Year 8

Week 8 – RU OK?

Today is Australia’s ‘RU OK?’ day, and it is a great time to stop and check-in with the people around you, and ask them, ‘are you okay?’ R U OK? Day is an annual event in Australia, held on the second Thursday of September, dedicated to promoting mental health and wellbeing. The day encourages everyone to check in with friends, family, and colleagues by asking the simple yet powerful question: ‘Are you OK?’ It’s a reminder that a conversation can make a big difference in someone’s life, helping to support those who may be struggling with their mental health.

In the spirit of supporting others around us, yesterday, we engaged students in considering how they can support their friends, peers and others in our community by checking in with them and asking them if they are okay. We considered how a person might look if they are not feeling okay and explored how we can offer someone our support or direct them to an appropriate source of support within the school.

Hopefully, everyone was able to get out today and check in with their friends and peers to ask them ‘RU OK?’

Mathematics Challenge

On Tuesday, eight of our Yr 8 students journeyed to Sydney Grammar to participate in a Mathematics Challenge day. Students were placed onto teams with other students from different schools to complete a variety of thought-provoking mathematical challenges. Congratulations to the students who were selected to attend: Natalie Bain, Angus Baird, Lachlan Carter, Jason Gong, Aimee Kang, Olivia Law, Aaron Oh and Liam Randall. Well done particularly to Angus, whose team came second on the day!

ISA Invitational Athletics Carnival Results

Over the past two weeks, several of our Yr 8 students have demonstrated outstanding commitment and determination while competing in the ISA Invitational Athletics Carnival held at ES Marks and Sydney Olympic Park. Well done to the students below.

Tristan Fournier Le Ray: participated in the 200m (27.76) and 100m (13.68).
Anay Mishra Mall: participated in shotput, 100m (14.25), discus, and javelin.
Jacob Polo: participated in the 100m (13.00).
Phoebe Sun: participated in shotput with a distance of 6.11m.
Alex Taylor: participated in the 1500m (5:03.00 – 4:51).
Sarah Yates: participated in the 100m (14.93) and 200m (30.50).

These students have shown great dedication to their sports and represented our school with pride. Their performances reflect not only their hard work but also their commitment to improving and pushing their limits. Best of luck to all students competing at the ISA Athletics Carnival on Tuesday next week at Sydney Olympic Park.

Tournament of the Minds

Congratulations to Ina Guan, Lachlan Carter and Liv Law for their inspiring performance in Tournament of Minds (TOM) at UNSW on Sunday 8 September. A total of 67 schools competed at this event.

Our Yr 8s led a team that also included Yr 7 students, Aashray So, Alisha Rajalingam, Sophie Wong and Yolanda Bai for 6 weeks to develop a dramatic performance bringing to life the story of a living local person in their community. The judges were very impressed by the team’s ability to demonstrate their sense of connection to the refugee experiences of Lachlan’s grandfather using three art forms – instrumental music, classical dance and painted murals.

Well done to our Year 8s on their well-deserved award, and thank you to the following staff for facilitating this experience and organising their training sessions: Ms Bailey, Ms Cleghorn, Mr Holden, Ms Joo, Ms Kang and Dr Poon.

Fun Fridays

As part of our time in Tutor, we try to give students many opportunities to connect with their peers. When we get the chance, we hold Fun Fridays to allow space for peers to relax, have fun and bond with their fellow tutees. Quite often these activities are student led, allowing students to have curated fun, whilst also developing leadership skills as they manage the session for their peers. Last Friday, several activities were occurring ranging from Mafia to handball and table tennis to the creation of electronic circuits to produce musical sounds.

Subject Spotlight – Science

Recently, Ms Wang visited Yr 8 Science and managed to capture them during one of their engaging experiments. Ms Nash took students through a complicated and very exciting process to help them investigate the energy content in different foods. They needed to weigh a food sample, set it on fire (they loved this part! ????) and use the heat energy produced to heat up a small container of water. Students then needed to calculate the temperature increase of the water and use that value to perform a series of calculations to determine the energy content of their food sample in kilojoules per gram.

According to Ms Nash, the experiment had multiple levels and was tricky to navigate but the students worked collaboratively and with great interest, and smashed it!

Bougainvillea Talent Showcase

Our Bougainvillea Club are thrilled to announce the Bougainvillea Redlands Talent Showcase, a wonderful event that offers students a unique opportunity to share their talents and connect with the community! The showcase will be held at the Bougainvillea Residential Home next to the school grounds on 19 September 19 (Week 9) from 2:00pm – 3:30 pm. Not only is this a chance for your child to perform and brighten the day of some truly lovely people, but it also provides a meaningful way to engage in further service, as has been our focus this term. Students can perform anything they want, for any amount of time. Some performance ideas include dancing, singing, playing a music instrument, stand-up comedy, drama skit, juggling, magic, poetry recitation and more!

Whether your child prefers to perform solo or as part of a group, all types of acts are welcome! It is a fantastic way for students to develop their confidence, showcase their skills, and experience the joy of giving back. It will be a fun and rewarding afternoon.

Please encourage your child to take part in this heart-warming event. Entry submissions are due by 16 September at 3:30 pm. Students can sign up here.

Holiday Service Opportunity – Kids Giving Back

In line with our current focus on service, our Acting Coordinator of Service Learning and Social Engagement, Ms Peterson, has identified a valuable service program that operates during the school holidays run by the organisation, Kids Giving Back. Kids Giving Back coordinate school holiday programs that help to introduce children to the world of volunteering and empower them to give back in an age-appropriate ways. Their Helping Hands for the Homeless gives children the chance to cook meals and assemble essential items for people experiencing homelessness and tough times. Children will learn about the causes and impacts of homelessness and how their community supports those most vulnerable. If this might be of interest to you, please visit Kids Giving Back for more information.

Term 3 Key Dates and Upcoming Events

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