At the fore of everything we do at Rostrevor is learning. We learn our coursework, we learn what it means to be a good person and a good friend, and we learn how we can use this knowledge to make a difference in the lives of others. It is therefore always important to celebrate the learners who consistently reach their personal best across their education.  

Today, we took time to acknowledge the hard-working and high-achieving learners who demonstrate their commitment to their education at the Academic Assembly. I would like to not only congratulate all those students who received an award this morning, but also all those students who decide every day to try their best and are achieving their personal goals.  

Year 11 Retreats were held at Aldinga and the Woodhouse Adventure Park with the theme ‘Called to find my own path’ this week. Students spent time reflecting on the influences and events that have led them to this moment - their road in life. They were challenged to ‘Take 20’, a time of quiet contemplation without being online or looking to be entertained. The boys also enjoyed trust building activities and the opportunity to affirm and get to know each other and their teachers outside of the classroom. Retreats offer a unique experience that challenges students to reflect more deeply about who they are and who they want to be as valuable members of our community. 

Retreat is a time for renewal and regeneration of mind, spirit and body. It is a time where we look closely and reflect on our thoughts, feelings and beliefs that we have as well as our motivations for what we are, have and will do in the future. Knowing more about ourselves and how we function gives us the power to think and act more positively. 

Rostrevor’s Reception class celebrated being ‘100 Days Smarter’ on Monday as they reached their 100th day of school. They celebrated by dressing up as 100-year-olds, bringing in 100 things for show and tell, making fairy bread with 100’s & 1000’s and making special 100 Days Smarter crowns. 

On Tuesday this week the Year 9-12 Italian Language students attended an Italian Immersion excursion to the Piazza della Vale in McLaren Vale, a courtyard dedicated to migrants from Italy and their contribution to wine making and locally grown produce. They then attended a two-hour cooking class at the Santopalato Cooking School in Aldinga, where they learnt the art of pasta making, creating ravioli, fettucine, tortellini, farfalle, orecchiette, and gnocchi. They feasted on a lunch of homemade fettucine with Bolognese sauce and freshly filled ricotta and choc-chip cannoli. 

As the world stops to watch and cheer on their country’s athletes this year, I thought it would be a great opportunity for our community to reflect on Rostrevor’s very own recent Olympians. Two Old Collegians have represented Australia in the men’s Volleyball team in recent history: Travis Moran (’03) in 2004 and Harrison Peacock (’07) in 2012, with Harrison being the Captain of Australia’s 2012 Olympic team. Both athletes were coached by current PE teacher Glen Urbani during their schooling years. While neither team medalled, being selected to represent Australia and being among only 12 teams who qualified from across the world for the games is a monumental achievement!

This year Rostrevor College is partnering with Kieser; a physiotherapy, strength and exercise physiology organisation which combines a hands-on approach with personalised, targeted strength training under the expert guidance of exercise scientists. They work to help people with existing injuries or who aim to improve their overall physical performance to reach personal goals. Students in Rostrevor’s First XI Soccer, First XVIII Football and First V Basketball teams have benefited from a pre-season injury prevention and strength screening session, with all Rostrevor students, staff and families having access to discounted services at Kieser’s Norwood clinic. We are excited about this partnership moving forward with the benefits it will bring to our co-curricular players and our community. 

In support of Australians affected by breast cancer, School Sport Associations have scheduled Pink Round into our sports fixture calendars for all matches this week. We encourage players, officials, supervisors, and spectators to wear pink during this round, as an act of solidarity to raise breast cancer awareness, generate discussion encouraging breast screening and show support for the 20,000+ people diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia every year.