Head of Early Childhood

Your Light will Shine On

As many of you are aware, the School suffered a tremendous loss with the passing of Belinda Oxley in the last week of the holidays. Whilst she underwent many months of treatment, Belinda chose to share her private journey amongst colleagues and close friends only. With immeasurable strength and never one to complain, Belinda aimed to continue in her role as Dean and teacher as long as possible. Her dedication and passion towards Early Childhood education was amongst the deepest I have seen in my career. Belinda’s ability to inspire children’s creativity and produce beautiful artwork was one of her many, extraordinary talents; however, it was her never-failing optimism, strength and positivity throughout her life, and especially toward the final stages, that will be something that I could only ever aspire to and will remain with me forever.

As the School’s earlier correspondence mentioned, we have not publicly announced or talked about this news in an assembly or chapel with the students, as each child processes their feelings in a manner according to their needs. During class, some students have individually sought out their teacher and asked questions which were appropriate and could be answered with great care and sensitivity. Sam Kourakis, Shelly Acland and Fiona McKenzie, in their respective roles of Counsellors and Chaplain, have been strategic and thoughtful in their approach when guiding the children and staff through what is and will continue to be an emotional journey. Celebrating Miss Oxley’s many talents and the countless blessings she brought to the children’s lives, will be at the core of our messages with the students. I encourage you to seek out the staff members above, should you have any concerns. The Prep Library has put together some helpful resources which can assist with any questions that may arise in the coming days or weeks, additionally, the Cancer Council website gives practical advice to families, should you require a further resource.

This week, so many people from our community have sent their condolences to the School and expressed their sadness with Belinda’s passing. Your messages have been shared and your support has truly touched all the staff. True to their character, the Early Childhood staff have shown remarkable courage and resolve as they faced this first week, placing the students’ needs before their own and I sincerely thank them.

Belinda’s funeral will be held on Monday 22 October at Macquarie Park Northern Cemetery, Delhi Rd and Plassey Rd, Macquarie Park in the Camellia Room at 10.30am. In place of flowers, the family have suggested that a donation be made in honor of Belinda, to the Cancer Council. Further correspondence has been emailed to families providing information about the service and the day at school.

Term 4

I extend a very warm welcome back to school to all members of the Redlands community and I hope that you had a chance to catch your breath after a very busy term and enjoy some relaxing moments with your family. We have such a lovely term of activities to look forward to before the very special end of year celebrations, including Prep Picnic Day and Prep Presentation Day. A gentle reminder that summer uniform is to be worn this term and a full description of this can be found in the Student Planner. I would like to welcome the following new students and their families who are joining Redlands Preparatory this term.
Kindergarten – Max Humphrey – Kindy Orange
Yr 2 – Anna Field – Two Aqua

Prep Games Day

The weather was perfect for the annual Preparatory Games Day which was held on the last day of Term 3 and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Thank you to Phill Rogers, Jacqui Longworth and Belinda Oxley for their organisation of the event, ensuring a smooth-running sports day. Thanks also to the Junior Canteen who supplied treats throughout the day and the Yr 5 students who showed exemplary leadership during the Tabloid Games. All competitors demonstrated sportsmanship and determination as they completed their events.

Yr 2 Greek Day

In the last week of Term 3, Yr 2 enjoyed a wonderful morning celebrating their learning of Greek Mythology. The students came to school dressed as a Greek God or Goddess of their choice and they thoroughly enjoyed chatting about their costumes and symbols. The Yr 2 classes engaged in a rotation of activities including reading and discussing myths, as well as creating artworks based on aspects from each myth.  

“It was lots of fun to come to school dressed up as Aphrodite. I loved painting Persephone’s garden, where one side was in colour and the other side in darkness.” Alice Flynn

“I enjoyed listening to the story of Arachne and then making our own spider out of plasticine. Afterwards, we made a huge spider web by rolling a ball of wool to each other while sitting in a circle. We were then able to place our spiders somewhere on the web.” Ollie Hosker

Olympian Cyclist, Chloe Hosking, Visits Prep 

As the Prep School reached the end of fundraising for the Heart Foundation, students were rewarded on Monday with a special guest at assembly. Chloe Hosking, a gold medal winner at the Commonwealth Games, shared stories of her journey as a road cyclist. The students were very engaged in Chloe’s talk, which reflected the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle by staying active, the importance of participating in a variety of sports when you are young and having a passion for what you do in life. Students relished in the opportunity to hold Chloe’s medals and take photographs with her. Redlands has currently raised $46,076 through the Jump Rope for Heart program and is the highest fundraising school in the country over its 35 year history. I would like to acknowledge and congratulate Mrs Kimberlee Chipper, for her enthusiastic leadership and motivation of the students throughout the event.

Mrs Audrey Fellowes
Head of Early Childhood
afellowes@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9848