Head of Secondary School

Spirit Week

This week is Spirit Week where our Yr 12 student leaders organise a variety of activities to celebrate our School Spirit in the Arts, Sports and through the Houses. Yesterday, Spirit Week kicked off with a celebration of School Spirit through the Arts with Yr 12 bands Rockin the Quad at lunchtime and many other Yr 12 students painting a mural on the hoarding outside of the cafeteria. Today we celebrate our School Spirit through sports with a Rowing Erg challenge and a staff v students Basketball game. On Friday, we celebrate our School Spirit through the Houses with our final Prefect Assembly with this group of Yr 12 leaders and a House dance battle in the Quad. Friday is also a mufti day where students can where their House colours on the day.

School Spirit is a valued and important aspect of any school community and I am pleased to see it celebrated in so many different facets at Redlands. School Spirit is also not something which can be “forced” or “mandated”. It is a sense of pride, affiliation and connectedness that all people in the school community feel through the many relationships, experiences and activities which occur at school and it is wonderful to see it flourishing at Redlands.

Blackmores Run 

On Sunday morning, Mr Castelli, Mr Gray and I joined 85 students in participating in the Sydney Running Festival 10km run. This Yr 12 initiative was a way for them to raise awareness for mental health and money for headspace, an organisation dedicated to helping young people who struggle with mental illness. It was wonderful and moving to see so many Yr 12 students (as well as some Yr 11 students) wearing lots of pink and coming together as a community. While there were a few sore legs on Monday, I am certain that all of us involved in this event will remember it as a truly special day. I would like to especially thank Emma Woodward who has led this initiative over the past few months and all of the parents who donated money to support this worthy cause.  

Year 12s 

The banner for the Yr 12s is up in the Liggins courtyard counting down their final days at School. (While the IB students will return for a week at the beginning of next term as their final examinations are later than the HSC Examinations, we will officially celebrate the commencement of Yr 12 with their Prize Giving and Valedictory evening next Wednesday.) It is an exciting and emotional time for our senior students as one stage of their life’s journey comes to a close and another one is about to begin. Personally, I have greatly enjoyed seeing this group of Yr 12 students mature and flourish over my first two years at Redlands as they have been exemplary leaders for our school community this year. I hope all of them are able to balance their continued preparation for their final examinations with a sense of joy and appreciation of the many events planned for them over the next week to wish them a fond farewell.

Year 12 IB Visual Arts Exhibition 

Last night was the official opening of the Yr 12 IB Visual Arts Exhibition in Redlands Hall. The exhibition showcases not only the talents, but also the effort, dedication and discipline of our Yr 12 IB Visual Arts students who have produced works of such a high quality. Personally, I was most impressed with the deep thoughtfulness behind each piece of work and appreciated the “guided tour” that some of the students were able to give me of their works. A special thank you to the staff and parents who have supported these Visual Arts students on this journey and who must have been so proud to see their finished products on display last night. 

Spring Fair 

It was wonderful to see so many staff, students and parents from the Secondary School community out enjoying the warm weather and the many activities at the Spring Fair on Saturday. The day illustrated to me once again the strength of our Redlands community. The day would not have been possible without the efforts of so many parents and staff who volunteered their time and effort to make the day such a success. While there are too many staff and parents to thank, I would like to extend a special acknowledgement to the Spring Fair co-convenors, Trudy Waterfield and Jean Martin, who have been organising this event for months and expertly led the huge team of volunteers on the day.

Canteen: Tap and Go  

This week the Secondary School Canteen has installed two “Tap and Go” machines which will allow students to use cards and not cash in purchasing items from the Canteen. While cash will still be accepted in the Canteen, we hope this provision will make purchasing easier for some families. 

Special Provisions Volunteers 

The Learning Plus department is looking for new members to add to our friendly team of volunteers who assist Redlands students in Yrs 7-12 with special provisions for exams and assessments throughout the year. We welcome Prep, Junior and Secondary School parents, grandparents, friends and Redlanders. Our volunteers respect confidentiality, are reliable, punctual, patient and friendly. Legible handwriting is a bonus. If this describes you, please come and join our team. You can choose the exams and assessments for the subjects and years in which you are interested to suit your schedule.

No subject specific knowledge is required; you are simply there to read and/or write what the student dictates, and to regulate the time. Bad spelling? No problem – spelling is ignored when there’s a writer. Illegible handwriting? You could be a reader (no writing required) or supervise time for a student or a small group. With your help a student can achieve his or her potential, and you will gain an additional perspective of Redlands. Our students are very appreciative of the support they are given.

Our next information session and morning tea will be held early in Term 4. If you would be interested in finding out more about helping with exams, please email Saralie Pincini or phone 9968 9854.

RPFA AGM and Volunteer Thank You

Volunteering at Redlands is greatly appreciated and it is a vital component of the Culture of Giving at Redlands. We believe that every member of our community can contribute to the School, its development and growth by volunteering their time, supporting us through their gifts or making a financial donation. Please see the RPFA page in this Note Day for further details.

Mr Sean Corcoran
Head of Secondary School
scorcoran@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9870