Head of Junior School

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Swimming Carnival  

“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”  The Olympic Creed.

In the inspiring surroundings of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Pool, these words really resonated with me as I observed, enjoyed and felt the palpable spirit of our Redlands students at our annual Junior School Swimming Carnival.

As always, for me, it was an absolute joy to witness such strong House spirit and the perfect balance of competitive spirit and sportsmanship from the students. And with both the 25m and the 50m pools available to students, participation levels were very high again with students all experiencing contributing to the overall House totals, something of great collective worth for them.

As I remarked at the conclusion of the event, every student would have had their own personal hopes and expectations of the Carnival; for some students, I know that overcoming the challenge of being in a race for the first time was a milestone; for others it was swimming in the 50m Olympic pool for the first time; and for some it may have been achieving a personal best time after committed practice and training ahead of the event. For every child who swam, I hope that there was a sense of accomplishment and above all, enjoyment in being an active participant in another wonderful Junior School event.

My thanks are extended to all of the teacher and student helpers, without whom a carnival of this magnitude for 450 students simply could not take place. In particular, I acknowledge the excellent leadership of this event again by Head of Junior School Sport, Mr Adrian Carter, ably assisted by Junior School Sports Administrator, Mrs Gemma Michael.

I also add my congratulations again to Cowper House who retained the House Swimming Trophy for a remarkable sixth year in succession!

What Makes a Great Community? 

In just over 13 years at Redlands, I have often highlighted the significance of our School community to me and increasingly over the course of this time, to my family. Schools are about people and from the first day I walked into the School, I have felt a strong connection to the people who make up our community and believe that it is a fundamental strength of Redlands.

As part of their study on the roles and responsibilities that people have in our community, Yr 3 invited Principal Dr Lennox, Deputy Principal Ms McGarry, Head of Early Childhood Mrs Fellowes and I to a special Q & A session with them as they articulately posed thoughtful and challenging questions on the roles that we play at Redlands. As a group, it was lovely for us to hear the Yr 3 students’ thoughts too and following our stint in the hot seats, a number of our Yr 12 students were asked similar questions, and some of these students had been taught by Yr 3 teachers, Mr Latimer and Ms Moore-Patel, when they were in the Junior School. Listening to both colleagues and students, there was a genuine synergy in the shared understanding and values of what it means to be part of the Redlands community and for me, this spoke volumes in itself. Thank you to the Yr 3 teachers and students for allowing us to be part of this learning experience for the students, and indeed for us too. 

Yr 4 iPads

Yr 4 parents are reminded that for those either providing or purchasing an iPad for their child from Yr 4, the student inductions will take place next week (Week 5). While the BYO iPad program in Yr 4 is optional, we do recommend purchasing a device which allows them three years usage as an iPad is required from Yr 5. We do have six iPads in each Yr 4 classroom. At this stage, if you order the iPad online through the School, it will not arrive by next week; however, iPads can be purchased from JB Hi-Fi, Myer, David Jones or any Apple store. If you are providing an iPad for your child to use at school please ensure that you have:

1. Read the BYO information and set up an Apple ID 
2. Read the Terms and Conditions
3. Given Online Permission

Without the online permission, your child cannot go through the induction process as set out in the dates below: 

If you have any questions about the technology program, please email our eLearning Coordinator, Mrs Winrow or for technical support, please contact our iSupport team.    

Clean Up Australia Day

All Redlands students and their families are again encouraged to participate in Clean Up Australia Day, an activity to help make a positive contribution in our local community. This year, we are changing location and will be focusing our energy on cleaning up Spit West Reserve. Many Redlands students have spent time in this area for various sports including training sessions in the park and rowing on the harbour. This is our chance to make a positive difference. We will be fanning out from the Redlands Rowing sheds and seeing if we can remove as much rubbish as possible from the park and the harbour foreshore.

Date:                               Sunday 3 March
Arrive:                            1.00pm for a short briefing
Clean up:                       1.15pm – 2.30pm
Afternoon tea:              2.30pm, BYO snacks to share

Drop Off and Pick Up Times

As per my letter prior to the start of the term, please may I remind parents that unless here earlier for an event or practice, students should arrive close to 8.00am when teachers commence supervision. I appreciate that sometimes bus arrival times or drop off times mean students get here a few minutes before this but we have a number of students being dropped off at 7.30am or even earlier and left by themselves in the playground, which causes me concern from a safety perspective.

A reminder also that Tuesday Clubs finish at 4.30pm when students should be collected promptly. We have had students left until 5.00pm with teachers and from next week, if teachers need to leave, students will be sent to our After School Care program which may incur a charge.

Many thanks for your support of these two matters.

Welcome Parent Cocktail Evening  

I look forward to joining many in our Redlands community at tomorrow evening’s Welcome Cocktail event on the Junior Campus. I know that there has been a team of Redlands staff and parents busily working behind the scenes in setting the stage for what will, I am sure, be another memorable event and I acknowledge and thank them in advance. In the event of inclement weather, the drinks will be held in Dunnet Hall. Please bear in mind that stilettos are not to be worn in Dunnet Hall. 

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