Head of Preparatory School
A big welcome back to all our families and friends in the prep school. We extend a very warm welcome to new families who have joined us this week and we trust your first few days have been a smooth and happy experience. The team and I are very excited about Term 3 and with all the experiences it will bring.
Our prep school is a busy place and there is always lots happening so can I please encourage all families to read Note Day each week to be kept informed of upcoming events and for news and reflections of Prep activity.
Learning Conversations
Monday 29/7 – Friday 2 August
A reminder that K-6 Learning Conversations are being held next week with your child’s teacher. This is an opportunity for you to discuss Semester 1 reports and to gain an understanding of what the next steps are in your child’s journey. Please check your times and do let the classroom teacher know if you are unable to make it.
Redlands Olympics Week
Monday 29/7 – Friday 2 August
A message from Ms Longworth and the PE team:
We are excited to celebrate the Redlands Olympic Games.
On Monday 29th July students will start celebrating with our very own Opening Ceremony. This is an in-house event where students are welcome to wear a ‘splash of colour’ accessorising with red, blue, white or yellow from their class colour.
On Friday 2nd August we will hold our very own Olympic Marathon (a Fun Run style event) where students will run a set course around the Junior Campus. Parents are very welcome to spectate and cheer on the students.
- Where: Junior Campus Oval 2/8/24
- What to wear: New uniform or PE uniform
- What to bring: Hat and water bottle. Normal crunch and sip, recess, lunch. The canteen will be operating as usual.
- Timing: Normal school day drop offs and pick-ups. Regular afterschool activities will still occur.
- 11am-12pm = Year 2 (Walk the course, run in small groups)
- 12pm-1pm = Kindy and Year 1 (Walk the course, run in small groups)
Students will be collected from their classroom, taken to the oval for their event, and then return to their classroom for their regular learning activities.
Spectators: Parents and caregivers are welcome to watch from the side of the oval. A designated area will be marked out for you. Doors will be open from after 10.45am
Posters – Student creative challenge
We’ve designed some posters to give you encouragement on the way. You will see some in PE with messages like: Try your best! Keep on going! Have Fun!
But we need more so that we display them all over the school.
If your child would like to make a poster at home, they could paint or design one on the computer. Once they have completed it, please ensure their name and house are included, and hand it to a PE teacher by the 1st August. Every submission will get 10 house points!
We will also be hosting a variety of Olympic based events during PE lessons and lunchtimes next week to really engage in the Olympic celebration. Keep an eye out for some action shots of these events in next week’s Note Day!
Jeans for Genes Day
Friday 2nd August
This year’s Jeans for Genes Day will be taking place Week 2, Friday 2 August! This event is all about supporting medical research and raising funds for children and families living with genetic disorders.
As Friday 2nd August is our Olympic Prep Fun Run, students will not be able to wear denim to school but to support the cause, students are welcome to wear a touch of blue and bring in a gold coin donation.
Wellbeing Lunchtime Clubs
Term 3 lunchtime wellbeing clubs will commence next week. These clubs have become an important part of the prep school. All students benefit from an opportunity to try something different, meet new friends and spend time with different staff. Please take the time to share this with your child and perhaps encourage them to give one of them a go. If you have any questions, please email Ms Anderson directly eanderson@bigpond.nsw.edu.au and she will help you.
100 Days of Kindergarten!
A Message from Ms Knox
We are excited to announce that on Monday 29th July we will be celebrating ‘100 Days of Kindergarten!’ This special occasion marks a significant milestone in your child’s learning journey. We have been counting each day of school and will be reflecting on our accomplishments to date.
As part of the celebration, we are inviting each student to bring a collection of 100 items to share with their classmates. This activity not only engages the children in a fun counting exercise but also encourages creativity and resourcefulness as they choose their unique set of 100 objects.
The collection could consist of buttons, stickers, leaves, LEGO bricks, beads, rice, paddle pop sticks or shells. The possibilities are endless, and we encourage you to involve your child in the selection process to make it a personal and enjoyable endeavour. Please assist your child in organising their collection into a secure zip lock bag that is labelled with their name.
On the 100th day of kindergarten, we will gather as a class to showcase and discuss each collection. Children will be encouraged to verbally share what they collected, how they grouped them and to share a way that you could count to 100. We kindly ask that no food is brought in to share with the class. This is to help ensure the safety of our students with food allergies.
Parents Circles: Responsive Parenting and Raising Healthy Children
A message for Junior Campus counsellor, Silvia Roberts
Being a responsive parent sounds simple enough, but living high-stress lives, often in isolation, lots of us know how nearly impossible it can be. Recognising that the essential condition for a healthy child’s development is the child’s relationship with nurturing adults, I invite you to join me for regular Parents Circles.
The Parents Circles will draw on specific topics and will be centred on providing a space for open discussions and questions.
The Parents Circles will take place in Week 2 and Week 8 in the Prep Library, after school drop off. We welcome our prep and junior school parents to attend. Please feel free to bring your own coffee or tea. As this is a parenting circle of support, numbers are limited to 20 to keep it small enough for interactive discussion, so please book your space here.
Week 2 (Wednesday, 31/07/2024 8.30 am – 9.30 am in Lucy Hill Library) is:
Codependency in Children – Causes, Characteristics and Prevention
- Codependency in children, if not addressed, can have a significant impact on their lives as they grow into adulthood.
- What is codependency and what does it look like in a child? What contributes to the development of codependency in children?
- How can parents prevent the onset of children becoming codependent later in their lives?
- Guiding parents through strategies on how to effectively support their children from becoming codependent.
In Week 7 (11/09/24), 8.30 am – 9.30 am in Lucy Hill Library) is:
Defence Mechanisms
- Defence mechanisms in children are often adaptive strategies for coping with stress and managing emotions. Understanding these mechanisms can help parents provide appropriate support and guidance to help their children navigate challenges.
- Distinguishing between defence mechanisms and learning about the roles they play.
- What defence mechanism do I use as a parent and how does this impact my child?
- Exploring healthy coping mechanisms that equip parents to navigate challenging situations more effectively and promote their children’s emotional well-being.
Cyber Safety Workshops
Thank you to David Smith, NSW Education Manager from ySafe, who ran a series of Cyber Safety workshops for parents and students. David shared current trends with children and teenagers use of digital and online tools, and detailed some of the potential risks and pitfalls that exist. He also outlined some strategies and support mechanisms for students to use when being online or facing any issue that may arise.
The workshops were a timely reminder of how quickly the online world is developing and that we all need to be safe, sensible and aware when online. Sharing of personal, private information was a main message throughout David’s presentations as well as ensuring we engage in positive communication and behaviours while interacting with others in online places. While there are some tools that support us in being safe online, David reminded us that, just like in the ‘real world’, clear expectations and boundaries, face-to-face discussions and time together are the main defences against online issues.
Online and Digital safety is an ongoing focus at Redlands, and we will continue to work on the advice David had for us. The Redlands community also have access to a range of tools and services via PULSE which would encourage everyone to become familiar with.
Of note is the ySafe Redlands Cyber Safety Hub which contains curated articles and resources for support parents, students and staff.
The staff look forward to welcoming David back to Redlands in October for a follow up session and to continue ongoing planning for this vital area of support for our community.
Redlands Race Week
How proud we are of our Redlands House and Prep school students who participated in the Redlands Race Week in Thredbo during the holidays.
The week started with Redlands Cup on Sunday in Thredbo. Arwen Fildes (RH), Jemima Joyce (Y1), Saskia Williams (Y1), Kathy Piao (Y1), Eloise Krallis (Y2), Annabel Grinham (Y2), Jonathan Burton (Y2), Liam Huang (Y2), Lucas Lam (Y2), Max Von Konigmark (Y2) and Ethan Huang (K) completed in the GS on Lower Antons.
The ski team of Annabel, Eloise, Jemima and Saskia placed second and Kathy Piao won an individual silver in the snowboard event.
The week then moved to Perisher for the Sydney Snowsports Championships.
The Division 6 students raced in 2 events – Ski Cross and Alpine GS. Competing in these events were Arwen Fildes (RH), Jemima Joyce (Y1), Saskia Williams (Y1), Annabel Grinham (Y2), Jonathan Burton (Y2), Liam Huang (Y2), Lucas Lam (Y2), Max Von Konigmark (Y2) and Lincoln Shirvington (Y1)
Ski Cross was first up, the team of Annabel Grinham, Jemima Joyce and Saskia Williams placed second, earning them a silver medal and a place to compete at the State Championships in August!
The team of Jonathan Burton, Max Von Konigmark and Lincoln Shirvington placed 11th.
In the Alpine GS, Annabel, Jemima, Saskia and Arwen took home the silver, and again scoring a place to compete at the State Championships. Jemima also placed 4th in this event out of 45 competitors!
In the Boys GS, the Redlands A team consisting of Jonathan, Max, Lincoln and Lucas placing 5th earning them a place to compete at the State Championships.
Jemima Joyce and Saskia Williams also competed in the Division 5 Moguls competition, coming a commendable 11th and 17th respectively. As this was a qualifier event, sadly neither made the State Championships.
It has been a fabulous week in snow and all the children who participated should be proud of themselves for not only participating but also learning new skills when it comes to racing and teamwork. Congratulations.
Term 4 Departure Notice
This is a final reminder that those families who are planning on leaving the School during or at the end of Term 4 are required to give notice to the Principal via an email to admissions@redlands.nsw.edu.au by tomorrow, Friday 26 July.
As per the 2024 Schedule of Fees emailed to all families in December last year, there will be fees in lieu payable for any notices of departure received after these dates.
Uniform Shop
New Online Ordering System
We are pleased to announce our new online ordering portal has been launched through Flexischools. The new uniform is now available to purchase along with sports uniforms and accessories.
For students who are already wearing the new uniform and wanting to order additional items, we suggest checking the size tag on the item to ensure you order the correct size. You will see the selection size available if you if you need to go up a size.
Our new sizing offers both tailored and relaxed fits in trousers, shorts and shirts. We recommend students who haven’t had a fitting to come into the shop and try on the new uniform so we can assist with selecting the right size and also explain the guidelines on wearing the new uniform.
Please note once shirts are removed from the packaging, we are unable to exchange these as they cannot be repackaged to sell. The Uniform Shop has sample sizes available to ensure you purchase the correct size.
We still have some items of the old uniform in various sizes available to purchase directly from the Uniform Shop. Please call contact us for further information.
A reminder that any order placed before 5pm will be available for collection after 11am the following day (except Tuesdays).
If you have any questions or need clarification on uniform items, please contact us at uniformorders@redlands.nsw.edu.au or call (02) 9968 9850.
Legacy Gift of Class of 2024
Call for Volunteers
P-6 Moonbah Information Evening
Mrs Ainslie Breckenridge
Head of Preparatory School
abreckenridge@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9848