Head of Junior School
Grandparents & Special Friends Day – Friday 26 August
The long-awaited return of Grandparents & Special Friends Day takes place on Friday 26 August and we are looking forward to this event. Key points of information are below for note:
- Please RSVP HERE
- Junior School guests should arrive at 11.15am to Junior School Reception, where they will be guided towards classrooms.
- It is important that guests do not arrive early as our Preschool and Prep special guests will be here before and parking will be at a premium.
- For guests who will be here early in the morning for the Preschool or Prep event, a morning tea has been organised to keep up the energy levels needed!
- We ask that only grandparents or special friends attend as there have been, and will be, opportunities for parents to come in at different times as we return to normal events and occasions. We are also mindful of keeping the numbers on campus and in classrooms as limited as possible.
- Guests are encouraged to wear a mask
STEAM Week
STEAM week launched with the theme of how to use our passion and knowledge to link our learning to find local solutions to global problems. Our classrooms have been humming with creativity as students ideate, design and rapidly prototype solutions to their learning linked UN Goal, using a mix of technology and recycled materials to model their solutions.
Year 6 students are investigating solutions to the plastics problem and we were excited to host Redlands alumni, Emile Theau (Class of 2014), who shared his start up journey as a ‘Generation Impact Incubator’ winner with his company, Sine Surf. A chemical engineering and nanotechnology graduate from The University of Sydney, Emile shared how he combined his passion for sustainability and design with his knowledge of engineering and nanotechnology to bring sustainability to surfing. The students were particularly interested to learn that it took 22 iterations to develop this board.
Nano is our word of the week after talks this week from our special guest speaker, Dr Noushin Nasiri, the Head of the Nanotech Laboratory at Macquarie University. From her opening question on, “How tiny is nano?”, she held our students spellbound with the magic of science and nanotechnology. Dr Nasiri shared how her curiosity as a child about the natural world led her on a learning journey of investigations and to her work in technology today. Dr Nasiri was excited to take part in her first ever student-led Q&A panel led in two parts by Ruairi MacLochlainn, Melanie Korolev, Calvin Mcnab, Molly Crompton, Oliver To, Isha Gupta, Joanna O’Keefe and Christian Bush. She was very impressed by our students’ passion and knowledgeable questions and excited about this next generation of STEAM researchers.
My thanks are extended to our staff who have led and designed the range of learning experiences for the Junior School students this week, most ably led by Ms Anagnostu, our eLearning Coordinator.
Book Week 2022
We are all set for Book Week next week and are delighted to have acclaimed author, Mark Greenwood, launch the week by speaking to each year group tomorrow.
We will again have a dress up theme on Friday 26 August and this year’s theme is “Dreaming with eyes open” so students are encouraged to dress up as something or somebody they dream of being.
The students have been introduced to the books on the Children’s Book Council shortlist and explored the Book Week theme in their library lessons with Mrs Wiebe.
1st Place in NSW Language Championships
Congratulations to our Junior School Spanish students who answered over 140,000 language questions during the Education Perfect NSW Language Championships which took place over 48 hours from Wednesday 10 to Friday 12 August.
This incredible effort meant that Redlands once again came 1st in the State for Spanish out of 129 schools and 4th overall out of 367 schools.
Special congratulations to the following students who achieved awards:
Emerald Awards (over 3,000 points) Ina Guan, Azina Garrido Bulnes, Charles Li and Isha Gupta.
Silver Awards (over 1,000 points) Matthew Kraponvnitskiy, Sienna Benz, Fergus Kerr, Luca Cowlishaw and Despina Corneli
Credit Awards (over 500 points) Sahana Saraf, Aisha Hu, Lauren Rolfe, Ellie To, Ayden Berry, Miriam Killin, Ziggy Staley-Lobo and Calvin Macnab.
Well done to all students who participated.
Señora Colagiuri
Duty of Care Reminders: Drop Off Times and Contact Details
Please be reminded that duty staff commence supervision at 8am each morning and whilst we know that some students might arrive a few minutes earlier due to bus timetables or other factors, I am concerned that students have been found wandering around the campus as early as 7.15am having been dropped off.
A reminder too that if parents are going away, please ensure that the class teacher (and the nurse if relevant) are aware of this in the event that we need to contact someone in an emergency.
Thank you for your support in these two important child safety matters.
Student-led Conferences
I am grateful to our teachers who have guided student-led conferences with families this week and particularly congratulate the stuents themselves on their preparation and presentation in these conferences.
Year 6 Notice: Redlands Secondary School Musical 2023
Year 6 students and families are invited to consider auditioning for the 2023 Secondary School musical, The Addams Family. Audition packs and information is below and will also be passed on to students.
THE ADDAMS FAMILY features an original story, and it’s every father’s nightmare. Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family — a man her parents have never met. And if that weren’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before — keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s ‘normal’ boyfriend and his parents. Now it’s our turn Redlands
When are auditions?
- Auditions for the cast and orchestra are open to students from Years 6-11 2022
- Auditions for students in Years 6-11 2022 will be held online for CAST between 15 August to 26 August
- Auditions for the ORCHESTRA will be held onsite on Sunday 18 September. Audition times will be released on Monday 29 August.
- Auditions for the DANCE ENSEMBLE will onsite on Sunday 18 September. Audition times will be released on Monday 29 August.
How do you audition?
- Auditions for students in Year 6 2022 for CAST must prepare one vocal and one monologue performance from the material here. The vocal audition must be performed to the backing track provided. Please send through a google drive folder link with your vocal and acting audition to drama@redlands.nsw.edu.au. The folder must be able to be editable and downloadable.
- All Orchestra auditions should play a 1-minute excerpt that best demonstrates their abilities from the following number: 1.Overture. Audition material for Orchestra can be found here.
- All audition information, tracks and material can be found here.
- All students must complete Addams Family Musical Audition Google Form and submit an audition via Google folder (Year 6) by 26 August.
For any questions, please contact our Drama department directly.
Blackmores Running Festival
Redlands will participate in the Blackmores Running Festival on Sunday 18 September to raise money for Beyond Blue. Every $48 ensures a phone call, email, or webchat is answered. With three million people in Australia living with anxiety and depression and growing demand for Beyond Blue’s services, we’re running this year to raise vital funds and mental health awareness.
The run is fun for everyone, with a distance for beginners and experienced runners. Choose from the Blackmores Sydney Marathon, Blackmores Half Marathon, 10km Blackmores Bridge Run or 3.5km Blackmores Family Fun Run for a truly unforgettable experience. A challenging and memorable run, with 3 of the 4 distances finishing at the Sydney Opera House.
Please help us to support Beyond Blue by joining our team or donating HERE.
Spring Fair
If you haven’t already heard, the Redlands Spring Fair is back on Saturday 3 September with tons of food, fun and entertainment, showcasing the community’s diversity and depth of students’ art-related activities. Tickets are now on sale! Pre-purchase wristbands and coupons here to receive a special discount. Orders before 26 Aug can be delivered directly to your child’s classroom.
PURCHASE TICKETS
Mr Ari Guha
Head of Junior School
aguha@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9953 6022