Annual Report 2021 by Ruyton Girls' School

ruyton girls’ school

Annual Report 2021

Heading RUYTON GIRLS ’ SCHOOL 12 Selbourne Road Kew VIC 3101 Australia Tel +61 3 9819 2422 www.ruyton.vic.edu.au ABN: 86 004 162 261

contents Section 1: Governance and Finance

Section 2: Empowering Girls

Section 3: Powerful Learning

Section 4: Ruyton Staff

Section 5: Engaged Community

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

MISSION 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.

VISION Inspire girls to be bold. Educate girls to live lives of impact and purpose.

VALUES Our values shape and define the Ruyton woman and the way she leads her life. •C haracter to be resilient and to act with confidence and compassion. • Citizenship to effect positive change through civic and environmental action. •E ndeavour to be curious, creative and courageous learners seeking to achieve personal best. • Integrity to live a life with honesty and virtue. The Ruyton community lives by these values, providing support, role models and a sounding board for our girls as they make their mark in the world.

Annual Report 2021

Principal’s Welcome

Nearly 100 years ago, Hilda Daniell, Principal of Ruyton, expressed her vision for Ruyton girls to be real. To be able to do and see things as they are, not as they want them to be: women with a sane and fearless outlook and with a willingness for service. Leading our school through two world wars, a depression, the fire in Henty House and a global pandemic, Miss Daniell truly knew what it meant to be real. And nearly 100 years later the Ruyton community continued to do her proud in another period of adversity. 2021 was not the year we hoped for. Once again, we had to abandon our longed-for plans and expected trajectories as we experienced failure and loss, grappled with uncertainly, and learnt to simply let go. The times when we were able to come together in person were treasured by many as a result. Reflecting on the highs, lows and special moments of endeavour and achievement in 2021, we hope our students will one day look back, reflect on how long the pandemic raged and know they did well. Life has been interrupted but this is now part of their story. How our girls negotiated this significant time, and the values, character, attitudes and skills they developed will carry them through other difficulties in their lives. This is particularly true for the Class of 2021 in their final years of school who balanced uncertainty, challenge and continual pivoting throughout.

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

As a community we thank each and every one of our teaching staff for their dedication and passion, and for the support and guidance they provide for each of our students. Our administrative and support staff and maintenance team have all contributed to the excellence of Ruyton and we thank them for their hard work, enthusiasm and loyalty. Thank you to our parents who supported staff and students through the changing modes of learning and connection throughout the year, along with the ever-changing restrictions and guidelines. Your flexibility and support have been greatly appreciated. Our sincere thanks to our parents, alumnae and volunteer groups who have ensured connection remains central to the Ruyton culture in this disjointed year. A sincere thank you must also be made to members of the Ruyton Board for their tireless commitment and dedication to the governance of our great school throughout such a genuinely difficult period of time. The difficulties and challenges of 2021 are prevalent in this Annual Report. What is also evident is the strength of care in our community, the agility and optimism of staff as they moved between lockdowns and distance learning, the resilience and determination of our students as they continued to strive for personal best

amongst the disappointment of events cancelled and postponed and the significant successes they achieved as a result. Amongst the messiness of the real world, it was a privilege to lead Ruyton in 2021 and see our students as real girls in the way Hilda Daniell always hoped they would be. Recte et Fideliter.

Linda Douglas Principal

Annual Report 2021

section 1

Governance and Finance

Virginia McLaughlan President, The Ruyton Board Following the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 and extended periods in lockdown, Melburnians started 2021 with the hope that life as we knew it had adjusted to a form of ‘normal’. Students and staff returned to Ruyton for the start of the school year and attended camps, small assemblies in Royce and much loved extra-curricular activities. Parents were invited back onsite to usher in the new year at Welcome Drinks and Old Ruytonians attended reunions in Henty House. Parents of Ruyton (POR) reinstated the Second-Hand Uniform Sale (SHUS) and worked with Parent Representatives to bring the community closer together, after being apart for such a significant period the year before. It was lovely to hear the chatter of students in the playground and feel the joy of human connection that comes with physically being together after being apart for so long. By July the impact of the Delta variant of COVID-19 had a significant impact on our school. Mandatory quarantine restrictions placed on staff and students triggered rapid and disruptive changes to learning programs. Ruyton responded to the upheaval of the situation with characteristic cooperation and understanding. The School remained in lockdown for most of Term 3 and sustained itself through this period on the

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

strength of our engaged community, the quality of our teaching and learning programs and the individualised care given to our girls. Amongst the undeniable challenges of 2021 there were many good news stories. At the Board level, we focused on developing our next strategic plan for the School. We had the opportunity to consult with people from across our community and it was highly informative and invigorating to hear their hopes and vision for the future. We are now poised to embark on the largest building project in Ruyton’s history and entering an exciting phase of our school’s story. Providing world-class educational and enrichment facilities, the redevelopment of Royce Theatre and the Library will strengthen our commitment and capacity to deliver an outstanding all-round education and support our girls to become confident women who challenge, shape and change the world. On behalf of the Ruyton Board, I publicly acknowledge and thank Dr Jim Watterson for his contribution to the School community. Standing down from the Ruyton Board after three years of service at the end of 2021, Jim will be remembered for his wealth of education knowledge, strategic mindset and the generous way he has shared his expertise with Board members as well as the staff of both Ruyton and Trinity for the betterment of our school. We wish Jim well and hope to see him back at Ruyton again in the future.

I have always been enormously proud to be a member of the Ruyton community, but never so much as over the last two years. On behalf of the Board, I would like to say thank you to our Principal Linda Douglas and her dedicated executive team. To the staff for their commitment and passion. To our families for their unwavering support. To our students for never giving up. And to all the loyal members of the Ruyton community.

The Ruyton Board Virginia McLaughlan President Kylie Taylor Deputy President Bruce Bayley Chair of Finance and Audit Chris Chapman Chair of Project Control Group Cameron Price Chair of Governance Peter Nelson

Chair, The Ruyton Foundation

Linda Douglas

Principal

Leanne Smith

Company Secretary

Fiona Griffiths (1987) Member Melanie Higgins (1992)

Member

Dr Jim Watterston

Member

Craig Wishart

Member

Annual Report 2021

section 1

SUMMARY FINANCIAL INFORMATION Our School had much to be proud of during 2021. Experiencing a second year of lockdowns created continued challenging circumstances as we delivered our learning programs online for the second year in a row. Due to our dedicated and hardworking staff our enrolments remained strong at years end.

income Donations 0.1% Other income 0.3% Government grants - state 2.4%

Ruyton continued to provide financial assistance to our school community through the provision of bursaries and flexible payment options for families financially affected by COVID-19. Through the sound leadership of the Board and School Executive, Ruyton finished the year in a strong financial position. After a delay due to the pandemic, the School was excited to recommence the next major redevelopment of the School, the reimagining of the Royce Theatre and Library precinct as the Dream Now project. This will be the largest capital building project in the history of the school with works to commence in the middle of 2022. As an independent school, Ruyton does not receive government funding for our capital projects. It is through the prudent ﬁnancial management of the School, along with the strong support of our community that will enable the successful completion of this project

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

Government grants - commonwealth 9.4% Tuition fees and private income 87.7%

expenditure School Maintenance 3.6% Other expenses 12.1% Depreciation 8.2% Tuition related expenses 0.6% Salaries and related expenses 75.6%

section 2

Empowering Girls

EARLY LEARNING HIGHLIGHTS 2021 Lisa Dobson, Acting Director of Early Learning What an incredible year 2021 has been. Although COVID-19 lockdowns continued to be a significant part of our lives, they certainly didn’t prevent our Early Learning team of educators from delivering exceptional programs to our children. Throughout the year, there were times when some of our children were learning from home and some were learning on campus. This dual model of learning highlighted how flexible, skilful and creative our teachers were in adapting their learning programs and developing a blended learning model. The year began with deep reflection on our pedagogy and practice and the collaborative development of a yearlong action research project. The environmental manifesto was created by educators to strengthen our commitment to supporting land-based learning and valuing the natural world. Educators and children embraced the outdoors, seeking out all the wonders that nature provides. Each child developed their skills in investigating, researching, discovering and questioning as they looked closely and reflected on everything they observed.

Throughout the year we continued to expand our knowledge and use of digital platforms to support children’s learning, both at home and in the classroom. Our teachers and children embraced information and communication technologies as tools for designing, editing, reflecting and composing. As we integrated these technologies into classroom projects, we all benefited from learning new ways of expressing our ideas and representing our thinking. Although learning looked very different in 2021, our inquiry learning projects remained pivotal opportunities for teachers and children to explore a range of complex and engaging issues. These investigations yielded rich learning and inspired deeper levels of thinking for every child. Our Kindergarten children explored the concepts of kindness and community, while our Preprep children focused on sustainability and our responsibilities to living and non-living things. These projects were yearlong inquires, woven into the program both on campus and as part of distance learning.

Annual Report 2021

As we navigated a year full of complexities and uncertainties, wellbeing was a crucial focus. As a community, we understand that wellbeing is not just about being okay and coping, but about thriving and blossoming. In 2021 every classroom developed strategies, techniques and programs to support our children, families and each other to flourish in an ever-changing world. We learnt to practice wellbeing and mindfulness regularly and developed a deep and thorough knowledge of each child, their family and our colleagues. Regular check ins helped us to connect with children and families in person and Microsoft Teams was used for meetings at home. Understanding that wellbeing is dynamic and mutable rather than a state to be achieved, we focused on developing resilience, communication and promoting a strong sense of self within our children and the Early Learning community.

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

section 2

JUNIOR SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS 2021 Kate Giles, Head of Junior School If recent times have taught us anything, it’s to appreciate what we have, remain flexible and resilient in the face of adversity, and care for our community.

As the year progressed, the collaborative, resilient and creative approach of the teaching teams ensured our pedagogy for online learning went from strength to strength.

I applaud our students, educators and families of 2021 and thank them for the adaptability and optimism they brought to the community. While the backdrop for learning was often different to what we expected, the lessons taught and learnt were many and varied. Many events and activities were postponed or cancelled, but our students showed great maturity in managing their disappointment and supporting their friends and peers as a community.

One of the year’s most exciting projects was the development and implementation of the Ruyton Junior School Wellbeing Framework, led by Jahnna Parry, our Junior School Wellbeing Advisor. The resulting document is tailored to Ruyton’s context and informed by our School Values, Wellbeing Philosophy, The Australian Curriculum, global research in positive psychology, neuroscience and key thought leaders in the field. The curriculum is designed to support teachers in the delivery of explicit content and the implementation of wellbeing skills, knowledge and concepts for girls.

2021 saw a continued focus on designing learning experiences that emphasised purpose and connection. From challenge came opportunities and new perspectives. Teachers were highly intentional in both instruction and feedback, aiming to meet the needs of every student and prioritising student agency and wellbeing. It was not the online platforms or the technology tools themselves that made distance learning a success, but the way these tools were harnessed, fostering connectedness, inspiring curiosity and promoting deep learning for students.

Annual Report 2021

The Performing Arts Programme continued to go from strength to strength. We celebrated the culmination of a semester-long collaboration between Music and Drama with two virtual performance days of Honk! Prep Year 2 shared a drama showcase with a small audience during Term 4. Both performances were outstanding and did justice to the creative talents and collaboration of our girls. Despite numerous cancellations, our Year 5 and 6 girls managed to attend their annual camps. Year 5 visited Narmbool, a historic working farm with a strong focus on sustainability and Indigenous education. Key highlights included an Indigenous bush walk, astronomy session and an orienteering activity. Year 6 ventured to Gembrook, enjoying time away from home with a focus on leadership development, connection and adventure. Key highlights included an overnight camping experience and adventure-based activities.

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

Our girls continued their commitment to community service learning and focused on finding ways to help empower those who need it most. The students worked together to support Backpacks for Vic Kids, which assists displaced children by providing essential items in a backpack. Our Year 6 Community Service Team also inspired the girls to learn more about the valuable work of St Kilda Mums. This experience culminated in an extensive collection of essential items for infants and babies in need. I thank our incredible staff. I feel so privileged to lead such a highly talented and dedicated group of educators and administration staff in the Junior School. I could not have asked for more from them this year as they honoured our students’ education through many complex situations. I look forward to working with the Junior School community in 2022 as we continue to create the best educational opportunities for our girls.

Annual Report 2021

section 2

SENIOR SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS 2021 Lauren Perfect, Deputy Principal, Head of Senior School While we began 2021 with hope for a new beginning, as the year progressed our community was presented with uncertainty and challenges once again. However, just as it did in 2020, our community displayed unparalleled courage, resilience and compassion in the face of adversity. While we would be forgiven for reflecting on 2021 through a lens of disappointment, we would be remiss to ignore the significant endeavour and achievement of our students and staff. It is true that 2021 was another year of many disappointments. A year where so many of us missed out on so much. A year marked by fatigue and fear, an unmistakable feeling of déjà vu. However, as I reflect upon 2021, I note that while it was undeniably a year of challenge, it was also a year where the courage and grit of our Senior School community shone through once again. When our Co-Captains Zoe Boussioutas and Annie Timm proudly chose to lead with camaraderie and zeal in 2021, it was no coincidence that their guiding words and their chosen colour, sage, were focused on rebirth after a time of despair. Yet as the year unfolded, it was this renewed focus on unity, unwavering enthusiasm and growth that nourished and energised our community, when time seemed to stand still around us. 12

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

With our distance learning, wellbeing and cocurricular programs established in 2020, 2021 was an opportunity for refinement and consolidation. Opportunities for our community to come together in a virtual context were broadened and deepened, as we wrapped our arms around each other and those who needed it most. At a time when many looked inward, our students looked outward. They practised kindness to others through Operation Stitches, a community engagement project with children in social housing in Collingwood and through the online education and fundraising event for Yemen. As we embraced the possible and reimagined the impossible, we welcomed our Tiwi sisters to Ruyton for a short but significant visit, while out of lockdown. In Semester 2 we also deepened our cultural understanding and commitment to action online, through the Building Change elective. In the September holidays, as our VCE students grappled with a second year of interrupted final assessments and exams in an unfamiliar COVID context, the connection of our Old Ruytonians to the Class of 2021 truly came to the fore with the inaugural online peer mentoring and VCE revision program. These small, individual initiatives resulted in significant and collective impact.

As a community we have so much to be proud of. Led by our Year 12 students and embraced by the entire Ruyton Senior School community, these experiences drew us together and inspired our camaraderie and zeal at a time when it was needed most. Senior School students, staff and families across every year level can reflect on a year where endeavour and achievement were measured by the grit and perseverance demonstrated and the compassion and care extended to others. For this, we deserve to be immensely proud. Every student can reflect upon 2021 with great pride and a genuine sense of accomplishment. Every family receives warm embrace for their patience and partnership. Finally, the Ruyton Senior School teaching and support staff have our heartfelt gratitude for their unwavering commitment to our students and families, at a time when they too grappled with uncertainty. Above all, 2021 reinforced just how fortunate we are to live and learn in this wonderful community.

Annual Report 2021

section 2

WELLBEING HIGHLIGHTS 2021 Trish Hatzis, Director of Wellbeing Throughout 2021 Ruyton’s approach to student wellbeing continued to focus on fostering optimal physical, social, emotional, spiritual and mental wellbeing. It became increasingly evident though that our wellbeing programs and structures needed to be agile and targeted as we navigated yet another very difficult year. Capturing the many ways we supported student wellbeing whilst addressing the challenges of the pandemic, is itself a challenge. So, this year I highlight a selection of initiatives, programs and incursions through the lens of our five wellbeing pillars. Compassion: for oneself and others Gratitude activities; Breakfast Clubs; Homegroup and Class-based wellbeing activities focused on lockdown fatigue, sleep, transitioning back to school, mental health, friendships, yoga and mindfulness; The creation of an Early Learning Mindfulness book; R U OK day activities; Daily wellbeing check ins.

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

Relationships: to connect with others with integrity and respect Workshops on Consent, Alcohol and Drug use and Safe Partying; Class Kahoots; Virtual cooking classes; Origami Hearts; Connect sessions; Morning teas and film nights. Purpose: to discover and celebrate one’s sense of self Passion Projects; The Global Leadership Program; Service projects; Mentor goal setting sessions; Discovering Character Strengths; Virtual challenges; Strength in Action days. Engagement: to participate actively in one’s learning and life Virtual baking and crafts sessions; Olympic challenges; Recharge Wednesdays; Life Skills sessions; Virtual experiments. Empowerment: to utilise one’s strengths and nurture those of others Fundraising activities such as Backpacks 4 Vic Kids and a Concert for Yemen; Elevate workshops; Careers exploration sessions; Student-to-student mentoring.

Families also played a key role in supporting student wellbeing throughout the year. As first educators, their reassuring guidance at home ensured we were successful in delivering a dynamic and responsive online wellbeing program. We also continued and strengthened our Powerful Parenting series by engaging experts such as Peggy Orenstein, an international speaker on Consent Education, as well as Madonna King who spoke on the challenges of the pre-teen years. Parents learnt new ways to support their children with online presentations on body image from the Butterfly Foundation and vital information on the issue of adolescent alcohol and drug use from Paul Dillon. They also listened to a presentation by the Healthy Mind Project on the wellbeing of our much younger students. Many families also attended our 2021 Total Wellbeing Parent Conference, where from a wide suite of wellbeing topics, they were able to choose sessions of particular interest and support for them. Through the unfailing efforts of our class teachers, mentors, wellbeing teams, counsellors, nursing staff and families, we successfully navigated 2021.

Annual Report 2021

section 3

Powerful Learning

LEARNING AND TEACHING Cathryn Furey, Deputy Principal, Director of Learning We commenced 2021 with cautious optimism that the disruptions, both positive and negative, which had transformed learning and teaching in 2020 would not be repeated. At the same time, we had the confidence and experience to know that in the year ahead, our staff and students had the capacity to make the most of each learning experience – whether it be face-to-face, distance learning, or a hybrid of both. A highlight of the staff Professional Learning program at the start of 2021 was a keynote presentation from Dr Ron Ritchhart from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Our learning journey with Dr Ritchhart began in 2020 to embed a culture of thinking at Ruyton for all learners. Throughout the year, teams of staff, including our Learning Leaders and a group of educators from our Early Learning, Junior and Senior School staff continued this learning with Dr Ritchhart. We look forward to welcoming him back to Ruyton, hopefully in person, in 2022. A key element of our professional growth and development framework at Ruyton is our Teacher Inquiry Group (TIG) model, which provides the opportunity for teams of educators from across the school to undertake research directly linked to student learning. In 2021 it was most appropriate 16

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

that the focus of TIGs across the school was blended learning. With the support of Digital Learning Consultant Sylvia Guidara, staff built on their learnings from 2020 as they continued to develop effective models and explore best practice for mixed mode learning. Throughout 2021 we continued to seek feedback from staff, students and parents in order to refine and embed the Ruyton model for distance learning. 2021 NAPLAN and VCE data indicated strong growth and achievement for our Ruyton students across both Junior and Senior Schools. This data, along with a range of other key indicators of student growth and development, reflected both the commitment and expertise of our teachers and the critical learning dispositions fostered in our students during such a unique period in education. A highlight of 2021 was the implementation of the Ruyton Scholar program for students in Years 9-12. This pilot saw over 40 students participate in a bespoke learning experience across the strands of Global Citizenship, Discovery, Enterprise and Creativity. A key focus of the pilot was to ensure student agency, not only in the design of their own scholar experiences, but in the parameters and success indicators of the program, with additional

flexibility and agility required by both staff and students in response to the ever-changing learning landscape. The experiences of 2020 and 2021 leave us with no doubt that the link between learning and wellbeing has never been more important. Our research focus on anxiety to empowerment continued and we began to explore how we might further develop academic buoyancy in our students through explicit teaching. As we look towards 2022, we continue to engage with local, national and international research relating to learning experiences over the past two years. As we focus on what we have learnt and celebrate the growth and achievements of learners across our community, we also consider how we can leverage this to continue to improve learning and teaching at Ruyton.

Annual Report 2021

section 3

Student Attendance In a year fragmented by four periods of lockdown, the following student attendance data encompasses onsite and remote learning for students from Prep to Year 12. Year

Attendance %

Prep

93.48

94.18

95.73

Intro 3

94.80

4 TEXT 5

96.64 96.44

97.42

96.89

95.81

94.48

93.96

96.61

96.80

Average attendance – 95.63%

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

2021 NAPLAN REPORT Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 undertake the NAPLAN testing over a three-day period in May. Individual reports were generated by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) and posted to parents. The graphs below show Ruyton’s results compared with results across the State. The graphs indicate performance in key learning areas and show achievement in a box and whisker format. The box represents the middle 50% of the students’ scores and the middle score (median) for the group is shown by the black line within the box. The upper whisker represents the achievement of the top 25% of students, and the lower whisker represents the achievement of the bottom 25% of students.

Student achievement in each learning area is measured against a single, continuous assessment scale. Scores are reported on this scale as a number between 0 and 1000 (shown on the left axis). The scores are organised into various bands (shown on the right axis). Different bands are set as National Minimum Standards for each year level.

Year 3 In 2021, all Ruyton students in Year 3 achieved scores that met or exceeded the national minimum standard score of 270 in all learning areas. The average achievement of Ruyton. students in Year 3 was higher in all learning areas than the average achievement of Year 3 students in the state of Victoria. Furthermore, Ruyton students in Year 3 achieved results for reading, writing, spelling, and grammar and punctuation that were the highest achieved in the last five years.

Annual Report 2020

Year 5 In 2021, all Ruyton students in Year 5 achieved scores that met or exceeded the national minimum standard score of 374 in all learning areas. Approximately 75% of Year 5 students scored above the average achievement of Year 5 students in the state of Victoria, in all learning areas. Furthermore, Ruyton students in Year 5 achieved results for reading, writing, spelling and numeracy that were the highest achieved in the last five years.

Year 7 In 2021, all Ruyton students in Year 7 achieved scores that met or exceeded the national minimum standard score of 426 for writing, spelling and numeracy. In the learning areas of reading and grammar and punctuation, 99 % of students achieved scores that were at or above the national minimum standard score. In all learning areas, the average achievement of Year 7 Ruyton students was higher than the average achievement of Year 7 students in the state of Victoria.

Year 9 In 2021, all Ruyton students in Year 9 achieved scores that met or exceeded the national minimum standard score of 478 in the learning areas of reading, spelling, numeracy, and grammar and punctuation. In the learning area of writing, 99 % of students achieved scores that were at or above the national minimum standard score. In all learning areas, the average achievement of Year 9 Ruyton students was higher than the average achievement of Year 9 students in the state of Victoria.

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2021

12%

58%

79%

92.65

27%

ATARS 99 AND ABOVE

ATARS 90 AND ABOVE

MEDIAN ATAR

MEDIAN STUDY SCORE

ATARS 80 AND ABOVE

SCORES OVER 40

STUDY SCORES OF 50 Stella McCombe

Cynthia Hu ENGLISH

Charli Kerr

Jiaxin Lai

HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

HISTORY; REVOLUTIONS

ENGLISH

Ye Wen

ACCOUNTING

Congratulations to Ye Wen, the Dux of Ruyton Girls’ School for 2021, achieving an ATAR of 99.85.

While we celebrate the 2021 ATAR results at Ruyton, our measure of success does not rely on a single score. We empower our girls to lead lives of impact and purpose with courage, character and compassion, both now and in the future. This is

Annual Report 2021

section 3 Study Disciplines Interest Areas

YEAR 12 DESTINATIONS 2021

Commerce and Management

Each year the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) publish data relating to senior secondary outcomes. This includes post-school destinations. Below is an extract of that information.

Business

Commerce

Advertising

Creative Arts

VCAA School number: 01176 VCAA School name: Ruyton Girls’ School Address locality: Kew

Design

Fashion

Fine Arts

VTAC Data

Industrial Design

Music

Education

Engineering

Tertiary Applications and Offers Number:

100%

University offers

104

Any tertiary offer

Year 12 2021 Tertiary Offers

Health

100% of students received an offer

Biomedicine

University of Melbourne 31

Deakin University 11 RMIT University 4 Australian Catholic University 4 Swinburne University 2 Monash University 33

La Trobe University 2 Box Hill Institute 2 JMC Academy 1

Australian National University

Nursing

Nutrition and Dietetics

Exercise Science

Occupational Therapy

Optometry

Paramedicine

Physiotherapy

Public Health Promotion

Humanities Arts Global Studies

Law

Pharmacy

Columbia University-Barnard College

Double Degrees

Princeton University

Cambridge University

Graduate Guarantee The University of Melbourne

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18 5

Science Early Decision Offers 4

Psychology

Criminology ACU 2 Cyber Security La Trobe University 1 Science Bond University Scholarship Early Offer 4 Data Science INTERNATIONAL OFFERS

Medicine

Legal EARLY OFFERS

13 10 2 1 1 1 15 27 4

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS Academic Computer Algorithmic Competition, Two students from Year 8, one from Year 9 and one from Year 11 received a Distinction. Kangarou Sans Frontières Maths Competition, Four students from Year 8, five students from Year 9, three students from Year 10 and one Year 11 student received a Distinction. Language World Championships in Chinese, 11 students from Year 8 received an award (one silver, five bronze, one emerald and four Credits) and two students from Year 10 received a Credit. Alliance Française Poetry Competition, Two students from Year 6, one from Year 7, two from Year 8, three from Year 9, two from Year 11 and three from Year 12 were finalists. One Year 8 student was awarded first prize for Victoria.

Mathematics Enrichment Challenge, One Year 8 student received a Credit, two Year 9 students received a High Distinction and another six received a Distinction. Two students in Year 10 received a High Distinction. Junior Science Olympiads, Two students in Year 9 received a Distinction and one student received a Credit. One student in Year 11 received a Credit, one a Distinction and two a High Distinction. National History Challenge, Three students in Year 10 were finalists and one student was a state finalist. Six Year 11 students were finalists, and one student was a state finalist. Olympiad Mathematics Group, Two students from Year 9 and three students from Year 10 received Credits.

Australian Geography Competition, Five students in Year 12 received awards (one High Distinction, two Distinctions and two Credits).

Rotary Public Speaking, One student from Year 11 was a runner-up in the Rotary Four Way Test Speech Competition.

Australian Mathematics Competition, 13 students from Year 8 received awards (10 Distinctions, two High Distinctions and one Above High Distinction). 14 students from Year 9 received awards (13 Distinctions and one High Distinction). Eight students from Year 10 received awards (seven Distinctions and one High Distinction) and five students from Year 11 received a Distinction.

Royal Australian Chemical Institute Quiz, One student in Year 10 and one student in Year 11 received Distinctions. Two students in Year 11 received High Distinctions. One Year 12 student received a Credit and another received a Distinction.

Australian Science Olympiad, Three students in Year 11 received awards (two Distinctions and three Credits) and two students in Year 12 received an award (one Credit and one Distinction). Chinese Reading Competition, Two students were state finalists (one from Year 8 and one from Year 9) and one Year 10 student received third prize at the state championships. Chinese Writing and Speaking Competition, One Year 11 student was state finalist for Chinese as a first language and another received third prize for Chinese as a second language (advanced).

Science Talent Search Competition, 13 students in Year 10 received an award (three merit, four minor bursaries and six Distinctions). VATE Stories That Change Writing Competition, One student in Year 9 was a runner-up in this competition.

Performing Arts Boroondara Eisteddfod, Tiny Trebles performed in the Primary School Choir category (noncompetitive) Windchimes – Primary School Mixed Ensemble won first place

Annual Report 2020

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS CONTINUED The Victorian Flute Guild Inc – Flute Ensemble Competition, Flutopia – 18 years and under Large Flute Ensemble section, Honorable Mention 2021 Victorian All-State Jazz Championships, The Premier Division Jazz Choir won second place The Premier Division Jazz Vocal Ensemble won third place

Sport Year 7 to 12 GSV Preliminary C Swimming, winner of the Points to Population trophy, the Intermediate Aggregate trophy, the Senior Aggregate trophy, and the Overall trophy. GSV Swimming Finals, one Individual Silver Medal, one Relay Silver Medal, and one Relay Bronze Medal. GSV Diving, first place in the Division 3 Championship Year 7 to 12 GSV Triathlon, two Individual Silver Medals Year 7 and 8 GSV Softball team, zone winners Year 11 and 12 GSV Softball team, zone winners Year 11 and 12 GSV Hockey team, zone winners 24

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

Year 11 and 12 GSV Netball team, zone winners Years 4 to 6 SSV District (SYDSA) Cross Country, winner of the Girl’s Overall trophy GSV Preliminary A Cross Country, winner of the Overall trophy Victorian All Schools Road Relays, winner of the Girl’s Overall trophy, one Gold Medal and one Silver Medal. Victorian All Schools Cross Country Relays, one Gold Medal and one Silver Medal HOSG Rowing, six ‘A’ Finals - one Gold Medal, one Silver Medal and two Bronze Medals 2021 Australian Rowing Championships, Gold medal, Schoolgirl Open Coxed Quad Scull

section 4

Ruyton Staff

STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS In 2021 several staff took on roles outside of their service at Ruyton and several gained their master’s degrees.

VCE assessors Jacqui Lee Katherine Feng Darcie Kane-Priestley Gwen Magnan Andrew Keating

Conference Presentations and Publications Darcie Kane-Priestley published her article “Unity in Troubled Times” in the Drama and Sustainability Issue of the ADEM (Australian Drama Education Magazine). Joanna Boer presented at the VATE Student Conference and the VATE Teachers Conference on two VCE texts. Danyang McAuliffe presented at the following workshops:

Laurence Dreyfuss

MLTAV Workshop: developing assessment tasks in Unit 3 and Unit 4

Masa Zhang

CLTAVE workshops:

Jacinta Hunstman

• How to prepare students for oral exams

VCAA review panellists Jacinta Hunstman Danyang McAuliffe

• Building student competences in listening, reading and writing competences.

In addition, three staff completed their master’s degrees: Nicole Barrah Jane D’Oliveyra Theresa Zhu

Annual Report 2021

section 4

School Community Staff Listing

J Mitchell, Educator, BEd(Prim), GradDip(EC)

Board of Directors

S Swingler, Educator, BEd(EC)

President

T Zhu, Co-educator, GradDipEd(EC)

V McLaughlan, BA(Hons), FAHRI, GAICD Board B Bayley, BEng(Hons), MBA

Teaching Staff Junior School R Barker, Director of Junior School Music, BMusEd

C Chapman, LLB, BA(Politics), GAICD

E A Barry, Individual Learning Assistant, DipTeach(EC)

L Douglas, BEd, MEd(Curriculum)

C Bond, Teacher, BA, BTeach(Prim)

F Griffiths, LLB, BCom

A Brown, Librarian, BA, MTeach

M Higgins, BA(Economics)

S Bruun, Teacher, BEd, BDes(Interior Architecture)

P Nelson, BEng, BCom

A C Bush, Individual Learning Teacher, BEd(Prim), DipTeach

C Price, BEc, LLB(Hons) K Taylor, BA(Comms) J Watterston, EdD, Ordre des Palmes Académiques C Wishart, BEd, MEd, PostGrad.IR/HRM, GradCert. eBusiness Secretary to the Board L Smith, BBus(Acc), MBA, CPA, MAICD Principal

L Carolan, Teacher, DipOutsideHrsCare, BTeach(Prim&SpecNeeds), MEd&SpecEd L Clyde, Professional Learning Coach, BEd(Prim), GradCertSpecEd T C Cockwill, Teacher, BTeach(Prim), BEd A Doyle, STEM Teacher, BEd(Prim), DipTeach(Prim) B Easton, Teaching Assistant

L Douglas, BEd, MEd(Curriculum)

M Gidley, Teacher, DipEd(Prim), BEd

Teaching Staff Early Learning

K Giles, Head of Junior School, BTeach(Prim), MEd(Leadership)

M Bell, Co-educator, DipTeach K A Bertram, Co-educator, Dip(ChildServ) J Chan, Co-educator, BAEd(Hons)(EC&Prim), BECE(Hons)

L D Graham, Teacher, DipEd(Prim), PostGradDipEd S Hall, Teacher, BAppSc, MTeach (Prim) C J Hallpike, Teacher, BEd, DipEd(Prim)

S Denholm, Director of Early Learning, BEd (EC)

N S Holding, Teacher, BEd(Prim)

L Dobson, Acting Director of Early Learning, BEChildEd

B J Hook, Teacher, BEd(Prim)

M Dimitrova, Co-educator, BEd, Dip(ChildServ)

A Keele, Teacher, BSc, BEd(Prim)

T N Dluzniak, Co-educator, BEChildEd

C Malcolm, Teacher, BEd, DipTeach(Prim)

C A Farrar, Educator, BEd(EC&Prim)

G Mason, Junior School and Instrumental Music Teacher, BMusEd, Bed, MEd

L Haralambakis, Educator, BEd(EC) K Lewis, Co-educator, BEd(Hons)(EC) J McCoy, Co-educator, BEChildEd 26

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

L James, Visual Arts Teacher, BEd

K E McPherson, Individual Learning Teacher, BTeach(Prim), BEd J C Milic, Teacher, BEd(Prim), BAppSc(HumMove)

C E Mullins, Teacher, BEd, DipTeach(Prim) J C Mutton, Deputy Head of Junior School, BEd(Prim) B Odman, Co-ordinator of Junior School Community Service and Teacher, BEc, MTeach (Prim)

J Boer, Learning Leader - English, BA(Hons), GradDipEd A Boussioutas, English Additional Language Teacher, BA(Hons), DipEd A Broder, Mathematics Teacher, BEng, MBA(Hons), GradDipEd

E O’Leary, Junior School and Instrumental Music Teacher, BMus, BEd(Prim), AdvDip(KodalyMusEd)

L J Burbury, Director of Sport, BEd(PhysEd), GradDipEd(Admin)

G Parker, Drama Teacher, BA, BTeach, AssocDip(Dance)

M Chui, Science Teacher, BAppSc, BEd

J Parry, Wellbeing Advisor, BECSt, MAPP, GradDipEd D Portelli, Teacher, BA, BSc(Hons), GradDipEd(Prim), GradCertAnimalWelfare J Ren, Teaching Assistant, BEd(Hons) E J Savill, Learning Leader – Prep to Year 6, BEd, MAEd R Ware, Teacher Librarian, BEd(Hons), GradCertInfoMgt, GradDipInfoMgt N S M Welsh, Junior School Digital Learning Advisor, BEd(Hons) Teaching Staff Senior School M Alessandrini, Digital Media Teacher, MEd(Sec), BDes(Animation and Interactive Media) L Alexis, Year 10 Wellbeing Leader and Science Teacher, BEd, CertIV(WkplaceTrng&Assmnt) A Allen, House Co-ordinator and Physical Education Teacher, BAppSc(HumMove), BEd(Sec) C Allen, Year 12 Wellbeing Leader and English Teacher, BA(Hons), PGCE L Antolin San Martin, Year 7 and 8 Wellbeing Support Leader and Spanish Teacher, BHist, MEd N Barrah, Humanities Teacher, BEd(Science), GradDip(VocEd&Train), MEd (Teacher Librarianship) E Basham, English Teacher & Debating Coordinator, BComm(Mass), GradDipEd(Senior/ English), MEd(Literacy) E Blacklock, French Teacher, BA, DELF, GradDipEd

D Cleary, Mathematics Teacher, BSc, DipEd I H Corr, French Teacher, BA, GradDip(French&Engl) T E Crowle, Learning Leader – Humanities, BA(Hons), DipEd, DipModLang(French) A D’Angelo, Health and Physical Education Teacher, BAppSc M Danos, Year 11 Wellbeing Leader and Mathematics Teacher, BScEd R Dempster, Art Teacher, BEd, BA, MComm M Di Vitto, Science Teacher, BBiomedSc, GradDipEdLet S d’Oliveyra, Middle Years Co-ordinator, BEd(Sec), MEd(Leadership) K Dixon, English Teacher, BA, BPsych(Hons), MTeach(Sec) L E Dreyfuss, Teaching Assistant, BA, DipEd, BEd, PostGrad Dip(Student Wellbeing) C S Eames, Mathematics Teacher, BSc(Hons)Maths, GradDipEd J Eeles, Visual Communication and Art Teacher S Ellinghaus, Director of Athletics, BComm, BBusProp A Emenyeonu, Mathematics Teacher, BEng(Hons), PGCE, DipSocMediaMktg K Feng, Chinese Teacher, MEd, GradDip(Sec) C J Furey, Deputy Principal - Director of Learning, BEd, MEd S Guidara, Digital Learning, BA, DipEd

Annual Report 2021

section 4

E Haberle, Year 11 Wellbeing Leader and Art Teacher, BA, MSchoolLeadership, GradDipEd, CertClinPrac M Han, Chinese Teacher, CLIL, PostGradDipTeach(Sec), MTeach D P Harrison, Physical Education and Outdoor Education Teacher, BEd(PhysEd) P Hatzis, Director of Wellbeing, BA, DipEd, CertPosEd, MEd(Leadership) G He, Chinese Language Assistant A Herault, French Assistant, MEd J A Hoskins, Co-ordinator of Senior School Community Service and Student Exchanges, BEd, GradDipA(Eng), MEd J Huntsman, Sustainability Co-ordinator, BSc, BEd B I Johnson, Learning Leader - Health and Physical Education, BAppSc(PhysEd) D Kane-Priestley, Director of Drama, BA, BTeach, MEd(GiftedEd) A R Keating, Teacher, BPhty(Hons), MTeach, GradDipPsy J Kirkwood, Learning Leader - Visual Arts, BVisArts(Hons), MEd(Wellbeing) S Koning, Mathematics Teacher, BSc, BEd J Lawry, French Teacher, BA, PostGradDipEd, MTeach J A Lee, Learning Leader - Mathematics, BA, PostGradDipTeach(Pri&Sec), DipHigherEd G Magnan, Co-ordinator and of French and French Teacher, MTeach S F Mancev, French Teacher, BA, DipEd, MEd, AMusA D McAuliffe, Learning Leader and Co-ordinator of International Students, BA, MA, BEd, DipEd E J McDonald, Year 9 Wellbeing Leader, BPerfA, DipCnslg, DipEd(Sec) C S Moloney, Humanities Teacher, BA, DipEd, MEdSt

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

S Mooney, Year 9 Wellbeing Leader and Maths Teacher, BMath, CertSecEd, PostGradCertSpEd K L Mortimer, Co-ordinator of High Potential Learning, BA, BTeach, MEd(Hons)(GiftedEd) A Nathan, English Teacher, BA, PostGradDipEd B M Nicholls, Student Leadership Co-ordinator, PhD (Distcn), GradDipSpEd, BEd(Sec) J Oreo, Learning Leader-Science, BEd(Prim and Sec), BSc(BioSci) L Perfect, Deputy Principal - Head of Senior School, BA, BEd, MEd(Mgt) S Pidgeon, Year 9 and 10 Wellbeing Support Leader and PE Teacher, BEd(PhysEd) J M Power, Year 8 Wellbeing Leader and Music Teacher, BEd(Sec)Mus, AMusA, GradCertRE J Prestia, Drama and Humanities Teacher, BA, BEd J A Purcell, Director Library Resource Centre, BEd, GradDip(InfoMgt&LibSt), MInfoSt(ChildLib) K Putnam, Science Teacher, PhD, GradDipEd, BSc. (Hon) M A Raatjes, Year 11 Wellbeing Leader and Humanities Teacher, BEd(Sec) C Rice, Mathematics Teacher, BSci, DipEd M Robert, French Language Assistant D Robinson, English Teacher M S Roy, Director of Individual Learning, BA, DipTeach D L Saunder, Director of Outdoor Education, BEd, GradDipEd M L Shore, Physics/Science Teacher, DipTeach(SciMath), GradDipCompEd, MCSE, MCSA, P D Smith, Director of Music, BEd(Mus), GradCertEdLship P Upperton, Director of Trinity/Ruyton Coordinate Program, BA, DipEd C Walkley, Physical Education and Science Teacher, BAppSc(HumMove), BEd

J Warne, English Teacher, BA, DipEd

A Moon, Instrumental Music Teacher, BMus(Hons)

J Whelan, Careers and Course Counsellor, BEd, GradDip(Careers)

R Morton, Instrumental Music Teacher

C White, Commerce and Humanities Teacher, BBus, GradDipEd, GradCertCareerDev M E Wilson, Director of Rowing, BCom(Mkt&CommclLaw) L Winbank, Year 7 Wellbeing Leader and English Teacher, Bed, MEd(Leadership) M Wiseman, Psychology & Science Teacher, BSc(Hons), GradDipEd W Xiao, Science Teacher, BSc, MTeach T H Yeo, Mathematics Teacher, BSc, PostGradDipEd JJ Zhang, Mathematics Teacher, BCom, MTeach W Zhang, Chinese Teacher, MEd, GradDipEd(Sec) A Zolott, Humanities/English Teacher, BA/Ed, MLearningIntervention Music Support Staff J Chow, Music Teacher, BMus, AMusA E M Funnell, Co-ordinator of Strings, BMus, GradDipEd, AMusA, LMusA, FMusA E Glover, Instrumental Music Teacher, BMus, GradDipEd, DipMusicTheatre O Z B Grenell, Instrumental Music Teacher, Dip(Jazz)(Perf), DipEd(Teach&Learning) M P Habben, Instrumental Music Teacher, BEd(Mus)

A Mosca, Instrumental Music Teacher, BBus, AMusA, ADipA, MIMT, STCA(Prim) R H Nicholson, Instrumental Music Teacher, BMus(Hons) E A O’Hanlon, Co-ordinator of Vocal Studies, BMusEd E Paddon-Brown, Vocal Teacher, BA(MusicTheatre) I A Rosa, Instrumental Music Teacher, BMus(Perf) R A Sedergreen, Instrumental Music Teacher K Squires, Instrumental Music Teacher, MMPT, BMus(Hons), GradDipEd, LTCL (Violin), ATCL (Violin), DipPiano, ADipPiano, CertPerfPiano K M Stockwin, Instrumental Music Teacher, BMus(Hons), LTCL J Vallins, Instrumental Music Teacher, GRSM, ARCM S van Gemert, Instrumental Music Teacher, BMus, BA(Hons) R Young, Instrumental Music Teacher R Wallis, instrumental Music Teacher, BMus, CertIV(WkplaceTrng&Assmnt) Non-Teaching Staff M Alexander, Senior School Counsellor, BSc, BA(Hons), MEdPsych, MAPS E Blumbergs, Executive Assistant to Principal

S Hill, Instrumental Teacher, BMus, MMusSt

A Brito-Babapulle, Maintenance Officer

S E Horbelt, Co-ordinator of Contemporary Music Studies, BA(Hons), BA(MusPerf), GradDipEd

G Cameron, Finance Manager, BCom, CPA

F Johnson, Instrumental Music Teacher, BMus S C Jones, Co-ordinator of Keyboard, BMus(Hons), AMusA, GradDipEd M N Jordan, Accompanist L Kennedy, Instrumental Music Teacher, DipMus, PostGradMus

A Cargin, School Nurse, DipAppSci(Nursing)fc J Chan, HR and Payroll Co-ordinator, BCom(Acc) J Chaudhari, Cleaner S Chaudhari, Cleaner A Y Cheng, Technology Librarian, GradDip(InfoMgt), BTeach(Prim)

S Kessaris, Instrumental Music Teacher, BMus Annual Report 2021 29

section 4

E Conabere, Senior School Counsellor, BEco, GradDip(EdPsych), MA(CnslgPsych), MAPS A Cook, Administrative Assistant – Personal Assistant Junior School, BBus F S Cooper-White, Art Studio Manager, BContpA K Davis, Administration Assistant – Student Records Administrator S E de Guingand, Director of Community Engagement, BA H de Morton, Administration Assistant – Admissions and Student Services, CertIVSchoolSupportServ, DipMgt C J Dodson, Archivist, BA(Hons)Hist, GradDipMusStud

K Lange, Health Centre Nurse Y Liang, Accounts Payable Officer, BCom, MIB, CPA S Loni, Systems Administrator, BCompEng G Mark, Property Manager A K Martell, Administration Assistant - Application Support D McDonald, Academic Administrator, CertIVSchoolSuppServ M McKeag, ICT Helpdesk Administrator J M McMillan, Aquatics Centre Manager R Moodie, Cleaning Supervisor

C Elmer, Maintenance

S Morley, Early Learning and Junior School Counsellor, BSocSci, PostGradDipPsych, MPsych (Ed&Dev) MAPS

D Evans, Data Integration Manager, BAppSc

D G Moulton, AV and Multimedia Manager

S Freeman, Personal Assistant to the Head of Senior School, DipBus(Admin)

J E Musgrove, Events Manager

C Goswami, Cleaner E Hale, Visual Arts Studio Manager and Costume Co-ordinator N Hansen, HR Manager, BA, LLB N Hibbert, Director of Admissions, BEd(PhysEd) K E Holding, Systems Administrator, BIT R Hurren, Courtyard Café Manager H M Javed, ICT Helpdesk Administrator, BComEng(Hons), MSci(Network Systems) M J Jenkin, Finance and Compliance Receivables, Cert I&II Bookkeeping, Cert IV Lship&Mgmt

K Nixon, Alumnae Relations and Bequests Manager, BA, GradDipTourism S Pansino, Receptionist and Registrar Assistant L Parker, Cleaner N Patel, Cleaner S B Patel, Cleaner T Perez Robles, Maintenance Officer, Cert III Carpentry E Phillips, Philanthropy Co-ordinator M F Pinnell, Laboratory Manager, BAppSc(FoodSc&Tech)

J Karadimitris, Catering Assistant

M Rodgers, Performing Arts Manager/Music Administrator, BA(Hons)

C Karopoulos, Systems Manager and Administrator, PhD, BSc(Hons)

R Schultz, Administrative Assistant – Student Records and Sports

R Knowles, Director of ICT & Digital Learning

A S Sciberras, Social Media and Communications Manager

J C Koenig, Personal Assistant to the Head of Junior School, BA(Hons), GradCert(PubRelats)

L M Smith, Director of Business, Finance and Facilities, BBus(Acc), MBA, CPA, GAICD K A Soumprou, Secretary – Performing Arts

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

A Spotwood, School Administrator – Absentees B Steele, Marketing and Publications Manager, BA(Schol Prog), MInternatRel, MComm&MediaSt C Tan, Administration Assistant – Admissions, BA M Tanti, Health Centre Nurse, BNurs R Trento, Maintenance Officer D Verlinden, Maintenance Staff

Annual Report 2021

section 5

Engaged Community

COMMUNITY RELATIONS Sally de Guingand, Director of Community Engagement We often reflect in Community Relations that our role encompasses many aspects of School life, from students and staff to current and past families. As 2021 began, we adjusted to a new ‘COVID normal’ and were able to hold welcome functions for the Senior, Early Learning and Junior Schools. Our staff and parents enjoyed a happy and positive start to the new year. As the year progressed, Ruyton publications remained an important touchpoint for many. As lockdowns became an unfortunate but regular feature, we also supported various administrative functions across the School. Ironically, as a positive side effect of this, we gained a greater insight into the many and wonderful complexities of our Ruyton community. Before lockdowns became too frequent, we were able to hold three postponed reunions from 2020 (1970, 2019 and 2010), and two reunions from 2021 (2016 and 1981). It was abundantly clear at these occasions how happy our Old Girls were to be together. We were also able to continue with Ruyton Spirit Week in May, a celebration of the Ruyton Spirit that held even greater meaning because we were unable to enjoy it in 2020. Our annual Golden Girls and Boarders Reunion was held at this time - a special occasion bringing together our younger girls with former students. It was deeply moving to see them all sing Recte et 32

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

Fidiliter together. House Cheers was a source of genuine joy amongst the girls and while Bromby may have won the day, the entire community won, as we celebrated together in a year where ‘together’ was increasingly difficult. The Parents of Ruyton is a wonderful example of our connected community and how we support one another in difficult times. While the parents’ luncheon was cancelled, the POR continued to meet online. Phone calls were made to check in on one another and plans unfolded for both a Christmas Market and Junior Christmas Stall. The POR worked hard and a sense of excitement ensued as plans got underway for our inaugural market, with many volunteers coming forward to make Ruyton rabbits and dolls. The market was a wonderful success and while it morphed into a click and collect, it still helped us all to stay connected - a testament to our parent community. One of the wonderful things that COVID-19 reinforced about Ruyton was our sense of togetherness. While many in the community were quarantining for 14 days, they felt supported by many others who were ready with a helping hand, such as the MLC parents who kindly offered to walk dogs for Ruyton families. In such challenging times, it was clearer than ever that the Ruyton’s community spirit does not stop at the school gates.

section 5

THE RUYTON FOUNDATION Peter Nelson, Foundation Chair When I took over the reins from Fiona Griffiths (1987) in 2021, I did so with a little trepidation. The role of the Ruyton Foundation is to ensure we raise funds for our girls’ education and it has never been so important. I am truly thankful for the role Fiona played in leading the Foundation for the past few years and helping to establish the importance of philanthropy within our community. It is with genuine joy and gratitude that I can report the Ruyton Foundation raised more than $307,000 dollars in 2021. The Ruyton community never fails to surprise me with their generosity and 2021 was no exception. In 2021 one exciting new initiative was the progression of the Dream Now campaign, a $3 million dollar fundraising endeavour which will help to ensure we realise our vision to build a new Performing Arts Centre and Library. The coronavirus pandemic scuttled several anticipated live events, so we made the best of the situation and adapted these sessions online. We were genuinely so thankful to see this important building project resonate with those who were able to join us. We look forward to sharing it with even more in our community over the coming years. Named after our longest serving Principal, Hilda Daniell, who was lovingly referred to as ‘Dream’ by her students, we will continue to dream big for Ruyton’s future. While the new campaign was an essential component of the Foundation’s focus, it was

also vital that we continued to build our Founder’s Scholarship. This scholarship is an essential program that allows us to offer a Ruyton education to a young girl who would not otherwise have the opportunity. Additionally, we launched the Henty Excellence in Teaching Fund to support our teachers. Ruyton’s teachers play a crucial role in the development of our girls and this fund provides them with new and invaluable professional development opportunities, for the continued growth of our school. I am deeply grateful to everyone for your continued and unwavering support of the work of the Foundation and its hopes and dreams. I encourage anyone to contact me with questions, whether about the Foundation’s endeavours or the Dream Now campaign. This is an important time in our history and I look forward to working with many of you in our community as we look to Ruyton’s future in 2022.

Foundation Committee Peter Nelson – Chair Kylie Taylor – Deputy President, The Ruyton Board Linda Douglas – Principal Sally de Guingand – Director of Community Engagement Robyn Kanat (Bates, 1980) Alyssa Caplan Sue McLeish Kathryn Watt

Annual Report 2021

IMPACT OF GIVING 2021 Heading TOTAL

103

NUMBER OF DONORS

CURRENT PARENTS

PAST PARENTS

STAFF

ALUMNAE

OTHER

Intro

*FOUNDER’S TEXT

SCHOLARSHIP

*BUILDING FUND

*CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

$101,130

$145,035

HENTY EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING FUND

*AUSTRALIAN SPORTS FOUNDATION

$3,300

$33,835

$10,160

OTHER

(inc. Speech Night, Foundation, Yr 12 Gift, *Heritage Leaves, COVID bursary)

$13,500 *Tax deductible

SMALLEST DONATION

LARGEST DONATION

YOUNGEST DONOR

OLDEST DONOR

BEQUESTS

$20

$65,500

19YRS

93YRS

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

To date

List of 2020 Donors

Graham, Bill

Parents of Ruyton

Ashton, Merrienne (Marshall 1965)

Gray, Melinda and Michael

Pearson, Joan (1944)

Griffith, Renee and Brett

Badger, Ann Berry, Georgia and Simpson, Tom

Griffiths, Fiona (1987) and Osmond, Anthony

Perelsztejn, Diane and Rabinowicz, Les

Blumbergs, Elizabeth

Grollo, Adam

Buchanan, Natasha

Han, Rong and Gu, Jinqiu

Caplan, Alyssa and Michael

Harris, Pamela (Brodribb, 1970)

Casey, Beverley

Hartin, Simone and Darren

Chapman, Joanne and Christopher

Henderson, Heather (Menzies 1946)

Cheng, Yaping and Yong, Sun

Hickey, Erin and Mancel

CHH Property

Higgins, Melanie (Blomquist, 1992) and Andrew

Clarke, Margaret (Menzies, 1957) Clarke, Larissa and Anton Clarke, Jessica (2018) Cleeve, Jennifer and Brent Condon, Annie and Cunnington, Mark Corr, Imogen and Wallis, Rohan Crosby, Fiona Danks, Heather and Alister Darling, Paula and Lee, Warren Davidson, Katie and Tristan Dayman, Samantha and Mark de Guingand, Sally (1986) Dean, Sally (1970) Deane, Faye Devlin, Karen and Davison, Stuart Dixon, Mary (Macpherson Smith 1957) Doufas, Angela and Chris Douglas, Linda Ekers, Paul Fan, Yu Fox, Christina and Michael Furphy, Catherine (Anderson, 1962)

Honey, Narelle and Adam Hu, Anfang and Kuang, Yuxiang

Perez-Torres, Dr. Halimah and Maximo Peters, Tonya Peterson, Dr. Deborah Phung-Lan, Ann and Lan, Sam Chiu-Wai Price, Dr. Madeleine and Cameron Ruyton Foundation Sharples, Peter Smith, Leanne Stanway, Jean (Berry, 1950)

Hudson, Katie and John

Stewart, Robert

Hutchinson, Elaine (Chipper, 1960)

Stone, Chloe and Adam Taylor, Kylie

James, Cynthia (Rodwell, 1939)

Timm, Gabriella and David

Jamieson, Dr. Elizabeth and Robert

Tinney, Laura (2018)

Jordan, Helen and Peter

Truong, Cathy and Huy

Khaw, Dr. Pearly and Leong, Prof. Trevor King, Heather and Dr. John

Tran, Chi and Nguyen, Dr. Hieu Utter, Megan (1993) and Marchant, Dr. Jason

Lam, Sim Ching and Ho, Chun Fai

Van Bavel, Emma and Cartledge, Glenn

Li, Li and Shi, Shi

van Haandel, Jennifer and John

Lim, Shair and Wat, Henry

Walmsley, Belinda and Stephen

Lim-Lay, Irene and Lay, Andison

Wang, Coco and Wu, Heping

Liu, Lydia and Liang, Feng

Webb, Jillian (Daniels, 1966)

Look, Lilian and Neoh, Julian

Weeraman, Deepa and Dr. Ajith

Macdonald, Jennifer (1966)

Wijeyaratne, Chandrika and Peter

Margetts, Hilary (1964) McLaughlan, Virginia Menyen, Mira (2019) Milne, Elizabeth (1980) Moulden, Dr. Anne (1976) O’Brien, Maeve

Wong, Alice and Alfred Woolrich, Karina and Rev. Malcolm Wright, Anne and Graham, David Yang, Yumei and Guo, Zhi

Gardner, Pamela (Daniels, 1964)

Old Ruytonians’ Association

Gillam, Helen and John

Pan, Qi and Yang, James

Young, Enlighta and Mok, Matthew

Gough, Brier (1969)

Pang, Haijie and Huang, Fei

Yu, YanYang and Goh, Lian Hai Annonymous (3) Annual Report 2021

Section 5

OLD RUYTONIANS’ ASSOCIATION (ORA) COMMITTEE 2021 Committee

Highlights:

President

2021 proved to be another year of uncertainty and challenge for the Ruyton community, with many School reunions rescheduled to 2022.

Phoebe Demiris (Tallent, 2003) Vice President Belinda Anderson (McLeod, 1973) Secretary Kate Graham (2015) Treasurer Hacia Atherton (2006) General Marina Altson (2015), Joan Balfour (Ditty, 1962), Andrea Fyfe (1989), Sam Gusset (Atkinson, 1989), Jane McIntosh (1972), Louise Monsell-Butler (2016), Anna Truelove (2012).

Non-Committee Attendees Principal Linda Douglas Director of Community Engagement Sally de Guingand Alumnae Relations and Bequest Manager Kate Nixon

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

• Six reunions were held in 2021, three of which had been postponed from 2020. • The Golden Girls and Boarders Reunion at Ruyton took place in the Junior School Open Space and was a huge success, having been cancelled the previous year due to COVID. • There was steady growth in the community’s use of networking platforms including Facebook, Instagram and the RuytonORA online platform. • A new initiative was introduced called ‘To my Year 12 Self’ which showcases interviews with young Old Ruytonians. Interviews can be read on the RuytonORA platform. • A callout was made to the ORA community to write letters to the Class of 2021. We received 68 responses, which were compiled into a bound booklet and presented to Year 12 girls. • The AGM and three committee meetings were held in 2021.

PARENTS OF RUYTON (POR) 2021 Co-Presidents, Annabel Dundas and Bridget Langley Adaptability and resourcefulness were key elements the POR needed to support the Ruyton community as we navigated distance learning, social restrictions and quarantine in 2021. Year Level gatherings moved online with events such as movie nights and cooking classes. A Community Resource Hub was established to promote and share support services, including a dog walking service generously provided by the MLC Community Care Group. The caring and collaborative spirit that exists at Ruyton prevailed throughout. The year started with events to welcome Senior School parents and staff and Early Learning and Junior School parents. The Year Level Representatives worked throughout 2021 to ensure their respective year levels had opportunities to come together. They demonstrated considerable resourcefulness as they rescheduled events around the numerous lockdowns. This group, led by Year Level Representative Co-ordinator Elli Beggs, was particularly important during our strict quarantine period, supporting, sharing and streamlining information to our community and supporting the School Leadership Team. In recognition of the extraordinary contribution of the Ruyton teachers and staff, morning tea treats were organised by the POR and Ruyton Care Group

in Terms 2 and 4. The Ruyton Care Group, led by Phoebe Juebner, worked tirelessly throughout the year to support our community with home cooked meals. For Teacher Appreciation Day, the Ruyton community uploaded texts, videos and drawings with messages of gratitude and thanks onto virtual Kudoboards which were then distributed to the Early Learning, Junior School and Senior School teachers and staff. These delightful and heartfelt messages were an absolute joy to view. Other initiatives undertaken in 2021 were the Easter Fundraiser (with delicious treats purchased from Phillipa’s Bakery), a further print run of the POR Community cookbook for Mothers’ Day and funds raised for the Cancer Council as part of the Biggest Morning Tea. In the final weeks of Term 4, a Christmas Stall was held for the Junior School and the girls happily shopped for gifts for their mothers, fathers and siblings. One of the key highlights of 2021 was our inaugural Ruyton Christmas Market. Online purchases of the Ruyton knitted dolls, each one unique and handmade by a dedicated team of knitters. Led by Kathryn Brown and the Ruyton rabbits, they utilised upcycled winter shirts and summer dresses and handmade items by Annabel Dundas and Bridget Langley sold out quickly. Annual Report 2021

Raffle tickets were sold to members of the Ruyton Community, including the ORA, to win a ‘Dream Dolls House’. This three-bedroom mansion was painstakingly restored by Elli Beggs and looked simply stunning, with intricate interior details and furniture. The house was festively decorated for Christmas and several bespoke Ruyton touches were added, including a miniature Ruyton Community cookbook in the kitchen.

The POR has a number of Parent Support Groups which focus on supporting the Ruyton Community in specific endeavours. Thank you to all of the parents involved and specifically the group coordinators, Sue McLeish and Jenni Elford (FORPA); Rhiannon Broomfield (Questers); Phoebe Juebner (Ruyton Care Group) and Andrea Toobey (Second Hand Uniform Shop) for their outstanding work in 2021.

Ruyton picnic blankets were also made available for the community to purchase and the sale of these enabled the POR to donate blankets to the Junior School for the girls to use outdoors.

Several Year 12 Parents left Ruyton after many years of involvement in the POR, namely Melinda Andronis, Donna De Bortoli, Cathy Denovan, Anne Howells, Frank Huang, Debbie Roberts, Sam Robertson, Nikki Wilson and Jenny Woollard, all of whom made a significant contribution to the School.

The Christmas Market was the POR’s main fundraiser for the year. In recognition of their vision, the proceeds set aside for Questers will be directed towards the beautification of the School. The POR continued the tradition of gifting every Year 12 leaver with an individualised framed picture collage and every Year 6 student with a Ruyton pennant flag. The POR Executive and Committee met regularly throughout 2021, holding virtual meetings when they were unable to meet in person. We appreciated the generous support provided by the POR Executive, Melissa Haberfield (Immediate Past President), Sue McLeish (Secretary) and Kathryn Brown (Treasurer).

RUYTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL

We extend a sincere thank you to all the Ruyton volunteers for their remarkable contribution throughout 2021 and we are extremely grateful for the ongoing support provided by Linda Douglas, Sally de Guingand, Jenni Musgrove, Ann Sciberras, Eden Phillips and Brigid Steele at Ruyton.

Annual Report 2021

ruyton girls ’ school

12 Selbourne Road Kew VIC 3101 Australia Tel +61 3 9819 2422 www.ruyton.vic.edu.au

@ruytongirlsschool