Welcome back to the final term of 2024 and the last eight weeks of the school year! With the Year 12s only having a handful of days before their last official day at school next week, for many the reality of leaving school and entering a new chapter of life is very much becoming a reality. We keep all Year 12s and their families in our thoughts as they conclude their final days as students at Rostrevor College. 

I was able to enjoy a few weeks leave at the end of Term 3 and I especially thank and acknowledge the leadership of both Cameron Alexander and Daniel Stratford who took on the roles of Acting Principal and Acting Deputy Principal respectively. I’m grateful for the work that both Cameron and Daniel took on in my absence and certainly felt confident that the College was in strong and capable hands.   

This week we announced a new Director of Business, Mark Gray, who will commence with us on 4 November. Mark may be familiar to Rostrevor families as the father of current Year 9 student, Samuel, and comes to the role with extensive finance management experience. Next week we also welcome Leif Wilson who will be joining us as Facilities and Operations Manager, working closely with Mark and the wider College staff. We look forward to having Mark and Leif as part of our College Community.  

The College community wishes the Marshall family well as they begin a new chapter in Victor Harbor this year. Will and Adam have been pillars of the student community during their time at Rostrevor and will be greatly missed by their peers and teachers. As Will is no longer able to fulfil the role of Identity Prefect in 2025, the position was opened to the Year 11 cohort before the term break. A big congratulations to Gianluca D’Apice who has been voted in as the new 2025 Identity Prefect!

Today we welcomed the new 2025 Reception students into the Junior Years for their first Little Rossi Learners transition session. The boys will visit the College for the next five weeks to become familiar with the faces, places and spaces in the Junior Years. For some it was their first taste of Rostrevor, but others are familiar faces in the Junior School after previous visits to see their big brothers.  

Excitement and anticipation are overflowing around Rostrevor College with the completion of the Rostrevor Strength and Conditioning Centre. This addition to the College’s suite of facilities will provide students the opportunity to continue to develop a focus on health and wellbeing while also catering for our Athlete Development Program and high-performance athlete pathways. This facility will be accessed by Health and Physical Education classes during the school day and by co-curricular sporting students before and after school. We look forward to the Strength and Conditioning Centre opening for staff and student use in the coming weeks. Further information will be provided outlining the user agreement and availability soon.

Run by Manchester City Football Program and First XI Coach Jamie Lee, the clinics were once again a success, with students from different schools coming together to hone their soccer skills in a fun and inclusive environment.

Students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 11 were involved in wellbeing talks this morning, hearing from a range of guest speakers. Year 7 and 8 students heard from the Carly Ryan Foundation about the importance of staying safe online. At the core of the presentation were steps that our young students can take to remain safe online, including recognising danger signs and different organisations that can be contacted to report unsafe behaviour. The Year 9 and 11 cohorts were involved in the ‘Level Up’ workshop run by Relationships Australia. The session was a fun and interactive way to learn facts and myths about gaming and gambling. They discussed a list of ways to keep their gaming in check, the risks in gaming, links to gambling and found out how to get help or help someone they know if their gaming or gambling becomes a problem. 

The Year 9-12 Italian students immersed themselves in Italian culture by viewing a film from the 2024 St ALi Italian Film Festival on Wednesday. The film "La Guerra dei Nonni" (The War of the Grand Fathers) is a funny story about Gerri, a loving grandfather, who takes care of his daughter’s family until his lively counterpart, Grandpa Tom, returns and starts breaking Gerri's rules to win the kids' affection.

From Monday next week the Womma Oval Carpark will be unavailable as building works commence. The College is investing in changerooms and toilet facilities to better cater for classes and Rostrevor’s co-curricular activities which take place on Womma Oval. The carpark will also receive an upgrade during this period. For more information about this project, please see correspondence sent to families HERE. 

Late last Term the Open Basketball teams celebrated their season at Republic Norwood with many students and families in attendance. This was the first time we had held a presentation night for the Open Basketball program, so it was exciting to see so much support for the event from the families. Awards were given to our Open A, B, C and D teams with our Most Valuable Players and Red and Black award winners being crowned on the night. Thank you to all players, parents, coaches and staff for their hard work and support this year. It was a fantastic atmosphere and a great event for all involved and we look forward to doing it again next year. A big thank you to the Development team for all their hard work in helping to organise this event. Congratulations to the award winners:

Congratulations to Year 12 border Jacob Newton who was invited to the 2024 AFL National Draft Combine in Melbourne over the school holidays. He participated in various tests, interviews and meetings in the hopes of being selected by an AFL team in this year’s draft in November. Good luck, Jacob!

At the end of Term 3, the Sports Association for Adelaide Schools (SAAS) celebrated its 2024 Summer and Winter seasons with an awards night, presenting team premiers from its Open A competitions, individual honours, and team of the year. Congratulations to Year 11 student Barnaby Wood who was named in the SAAS First XI Soccer team of the year alongside Jamie Lee who was named coach of the Year. Congratulations also to Year 11 student Alecs Zorzi who was named batsman and player of the year for the First XI Pool B Cricket competition. 

Congratulations to Year 9 Miles Fotheringham who after a recent successful National Water Polo Championships at the Gold Coast was one of only 28 players selected from across Australia for the 16 and Under National Age Group Program for 2025. This program is designed to prepare players through personal and skill development for opportunities to represent Australia on the world stage in the future.