Head of Junior School
On Tuesday, Junior School students and staff enjoyed an uplifting day of activities and fundraising focused on the wellbeing of our students, teachers and our wider community. Students were involved in a range of activities and sessions including a whole school ‘health hustle’, team building activities, dance workshops, Theatresports, watching a pantomime, art and craft, reading, potting herbs in recyclable coffee cups and beautiful card designs and messages which will be delivered to many local community aged care residents whose names we had sourced to personalise each and every card.
We were thrilled to raise almost $4,205.40 for Bear Cottage, a children’s hospital in Manly with whom Redlands has had a long connection and they were so humbled to receive the money from us this week. Coupled with the amount raised by the Prep School, we will be able to support this organisation to the tune of nearly $6,000 this year, which will make a significant impact to the lives of children at the toughest of times.
My thanks to all involved: teachers, Secondary School student helpers and mentors, parents who ran a BBQ, and of course the students who fully embraced the day which was coordinated by Mrs Clinton as Dean of Students and our administration team.
Yr 6 Chapel Service
This week, as another small milestone towards the conclusion of their primary schooling, Yr 6 enjoyed their weekly Chapel Service in the beautiful environment of St Peter’s Church, just behind our Senior Campus, where Redlands Secondary School hold their services. The poignant gathering led by Ms McKenzie and Ms Philips, our Junior and Senior Campus Chaplains, ably assisted by Ms Michaels, was an important time of reflection and acknowledgment of the time spent in the Junior School as well as shining a light on the road ahead. At the conclusion of the service, each student was presented with a commemorative candle by our Principal, Mr Corcoran, which we hope will serve as a symbol of hope for the next step in their schooling.
2024 Student Class Placements
Class teachers will soon begin to undertake the process of class formations for 2024 towards the end of this term once we have finalised the composition and balance of each year group team of teachers. As you would imagine, this is a very detailed and meticulous exercise that all staff are involved in as we strive to ensures the optimum learning environment for each student.
Class placements are organised by the teaching staff who see and teach these students each and every day and hence, know the students best in the context of the classroom learning environment, taking particular account of the following factors:
- the individual learning, social and emotional needs of each child
- knowledge of the different teaching styles of teachers in the next year group
- friendships of students where this has a positive impact on their learning (students are also involved in this step)
- ability levels to ensure an even spread of ability levels across each class
- an aim to balance gender in each class, as best possible
Please understand that parents cannot request a specific teacher for your child as this would set a precedence that is neither sustainable nor equitable for all families. Please also note that younger siblings will not necessarily be placed with the same class teacher as older siblings as invariably, siblings can be very different in both their learning preference and their personal traits.
A significant amount of time, professional dialogue and thought goes into this important operational process to aim to match each individual student with the right teacher and peers and our Dean of Students, Counsellors and I also take part in this process with our additional knowledge of students.
Once year groups have finalised these, there will be a comprehensive face-to-face handover of knowledge between teaching staff before the start of Term 1, 2024, to ensure that teachers have as much information as possible ahead of next year.
These class lists are then displayed on the first day of the new school year but individual student timetables will be uploaded on Pulse a few days before the start of term so that parents have access to see who their child’s class teacher will be before the start of the 2024 academic year.
I hope this summary clarifies the detailed process that will take place later this term in this very important part of our preparation for 2024 and trust that parents will not approach teachers directly about teacher placements as has been the case already.
2024 Student Orientation – Friday 10 November
Tomorrow sees us welcome over 50 new students who will join the Junior School in 2024 as part of their process of orientation into Redlands. I know that our current students will warmly welcome their soon-to-be peers and for part of the day, Yrs 2, 3, 4 and 5 also move up a year to the Year Groups that they will be in next year and enjoy activities with different teachers. This will allow them some time with possible new teachers, new students, and begin to get a feel of new learning spaces and expectations. The students will also rotate around each classroom doing a series of engaging activities.
Yr 6 Into Yr 7
Ahead of their day on the Senior Campus tomorrow as part of their transition process, Yr 6 were thrilled to welcome a number of students and staff from the Secondary School for a ‘Connect and Chat’ session designed to help answer the many questions our students have and build some early connections. Many of the students from Yrs 7 and 12 were able to share their own lived experiences and I know our students found this incredibly useful to have peer-to-peer conversations. Coordinated expertly again by Mr Digiacomo, one of our counselling team who works across both campuses, Yr 6 enjoyed time with their soon-to-be Year Advisor and Assistant Year Advisor, Ms Walker and Mr Walker, as well as the Dean of Students, other pastoral care and Performing Arts leaders.
Student Wellbeing Survey
One of the key drivers of the Redlands Strategic Plan is the further development of a positive and supportive culture of wellbeing. Connected to this, and as started in 2022 students in Yr 3-12 will take part in the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) Social-Emotional Wellbeing Survey, which they also took in Semester One.
This short survey is a confidential, strength-based survey which assesses and measures the overall wellbeing of students, allowing us to measure the effectiveness of our pastoral care programs, identify social and emotional needs of specific student groups and compare data with other schools conducting the survey.
The aim is to administer this survey regularly so that we can track the development of our students’ wellbeing over time. Next week, Junior School students will complete the survey in their classes and as before, if any student is uncomfortable taking this survey, please let your child’s class teacher know in advance.
Term 4 Parent Seminar
Our termly parent seminar was another positive success and I am grateful to our Counselling team for their work in both preparing and presenting an engaging session on how to help children recharge in the school holidays and then power up for the new school year in 2024. For parents in attendance and those unable to make this seminar, the slides have been placed on the Junior School page of Pulse for your reference.
HSC and IB Senior Studies Information Evening (Redlands House to Yr 9 families)
I am often asked by Junior School families about our Senior Studies offering at Redlands where in the final years of schooling, Redlands offers students the choice of either the HSC or IB pathways for students. Whilst it might feel a way off, I am pleased to share information about an upcoming Parent Information Evening for families from Redlands House to Yr 9 and know that this will be insightful for many of you as you look ahead for your child.
Year 7 2025 Scholarships
We would like to advise that applications for our Yr 7 2025 Scholarships Program (Academic, Merit, Music, Ballet) are now open to both current Redlands Yr 5 students and those at external schools.
Thanks to the very generous donations from parents, alumni and friends within the Redlands community, we are also offering the Dr Sue Morey AM Means-tested Scholarship for Yr 7 2025 to external students who otherwise would not be able to attend Redlands.
For more details of our 2025 Scholarships program or to apply, please visit:
Applications close Monday 5 February 2024.
OOSH and Vacation Care News
Our OOSH Football Match is just around the corner, scheduled for next Friday 17 November at 4:30 pm. We’re gearing up for a fantastic time on the field, and we’d love for you to join us. After the match, we’ll be gathering for some good food and even better company.
Just a friendly reminder to make sure you’ve registered your name. Your participation will make the day even more special! Click this link to sign up and secure your spot.
On another note, we wanted to keep you in the loop about our Vacation Care program. You can now make bookings through HubHello. However, to ensure everything runs smoothly, please take a moment to check if your account has all the necessary details updated. We need important information about your child, like medical conditions, dietary requirements, and a valid payment method. Without these details, we won’t be able to confirm your booking.
If you find yourself in need of assistance or have any questions about updating your account, feel free to reach out to us at ooshadmin@redlands.nsw.edu.au; We’re here to help.
From the Chaplains
View a message from the School Chaplains here
Community Christmas Carols
Mr Ari Guha
Head of Junior School
aguha@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9953 6022