Reconciliation Week
At the Principal's Assembly today we launched National Reconciliation Week (NRW) which runs annually from 27 May to 3 June.  These dates mark two milestones in Australia's reconciliation journey: the 1967 referendum and the historic Mabo decision 27 years ago, respectively.  The referendum saw over 90% of Australians vote to give the Commonwealth the power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and to recognise these people in our national census. On 3 June we will mark the anniversary of the High Court of Australia's landmark Mabo decision, which legally recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a special relationship to the land - that existed prior to colonialisation and still exists today.

The theme for Reconciliation Week this year is 'Grounded in Truth, Walk together with Courage'. Sacred Trees are significant in Indigenous community laws and cultures and they also tie Indigenous Dreaming with the Church.  In line with this theme, we will be planting a tree on the northern lawn area alongside the Mackey Building.

Rostrevor will be celebrating NRW through a range of other activities planned for next week, including Reconciliation as a theme at House gatherings.  The week will culminate with the Mabo Football Match at lunchtime on Friday and a Bush BBQ for students.

Many thanks to Tania Garrand (Coordinator - Indigenous Education) and Adam Whitefield (Coordinator - Service Learning) for planning the many activities to celebrate NRW.

Academic Awards
At our Principal's Assembly we also acknowledged the academic achievement of Middle and Senior Year students as recipients of Palma Merenti Awards and collectively through every student's contribution to points for the House Academic Shield.

We acknowledge that not all students will attain the highest standards and that excellence is measured in different ways for each student.  Rather, it is the process, the aspiration, the diligence and improvement, which we also award, which underpins our academic pursuits.

The Rostrevor College Cycling Team had an incredible day at the Secondary School Sport SA State Cycling Championships. The event was held on Wednesday 8 May 2019 at Victoria Park Racecourse. Individually, there were some fantastic results which are listed below:

• Elliott Murada (Year 11) finished first and was therefore champion of the A Grade Division.
• Jack Rudolph (Year 10) finished first and was the champion cyclist in the C Grade Division. Charlie Haynes (Year 9) finished runner-up to Jack in the C Grade Division, meaning Rostrevor cyclists finished 1-2 in this division.
• Khye Madex-Hefford & Joshua Smith (Both Year 10) shared the spoils by finishing equal second in the D grade division.

Most importantly though, Rostrevor College finished a stunning first overall, making them the SSSSA State Cycling Champions for 2019. This caps off a sensational effort by the boys, who along with Mr Michael Vickery and Mr Tom Wiseman can often be seen scaling the challenging Norton Summit Road as part of the their after-school training program. This result is a just reward for the hard work, determination and commitment of all students and staff involved and we are incredibly proud of the way they represented themselves and also Rostrevor College.

In other Co-Curricular News:

•  Alex Corones (Year 6) won the First Junior Medal for Goolwa Surf Life Saving Club in the Surf Life Saving State Finals in March 2019. Alex has been a nipper at the club since he was 8 years of age and has competed in 3 seasons of competitions. He has progressed well in paddle boards and beach flags. Fantastic achievement by Alex and we wish him all the best for the future!

• Kyle Brazell (Year 12) and Samuel Rahaley (Year 11) who have been selected in the U/19 Australian Cricket World Cup Squad. They will compete in the U/19 World Cup in January 2020 in South Africa, facing countries from various parts of the world. Whilst it is a little way away, we are very excited for the boys and eagerly anticipate hearing of their involvement and hopefully many successes early next year.