Head of Junior School

Academic Achievement Celebration Assembly

Last Friday, I was privileged to attend the annual Academic Achievement Celebration Assembly for our top HSC and IB academic achievers from the Redlands Class of 2020. Having been at Redlands for some time, one of the joys of this occasion for me is seeing many students who I remember fondly from their formative years in the Junior School; in this instance, more than half of the group of top achievers across both the HSC and IB courses.

There were some important messages for our Yr 11 cohort audience (Yr 12 were on Camp) from our Deputy Principal, Mr Corcoran, and I also found great inspiration and hope in the reflective addresses of graduating students, Alexandra York and Leopold Colin. Alex started her Redlands journey in Preschool and Leo in Yr 6 and both spoke articulately about their respective Redlands stories. What I loved was that whilst they were on stage as part of the group of leading academic achievers, they were very quick to recognise each and every single one of their cohort’s respective achievements in what was an unprecedented year for them and indeed, us all.

Both Alex and Leo also highlighted the importance that Cocurricular activities had on them, particularly Sport, in which they both excelled but also found invaluable as a counterbalance to their studies. Their message to Yr 11 about embracing the opportunities they would be presented with, not dwelling on setbacks and using the network of support that would be available to them were taken on board by Yr 11, and I loved their final message about creating memories together and also having fun along the way.

It was lovely to speak to many of the students afterwards as the School hosted a lunch for them and in hearing how excited they were about the varying next chapters in their lives, it was plain to see that they were certainly life-ready for whatever life might present them.

Introduction to our School Student Leaders

The Junior School enjoyed hearing from our new student leaders in assembly this week as they introduced themselves and their personal leadership hopes for the year. As we have regularly recognised, both we and they, also know that the Yr 6 cohort as a collective will play a significant role in student leadership this year, which we look forward to supporting.

Arrival to School on Tuesday 16 February

Please note that the Secondary School Swimming Carnival takes place on Tuesday 16 February and many of these students will be boarding buses on Allister St in front of the Prep and Junior Schools. It is anticipated that all buses should be gone by 7.45am so will not impact the arrival of students from 8.00am but may have some impact for students arriving early for Music Ensembles.

Junior School Swimming Carnival

We are so excited about our first Junior School Carnival of 2021 next Wednesday 17 February. If you have not completed the online permission form on Redlands Pulse, please do so by the end of this week. Parents will have received the detailed letter from the Junior School Sports team which can be found on the Junior School page of Redlands Pulse. Some of the key details are listed below:

7.45am: All students to be in class for roll call
8.00am: Buses depart Redlands
9.00am: Expected start of first race
4.00pm: Expected return to school and collection on oval in classes

As mentioned, we are pleased to confirm that the venue has allowed us one parent per child, and parents who attend will need to scan the venue’s QR code to register on the NSW Service app. Please do not attempt to bring more spectators as this will have an impact on other parents likely not being able to attend due to our restricted numbers.

As some parents may have seen, students might like to show their House Spirit by purchasing House badge transfers via the Uniform Shop Flexischools website with both the Swimming and Athletics Carnivals this term.

Car Line Parking and Timing

As we head into the fourth week of term, our drop off and pick up processes are becoming more fluid and supportive of our focus on student safety. It was good to have a number of North Sydney Council officials observe and support our safe practices this week and there are three reminder points that I ask parents take heed of them so as not to compromise safety over convenience.

Junior School parents should aim to join the car line at 3.20pm when school finishes as our Prep School car line operates until then. We have deliberate, staggered departure times across the Campus to help with traffic flow at the end of the day. The duty teachers are there until 3.40pm so sometimes coming soon after 3.20pm is also acceptable.
When dropping off in the morning or using the car line in the afternoon, parents are asked not to get out of the car and to be as quick as is safe to allow for a smooth flow of traffic. The drop-off line is not the place to be brushing your child’s hair or having a chat with other parents.
Please do not leave your car parked on Allister St adjacent to the School before or after school and come into the School. This is a strict no stopping zone and the ramifications are significant in causing severe traffic congestion on Allister Street and surrounding roads.

Late Arrivals

Students should arrive no later than 8.20am each morning but in the event that they arrive between 8.20am and 8.30am, they should head directly to their classroom where their class teacher will be able to mark them present.

Only students who arrive after 8.30am should sign in at Reception and with learning starting at 8.30am, this should not be a regular occurrence. Thank you for your support of this matter.

Friendship Club

This week, our Dean of Students, Mrs Clinton, spoke to students during assembly about a Big Brother and Sister Friendship Club; a fun, social program which runs every lunch time for students across the Campus. Friendship Club is a great way for our students to meet new friends and build connections with others from across different classes and Year Groups. All students are welcome to join in with a range of activities on offer, including arts and crafts, puzzles, board games, and Lego. Friendship Club is facilitated by our School Counsellors, Dean of Students, Christian Studies teacher and many wonderful Yr 6 volunteers.

Representative Sport Kick Off

Our Saturday Representative Sports program kicks off this weekend and we look forward to fielding 19 Junior School teams across four sports this term.

The majority of our sporting offerings are through the Independent Primary School Heads of Australia (IPSHA), which has some overarching principles for primary school sport. The IPSHA Code of Conduct for sport is on Redlands Pulse and Mr Dunne and his team oversee ensuring that the students play sport competitively but always fairly and in the right spirit of the game. By helping students also focus on their effort and improvement rather than the result, also cultivates a growth mindset.

We are delighted that we will be able to welcome one parent per child at our home venues using the NSW Service app QR code to scan in and for spectators, the IPSHA Code of Conduct is below for your reference:

Children play organised sports for fun. They are not playing for the entertainment of spectators only, nor are they miniature professionals.
Applaud good performances and efforts from each team. Congratulate all participants upon their performance regardless of the game’s outcome.
Respect the officials’ decision.
Never ridicule or scold a child for making a mistake during a competition.
Positive comments are motivational and encourage continued effort.
Condemn the use of violence in any form, be it by spectators, coaches, officials or players.
Show respect for your team’s opponents. Without them, there would be no game.
Encourage players to follow the rules and the officials’ decisions.
Demonstrate appropriate social behaviour by not using foul language, harassing players, coaches or officials.
Comments should not interfere with the running of the game.
Focus on the efforts and performance of the children rather than the result.

I thank Mr Dunne and Ms O’Sullivan for all of their preparation and I look forward to getting around to cheering on all of our teams in the coming weeks.

Safer Internet Day

In our assembly this week, I spoke to the Junior School students leaders who raised awareness of Tuesday’s Safer Internet Day, a global day for people to come together to make the Internet a safer and better place for all, especially for children and young people. In the coming days, our eLearning Coordinator, Ms Anagnostu, will work with class teachers on the particular focus of passwords and privacy settings with our Junior School students.

Last Few Class Parent Representatives Needed

Thank you to those parents who have volunteered to take on a Class Parent representative role in 2021 which is very much appreciated. At present, we would love one or two parents from 3 White, 4 Red, 5 Red and 6 White classes. If you have any questions about the role, please do feel free to contact either of our Junior School Parent Contact Group Coordinators, Rebecca James, or Becky Gait who will be only too willing to assist.

Second Hand Uniform Sale Donations

Further to the success of last year’s online sale, the RPFA is planning another second hand uniform sale in early March – stay tuned for more details. As always, funds raised are contributed towards the means-tested Redlands Foundation Scholarship Fund.

We need your help by donating clean, current uniforms in excellent condition, especially winter items. Please deliver items to the Uniform Shop on individual coat hangers from now until Friday 26 February. Please note, no polo shirts will be accepted due to the introduction of the new PE uniform.

Mr Ari Guha
Head of Junior School
aguha@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9953 6022