Year 9

Welcome Back

It was lovely to welcome all our Year 9 students back on Monday. Many of them looked rested and ready to take on the challenges of the term.  

Examinations Next Week

The examinations next week 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 2 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 smartphones, 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 Year 9 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.  

2024 QLD All Schools Touch Football Championship

During the October break a group of Year 9 and Year 11 students went to Queensland to participate in the prestigious Gold Coast Titans All Schools (GCTAS) Touch Football Championship.  

Congratulations to Amelie Dewar, Belle Monty, Elodie Melvin and Maya Turton for their selection as part of this team and for their performances as part of the competition. 

Japan Trip 2024

During the break I had the privilege of accompanying several Year 9, 10 and 11 students to Japan on a language’s immersion tour. 

During this 12-day trip we visited significant places such as Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and Nara, as well as a day trip out to our sister school, Jutoku High School. 

 The sense of adventure and maturity with which all students engaged with the program contributed to a wonderful trip with lasting memories and bonds made between our travel party.  

Mr Tobias Horan
Yr 9 Advisor
9968 9872
thoran@redlands.nsw.edu.au