Head of Preparatory School
K-6 Strings Concert
What an honour it was to watch the K-6 Strings Concert on Monday afternoon. Along with proud families and carers, we enjoyed listening to and watching talented students from Years 2 to 6 perform pieces of varying difficulty. The growth and development of the Yr 2 Strings groups was admirable. It seemed only like yesterday when the violins and cellos were handed out and excited students embarked on their strings journey. Look at them now, they should be so very proud of themselves.
The Yr 2 String program is quite unique as every student is encouraged to give it a go and see where this opportunity can take them, both musically and with their growth of self-belief.
We were also treated to Mr Owen conducting members of the Senior Strings. This was a wondaful opportunity for our students and families to see where the strings journey can take them at Redlands.
A big thank you to Ms Moses, Mr Owen, Mrs McGlade and all the tutors who support, teach, and guide our young musicians.
Prep School Wellbeing Day
What a fun and enjoyable day we all had on Wednesday as we took time and action to recognise the importance of our student and staff wellbeing. Prep got in the groove for the day by doing the health hustle followed by a Secondary School Dance performance. Throughout the day, students participated in various fun activities that encouraged everyone to work together, share thoughts and feelings, while creating fabulous clay pots, drawing and may more things.
Supporting sick children at Bear Cottage was a focal point of the day and our students helped raise much needed donations.
Thanks to everyone who helped create such a fun day but also a day that helped guide thought and action to not only reflect on their own wellbeing but also how important it is to think of others and how we can make a difference in their lives.
Big Hearts Project Session 2: Young Minds
In our second session of the Big Hearts Project, we had the pleasure of working with our group of Yr 2 students on emotional literacy and emotional regulation. Here’s a glimpse of what we covered:
Understanding Anxiety and Big Emotions
We kicked off the session by exploring the topic of anxiety and big emotions. The students watched an engaging video that helped them understand how the brain functions in relation to anxiety and why big emotions occur. This foundational knowledge is important for children to know so they can comprehend and manage their emotions more effectively.
The Zones of Regulation
An essential part of our program is introducing students to the concept of the “Zones of Regulation.” The children actively participated in brainstorming strategies they can use to regulate their emotions when they find themselves in different emotional states. We emphasised that it’s normal to experience a wide range of emotions. Our goal is not to have them always in the “green zone,” but rather to encourage them to seek support when necessary and help them function optimally when their emotions might be getting in the way of their happiness or daily activities.
Breathing Techniques
Each session includes a fun exploration of a new breathing technique. This time, we introduced the students to “box breathing,” a method known to be part of the training of NAVY Seals! We believe that teaching children these techniques can help them manage their emotions effectively. Here’s a video guide to help you practise this exercise with your children.
Junior Campus Parent Seminar
This Tuesday our Junior Campus counselling team delivered another presentation on ‘Recharging over the School Holidays and Powering Up for the Year Ahead’. Thank you to all the parents and carers who were able to come along. If you missed the presentation, the slides can be found on our Junior Campus Pulse page. Here are some key practical messages from our counsellors that were shared in the presentation:
Parents and carers play an important role both in helping their children recharge over the holidays. You can be proactive to support your children by:
- Having conversations to set or remind them about expectations for consistent routines like bedtime (still important to get in those 9-11 hours), screen time (max 2 hours for all children, recommended 1 hour for younger children), physical activity (60 minutes daily is encouraged) and playdates.
- Taking the time to empathise and connect before enforcing a boundary relating to any of those expectations.
- Modelling some of those expectations yourself to create an encouraging environment at home.
- Staying connected with other parents to help facilitate playdates and nurture friendships.
Towards the end of the summer holidays, it’s important to start setting up routines and expectations for the new school year. Encourage positives like involving children in back to school shopping, reminding them about friends and teachers looking forward to seeing them again, as well as fun activities at school.
By being present and mindful in being there for your children over the holidays, you can help to set them up for success in the new school year.
Waste Free Lunch Challenge
Tuesday 21 November
The importance of sustainability and how we can live it in our daily lives is a consistent message in the Prep School for not only our students but also for our staff. Throughout the year our Year 2 Sustainability Leaders have continuously led by example each day. Their messages and actions around recycle, reuse, and renew have been encouraging for everyone. The worm farm, composting classroom bins and use of materials in the classroom have all contributed to the evolving culture around suitability. The staff have been recycling coffee cups and have also been exploring ways to reduce printing, use of laminating and reusing resources.
To continue to shine the light on the importance of suitability, on Tuesday 21 November we encourage all staff and students to bring a waste-free lunch to school. A waste free lunch is a lunch box that contains no throw away packaging. Everything is a waste free lunch box can be eaten, reused or composted. Having your child help put together their lunch box on this day would be a great activity to do with them. Not only would this make them feel important and independent, but it would also provide an opportunity for conversation together about sustainability and what it means to them. Thank you for your support in helping our prep students embrace sustainability.
Yr 1 Features of Beaches Excursion
Last Friday, Year 1 students embarked on an exciting Inquiry Excursion to Clifton Gardens as part of their ‘Features of Beaches’ Unit. Our knowledgeable guides from Ranger Jamie Excursions led the students through a series of engaging activities. These activities included fishing, constructing animal habitats, bug-catching adventures and a valuable lesson on preserving the cleanliness of our precious waterways. The Year 1 students hope that the native wildlife will enjoy the habitats they created. Please enjoy some of the photos from the day.
OOSH News
Our OOSH Football Match is just around the corner, scheduled for next Friday, 17 November at 4:30 pm. We’re gearing up for a fantastic time on the field, and we’d love for you to join us. After the match, we’ll be gathering for some good food and even better company.
Just a friendly reminder to make sure you’ve registered your name. Your participation will make the day even more special! Click the link to sign up and secure your spot.
On another note, we wanted to keep you in the loop about our Vacation Care program. You can now make bookings through HubHello. However, to ensure everything runs smoothly, please take a moment to check if your account has all the necessary details updated. We need important information about your child, including medical conditions, dietary requirements and a valid payment method. Without these details, we won’t be able to confirm your booking.
If you find yourself in need of assistance or have any questions about updating your account, feel free to reach out to us at ooshadmin@redlands.nsw.edu.au. We’re here to help.
Mrs Ainslie Breckenridge
Head of Preparatory School
abreckenridge@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9848