Head of Junior School

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JUNIOR SCHOOL UPCOMING EVENTS

Education Perfect 2021 Languages World Championships

As previously mentioned, our Junior School students competed in this year’s Education Perfect Languages Championships, which took place between 16-23 March. Once again, our students excelled in this global online competition and I am proud to announce that Redlands finished 1st in Spanish in Australia out of 704 schools and 4th in Spanish out of 1,205 schools worldwide! We recognise the efforts of each and every student involved and the hours of hard work from all students who participated.

Certificates for scoring over 500 points in the World Championships will be presented to students at the start of next term with the level of each certificate allocated according to the number of points scored: Emerald 5000+ points, Gold 3000+  points, Silver 2000+  points, Bronze 1000+ points and Credit 500+ points.

Churros con chocolate will be offered to the eight students in each Year Group with the highest points in Spanish and students who came first in their Year Group will also receive a $30 gift voucher and these students’ names are marked below with an asterisk*.

Congratulations to all participants who took part in this worldwide celebration of language learning and I also acknowledge the guidance and inspiring passion of our Junior School Spanish teacher, Señora Colagiuri.

Yr 6 Leadership Conference

Last Thursday, our Yr 6 student leaders attended this year’s National Young Leaders Day conference at the International Convention Centre in Darling Harbour, along with hundreds of other student leaders from NSW.

This year’s presenters included Lachlan Smart, the youngest pilot to fly around the world; Jimmy ‘Giggle’ Rees, known for the role of Jimmy Giggle on ABC Kids’ flagship program Giggle and Hoot; Anastasia Woolmer, public speaker and two-time Australian memory champion and entertainer, TV host and author, David Campbell OAM.

The students found each presenter’s story to be both fascinating and inspiring and some of their reflections and feedback included:

‘You’re never too young or small to make a difference in the world.’ Caroline

‘Setbacks are the foundation of success. This means that even if you get push back, you should keep trying because it could lead to success.’ Charlotte 

‘You always hear and see those videos saying that you’re never too young to do something, but seeing Lachlan talk about it in real life makes you actually believe in yourself and think that you can do something like that.’ Charlie

‘The power of persistence is really strong. Lachlan managed to fly an airplane around the world when he was 18 and this took a few years of planning. He almost gave up after the first year but he learned from his father that ‘there is always a little more in the tank’ and you are capable of doing more than you think.’ Sam

‘People look up to leaders, so you need to set a good example, even when you don’t think people are watching.’ Zara

‘Be who you are and don’t let other people tell you what you should be.’ James

‘David Campbell’s speech made me think of the quote, ‘Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.’’ Lilly

Yr 3 Heritage Walk Excursion

In beautiful sunshine, last Friday, I was delighted to join Yr 3 on an excursion exploring some of our local history on a heritage walk around the Balmoral foreshore. The walking tour enabled the students to gain a better understanding of how communities change over time, how significant people contribute to communities, how communities use the space they have and how that changes over time, and how we preserve elements of the past for future generations.

It was wonderful to have a small army of parent helpers too as the Year Group divided into small groups and I loved hearing the thoughts and questions of my group as we explored some provocative questions and ideas.

Thank you to Mr Latimer for his coordination of the walk and to the teachers and parents who assisted on the excursion.

Battle of the Bands

On Monday evening, I enjoyed being part of a fantastic live music event in the wonderful Edwards Auditorium on the Senior Campus as rock bands and musicians from Yrs 5-12 headlined an evening of entertainment for watching parents and staff. Kicking off the evening, which was also broadcast live to a wider audience of our community, were three Junior School rock bands who exuded great confidence and stage presence for such young musicians and more than a bit of talent to go with this on the stage! It set the scene for a fantastic night of live music and I look forward to watching the groups continue to develop.

International Day

On Tuesday, our School was awash with colourful vibrancy as students and staff took the opportunity to wear national costume or colours as we celebrated International Day, a day for our community of 51 different nationalities to join together to celebrate both our rich, cultural diversity and international awareness. As well as some internationally-minded learning experiences, we were thrilled again to be able to have nearly 30 parents volunteer to come in to share aspects of their own international backgrounds and experiences which students and staff loved to hear and engage in, not to mention the odd international culinary treat too! It was also wonderful to hear students present to their peers on their family background or on cultures and places that they had researched too.

Athletics Carnival

Many thanks to all who were involved in yesterday’s wonderful Junior School Athletics Carnival, another event that welcomed back parent spectators after last year’s hiatus. In bright sunshine and a brilliant, blue sky to match the blue running track at Sydney Olympic Park, it was inspiring to see the students engage and enjoy the range of athletic opportunities afforded and feel the tangible House spirit in the stands and on the track.

As I did at the conclusion of the event, I extend my gratitude to all staff involved in the varying jobs needed to allow an event of this magnitude to run as smoothly and as efficiently as it did and in particular, I thank Mr Dunne and Ms O’Sullivan in our Sports Department for their meticulous planning and preparation in the weeks leading up to the Carnival. 

Particular congratulations to Cowper House who won the overall trophy to sit alongside the Swimming Carnival trophy they won earlier this term. Let’s see if one of the other Houses can step up to stop Cowper completing a clean sweep at next term’s Cross Country Carnival!

Staffing News

At the end of this term , we bid farewell to one of our part-time Counsellors, Mrs Liz Foster, as she takes up a new role with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance working with young children. Mrs Foster has had an enormous impact on many of our students, families and staff in her time with us and she will be missed by our community. Looking forward, I am pleased to confirm that the School is currently seeking a full-time replacement who will not only take over Mrs Foster’s days but also work alongside our Secondary School Counsellors on the Senior Campus which will be particularly important as our students transition from Yr 6 to Yr 7 each year.

Red Factor

To finish the term this afternoon, we were treated to a wonderful array of talent in this year’s Red Factor show, a chance for students across all Year Groups to perform in front of the Junior School in a wide range of performing arts. Compered by our Junior School Arts captains, Lilly and Sam, the show provided us with such great entertainment to round off the term on a high. My thanks to all of the performers and to Mrs Richardson for her overall leadership of the event, ably supported by colleagues in the Music, AV and Facilities Departments.

Redlands Arts Luncheon

Next term, we are delighted to host the Redlands Arts Luncheon on Wednesday 26 May at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Kirribilli in celebration of the long history of Creative Arts education at Redlands that includes Visual Arts, Drama, Music, Dance and Design & Technology. This Luncheon is open to all Redlands parents and the wider community and provides a lovely opportunity to once again gather face-to-face as a community in celebration of the Creative Arts at our School. 

With limited seating, this will be a popular event that sells out fast. Group bookings for tables of 10 are already a popular choice. For further information and to purchase tickets please click here.

End of Term

I have often commented that the hallmark of any good school is its busyness and no one could ever say that Redlands does not meet this measure. Therefore, it also even more important for students and staff to rest in the breaks and I encourage families to pause and step away from school and find things to do together that bring you happiness.

Term 1 has proved to be an important starting point for the students in a new school year and it has been heartening to see many challenges in learning, growth and progress amongst the students across a range of different areas of school life. Time for reflection is important and when the time is right, I encourage you to talk to your child about what it is they have felt most proud of this term or what has challenged them. If appropriate, do also provide this feedback to their teachers.

I wish everyone a restful and enjoyable Easter break and we look forward to welcoming the students back on Tuesday 20 April.

Please also note that students should be in Winter uniform for Terms 2 and 3, which includes blazers every day, except Wednesday when we have Sport.

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