Head of Junior School

Head of Junior School

Junior Campus COVID Protocols (from Monday 7 March)

In our assembly this week, both Mr Webber and I shared our pride in how responsibly and respectfully our students have followed our COVID-safes protocols so far, which has certainly been a contributing factor to the very low numbers of positive cases seen this term.

As we move to some changes such as optional mask wearing from next Monday, the message to students was also conveyed that we should all respect each other’s choice to wear or not wear masks, knowing that for some in our community, wearing a mask is also important for either their own health or the health of members of their family.

We will continue to encourage good hygiene practices and ask that parents continue to monitor student health for COVID symptoms and utilise the rapid antigen tests as needed which have been provided.

As previously communicated to our community by our Principal, Mr Webber, please note the protocols from next Monday 7 March for Junior Campus (Prep and Junior) students and staff:

Mask Wearing

  • Masks will be optional for students and staff.
  • Masks remain mandatory on public transport and students will need one for Wednesday Sport travel on buses, Redlands Bus Services and for travel on excursions/ camps.

Rapid Antigen Testing

  • Rapid Antigen Testing has moved to ‘symptomatic testing’ and should continue to be undertaken at the discretion of parents using the supply provided last week.
  • Students who return a positive Rapid Antigen Test will still need to follow the steps outlined again below.

COVID-19 Positive Cases

  • Any student returning a positive Rapid Antigen or PCR Test will be required to follow NSW Health requirements which are currently:
    • isolate at home for 7 days following the positive test
    • leave isolation and return to school after 7 days if they have no symptoms
    • If they continue to have symptoms after 7 days, then remain in isolation until 24 hours after symptoms have resolved.
  • Positive Rapid Antigen Test results must continue to be reported to both NSW Health and to the Junior School via jsabsence@redlands.nsw.edu.au.

Household Contacts

  • Students who are household contacts (live with someone who has COVID-19) must continue to isolate for 7 days (unless they themselves have previously tested positive to COVID-19 and ended their isolation for this in the past 28 days).
  • Students who are household contacts may only return to school after 7 days if they have tested negative and are symptom free.

Attendance at School

  • Students must not attend school if they display any symptoms of COVID-19 (such as sore throat, runny nose, cough or shortness of breath) and/or are feeling even a little unwell, notwithstanding that some students with pre-existing medical conditions that might present similar symptoms have provided letters from GPs.
  • Students are required to remain at home until they are symptom-free.
  • Students who display COVID-19 symptoms on campus will be sent to the School Nurse who will assess the student and may send them home to have a PCR or Rapid Antigen Test if required.

I hope these updates and reminders are both helpful and reassuring as we continue to be focused on ensuring the safety of students, staff and our wider School community.

Clean Up Australia Day – Sunday 6 March

This Sunday, students and families from all sections of our School are again invited to join in Clean up Australia Day, although mop up Australia Day might be more appropriate! Interested students and families should meet at the rotunda on Balmoral Beach at 11.50am with the clean up between 12pm-2pm. We will provide equipment so there is no need to bring anything for the clean-up. Student volunteers will be there to help organise this along with Redlands staff. If the weather looks good (we can but hope!), do feel free to bring lunch or some snacks along as well and for those students who cannot make it, the Junior School will also be participating in Clean Up Australia Day at school next week. 

There will also be House points up for grabs for all participants that will go towards the House Shield at the end of the year. I look forward to being part of this local community event.

ICT in Schools Summit

Last week, our Junior Campus eLearning Coordinator, Ms Argiro Anagnostu, joined our Director of Digital Innovation, Ms Mary-Lou O’Brien, at the ICT in Schools Summit. Both of these leaders in our school were then invited on to join the panel session where aspects of Redlands’ digital offerings and IT infrastructure were both showcased and referenced. It was great to have such as strong representation from Redlands and indeed see more female leaders in this field.

Spanish News – Education Perfect Global Languages Championships 2022

Redlands Junior School students are once again encouraged to compete with students from all around the world to learn languages, earning points towards awards (and maybe even prizes!) for yourself, while helping Redlands to shine on an international platform.

Starts:  4pm Tuesday 8 March

Ends:    4pm Tuesday 15 March

All Junior School students are registered to participate. To compete, all students need to do is answer Spanish language questions on Education Perfect. Points are awarded for all questions except self-marked questions and dash. Further details of the competition can be found on the website  or on the EP app and I will explain this to students in class too.

Certificates will be awarded to students with 500+ points. Redlands Junior School Spanish students will also have the chance to win gift vouchers and other prizes in our own school-based challenge.

I encourage all students to participate to improve their Spanish skills and have fun in this exciting and motivating competition. ¡Buena Suerte!

Señora Colagiuri
Junior School Spanish Teacher

Uniform Shop

Appointments are now available for winter uniform fittings and can be made by clicking HERE. We recommend if your child needs to try on uniforms, you make an appointment to avoid having to wait in a queue. 

If you simply need to go up a size and know what you need, you may also order online at www.flexischools.com.au or come to the shop and purchase these items.

We are happy to help you with any questions regarding winter uniform requirements or sizing, so please call us on 9968 9850 or email uniformorders@redlands.nsw.edu.au.

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