Head of Junior School

Yr 4 Camp

Another week, another camp, and this week I am reporting from the picturesque Southern Highlands as I spend today with Yr 4 on their three-day camp.

The venue is stunning and it has been wonderful to see the connections between students and between students and staff in an outdoor education environment. Just as was the case last week for Yr 6 camp, many students have shared how they have made some new friendships with peers by simply being in the same activity group.

We will post some pictures of the trip so far on the Yr 4 page on Pulse for you to enjoy and get a feel of the trip so far and I look forward to joining families welcome the group back at approximately 2.30pm on Friday afternoon. I know you will also join me in thanking the dedicated team of teachers here caring for the group.

It is an important responsibility, but the meticulous planning of Mr Watkins and the team has helped with the smooth organisation of the trip yet again.

Mother’s Day Celebration – Monday 15 May, 7.45am

We are delighted to host a Mother’s Day Celebration where Mothers can come together for coffee and conversation.

Join us from 7.45am in the Piazza (Junior Campus), where our Baristas will serve freshly brewed hot beverages, accompanied with some light refreshments. Students will enjoy a complimentary juice popper.

This year we’ll also have a Redlands photo booth available for you to take a happy snap with your children

Final reminder RSVP: A final reminder for catering purposes and to give us a sense of numbers in attendance, please could attendees all RSVP here.

Please note that Junior School students will return to class for learning by 8.30am.

Student Health Matters

The cooler change of temperature has seen a simultaneous rise in student absences due to flu-like symptoms and the like and just yesterday, we had 6 staff and in excess of 50 students away unwell (not including Yr 4 who were on camp). We continue to be grateful to families for keeping children home when they are unwell and ask that this is a continued focus moving ahead to protect students and staff. Students who are unwell simply do not have the cognitive capacity to learn well when they are sick, and a few have needed to be sent home this week from school.

Term 2 Student Wellbeing Parent Presentation – Tuesday 23 May, 8.45am

We are delighted to confirm the content of this term’s parent presentation session, led by our resident experts of counsellors. I encourage all families to join us and bookings are essential.

Yr 6 Parent Secondary School Transition Session – Friday 26 May, 8.45am

All Year 6 parents are invited to attend this Secondary School Transition Session and Senior Campus Tour. To attend, please RSVP with any questions you may have about Secondary School via the following invitation.

Mother’s Day Classic

Sydney’s annual Mother’s Day Classic fun run/walk takes place this Sunday and once again, Redlands has a team for all members of our community. The event is also a wonderful way to start the day whilst supporting a great cause with old and new Redlands friends.

The event has been an important community event for many years and there are varying distances to run or walk for all ages and abilities.

If you would like to join ‘Team Redlands’, please click HERE and even if you may have already registered for the event, you can still join the Redlands team. And if you would just like to donate to the charity, the link provides access to do this as well.

There are also some limited pink Redlands shirts from past Mother’s Day Classic entries in the uniform shop.

Mini-Mos Community Fun Run – Sunday 18 June

For those interested, I also share information about this year’s Mini-Mos Community Fun Run, which is a local community event supporting Mosman Public School and the Be Centre Foundation.

The 2km, 5km and 10km races will take place around the streets of Mosman on Sunday, 18 June followed by a fun fair at the school.

Approved by Mosman Council and now in its 41^st year, some of the key information is listed below for you:

The 2km run is an event for the whole family. Children can race on their own or with an accompanying adult. Entry is $40. An accompanying adult costs $25.
The 5km run is open to all participants over eight years of age and costs $60.
The 10km run is open to all participants over ten years of age and costs $70.
Enter as an individual, a parent/child combined team or register three or more individuals in a single transaction and get 10% off your registration fees.
Pre-purchase wristbands for the fair can be purchased in advance when you register for the race or buy them HERE

Should you have any questions about the event please contact event@mini-mos.com.

Junior School Information from Other Sections

Connected to parent feedback, please find I these links to relevant Junior School information in other parts of Note Day that you might not access as regularly yet.

Drama
Music
Ballet and Dance
Redlands Parents and Friends

I hope that these links allow you to explore the content of these pages and bookmark them if you feel appropriate.

Years 5 and 6 Oxford University Computational Challenge Opportunity

Redlands is excited to again offer the opportunity for Yrs 5 and 6 students who are experienced with Blockly coding, computational thinking and problem-solving, to enter Round One of the global Oxford University Computational Challenge (OUCC), which will be held on Thursday 25 May here at Redlands. For interested students, further information on the competition and how to enter, please click here.

OOSH Information

This week, the OOSH students enjoyed learning about basic first aid from our School Nurse, Mrs Henery. Arranged by Ms Nogueira, the students embraced the chance to find out more and one thing that Mrs Hemery challenged them all to know was their parents’ contact details and their home address.

Separate to this, parents who use the OOSH service are reminded that all students should be collected by 6pm. Some of our staff have their own children to collect or have other commitments and this is being increasingly impacted. Please note that students collected after 6pm more than 3 times per term will lose their permanent spots in OOSH.

Staffing News

It is with great sadness that Mrs Claire Hunt, PA to the Head of Preparatory School and Prep School Receptionist, will be leaving us at the end of the term.

Claire has decided to spend more time with her family, return to her writing and enjoy travelling with her now adult children. Claire has worked at Redlands for seven years and for so many of our families, has been the immediate face and information sharer for so long. She has cared for and listened to so many students and families over the years, we will miss her. We will of course farewell Claire with style at the end of the term.

Absence Notifications

If your child will be absent or late to school, please be reminded to inform the school office by either emailing jsabsence@redlands.nsw.edu.au or via the Redlands App prior to 9am. If we have not had any notification, an absence SMS will be sent to you at 9.30am as a prompt.

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