Head of Preparatory School
The Power of Please and Thank You!
I am sure that we have all heard the expression ‘it costs nothing to say please or thank you’ to another person to show gratitude or humility when wanting something.
At their core, manners are simply about caring for others. Teaching good manners requires patience, persistence and practice, but it’s worth the effort. Manners provide valuable lessons in consideration, gratitude and most of all, respect. Respect as we all know is one of Redlands value that we discuss and navigate a lot in the Prep school. We hold it close to our hearts as it drives our interactions with each other and sets the climate for friendships to grow and interactions between student and adult to flourish.
With this said, it has come to the attention of the Prep staff that simple manners in the Prep have been disappointing lately and as a result have caused us to stop and look at ways in which we can all work together to improve the standard. We often discuss with the children the power of words and the impact that negative words can have on people and situations, the same goes for the power of using basic manners when interacting with others.
As a staff we will be introducing some fun and rewarding ways to help model and remind our student to use simple manners during the day. Of course, modelling a desired behaviour to children is a great way for it to become an embedded trait so we encourage families to join us in doing this by ‘going overboard’ for a while with modelling manners at home with your child! This process needs practice and repetition so hang in there if you get a bit of push back when your child is corrected or doesn’t get given what they want immediately, this is normal and remember that by helping them understand the importance of using manners, this will be helping them in the long run with developing healthy respectful relationships.
Upcoming Events to Pop in your Diary
Kindergarten Parent Coffee Morning
Join the Kindergarten team for a Coffee Catch Up and kickstart your morning while connecting with our vibrant community. It’s an excellent opportunity to mingle with fellow families, engage with teachers and celebrate the first five weeks of Kindergarten. Make sure to join us on Friday 1 March, outside the Kindergarten classrooms from 7:45 to 8:15 am for a warm and welcoming gathering!
Please ensure that you do not park on the school side of Allister Street as carline will be operational at this time.
Redlands Photo Days
Redlands school photo days are across the following dates:
- Prep School: Thursday 14 March
- Junior School: Friday 15 March
- Junior Campus Sibling Photos: Week 7, Friday 15 March, 7:00am – 7:45am – Dunnet Hall Foyer
For parents with children across both Secondary and Junior/Prep School who would like sibling photos, we welcome you to attend the Sibling Photo Day on Friday 15 March on the Junior Campus, if your children did not attend the Sibling Photo Day on 14 February on the Senior Campus.
As we are in a transition phase for the new school uniform, Prep students are to wear which ever option they come to school in on this day as well. There is no need to buy any additional pieces.
You can book sibling photos for Wednesday 14 February online 24 hours beforehand by using the following link.
International Women’s Day Event
Monday 11 March from 7am
Redlands invites Students, Parents and Carers to our inaugural ‘Count Her In’ International Women’s Day Breakfast on Monday 11 March from 7am – 9am.
Hear from two incredible leaders and changemakers committed to the creation of opportunities for women to earn, learn and lead.
Guest Speakers:
The Hon. Bronnie Taylor – Deputy Leader of the NSW Nationals, Member of the NSW Legislative Council Vicki Condon AM – Foundation, CEO, Executive Director of Raise Foundation.
Click this link to book tickets.
Term 1 Parent Topic Talk
Equipping your child to navigate anxiety and distress.
Tuesday 26 March, 8.30am
In recognising the vital role parents play in equipping their children with essential life skills to face challenging situations and emotions, we invite you to join us for a talk facilitated by the school counsellors. This session will focus on equipping your child to navigate challenges associated with anxiety and distress. Delve into the fundamentals of understanding distress and anxiety as we explore what these emotions might look like in your child. Discover the importance of building distress tolerance and learn to identify different manifestations of anxiety. We will provide valuable insights into practical strategies to help your child work through distressing situations. From distinguishing between hypo and hyper reactions to implementing effective coping mechanisms, you’ll gain actionable tools to support your child’s emotional well-being. Additionally, we’ll address separation anxiety and its impact across different age groups. Empower yourself with effective parenting concepts and practical tools to guide your child through challenging times.
For seating arrangements, please click the link to RSVP.
Daily Routine Reminders
Post 8.20am arrival
We ask all parents to please say goodbye to their children and exit the campus when the 8.15am morning bell rings. Our students line up in their classes and head straight to the classrooms to start learning.
If your child arrives after 8.20am, please alert Ms Pontes on arrival and she will adjust their absent status and take them to their classroom. We ask that parents do not go to the classrooms to drop children off after 8.20am as it disrupts the morning routine that has already started. As it is now Week 5, we encourage our prep students to demonstrate greater independence and resilience to walk either by themselves or with Ms Pontes.
Possibility of a Sibling Carline
Community voice is important to us at Redlands so we would like to hear from Prep families who would consider using a K-6 Sibling Carline’in the afternoons. Logistics and staffing will need to be organised, but the general idea is for any Prep students accessing the sibling carline be collected and wait in Prep until 3.10pm where they will be walked up to the Junior School, meet their older sibling, and together use the Junior School carline.
To provide us with an idea of how many families would access a K-6 Sibling Carline, please fill in the form below. This will be open for a two-week period. The data will provide us with a direction as to whether we proceed with this arrangement for a term 2 start.
Uniform Recycling takes place in Week 7
Textile Recyclers Australia (TRA) has been selected as our uniform recycling partner following a comprehensive review of available options in 2023. TRA will commence the collection of unwanted Redlands uniforms in Week 7 of Term 1, with each Year Group having a specific day to bring in their unwanted Redlands specific uniforms, listed on the poster above. Bin collections will be monitored, so please ensure only the requested Redlands items in the poster above are brought it, or they will be sent back home. Any non-Redlands branded uniforms can be taken to your local charity bin for reuse, or to H&M and Zara (who offer used clothing recycling).
Mrs Ainslie Breckenridge
Head of Preparatory School
abreckenridge@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9848