Joshua Rahaley
Head Prefect

Dear College Community,

For the past several weeks the Prefects, in conjunction with the Senior Leadership Team and College Community, have been aspired to reinforce the idea of Rostrevor College as a place where everyone can succeed and be proud to attend.  In keeping with the 2019 theme, 'The Year of Legacy', the Prefects have reinstated the past initiative of PC morning clean-ups, where students (under the guidance of their House Captains and Teachers) spend a morning period cleaning up the grounds of the College to reiterate the significance of fostering, cultivating and nurturing our College's beautiful natural surrounds.

The Prefects have also made great progress with fundraising for our charity, Eddie Rice Camps, holding numerous barbecues for activities for such Boarders' Week and country casual day, which highlighted the importance of the comradery between boarders and day students.  To date, just under $2,500 has been raised for Eddie Rice Camps, who are facilitating a program on the College grounds during the first week of the school holidays involving the Prefects and some of our Year 11 and Year 12 students.

Stefan Lanzoni
Deputy Head Prefect

As we make our journey into the second half of the year, workloads, pressure and, for Year 12's, the uncertainty of the future, is certainly building up.  With so many activities going on within the school community, it's often very easy to be caught in the stress and confusion of looking ahead at what's to come.  However, as the term draws to a close, we continue to recognise the achievements so far.

Term 2 has been eventful to say the least.  We celebrated Eddie Rice Day with each Pastoral Care group assigned to running a cake stall, freshly made burgers, jumping castles and sporting activities, all of which proved to be popular.  Mabo Day was recognised within the school community with a contested footy match between our senior students, as well as a bush tucker barbecue hosted by our Indigenous students.

Cameron Taheny
Prefect - Head Boarder

As the end of Term 2 is looming in Duggan House, I would like to wish all members a safe journey home.

Much like last year, the leadership members in the Boarding House decided it would be a great idea to once again involve the Loreto boarders in celebrating Reconciliation Week at our High Tea on 27 May in the Pavilion.  We hope that this can become a tradition for many years to come, and plan to participate in some more activities with Loreto by year's end.

Our guest speaker for the evening was Aboriginal documentary filmmaker, Martin Pascoe.  Martin spoke to us about the importance of Reconciliation Week and what it means to him.  He also shared some of his knowledge regarding the Indigenous history in Australia and conversed about the Elders and Stolen Generation.

We were very fortunate to have Martin join us and we thank him for his time.  At this annual dinner we acknowledge a non-Indigenous boarder who displays care for the Indigenous boys within Duggan House with a Reconciliation Award.  We congratulate this year's winner, Ryan Lymn.

Luca Mazzeo
Prefect - Internal Services

Luca Mazzeo
Prefect - Internal Services
As we progress past the halfway mark of our most important year of schooling, we are delighted to report on the positive progress of our initiatives, as well as the implementation of additional endeavours which improve the welfare of students throughout the College.

As mentioned in our Term 1 Newsletter, the Prefects have been involved in daily tasks which support both staff and students across the College, whilst facilitating our immersion within the broader Rostrevor community.  These duties include assisting students with homework during Smart Work Sessions in the Equity Hub and supervising the Glen Stuart Road crossing after school.  We have also called upon the Year 12 House Vice-Captains to ensure that all duties are attended to and, after a successful semester, thanks must be given for their unfailing efforts.  Fortunately, our contributions have, in turn, provided positive feedback and we hope to continue providing support to all members of the College.

Daniel Carbone
Prefect - Community Activities

We have worked closely with Mr Ranaldo and other staff members to achieve something that hadn't been done before, 

Nathan McCarthy
Prefect - Social Justice Captain

Over the course of the term, the Social Justice team has been able to think and work on some very important issues in our community. We had lively and informative meetings where we discussed many of the Social Justice issues, not only in our own community but issues that affect our nation and our global community.  We talked about how we, as Christians, and 'men for others' in a Catholic School founded on the beliefs of charity by Edmund Rice, should respond.  We thought it would be a good idea to help some of the homeless people living on the streets by promoting and participating in Vinnies 'Lighten the Load' Campaign.  Our aim was to increase awareness of homelessness around us by encouraging our school community to donate clothing, toys, blankets, etc. to the cause.  This was a huge success with over twelve bins being filled with goods that can be used by those who are not as fortunate as us.

This demonstrates how every one of us can make a difference to the lives of others.  Even a small donation of something that we no longer use might potentially have a big impact on another person's life.  As the leader of the Social Justice team, I strongly encourage everyone to reflect on small things that they can do which might make a bigger impact on others. In the current age when the media constantly bombards us with stories of huge global problems that we feel powerless to change, we need to think about the small things that we, as Christians, can do for others.

Kyle Brazell
Prefect - Barron House Captain

Throughout a busy Term 2 period, Barron students have worked diligently to progressively improve our position on the Academic Shield, which is a pleasing result for the House, depicting some of the great effort and hard work shown. This was reflected by many boys receiving academic awards ranging from Christian Brother to Palma Merenti Awards. Personally, I would like to commend all the boys on their effort this term and hope this can continue throughout the exam period and into Term 3.

With winter fast approaching, the Barron community turn our sights into helping several charities to aid the homeless and less fortunate.  We recently had a prolific involvement in the St Vinnie's Jumper and Rug Donations, which aimed to provide clothing and warmth for those struggling to acquire the basic necessities of life.  This will be a significant focus for Barron House students in Term 3, to ultimately spread the word about this prominent issue.

Jamie Signorello
Prefect - Egan House Captain

Egan House has continued to leave a legacy and maintain a strong ethos in Term 2.  The 'Lighten the Load' campaign, in conjunction with the Social Justice team, has been a highlight.  In summary, the campaign targeted the entire Rostrevor College Community students, parents, staff and relatives to bring in unwanted clothes, toys, games, books, CDs and DVDs. This campaign has allowed us to step up as young leaders and follow in the footsteps of Jesus and Edmund Rice who committed their lives to the service of others.  As a result, the bar was set really high with two rounds of six bins being filled and the campaign published in both the Messenger and the Southern Cross. By 'lightening the load' and clutter of our wardrobes and homes, we have helped to provide Vinnies Stores with a key source of income to assist them to 'lighten the load' of the 1.3 million Australians directly supported each year.  I must thank Mr Whitefield, Mr Hodkinson, Mrs Craig, Nathan McCarthy, the Social Justice team and Egan House staff and students for supporting this campaign.

Jack Myers
Prefect - Gurr House Captain

I am pleased to report on the success of Gurr House throughout the first half of 2019.  With winter beginning to set in, Gurr partnered with Egan and the Social Justice Group in the Vinnie's 'Lighten the Load' Campaign.  I extend my thanks to all of those who donated blankets and warm clothing which will be greatly appreciated by the homeless throughout winter.

In addition to our fundraising initiatives, Gurr achieved great success in our academic pursuits throughout Term 1.

Jake Tatarelli
Prefect - Murphy House Captain

Term 2 for Murphy House has rounded off the first semester positively and has us looking forward to the remainder of the year. We began the term recognising the academic efforts of the boys throughout Term 1, with a considerable number achieving Palma Merenti, Principal's and Christian Brother Awards. It was especially pleasing to see five of our Year 12's achieving Grade Point Averages above 90, which is a testament to their hard work so far this year.  I encourage boys in all year levels to continue aiming for improvement and to achieve their personal goals in their academic endeavours as the year progresses, using their GPA as an indicator of their progress.

At this term's Murphy House gatherings in the Kelty, we celebrated the co-curricular successes of boys who participated in triathlons, athletics and a number of other team sports.

Lewis Pipe
Prefect - O'Brien House Captain

Throughout Term 2, members of O'Brien House have focused on discovering ways in which they can excel in their schooling at Rostrevor.  With the retention of the lead for the 'illustrious' House Academic Shield as described by last year's House Captain, Patrick Russo, the O'Brien Lions have shown a great deal of enthusiasm towards ways in which they can improve their results in the classroom.

Jack Reginato
Prefect - Webb House Captain

Term 2 has been full of enjoyment and excitement for members of Webb House with the commencement of the Winter Co-Curricular Program.  It is great to see so many students participating and representing the College in their respective sport.  We are now all eagerly awaiting the Intercol against Sacred Heart College next term. Let's encourage all students to support and get behind the Red and Black for this annual event.

As mid-year exams approach for our Year 12 students, it will be a mentally challenging time, however I know we will all strive to achieve our best and give 100% effort towards our studies. During this 'Year of Legacy', all students are encouraged to create a positive impact.

Just like that, our Term 2 Co-Curricular 'season' has concluded, leaving an abundance of everlasting memories in its wake.  Incredibly, we now only have 3-4 fixtures remaining for almost all Co-Curricular teams in Term 3 and they will likely come and go in a hurry.

I'd like to take this opportunity to offer a sincere thank you to every single person involved in the Co-Curricular Program across Term 2.  Coaches, staff members, umpires, students, parents and supporters all play a vital role in the energy and atmosphere present during all our activities.  From the parents who assist in set-up and pack up and the incredible team behind the famous 'Rostrevor Kiosk', to all the individuals who continuously gave their time to the organisation and functioning of various events, please know your involvement is very much appreciated.

To those of you who have continuously supported our expectations and encouraged our boys to consistently meet these standards, I cannot thank you enough.  The rules, foundations and levels of accountability that exist on the 'inside' of any program are far more important than the results or performances that are witnessed from the 'outside'.  We can never take full responsibility for the way in which many of our young men present themselves in Co-Curricular competitions and are very grateful to those who have sacrificed so much to set a phenomenal example for their children.

The tireless and meticulous work of our Rostrevor Grounds and Maintenance Team should also be acknowledged.  Whilst we have been somewhat fortunate with the weather thus far, nearly all of our pitches, ovals and venues are in exceptional condition and are a terrific representation of our programs.  I'm sure those who have spent some time at Rostrevor College for any fixture would agree wholeheartedly.  As always, we are endeavouring to improve our facilities; whether that be an obvious improvement or even refining 'the little things' that might go unnoticed by some.