Volume 8, 2024

This week I was prompted to consider the changes that have occurred since the early days of Rosebank’s foundation. Two recordings prompted this reflection. The first is a video created by our Communications and Engagement team that celebrates the early Sisters of the Good Samaritan and the significance of our Rosebank cemetery at the centre of our College. The video is beautifully narrated by our College archivist, Robert Beazley. The College is described as providing protection for young women who, without skills, could never survive. Education was a gift, a privilege. How much voice the graduates had in society is questionable, but the sisters ensured that young women felt valued and equipped for a future. 

The second recording is of our own Sophia Maniaci, a young Rosebank woman, who was in the audience of last Monday’s edition of Q&A (Sophia’s piece runs from 34.18 - 41.13 min). The opportunity was brought to her through Rosebank but it is the question of Reconciliation she posed to panellist Deborah Cheetham Fraillon (performer, composer, academic and human rights advocate) that provoked a response that in itself has become an ABC highlight on their website. 

You are in Year 10. You know more about the history of this country than any generation before you. Certainly, you know a lot more than I knew about my own people when I was in Year 10. It places a great burden on your shoulders, but it’s never too early to start conversations with your friends about what Reconciliation means to Indigenous and Non-indigenous people that it is not just a one-way street of opportunity for Indigenous Australians; that it is an opportunity for all Australians to come to terms with our past and to build the kind of future that we want to pass on to our children, one in which we have a deep and abiding connection to this land that we live on, and one in which we finally understand that we belong to this land.

We are very proud of our past as well as the future that Sophia represents.

Ministry Reflection 
On Friday, 31 May - the last day of Autumn - we celebrated the feast of The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Gospel of Saint Luke recounts this beautiful moment, Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth and the moment that Mary’s greeting is heard, Elizabeth’s child - in the womb - jumps for joy and Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit proclaims;

‘Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’ 

What a beautiful and honest proclamation by Elizabeth, that Mary who believed in the fulfillment of God’s promise is blessed! However, what is possibly more beautiful is the response by Mary. 

‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God my saviour; because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid. Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me. 

Mary’s response is to give praise to God. She doesn’t take the credit for her circumstances, but points to the Lord God as the one who has exalted her. Mary’s response provides us with a perfect example of how we are to respond in our successes, that ‘in all things’ we give the glory to God. So, as we navigate the challenges of each day, take a moment to give thanks to God for the good things and success we have - especially the little things. The example set in this passage by two remarkable women should help remind us that our experiences are there to be enjoyed!

Winter Sleep Out 2024 

In just under two weeks time, students and staff will be sleeping rough for a night at the College. This initiative helps build awareness of the challenges faced by people on the streets of Sydney each night. Students participating will hear from a member of Streetheart about the work they do and how we can better respect and assist people who are experiencing homelessness. There is limited space available, please see the correspondence from the College or contact Mr Hansford for more information.

Archdiocese of Sydney at the Sydney Catholic Schools Evangelisation Day 

Rosebank students have been invited to join students from across the Archdiocese of Sydney at the Sydney Catholic Schools Evangelisation Day. The event will be held on Wednesday, 26 June at Trinity Catholic College, Auburn. The theme for the day is “We journey together as joyful witnesses to hope.” It will be a day filled with music, prayer, activities and talks from a variety of speakers. Further details regarding the sign up for this event will be available in the upcoming week from Miss Azzi.



Vinnies Winter Appeal

Every year the College supports the Vinnies Winter Appeal through the collection of blankets, beanies, gloves and scarves. Social Justice Leaders for each House will be visiting Homerooms to drive awareness of how each member of our community can assist those in need. You can help by:

• Purchasing blankets, beanies, gloves and/or scarves. 
• Speaking with family and friends about getting a group donation together.  

Each item will be distributed by St Vincent De Paul to those most in need this winter. For those of the College who have participated in Vinnies Night Patrol, we have seen first hand the difference these items can make to those living on or below the poverty line. We thank you in advance for your support of this important initiative.

SCS Sydney Cross Country Championships
On Wednesday, 22 May, a team of 61 students competed at the Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) Cross Country Sydney Championships. A phenomenal day of excellent racing saw Rosebank rise to the top. A special congratulations to Claudia Peterie (18 girls) and Joshua Bartle (13 boys) who placed first overall and in the Conference, breaking their age group record. This is an incredible achievement and is a credit to their hard work and dedication. Claudia finished the race well ahead of the next competitor, demonstrating her dominance in her age group. Joshua was pushed all the way by fellow Rosebank student Jaden Kane, proving that we are in very good hands for the years to come.

A special congratulations to the following students who placed overall or placed in Conference 2. We wish the nine students who qualified for the NSWCCC Cross Country Championships the best of luck in their preparations. 

• Victoria Hatzivasiliou - 2nd in Conference, 7th overall, qualified for NSWCCC Championships
• Raquel Boswel - 1st in Conference, 6th overall, qualified for NSWCCC Championships
• Katia Reichle - 3rd in Conference, 17th overall
• Amelie Rimondi - 6th in Conference and overall, qualified for NSWCCC Championships
• Amelie Wardle - 2nd in Conference, 12th overall, qualified for NSWCCC Championships
• Xavier Gibbs - 2nd in Conference, 15th overall
• Claudia Peterie - 1st in Conference and overall, qualified for NSWCCC Championships
• Joshua Bartle - 1st in Conference and overall, qualified for NSWCCC Championships
• Jaden Kane - 2nd in Conference and overall, qualified for NSWCCC Championships
• Andrew Taw - 2nd in Conference
• Jake Lapi - 1st in Conference, 13th overall
• Amia Kolman - 1st in Conference, 3rd overall, qualified for NSWCCC Championships
• Angelina Ninkovic - 2nd in Conference, 8th overall, qualified for NSWCCC Championships

NSWCCC Team Selections
A massive congratulations to Dylan Ulbrich (Year 8, Caulfield) and Nate ToelleAtkinson (Year 11, Adamson) who were selected into the NSWCCC team for their respective sports. Dylan was selected into the NSWCCC Boys 15s Hockey team and Nate into the NSWCCC Opens Water Polo team. It’s incredibly difficult to be selected into a NSWCCC team and we are very proud of both students on this wonderful achievement. We look forward to supporting them as they prepare for the NSW All Schools Championships.

A New Record Falls!
Asha Ring (Year 10, Delaney) represented NSWCCC at the NSW All Schools Swimming Championships on Thursday, 30 May and Friday, 31 May at Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush. Asha started off the competition in red hot form, breaking the Girls 16 Years & Over 100m Freestyle record. Congratulations Asha!

Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award
Congratulations to the following students who have recently completed their Bronze Duke of Ed Award, what a fantastic achievement! Erica Carbone, Niall Clark, Brendan Lam, Ignatius Larkin, Ruby Schafer.

Netball Umpiring Success
Congratulations to Olivia Gimenez (Year 9) who was recently awarded her National C Netball Umpiring Badge. This is a huge achievement and is a direct reflection of the dedication and hard work that she has put into her umpiring over the past few years.

Olivia started umpiring as part of the Rosebank Netball Club Umpiring Program and continued to progress her way up the umpiring pathway to now achieve her National C Umpiring Badge. Well done and congratulations Olivia!

One of the highlights of the last fortnight has been accompanying a group of 37 students to one of the Sydney Writers’ Festival School Days at The Concourse in Chatswood. Observing the intensity of the students focus on the information generously given to students by the four presenting authors; Jack Heath, Elizabeth Acevedo, Graham Akhurst and C.S. Pacat, and seeing the enthusiasm with which many of them leapt up to ask questions when given the opportunity, really reinforced to me the depth of the writing culture at the College. Many thanks to Mr Gil Balfas who supported the supervision of students at the day. Below are some student reflections about their experiences.

There are also student reflections on the Da Vinci Decathlon competition day for Years 7 and 8, and a reflection on an activity new to the College and offered to us via the Burwood Rotary Club. The RYPEN (Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment) camp held at the Teen Ranch in Cobbitty, is an opportunity designed to support Year 10 students with enhancing natural leadership abilities, strengthening team building capabilities, improving confidence and friendship making skills and increasing self-esteem to help smooth the transition through adolescence.

RYPEN

James and I attended the rotary sponsored RYPEN camp. I can say with all my heart that my experience was nothing short of incredible, the people were amazing, and the memories will stay with me the rest of my life. I challenged myself through certain activities and used team building skills I learned to create a team, chant, poster and name for our colour group. We had some amazing camp leaders and personally I think my team leader was the best. His name was Joyce and he was the nicest and most caring leader.

Some of the activities we had the opportunity to go on were a high ropes course which was about 10 metres in the air and consisted of an obstacle course testing balance, rock climbing and coordination. We also had a giant swing where you could go 15m into the air and pull a string to get absolutely sent flying.

The best experience was the campfire, we had marshmallows and some treats, playing songs and enjoying the late-night fire and the music, it was the best purely because everyone had the opportunity to request a song and dance to it, it truly was a get ‘what you give is what you get’ situation and everyone gave their all by singing the chorus’ to songs. One of the saddest parts of the camp was leaving especially since we all started connecting on the last night we had with each other. One of the many skills we were taught was about positive headspaces and growth mindsets, these are about finding the best possible outcomes in some situations. Overall, it was an amazing experience, and I couldn’t have been luckier to meet the people I did. 
- Adriano (Tino) Sorrentino (Year 10)

Photo: James (far left) and Adriano (second from the right).

After participating in the RYPEN camp I have made new friends as well as gaining new skills such as thinking on the spot, overcoming fear and becoming a more approachable person. These are just a few of the skills I have learned. I have also learned how to express myself and my feelings on certain matters.

Some challenges I have faced these past days, are overcoming my fear of heights, and worrying about what people think of me as a person. I have noticed that I have grown closer to my peers and my environment. I have also gained a certain ability to ascertain how people feel towards others and myself. The most important thing I have learned is who I am and what the things I truly enjoy are. The event I have participated in was a wonderful experience and I recommend joining so you may gain more knowledge whether it be about yourself or about one you deem as a friend.
- James Hillsley (Year 10)

There is another possible opportunity to attend RYPEN in August, to be held at Telford in the Royal National Park. Interested students should contact the Ms McArthur via email.

Da Vinci Decathlon

The state finals of the Da Vinci decathlon were held in mid-May, with just under 300 teams of eight, Year 7 or 8 students from various schools across the state, in attendance.

Year 7 Team


There was a range of 10 activities offered to us at Da Vinci Decathlon at Knox Grammar school. Most of them were academic but others were more about creativity, such as Creative Producers. This required two to three people from our team of eight, to participate, with the performance criteria and eight minutes to plan and rehearse our one-minute act. 

This year’s Creative Producers challenge was Utopia to Dystopia. We had to create a performance showing someone who lived in a Utopian world and discovered that it was fake and entered a Dystopian world. Ours depicted a man who woke up into a world that looked like his own, but soon strange events occurred that slowly became odder as the day carried on. In no time at all, he seemed to wake up in the situation he was in before. 

In the engineering contest we had to create a theme park ride using two paper plates, four straws, some paddle pop sticks and paper. Ours was based on a carousel. It had four straws as legs that connected to a paper plate. Stuck to it was a bridge of paddle pop sticks that connected to the main part of the ride; the top paper plate was where people hung on. Our team came 7th in this challenge. Overall, it was a challenging experience that everyone enjoyed.
- Jack Brierty and Alexandra Yeates

LtoR: Top: Keighley B, Sophie O, Kiera Y, Imogen Y, Faye L, Lucas C, Lucas R, Peter S, Bottom: Michael O, Jack B, Seoa K, Alex Y, Oliver F, TheoT, Alex W, Ivan W.

Year 8 Team
In the first session our team went in optimistically. We were situated in a large hall with all the other schools, and everyone was excited to begin the decathlon. After the headmaster of Knox welcome, we received the papers and officially began the decathlon. The disciplines featured in this session were English, Science and Codebreaking. We had 1 hour and 30 min to complete these subjects. Sounds like a lot of time, right? Let me tell you that as soon as we opened the envelopes containing our papers we immediately descended into chaos, sheets of paper everywhere and everyone scrambling about to complete their given task. From this chaos we learnt a very valuable lesson that we would need to use in the coming sessions. Organisation, teamwork and communication are the most important things in a competition like this, even more important than individual ability. As we began nearing the end of the session, everyone became really focused and we made lots of progress even in the last few minutes of the session. We had completed the majority of the English and Codebreaking but didn’t complete the Science paper this was an important learning experience for our team. In conclusion, while we weren’t the most successful in completing the papers we did acquire knowledge that would help us greatly in the rest of the competition.

An interesting thing about this competition was that they awarded schools for the best and most creative table drawings. Though it may sound odd, each school had a black tablecloth on their table and the whole point of this was so that we could be creative and go crazy and draw with the provided oil pastels, markers, and anything really. I think this was a fun addition to the competition that helped us have a bit of fun and small respite during the long sessions.

In Session 2, the subjects featured were Mathematics, Engineering, Cartography, and Arts and Poetry. Unlike Session 1, the papers were due at different times and our creative production (similar to TheatreSports) was near the start of this session. We only had 45 minutes to complete the Art and Poetry section, which may seem like lots of time, but we had the Creative Produces to present, and we still needed to complete the three other papers in time. We split the papers up evenly between one to two people this time, learning from our mistakes in Session 1, where we ripped the papers and spread them around, causing a fair bit of confusion. This worked a lot better as we were less prone to getting distracted by each other. I was working on the poetry part of the arts and poetry, and we finished on time, which had us in a productive mood to continue working. The Mathematics paper was practically finished, although Engineering project was due 15 minutes after the Arts and Poetry project. We all tried to help finish the Engineering project, while also helping with the Cartography paper, on which hadn’t made much progress. After submitting our Engineering project, since we only had Mathematics (which was finished) and Cartography, it was a lot calmer. I helped with some maths questions, on a tedious and time-consuming problem, and the other half of the time was working on the Cartography challenge.

The third and last session was about Leonardo Da Vinci's legacy, other important people and inventions. Contrary to the prior sessions we only had 30 minutes to do this paper, but there were proportionately less questions to answer. It required us to name people such as Greta Thunberg, Martin Luther King Jr., Bill Gates and other significant figures. Inventions such as artificial intelligence, printing and vaccines.

Obviously, we had continued to doodle and draw on the tablecloth to give us some mental breaks, and overall, it was a great experience to challenge ourselves academically, meet students from other schools and have an amazing time at this wonderful opportunity.

In conclusion, this day was a good opportunity for anyone involved and I would definitely recommend this experience to anyone who wants fun day and experience some serious intellectual challenge. 
- Imogen Yaw and Lucas Chu

Sydney Writers’ Festival

The Sydney Writers’ Festival is one of the most popular excursions in the InspirED booklet. This year we were able to take everyone who expressed interest in attending. Unfortunately, Years 9 and 10 were in the midst of their examination block and thus, unable to attend.

The air filled with anticipation in the hall as we eagerly awaited the authors. We were presented with four speakers that day, but I had two particular authors that stood out to me. The first speaker was a man named Jack Heath, and he told us his amazing experience of meeting his favourite author, Jackie French, when he was a primary school student and how that opened his mind to the possibility of a career writing books. Through jokes, he gave us plenty of advice about how to become a great writer and editor. Another speaker named Elizabeth Acevendo who travelled from New York to be at the Sydney Writers’ Festival, talked to us about her journey through discrimination and storytelling to become the voice for her culture. Her incredible stories and poems inspired us to trying branching out and discovering new ways of reading and writing. 
- Gemma Russell (Year 8)

The Sydney Writers’ Festival was a great event to experience with four amazing and inspirational authors. Personally, I learnt many great ways to achieve goals and how to become a better writer. The most interesting thing I learned was that the successful authors that were presenting actually had many low points in their career when they had writer’s block, books that didn’t sell and people who weren’t interested in their writing. I found the author Jack Heath the most inspiring as the second, third, fourth and fifth books he wrote failed to sell but he persevered and became a successful writer now with 40 well-known books published today, some translated into languages other than English. 
- Max Molony (Year 7)



I found it an intriguing experience to go to the Sydney Writers Festival. All of the authors were really interesting, and it was cool to see how different authors write their books. It was surprising to me that it takes so long to write a book, with all the editing and rewriting required. After that it takes a year or more to publish it before it is on the shelf for us to buy. I really liked Elizabeth Acevedo because she was very confident and passionate about her writing and she performed a great spoken word poem that was an ode to rats. Overall, I really enjoyed and benefited from the day, and would love to go again next year. 
- Zoe Buttigieg (Year 7)

The Writer’s Festival was a wonderful experience for me personally, as it helped me gain a grasp on what writers like the authors that spoke on the day really think about their works and respective journeys. The advice given by these talented authors helped me as an amateur writer, and many others in the crowd to understand what feels right and wrong in a story. I bought a copy of Jack Heath’s If You Tell Anyone, You’re Next, and asked him to autograph it, It’s a great read. It mixes mystery and horror in a perfect way. Personally, I had quite a fun time at the Sydney Writers Festival, and I hope to return. 
- Christian Bitar (Year 8)

For me, the highlight of the Sydney Writers Festival was listening to the panel of four authors share their experiences as authors, the writing of their first books and the process of writing books, and how they are able to integrate a small part of themselves into what they write. All the authors were engaging in their own ways, but Elizabeth Acevedo and Jack Health were the authors that stood out to me the most. They were easily able to captivate the audience with humour, in the way they spoke and the clear passion they had for their jobs. Elizabeth performed her ‘Ode to the Rat’ explaining how it came into being. We worked through a small workshop with Jack by the end of which, we had changed every word of the initial sentence. At the end of each talking session, attendees were able to ask questions of the authors. During the break, we were able to purchase books and have them signed by the author. Overall, the writers’ festival experience was an enjoyable, educational and inspiring opportunity for like-minded individuals who are passionate about writing, want to learn about what it is like to be an author and find a source of inspiration. 
- Sofia Munoz-Montiel (Year 8)

SRSC book of the month

The Museum of Broken Things by Lauren Draper, 2022


Click on the cover image to borrow from the SRSC now!

Themes: coming of age, friendship, family, first love, grief, guilt.

I just adored this book! I fell in love with the characters and their sass - such believable teen voices.

Set in a coastal Australian town in the present day, seventeen-year-old Reece is new to the town and, along with the challenges of making new friends and crushing on a guy she embarrassed herself in front of, she is grieving after the loss of her grandmother, and dealing with the terrible event she moved towns for in the first place.

Being a book nerd, I loved all the imagery of old books, libraries, book shops and antique shops.

A stunning debut which I would recommend for all ages 13 and up. Ms Leal in the Art Department recently borrowed it and loved it too. The SRSC has it available as a physical book and as an ebook.

Ms M Gyi, Library Assistant

National Reconciliation Week in the SRSC

Please check out our recommended reading list of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander books currently on display at the SRSC for National Reconciliation Week!

On Saturday, 18 May, sixteen members of the Rosebank Class of 1969 braved the rain to gather at The Little Snail restaurant in Pyrmont. The reunion was a heart-warming afternoon filled with laughter, reminiscing and catching up.

Old classmates reconnected over a delicious lunch, sharing stories from their school days and updates on their lives. The atmosphere was lively, with fond memories and old photos sparking joy and laughter.

The event was so enjoyable that many suggested making it a regular occurrence. Plans are already in motion for biennial reunions, ensuring these cherished connections continue to thrive.

The Rosebank Class of 1969 reunion was a testament to enduring friendships and the joy of reconnecting, proving that no matter how many years pass, the bonds formed in school remain strong.

Please contact alumni@rosebank.nsw.edu.au if you would like support in promoting your class reunion.