Head of Junior School
NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge Awards
To me, the Arnold Library has felt like the metaphorical heart of the Junior School for all of the time I have been at Redlands. Not just as a repository of information, books and resources that support learning and students’ personal interests, but it has always felt like a calm and inviting space where curiosity and intellectual growth and both fostered and promoted.
Before, during and after school each day, I love seeing our students spending time in the library whether it’s browsing through the thousands of books, reading, learning, playing board games together, being creative with art and craft or just chatting with friends. This community hub is also a space that we hold regular staff professional learning sessions and numerous parent gatherings too.
Hence, with all of this knowledge and supported by our incomparable Library team of Mrs Wiebe, Mrs Clark and Mrs Benstead, it is not surprising at all to me that we will present a record number of 61 Gold Premier’s Reading Challenge Awards (4 years of completion) and another record 17 Platinum Awards (7 years of completion) this year, demonstrating exceptional commitment over their entire primary schooling, which also captures students’ efforts who have moved from other schools in NSW. Our library team love what they do and as well as our Junior School Arnold Library, at Redlands we are blessed to have an equally inspiring P-2 Lucy Hill Library. Well done to every student and staff member involved again.
Platinum Award winners: Elysia Angus, Harrison Bird, Tara Clarke, Juliette Cortes, Luca Cowlishaw, Aidan Donnelly, Hamish Gurney, Charlie Hutchings, Raj Jhingan, Jonah Krallis, Sophia Moriarty, Joshua Rantall, Mark Rolfe, Kirrily Stone, Kenzo Takeda, Jennifer Todd and Alexia Tsacalos
Yr 6 Graduation Assembly
Yr 6 families will have received an invitation from Ms Proctor welcoming them to join us for our Yr 6 Graduation Assembly on Tuesday 5 December, commencing at 2pm in Dunnet Hall. This is an important milestone in the cohort’s educational journey and we are delighted to invite parents again to this special occasion.
Christmas Card Workshop – Yr 9 Experience Project
On Tuesday, we welcomed a group of Yr 9 students to lead a Christmas card workshop with some of our Yr 3 students. The Year 9s are realising an idea they pitched in Week 5 around creating curated gift baskets for the 21 women at Bayside Women’s Shelter for whom Christmas will be particularly fraught this year.
They were tasked with considering vulnerable groups this Christmas and decided to zoom in on women seeking shelter due to unsafe conditions at home. The students felt that while children are often the focus of Christmas drives, they wanted to show the mothers that they too are deserving of some Christmas cheer. They have been consulting with Bayside and the women in their lives around what would be suitable to put In their boxes.
The Yr 3 students lent their creative flair and really enjoyed connecting with the Yr 9 students, many of whom shared fond memories of their time in the Junior School.
Our Yr 9 students are still shy of their target to raise $2,000 for the 21 baskets they have personally curated, will purchase, pack and deliver.
If you would like to consider supporting their worthy idea by donating to their GoFundMe page, they would be greatly appreciative.
Greenlands Day
Greenlands Day in our Junior School was a festival of sustainability led by our Environmental Leaders. Students enjoyed participating in the Swap Shop at lunch, which promoted the reuse of items, and a ‘Sow and Grow’ where students planted marigolds in a self-watering container they made. Students embraced the challenge by minimising the use of lights, air-conditioners, and SMART boards, while also bringing waste-free recess and lunch.
Students in class also made a ‘Pledge for the Planet’, which encouraged students to commit to a specific sustainable action. Congratulations to 3 Red, who won the class competition by implementing the most sustainable actions throughout the day. It has been fantastic to see the growing commitment and enthusiasm of our students to make our school and wider community sustainable.
Smart Watches
As per the ICT Responsible User Guidelines which students and parents sign each year, please be reminded that, as well as mobile phones, there should be no communication between students and parents using smart watches during school times. Students found using them will have them taken away and handed back at the end of that school day and may not be permitted to bring them in thereafter. Thank you for your support of the School’s guidelines.
Anglicare Giving
It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas in our Prep and Junior School receptions. It is also the final countdown for bringing in gifts to support families in need in Sydney this Christmas through Anglicare’s Toy’s ‘n’ Tucker Campaign. Thank you for your generous support as we once again support knowing the positive impact donated gifts will make to so many in need. Please remember to make sure all items are new and remain sealed.
We have an earlier collection time this year, so we need to get our gifts in by Friday 1 December in order for them to be boxed up ready for collection on the following Monday morning. Any families who are around after school on that Friday afternoon and would like to give a helping hand, please drop on by. We will start in Prep and move to Junior School.
Christmas Mufti and Junior Campus Carols
Next Tuesday 28 November, we are looking forward to holding our annual Junior Campus Carols Service in Dunnet Hall for students and staff.
We will also be getting into the festive spirit and wearing Christmas mufti. This can be as simple as wearing a traditional Christmas colour, a splash of tinsel, a Christmas themed t-shirt, a Santa hat or Nativity Character costume. Students are encouraged to bring a gold coin donation to support Anglicare.
Community Carols
OOSH Football Match
What an incredible showdown it was last Friday at the OOSH and parents’ football match! The intensity, the skill and the sheer determination on the field were nothing short of extraordinary. The final score may have been close, with the parents’ team securing a nail-biting 5-4 victory over the OOSH staff team, but the real triumph was the spirit of fun that filled our School.
Your presence added so much joy and warmth to the event, and it was amazing to see so many familiar faces sharing the field and the food with us.
A huge thank you to the stars of the match, the OOSH and parent players, who left their hearts on the field. Each one of you contributed to the thrill of the game, and your sportsmanship truly made it an unforgettable experience for everyone involved.
Due to popular demand and the undeniable success of this match, we’re thrilled to announce that OOSH will be organising another game next year! Keep an eye out for our Term 1 2024 communications so you won’t miss the chance to be part of the action again.
Ana Nogueira
K-6 OOSH Coordinator
Mr Ari Guha
Head of Junior School
aguha@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9953 6022