Head of Preparatory School

Please note that all Upcoming Events for Prep are on their own Note Day article/page.

Community Spirit

Community spirit was in abundance at the New Starters Afternoon Tea and Twilight Cocktail events held over the past two weeks. The Redlands Parents and Friends Association, together with the School, welcomed families of students who were new to Redlands this year. Both events provided opportunities for families to learn more about Redlands life and meet parents and staff of the School. At the New Starters Afternoon, Michelle Tea, RPFA President and Dana Casimaty, Director of Development welcomed guests and introduced our vibrant, unique and international community. Children enjoyed delicious cakes, fruit and icy poles on a warm afternoon. The Twilight Cocktail evening was extremely well represented by Preparatory School families and Principal, Mr Stephen Webber introduced himself to the community sharing his background in education and his motivation and excitement to join Redlands. Alumni Greta Argyropoulos (Class of 2017) and Christopher Blundell (Class of 2013) delighted guests with their wonderful performances. Events such as these would not be possible without key members of staff and I would like to thank Rebecca Mackay, the School’s Events Coordinator and the Facilities and Maintenance teams for their behind the scenes preparation. This week also held the first Preparatory School Parent Coordinator Group meeting for the year. Thank you to Bree Stevens and Lucienne Willis for their coordination of this group and to the parents who have given their time to organise various social functions for their class and cohort, for the year ahead.

April Vacation Care 2020

If you would like your child to attend the April Vacation Care program, please visit Redlands Pulse to preview the activity plan. The Flexischools website will be open on Monday 9 March at 12.00pm to make your bookings. Please contact the OOSH Coordinator, Trinetta Newbond, with any Vacation Care or After School Care queries.

Student Planner

Every student in the Preparatory School has been provided with a Student Planner. Please take some time to read through the front pages, where you will find pertinent information relating to Home Learning, the Wellbeing Program, School Uniform and some clear guidelines relating to important school policies. If you haven’t already done so, please complete Page 1 with your child’s details. Class teachers monitor Student Planners daily, so please use these as the first point of communication.

Preparatory School Extra Curricular Activities

An overview of who to contact, times and dates for Prep School Extra Curricular activities can now be found on Redlands Pulse. Please refer to these documents in the first instance and if you have any further queries please contact the individual departments referenced for answers to specific questions pertaining to these activities.

Road Safety around the Junior Campus

On Tuesday afternoon at 4.00pm, an adult cyclist was involved in an accident with a vehicle at the Rangers Rd and Allister St intersection. Some of our staff provided first aid to the cyclist but if any parents witnessed the accident, please could they notify the Junior School office or Mosman Police.

I would like to remind all parents of the importance of road safety around our Campus for our students, staff and the local community, whether on foot or bicycle, especially during pick up and drop off.

Yr 1 Act for Kids

All Yr 1 parents and carers received a letter regarding the Act for Kids Learn to be safe with Emmy and Friends Program. Act for Kids is a national not-for-profit organisation committed to ensuring Australia’s children have the safe and happy childhoods they deserve. The aim of this program is to help your child:

identify when they are feeling unsafe
understand their rights around their body
identify the difference between private and public body parts
recognise the difference between safe and unsafe secrets
build a network of safe people they can talk to if they ever feel unsafe.

This program will run in Weeks 5-9 in the classroom for a one hour session, over 5 sessions. You will receive information each week explaining each session and activity sheets that you can do with your child to help them keep safe. If you do not wish for your child to participate in this program, please speak to your child’s teacher.

Yr 1 Excursion

Last Friday Yr 1 visited St Leonards Park for an afternoon of discovery and friendship building. As part of the Science Schoolyard Safari Unit, students carefully searched for various mini beasts using magnifying glasses and other small tools. Students were able to discover insects and other mini beasts in their local environment and observe their different habitats. Throughout the afternoon, Yr 1 students used their interpersonal skills whilst collaborating in team pursuits. Using class parachutes and partaking in initiative games allowed students to work together and practise the expectations relating to inclusive and respectful relationships found in our Positive Behaviour for Learning Framework. Thank you to Yr 1 teacher Ms Angus for her organisation of this event.

Mrs Audrey Fellowes
Head of Preparatory School
afellowes@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9848