Head of Junior School

Junior Music Festival

This time last week, we were preparing for the return of the Junior Music Festival and it certainly did not disappoint. They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder and after a two-year hiatus, this certainly rang true for the Junior Music Festival and School of Rock had the audience tapping their feet to the sounds of the 80s!

Above everything, the sheer joy of the students performing was incredibly tangible and I had goosebumps at numerous times during the show, feeling the depth and quality of the performances. Of course, we know that this only happens with the expert guidance of some exceptional teachers and tutors, and we are blessed to have an abundance of these within our Music team, ably supported by the administrative talents of Jacqueline McGlade. I extend my gratitude to our Music teaching staff: Mrs Sue Anderson, Mr Joseph Montz, Ms Stephanie McInnes, Ms Nicole Roberts and Junior Campus Music Coordinator, Mrs Katherine Moses, who leads the team with grace, humility, and assuredness. As they also acknowledged, the collaboration and support of so many other Redlands staff before and during the show all culminated in the spectacle that we were able to enjoy.

The show was professionally recorded and in due course, this will be shared with families.

Athletics Carnival

Another day, another whole of Junior School event, and yesterday saw the Sports department take the lead in organising another highly enjoyable and professionally run Athletics Carnival for the students to enjoy and participate in.

After the COVID restrictions of last year’s carnival, it was wonderful to feel the energy and hear the chants from the students in supporting one another and their Houses. Similar to the Music Festival, the opportunity for every Junior School student to be part of this event is important and as well as the quality of performance we saw throughout the day, of equal mention was the efforts of every student to simply try their best for themselves and their House and as I chatted to many students in the stands, so many mentioned that they had achieved personal bests.

And as for the spontaneous singing and dancing as we awaited the final scores, this was pure, unadulterated joy and spoke volumes for the environment that our students are an integral part of here at Redlands.

Congratulations to Roseby House who ended up victorious on the day and my thanks to Mr Dunne and Mr Sharma from Sport, ably assisted by sports coaches and Junior School staff to create another memorable day for the students.

Yr 5 Bathurst

In between the Music Festival and the Athletics Carnival, Year 5 enjoyed an experiential learning opportunity in their overnight excursion to Bathurst and Hill End connected to their study of the Gold Rush era. It was amazing to hear the descriptive details that the students were able to recall from the trip as they ‘lived’ the life on the 1850s goldfields. My thanks to the Year 5 teachers and Miss Donoghue for looking after the students and to Mr Brakell for his coordination and organisation of this trip.

$11,281 raised on Jeans for Genes Day!

As the Redlands community arrived last Friday morning donning the denim in support of Jeans for Genes Day, little did anyone know of the phenomenal amount that we would raise to support this research as we became the no.1 school in Australia for their fundraising this year.

Supported by a sausage sizzle on the Senior Campus, a bake sale in the Junior School, and sizeable donations across K-12, our Redlands community raised a staggering $11,281!

Thank you to all who contributed and it was wonderful to hear Ari Abe-Apostolou (Year 6) share his personal journey in Year 6 assembly and explain where the monies raised would assist further research.

Grandparents & Special Friends Day – Friday 26 August

The long-awaited return of Grandparents & Special Friends Day takes place on Friday 26 August and as per the invitation, Junior School guests should arrive at 11.15 where they will be guided towards classrooms. It is important that guests do not arrive too early as our Preschool and Prep special guests will be here before and parking will be at a premium.

For grandparents who are here for both the Preschool/Prep event and then the Junior School event, we will organise a morning tea to keep up the energy levels needed!

Book Week 2022 (22-26 August)

We are all set for Book Week later this term and have secured acclaimed author, Mark Greenwood, to speak to each year group. Mrs Wiebe will be providing a sheet of Children’s Book Week Council activities that students might also like to take part in.

We will again have a dress up theme on Friday 26 August and this year’s theme is “Dreaming with eyes open” so students are encouraged to dress up as something or somebody they dream of being.

The students will be introduced to the books on the Children’s Book Council shortlist and explore the Book Week theme in their library lessons with Mrs Wiebe.

Duty of Care – Parent support needed

We have had a few recent cases of students being picked up early and not attending after school activities such as Dance, Drama or Clubs. Whilst this is fine, the challenge and concerns arise when staff running those activities are not notified and time is spent looking for these students. Thank you for your support in this important duty of care matter.

Spring Fair

If you haven’t already heard, Redlands’ Spring Fair is back on Saturday 3 September with tons of food, fun and entertainment, showcasing the community’s diversity and depth of students’ art-related activities. Tickets are now on sale! Pre-purchase wristbands and coupons here to receive a special discount. Orders before 26 Aug can be delivered directly to your child’s classroom.

PURCHASE TICKETS

Student-led Conferences

These conferences take place next week and involve a discussion with you, your child and your child’s class teacher to reflect and celebrate the first semester’s achievements and set goals for Semester Two. Please be reminded that bookings will close at 9am on Friday 12 August and these 15-minute conversations can be booked as below:

Please log on HERE
The event code is 9ns7e
Enter your details
Select the appropriate teacher(s)
Choose your times
You will receive a confirmation email with your learning conversation time (check junk mail folder if not received)
You can return to the website at any time and change your interviews until bookings close.

Lost Property

Our lost property area has been growing and Mrs Fairfax has spent significant time trying to return belongings this week. One of the biggest challenges and concerns is just how much of our lost property (clothing, lunch boxes, drink bottles are simply not named. We would be grateful if you could ensure that this is addressed and is the perfect job for each student to undertake at home. If you are looking for unnamed clothing, do contact Mrs Fairfax directly via email or pop in as she has stored these in a separate area.

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