From the Principal
Today is R U OK? Day – a national day of action encouraging all of us to meaningfully connect with people around us and check in with them to see if they are OK. This simple act can be the first step to assist those around us who might be struggling with some of the challenges of life.
This week it was wonderful to see our student wellbeing leaders in both the Junior School and the Secondary School assemblies share some of their reflections and insights on R U OK? Day and encourage their peers to reach out to their friends and classmates, not just on one day of the year, but every day of the year.
At Redlands one of our strengths is supporting the wellbeing of all the students under our care throughout every stage of their educational journey. Pleasingly, students have a multitude of adults at school who they are able to reach out to for support – whether it is teachers, tutors, coaches, pastoral care staff, counsellors or school leaders.
Our wellbeing program is underpinned by our Redlands Student Wellbeing Framework, a whole school approach to social emotional learning embedded in a continuous curriculum across P-12. This framework provides a clear roadmap for wellbeing with specific outcomes for each stage of a student’s development across the five areas of social emotional learning: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills and Responsible Decision Making.
As a school, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our students is our highest priority and it is pleasing to see us supporting them in so many different ways.
Tournament of the Minds
Last Sunday at UNSW, two Redlands teams competed in Tournament of Minds (TOM), an international educational program framed around the motto of “challenging the world” to develop creative responses to open-ended challenges. Congratulations to our Year 7 and 8 team who were awarded Honours (2nd place) in the Arts Challenge at the Sydney North Regional Final, where they showcased a range of musical, artistic and dance skills to bring to life the story of a living local person in their community. This team interviewed and were given permission to retell the incredible story of Lachlan Carter’s (Yr 8) grandfather, a Cambodian refugee who fled the Khmer Rouge to Australia in the 1970s. Lachlan was a Year 8 member of the award-winning team. I also congratulate our Year 9 team who put together an excellent performance in the Social Science Challenge. For further details on this fantastic achievement, I encourage you to read about their success in the Years 7, 8 and 9 sections of Note Day.
National Snowsport Interschools
Well done to our Snowsports team of 30 students from Years 1-12 who contested the National Snowsports Interschools at Perisher last week, achieving the following podium places:
Silver:
Div 1 Boys Moguls team
Div 1 Girls Ski Cross – Aibe Elsworth
Bronze:
Div 1 Girls Alpine GS team
Div 1 Girls Snowboard GS team
To read more about our Snowsports team’s achievements, please see the Secondary School Sport section of Note Day.
Mr Sean Corcoran
Photo Caption: Well done to our Secondary School students who competed in the Tournament of Minds program at UNSW last week.