Ruyton Girls' School

Infobox Aust school private
name = Ruyton Girls' School


motto = " _la. Recte et Fideliter"
(Latin:"Upright and Faithful")
established = 1878
type = Independent, Single-sex, Day school
denomination = Non-denominational
slogan =
key_people = Mrs. Carolyn Anderson (Principal)
Ms. Prue Digby (Chairman)
fees = AU$11,220–18,660 p.acite web |url=http://www.ruyton.vic.edu.au/__data/page/600/Fees20for20Website202008(1).xls |title=Tuition Fees 2008 |accessdate=2008-02-25 |format=xls |work=Enrolment |publisher=Ruyton Girls' School]
city = Kew
state = Victoria
country = Australia flagicon|Australia
coordinates = coord|37|48|41|S|145|2|21|E|display=inline,title
enrolment = ~750 (P–12)
num_employ =
revenue =
colours = Navy Blue and Gold color box|#000080color box|#FFD700
homepage = [http://www.ruyton.vic.edu.au www.ruyton.vic.edu.au]

Ruyton Girls' School (commonly referred to simply as Ruyton), is a non-denominational, independent, day school for girls, located in the inner-eastern Melbourne suburb of Kew, Victoria, Australia.

Ruyton was established in 1879 by its first Principal, Charlotte Anderson. Its motto is "Recte et Fideliter" meaning "Upright and Faithful", which is also the name of the school song. Ruyton caters for approximately 750 students from three-year-old Kindergarten and Pre-Prep, to Year 12, with boys in Kindergarten and Pre-Prep.

The school is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA),cite web |url=http://www.ahisa.com.au/Display.aspx?tabid=3245 |title=Victoria |accessdate=2008-05-27 |year =2008 |work=School Directory |publisher=Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia] the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA),cite web
url = http://www.jshaa.asn.au/victoria/directory/index.asp|title = JSHAA Victorian Directory of Members|accessdate = 2008-05-27|year = 2007|work = Victoria Branch|publisher = Junior School Heads' Association of Australia] the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia (AGSA),cite web|url = http://www.agsa.org.au/members.php?PageID=11&Alpha=R|title = Member Schools|accessdate = 2008-05-27|last = Butler|first = Jan|year = 2006|work = Members|publisher = The Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia] the Association of Independent Schools of Victoria (AISV),cite web|url = http://services.ais.vic.edu.au/ebiz/customerservice/schooldetails.aspx?ID=142|title = Ruyton Girls' School |accessdate = 2008-05-27|year = 2007|work = Find a School|publisher = Association of Independent Schools of Victoria] and is a founding member of Girls Sport Victoria (GSV).cite web
url = http://www.gsv.vic.edu.au/profile/member.html|title = Member Schools|accessdate = 2008-05-27|last = Mawkes|first = Leonie |year = 2005|work = Profile|publisher = Girls Sport Victoria]

Curriculum

Ruyton offers students the Victorian Certificate of Education program, as well as the Vocational Education Training (VET) course.

Co-curriculum

The school offers co-curricular activities such as sport, music, drama and debating. Ruyton is involved regularly in intra- and inter-school activities, competitions and events, including the Debaters Association Victoria (DAV) debating programme, Girls Sport Victoria (GSV) sporting carnivals, the Tournament of Minds (TOM) cross-curricular competition, the Alliance Française French speaking, reading and writing competitions, the Boroondara Literary Award, an extensive range of academic competitions and honours and the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Ruyton also hosts the inter-school Performing Arts House Festival (PAHF), the Alan Patterson Prize for Public Speaking, the Isobelle Carmody Award for Literature and the annual Twilight Concert, which hosts famous Australian popular or jazz musicians.

External programmes

In Years 11 and 12, students of Ruyton may study their chosen courses with students from the nearby boys’ school Trinity Grammar. These classes are shared between Ruyton and Trinity. The two schools also collaborate in the annual Trinity-Ruyton musical. Ruyton also performs plays with the Scotch College, Melbourne.

Another of Ruyton's features is its International Programme, providing international opportunities and student exchange visits through the Sister School Network, a regime created in 1989, that has expanded over the years to include 16 schools throughout Canada, China, New Zealand, United States of America, United Kingdom, France and South Africa.

An Expanding Horizons Programme is run for each year level from Year Three to Year Eleven. The programme consists of an educational and challenging camp, which visits various parts of Australia, depending on the year level. Camps such as ski camp, surf camp, a political journey to Australia's capital Canberra and a two-week camping tour of Australia's Northern Territory are included in the programme.

House system

As with most Australian schools, Ruyton utilises a house system. Girls from Year 3 to Year 12 are divided into four houses, each named after a former Principal of Ruyton - Anderson (Red), Bromby (Navy), Daniell (Sky Blue), and Lascelles (White).

The houses are primarily sporting houses, competing annually in athletics, swimming and cross-country carnivals. They are also involved in inter-house debating and performing arts (PAHF) festivals.

Associated Schools

Ruyton's brother school is Trinity Grammar in Kew. At VCE level, they conduct co-educational classes, and also perform drama productions (such as 2008's Oliver) together. Girls also may go to Trinity for classes, and vice versa.

Alumni

Alumni of Ruyton Girls' School are known as Old Girls or Old Ruytonians, and may elect to join the school's alumni association, the Old Ruytonians' Association (ORA). The Association was founded in 1908, as a way of keeping former students in contact with each other and the School, through social and sporting activities. The current membership of the ORA exceeds 1,300.cite web|url= http://www.ruyton.vic.edu.au/old_girls/constitution_and_aims|title= Old Ruytonian’s Association|accessdate= 2008-05-27|year= 2008|work= Old Girls|publisher= Ruyton Girls' School]
*Dame Zara Bate DBE – Fashion designer and wife of former Prime Minister Harold Holt (also attended Toorak College, Mt Eliza)cite encyclopedia | last = Heywood | first = Anne | encyclopedia =Australian Women Biographical entry | title = Bate, Zara Kate (1909 - 1989)| url = http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/IMP0036b.htm | accessdate = 2008-02-01 | edition = Online | year = 2002 | publisher = National Foundation for Australian Women | location = Melbourne]
*Judith Mavis Durham OAM – Singer, Actress, Composer, Pianist and Author; Former lead singer for the popular folk music group "The Seekers" (also attended The Fahan School)cite encyclopedia| editor = Suzannah Pearce| encyclopedia = Who's Who in Australia Live!| title = DURHAM Judith Mavis| accessdate = 2007-10-04| date = 2006-11-17| year = 2007| publisher = Crown Content Pty Ltd| location = North Melbourne, Vic]
*Michelle Grattan AO – Political reporter for "The Age"cite news| first = Jonathan| last = Green | title = Famous alumni on Latham's hit list| url = http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20060614-Famous-alumni-on-Lathams-hit-list.html| work = Politics| publisher = Crikey| date = 2005-03-30| accessdate = 2007-08-06]
*Ellen Mary Kent-Hughes – Medical practitioner and Alderman [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A150007b.htm?hilite=ruyton Australian Dictionary of Biography: Kent Hughes, Ellen Mary (1893 - 1979)] (accessed:27-07-2007)]
*Mabel Mary Hailes Lush – Influential educator [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A150170b.htm?hilite=ruyton Australian Dictionary of Biography: Lush, Mabel Mary Hailes (1881 - 1958)] (accessed:27-07-2007)]
*Fay Marles – Former chancellor of the University of Melbourne, and former member or the Equal Opportunity Board
*Jean Eileen (Jane) Muntz – First nursing adviser to the Victorian minister of health; Co-founder and fellow of the College of Nursing, Australia [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A150512b.htm?hilite=ruyton Australian Dictionary of Biography: Muntz, Jean Eileen (Jane) (1903 - 1969)] (accessed:27-07-2007)]
*Lilian Avis Scantlebury – Red Cross worker [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A160215b.htm?hilite=ruyton Australian Dictionary of Biography: Scantlebury, Lilian Avis (1894 - 1964)] (accessed:27-07-2007)]

References

See also

* List of schools in Victoria
* List of high schools in Victoria
* List of schools in Victoria, Australia according to 2006 VCE results
* M. Theobald, Ruyton Remembers 1878-1978, Melbourne 1978

External links

* [http://www.ruyton.vic.edu.au Ruyton Girls' School website]