Year 8

Week 3 – Looking Good in our Denim

On Friday of last week, the Redlands community came out in force for Jeans for Genes Day, donating generously towards supporting medical research and raising funds for children and families living with genetic disorders. Our Yr 8 cohort, as primary bakers for the event’s charity bake sale, were fantastic, producing more cakes, cookies, slices and muffins than the eye could see, and allowing everyone to have a much-needed sugar pick-me-up at the end of the week. The offering of sumptuous baked goods was the largest we have ever seen at Redlands!

I want to offer a huge thank you to all those students and families who put in time and effort to bake something for the event. Our focus this term in Yr 8 is on service – thinking beyond ourselves and seeking to help others. So, it was wonderful to see so many of our cohort embodying this ethos early on, by providing for our Jeans for Genes charity initiative. I also want to extend my thanks to Ms Peterson, Sensei Abe and Ms Wang for spearheading the effort in motivating our bakers and coordinating the logistics on the day. Well done and thanks too to our Yr 11 helpers who were fantastic in selling the baked goods to the endless crowds of hungry Redlanders!

As a school we raised over $9,000 on the day, making us the number one donor in the School category for ‘Jeans for Genes’ Day. Amazing!

AAS Testing

Yesterday, students spent the first half of the day in Redlands Hall completing Academic Assessment Services testing. This testing is designed to help offer a picture of student abilities in areas like mathematics, abstract reasoning, problem solving and general reading and writing skills. Students approached the testing with maturity and excellent focus. The AAS head supervisor was particularly commendatory of everyone’s efforts. Well done Yr 8!

Student-Led Conferences

Last night Yr 8 engaged in their student-led conferences for 2024. It has been wonderful to hear of the positive feedback from teachers today as to the confident approach students took to facilitating these discussions between parents / carers and teachers, and also the mature reflections students were able to offer on their performance and engagement this year. Hopefully, such reflection will continue to be a strong part of each student’s toolkit as they move forward this semester and into their Stage 5 studies next year.

Clayfield College Exchange

At the start of this week, several Yr 8 students were given the opportunity to visit Clayfield College in Brisbane for a couple of days of exchange, to experience daily school life in a different educational institution. Students subsequently attended Redlands today with their Clayfield host students, introducing them to how our school operates.

Well done to Alexis Castan, Claudia Chmielewski, Daisy Mann, Anay Mishra Mall, Oliwia Polok, Lily van Hulsen and Mackenzie Willis who were all part of the program. We look forward to hearing more of their experiences in Brisbane.

Week 4 is Science Week!

Next week, the school will be transformed into a Science laboratory with a range of fun activities for students to engage in to develop their scientific knowledge and skills, as part of Science Week. Students will have the opportunity to have breakfast with a scientist, partake in astronomy evenings, learn more about forensic science and show off their aeronautical skills in a paper aeroplane competition! For anyone with a budding science interest or those who already consider themselves to be established scientists – and everyone in between – I encourage you to check out the various events on offer and to get involved.

Big Science Competition

The Big Science Competition is a 50-minute online competition that tests scientific knowledge, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Run by Australian Science Innovations (ASI), the same organisation that runs the Junior Science Olympiads, the Big Science Competition is distinguished by challenging questions that set scientific principles in real-life contemporary contexts and require students to demonstrate understanding of how theory applies in authentic, real-world situations. Due to the complex nature of the questions, the students invited to participate had to demonstrate prior high achievement in their Science classes and/or receive a teacher nomination.

Congratulations to all the students who were selected to compete in the competition and a special congratulations to students who received Distinction awards: Natalie Bain, Angus Baird, Tyler Clark, Fergus Kerr, Vivienne Matthews, Aaron Oh and Clementine Roumanoff.

And an even bigger congratulations to Lachlan Carter and Lucas Gai who performed exceptionally well and received High Distinction awards!

School Climate Survey

Starting from Week 4, students will be invited to complete a School Climate Survey. The survey is anonymous and aims to gather data from the student body regarding the climate at Redlands. It provides an opportunity for students to give feedback on the school environment, acknowledge peers who contribute positively or voice any concerns. Once the data is collected, it will be provided to the Year Advisors, Head of Secondary School, Counsellors and the Dean of Students. This information will help inform effective interventions and support our inclusive community.

Term 3 Key Dates and Upcoming Events

School Play: ‘Away’ – Week 3: Thursday 9 to Saturday 10 August
Science Week – Week 4: Monday 12 – Friday 16 August
Future Think: Career Cluster Day – Friday 16 August
SS Parent Wellbeing Session – Week 5: Tuesday 20 August
Yr 8 Geography Excursion – Week 6: Friday 30 August
Wear it Purple Day – Week 6: Friday 30 August
R U OK? Day – Week 8: Thursday 12 September
2025 Student Leaders Announcement – Week 8: Friday 13 September
End of Term 3 – Week 10: Thursday 26 September

Giving Day – Wednesday 21 August

On Wednesday 21 August we are excited to launch our major philanthropic campaign, Giving Day. Our Giving Day campaign supports the High Country Campus expansion and establishes another important means-tested scholarship in honour of Redlander Coralie Amos OAM.

Giving Day promises to be a fantastic day of celebration that will have a transformational impact for our students. I look forward to connecting with members of our community on the day where we have 24 hours to reach our giving target of $400,000. Thanks to the incredible support of our matching gift donors, every donation on this day will be tripled, increasing the impact of everyone’s contributions significantly.

For more information about our Giving Day and how you can get involved, please visit the Foundation section.

Mr Jimmy Tod-Hill
Year 8 Advisor
jtodhill@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9908 6462