From The Principal
As many of you are aware, our School Motto, “Let your light shine”, is taken from the Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus says, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”. It is therefore fitting that service to others and service learning are central pillars of a Redlands education.
It has been pleasing to see this service to others shining brightly over the first part of this term. Last Friday there were fundraising and awareness raising initiatives across both the Junior and Senior Campuses for Jeans for Genes Day, supporting medical research to find treatments and cures for kids with genetic diseases. Pleasingly, the Redlands community has thus far raised $6,226 for the Children’s Medical Research Institute – more than any other school.
On Wednesday Katie Zyner, Redlander from the Class of 2005 and Senior Research Officer at the Children’s Medical Research Institute, spoke to Secondary School students about her work, the importance of Jeans for Genes Day and how her Redlands journey led to her current role.
While these larger whole school events are wonderful, the everyday service initiatives our students are involved in are just as important. This past Wednesday, Year 10 students ran a hot chocolate stall to raise money for Rough Edges, a charity supporting people who are homeless or marginalised; every Monday morning before school Year 11 students serve breakfast at Matthew Talbot House in Woolloomooloo, a hostel and support centre for homeless and marginalised men; and every Thursday at lunch students connect with residents from the Bougainvillea Retirement Centre next door to the Senior Campus.
Finally, over the course of this term, our Yr 12 students have been selling their Class of 2023 Sports Towels and Tote Bags to raise money for their Legacy Gift to the School in support of the means-tested Scholarship Fund. These items can be purchased here. For more information, please see the Foundation section of Note Day.
It is wonderful to know that we are truly living our motto and to see the good deeds of our students regularly shining brightly in so many different ways.
I look forward to seeing many of you at our Gala Ball this Saturday evening.
Uniform Development Update
We are in the final stages of our uniform redevelopment process and look forward to sharing it with our community later this term.
It is the first time the uniform has been reviewed in over 40 years and our Uniform Committee (comprising student, parent, staff, and Board representatives from across the School) has worked with leading Australian designer Jonathan Ward on developing a uniform that reflects the contemporary culture of the School and will be worn with pride by students.
Value, cost, sustainability, and easy-care properties have been a central focus of the Uniform Committee. These have been addressed through the development of a trans-seasonal uniform; the use of newly developed fabrics that are lightweight, durable, and comfortable; and a uniform implementation through a long transition period.
The new uniform will be available for purchase from late November 2023, and introduced from Term 1 2024. During a two-year transition period, students will have the option of wearing the new or old uniform. You can read more about the uniform redevelopment in the Community Engagement section of Note Day.
Mr Sean Corcoran
Photo Caption: The Junior Music Festival was a fantastic celebration of our students’ exceptional musical abilities last Thursday evening, well done to everyone involved!