Head of Early Childhood

Kindergarten and Transition Gold 2019 Orientation

Students who are joining the Preparatory School for Kindergarten and Transition Gold in 2019 participated in an Orientation Day last Wednesday. Students rotated amongst the classrooms and throughout the day, the bi-fold doors between the rooms were opened, giving children the ability to have a large open area to explore. Teachers all commented on their readiness for this next phase and how well-prepared and comfortable students were in this new environment. This day was a milestone for our youngest members of Redlands and I thank Mrs Hunt, Mrs Huon, Ms Hurley and the Kindergarten and Transition Gold teaching teams, who worked tirelessly to make sure the children left with many happy stories of their first day in Kindergarten and Transition Gold. Simultaneously, an information session and morning tea was held for Kindergarten parents and thanks must also go to Dean of Teaching and Learning, Mr Nigel Coutts, and Junior Campus Counsellor, Mrs Sam Kourakis, who joined me in fundamental discussions with parents as their children begin their first formal year of school.

NSW Independent Primary Heads Association Conference

Last Friday, Redlands proudly hosted the Primary Independent Heads of Schools Conference. Mr Guha and I, together with around 70 Heads of Primary Schools from all corners of NSW, enjoyed the collegiality and connectedness that accompanies an event such as this. Our Deputy Principal, Ms McGarry, spoke on behalf of the School, giving the group an appreciation of the foundations of the School and stressing the importance of events such as these where school leaders model the significance of continued learning. Guests enjoyed listening to two delightful pieces of music played by the talented Junior Chamber Ensemble, Jiaqi Guan, Anneka Steele, Nicole Wang, Lara Wilson and Melinda Wright. Thank you to Hilary Luck, Jacqueline McGlade and their tutor, Mrs Maryana Sywak, for their time and efforts in preparation. We were privileged to hear from Dr Michael Nagel who is an Associate Professor, teacher and academic at a leading Queensland university in the areas of cognition and learning, human development and early learning, neurological development in children and adolescent psychology, and is regarded as one of Australia’s foremost experts in child development. So much of Dr Nagel’s address, which was heavily evidence-based, corresponded with the messages we have heard from previous speakers about neuroplasticity and early years brain development. Of particular interest to me, was the messages he gave about the impact of technology on the brain. My favourite piece of advice from his address was for parents to use the money that they would normally spend on technology for their children and instead place into sport and performing arts lessons – movement and music are so important to the ongoing nourishment and development of the brain. Dr Nagel made important links from the brain to early learning and schooling, and highlighted the importance of the following:

• Emotional stability
• Good nutrition
• Plenty of time for play and exercise
• Downtime is good!
• Talk, talk, talk!
• Sensory stimulation and movement builds better brains
• Routine, routine, routine!
• Limit technology – real intelligence comes from real people and the real world!
• Consistency is the key, brains respond well to patterns

Thank you to the School’s Event Manager, Mel Hendra, the Music staff and the entire Facilities team for their support, efforts and assistance with the organisation of this event. Many of the attendees commented on our beautiful learning environment and the positive and happy ambiance felt around the School.

Early Childhood Parent Coordinator’s Group 2018

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Jennie Cadman and Kathryn Fox for their leadership and support of the Early Childhood Parent Coordinators Group this year. Last week, we held the final meeting of the year, which Chair of the Redlands Board, Ms Glenda McLoughlin, attended and addressed the group. The organisation of events continues right until the last day and I appreciate the dedication of all Parent Coordinators for their time and efforts this year.

2018 Preparatory Presentation Day Booking

The Preparatory students and staff have been actively organising the upcoming Presentation Day on Tuesday 4 December. To avoid the worry and stress associated with arriving at Dunnet Hall early in order to secure the perfect seats, we use a free, online booking system for seat allocation. You only need to book seats and no payment is required. The system will be accessible from 9.00am on Monday 12 November to book seats specifically for Prep Presentation Day. The site is locked until this time. It will close on Thursday 22 November at 4.00pm. No bookings can be made after this time. To ensure equity, the number of seats will be limited to two per family for this event. To reserve your seats please click here.

Anglicare Toys ‘n’ Tucker Campaign

Redlands Prep School will again turn its focus to ‘Letting our Light Shine’ by sharing the joy of Christmas with children in need in Sydney. We will be participating in Anglicare’s Toys ‘n’ Tucker Campaign. If you wish to participate please bring your gifts to the Prep School Reception and place them under the Christmas tree. Christmas is a wonderful time to reflect on God’s generous gift to people and on the joy, we can share by giving. While our focus in Prep School is the Anglicare collection, many families at Redlands also like to support our Secondary School collection for Matthew Talbot Homeless Shelter. Our Yr 11 students serve breakfast there every Monday and it is wonderful to be able to know that the people we meet each week will be the recipients of our gifts. If you would like to participate, please see the list of items below. There will be a box for items in both Prep and Junior School Receptions. Collections begin on Monday 12 November and conclude Tuesday 4 December.

Stationery List information

An email was sent home this week to all families of Preparatory 2019 students, providing information on the process of ordering books and stationery for the 2019 school year. Orders are made online at www.campion.com.au using the code KK2Y, and should be placed before Wednesday 5 December 2018 to ensure delivery the week ending Friday 18 January 2019. Please note: Families who are overseas during January and unable to receive their parcel are permitted to enter the School’s address for delivery: Redlands Preparatory School, 2 Allister Street, Cremorne, 2090. 

Yr 2 Strings Concert

The Redlands Music Department would like to invite you to the Strings Concert to be held at 2.00pm on Monday 12 November in Dunnet Hall. This concert will showcase students in all the Redlands Strings programs across K-6, including performances by the Preparatory String Ensemble, Yr 2 Strings, Yr 3 Strings, Chamber ensembles, the Junior Strings Ensemble and the Senior Strings Orchestra. In addition to giving all students the opportunity to perform for an appreciative audience, it is hoped that younger students will be inspired by performances from their peers and gain an understanding of the opportunities that Redlands offers for strings players in their future years of study. The Strings Concert will run for approximately 45 minutes. Once the concert has finished students will return to classes and be dismissed at the end of the school day. We look forward to welcoming you to this event.

Whooping Cough Alert

We continue to be notified of cases of whooping cough in the Junior School and parents are reminded to look out for signs and symptoms. NSW Public Health have advised us to remind parents to keep your child at home if they are unwell and are awaiting the results of testing. If diagnosed with whooping cough, they should remain at home until five full days of the prescribed antibiotic have been given.

End of Year Events

Mrs Audrey Fellowes
Head of Early Childhood
afellowes@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9848