Year 8

Week 1 – Welcome to the Home Stretch

Welcome back to Term 4 at Redlands! It has been lovely to see everyone back on campus this week, looking relaxed, revitalised and ready for the short and fast term ahead. Certainly, as we have moved through this first week, all I could think of was ‘where has this year gone’!? Before we know it, the year will have concluded, and we will all be preparing for the summer holidays and festive season. However, there are some significant events to navigate before then and, as a cohort, we need to be ready to face them so we can be the best we can be!

It is important to note that our cohort’s Service focus will continue in Term 4; however, this time, rather than working on Service initiatives in our Tutor groups, students are being challenged to complete individual Service projects. Today, in Tutor, students were given details of their individual service projects, which are designed to extend their service beyond the school, focusing on small-scale actions they can take in their immediate surroundings, such as at home or in their local community. This approach aims to make Service Learning both enjoyable and impactful, allowing students to create positive change for those around them, while laying the foundation for future Service initiatives in their senior years.

Students will have two strands of Service to choose from: life skills at home and volunteering in their local community. We will be encouraging students to choose one of these to focus on, although they may attempt both, depending on their interests and what their schedule allows. Through the life skills at home strand, we will be encouraging students to focus on helping out more with family tasks, building good habits and strengthening relationships with family and friends. This will aim to develop empathy, self-discipline and responsibility, plus, it will help them to prepare for dorm life at Moonbah next year. Through the volunteering in the local community strand, we will be encouraging students to get involved in local activities that fit their interests and schedule. This will be a great way to show initiative, learn new skills and gain confidence by helping others.

Ms Wang and I look forward to students continuing to think beyond themselves, developing their understanding of the importance of service and gratitude.

Upcoming School Service Opportunities

In addition to our own individual service project, there are also a couple of school-wide service projects students are encouraged to engage in this term.

Mary’s House Walk

Mary’s House Services was founded in 2015-16 by a dedicated group of residents from Sydney’s northern suburbs. The Mary’s House refuge was established to address the significant gap in government funded services and to save lives in the region by providing support for women and children to feel safe, hopeful, and empowered to begin rebuilding their lives. The Mary’s House Walk gives students and families an opportunity to get out and support this organisation.

It’s free for students: register and come along to walk for awareness.
Do that little bit extra and raise some money for Mary’s House / ask people to sponsor you to walk.
Get your family / other adults to come along: $85 registration

Indigenous Literacy Foundation

In remote Communities across Australia there is often no infrastructure such as libraries or bookstores. Access to reading material is extremely limited and this impacts the achievements of Indigenous children.

The Indigenous Literacy Foundation’s three programs, Book Supply, Book Buzz and Community Publishing, focus on ensuring access to quality resources, including books in First Languages, publishing community stories and supporting communities and families to lead the entire process to ensure leadership, ownership, and authenticity is held with community elders and residents.

What can we do? Bring in a book and a gold coin donation in Week 3 to help support the cause. Then on Friday 1 November, you will get to enter the Great Book Swap and pick up a new book to read and enjoy.

Examinations in Week 4

This week, in Tutor time, we reminded students of their upcoming Yearly Examinations in Week 4. These examinations will be a good opportunity for students to test out the knowledge and skills they have learned in their courses of study. Further information about examinations, including the Week 4 examination timetable, can be found on Pulse.

Smart Devices at Redlands

“Smartphones act as experience blockers. Once introduced into a child’s life, they diminish other forms of non-smartphone-based experiences, which are crucial for their developing brains.”

‘The Anxious Generation’, Jonathan Haidt 2024

This week, students were introduced to the school’s new policy on smart devices, particularly smart phones, AirPods and smart watches. The School is seeking to foster student personal interactions, develop student engagement in the school day and help curb reliance on/addiction to devices.

Ms Van de Peer spoke directly to students on Monday explaining that smart devices, particularly smart phones, are no longer permitted in any setting while students are at school or engaged in school-related activities during Term 4. Smartphones are to remain in student lockers and students will not be permitted to have their smartphone on their person at any time during the school day.

There are a few important implications flowing from this.

Students need to ensure that they have a working lock on their school locker to keep their phones safe.
Students purchasing food from the canteen should bring in a debit card or use their FlexiSchools account to pre-order food.
Students with smart-watches may still wear them but only to tell the time (and not to check for messages, notifications, etc…).

While this may be a challenging change for some, we are confident that Yr 8 will embrace these new requirements and benefit greatly from the increased interactions they will have, in person, with each other. Further details can be found in Ms Van de Peer’s Term 4 welcome letter on Pulse.

Welcome to our New Students!

This term, we welcomed some lovely new faces into our Yr 8 cohort at Redlands: Ella, Eva, Giulia and Oscar. While it has definitely been a busy start for them all, sometimes with an overwhelming amount of new information to absorb, all four students have embraced their new school opportunity positively, guided by welcoming peers and supportive teachers.

Leadership Induction Assembly

Next Tuesday, 22 October, we will officially induct our new student leadership team in an important formal assembly. It is a significant occasion in the school calendar, where we hear from our new student leadership team as they outline their plans for the year ahead. It is also an opportunity for us to congratulate our new leadership team and to show gratitude for the time our leaders will spend supporting Redlands over the next year.

Students are reminded that, as it is a formal assembly, they are expected to wear their school blazers.

UN Youth Voice Competition

On Tuesday, a collection of Yr 7 and Yr 8 students from Redlands participated in the United Nations Youth Voice Competition. This public speaking competition encourages critical thinking and problem-solving to address issues affecting our community, country and the world. Students explored topics ranging from the negative impacts of tourism, to languages at risk of extinction. They not only showcased their speaking skills but also pitched innovative and creative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

Congratulations to our Yr 8 students who participated in the preliminary round held at James Ruse Agricultural High School: Natalie Bain, Lachlan Carter, Oscar McHattan, Aaron Oh, Connor Price, Clementine Roumanoff and Hugo Steadman.

Some of our students’ thoughtful comments are copied below:

‘Affordable housing must be a priority. We need to build affordable homes closer to city centres and develop mixed-use areas where residential, commercial, and public spaces coexist. This reduces travel times and fosters community. The UN can facilitate collaboration between governments, NGOs, and the private sector to tackle housing affordability. By creating international partnerships to share ideas and technology, the UN can help provide affordable housing solutions across different regions. Collaboration between countries facing similar challenges accelerates the development of effective housing strategies on a global scale.’ – Clementine Roumanoff

‘The installation of renewable energy is essential for a city’s liveability. Renewable energy, such as wind and solar, can be reused without depletion. It has positive environmental impacts and is significantly more effective than fossil fuels like coal, gas, and oil. Yet, renewable energy powers only 9.8% of New South Wales, with fossil fuels accounting for the remaining 90.2%. Since renewable energy produces no greenhouse gas emissions and helps mitigate climate change, a shift to renewables is crucial for Australia, particularly for New South Wales.’ – Oscar McHattan

Festival of Redlands – this Saturday

This Saturday, on the Junior Campus, the School will celebrate the Festival of Redlands: an unforgettable 140th Birthday Celebration, shining a light on 140 years of exceptional Redlands education, to explore the past, present and future of our amazing School.

Bring your Redlands spirit to life by participating in the school-wide ultimate House Challenge, culminating in the awarding of the Festival of Redlands Trophy. Enjoy the showcase of our extraordinary Performing Arts, Sports, Academics, Visual Arts, Innovative Design and Outdoor Education programs, as well as the history and heritage of Redlands.

Entry is free and you can also purchase a selection of ticketed activities while registering.

When: This Saturday 19 October, 1pm-5pm

Where: Redlands Junior Campus, 2 Allister St, Cremorne

More information, including complimentary tickets, can be found here.

Student Recognition: Lauren Rolfe and Otis Gait

Congratulations to Lauren Rolfe who, after a successful season of Softball, has recently been selected to compete in the U16 Softball NSW Girls Team at Nationals in January 2025. She will face some intensive training over the next three months to prepare for this important competition, and we look forward to hearing of her success.

Congratulations also to Otis Gait who recently returned from representing NSW in the Hockey Nationals in Perth where he played 11 hard-fought games over 8 days in some warm weather! They won some games and lost others, but Otis loved the challenge and thrived on the hockey pitch.

Term 4 Key Dates and Upcoming Events

Leadership Induction Assembly – Week 2: Tuesday 22 October
Year 8-11 Book Swap Assembly – Week 3: Tuesday 29 October
Year 8 Examinations – Week 4: Monday 4 November – Wednesday 6 November
Moonbah: Gearing for Growth evening – Week 6: Monday 18 November
Speech Night (and Term End) – Week 8: Wednesday 4 December

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