Year 9

Service Learning Project reflections

Throughout Terms 3 and 4, Yr 9 students have actively engaged with researching and organising charity drives for local charities and Service Learning opportunities. Student efforts culminated in an offsite 1-day Service Learning program supporting their chosen charity. Travelling from Manly to Paddington, students engaged in environmental clean-ups, connected with the elderly, cooked meals for the homeless and families in crisis, and connected with younger students from our Junior School.

The day concluded with Yr 9 writing Christmas letters to the residents of Bougainvillea, creating toiletries packs for the homeless, packing suitcases for children in need, folding clothes for women who are unemployed and looking for employment, and packing food hampers.

Key charities supported include Dress for Success, Share the Dignity, Hope in a Suitcase and St Vincent de Paul. Students loved the opportunity for leadership development in the service space, and they are to be congratulated on their fine efforts with this project.

One thing I ask of you; Never be afraid of giving. There is a deep joy in giving, since what we receive is much more than what we give.

Mother Teresa.

The Elderly

This week, Yr 9 had the privilege of engaging in several service activities in our community. Divided into groups, we developed several ideas on how to assist elderly citizens in our local area. It was evident that these people had been affected by COVID-19 and we analysed local demographics to formulate what could be done to assist. We developed ideas in these groups, and concluded on visiting Bougainvillea, a nearby retirement home. At Bougainvillea, we were absorbed in conversation with many of the residents, discussing their passions, pasts, and daily lives, with occasional riddles being passed. The smiles on their faces enlightened us, and as we conversed, we discovered mutual passions, stories, and adventures between us. We truly found a connection and bond within the people we talked to. We are all appreciative for the amazing advice they provided for our futures, and methods to tackling future endeavours. The many weeks of planning were supported by members of the group, and group coordinator, Ms Riley.

Krishna Gupta, Lachlan Green and Nicholas Tebbutt

Families in Crisis and The Homeless

Part of the Yr 9 cohort made our way to Paddington to partake in Kids Giving Back – Cook for Good as part of our Service initiative for this year. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience as I felt proud of giving back to the community and I thought it was a great way to engage in an activity that allowed us to make a difference. By the end of the morning, we were able to make over 200 meals ranging from veggie pasta to fruit kebabs. Overall, I found it a motivating and positive experience that I thoroughly recommend for anyone looking to participate in giving back.

Alicia Green

Service Day was an incredible opportunity for all of my peers and I felt many people were able to take emotional, physical, and physiological learning away from it. Some people learnt a new skill in cooking, others, including myself, learnt about homelessness and expanding our knowledge past basic stereotypes. I also found that my emotional connection and empathy with homeless people expanded as we learnt that the lady who helped organize this event for us used to be homeless and she told us her story and told us that when people did things like this, she really appreciated it when this was her reality.

Clara Blackstock

Environmental Conservation

My group’s focus was the environment, and we went to Collins Flat to collect rubbish from the beaches. We split into smaller groups of 2-4 and went to collect around the beach. It was disappointing to see how much we found in our little time there, but it felt rewarding to do our part. After collecting, we sorted the rubbish into categories like glass, bottle caps, plastic straws, and other recyclables. While sorting, I took note of the amount of rubbish we made as a group in our time there, things like the little plastic tags from the gloves we used, or the plastic labels on our buckets. It was confronting to see the inevitability of making trash wherever you go, even when you are trying to prevent it. We then went to dispose of the rubbish at some nearby bins, then went onto having our morning tea in the park. We caught the bus back to school and had a lunch break as we caught up with other groups, some helped at the Junior School, some helped at Bougainvillea, and some made food for the homeless, it felt odd that we were the only group that did not do something in the humanitarian aspect of service, their feats of service felt more grand than ours, and it reminded me that anyone anywhere can pick up litter. It doesn’t need to be organised or part of a service day. After lunch we proceeded into the Learning Hub to make packages for people less fortunate than us. We donated packs of toiletries, suitcases with supplies (clothing, books etc) and sanitary items. We also wrote letters to the people at Bougainvilla. I worked on the toiletries packages, and while I know that we have only made a small dint in what needs to be done, I feel our part was done with care and love. I enjoyed putting together the packages as it allowed me to think of how my service would help the recipient. It made me reflect on my own privilege, to go to such a nice school like Redlands and be able to be the one helping people, and not the one in need of help. Overall, the day was rewarding and insightful, I enjoyed the opportunity to learn in a non-traditional way through this day of service. 

Megan Kirkpatrick

Children and Young People

Our entire Yr 9 cohort had the amazing opportunity to take part in a Service project this Term 4. In this project, our entire year was lucky enough to go out, whether it be in the world, or in school, to have the opportunity to help people. My group was tasked with helping children. Our group went to the Junior School to help Yrs 3–6 teachers as non-teaching assistants. I think this was very beneficial not only for the teachers and children, but also for me, who gained a special sense of empathy for teachers who must deal with children, who at times can be a lot to deal with. It was an extremely fun and beneficial experience that helped me gain a lot of knowledge into what it is like to teach children, and I hope that what my group and I have done, has been helpful for those teachers and students.

Louis Abrahams

“Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference. And we have a choice: What sort of difference do we want to make?”

Lismore Christmas Appeal

For most in our community, Christmas is a time for joy and celebration. But for many in Lismore, who lost homes and businesses in the recent flooding and are in the early stages of a costly disaster recovery, this holiday season will be one of hardship. 

This term, we are calling on the generosity of our Redlands community to support the residents of Lismore. We are asking each student to donate a small Christmas gift to the Northern Rivers Children’s Services. We hope these donated gifts will bring joy to a number of families this Christmas season. 

To support this cause, please bring a new children’s gift to your Tutor class in Weeks 6 and 7. 

Ms Lisa Vale
Yr 9 Advisor
9968 9837
lvale@redlands.nsw.edu.au