Head of Junior School

Yr 6 to Yr 7 Transition: Connect and Chat

Last Friday, in another important stepping stone towards preparing Yr 6 for Secondary School, we were delighted to welcome a number of students from Yrs 7 and 11 to run small group Q&A sessions with all of our Yr 6 students. Our students found it invaluable to have this peer-to-peer opportunity to talk about the transition and have their important questions answered by our Secondary School students themselves. Equally, we were delighted to welcome many former Junior School students back to the campus and see how much they have grown as people in their time in the Secondary School. We were also pleased to welcome a number of key Secondary School staff and leaders including Mr Tod-Hill, who you may recall I confirmed would be this Year Group’s Year Advisor in 2023.

Calling Yr 6 Students: Government Youth Steering Committee

The Australian Government has just announced an opportunity for students aged between 12-25 years to apply to be part of a Youth Steering Committee to work with the Minister for Youth.

Information and the application process can be found here and Year 6 students will also be provided with this information via Google Classroom. Within the application, students will be asked to answer four open-ended questions with responses to each question no longer than 250 words.

What do you think are the two most important issues for young people in Australia and why do you think these issues are important? You can include any relevant personal experience related to these issues.
Why would you like to join the Youth Steering Committee? You can include any personal experience and what you would like to achieve by joining the Youth Steering Committee.
What personal experiences and skills would you bring to the Youth Steering Committee?
Do you have experience volunteering or participating in advisory groups? If yes, tell us about your experiences.

Yr 9 Service Learning Project: Hope in a Suitcase

Yr 9 are currently working on a Service Learning project with the aim to actively engage with a chosen charity. Hope in a Suitcase has been one charity which these students are passionate about and are hoping to seek the support from the Junior School too.

Hope in a Suitcase Australia is a non-profit organisation run by volunteers who are incredibly passionate about showing every child in the foster care system that they are loved and valued by their community. They aim to do this by giving them a suitcase of their very own to ensure they have a safe and secure place in which to pack their belongings and take with them wherever their journey may lead.

The suitcases are filled with essential items such as toiletries, (sanitary items for the older girls), underwear, a set of pyjamas and a change of clothing. They also include something to cuddle for the younger children, a book to read, a journal or colouring-in books and pencils to encourage creativity and provide a distraction away from their turmoil.

What can you donate?

Pyjamas/ singlets/ underwear/ socks
Other clothing items
Toothbrush/ toothpaste
Something to cuddle (e.g., doll /toy)
Blanket
Hairbrush/ hairbands
Story book
Toys (craft, cars, animals, dolls)
Colouring in or activity books
Pencils/ textas

Where can you donate?

Through to the end of this term, a donation box will be set up in the Junior School Reception for you to donate. Thank you so much for considering donating, which will mean a great deal to Year 9 and more importantly, the children we are supporting.

Public Holiday Reminder – Thursday 22 September

As per the notification form Mr Webber, please note that with the Prime Minister designating Thursday 22 September as a Public Holiday and National Day of Mourning to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II, the end of Term 3 for all Redlands students will be next Wednesday 21 September, rather than Thursday 22 September. Term 4 will commence as planned on Monday 10 October.

Yr 4 Gallery Walk

Further to Ms Axam’s letter to Year 4 families last week, the Year 4 students and teachers are looking forward to welcoming parents to their Gallery Walk tomorrow (Friday). As per the guidance in the letter, parents are kindly asked to wait outside at the bottom of the Year 4 stairwell next to the play equipment and the Ballet and Dance office, whilst teachers take the class roll. When ready, students will come down and invite you up to the classroom at 8.30am.

Change of Date: Yr 6 Gallery Walk

As per the notification form Ms Robinson, with Thursday 22 September now being a Public Holiday, the Year 6 Gallery Walk will take place on Monday 19 September between 8,30-9.15am. Parents are asked to wait in Reception our outside until this time to allow for roll call to take place first.

Lost Property

We have a large number of unnamed and unclaimed water bottles and lunch boxes outside the Parkes Building which we have asked students to look at and claim any that belong to them. Many have been there for a while and if unclaimed, we will repurpose or pass on to a charitable cause at the end of term. Parents are very welcome to come in before school to have a look through these as well.

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