_____________________________________________________________________________________________ Rushworth P-12 College (302 students) is located in the town of Rushworth. It is surrounded by the towns of Shepparton, Bendigo and Kyabram. The College was formed through the amalgamation of Rushworth Secondary College and Rushworth Primary School in 1996 and consolidated onto a single site in 1997. The College operates as a genuine P-12 with staffing, resources and facilities available for all students. Preliminary discussions have been held with DEECD and the Shire of Campaspe regarding the College becoming a Community Hub. Students come from the Rushworth township (population 1000) and the small communities of Colbinabbin, Harston, Murchison, Nagambie and Stanhope (all of which have primary schools). Over two thirds of the College’s students travel to College by bus. A small Catholic primary school in the town is another feeder school. Rushworth was originally a prosperous goldfield settlement. In the surrounding student catchment areas employment opportunities are limited and many parents travel to larger centres for employment. The College has a strong belief that each child must be treated as an individual and encouraged to develop a high level of achievement. It is the responsibility of all involved with the child to help them to develop their full potential as thinking, responsible, caring individuals with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to understand and contribute to society. Each child is encouraged to respond to high expectations, develop high expectations of themselves, and to be able to work effectively with others. To this end, each child is seen as an individual and helped to grow in confidence, self-worth and take responsibility for their own learning. The College has developed several innovative and successful programs for students including: the Year 9 Community Involvement Program (engaging the CFA brigades of Colbinabbin, Murchison and Rushworth), the Year 5-12 Public Speaking and Debating Program and the P-12 Sporting Program. The College gained a National Literacy Award in 2007 and provides high level literacy and numeracy support to all students. “Our Old Mates”, “Rushy Readers” and the “Go For Your Life” Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden programs are also all part of our goal to apply our “Every Child Matters” principles to our operations. An exciting whole community initiative in which the College plays a key role is the Early Childhood Learning Community. This partnership of schools, childhood and community organisations works proactively to raise the importance of literacy in young children. The College is a health promoting school (including being a Sunsmart school) and currently runs a healthy canteen and the Active After School Communities program. 2008 - 2010 sees the College participating in a Health Promoting Communities Project with the local Primary Care Partnership, local district health services and seven secondary schools. 2009 – 2010 will also see the College involved in the “Sowing the Seeds of Wellbeing” project involving five feeder primary schools, the Shire of Campaspe and Goulburn Valley Health. The College enjoys an exceptionally high level of support from our local community to enable us to run programs. We have over 30 local service clubs, community based organisation and local government offices. These partnerships continue to grow and help establish our College as an important community resource.
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