Year 9

Key Date

Academic Achievement Awards

Congratulations to the following students on receiving an Academic Achievement Award for Semester 1: Lucinda Baird, Sabrina Blasco, Daniel Close, Yasmin Coletran, Jack Forrest, Aurora Golowenko, Isabella Havryk, Lucy Horton, Sarah Kumpulainen, Marli Prado, Koko Sawa, Lachlan Scott, Erin Tyrrell, Marina Viese Vivaldi, Finn Woodward and Madeline Zheng. Students were recognised at the Term 3 Welcome Assembly. 

Term 2 Approaches to Learning 

Each term, Redlands measures and tracks student effort to improve intrinsic motivation for learning as well as character growth. Effort tracking aims to make student effort visible, as well as the relationship between effort and growth. It promotes the view that students of differing achievement levels can all attain growth and their full potential, by appropriate and consistent application of effort to their studies. I would like to acknowledge some key data from the Yr 9 Term 2 Approaches to Learning results:

70% of students received a Teacher Effort Score of 80 or higher
32% of students received a Teacher Effort Score of 90 or higher
13% of students received a Teacher Effort Score of 95 or higher
Aurora Golowenko, Ophelia Jackson, Marli Prado and Madeline Zheng were awarded a score of 97.
Sabrina Blasco, Lucy Horton, Jamison Houchell and Poppy Justice were awarded a score of 98.
Lucinda Baird received a score of 99 and Sarah Kumpulainen a perfect score of 100.
Congratulations to Lachlan Binnekamp, Liam Batemyr, Samantha Hely, Alex Tully and Georgia Verschoor for a notable increase in their scores from Term 1 to Term 2.

Pastoral Team Update

A warm congratulations to Ms Abigail Walker who in Term 2 announced that she is expecting a new addition to her family. Ms Walker also made the decision to step down from the role of Yr 9 Assistant Year Advisor from the end of Term 2. I would like to sincerely thank Ms Walker for her support, guidance, efforts and contributions over the years; she was integral in ensuring a calm and smooth transition for our students as they moved from Junior to Secondary School. I am also pleased to announce that Ms Eleanor Martin will be the new Yr 9 Assistant Year Advisor from the commencement of Term 3 and congratulate Ms Martin on this position. Previously the Yr 9 Tutor for McDouall Green, Ms Martin brings a wealth of experience to her new role. Ms Walker now steps into the role of Tutor for McDouall Green. 

Term 3 Pastoral Program

‘The deepest need of the human heart is to be understood’ – Steven R. Covey

We often prescribe before making a proper diagnosis when communicating and should first take the time to deeply understand the problems presented to us. In Term 3, students consider the importance of  listening first and talking second; diagnosing before prescribing, and getting their facts straight before making a judgement. Goals of our program are for students to: 

• improve communication by improving patience and humility
• be understood and to understand others
• be respected and respect and value others for being a unique individual.

Communication with Teachers

As students move into their final stages of school, your child will start developing more independence. These changes will start affecting the way parents communicate and connect with the school. Students should be taking more responsibility for communicating with their teachers (eg. when away from lessons, have questions about subject content etc.)

Parents can still have a relationship with the school that fits around their child’s changing social needs. One of the best ways to continue helping your child is to create a supportive environment for education at home – an environment that values education. This might involve simply talking about schoolwork together, discussing your child’s career plans and ambitions, or talking through the links between your child’s schoolwork and their future goals.

Parents on Campus

In an effort to limit the amount of people coming into the School Campus during the day, we are asking parents to not drop items off in the Secondary School Office or any office on the school grounds. Yr 9 students should be responsible for their own items and we can usually assist with any issues if students communicate with their Tutor or Year Advisors.

Registration for ICAS 2020

The 2020 International Competition and Assessment for Schools (ICAS) in Science will take place on Monday 17 August in school. This competition is undertaken by over 400,000 students across Australia and the region, and is a rigorous test of scientific thinking. Participation in the competition provides our students with excellent examination practice and an opportunity to see how they fare in competition with students of their own age from across the country. Students who are interested in Science can use the test to assess areas of strength and weakness. Success at the test is a way of demonstrating aptitude when applying for Science related opportunities in and out of school.

Entry for students in Yrs 7-10 is voluntary. Please complete the registration form before Monday 3 August if you would like them to take part. A fee of $15.95 will be charged to your account if you wish your child to participate. 

More information about ICAS is here. Please contact Ms Simone Bryant, Assistant Science Coordinator, if you have any queries.

Ms Marita Jansons 
Yr 9 Advisor
mjansons@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9819