Head of Junior School

Head of Junior School

There was great excitement in the air this morning as our Year 3 Campers left for their overnight adventure at Tallong. Our Year 3 students will be participating in many fun, outdoor education activities including bushwalking, experiencing the thrill of the flying fox, climbing the low ropes, up close with reptiles and collaboratively working on camp craft. A few photos have been sent through and we look forward to hearing all the campfire stories when our Year 3s return tomorrow.

Upcoming Term 3 Gallery Walks

The Year 3, Year 4 and Year 6 Gallery Walks are fast approaching.  Parents are invited to step into classrooms for a hands-on experience of your child’s learning journey as they share their reflections and achievements over the term. Dates of upcoming Gallery Walks listed below.  We look forward to you joining us for these learning celebrations.

  • Year 6 – Friday 20 September 8:30-9:30am 
  • Year 3 – Wednesday 25 September 8:30-9:30am
  • Year 4 – Thursday 26 September 8:30-9:30am 

Celebrating Junior School Representative Debaters

Congratulations to our Junior School Representative Debaters for competing in two finals this week! Both teams will compete against Al Sadiq College in the Knockouts for the National Virtual Debating Competition during the week and against Monte in the Semi-Finals of the Schools Debating Competition (SDN) on Friday evening. Redlands is currently placed first overall in the SDN competition with all teams bar one in the finals on Friday. 

We wish our Junior School Debate teams, listed below, best of luck with their finals debates:

Primary A

  • Lillian Abbey
  • Sasha Grant
  • Isha Gupta
  • Bertram Haines
  • Archer Healy-Smith
  • Pax Staley-Lobo

Primary B

  • Georgia Darragh
  • Emmeline Gallego
  • Brian Ho
  • Audrey Reynolds
  • Asha Singh
  • Isla Wong

Counsellor Talk P-6

Boosting Confidence and Self-Esteem: Key Insights from Our Junior School Counsellors

This morning, we hosted a topic talk for our K-6 parents in the Arnold Library, this was led by our Junior School counsellors. The session focused on practical strategies to nurture children’s self-esteem. Below is a summary of the key points shared:

  • Proactive Self-Esteem Building: Encourage positive self-talk and provide opportunities for children to take on new challenges both at school and at home.
  • Embrace Setbacks as Growth Opportunities: Support your child through challenges by framing mistakes as part of the learning process. For instance, “Its ok to make a mistake, you’re still learning. Making a mistake is part of the process of learning .” We encourage our students to ‘have a go” and try new things. Any setbacks your child may have, should be seen as opportunities for development and a way to enhance resilience.
  • Healthy Body Image: Promote a balanced view of body image by celebrating diverse body types and focusing on abilities rather than appearance.
  • Impact of Technology: Be mindful of the influence of digital media on self-esteem and set clear boundaries for online interactions
  • Encouragement and Praise: Recognise and praise your child’s efforts. For example, you might say “You’re really working hard on that project,” or “I’m proud of you for practicing your spelling/writing/piano/guitar/tennis you’ve really stuck with it.”
  • Highlight Positives: At the end of each day, ask your child to share three good things that happened. This practice helps them focus on the positive aspects of their day.
  • Consistent approach: At home encourage daily perseverance as children will respond to parents’ positive reinforcement and will appreciate you showing interest in their activities.
  • Daily Wellbeing Check-Ins: Encourage your child to express their feelings and use the ‘Zones of Regulation’ to help them understand their emotions and let them know that “their voice matters”.

By integrating these strategies into our daily routines, we can collectively foster a supportive environment that enhances our children’s confidence and self-esteem. Thank you for working in partnership with us at school as we continue to develop and strengthen our students’ wellbeing.

R U OK Day

At the JS Assembly this week, our Year 6 Wellbeing leaders spoke about R U OK Day. At Redlands we check in everyday with our peers and teachers and ask each other “how are you feeling today?

Our Year 6 leaders reminded our JS students about the importance of reaching out to a trusted adult when you need help at school and that all student voices matter. At Redlands our teachers, specialists, counsellors and school leaders are trusted adults who are here to always keep our students safe.

Spring Vacation Care

We are excited to announce that the Spring School Holidays Program is now available for booking via the HubHello system. We encourage you to secure your spots early to ensure your children can join the fun and engaging activities we have planned.

Please note that our staff will be in an all-day training on 27 September 27, so OOSH will not be available on this day. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.

If you encounter any issues with the booking process, please contact us immediately at ooshbookings@redlands.nsw.edu.au for assistance.

School Start Time

School starts at 8am and all children are welcome to socialise and play in our supervised outdoor spaces from 8am every morning. We also appreciate that some of our students are travelling on buses or have special circumstances which mean they arrive a little bit earlier. To support our families and keep those students supervised safely, we have opened the Arnold Library from 7:30am for those students. A firm reminder that students are not to go to any other parts of the Junior Campus before 8am.

Learning Plus Volunteers

Learning Plus (support) are looking for volunteers with weekday availability and a desire to contribute regularly to the Redlands student community working with Y7-12.

We need calm and confident community members who understand confidentiality. We need writers (scribes) and readers. You need to have legible handwriting and the ability to communicate in English.

Our volunteers find this a rewarding activity and a fantastic way to support students at Redlands.

We need volunteers to start training now! 

Contact sprovisions@redlands.nsw.edu.au to express your interest or request more information. 

Mr Ian Holden
Head of Junior School
iholden@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9953 6022