Deputy Head of Junior School: Students (K-2)
Well, this week has just flown by! There has been great excitement at lunchtime as our Lunchtime Clubs have been launched. I have the pleasure of running a Friendship Club several times a week, which is a lovely opportunity for me to interact with the students and get to know them better. Our Lunchtime Clubs are also a wonderful chance for students to socialise with children in different classes and Year Groups. Thank you to Ms Anderson for taking the time to organise these clubs, and to the team for supporting our students during their lunch break.
Kindergarten Storytime with Ms Partington
On Monday, Ms Partington, our Deputy Principal, spent the morning with our Kindergarten classes. She read each class a story and gifted them a special bookmark, which they were all thrilled with! Ms Partington was very impressed with how settled the Kindergarten children are at such an early stage of the school year, which is a testament to the hard work of our Kindy teachers, as well as your support as parents.
K-2 Assembly
I am sure that many of you will be pleased to know that from next week, we will be welcoming parents to our K-2 Tuesday assemblies. For the rest of this term, Year 2 will be leading our assemblies on the following dates:
- 25 February: 2B and 2Y
- 11 March: 2W and 2R
- 25 March: 2B and 2Y
- 8 April: 2W and 2R
We invite parents and families from these classes to attend. K-2 Assemblies are held in Dunnet Hall every other Tuesday; they begin at 1.50pm and will end by 2.20pm. Following each assembly, we ask that families leave the school and return at the normal time to collect their child at the end of the school day.
We look forward to seeing 2B and 2Y families on Tuesday afternoon.
Kindergarten and Year 1 Parent Workshop: Tuesday 4 March at 8.30am
Introducing a new parent workshop specifically catered to the parents of our students in Kindergarten and Year 1, as we know the early school years can be challenging for your child and for you as their parent. In this discussion-based workshop, we shall focus on common challenges we see in our youngest students, such as: morning routines, separation anxiety and transitioning to the classroom. Facilitated by Jemimah Cosme, one of the Junior School Counsellors, the workshop will act as an opportunity for parents to ask questions, receive strategies and provide a safe space to reflect.
Sustainability
We are keen to introduce the children further to the United Nations’ 17 World Sustainability Goals. Year 1 are working on composting, and we are encouraging children to recycle waste food in our Foodcycler, which can be put back into the garden.
If your child or family have been working on living a more sustainable lifestyle, (such as reducing food or water waste, or completing a beach clean-up) then please let us know by sending a short email explaining what you have been doing, along with a photograph to: kpontes@redlands.nsw.edu.au and we will display them in our Reception area.
Lucy Hill Library
Parents are a child’s first and most important teachers. Reading early and often to your child lays the foundation for reading success and lifelong learning. Reading aloud develops language skills and increases vocabulary, enhances critical thinking and creativity. It nurtures emotional growth and self-confidence, creates independent learners and problem solvers, and most importantly, cultivates an enthusiasm for reading.
At Redlands we have a wonderful Early Childhood Library that can be accessed by students, teachers and parents. Parents may borrow ten books at a time for two weeks. Borrowing allows you to supplement and broaden your child’s choice of books and keeps you aware of what is available for early childhood reading without having to purchase the books.
The school takes part in the Premiers Reading Challenge (PRC), which is a statewide initiative aimed at increasing reading as a pleasurable activity. In Years K-2 anyone can do the reading. You can read the books to your child, an older sibling or grandparent could also do the reading, or the child can read themselves. The aim is to read 30 books by August. In the Lucy Hill Library, the challenge books are labelled with a sticker, and we have written the code in each book to make the task of recording books as easy as possible.
Many parents who have already taken part in the PRC comment on how much they enjoyed reading with their children, how they found new books they did not know existed and how it prompted them to read with their children. If you would like to take part, or if you have any questions, please come to the library and ask.
Twilight in the Garden
Our Twilight in the Garden event this Friday evening provides a wonderful opportunity for all families to connect with our school community on the Fahl Garden on our Senior Campus. We are expecting this to be another sold out event for parents and carers, so please purchase your tickets here.
Musical Tickets Now Available
Ashley Bentley
Deputy Head: Students (K-2)
abentley@redlands.nsw.edu.au