Head of Junior School
Wear A Splash of Pink – Friday 26 May
It was wonderful to see a thread of pink around our campus last week as we supported the Breast Cancer Foundation by wearing a ‘Splash of Pink’ today. Through gold coin donations, we were delighted to add to the wider school collection across all three sections of the school by collected the sum of $623.
Buddy Picnic
On the same day, our Buddy classes across the Preschool, Prep and Junior sections enjoyed the opportunity to have lunch together as another vertical connection opportunity for our students. It is always incredibly heart-warming to see the students in these situations and the older ones really take the lead in mentoring a sense of school community. Some of our Yr 6 students had also taken the initiative to create some conversation starters for the students in Yrs 4-6, which helped enormously and created much laughter too!
National Reconciliation Week
In our assembly this week, our student leaders beautifully articulated the significance of National Reconciliation Week to rest of the students in their own words.
As a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia, the students also talked about the theme for 2023 to Be a Voice for Generations.
Year 7, 2024 Parent Transition Information
Last Friday, I joined our Principal, Mr Corcoran, and the Head of Secondary School, Ms Gemma Van de Peer, in welcoming our current Yr 6 parents to an important transition morning which encompassed tours of our Senior Campus. Whilst I focused solely on the transition element, Ms Van de Peer and Mr Corcoran were able to share a lot more of the specific details around the Secondary School offerings and the slides from the presentation have been placed on the Yr 6 page of Pulse for parent reference.
Teacher Appreciation Morning Tea
Our staff were extremely grateful to receive some delectable morning tea treats this week from the RPFA on behalf of our parents and carers. The generous thought was very much appreciated and enjoyed and on behalf of the staff, I share our gratitude for this kind gesture.
Sydney Writers’ Festival
The Junior School writers’ workshop club had the privilege of attending the Sydney Writers’ Festival on Tuesday, and they came away so inspired that they returned to school only to spend the next one hundred minutes on their own writing, even then protesting when it was time to pack up to go home.
In the students’ words, here are a few of the wonderful authors and illustrators that they heard from.
Maryam Master by Sienna Benz and Sophie Williams
Maryam Master is a devoted woman who is a refugee from Iran. She left Iran when she was just in second grade and her parents decided it was finally time to leave because of the war. She has a tough background, but she has pursued her dreams and goals into being a mother, a play writer, a movie writer, a dog lover and most importantly an author. She has written two books, No Words and Exit Through the Gift Shop, which she was very proud to present to young writers during the event. No Words is about a 12-year-old boy who is a refugee from Iran that came to Australia, and it was inspired by Maryam’s own experiences as a child. The other book that she wrote was based on a girl in high school and how she faced her fears during her horrid time experiencing cancer and how she survived emotionally from the bullies and obstacles that life gave her. Maryam Master loves to inspire children to be ambitious in anything they do and to keep going when problems are faced.
Jordan Gould and Richard Pritchard by Aria Amos and Ruby Tew
Richard Pritchard and Jordan Gould invite us into the world of adventure and fantasy with their Wylah series, featuring the first female Aboriginal warrior in a middle-grade book ever! One Aboriginal man and one New Zealander have come together to write amazing fantasies. The authors have taken real-life animals and turned them into wonderful creatures in Wylah. What does this series not have?!!
F. Steadman by Madeleine Hogue and Marcel Whitelaw
During our experience at the Sydney Writers’ Festival, one of the highlights was when the author of the Skandar series, A.F. Steadman, set foot on stage. Her books are set on a small island in between Wales, Ireland and England, where bloodthirsty wild unicorns roam freely. It is compulsory that when you turn thirteen you do the Hatchery Test, which is when you find out if you’re destined for a unicorn. If you are destined to bond with a unicorn, you get picked up at midnight by a rider official to be flown by helicopter to the mirror cliffs on the right side of the island. You are then transported to the Hatchery where you line up to place your hand on the large door and hope it will open for you. In the scenario where the Hatchery door does not open, you are immediately transported back to your home, never to return again. If you manage to open the door, on the other hand, you go inside the Hatchery and place your hand on your destined unicorn egg, waiting for its sharp horn to puncture the egg and cut your hand. This scar is where all your elemental magic is formed and moulded into weapons. After your unicorn has hatched and you have named it, you travel to the Eyrie, the place you will live, bond, and train with your unicorn. You live in a treehouse with your quartet; four people (including you) each having a different allied element. In the Eyrie, you will train for five years, (trusting you are not declared a nomad) then to compete in the Chaos Cup, where the most powerful and successful unicorns and riders race against each other, engaging in airborne elemental battles. The winner of the Chaos Cup will become Commodore of Chaos, and the leader of the island for a year. A.F. Steadman is a lovely writer and person, and we greatly enjoyed meeting her at the Sydney Writers’ Festival.
Redlands Student Musicians
Yesterday, a group of talented, young Redlands students from Kindy to Yr 8 performed for residents at Lansdowne Gardens, a local aged care home in Neutral Bay. Quickly changing after sport swapping tennis rackets and hockey sticks for cellos and violins, the group provided great joy through song and dance for the residents and I am grateful to the students and our parents for creating this special experience for our local community.
OOSH Vacation Care
Our OOSH Vacation Care program has been released and it looks exciting! Parents are reminded to log in using your HubHello account to make the bookings or contact the OOSH team via email at if you require any assistance.
Term 3/4 Departure Notice
As we are approaching the mid-point of the year, this is a reminder that those families who are planning on leaving the School during or at the end of Terms 3 or 4 are required to give notice to the Principal via an email to registrar@redlands.nsw.edu.au by the following dates:
Term 3 Departure: Friday 23 June 2023
Term 4 Departure: Friday 21 July 2023
As per the 2023 Schedule of Fees emailed to all families in December last year, there will be fees in lieu payable for any notices of departure received after these dates.
Redlands Gala Ball – Early Bird Tickets Available Now
Mr Ari Guha
Head of Junior School
aguha@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9953 6022