From the Principal
On Monday, I had the pleasure of attending the Innovation and ICT Umbrella group meeting of IPSHA schools, hosted by Redlands Junior School. It was wonderful to see these presentations focused on innovative technology use utilising AR and VR in primary school teaching and learning, but what was most impressive was the content presented and delivered by Year 6 Redlands students. Orla Collins, Emma Cruttenden, Lucy Goodsall, Kernel He, Ruairi Lambert, Max Nicholson, Rowan Petersen and Musato Ueno, the Year 6 Student Technology Leaders, delivered a presentation on The Power of Student Agency in Driving Digital Innovation to a room of 45 teachers and IPSHA officials from over 28 schools. Following this, they ably assisted our Junior Campus eLearning Coordinator, Ms Argiro Anagnostu, in the presentation on “Making Thinking Visible with Virtual Reality Glasses”, as they set up, coordinated and supported guests’ use of VR glasses in the demonstration.
The Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awards ceremony was held on Tuesday at Sydney Olympic Park, and it was a privilege to attend and recognise Redlanders Isabel Binnekamp (2019), Maya Auld (2020) and Aymon Holth (2020) on their outstanding achievement. Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC, Governor of New South Wales, gave an inspiring address on the late Duke of Edinburgh’s outstanding contribution to education and the value he placed on students learning through challenging experiential educational opportunities.
It was wonderful to be able to have Yr 10 parents and students on site on Wednesday evening for the Yr 10 into 11 Information Night, with the opportunity for staff to engage with parents regarding the various subject offerings and pathways. It has also been pleasing to note the positive feedback from the Yr 10 Industry Day last week, with our Yr 10 students having the opportunity to connect with various organisations. My thanks to the following businesses for opening their doors and providing such a rich learning experience for our students: Buildcorp, EY, Snowy Hydro, Microsoft, Camphin Boston, The Agency, Connected Culture, MHDP Architects, We are Kindred, Griffin Theatre, Clayton Utz, Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers and Practera.
The Redlands Arts Luncheon held at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron on Wednesday was a most memorable occasion, as we celebrated the strength of the Arts and Design programs in the School and the extensive range of opportunities available to students. The Redlanders guest panel, comprising Amy Cheung (1989), Amelia Carroll (2011), Cloudia Elder (2011) and Max Glanville (2009), shared reflections of their experiences of the Arts and Design programs at Redlands and how this had contributed to their personal and professional development. The event provided a wonderful opportunity to highlight the importance of the Arts in our lives and a celebration of how much the Arts are valued at Redlands. It was also an opportunity to launch the Belinda Oxley means-tested scholarship, with over $40,000 raised through this event. My heartfelt thanks to all members of our community for their generosity and to other organisations who contributed items for the silent auction.
To cap off an eventful week, I am very much looking forward to the Senior Music Festival, to be held at The Concourse on Friday evening. After almost 18 months at Redlands, it will be my first larger scale Performing Arts production and no doubt a fitting farewell for our Coordinator of Music Mr Darren Kuilenburg, as he leaves to take on a new challenge after many years of dedicated service to the School. I know the students and staff are looking forward to sending him off in style and are excited to be performing for the community.
Finally I would like to sincerely congratulate Yr 4 student Viraj Tandon who has been announced this morning as a finalist in the 9-12 age category in this year’s Young Archie 2021 competition for his painting My Grandfather’s Secret Garden. Well done Viraj!
Mr Stephen Webber
Photo Caption: Our Redlanders guest panel at our Arts Luncheon held at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron earlier this week.