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.
Introduction
Charlotte Anderson founded Ruyton in 1878 with a vision for sound scholarship, opportunity and challenge for girls. For staff and students, this belief remains at the heart of all we do today, 145 years later. Our longevity of existence highlights our strength, both as a leading school and as a community that believes in nurturing the power and potential of girls.
This shared philosophy was fundamental to the development of our strategic plan, Fearless Pursuit – 2023 and Beyond. Created through community consultation and educational research, the plan provides a roadmap to 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. An additional highlight of 2023 was seeing the Dream Now project evolve from conceptual conversations and plans to a tangible reality. These milestones will stand as a legacy of the current Ruyton Board and Executive team, and the many students, staff and families who have supported the vision.
Another highlight of 2023 was the outstanding results of the Class of 2023, who achieved a median ATAR of 94.3 placing them as the highest achieving girls’ school in Victoria. We sincerely thank the Class of 2023 for their positive and inclusive student leadership this year. These young women have led with Warmth and Tenacity; encouraging and modelling active participation,
standing up for what they believe in, and making a real difference. They have truly led from the heart and shared their own vulnerabilities with us. As a community we thank them for their caring leadership and their contribution to our school.
On behalf of the Ruyton community, I thank our academic staff for their continued dedication and passion, and for the support, care and guidance they provide for each of our girls. Our general staff have also contributed to the excellence of Ruyton in so many different ways and we thank them for their hard work, enthusiasm and loyalty. To those members of staff leaving our community this year, we acknowledge their valuable contribution and wish them every success and happiness for the future.
Thank you to our parent community who have supported the school in so many ways. As always, your support and understanding have been greatly appreciated. Our sincere thanks to our volunteer groups who have ensured connection remains central to the Ruyton culture and enhanced this through year level and school events.
Recte
et Fideliter.
Linda Douglas Principal
The Ruyton Executive 2023
Principal Linda Douglas
Director of Business Tim Rowler
Deputy Principal – Lauren Perfect Head of Senior School
Deputy Principal – Cathryn Furey Director of Learning
Head of Junior School Catherine Samuel
Director of Wellbeing Trish Hatzis
The Ruyton Board 2023
President Virginia McLaughlan (to December 2023)
President Peter Nelson
Chair of Ruyton (from January 2024) Foundation Committee
Deputy President Fiona Griffiths
Chair Finance Bruce Bayley Committee
Chair of Project Chris Chapman Control Group
Chair Governance Cameron Price Committee
Member Caroline Bennett
Member David Bidmead
Member Melanie Higgins
Member Sascha Thiel
Member Craig Wishart
Principal Linda Douglas
Company Secretary Tim Rowler
SUMMARY OF
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Through strong leadership by the Ruyton Board and Executive, Ruyton was able to improve its financial postion from the previous year. This was despite increases in salary costs particularly as a percentage of income which were offset by strong enrolment numbers and increases in tuition fees.
As an independent school, Ruyton does not receive government funding for our capital projects. It is through the prudent financial management of the School, together with the generous support of our community, that successful completion of capital projects such as the Dream Now building is enabled. Our new Auditorium, Performing Arts and Library Precinct will be a truly worldclass facility and a place where our community will gather to celebrate the achievement and endeavour of our 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 and records of absences are maintained. 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 2023 was 93.43%. This is consistent with student attendance data from 2022 and suggests student attendance has returned to an average baseline after the disruption of COVID in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
2023 NAPLAN REPORT
Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 undertook the NAPLAN testing over a three-day period in March. Individual reports were generated by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) and posted to parents. The graphs below show the results of Ruyton Girls’ School students compared with results across the state.
The achievement graphs indicate performance in key learning areas 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 respectively. There are 10% of students who have achievement above the upper whisker and 10% of
YEAR 3
Achievement
In 2023, 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 domains. In the learning domains of Reading, Writing, Numeracy and Grammar and Punctuation at least 75% of Year 3 Ruyton students scored above the median achievement of Year 3 students in the state of Victoria.
Proficiency
A higher percentage of Year 3 Ruyton students are in the Strong and Exceeding proficiency levels in all learning domains when compared to the state. Statewide the percentage of Year 3 students in the Exceeding proficiency level is 14.6% on average, ranging from 9.5% in Writing to 21.2% in Reading. On average across all domains, a greater percentage of Year 3 Ruyton students are in the Exceeding proficiency level (38.2%), ranging from 31.0% in Numeracy to 42.9% in Spelling and Grammar & Punctuation. Notably, all Year 3 Ruyton students are in the Strong and Exceeding proficiency levels for Reading and Writing.
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).
This is the first year that student achievement in NAPLAN is reported against four levels of proficiency, Needs Additional Support (NAS), Developing, Strong and Exceeding. This replaces the previous NAPLAN bands and national minimum standards. This reset means that previous NAPLAN results cannot be compared to 2023 results. Comparisons will be available from 2024 onwards. The proficiency graphs indicate the percentage of students in each of the four proficiency levels.
YEAR 5
Achievement
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. In all learning domains at least 75% of Year 5 Ruyton students scored above the median achievement of Year 5 students in the state of Victoria.
Proficiency
A higher percentage of Year 5 Ruyton students are in the Strong and Exceeding proficiency levels in all learning domains when compared to the state. Statewide the percentage of Year 5 students in the Exceeding proficiency level is 17.3% on average, ranging from 13.0% in Grammar & Punctuation to 24.4% in Reading. On average across all domains, a greater percentage of Year 3 Ruyton students are in the Exceeding proficiency level (46.0%), ranging from 34.8% in Numeracy to 59.7% in Reading.
YEAR 7
Achievement
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 domains at least 75% of Year 7 Ruyton students scored well above the median achievement of Year 7 students in the state of Victoria.
Proficiency
A higher percentage of Year 7 Ruyton students are in the Strong and Exceeding proficiency levels in all learning domains when compared to the State. Statewide the percentage of Year 7 students in the Exceeding proficiency level is 17.5% on average, ranging from 13.6% in Numeracy to 21.8% in Spelling. On average across all domains, a greater percentage of Year 7 Ruyton students are in the Exceeding proficiency level (48.3%), ranging from 41.5% in Numeracy and Writing to 63.4% in Reading.
YEAR 9
Achievement
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 domains at least 75% of Year 9 Ruyton students scored above the median achievement of Year 9 students in the state of Victoria
Proficiency
A higher percentage of Year 9 Ruyton students are in the Strong and Exceeding proficiency levels in all learning domains when compared to the State. Statewide the percentage of Year 9 students in the Exceeding proficiency level is 16.2% on average, ranging from 10.6% in Numeracy to 19.3% in Writing. On average across all domains, a greater percentage of Year 9 Ruyton students are in the Exceeding proficiency level (40.6%), ranging from 32.1% in Grammar & Punctuation to 53.0% in Reading.
achieved ataRs of 99 and above
achieved ataRs of 95 and above
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.
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 $906,000 in 2023.
A major focus of 2023 was the Dream Now capital campaign to help ensure we complete a new Performing Arts Centre and Library, the final project in our current masterplan. Named after our longest serving Principal, Hilda Daniell, who was affectionately 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. Highlights of Dream Now in 2023 included the Foundation Ball in The Ian Potter Queen’s Hall at the State Library Victoria which raised over $150,000 and the launch of a seat donation campaign. Take Your Seat provides members of the Ruyton community with the opportunity to have their philanthropic support recognised with a named plaque on the back of a seat in our new auditorium.
We are incredibly grateful to the Ruyton families – past and present – who have chosen to support the Dream Now campaign which, at the end of 2023, had reached over $3 million in pledges and donations.
Foundation Committee
Chair Peter Nelson Principal Linda Douglas Foundation and Alumnae Relations Manager Kate Higgins
Robyn Kanat (Bate, 1980)
Melissa Gallace (Constantinou, 1998)
Alyssa Caplan Sue McLeish
Kathryn Watt
While the capital campaign remains a major focus of the Foundation, there is also the need to ensure we maintain and build our Founder’s Scholarship This scholarship is an essential program that helps to provide a young girl with the opportunity of a Ruyton education which would have otherwise been impossible.
The Moreton Bay Fig Bequest Society continues to be a wonderful way for members of the Ruyton community to leave a lasting legacy to the School while also helping to ensure Ruyton continues to grow into the future.
Thank you to everyone who supported the work of the Ruyton Foundation in 2023. 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 2024 and beyond.
Peter Nelson Chair, Ruyton Foundation
OUR 2023 DONORS THANK YOU TO
Mr S & Mrs K Agarwal
Mr L Anderson & Dr E Brennan
Mrs M & Mr I Anezakis
Mrs K & Prof C Baker
Mr S Baker & Ms A Watson
Mr D & Mrs E Beggs
Ms C Bennet & Mr W Kenafacke
Ms G Berry & Mr T Simpson
Mrs N & Mr D Bidmead
Mr C Braithwaite &
Ms F Marsden
Ms C Brodribb
Mrs C & Mr M Browne
Mrs A & Mr M Caplan
Mrs M & Mr R Carpenter
Mrs J & Mr C Chapman
Mrs J Chen & Mr C Gan
Mr T & Mrs L Chen
Mrs H & Mr S Cheng
Dr D Chiang & Dr E Tan
Mr B Cleeve
Ms A Condon & Mr M Cunnington
Mr M & Mrs K Considine
Mr D & Mrs O Constantinou
Mrs F Crosby
Mr H Curry & Dr T Fancourt
Mr R & Mrs W Dalziel
Mrs H & Mr A Danks
Ms K de Bruyn & Mr J O'Loughlin
Dr A Dean & Mr J Reimers
Mr D & Dr M Dellaportas
Ms X Deng & Mr J Xie
Mrs M Dixon
Ms S Dougall
Ms L Douglas & Mr T Guglielmo
Mr J & Mrs R Downer
Ms A Dundas & Mr S Pole
Mr P Ekers
Mr M & Mrs J Elford
Dr R Elwyn
Mrs K & Mr S Fallscheer
Mr Y Fan
Mr J Fang & Ms N Zheng
Mr Q Fu & Ms L Zhang
Mrs C & Mr C Furey
Ms A Fyfe & Mr L Dow
Mrs M & Mr D Gallace
Mr R Gannon & Mrs A Helps
Ms T Giannarelli
Mr J & Mrs H Gillam
Mr A & Mrs G Gillon
Mr M & Mrs M Gray
Ms F Griffiths
Ms F Griffiths & Mr A Osmond
Mr A Grollo
Ms Q Gu & Mr Y Lu
Mr X Han & Mrs J Yang
Mrs A & Mr M Hansen
Ms P Harris
Mr J Hart & Mrs D Nassiokas
Mrs S & Mr D Hartin
Mrs R & Mr T Hibbs
Dr C Higgins & Mr N Williamson
Ms M & Mr A Higgins
Ms C Hill
Ms J Hill
Dr L & Mrs J Holden
Ms L Hoo & Mr T Hu
Mr T Huynh &
Ms C Nguyen
Mr R & Mrs T Iervasi
Ms H Irwin-Childs
Ms S Jayaswal & Mr R Cooper
Ms T Jiang & Mr Y Wei
Mr P & Mrs R Kanat
Mrs L & Mr T Keily
Mrs M Keppell
Ms D & Mr J Khouri
Dr C King & Mr D Batt
Mrs H & Dr J King
Mrs S & Mr L Lachal
Mrs A Phung-Lan & Mr S Lan
Mr S Lardner &
Ms K Streckfuss
Mrs C Leach
Ms A Lean & Mr G Moore
Mr X Li & Ms X Qian
Mr X Li & Ms Y Zhu
Ms Q Lin & Mr Z Chen
Mr S & Dr K Lipchin
Mrs N Liu & Mr C Han
Mr M Lo & Ms S Chan
Mrs S Lu-Shirzad & Dr S Shirzad
Ms X Ma & Mr H Zhang
Ms J Macdonald
Ms M Macri & Mr I Mincu
Dr D & Mrs A Mandrawa
Mr D McCall & Mrs C Hill
Mrs V McLaughlan
Mr D & Mrs S McLeish
The Hon. Justice C McMillan
Moreton Bay Fig Bequest Society members
The following members of the Ruyton community have advised the School of their intention to include Ruyton 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
Miss H Daniell OBE*
Ms S Dean
Ms L Douglas
Ms F Griffiths
Ms G Hills
Mrs R Kanat
Mr W Lapcik*
Mrs F Marles AM
Miss M McRae*
Mrs M Smith OAM
Ms M St Clair Crampton*
Mrs S Sutherland
Dr R Mehra & Mrs C Wang
Mr X Meng & Ms Y Song
Ms E Milne
Mrs M Mostafa &
Mr A Elnakeeb
Mrs J & Mr R Murrell
Ms K & Mr C Murtagh
Mrs M Myers
Mr P & Mrs N Nelson
Mrs A & Mr R Ng
Dr H Nguyen & Ms C Tran
Mrs B & Mr D Odman
Old Ruytonians' Association (ORA)
Ms Q Pan & Mr J Yang
Parents of Ruyton (POR)
Dr L Pei & Mr G Guo
Mr M & Mrs B Power
Mr C & Dr M Price
Ms P Quah & Mr D Hang Questers
Mrs E Ramsden
Mrs K Reeve
Mr J Rosenthal &
Dr A Pellicano
Mr T Rowler & Ms L Terracall
Mr A & Mrs K Sachdev
Ms Saltsidis & Mr P Kokovas
Ms C Samuel
Ms Y Shan
Ms L Shen & Mr N Cheng
Mrs Q Shu & Mr Q Yang
Mr T Simpson & Ms G Berry
Mrs C Stone & Mr A Stone
Ms K Taylor
Miss J Teasdale
Ms N Verity*
Mr V Swaminathan & Dr P Ravi
Mrs T & Mr D Talbot
Ms Y Tang & Dr C Chan
Mr J Tickner & Ms R Metz
Mrs G & Mr D Timm
Trinity Grammar School
Mr M & Mrs F Verrocchi
Mr T & Mrs F Wagner
Mrs V & Mr D Waldron
Ms P Walker & Mr M Tamvakologos
Dr X Wang & Dr X Sun
Ms L Wang & Mr G Wan
Mrs S Wang & Mr D Gu
Ms K Watt & Mr N Reilly
Mrs C White & Mr D Vogelpoel
Ms J Williams & Mr A Roach
Miss L Wills
Mrs A & Mr A Wong
Mrs C Wong & Mr I Raspin
Mrs K & Rev M Woolrich
Dr A Wray & Prof C Williams
Mrs D Xu
Mr T Xu & Ms X Wang
Ms Y Yang & Mr Z Guo
Miss K Yang
Ms Q Yu & Mr Y Lu
Mr T & Ms L Yu
Ms E Yuan & Mr J Lee
Ms H Yuan & Mr Y Liu
Mr W Zang & Ms M Zhang
Mrs I & Mr A Zaparas
Mrs N Zhou & Mr K Shu
Mr Y Zhou & Ms M Wang
This report lists donors to Ruyton Girls’ School from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023. 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.
OLD RUYTONIANS’ ASSOCIATION (ORA) COMMITTEE 2023
2023 was a busy year for the ORA with a full schedule of School reunions and the ORA Golf Day. A total of 12 reunions were held in 2023, including the Grand Reunion celebrating 145 years of Ruyton and 115 years of the ORA.
• Class of 1973 50 year reunion
• Class of 1983 40 year reunion
• Class of 1993 30 year reunion
• Class of 2003 20 year reunion
• Class of 2013 10 year reunion
• Class of 2018 5 year reunion
• Class of 2022 1 year reunion
• Golden Girls reunion
• Grand Reunion
• New York reunion
• Geelong reunion
• ORA Golf Day
• The Grand Reunion at Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in August was a fun-filled night of music, trivia and reminiscing.
• The reunion for Old Ruytonians based in and around Geelong was the first time in recent years that the ORA has held an event in regional Victoria.
• Steady growth of social networking platforms continued including Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
• The AGM and four committee meetings were held in 2023
Committee
President Belinda Anderson (McLeod, 1973)
Vice President Debra Mack (Rudov, 1973)
Secretary Vacant
Treasurer Andrea Fyfe (1989)
General Joan Balfour (Ditty, 1962), Sam Gusset (Atkinson, 1989), Gabby Hills (1973), Jane McIntosh (1972)
Non-Committee Attendees
Principal Linda Douglas Foundation and Alumnae Relations Manager
Kate Higgins
Community Relations Assistant Marina Altson (2015)
PARENTS OF RUYTON (POR)
Co-Presidents, Elli Beggs & Bridget Langley
In 2023 the Parents of Ruyton (POR) consolidated and grew our mission to foster community engagement and support Ruyton families.
The POR also facilitates the opening and resourcing of the Second Hand Uniform Shop (SHUS) which opens fortnightly on a Thursday. 2023 saw a growing number of parents and students attending SHUS to purchase uniform. We are lucky to have a wonderful team of volunteers and we thank our 2023 volunteers led by Chloe Stone — Angela Cosgriff, Annabel Dundas, Claudeen Nguyen, Elaine Heng, Li Li, Natasha Nelson and Tasha Rai. May hands make light work but above all, our volunteers make SHUS a welcoming space for all.
Lastly, it was with heartfelt gratitude that we farewelled Year 12 parents Sue McLeish and Melissa Haberfield. Both had a long history and association with the POR and its ancillary bodies and served in various roles throughout their time at Ruyton, including in the POR Executive. Their dedication and service will be missed but we wish them all the best for this next stage.
Here’s to a wonderful 2024.
POR Executive 2023
Co-Presidents Elli Beggs and Bridget Langley
Immediate Past President Annabel Dundas
Secretary
Treasurer
Natasha Nelson
Caroline White
FORPA Coordinators Marina Malcolm and Cathy Devlin
SHUS
Chloe Stone
Ruyton Care Group Phoebe Juebner
Year Level Representatives Melissa Gallace Coordinator
