Head of Junior School

Head of Junior School

Jeans for Genes Day – Friday 4 August

Tomorrow sees our whole school community support Jeans for Genes Day again. Students can wear mufti on this day and are encouraged to wear a splash of denim.

We will be hosting a bake sale at recess and students are allowed to bring gold coins to donate and/ or purchase cakes. Donations can also be made via this link or the QR code on the poster.


UNICEF Australia Partnership

We are excited to share news of our partnership with UNICEF Australia with all of Yr 6 participating in a series of workshops with them next Monday 7 August on-site at Redlands.

Our strategic involvement with UNICEF Australia aims to deepen students’ understanding of natural hazards and disasters and the organisations who respond to them. UNICEF will speak about their work as a humanitarian organisation, the role of advocacy in protecting the rights of children when natural disasters occur and the significance of fostering a ‘can-do’ mindset that empowers young people to actively contribute to ameliorating problems rather than being mere bystanders.

Stay tuned for some exciting further developments in this space! We were fortunate to have UNICEF onsite earlier in the year for a co-design session with some Yr 6 representatives who shared with us what their ideal learning experience would look and feel like.

We have taken that information and imagined a real-world immersive scenario for Yr 6 that will round out their Unit of Inquiry and culminate in a visit to the UNICEF Australia Headquarters at the end of this term, where they will also present some of their learning.

This has been a project that has taken a number of months to co-design with UNICEF and I acknowledge the leadership, dedication and expert guidance from Redlands’ Innovation and Entrepreneurial Learning Strategist, Ms Liz Green, working closely alongside Yr 6 teacher, Ms Annabel Coome.

‘A Flight Plan to Resilience: Guiding Your Little Pilot through Turbulence in Life’

Our termly parent session on Student Wellbeing will explore and focus on how to encourage the development of resilience in our children. Delivered again by our own expert team of Junior Campus School Counsellors, the session will explore the factors involved in how parents and carers can foster resilience, enhance independence and allow controlled adversity for growth in children.

There will be some practical tips on how to equip children to handle setbacks, promote problem-solving, use assertive communication, and practise self-care. Our team will also cover skills on how to nurture emotional growth in children, sharing practical tools and strategies with you.

I hope to see a strong turnout of our Redlands families once again.

da Vinci Decathlon Reflection

Last week, eight students from Yr 5 and eight from Yr 6 went to Knox Grammar to compete in the annual da Vinci Decathlon. The da Vinci Decathlon is a series of ten academic challenges, and teams of eight from Yrs 5 and 6 compete against more than 120 schools from across NSW. There is a different theme each year and every paper is based around that theme. The theme this year was Unity.

In session one, we completed Cartography, English, Ideation and Science. After a break we started session two, which included Art and Poetry, Engineering, Maths and Code Breaking. In the final session, we answered the Legacy questions as a whole team. In addition, some students competed in the Creative Producers Challenge to create and perform a one-minute act. 

I enjoyed the whole experience! We got to go to another school for the day and compete in areas that test your knowledge. I loved being able to collaborate with my team and enjoyed how we all worked together to get through the day. Overall, I loved being able to test myself in some of the subjects like Science, English and Maths. It was an awesome experience, and I wish the best for teams competing at the decathlon in the future. 

By Alexia Tsacalos


Ziggy Staley-Lobo – Ninja World Championships

Congratulations to Ziggy Staley-Lobo (Yr 4) and his brother Hendrix (Yr 2) who have just finished competing for Australia in the Ninja World Championships in Orlando, Florida.

National selection in anything is remarkable but to do so at such a young age adds to this achievement. The boys have trained extensively in the lead up to the event and competed extremely well and we are proud of their success.

We look forward to acknowledging Ziggy in our assembly next week.


Redlands Presents Visual Arts 3-12 Annual Exhibition

 

Murdoch Street Crossing Supervisor

I am please to share with you that Transport for NSW have confirmed that a new Crossing Supervisor has been recruited for the Murdoch Street crossing. Sarah’s training has commenced and she will commence duties from next Wednesday 9 August.

I am grateful for parents who also lobbied to help the School in this process and to our many Redlands staff who have assisted in helping to fill the void of supervision as best as we have been allowed to.

Uniform Shop

Winter Uniform Clearance

As we will be introducing our new Redlands uniform in 2024, we are having a Winter Uniform clearance sale with 30% off the following range, whist stocks last:

  • Blazers
  • Knitted Jumpers
  • Girls Skirts
  • Girls Blouses
  • Boys Long Sleeve Shirts

Uniform Shop Opening Hours

The Uniform Shop will be closing at 4pm on Thursdays until further notice. 

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