Head of Early Childhood

Welcome Back

The beginning of a new term is a chance for students, staff and families to start fresh with enthusiasm and vitality after a restful break. The first morning saw the Piazza filled with excitement and chatter as students reunited after the holiday. Many were excited to share their holiday stories with their friends and teachers. In the first Assembly for the term, we welcomed our new students to the School and remembered ANZAC Day as a significant part of Australia’s history.  Students watched a clip to help understand the importance of this national day and its role in building peace in communities today. It was evident that many of the students already had a comprehensive understanding of the ANZAC’s and the reason we mark the 25 April as a day of remembrance.

I would like to extend a welcome to the families joining Redlands Preparatory this term and trust that your school journey will provide fulfilment and happiness as you explore our wonderful community.

Charles Li – Kindy Red, Ava Grasso Revland – One White, Nicholas Gorman – Two Emerald

Professional Learning

On the Monday before school began for Term 2, Redlands staff had the opportunity to learn together in various professional groups and consequently heard from guest speaker, Dr Helena Popovic. Preferring education over medication, Dr Popovic is an expert on brain function and, more specifically, neuroplasticity. Interestingly, the brain has the amazing ability to change its own structure, grow new cells and establish new pathways at ANY AGE! In the right environment, with practice, effort and encouragement any student can grasp new skills. She further reminded everyone about the importance of self-care and the impact nutrition has on one’s life.

Staff also welcomed back Mark Church from the Making Thinking Visible and Cultures of Thinking teams at Project Zero, a research group within the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Mark has been working with Redlands for some time, taking staff through various initiatives and principles relating to a Culture of Thinking. On this occasion, Mark facilitated a Learning Walk, where some Secondary staff toured through the Prep and Junior classrooms, identifying how the Cultural Forces and Visible Thinking Routines play a part in learning on the Junior Campus. This professional sharing of practice plays a fundamental role in staff development and this certainly rang true with the feedback received from the Secondary staff. Prep and Junior staff are looking forward to the reciprocated version of this in the latter half of the year, when they tour the Senior Campus. The evening session with Mark was devoted to the parent community, an inaugural event for the School, Thinking Skills for Life. He began the session asking parents what they dream of for their children when they become adults. Happiness, resilience, determination, life-readiness, and curiosity were some dispositions that were mentioned by parents. It was acknowledged that skills alone were not enough to succeed in the future workplace. The residuals of education are the social, work and thinking dispositions, they transcend the curriculum and form an integral part of the learning that Redlands is embedding into its culture.

Get Caught Reading Month

Did you know that May is Get Caught Reading Month? It’s such a fun concept! This initiative is a campaign to promote the excitement of reading books for all ages. As a Prep School we will be celebrating this in some small ways in the classroom. Teachers often remind their students that there are a lot of people who gain great pleasure from reading.

Mother’s Day Morning

The Junior Campus will be holding a Mother’s Day Celebration on Monday 14 May, beginning at 7.45am. This year our mothers will be spoiled with breakfast treats followed by an exciting morning of activities in the Kindergarten, Yr 1 and 2 classrooms. We look forward to sharing this special day with you.

Parking Reminder

For families new to the School, please be aware that there is No Parking outside of the Prep or Junior School buildings between 7.30-9.00am and 2.30-4.00pm. This zone must be kept clear to allow both car lines to operate efficiently. Junior School parents have also been asked to arrive closer to their 3.20pm end of school day or slightly after, as some arrive earlier and park in the No Parking zone.

There will be teachers on duty from 2.45pm daily to assist with the car line process and keep all members of the community safe.

Prep Clubs 

Clubs begin on Wednesday 9 May and finish on Wednesday 20 June from 3-4pm.

All students whose parents completed the enrolment permission form in Term 1 for Clubs were placed in their choice of Clubs for the year. Parents were notified of Club placements for the year at the beginning of Term 1.

If your child’s schedule has changed and you are not going to be able to commit to your enrolled Club during any term of the year, please notify Miss Oxley as we have students on a wait list who would like to be considered, if any vacancies arise.

Collecting Charity

Last term, our Prep School charity raised $535 to buy toiletries for people experiencing homelessness. This term our charity focus is the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

“Being able to read opens so many doors. In very remote Indigenous communities, books are all too scarce and literacy levels are so much lower than anywhere else in Australia. The Indigenous Literacy Foundation’s mission is to make a difference to the lives of Indigenous families by not only gifting thousands of new culturally appropriate books – with a focus on early literacy and first language – but also by running programs to inspire the communities to tell and publish their own stories.”

You can read more about this organisation and what they do here. If you would like to contribute, we collect for charity every Monday during Assembly.