Head of Junior School

Junior School Athletics Carnival

Yesterday, in bright sunshine and a brilliant blue sky to match the blue running track at Sydney Olympic Park, the Junior School Athletics Carnival took place and the event that had been marked as TBC at the start of term came to fruition.

Whilst it was disappointing not to have parent spectators or Secondary School House Captains in attendance due to the restrictions in place, we were thrilled that Junior School students were able to take part in this annual event and enjoy the spirit of House participation and competition. We were also delighted to welcome our Principal and Deputy Principal, Mr Webber and Ms McGarry, for much of the day.

Congratulations to all of our students who participated with such energy, House spirit and enjoyment. It is always a joy to see the stands devoid of students during the day as all of the students immerse themselves fully and particular congratulations to Roseby House who won the overall trophy.

Alongside this, I acknowledge the efforts and collaboration of teachers, coaches and medical staff who enabled the event to run so well and with such high levels of student engagement. On behalf of the students, my sincere thanks are extended to our Sports Department led by Mr Dunne, who led much of the detailed pre-Carnival preparation in this climate and oversaw the day’s events.

Cocurricular Clubs on Tuesdays

With Student-led Conferences in Weeks 4 and 5, the only Clubs that will continue in these weeks will be the ones as listed below, where we have external providers:

Young Investigators Science
Debating
Chess (Fridays)

The conferences also do not impact any Performing Arts after school activities.

Jeans for Genes – Friday 7 August

A reminder that tomorrow sees Redlands supporting the Jeans for Genes charity across all sections of our School. Students are encouraged to wear mufti with some denim and any type of closed shoes including trainers, in return for a gold coin donation.

As with all mufti days, there are expectations of appropriate dress which are outlined in the Student Planner.

Asking for Feedback … from Your Children?

I have been pondering over an interesting article I read this week related to performance reviews which are often part of the routine of our working lives. As staff at Redlands, individual professional growth plans are part of our ongoing commitment to self-reflection and self-improvement and connected to this, we are looking forward capturing our students’ voices later this term as all students in Yrs 5-12 take part in an anonymous feedback survey associated with teaching and learning as they experience and see it.

The article by Scott Edinger then goes on to explore the notion of parents asking their children for feedback at home on how to be a better parent. While being the best parent for my children is something I regularly think about, getting feedback from them on this matter hasn’t been…….yet.

Following similar principles to our workplace, Edinger suggests that upward feedback from our children can be a great way to help us identify ways in which we can improve as a parents; as well as also knowing what to continue to do. He advocates asking your children the following three questions and sharing the questions with them in advance:

What do I do that you like or that you’d like to see more of?
What do I do that you don’t like or has a negative impact on you?
What would make me a better parent?

As I read the questions, I also saw the opportunity to flip the questions for my children to reflect on themselves too! But, the emphasis was on the need to actively engage in the listening part of this process and also without judgment. Then, when it’s your turn to talk, to be calm and open, mindful that your children might be taking a risk in sharing their feelings. Based on the feedback you receive, you would then probably have some ideas about what you can do differently.

In recent months, we have all experienced very adjusted lives, both at work and at home. I hope this might serve as a prompt for you as it has for me and just as feedback helps me in the context of growth at School, I look forward to getting a better sense of how to be a better parent; a far more important role than any I might play at work.

Non-Government Schools Census

The Australian Government provides funding to Australian schools under the Australian Education Act 2013 (AE Act). As a result, Redlands is required to provide the Australian Government with certain information about the school, its staff, and student body to ensure the school’s funding is properly calculated and appropriately managed. This information is collected by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment (the department) on behalf of the Australian Government. Further information for parents and carers can be found on Redlands Pulse.

Writing Success – Oscar Pearce

I was delighted to receive notification this morning that Yr 6 student, Oscar Pearce, has been shortlisted for this year’s Mosman Youth Awards in Literature. Oscar submitted a poem and along with two Yr 8 Redlands students, he has received an invitation for the official awards presentation. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s winners will be announced via an Instagram Live event but we congratulate Oscar on this recognition.

Mr Ari Guha
Head of Junior School
aguha@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9953 6022