Year 10

It is wonderful to welcome back Yr 10 full-time this week and to also have the opening of the New Learning Hub where many of their lessons will now take place. There is definitely a buzz around the School and I have already enjoyed teaching a Yr 10 class in this amazing new building.

Subject Selection

It was wonderful to see so many of you at the virtual Yr 10 into Yr 11 information evening on Wednesday. I hope it provided you and your children with useful information on the HSC and IB programs. On Wednesday 3 June the virtual subject fair will take place where you are able to book individual Zoom times to receive information on specific subjects to enable your child to make informed decisions regarding their subject selections for next year. Students now have access to their booklets and these are also accessible to them on the Yr 10 Pastoral iLearn page.

In the coming days and weeks as your children choose their courses for next year, Mr Dong and I ask that you encourage them to think carefully about their choices and make informed decisions. The Yr 10 Pastoral team are encouraging students to select their program and subjects based on their interests and what they are good at. I have conveyed to them the importance of choosing what they want to study first and foremost, as they have a wonderful opportunity to follow their passions for the next two years and they will be more motivated if they are enjoying the courses.

The Post Examination Wash-up

As teachers and parents, we all share high expectations for our Yr 10 students. Although high achievement may be front and centre in the minds of many parents, I would ask that as students begin receiving their results for recent examinations and assessment tasks, we all endeavour to take a balanced view. It is inevitable that students may perform better in some subjects than in others and that Remote Learning may have impacted some more than others. We encourage students to celebrate their achievements, acknowledge where perhaps more revision may have been needed and to remember that giving of their best is the most important takeaway from these formal assessments. I would ask that you encourage your children to take a balanced view of their results and implement suggestions from their teachers in relation to examination feedback. Both Mr Dong and I have encouraged students to remember that they are to ‘run their own race’ and not to compare their results with others. We encourage students to focus on incremental improvement, no matter how small, from one semester to another, as the cumulative effect will pay significant dividends in the long run.

Paul Dillon – Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia

On Monday we welcomed Paul Dillon, a regular presenter to our students, via Zoom to present to our Yr 10 cohort, educating them on a wide range of alcohol and drug issues. Paul presented valuable information for the students and in the coming weeks the students will discuss further some of these issues during Tutor Time. Please encourage your child to have a discussion with you as to what was presented on Monday. 

Helping Students Transition Back to Full Time On-Campus Learning

As our students once again navigate the changes to their schooling and lives as a whole, Dr Prue Salter has given some top tips for parents and teachers to help them manage the impact of returning to full time On-Campus Learning. These tips can be found in more detail on her website but essentially are:

  • Be gentle with expectations for quite some time.
  • Keep lines of communication as open as possible.
  • Minimise news consumption and pandemic discussion or direct focus to encouraging statistics.
  • Re-focus on the pillars of health: exercise, sleep, healthy eating.
  • Allow students lots of opportunities to re-connect.
  • Reset the routine and daily schedule.
  • Look for lots of ways to support students’ studies.

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Ms Rebecca Mountain
Yr 10 Advisor
rmountain@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9908 6462