Year 8
Week 6 – Service and Gratitude
This term our focus in Yr 8 has been firmly on Service. After our cohort’s role in supporting the Jeans for Genes day bake sale earlier in the term, each Tutor group has been working on developing and enacting small scale service projects across the School. We have a range of projects being managed by Tutor groups including:
- supporting the return of lost property in the School
- assisting in keeping our locker area and the Undercroft free of rubbish
- helping IT in managing school devices
- helping to recycle cans across the School
- assisting the Library in covering new and old books
- knitting squares to make pouches for orphaned joeys
- producing cards for the local aged care facility at Bougainvillea
- and more!
It has been a valuable process, not just engaging in Service to show our gratitude for the wonderful school we are fortunate enough to be in, but also in appreciating the planning and logistics behind getting a valuable service project off the ground. Students are learning a great deal, which they will be able to take with them into future years and personal endeavours, viewing the world through a lens of recognising their own privilege and seeking to help others where they can.
As part of this process, we were also lucky enough to bring on board a variety of Yr 11 students who have started acting as mentors for each Tutor group, offering them advice and guidance in how to engage in valuable service. Our Yr 11 students, under the guidance of their wonderful Year Advisor, Ms Vale, have built a beautiful culture of Service and we greatly appreciate the students who are offering their time to help our Yr 8 cohort build their own culture of Service and gratitude.
A huge thank you to our Assistant Year Advisor, Ms Wang, who has taken the lion’s share in coordinating this unit on Service, working with various staff across the School to build opportunities for our students to contribute to the Redlands community. Thank you also to our Tutors who have helped and continue to help facilitate the experience for their Tutor groups, guiding them in planning and implementing their Service projects.
Service in Athens
Each Year Assembly this term, I have been highlighting significant Service experiences that students have been involved in outside of the school. On Monday, I shared with the cohort that over the recent mid-year break, Christos travelled to Greece to connect with family and friends, but also to support a charity organisation called Boroume. Boroume started very small, when the founders saved 12 unsold cheese pies (tiropites) from being discarded by a bakery, so they could offer them to a soup kitchen. It is now a well-known food distribution organisation and movement throughout Greece who save more than 24,000 portions of food every day across Greece.
Christos and his sister volunteered with Boroume to collect unsold and excess produce from a local farmer’s market (in 37-degree heat!) to ensure such food did not go to waste as landfill. Christos and his sister helped to fill an entire van as they collected more eggplants and carrots than they had ever seen before, amongst other vegetables and fruits. The produce was then delivered to a local charity for their use in meals and support packages for families in need. The weekly collection from this farmer’s market saves the charity 20,000 euros a year! You can learn more about Boroume HERE.
It is wonderful to see students in our year group thinking beyond themselves and finding opportunities like this to help others in need. Well done Christos!
House Debating
The topics have been set; the teams have been chosen. Who will reign victorious this year in House Debating? McDouall took the glory last year, but can they do it again this year?
Well, on Wednesday McDouall indeed took the first step down that path, defeating Roseby in our first round of House Debating. McDouall and Roseby debated a very contemporary and recently well-discussed topic, that breakdancing (or breaking) should continue to be an Olympic sport. It was a close affair, with both teams offering up valuable arguments but, in a debate that revolved around three primary clashes, McDouall were able to take the lead in two of three, ultimately winning the debate.
Thank you to Yr 12 student, Annie Zhang who adjudicated the debate and a huge thank you to Ms Beggs who has coordinated the competition.
Good luck to Cowper and Dumolo House representatives who will debate next week on the topic that in NSW the age of criminal liability should be raised from 10 to 16. I look forward to seeing the interesting legal and social arguments each group will produce.
Reminder about Phones
Recently, we have started to see phone usage creeping back into some students’ school routine and, in the interests of supporting their academic engagement and in-person social interactions, this is something we strongly want to restrain. I would like to remind everyone of our School’s policy regarding student phones to ensure a focused and distraction-free learning environment.
For students in Years 7-10, phones must be kept in lockers at all times during the school day. If a student needs to contact home, they should visit the SSC to make a call from the front desk.
Teachers at the School are instructed to enforce this policy by confiscating phones and delivering them to me, as the Year Advisor, should they be found to be used inappropriately. We are confident that with timely reminders, students can develop management strategies to ensure they are not held hostage to the temptations of phone use during the school day. This policy is designed to support a productive and respectful learning environment for all students.
Year 8 Geography Excursion Reminder
Tomorrow, Yr 8 have the great opportunity to visit Manly Dam, an absolutely beautiful location, as part of their Geography course study. Please take note of the information below so that everyone knows where to be and what to bring to have the best day!
Students will be met at the Top Terraces at 8:20am by their teacher to get their name marked off before boarding buses. Students are to wear PE uniform and closed shoes that you don’t mind getting wet (please feel free bring a change of socks and shoes that you can put on before heading back to school!).
Additionally, make sure you bring:
- small rucksack for carrying things (no school bags)
- pen / pencil
- clipboard
- hat
- sunglasses
- sunscreen
- water bottle filled with water
- recess and lunch (there are no shops nearby)
- closed shoes
- medication (as necessary – for instance, asthma puffer, Epipen, etc…)
Legacy Gift
This year, the graduating class of 2024 has decided to leave our legacy by raising money for the means-tested Redlands Scholarship Fund. The scholarship provides an opportunity for a Redlands education to a student who may otherwise be unable to attend the School. We want to share the support, encouragement and opportunities that Redlands has provided us.
To make this possible, we are thrilled to invite the entire Redlands community to join us in our fundraising efforts.
Your support means the world to us as we reach the grand finale of our Redlands journey. Come be a part of something special—purchase our exclusive memorabilia or make a direct contribution to the Scholarship Fund. Let’s make a lasting impact together!
Term 3 Key Dates and Upcoming Events
- Yr 8 Geography Excursion – 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
Mr Jimmy Tod-Hill
Year 8 Advisor
jtodhill@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9908 6462