Year 7

STEAM 

Last week, our Year 7 STEAM Days, “Bee-yond the Hive,” offered students a hands-on journey into the world of bees, blending science, sustainability and tech. The day started with a tour by Rooftop Bees, where students learned about bees’ critical role in pollination, biodiversity and food supply. 

In the Science labs, students created an Arduino-powered beehive sentry system to detect pests, seeing how technology can protect bee populations. A honey experiment let them analyse sugar content and flavours, revealing how bees create diverse honey from various flowers. 

Students also crafted honey and coffee scrubs, exploring sustainable sourcing and the circular economy. By the end, students engaged with a creative challenge and produced an incredible summary of the importance of bees to the sustainability of our ecosystems. 

A huge thank you to Mrs Green, Mrs Duckworth, Mrs Chipper and all our our wonderful teachers, guests and supporting staff for an inspirational opportunity.

New Zealand Exchange  

We have a few more spots available for the NZ Exchange in Term 1 2025.

This exchange is perfect for students who are actively involved in school life and eager to represent Redlands abroad.  

Selected students will travel to Auckland for three weeks, from 1 February to 23 February, 2025. They will live with a Kristin host family, attend the Kristin Year Group Camp for one week, and join classes with their host partner for the remaining two weeks.  

In turn, Kristin students will visit Sydney from 8 March to 30 March, staying with their exchange partner and family, participating in Year 8 Camp and attending classes. Please ensure you are available to host during this period if you apply.  

Host families provide accommodation, meals and transport. Ideally, exchange students should have their own room. Costs for Redlands students include return flights arranged through the school and any spending money.  

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed to assess suitability and match with exchange partners. Spaces are limited, and acceptance will depend on the availability of suitable partners with shared interests. 

If you are interested in taking advantage of this rewarding and challenging experience students should complete the attached expression of interest form and return to Jon Gray (jgray@redlands.nsw.edu.au) ASAP. Student and parent/carer signatures are required. 

NSW School Vaccination Program 2024 

Each year NSW Health works in partnership with schools to offer the vaccines recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for adolescents as part of the school vaccination program. 

The following vaccines are offered free to Year 7 students at school on: 

• Thursday 7 November – Year 7 – diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa) 

• Thursday 28 November – Year 7 – human papillomavirus (HPV) 

Students who miss the first clinic date will be offered a catch up opportunity on Thursday 28 November. 

Vaccination will only be provided at school if consent has been received.  To provide consent for vaccination online go here, you will need: 

• your ServiceNSW log-in details, or to create an account with ServiceNSW if you don’t already have one 

• Medicare details for parents/carers and your child 

Please note parents/carers will need to provide separate consent for each of the two different vaccinations. 

Benefits of online consent for parents/carers: 

• SMS notifications when vaccinations are given 

• easy updating of your child’s details online 

• faster upload of your child’s vaccination records to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) 

If you or your child do not have a Medicare card, consent can still be provided by requesting a paper-based consent form directly from the Year Advisor. 

To help answer questions you may have regarding providing vaccination and online consent, please visit the NSW Health website. 

Important Dates  

Ms Abby Walker
Yr 7 Advisor
9968 9818
awalker@redlands.nsw.edu.au