Congratulations to the graduating Class of 2024! On Wednesday morning this week Years 10 to 12 students and the Year 12s’ families gathered in Purton Hall for a Eucharistic celebration led by Father Anthony Beltrame (’09) before moving to the front lawns for morning tea. The Year 12s’ final event as students was the Valedictory Dinner at the Adelaide Oval, where we took time to acknowledge and celebrate their achievements before they officially became Rostrevor’s newest Old Collegians.  

I hope their memories, friendships, learning and the connection they have to Rostrevor College will support them as they navigate the ups and downs of life after school. I hope the education that they have received during their years at Rostrevor, no matter how many, stays with them for a lifetime. While their time as a student officially ended on Wednesday, they will always have a place and warm welcome at Rostrevor, forever.  We wish all our Year 12s the very best as they now await their SACE results.   

On Tuesday it was an honour to launch the College’s first Reconciliation Action Plan. This was a wonderful time for sharing and celebrating our vision for Reconciliation and the actions of the working party in journeying towards Reconciliation as a community. Lead by the 2025 Prefects, our invited guests, staff and students were also welcomed to view the newly established First Nations Room in the Mackey building. Please view Rostrevor College’s Reconciliation Action Plan HERE.

Students joining Rostrevor in Years 8-12 next year came to their transition day on Monday, alongside some joining in Year 7 who were unable to attend last week’s Transition Day. Those joining as boarders stayed overnight at Duggan House to get a sense of their new home away from home, and to meet their new neighbours. I would like to extend a warm welcome to these students and their families and can’t wait to see them in their new uniforms at the 2025 Opening Ceremony!

Rostrevor’s Mid-Year Receptions and the classmates joining them at the beginning of next year had their final Little Rossi Learners session this morning. The boys have been meeting every Friday morning this term to get familiar with the faces and places of their new learning environment, ensuring they are set up to hit the ground running on day one of class in 2025. We can't wait to officially welcome Rostrevor's new Reception class next year! 

On Tuesday this week the Year 9/10 Italian students attended a Barista Basics course at Patio Coffee Roasters in Richmond. Liam taught the origins of coffee, the coffee industry in Australia and around the world, and the art of making coffee using an industrial coffee machine. Students were taught to make an espresso, ristretto, cappuccino, caffe latte, piccolo, macchiato, chai latte and hot chocolate. This course gave students a certificate which will enable them to apply for work in the hospitality industry. This opportunity also offers Italian language students a variety of pathways to use their knowledge of the Italian language.

The Year 7 Agriculture classes have been busy on the farm this term. They have been learning about different factors of plant production and have been growing radishes, trialling different fertiliser rates. This week both classes harvested a considerable yield of delicious radishes! The Year 7s have also been looking into poultry production and the poultry industry. They have been keeping track of our pullets here at school, whilst learning about reproduction, broiler and layer comparisons and different poultry housing systems. 

The 2023 Annuals have landed at Rostrevor! One Annual has been given to the eldest son of each of last year’s families by his PC/classroom teacher. If your family is yet to receive your Annual, please contact your son’s PC teacher.

A reminder to families that next week is the final week we are accepting donations for the Vinnie’s Christmas Appeal. To see a list of items each House is asked to donate, please see correspondence HERE. 

On Friday last week Rostrevor entered five teams into the School Sports SA Triathlon State Championship Teams event. The weather conditions were perfect with a cool breeze working to keep the temperatures lower than anticipated. Team '79' consisting of Ben Maher, Liam Underwood and Kalan Marzullo came second in the Senior Male category completing the course in a blistering 52:04. Our Intermediate team consisting of Dan McGuire-Coward, Ryan Underwood and Zac Seret came third in the Intermediate Boys category.  

All competitors represented the College to a high standard, demonstrating excellent sportsmanship throughout the day. Thanks must go to Sarah Catterwell for her organisation of the team, and Old Collegian Hugo Shute for assisting on the day and all parents who helped get the boys to and from the event. 

The Rostrevor Year 9/10 Knockout Cricket team secured a commanding win against Henley High School this week, posting a competitive 3/205 and restricting their opponents to 6/124. Archah Parisi delivered a standout performance with an unbeaten 119 runs off 96 balls, and Jacques Malan provided solid support with a quickfire 69 runs, laying the foundation for the team's success. Harvey Pearce excelled with the ball, taking three wickets for just 19 runs, supported by disciplined bowling from the rest of the attack. They now move forward to the Final of the Knockout competition on Thursday 28 November at the West Beach Playing Fields.