Year 11

Key Dates

12 May: Respectful Relationships Presentation with Dr Opie
1 June: HSC and IB Careers Expo
8 June: Secondary School Athletics Carnival
9 June: Foundation Day Assembly
23 June: End of Term 2
18 July: First day of Term 3

UAC Presentation to Redlands Term 1

Thank you to all the families who attended the UAC presentation to Redlands in the end of Term 1. We hope that you found it informative.

The presentation is now available on Pulse. Please find further information about entry to NSW and ACT universities for IB students, including subject equivalents and the conversion charts here.

Paul Dillon Drugs and Alcohol Presentation to Yr 11

Last Year, Paul Dillon presented to the 2024 cohort in Yr 10 incorporating tips for taking care of a friend when drunk, specifically:

Using a bucket for a friend who feels ill – not the toilet
Giving a drunk friend a bottle of water and allowing them to drink when they want to – not forcing them to drink water
Using the “chair test” to allow a friend to sober up over time and monitoring their ability to stay upright in the chair – never allow a drunk friend to lie down on their back
Calling 000 if a friend if drunk and unconscious
Download the EmergencyPlus App – an automatic link to emergency help

The Yr 10 presentation reinforced the need for young people to always have a fist full of food prior to drinking, a glass of water prior to their first drink and to alternate water with alcohol throughout the evening in order to feel better the next day. Paul’s advice is always framed as guidance and best practice for the safety of young people.

This year, Paul included further research on the use of vapes, cannabis and the impact of alcohol on the developing brain. He reinforced the fact that there are still several unknown factors with vapes. They have not been around long enough to fully understand the long-term impacts of vape usage on a person’s health. However, he did present the uncontrolled process for vape production and what is inside vapes that people inhale while using them. He also presented the legalities of vape and cannabis usage and the fines associated with their use or possession in NSW.

Paul’s last point of advice was around the current research of how alcohol can impact the growth and development of a young person’s brain. He shared that the brain of a female can continue to develop through their 20’s and brain of a male can continue developing until the age of 40. Regular drinking every week before the brain fully develops can reduce the size of the hippocampus by 10%. As the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex manage risk-taking, decision-making and appropriate emotional and social responses, it is a significant portion of the brain that needs all the time necessary to fully develop. Therefore, he encourages everyone to consider waiting as long as possible to begin experimenting with alcohol.

For further information, visit Paul Dillon’s DARTA website, or message him @dillonpauldarta on Instagram.

Arnhem Land

Thank you to Sophia Rolon, Charlotte Hugman, Alfie Leach, Antonia Morgan, Conor Ikin, Hamish Campbell, Marcus Cooper-Hor, Melinda Wright and Sholto Mirrlees-Black who shared their experience of visiting the Yolngu community in Arnhem Land. At the Year Meeting last week, students were able to share their experience on country, including the spear fishing, crab hunting, basket weaving and plant dying as well as the massive floods that came through after rain and the appearance of a salt water crocodile during evening story time. While the transition to living without screens was unique, it was welcome and this groups of students took so much away from this experience.

Students were taught about the importance of Welcome to Country and what this means to the Yolngu community as well as the deep connection, relation and kinship between people, places and things.

Melbourne University

It was an intense 48 hours when students flew from Sydney to Melbourne and participated in two full days of workshops to explore the offerings at Melbourne University and to experience what life would be like on campus and around Melbourne. Students navigated the city together, found their way from one end of campus to the other and even participated in a comedy show as Comedy Week 2023 was running in the city. Students enjoyed the experience of being a student for the day, learning about dorm life and being part of a college as well as the perks of staying in a nice hotel throughout the visit. Thank you to Anneka Steele, Frederick Yates, William Algar, William Andrew, Ahnu Guan, Andrew Kinghorn, Janes Stuart, Charlotte Wrigglesworth and Annie Zhang for sharing their experience with the cohort at our Year Meeting last week.

Student Congratulations

Daisy Thomas had the privilege to travel for three weeks in the end of Term 1 to Europe to compete in a number of free ski competitions. Daisy has competed internationally throughout her skiing career and her goal this time around was to get on the podium for a Europa Cup and she achieved this goal, placing 3rd in the Big Air Competition in Corvatsch, Switzerland! She also placed 4th in the Slopestyle Competition. However, her highlight throughout this experience was winning the World Rookie Tour in Italy which gained her an invitation to The Nines, where some of the best skiers and snowboarders in the world spend a week skiing in an eye-popping terrain park. For Daisy, there was nothing better than being able to spend time skiing with and getting to know some of her heroes. She managed to be the first Australian female to land a new trick there, the Double Cork 1080, for which she was then nominated for Junior Athlete of the Year at Snow Australia! Congratulations to Daisy for her incredible accomplishments in skiing and we wish her the best as she prepares for the Junior World Championships in New Zealand in August.

Alissandra Braden just finished competing at the Sailing State Championships in Queensland. While Alissandra has had several opportunities at a high level of competition, including a World Competition in Portugal last year, she continues to improve her results and to push herself in competition, even beating her own coach at States! Alissandra was up against 47 people who compete on the same racecourse at the same time. Her fleet even included members from ASF, Australian Sailing Futures. Alissandra earned 2nd Female Overall, 1st in Under 17 Female, 2nd in Under 17 Overall and 7th Overall! Congratulations to Alissandra for this incredible achievement!

Well done to Lara Farrell and Mia McFarlane for completing their Surf Life-Saving Bronze Medallion over the term break at North Styne SLSC. The Bronze Medallion course provides participants with the skills and knowledge in order to be able to participate in Surf Life Saving patrol operations. This is the core award to be a surf lifesaver in Australia. Congratulations to Mia and Lara!

Forbes Fundraiser

A Message from Yr 11 – As some of you may know, Forbes is a small town in NSW, neighbouring Lismore, which went through dire levels of flooding last year. They have slowly been recovering from flood levels reaching a 70 year record!! The environment is devastated and the community is still in desperate need of some assistance from those who can help.

This drive started in the end of Term 1 and is continuing through the beginning of Term 2. Please bring in anything you can manage and it will go a long way!!

Items to include could be:

seedlings
canned goods
non-perishable foods
notebooks and school supplies
cutlery, utensils, frypans, cutting boards, bowls
financial aid
first aid kits
clothing
sewing items
tools (old hammers)

We will have boxes set up every morning at the front and back gates starting Wk 2 or in the Student Services Centre throughout the day.

Thank you everyone in advance for the consideration and donations!

Ms Alissa Ynson
Yr 11 Advisor
aynson@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9865