From The Principal
My heartfelt congratulations to all staff, students and parent volunteers who were involved in the musical production of Grease, which was streamed online through three ticketed performances last weekend. The quality of the production was exceptional and it was inspiring to see our students perform at such a high level and with so much enjoyment. The outtake interviews at the conclusion gave a wonderful insight into how creative and adaptive the cast, crew, musicians and staff needed to be to make this ambitious project possible. I know that many families gathered around their screens together to celebrate on the weekend, with yet another younger generation being exposed to the uplifting music of a different era.
During this period, I have appreciated the opportunity to join a range of Zoom meetings across the breadth of the School. In a recent Junior School meeting with parents I was so impressed to note the thread of the discussion, with the focus on how parents could partner with the School to support all members of our community, especially those new to Redlands. The gratitude expressed for the efforts of our staff was greatly appreciated and it is powerful to share this with colleagues.
The RPFA continue their exceptional efforts to connect the Redlands community at this time and invite all families to the Redlands Online Family Trivia Night on Sunday 15 August at 5.30pm. This Olympic themed Zoom event will provide fun for the whole family and parents can book via the invitation below.
Thank you to all parents and carers for continuing to support your children in Remote Learning. Our Remote Learning Surveys indicate a very strong level of satisfaction with Remote Learning throughout the School. Parents and carers have recognised the exceptional efforts of our teachers and have provided valuable feedback in terms of the level of Zoom-free time, break times and home learning, in addition to a range of other areas, which will help us to continue to refine our Remote Learning programs. I thank all of the parents and carers who participated in the Remote Learning surveys.
There continues to be media speculation regarding the planned return of Year 12 students for their trial examinations from 16 August. We held Zoom meetings with all Year 12 students this week to enable them to raise any concerns and pose queries and will hold a further session next week with parents. In a changing landscape we continually remind our students to focus on what they can control and to reinforce that the School will always make decisions and put in place plans with the safety and wellbeing of the community at the forefront. It was yet another opportunity to hear directly from our students and once again, I was struck by their maturity, insight, resilience and care for each other.
At a time when it can seem that there is little progress being made it is important to maintain hope and a sense of gratitude for the things we may take for granted at other times. In the words of Jesse Jackson:
“At the end of the day, we must go forward with hope and not backward by fear and division.”
Mr Stephen Webber
Photo Caption: Congratulations to the 100+ students who showcased their talents on screen and behind the scenes with Grease the Musical the Movie last weekend. An amazing and fun-filled performance!