once a ubiquitous part of any school’s sporting equipment, once flag races fell out of favour in the later 20th century, racing flags were usually discarded. The Ruyton Flag is therefore a unique and important surviving example of a School running flag, with only one other similar flag publicly listed in any heritage collection in Australia, at Camberwell Girls’ Grammar School, Camberwell. Given the flag’s rarity and symbolic value, the Heritage Collection was delighted to receive such an important donation. However, the flag’s deteriorating condition presented its own challenge: the high cost of professional conservation to stabilise and protect it for the future. We are now pleased to report that the Old Ruytonians’ Association, and our regular Archives volunteer, Mrs Micky Ashton (Marshall ’65) have each committed to partner with Ruyton to meet the cost of the flag’s preservation. Their generosity has helped us ensure that the Ruyton Flag will once again become a tangible representation of commitment to Ruyton’s heritage and pride in our School.
Detail from a 1999 aerial photograph of Ruyton (Ruyton Heritage Collection)
spring 2018
Ruyton Running Team, 1920 (Ruyton Heritage Collection)
i love ruyton because … ‘of the ability for each girl to be her best self.’ – Annie K
Ms Cathy Dodson, School Archivist
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old ruytonians’ association
Daughters of Old Ruytonians
Row 6: E. Patterson, A. Coldwell, G. Murrell, H. Mitchelhill, P. Dowell, A. Osmond Row 5: A. Jones, S. Bendall, E. Raudys, S. MacIsaac, E. Lamb, P. Angliss, L. Richardson, A. Barry, P. Brown Row 4: S. Mulready, A. Laird, L. Laird, E. Kerr, C. Kerr, B. O’Callaghan, T. O’Callaghan, G. Long, L. Long, C. McCormick
from the ora co-presidents Dear Ruyton Community, The Old Ruytonians’ Association was honored to join Ruyton for its inaugural Spirit of Ruyton Week and celebrate the momentous anniversaries of the School and the ORA. This year, the Golden Girls’ Reunion was held during Spirit of Ruyton Week. The Year 2 girls were tremendously excited to entertain their guests for morning tea in the Junior School and interview a Golden Girl for their history projects. It was also a fabulous opportunity for our Old Ruytonians who graduated between 1946 and 1967 to see the School buzzing with students and to share insights into what the School meant to them and how it has changed over the years. During the morning’s festivities, the youngest Prep girl, Zoe Kokovas (28/4/2013) and the oldest alumnae able to attend, Mrs Barbara Bellew (Hughes ’38), 95 years young, cut a beautifully decorated cake celebrating Ruyton’s 140 years. (We’d like to acknowledge Liz Long (’87) of Luscious Affairs for providing the exquisite cake.) The Year 2 girls were thrilled to host the Golden Girls and are reportedly still talking about meeting their guests! Thank you to all the Old Ruytonians who attended the morning tea. Based on this year’s success, we hope to continue to co-ordinate the Reunion with the Spirit of Ruyton Week in the future.
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Row 3: C. Gillon, M. Power, E. Marsh, S. Marsh, J. Cook, M. Cook, V. Magoutis, Y. Alevras, R. Magoutis, K. Kafasis, M. Ancarola Row 2: L. Gillon, M. Gillon, L. Power, H. Charlesworth, P. Parkinson, T. Caligiuri, I. Caligiuri, A. Batt, S. Hughes, L. Uthmeyer, A. Kafasis, O. Michelini
The following day, Ruyton hosted a highly anticipated netball match between the Year 9 and 10 girls and Old Ruytonians. Unfortunately, the old girls were outplayed by the current students, going down 29 to 5. However, the game was played in great competitive spirit and was a good warm up for the House Cheers Cup later in the afternoon. Many thanks to our competitors, Phoebe Condon (’15), Eliza Dontschuk (’15), Andrea Fiorenza (’98), Julia Goodsall (’84), Josie Graham (’15), Charlotte Graham (’13), Phillipa Hajdasz (’16), Jane Karopoulos (’16), Rebecca Lipshut (Littlejohn ’98), Aisling Moten (’17) and coach Kerry O’Callaghan (Godson ’87) for taking time out of their busy Friday afternoons to participate. And special thanks to Angela Allen for co-ordinating the match. We look forward to next year! On Friday 18 May the ORA held a Grand Reunion celebrating 140 years of Ruyton and 110 years of the ORA. Over 100 old girls, from various Ruyton generations, attended the wonderful cocktail party at Kooyong. The beautiful Tash Anderson (’04) delighted us with live music upon arrival before our MC Katherine Teh-White (’85) shared inspiring stories about how the Ruyton spirit influenced her career, years after she had graduated. Not to be outdone by the younger girls earlier in the day we had our own House activity – a sing-off of the School song – with Lascelles declared the worthy winner. There were prizes, a DJ and a photo booth, which all contributed to the fabulous atmosphere in the room. It was a fitting end to what was a truly remarkable week at Ruyton.
Row 1: C. McCombe, L. Gallace, S. Caligiuri, Q. Caligiuri, E. Bai, Z. Kokovas, A. Minott Absent: Z. Boussioutas, M. Charles, E. Johnson, P. Johnson, E. Murray, H. Murray, O. Thompson, M. Wilson
We extend our thanks and appreciation to Ruyton’s Principal, Ms Linda Douglas, the Ruyton staff and the ORA Grand Reunion sub-committee, comprising of Samantha Gusset (Atkinson’89), Sarah Forbes (’12), Anna Martin-Truelove (’12), Belinda Anderson (Mcleod’73), Caroline Jarett (’05), Jane MacIntosh (’72) and Jenni Musgrove (’73 ) for their support and commitment. We also acknowledge Natalie Pullan (’05), former ORA committee member, for her event management expertise throughout the preparation of the Grand Reunion. Thanks Nat! Ms Mia Antonopoulos and Ms Liv Fowler (’11), Co-Presidents of the Old Ruytonians’ Association
i love ruyton because … ‘students whole-heartedly, passionately and proactively strive for excellence.’ – Ellen F
the ruyton reporter
news of alumnae celebrating rowing beyond ruyton
Earlier in the year we were thrilled to receive the news that the 2018 Victorian Women’s Youth VIII had won gold at the National Rowing Championships. Among the crew were two old Ruytonians, Milla Marston (’16) and Charlotte Wirtz (’15). It was the first time a Ruyton girl had rowed in the crew – let alone two girls! In addition, three Ruyton girls, Milla, Charlotte and Eleanor Price (’17) row in the Melbourne University VIII. We spoke to the girls about their journeys. After a successful and busy rowing programme at Ruyton, I was determined to continue my rowing experience at University level, if at all possible. I was so excited when, along with Milla Marston, I was selected to represent Victoria in the Bicentennial Cup at the Interstate Rowing Championships held during the Sydney International Rowing Regatta. This is the first time two Ruyton girls have competed in the Victorian State Team together. The crew was victorious, winning the event by several boat lengths over the Queensland State Boat. While rowing for the MUBC, I participated in the inaugural Melbourne University versus Monash University boat race, which occurred during the Melbourne University College Regatta. Both Milla and Eleanor were in the same boat and we won by several boat lengths. Finally, this year I was selected to represent Australia in the Under 21 Australian Team as one of the two single scullers. After winning the Under 21 Single Scull at Nationals, I trialled and was selected for the team in late April. The team competed in a series of events called the Trans-Tasman Regatta. The first leg of the trip was in Sydney in June and the second was at Lake Karapiro, New Zealand in August. I appreciate the qualities of resilience and determination I learnt through the rowing programme at Ruyton and look forward to continuing my participation in rowing for many years to come. Charlotte Wirtz My rowing journey started in Year 8 at Melbourne Girls’ College but I switched to sculling when I moved to Ruyton in Year 11. On my first day at Ruyton I had to conquer what all rowers fear, the dreaded ‘2k’ ergo. However, this did not deter me and my training at Ruyton only amplified my dedication to the sport, improving my selfdiscipline and self-belief. I decided to take some time off rowing to focus on Aerobic Gymnastics, competing and coming second at the Association of National Aerobic Championships (ANAC) World Championships during Term 3 of Year 12. I returned to competitive rowing shortly after and achieved my goal of being selected to represent Victoria, competing in the Bicentennial Cup race at the Sydney International Rowing Regatta and coming first with an amazing crew. This race tested my training from both my years at Ruyton and MGC and is one of my proudest rowing achievements to date. Through rowing at Melbourne University Boat Club (MUBC) I have been given so many opportunities, including an international representation in Guangzhou, China. Through being affiliated with Melbourne University, I have also received Elite Athlete status, receiving support from the University, and have a dual athlete recognition in Rugby Sevens for the University as a talent transfer. Moving into this season I aim to be selected for the Australian Boat Race to represent Melbourne University in Sydney, in the Australian Under 23 Trials in March 2019, and to improve my overall fitness and strength as a rower. Milla Marston
Ever since I participated in Ruyton’s Year 8 Learn to Row programme, rowing has played a major role in my life. I have the best memories of Year 8 rowing, as it allowed me to branch out and get to know to people that I would otherwise never be friends with today. After Year 12 at Ruyton in 2017 I chose to continue rowing for Banks Rowing Club to maintain some familiarity, as it is also the boatshed which Ruyton uses to store its boats. Although the transition from School rowing to club rowing was initially challenging, as you learn to become autonomous and self-sufficient, after a few weeks I began to settle into the new routine and regain my confidence around new people. What I enjoy the most about rowing is that it facilitates close friendships, which have the potential to go beyond the rowing boat and to be long-lasting. I now row competitively for MUBC, which I am really enjoying as it has a great youth programme and a good group of girls. As I am also studying at the University of Melbourne, rowing at MUBC is convenient, as it enabled me to represent the University in intercollegiate races, such as the Melbourne University versus Monash University race in May and the University Games held at the Gold Coast in September. I intend to continue rowing throughout my university days and hopefully represent Ormond College in Sydney later this year at the Australian Boat Race. Rowing has truly taken me places and it will always play a huge role in my life. Eleanor Price
rowing success
Phoebe Dammersmith (’15) and Alana Grollo (’15) are currently studying at San Diego State University in California, while also rowing. In May they were among 13 athletes invited to the Under-23 trials for Rowing Australia’s 2018 National Under-23 Team in Canberra. Both Phoebe and Alana have competed successfully in crews representing SDSU.
the other side of the commonwealth games
Emma Spicer (’97) was one of 15,000 volunteers who worked at the Commonwealth Games in April. She gave up her two weeks’ holiday from teaching and was assigned the job of ‘Marker’ for Lawn Bowls. Being a lawn bowler herself, who has represented Queensland on numerous occasions and won two Australian Open titles, she was delighted. Marking involves holding up paddles to indicate to the players and spectators which team is holding shot and the number of shots. Emma marked 19 games and was on the TV rink for many of them, including four gold medal games and one bronze medal game. Despite the gruelling schedule of the nearly seven hours per session, Emma found the experience exciting and rewarding. She met Prince Edward and was thrilled when invited to hold the Commonwealth Games Baton. Emma loved meeting bowlers from other countries and felt their elation when they won and disappointment when they lost. Marking some games for the disabled bowlers, Emma was astounded at their expertise, especially the Vision Impaired bowlers, whom she said were amazing. During the games, early one morning Emma was travelling on the light rail on her way to Broadbeach when a well-dressed man asked politely if he could sit next to her and take a photo which he wanted to put on Twitter. The man was Mark Bailey, Queensland Minister for Transport. He put up a tweet to thank all the dedicated volunteers such as Emma. Trish Spicer (McCrae ’73)
spring 2018
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news of alumnae where have all the years gone?
‘Ruyton for me was a wonderful experience. I had many mentors over the 14 years I was a student, who influenced my life and sent me off on the pathways that I pursued.’ Ruyton taught me many things about how to manage when life changes and you are least expecting it; not to give up, to have determination, to overcome obstacles; to find solutions, to always find a way. After School I explored several avenues of work: with a Merchant Bank, in nursing and also in retail. A set of circumstances led me into Real Estate in 1990, and I am still there, 28 years later. My husband has been very supportive of my career. He is an architect and has had a huge influence on my love of 1960’s houses, particularly those of Robin Boyd. I use many of the skills I collected along the way, in communication, physiology and the ability to listen. In Real Estate there is a wide variety of people, both young and old, buying and selling houses for many reasons. Sometimes I can celebrate with them if it is a happy occasion; at other times I can support them in times of grief. More often than not it is a period of immense change and I can empathise with them on their journey. I find it very fulfilling, but it is also challenging. When I began there were very few women in sales and it was a real boys’ club! Today we can see progressive change, as women become managers and directors. I continue to mentor both men and women and am proud to see them become successful and ethical agents. My eldest daughter Emma (Anderson ’97) teaches in Kununurra in Western Australia, at a school with a mix of indigenous and non-indigenous children. My second daughter, Sarah (Anderson ’99) has a Ph.D and is the Discipline Lead in the School of Prosthetics and Orthotics at Latrobe University. Sarah is married to Rob and they have a son and two daughters between the ages of four and nine. As you can imagine I am a very proud grandmother! My son James works as a pilot for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and lives in Broome. ‘At the recent Grand Reunion of all alumnae I realised Old Ruytonians, whether young or old, have a great deal in common. We are all part of that spirit of Ruyton. I have many friendships with girls with whom I was at school, some in different year levels. We all realise how privileged and fortunate we were to be able to attend this wonderful School. Recte et Fideliter.’
working flexibly
‘Your story is not only an example of how you have broken the mould whilst working part-time, but also highlights the wealth of talent that businesses stand to gain when making senior part-time hires.’ – UK Timewise Power 50 awards. Elizabeth Neal (’92) works as Head of Legal for London Stock Exchange plc and was nominated in the 2018 UK Timewise Power 50 awards, in the Power Part Timers category. These awards recognise people delivering in senior, business-critical roles while working in a non-traditional pattern, such as part time and flexible working hours. Catherine Johnson, Group General Counsel, said, ‘[Liz] is an outstanding example of a leader who works flexibly while providing high quality commercial advice and a seamless service to her clients. She has led the way in the Legal Department in advocating flexible working for female and male colleagues alike.’ Liz started at LSEG in 2005 and transitioned to a four-day working week after a period of maternity leave. She became Head of Legal in her part-time role and has demonstrated that it is possible to be employed flexibly while satisfying the demands of a business-critical role. We would like to think that Ruyton’s values, particularly those of character and citizenship, have helped Liz to achieve her goals today. Liz lives in the UK with her husband, Ian and two daughters, Eliza and Amy. Her niece, Ella, the daughter of Kate Raudys (Neal ’89) is in Year 9 at Ruyton. As Liz said, ‘Working part-time has made it possible for me to balance a busy and challenging Group role with the other important commitments in my life, whilst still enabling me to progress in my career. I am pleased to be a real example of LSEG’s commitment to initiatives like these which promote and support our diverse workforce.’
At the International Women’s Day (IWD) Assembly in March we were fortunate to hear from Old Ruytonian, Jane Sale (Peterson ’92), who addressed the students on the 2018 theme for IWD: Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives. Jane is a true pioneer. Someone with real grit and determination. From her beginnings with her husband on a cattle station south of Katherine, to the Yougawalla Pastoral Company in the Kimberley WA, with over 40,000 head of cattle and 3.6 million acres, Jane has trod a path not for the faint-hearted. She is a champion for rural women and highlights the stark differences between them and their sisters in an urban setting in Australia.
Belinda Anderson (Mcleod ’73) is a member of the ORA Committee.
Jane espouses many values, some of which will be familiar to a Ruyton girl today: • ‘explore and be open to all possibilities • be kind – especially to other women • do not judge others
gifts with resonance
The Class of 2017 are an inspirational and compassionate group of girls, and this was apparent in the gifts they left for the School. They contributed $3,375 to Koala Kids, an organisation close to their hearts, as a part of their Leavers’ Gift. Koala Kids is a volunteer-driven organisation providing therapeutic resources, family support and entertaining activities that make a difference to the lives of children and young people in cancer treatment and their families. In addition, they left something to inspire our girls, now and into the future. In Hiscock Court there now stands Ruyton’s very own Global Girl. It acts as a daily reminder to all of our girls of the importance of taking action to make a difference. This is a strong legacy of the Class of 2017 who, through their own actions, have made a difference for so many. Jean Mitchell, Year 12 and Mrs Elizabeth Beattie, Community Relations Co-ordinator of Communications
erratum
The Ruytonian Student Editor, Angie Yan (’17) was among the 11 per cent of girls who received an ATAR of 99+ last year. While celebrating with Angie in the Ruyton Reporter earlier this year we inadvertently misspelled her second name, for which we apologise. Angie tells us that she is enjoying her studies of Bio Medicine at Melbourne University and we also welcomed her back when she attended the presentation of the Leavers’ Gift 2017. 18
• take any learning opportunity which comes your way
• your welfare is a priority. Look after yourself physically and mentally • we all fail – use it as a learning lesson • most of all enjoy the journey and the simple things in life.’
In early childhood Jane learnt from her parents the values of entrepreneurship and working long hours to achieve her goals, and these were to stand her in good stead when she and her husband bought the station at Yougawalla in 2007. Arriving to a desolate space and experiencing both fire and drought at different periods of time, they managed not only to build it up to become a fully-operating cattle station, but also raised a family there. In 2010, they added their first indigenous leased property. A further challenge included the aftermath of the Federal Government’s Live Export Ban. Overnight Yougawalla’s business had its market taken away, ironically causing the potential for more cattle to suffer within Australia itself. Just three weeks later Jane sustained life-threatening injuries after being attacked by a bull. ‘The CAT scan confirmed what my husband and parents already knew. I am a very hard-headed woman.’ Despite these setbacks, Jane remained anxious to improve the understanding between urban and rural Australia, and, together with another influential woman, Catherine Marriott, decided that ‘We needed to bridge the gap by telling our stories.’ With their joint passion for agriculture, animal welfare, communications and food integrity, and making use of social media, in June 2013 a platform was found through ‘Central Station, a blog where the men and women of the Australian outback come together to share an insight into their lives - the good, the bad, and the dusty.’ Today Central Station has over 56,000 followers. http://www.centralstation.net.au/ This ‘hard-headed woman’ certainly lives her message of resilience and fortitude. the ruyton reporter
kim brennan (crow ’03) – another awesome achievement!
i love ruyton because …
As we go to press we were thrilled to hear the news that Kim has been shortlisted as a finalist in The Australian Financial Review 100 Women of Influence 2018, alongside an inspiring catalogue of amazing women. The full list of 100 Women of Influence alumni was announced in early September and the Awards Gala night takes place on 17 October in Sydney. There are more details if you follow the link below:
‘it has always engendered a special feeling of belonging and ‘kinship’ and makes me a proud Ruytonian.’
http://www.afrwomenofinfluence.com.au/search/alumni_year/2018/type/alumni_ search/page/4/
keep in touch – update your details online Old Ruytonians can now update their contact details online at www.ruyton.vic.edu.au and click on the Contact tab.
Keep in touch with former School friends, reconnect with old friends and receive information about what is going on in the Ruyton community. For further information regarding reunions and upcoming alumnae events, please contact the Community Co-ordinator, Community, on 03 9290 9335.
wedding
Congratulations to Alexa Weel (Kuzyk ’06) and Michael on the occasion of their marriage in March 2018 in Princetown, Victoria near the 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road. Among the bridal party were other 2006 alumnae, Fiona Mitchell, Annabel Pitt and Joanna Williams.
vale
matron esplan
The children of Joan Esplan, Heather and Andrew, informed us earlier in the year of the passing of their mother, ‘Matron’, who worked at Ruyton from 1975-1989. For many years after leaving Ruyton, Joan would frequently bump into past students who remembered her fondly. Joan was perceived ahead of her time, and she initiated a programme on human sexuality at the School, quite avant-garde in that era. Joan trained as a Registered Nurse at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, graduating in 1950. She married Bill in 1953 and was one of the first RMH nurses who did not have to leave because of her marrying. Joan spent most of her career at the hospital, except for a break to raise her two children, and then spent 14 years at Ruyton, before retiring in 1989. Despite a diagnosis of breast cancer in 1990, Joan continued to practise as a nurse, caring and supporting others affected by breast cancer, volunteering through the Box Hill Hospital Cancer Support Group and Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA). Upon her resignation Mrs Prue Gillies, then Principal, said: ‘Your contribution to Ruyton has been impressive, spanning fourteen years since your appointment as School Nurse in 1975. In this role you have won the love, admiration and respect of the staff and girls, as much for your warmth as a person as for your expertise in Sick Bay and I know you will be missed by all. During your years at the School you have proved yourself to be willing to take on various responsibilities and activities, committing yourself to each with interest and application.’ Matron was, indeed, Upright and Faithful.
Your connection with Ruyton does not end when you graduate in Year 12. We love to share news of the exploits and achievements of our alumnae. Please send all news to the Editor, Mrs Elizabeth Beattie, at beattiee@ruyton.vic.edu.au
all old ruytonians from 1975 and earlier! Join us at the launch of the Moreton Bay Fig Society Thursday 1 November 10am-12 noon Junior School Open Space Meet the Principal, Ms Linda Douglas, enjoy music from our Junior girls, a delicious morning tea and hear from an experienced philanthropy author, Genevieve Timmons. The Moreton Bay Fig Society honours all Ruyton’s benefactors who have so generously chosen to support the School through a gift in their will.
Notice Of Old Ruytonians’ Association Special Meeting Dear ORA Members, The Old Ruytonians’ Association gives notice of a Special Meeting that all members are invited to attend. The reason for the Special Meeting is to align the Purposes in our Constitution with our Strategic Plan. Date: Tuesday 13 November 2018 Time: 7pm Place: Henty House Reception Room Ruyton Girls’ School 12 Selbourne Rd Kew Vic 3101 Please advise Mrs Jenni Musgrove, Ruyton Co-ordinator – Community and Secretary of the ORA if you wish to attend this Special Meeting – ora@ruyton.vic.edu.au
Mr Andrew Esplan Alumnae and colleagues will be saddened to learn of the passing of Pat Hefter in her home state of Tasmania earlier this year. Pat was a teacher of History from 1974-1983.
spring 2018
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reunions
Reunion of the 1978 Alumnae, Friday 16 March Back Row (from left): Penelope White (Webster), Virginia Norton, Katrina Philip (Wilson), Jenny Rogers (Neinaber), Jane Cunningham (Simondson) 2nd Back Row: Deb Wagner, Sally Turner 3rd Back Row: Cathy Duncan (Hill), Sara Vawser (Liversidge), Cathy Simon, Virginia Aitken (Viney), Helen Mellick (Lowson) 4th Back Row: Fiona Woolger (Laird), Christine Ashburner (Shankly) 2nd Front Row: Gabrielle Malin (Weingartner), Janine Sutton (Cahill), Penny Scandrett Front Row: Annabel Hawkins, Georgina Gelai (Malon), Sally Cogan (Milner), Trudy Rosser (Pearce), Amanda Pulitano (Fraser), Lynette Freijah (Batrouney)
Reunion of Alumnae in Western Australia Reunion of the 2008 Alumnae, Friday 25 May Attendees: Lisa Ainger, Sarah Allen, Anna Baldes, Jess Balson, Jordie Browne, Rebecca Carey, Jade Chang, Jena Chang, Merryn Chappel, Caitlin Davies, Janine Engelbrecht, Ellie Gwyther, Caroline Hart, Anastasia Hicks (Testen), Luci Hodgson, Eliza Jonson, Christina Kambelos, Hannah Kelly, Chloe Lawrence, Sarah Lewis, Caroline McBride, Katherine Nugent-Johnstone, Kate O’Hanlon, Molly O’Neill, Amanda Pantas, Georgia Schofield, Caroline Stolarek, Sarah Sturgeon, Sarah Tulloch, Emily Wilde, Stacey Zalomski
Diana Stanbury (Manning ’67), Jenni Musgrove (Manton ’73), Bianca Strugnell (’11), Linda Douglas – Principal
Reunion of the Golden Girls, Thursday 17 May Please refer to the enclosed supplement to read the full details and see photos taken from the very special event to celebrate our Golden Girls in Spirit week, in this our 140th anniversary year.
Reunion of the 1988 Alumnae, Friday 17 August Back, from left: Sarah Scott-Parkinson (Scott), Elizabeth Cade, Rachael Walton (Denman), Tara Upfield, Samantha Culbert (Llewellyn), Andrea Allan, Sam Brasch (Hughes), Alison Shelton Agar, Melanie Irvin (Shiels), Samantha Wilson, Caitlin Hodnett (Cody), Fiona West, Anna Brown (Long), Anna Heerey (Barrack), Juliette Fletcher (Yeo), Kathy Magoutis (Alysandratos), Catherine Mahar (Thwaites), Belinda Hawkins (Morris), Jacqui Moorhead (Exell), Edwina Molony
Reunion of the 2013 Alumnae, Friday 23 February
Back Row from left: Saskia McEldowney, Octavia Pini, Ruby Mazzocco, Micky Brown, Sam Edney, Charlotte Graham, Lily Lachal, Nikola Jackson 2nd Back Row: Isabella Aikman, Dana Hehir, Teresa Gong, Rebecca Clayton, Charlotte Jones, Annabel Tucker, Henrietta Gelber, Georgie Bowden, Ruby Clifford, Courtney Powell, Lauren Harcourt 3rd Back Row: Kashi Mogensen, Catie Callender, Sarah Lee, Sarah Robertson, Hollie Curtis, Monica Ramzy, Grace Kalac, Charlotte Assetta, Shu Xi Wang, Lauren Yip, Phoebe Franich Front Row: Angelica Andrianopoulos, Zoe Hogan, Lily Mulcahy, Lucy Aitken
forthcoming reunions in 2019: alumnae
Reunion of the 1998 Alumnae, Friday 3 August
Attendees (alpha order): Alison Biggin (Knight), Stefania Brunetti, Elisa Caligiuri (Trotta), Caroline Carr (Burke), Annie Chang, Alexandra Davey (Bacash), Jessica Dickson (Morgan), Andrea Fiorenza, Melissa Gallace (Constantinou), Rachael Gopal (Burnet), Lucinda Graham, Mariana Green, Caitlin Grover, Libby Gude, Catherine Handbury (Fuggle), Amanda Harcourt, Emily Hardy (Brooke), Karly Hill (Hillas), Jane Kerner (MacFarlane), Sally Kemp (Carwardine), Narelle Kropp, Katherine Laing, Sandra Lau, Bec Lipshut (Littlejohn), Laura McKemmish, Aimee Macqueen (Stewart), Amy Mulready (Rhind), Victoria Nichol (Stewart), Kate O’Brien, Marina Panagacos, Tori Prior, Jacqui Richardson (Oriander), Frances Schwarz (Crawley), Kate Stanton, Sascha Thiel (Dickenson), Erica Yuan
Staff Editor: Mrs Elizabeth Beattie, Community Co-ordinator, Communications If you have any articles or updates you would like to be considered for publication please email beattiee@ruyton.vic.edu.au or post to 12 Selbourne Road, Kew Vic 3101. Please mark all correspondence for the attention of the Ruyton Reporter Editor – Mrs Elizabeth Beattie. The Ruyton Reporter is printed on paper that is harvested from sustainable forest and is elemental chlorine free.
celebrating reunion date
2014
5 years
Friday 22 February 2019
1979
40 years
Friday 15 March 2019
Golden Girls
51 years +
Thursday 16 May 2019
2009
10 years
Friday 31 May 2019
1999
20 years
Friday 2 August 2019
1989
30 years
Friday 16 August 2019
1969
50 years
Friday 6 September 2019
2018
1 year
Friday 11 October 2019
Please note: these dates are subject to change. If you are booking flights or planning to be in Melbourne for your Reunion, please confirm with the Community Relations Department before booking. Interstate Reunions will be advised as soon as dates are confirmed.
ruyton girls’ school
12 Selbourne Road Kew 3101 Victoria Australia Tel 61 3 9819 2422 ruyton@ruyton.vic.edu.au www.ruyton.vic.edu.au CRICOS 00336J
celebrating
140 years
ruyton
Ruyton’s 140 Celebrations In Spirit Week in May we began with the Mothers’ Day Classic, where Ruyton families joined together to run or walk around the Tan and raise funds in support of research into breast cancer. ‘I must reiterate the Spirit of Ruyton as expressed in our Strategic Directions: Character, Citizenship, Endeavour, Integrity. All these values combined during the Mothers’ Day Classic at the Tan to raise money for breast cancer research, where Ruyton received the award for the school which had registered with the most participants – 155 in total.’ Ms Kylie Taylor, Deputy President of the Board This was followed on Monday morning by the Ruyton Founder’s Celebration Breakfast, at which members of our community spoke about what the Spirit of Ruyton meant to them. ‘The Spirit of Ruyton was manifest in the recent Cross Country Road Relay Championships, where ALL Ruyton girls waited until the end to support ALL the girls running, not just Ruyton girls. This was similar to the example set by the Australians at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast who, once they had finished their own race, waited for the very last participant to finish before they celebrated and left the track.’ Jessica Hepworth and Tess Stewart, School Co-Captains
spirit of ruyton
‘Ruyton kind of feels like your house because it makes you feel really comfortable in the classrooms you learn in. You’re not under any pressure or anything bad like that. I love Ruyton because you always get help when you’re sad and you can always talk to someone about how you’re feeling – like the teacher - and you don’t have to keep it all up inside you. You can just let it out and the teachers sort it out for you. Ruyton has helped me learn and helped me with maths and other subjects that I struggle with. The teachers are always really happy to help you understand things that you haven’t already.’ Georgina Yatomi-Clarke, Year 2
spirit of ruyton
‘I see the joy of Ruyton Girls. There’s colour and movement in their days, smiles and laughter. They relish the fact that Ruyton is a safe space in which they are able to express themselves. They display real kindness and benefit from the positive affirmations they receive.’ Mr Walter Zavattiero, Wellbeing Leader, Year 11 and Debating Co-ordinator ‘It is so special to be standing in the Margaret McRae Building today, as Miss McRae was such a support to me. I started here in the Junior School with a terrible stutter, but I was encouraged to sing in choirs to help me overcome this. I went on to become Debating Captain … all because Miss McRae believed in me. I value loyalty, perseverance, team work, leadership, dedication and kindness - all of which were taught at Ruyton.’ Ms Belinda Anderson, Old Ruytonians’ Association Committee Member The Breakfast concluded with the presentation of awards to those volunteers at the School who have given their time to Ruyton over a sustained period.
‘Ruyton has influenced me to speak more freely and stand up for myself. It’s also helped me to make more friends and talk to other people without feeling shy or scared. It’s taught me to try my best and help people when they really need it, and even if they don’t to make sure they’re ok. I love Ruyton because I have so many friends and people like hanging out with me and I like hanging out with them. The plays we do are fun as well and making up our own plays and stories are fun too. I would describe Ruyton as a really, really friendly place. You can make a lot of friends and have fun. You can also always stand up for yourself and take risks.’
Ms Linda Douglas closed, using the words of Mrs Danyang McAuliffe, Learning Leader, Languages : ‘Every Day at Ruyton is a good day.’
Francesca Lew, Year 3
did you know? 1871 Mr Henry and Mrs Marian Henty commission local architect Mr Albert Purchas to design their new home, Tarring. The builder is Mr Andrew Wright. The family moved in in 1872. 1878 Mrs Charlotte Anderson hires a teacher, Miss Flora Barton, and begins a small day school for ‘young ladies’ in her home in Bulleen Road, Kew. 1882 Mrs Anderson names her school Ruyton and moves it to Edgecomb, in Studley Park Road, and accepts the first boarding students.
1883 Ruyton’s first matriculant is Kathleen Anderson, daughter of Mrs Anderson. She passes in eight subjects. She later teaches at Ruyton. 1889 Miss Eliza Bromby, Miss Lilian Irving and Mrs Louise Gubbins take over as Principals of Ruyton and operate it from small temporary premises 16-18 Princess Street while building A’Beckett Street premises. Miss Irving later went on to found Lauriston Girls’ School with her sister Miss Margaret Irving. 1894 ‘Old English R’ badge introduced, though modified in 1915.
1900 Ruyton begins to advertise kindergarten classes. 1903 First hockey match between Victorian school girls – Ruyton versus Lauriston. 1908 First meeting of Old Ruytonians’ Association (ORA). 1909 The Ruytonian is first published by the ORA. Two editions per year until 1941. Images L-R: Mrs Anderson pictured in the garden of Ruyton at Edgecomb (1885), with some of her younger students, Mrs Charlotte Anderson (c.1880s) and the earliest image of one of Ruyton’s hockey teams (1906).
Spirit Week There were Founder’s Day Assemblies, one in the Junior School and one in the Senior School, where girls spoke powerfully about their own experiences at Ruyton. Senior School Founder’s Day Assembly ‘… The thing that makes Ruyton so special to me is the fact that we are all a very close community, with everyone knowing each other in the year level, and sometimes other year levels … [In]the music programme, where the ensembles are full of girls in different year levels. It’s great that we have so many amazing groups, ‘cause there is always something for everyone. And we have great teachers who help us understand so many different styles of music. We all get the chance to try different things, and everyone supports everyone else. Ruyton is a place where everyone can just be themselves, and that means that it is a safe and comforting place for every girl.’ Jemima McLeish, Year 7 ‘To me the most special part about Ruyton is the girls. I remember when I was in Year 5 and being the little keen bean that I was at the time, I attended every running session possible, even after being told at my very first session (by Steve) that he was sorry, but Year 3s weren’t actually able to attend the morning sessions at Xavier … Surprisingly, my love for the sport, wasn’t fostered as a result of an urge to run laps of Xavier in the freezing cold at 6.45am (sorry Steve), but instead it was because of the older girls who I really looked up to at the time. These girls made me appreciate how lucky I was to be a part of something so special. Of course, all of this wouldn’t have been possible without the leadership and support of Mr Steve Ellinghaus and Mrs Louisa Burbury, who have created what so many schools could only wish to have. To have the ability to be able to convince 77 girls to compete in a Cross Country event is an achievement in itself, let alone lead the team to a victory. Being a part of something so special will stay with me far beyond my years at Ruyton.’ Olivia Harper, Year 11
1917 Helen Elliot is appointed as Ruyton’s first School Captain. 1918 ORA award their first scholarship to Sylvia Knox-Knight, the daughter of a fallen soldier.
• the sense of pride our girls feel when they wear the navy and gold. • the mutual respect between students and teachers. • the blood, sweat and tears of hard work. • Cameron greeting us with a smile and wave in the morning. • the inspiration to be bold and to live a life of purpose. • the desire to be the best you can be, not only for yourself, but for the sake of your School. • the pink ribbons our girls wear in their hair at Cross Country events. • putting your hand up for the 1500m at House Athletics, knowing good well that if one lap of an athletics’ track is hard going then four laps of an athletics’ track is going to be unbearable. • that each and every one of us is a valued member of the School community, and that we all have our own role to play in the rich history of the School.’ Miss Camille Hudson (’09) Physical Education teacher
Junior School Founder’s Day Assembly ‘The Spirit of Ruyton is in the bricks in the buildings. It’s in the leaves on the Moreton Bay Fig; it’s in the friendly smiles from the hard-working maintenance men; it’s in the voices of the Bumble Bee Choir and in our Cross Country champions, but, most of all girls, it’s in all of you when you put on your Ruyton blazers and walk through those big gates to learn and laugh together and become part of Ruyton’s Future.’
I love Ruyton because … ‘the teachers can be Mum and Dad for the day.’ ‘there is gymnastics.’ ‘my friends are kind to me.’ ‘I learn so much every day.’
‘I love everything about Ruyton, I love everything we do. I just LOVE RUYTON!!!!!!’ – Miranda
1914 The blazer is introduced as an item of the Ruyton uniform.
• the sense of belonging our girls feel when they walk through the gates of the School.
Ms Meagin Gidley,(’84) Year 2 teacher
i love ruyton because …
1913 After two and a half years under Principal Miss Florence Hooper, Ruyton is closed due to low enrolments. Devastated remaining students and parents band together to see Ruyton saved and new Principal, Miss Hilda Daniell installed.
‘My journey at Ruyton Girls’ School began when I was five years old. For me, the Spirit of Ruyton is:
Year 2 Blue students
1920 Miss Daniell acquires the Henty’s property Tarring at 12 Selbourne Road and moves Ruyton to the sitein May. Vegetable gardens and orchards are removed to provide students with a playing field. 1922 Ruyton form their own company of Girl Guides. 1924 System of Houses introduced. Three are for day girls and are named for former Principals; Anderson, Bromby and Lascelles, while the fourth is called School House for all Boarding students. This is later renamed Daniell.
1925 The first House sports day is held and Cock House Cup awarded by ORA. 1926 Little Ruyton kindergarten opened at 100 Princess Street, Kew. Operates until 1982. 1930 Ruyton ceases to operate as a private business and becomes a Company School governed by a School Council. 1930s A tartan for use in the winter uniform is designed by two students – and may be the first independent girls’ school with a tartan! Images: An early sports day is captured on film for The Ruytonian (1926).
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the ruyton reporter
It is clear that Ruyton Girls take great pride in their School. Not just in Spirit Week, but throughout the year girls have worn special badges on their blazers to recognise the milestone Ruyton has reached in celebrating 140 years. There was a friendly netball match, with a Year 9 GSV team against a team of Old Ruytonians. This year’s House Cheers Cup was held in the gym for the first time and Bromby’s performance using a combination of foreign translations and powerful choreography assured them of victory.
spirit of ruyton
spirit of ruyton
‘I would describe Ruyton as hard working, we are always trying new things and thinking outside the box, from the smallest things like our plants, to the biggest things like our buildings. Ruyton is always trying to think of what more they can do to make our learning experience a wonderful experience. We, as students, are always trying our hardest and giving it all we can to achieve our goal. Ruyton has influenced me in many different ways. Before I came to Ruyton I had no character with my learning, but Ruyton helped me build my character to have confidence, perseverance and compassion. I love Ruyton because it’s just like one big family. The spirit of everyone [creates] an amazing environment to be [in] five days a week. You get so much joy coming to School every day.’ Ravinda Goonesekera, Year 5
‘Being a Ruyton girl has definitely shaped who I am as a person. I remember listening to the older girls speak at Assembly and it just kind of clicked for me. I thought, if they can do it, why can’t I? I’d definitely credit a lot of my self-confidence to Ruyton and with self-confidence comes everything else. It enables you to grow and give new things a try and, most importantly, it helps you get back up when you fail. The environment is so nurturing, and I feel that Ruyton is rich in both history and culture. It’s a very proud School, but not in an arrogant way - it’s more that it encourages girls to take pride in how they present themselves, in their accomplishments and in what essentially makes them, them. And, in turn, I know that’s made me take a lot of pride in my School. So, I guess I’d say that Ruyton is an incredibly empowering School for young women and I’m so grateful for that.’ Jacqueline Du, Year 11
1932 Inaugural meeting of Ruyton Parents’ Association. 1941 Henty House suffers significant damage in a fire over the summer holidays. 1947 The Tuckshop is built and operates through the tireless efforts of volunteer mothers. 1956 Miss Daniell uses her retirement from the Principalship to write the first book about Ruyton’s history. In the same year, Kew City Council renames Brougham Place as Daniell Place after her.
celebrating 140 years
1968 Probable date for the foundation of Questers. 1969 For the first time the cover of The Ruytonian departs from a standard design and becomes unique to that year’s edition. 1971 Ruyton stops taking Boarding students. Ruyton operated a Boarding House for 89 years on at least three of its five sites. Boarders were under the personal care of the Principal who always lived on site. 1973 Ruyton begins to employ its first male classroom teachers.
1978 Centenary celebrations include the publication of second School history Ruyton Remembers, 1878-1978 by Marjorie Theobald. A commemorative plaque is embedded in the footpath outside the house where Ruyton was founded (63 High Street South.) 1982 Ruyton orders its first computer, a ‘BBC Model B’. 1985 First Wednesday Weekly and first Ruyton –86 Reports are introduced. The latter is renamed Ruyton Reporter in 1992. Images L-R: Henty House fire (1941), the Boarding House prefects gather on the veranda with Principal Margaret McRae (1968), Principal Margaret McRae unveils the centenary plaque in High Street South Kew (1978).
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Reunion of the Golden Girls
re-enactment of the first ruyton versus lauriston hockey match 115 years ago Girls played in ‘blouses and skirts, (which had a horrid habit of parting company) … no pads, and sticks of uniform thickness from handle to head … Rules were often broken, for they were hardly understood …’ .1
In this special year the Golden Girls’ Reunion was combined with a birthday celebration in the Junior School Open Space for our 140 years’ anniversary. Morning tea was provided for our alumnae and they were able to mingle with one another before some alumnae were interviewed by Year 2 students for their history class. Beverley Bencina (Cook ’57) was interviewed by Ruby, and Ruby learnt that Beverley had not only been School Captain but also Captain of Bromby. As a member of Bromby House herself, Ruby was delighted and they shared a special Bromby hug. We also learnt that Beverley and her friend Margaret were among only five girls to matriculate that year (’57). Although they had wished to pursue biology this was not open to them in those days, so ‘they made the best with what they had.’ There were musical items by the Prep and Year 1 students, the Bumble Bee choir, Mini Mads and Paganini Strings. The entertainment was finished off by a rousing version of the School song. Finally, the birthday party concluded with the ceremonial cutting of the cake, jointly by youngest Ruyton Prep student, Zoe Kokovas (28/4/2013) and the oldest alumnae able to attend, Barbara Bellew (Hughes ’38) – 95 years young. Barbara was born in Rochester, Victoria, in 1923. Barbara was sent to Ruyton as a boarder, at the very young age of seven. Following her time at Ruyton, Barbara completed secretarial studies and then went to work for her uncle at his Flinders Lane couture clothing business. Marrying in her early 30s, Barbara and her husband moved to Mt Eliza, where their two children were born. Barbara has 12 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, and two great great grandchildren. At the young age of 95 Barbara still lives independently but admits that she’s starting to slow down a bit and not achieve as much in a day as she once did.
So wrote Miss Lilian Irving about the first hockey match to be played by Victorian schoolgirls on Thursday 24 September 1903 on a vacant piece of Malvern land. Lilian and her sister, Margaret, were the founders of Lauriston Girls’ School in 1901 and they invited Ruyton to play in the inaugural hockey match following Margaret’s discovery of this relatively new sport while on a trip to England. In 2003, Ruyton and Lauriston hockey teams marked the centenary of the first match with a friendly game where students wore uniforms similar to the 1903 original players. In June this year they met again, as part of Ruyton’s celebrations of its 140th anniversary. The Ruyton team, consisting of girls in Years 8-12, competed valiantly but were unable to prevent a repeat of the score 115 years prior! Ms Cathy Dodson, Archivist 1
The Ruytonian, April 1928, p19
the grand reunion
On Friday 18 May the ORA held their Grand Reunion at Kooyong to celebrate 140 years of Ruyton. Over 100 Old Ruytonians attended from across the generations.
Barbara’s story contributed by Ms Cate Tarsau, Barbara’s daughter.
1991 Ruyton Mothers’ Association and the Ruyton Parents’ Association merge to form The Parents of Ruyton. The Ruyton Foundation is also constituted in that year. 1992 The Ruyton Rose becomes available for sale. 1993 Council confirms principle of co-operation with Trinity Grammar School. This is later extended to Year 11s and becomes known as the Coordinate Programme. 1995 The Courtyard Café opens, replacing the Tuckshop. 1996 Introduction of laptop computers for students.
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1997 Navy tights replace the traditional (and widely disliked) beige tights with winter uniform.
2017 Introduction of Friday morning playgroups for pre-schoolers.
2003 Composer Mr David Hirschfelder commissioned to write RU-125 choral and orchestral work to celebrate Ruyton’s 125th anniversary.
2017 Introduction of Staff Service Awards. Inaugural winner of the Ruyton Distinguished Teacher Award is Mrs Di Berold.
2007 First instance of nailing our colours to the mast in the Year 12 Leadership ceremony.
2018 Ruyton celebrates 140 years.
2012 The Old Ruytonians’ Association Heritage Trail is opened.
Images L-R: Participants in the Co-ordinate Programme conduct the traditional uniform swap (1999), the class of 2007 instigate a new tradition of nailing our colours to the mast, Daughters of Old Ruytonians (2018).
2014 Ruyton acquires Wardynski’s House at 25 Selbourne Road through generous bequest of Mr Victor Lapcik. Property named in honour of his wife Maria’s maiden name of Wardynski.
the ruyton reporter