Annual Report 2022

ruyton girls’ school Annual Report 2022

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.

• Character to be resilient and to act with confidence and compassion.

• Citizenship to effect positive change through civic and environmental action.

• Endeavour 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.

Principal’s Welcome

We are delighted to present this Annual Report for the year 2022, reflecting the vibrant and resilient spirit of our school. This year, our students have truly embodied the essence of being Ruyton girls, striving to achieve their personal best and make a difference.

At Ruyton, we celebrate the strength and individuality of our students; their self-confidence and their support of others. Their determination to pursue positive actions is fuelled by the motivation they derive from the supportive community that surrounds them.

This year, we have witnessed the ever-evolving nature and strengthening of the Ruyton culture, nurtured by the interconnectedness of our students, staff, families, and Old Ruytonians. It is through our lived stories that we continue to grow, united in our commitment to inspire girls to be bold and educate them to lead lives of impact and purpose.

As leaders, the Class of 2022 embraced the responsibility of reigniting student engagement after the pandemic, recognising their unique position as the only students who had experienced Senior School life prior to the lockdowns. They embodied Brene Brown’s belief that courage emerges when we navigate vulnerability, consistently reminding their peers that true potential is unlocked when we step outside our comfort zones, discover our passions, and connect deeply with others. Our community’s commitment to preparing girls for a lifetime of learning, leadership, and engagement has been truly exemplified and embraced by these students.

The Ruyton library and theatre are central gathering places of immense significance within our community. The heart and soul of Ruyton, they are where our community congregates to celebrate, learn, grow, and support one another. We are excited to see the redevelopment of these facilities through the Dream Now project, a testament to our ongoing commitment to excellence. The completion of this project in the second half of 2024, symbolises the dawn of a new chapter in the Ruyton story—one where our girls will continue to take centre stage.

We extend our deepest gratitude to the entire Ruyton community for your unwavering support, dedication, and belief in our mission. Together, we have created a culture that transcends boundaries, empowers individuals, and nurtures a sense of purpose. As we reflect on the achievements of the past year, we do so with great optimism and anticipation for the future.

Linda Douglas Principal

Ruyton Executive 2022

Linda Douglas Principal

Cathryn Furey Deputy Principal, Director of Learning

Lauren Perfect Deputy Principal, Head of Senior School

Tim Rowler Director of Business, Finance and Facilities

Kate Giles Head of Junior School

Trish Hatzis Director of Wellbeing

Sally de Guingand Director of Community Engagement (to September 2022)

Governance and Finance

2022 commenced with uncertainty but quickly blossomed into a year of great achievements for the Ruyton community. Embracing the return to onsite learning and co-curricular activities, our students found joy in being together, inspiring participation and collaboration across the student body. Making an impressive contribution to the life of our school, our Year 12 students led with distinction and applied themselves to their studies with focus and determination. We once again celebrate our VCE Class for their outstanding VCE results. With a median ATAR of 92.6, a median study score of 36 and two perfect study scores of 50, 56% of our students achieved results in the top ten per cent of the country. This 2022 cohort of remarkable young women will be remembered for ensuring the spirit of Ruyton lives on in our student body through their purposeful leadership.

The Board is delighted that many years of planning have now come to fruition with the commencement of the Dream Now project. The largest building project in Ruyton’s history, Dream Now will provide world class educational facilities through a Performing Arts Centre and Library precinct. This precinct will strengthen Ruyton’s commitment and capacity to deliver an outstanding all-round education and support our girls to become confident and engaged women.

Prior to the commencement of construction, our community farewelled Royce Theatre. For more than 50 years Royce had been our constant; the place where we have gathered as a community for assemblies, celebrations, for joyous events and occasions of mourning. The memories created and shared within its walls brought an emotional response from many. Royce held the heart and soul of our school and I have no doubt the new precinct will too.

The development and publication of our new strategic plan, Fearless Pursuit, launched in November 2022. Proudly one of the oldest girls’ schools in Victoria, our primary focus remains ensuring that a Ruyton education is relevant and engaging to best prepare our girls for their futures. Our size and structure strengthen our unwavering focus on each individual student in our care.

At Ruyton, learning is personal. We recognise that the future is inherently unknown as it is in the making and with this knowledge, we have devised a five-year strategic plan with a ten-year horizon.

Fearless Pursuit launches a series of pathways as we explore the possible, plausible and probable futures in our context and culture. Through the realisation of this plan, we will ensure that Ruyton is future fit by remaining open-minded, agile and with the needs of our girls at the centre of all that we do. Supporting the vision of Fearless Pursuit are our staff, students, families and alumnae who make our school an outstanding community that seeks excellence and ensures inclusivity.

In the middle of last year, the Board appointed two new members to fill vacancies and we were delighted to welcome Caroline Bennett and David Bidmead to the team. Caroline brings experience in actuarial and financial services, consulting mergers and acquisitions, risk and capital management and insurance to the Board and is a member of the Finance Committee. David has global experience in insurance brokerage, risk advisory management and corporate governance skills and is a member of the Governance Committee. Caroline and David’s skills and expertise have enhanced the diverse range of knowledge and proficiency on the Ruyton Board and further strengthened the governance of our school.

In closing, I thank all our Ruyton students who travelled through 2022 with care for each other, dedication to their studies, and engagement in the life of our school. As a community we thank each one of our staff for their dedication and commitment to our school, and for the support and guidance they provide for each of our students. Sincere thanks must also be given to our parents, alumnae and volunteers whose investment in our school and each other ensures connection remains central to the Ruyton culture.

The Board of Directors also thank and acknowledge Linda Douglas and her Executive Team for leading another successful year in Ruyton’s history and in the way in which we are sure Hilda Daniell envisaged. Ruyton has had another strong financial year and as we look forward to the challenges of the future, we are well placed to receive them. Thank you.

Virginia McLaughlan President, The Ruyton Board

The Ruyton Board 2022

Virginia McLaughlan President

Kylie Taylor Deputy President

Bruce Bayley Chair of Finance and Audit

Chris Chapman Chair of Project Control Group

Peter Nelson Chair of The Ruyton Foundation

Cameron Price Chair of Governance

Linda Douglas Principal

Tim Rowler Company Secretary

Caroline Bennet Member

David Bidmead Member

Fiona Griffiths (1987) Member

Melanie Higgins (1992) Member

Craig Wishart Member

SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The year commenced with uncertainty but quickly blossomed into a year of great achievements for the Ruyton community. With strong leadership from the School Board and School Executive, Ruyton finished the year with stable enrolments and a sound financial position.

As an independent school, Ruyton does not receive government funding for our capital projects. It is through the prudent financial management and forward planning of the School, together with the generous support of our community that will enable the successful completion of the Dream Now project towards the end of 2024.

INCOME

EXPENDITURE

Empowering Girls

STUDENT ATTENDANCE

Student attendance is monitored daily and recorded electronically in our database. Parents report absences over the telephone or online through the Intranet. Classroom teachers (Junior School) and Wellbeing Leaders (Senior School) work closely with parents during periods of prolonged absence from school.

The average student attendance rate from Prep to Year 12 in 2022 was 93.47%. This is a fall of 2.16% from the previous year and can be directly attributed to COVID-19. With high levels of COVID reported across the State in 2022, Victorians were required to comply with mandatory isolation periods impacting staff and student attendance onsite.

2022 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 lower and upper whiskers each represent the achievement of 15% of students between the 10th-25th and 75th-90th percentile

YEAR 3

respectively. There are 10% of students who have achievement above the upper whisker and 10% of students who have achievement below the lower whisker.

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. The National Minimum Standards for Year 3, 5, 7, 9 are Band 2, 4, 5, and 6 respectively.

In 2022, all Year 3 Ruyton students achieved scores that are above the National Minimum Standard score of 270 in all learning areas. In all learning areas the average achievement of Year 3 Ruyton students is higher than the average achievement of Year 3 students in the state of Victoria. In all learning areas at least 75% of Year 3 Ruyton students scored above the average achievement of Year 3 students in the state of Victoria.

YEAR 5

All Year 5 Ruyton students achieved scores that are at or above the National Minimum Standard score of 374 in all learning areas in 2022. In all learning areas the average achievement of Year 5 Ruyton students is higher than the average achievement of Year 5 students in the state of Victoria.

YEAR 7

In 2022, all Year 7 Ruyton students have achieved scores that are at or above the National Minimum Standard score of 426 for reading, writing, spelling and grammar and punctuation. In the learning area numeracy, 99% of Year 7 Ruyton students have achieved scores that are at or above the National Minimum Standard. In all learning areas the average achievement of Year 7 Ruyton students is higher than the average achievement of Year 7 students in the state of Victoria. In all learning areas at least 75% of Year 7 Ruyton students scored above the average achievement of Year 7 students in the state of Victoria.

YEAR 9

In the learning areas of spelling and numeracy, all Year 9 Ruyton students achieved scores that are at or above the National Minimum Standard score of 478 in 2022. In the learning area of reading and grammar and punctuation, 99% of Year 9 Ruyton students have achieved scores that are at or above the National Minimum Standard score. In the learning area of writing, 98% of Year 9 Ruyton students have achieved scores that are at or above the National Minimum Standard score. In all learning areas the average achievement of Year 9 Ruyton students is higher than the average achievement of Year 9 students in the state of Victoria. In all learning areas at least 75% of Year 9 Ruyton students scored above the average achievement of Year 9 students in the state of Victoria.

2022 VCE RESULTS

38% 5% 56%

achieved ataRs of 99 and above

achieved ataRs of 95 and above

achieved ataRs of 90 and above

OVER 40 92.00 36 28.3%

Study ScoreS of 50

Lara Hennessy (PRODUCT DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY, FURNITURE)

Cindy Jin (CHINESE 2ND LANGUAGE)

Congratulations to Grace Nguyen, the Dux of Ruyton Girls’ School for 2022, achieving an ATAR of 99.75.

Whilst we celebrate the 2022 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 how we define success.

Year 12 Destinations 2022

95 of the 96 students received a VTAC offer. The one student who did not receive a VTAC offer is studying an industry focused design preparation course.

YEAR 12 2022 TERTIARY OFFERS

The Ruyton Foundation

The purpose of the Ruyton Foundation is to raise funds for the current and future educational and built environment needs of the School, and it has never been so important. Thanks to the generosity of the Ruyton community, I am pleased to report that the Ruyton Foundation raised in excess of $415,000 in 2022.

A major focus of 2022 was the Dream Now capital campaign to help ensure we complete our vision to build a new Performing Arts Centre and Library. Named after our longest serving Principal, Hilda Daniell, who was lovingly referred to as ‘Dream’ by her students, the campaign provides an opportunity for members of the Ruyton community to contribute to a significant part of the School’s future. We are incredibly grateful to the Ruyton families – past and present – who have chosen to support the campaign which, at the end of 2022, had reached a total of $2.5 million in pledges and donations.

While the capital campaign remains a major focus of the Foundation, we also continue to build our Founder’s Scholarship. This scholarship provides young women with the opportunity of a Ruyton education which would have otherwise been impossible. There has also been continued support for the Henty Excellence in Teaching Fund. Our teachers play such an important role in the development of our girls, and the Henty Excellence in Teaching Fund enables us to provide new and invaluable professional development

opportunities for our teachers as well as ensure the growth of our educational programs.

In May 2022, we officially welcomed five new members to the Moreton Bay Fig Bequest Society. These women join eight others who have chosen to include a gift to Ruyton in their wills, not only leaving a lasting legacy to the School but also helping to ensure Ruyton’s future.

Thank you to everyone who supported the work of the Ruyton Foundation in 2022. Whether it be about the Dream Now campaign or the Foundation’s endeavours in general, I encourage anyone with questions to contact me. This is an important time for our school and I look forward to working with many in our community in 2023 and beyond.

Peter Nelson Chair, Ruyton Foundation

Foundation Committee

Peter Nelson Chair

Kylie Taylor Deputy President, The Ruyton Board

Robyn Kanat (Bates, 1980)

Alyssa Caplan

Linda Douglas Principal

Sally de Guingand

(to September 2022) Director of Community Engagement

Sue McLeish

Kathryn Watt

Heading

OUR 2022 DONORS THANK YOU TO

Ms L Bedford

Mrs D Berold

Ms G Berry & Mr T Simpson

Mr D & Mrs N Bidmead

Ms T Bui & Mr C Neil

Mrs A Caplan & Mr M Caplan

Mr G Cartledge & Ms E Van Bavel

Intro

Mrs J Chen

Mr B Cleeve

TEXT

Ms A Condon & Mr M Cunnington

Mr R & Mrs S Crockett

Mrs F Crosby

Mr M Cunnington & Ms A Condon

Ms C Dardalis & Mr L Kafasis

Mr T & Mrs K Davidson

Ms S de Guingand

Ms S Dean

Ms L Douglas

Mrs R Dowling

Mr J & Mrs R Downer

Ms A Dundas & Mr S Pole

Mr P Ekers

Mr Y Fan

Mrs R Franet

Mrs M & Mr D Gallace

Mrs M Gibson

Mr J & Mrs H Gillam

Ms B Gough

Mr M & Mrs M Gray

Ms F Griffiths & Mr A Osmond

Mr A Grollo

Mrs A & Mr M Hansen

Mrs A Helps & Mr R Gannon

Ms M & Mr A Higgins

Ms C Hill

Mr B & Mrs J Huynh

Ms S Jayaswal & Mr R Cooper

Mr P & Mrs R Kanat

Mrs M Keppell

Mrs H King

Dr R & Mrs J Kleiman

Ms S Lam & Mr C Ho

Mr S Lan & Mrs A Phung-Lan

Ms J Lei & Mr J Shan

Ms Q Lin & Mr Z Chen

Mr M Lo & Ms S Chan

Mr L Luo & Mrs L Qiu

Mrs D & Mr P McAuliffe

Mrs V McLaughlan

Mrs S & Mr D McLeish

The Hon. Justice C McMillan

Mrs J Meng & Mr Y Wu

Ms L Miller

Ms E Milne

Mr M Mok & Ms E Young

Mr P & Mrs N Nelson

Dr H Nguyen & Ms C Tran

Old Ruytonians’ Association (ORA)

Parents of Ruyton

Mrs A Phung-Lan & Mr S Lan

Mr C & Dr M Price

Mr A Roach & Ms J Williams

Ms S Saltsidis & Mr P Kokovas

Mr A Senyard & Dr M Burgess

Mr P Sharples

Dr S Shirzad & Mrs S Lu-Shirzad

Mrs Q Shu & Mr Q Yang

Dr X Sun & Dr X Wang

Miss E Syle

Mr A & Mrs S Talbot

Mr Y Tang & Mrs Y Wang

Mr H & Ms C Truong

Ms M Utter & Dr J Marchant

Mr M & Mrs F Verrocchi

Mr S & Mrs B Walmsley

Dr E Warne & Dr F Andrewes

Mrs J Webb

Dr A & Mrs D Weeraman

Mr P & Mrs C Wijeyaratne

Miss L Wills

Mr A & Mrs A Wong

Ms K Woolrich & Rev M Woolrich

Dr A Wray & Prof C Williams

Mrs D Xu

Ms Y Yang & Mr Z Guo

Ms H Yuan & Mr Y Liu

Mrs N Zhou & Mr K Shu

Ms Y Zhu & Mr X Li

Anonymous (1)

This report lists donors to Ruyton Girls’ School from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy. If an error has occurred, please accept our apologies and contact the Community Relations Office on (03) 9819 2422 or foundation@ruyton.vic.edu.au so we can amend our records.

Moreton Bay Fig Bequest Society members

The following members of the Ruyton community have advised the School of their intention to include the School in their wills, thereby joining the Moreton Bay Fig Bequest Society. This list is cumulative.

Mrs S a’Beckett

Mrs B Anderson

Mrs M Ashton

Ms S Dean

Ms L Douglas

Ms F Griffiths

Mrs R Kanat

Mr W Lapcik †

Mrs F Marles AM

Mrs M Smith OAM

Ms M St Clair Crampton †

Mrs S Sutherland

Ms K Taylor

Miss J Teasdale

Ms N Verity †

† = Deceased

OLD RUYTONIANS’ ASSOCIATION (ORA) COMMITTEE 2022

Committee

President Hacia Atherton (2006)

Vice President Belinda Anderson (McLeod, 1973)

Secretary Vacant

Treasurer Hacia Atherton (2006)

General Joan Balfour (Ditty, 1962), Andrea Fyfe (1989), Sam Gusset (Atkinson, 1989), Jane McIntosh (1972)

Non-Committee Attendees

Principal Linda Douglas Director of Community Engagement

Sally de Guingand (to September 2022)

Alumnae Relations and Bequest Manager

Kate Nixon

Highlights

2022 proved to be busy for the ORA with a full schedule of School reunions. A total of 15 reunions were held in 2022, six of which had been postponed from previous years due to COVID-19 lockdowns. The ORA Golf Day was also held for the first time since 2019:

• Class of 1971 – 50 year reunion

• Class of 1972 – 50 year reunion

• Class of 1982 – 40 year reunion

• Class of 1990 – 30 year reunion

• Class of 1991 – 30 year reunion

• Class of 1992 – 30 year reunion

• Class of 2000 – 20 year reunion

• Class of 2001 – 20 year reunion

• Class of 2002 – 20 year reunion

• Class of 2011 – 10 year reunion

• Class of 2012 – 10 year reunion

• Class of 2017 – 5 year reunion

• Class of 2021 – 1 year reunion

• Golden Girls reunion

• London reunion

• ORA Golf Day

• The Golden Girls and Boarders Reunion was a success. We were fortunate to be able to hold this at Ruyton in the Junior School Open Space.

• The reunion for Old Ruytonians based in and around London was well-attended.

• Steady growth of social networking platforms continued including FaceBook, Instagram and the RuytonORA online platform.

• The AGM and four committee meetings were held in 2022.

PARENTS OF RUYTON (POR) 2022

Co-Presidents, Bridget Langley and Elli Beggs

Embarking on establishing a new-normal postrestrictions and reigniting the essence of what makes our community so special was key to supporting our students and families in 2022. POR Committee and Year Level Representative Meetings moved from online to hybrid and faceto-face meetings. Much anticipated year level gatherings, assisted by Year Level Representative Co-ordinator Caroline White and the Year Level Representatives, were fervently organised and keenly supported by our community as the year progressed.

The year started with events to welcome Early Learning, Junior and Senior School parents and staff. The Twilight Concert in Term 1 saw families come together on the school oval with the Friends of Ruyton Performing Arts (FORPA) providing pizza and refreshments to support our wonderful musicians and performers. A Giant Easter Raffle Fundraiser, with forty hampers and prize packages organised by POR and Questers, was held at the end of Term 1. This raffle was generously supported by donations from businesses in the Ruyton community, with proceeds going towards Questers for the beautification of the School, enriching the educational experience of all our students.

Highlights for Term 2 were craft activity packs, prepared by the POR and Questers, for the Junior School students to create handmade gifts for Mother’s Day. Additionally, a Junior School Mother’s Day Movie Event was held at the Rivoli Theatre. The entire school also supported the Cancer Council of Victoria’s Biggest Morning Tea by fundraising through the purchase of Krispy Kreme Donuts and donations, with the Ruyton community contributing $2,653 to this worthy cause.

The focus of Term 3 was the POR Ruyton Luncheon, our first since 2018. Alice in Wonderland inspired, the venue was transformed for our Mad Hatter’s Luncheon. It was a sheer delight to have the Ruyton community gather together once more. The Junior School Father’s Day Breakfast, was also successfully re-established and a sell-out event. Teacher Appreciation Day was celebrated in Term 4 with the Ruyton Care Group (RCG), under the leadership of Phoebe Juebner, baking and preparing a delicious morning tea for Ruyton staff.

Other POR activities undertaken during 2022, included the regular fortnightly opening during term time of the Second Hand Uniform Store (SHUS). Lead by Annabel Dundas, the recruitment and support of the team of volunteers enabled this valuable service to our community to continue. Consultation and review of the POR gift for the Year 12 leavers was also undertaken, with bespoke sterling silver bracelets adorned with the Ruyton motto Recte et Fideliter being presented to the Class of 2022.

We acknowledge and thank the POR Executive: Annabel Dundas (Immediate Past President), Sue McLeish (Secretary) and Kathryn Brown (Treasurer) for all their support of our endeavours throughout 2022.