Head of Junior School

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Reporting Live from Canberra!

I am currently enjoying a wonderful couple of days with Yr 6 on camp in Canberra and I have a brief window after dinner with the students to complete my Note Day comments for this week before I head to my assigned bedtime supervision duty! Simple opportunities to sit and enjoy a conversation over a meal with students are always a highlight for me alongside actively joining them in sessions.

Canberra is enjoying better weather than Sydney and the students have been actively engaged in some rich learning experiences in both Civics and Outdoor Education such as abseiling, camping, canoeing, climbing and mountain biking, interspersed with curriculum-related learning experiences at Questacon, CSIRO, the Australian War Memorial, Parliament House, the Museum of Australian Democracy and the wonderful National Gallery of Australia.

One of the things that has made me particularly proud has been observing how the students have been really looking after one another and consistent feedback I have received from various sources about how polite, engaged and respectful the group have been. One of the staff at Parliament House stopped me to specifically commend two groups and a tour guide from the National Gallery of Australia felt compelled to ring the School and pass on her positive experience of looking after two Redlands groups this week.

To assist in meeting the cost of part of our week in the nation’s capital, the Australian Government generously contributes funding of $20 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs, which is duly acknowledged and paid directly to the School upon completion of the excursion. This has supported the opportunity for our students to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy. The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education.

We have posted a few pictures of the trip so far on the Yr 6 Redlands Pulse page for you to enjoy and I look forward to joining families welcome the group back on Friday afternoon. I know Yr 6 parents will also join me in thanking the fabulous team of teachers here caring for the group. It is a huge responsibility but the meticulous planning of Mrs Robinson and Ms Bidwell has helped with the smooth organisation of the week.

International Women’s Day

Last Friday, on International Women’s Day, our Yr 6 female Captains, accompanied by Ms Cosolito, had the opportunity to attend the Mosman International Women’s Day Breakfast. The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day was Balance for Better. 

For the group, the highlight of the morning was listening to The Honourable Dame Marie Bashir who shared her wisdom and her life stories and experiences.

“I thought it was really amazing that she was the first woman governor. She inspired us by speaking directly to us as young people.” Charlee Kwintner (Arts Captain)

As a young woman, Dame Bashir began her lifelong service in the field of medicine. When she commenced at St Vincent’s Hospital, she was the only woman to enter in a class of men. She spoke about her feelings of apprehension and her initial desire to seek a different work placement. On the day she arrived to meet with the director to request a relocation, she had a change of heart. She quickly realised that despite the discomfort of being the only woman doctor, she was grateful for the opportunity to serve her community. Dame Bashir also spoke of the many quiet leaders who she has encountered throughout the years. She talked of the teachers, social workers and Australian Army and Navy members who have made lasting contributions to the lives of others without seeking recognition.

“Dame Bashir talked about doing things quietly and not showing off. That inspired me to do more things without needing to get attention. It’s nice to know that so many people around the world help others.” Betti Butcher (McDouall House Captain)

Dame Bashir shared her belief that young people now are more informed than ever and in these tumultuous political times, Australians must be clever and continue to act in service to their communities and humanity at large. Her messages of kindness and service were inspirational to our young leaders who are already empowered to make a positive difference in our School community.

“I think that Dame Bashir was very inspiring to everybody. She told us about her life and how she wanted to help other people. It made me want to help other people more.” Chloe Bailey (Dumolo House Captain)

At the conclusion of the event, our Redlands leaders had a chance to meet Carolyn Corrigan, the Mayor of Mosman. Ms Corrigan welcomed the girls and shared her thoughts about the importance of education and the value of young people’s contributions to society.

“It was really interesting to find out about what the Mayor does. I also enjoyed learning about how Women’s Day started. It shows how women have the same rights and everyone in Australia is equal.” Stella Simpson-Morgan (Sports Captain)

The 2019 International Women’s Day breakfast was a great opportunity for our Redlands students to see the ways in which women can make lasting contributions to their communities. It was an inspirational and memorable event that the group won’t forget in a hurry. See picture at the top of this article.

Welcome Elizabeth Foster

We are delighted to welcome our new Junior Campus Counsellor, Ms Elizabeth Foster, who started with us this week. Ms Foster will provide wonderful specialist support for students, teachers and families in her role and will work particularly closely with our Dean of Students, Mrs Kourakis.

Flexischools and Uniform Shop

Flexischools is our nationwide ordering system with Fridays generally the most popular day for orders. At times, on Friday morning the system can be inundated and therefore problematic to place an order. To avoid potential frustration, we would recommend ensuring you order on Thursday evening rather than Friday morning.

One of the benefits of using Flexischools to order from the canteen is that the orders can also be placed days in advance and even set as a reoccurring order if your child would like the same items. If you would like to set a standard order, you can do this until the end of each term because the food selections change termly. The Canteen staff are already working on a delicious, new menu for winter and any suggestions for healthy options, are always appreciated and considered.

Redlands Uniform Shop are pleased to announce the launch of online ordering through Flexischools. We understand some of our busy parents often struggle to get to the shop during opening hours and we hope this service will make it easier for you to order and pay online.

We will offer three delivery options:

• Pick up from the Uniform Shop
• Delivery to your child’s classroom in Preschool, Prep and Junior School
• Delivery to your home address (additional costs and conditions apply)

Those of you who have used the School’s Canteen online ordering will know how easy it is. If you have an existing Canteen account with FlexiSchools, you will have immediate access to commence ordering uniforms.

If not, you will need to register. Simply go to www.flexischools.com.au and follow the prompts. Or download the Flexischools app and register. You will be asked to enter your children’s names and classes – it only takes a few minutes. No need to top up your FlexiSchools account as payment can be made for the order by credit card at checkout.

If you have any problems, please give us a call on 9968 9850. 

As we near the end of Term 1, it’s a good time to start thinking about winter uniform. Please avoid the last minute rush and either order online or come in and see us for a fitting. Don’t forget we are open until 6.00pm on Thursdays.

Jazz in the Garden

Last Saturday evening, the Music Department and the Friends of Music, co-hosted the Jazz in the Garden in the Gym Undercroft, bringing together students enrolled in our Junior School and Secondary School Small Ensembles Program. The evening was hosted by Redlands Captains Asha Boswarva (Arts Captain), Tara Sahagian (Captain of Bands), Matilda Williams (Captain of Choirs), Dan Feng Zhao (Captain of Strings) and Ilann Labouze (Captain of Small Ensembles). These students kept the audience of over 200 people entertained as they eloquently introduced all performances. With a concentrated effort over the last couple of years, the department has focused on raising the profile of Jazz at Redlands, encouraging students to develop their improvisation and aural perception skills through various styles of Jazz Music. This event included the launch of the Redlands first-ever EP, presented to the school community by Redlander and Ambassador of this creative project, Greta Argyropoulos (2017). As part of her presentation, she spoke about her journey as a young composer and performed her original composition Holding On To What You Say, the title track from the EP. Thanks to Mr Mathew Owen (MIC of Small Ensembles) for his assistance in organising this event and conductors Mr James Clanfield (Junior Jazz Band), Mr Cameron Harker and Mr Solomon Frank (Intermediate Jazz Band), Mr Jon Gray (Stage Band) and Mr Darren Kuilenburg (Jazz Vocal Ensemble). We also extend our thanks to Tom Wightwick (Year 11) and Andrew Verschoor (Year 10) for the outstanding audio visual and lighting support, along with Ms Pip Tame (Administration), Hilary Luck (Assistant Coordinator of Music), Emma McLaren (President of FOM) and our Friends of Music Committee and the Redlands Facilities team for the behind the scenes work to make this evening such a great success. 

Bandaged Bear Day

We are proud to be able to support the Bandaged Bear Appeal again this year, a charity that will always have a poignant place in the hearts of many at Redlands. As I shared with the students in assembly, there is something special about children helping other children and we look forward to supporting the charity in its 30^th year raising money for The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

Next Friday 22 March, Junior School students will enjoy a teddy bears’ picnic with their buddy class so they are encouraged to bring in a teddy for this occasion. A group of our Yr 5 girls who have been part of this fundraiser before are also selling merchandise on the day, as listed below, so students are encouraged to bring a gold coin donation and extra money should they wish to purchase any items.

Combined Independent Schools of NSW Sports Selection  

Congratulations to one of our Junior School Sports Captains, Lachlan Carmichael, who has been selected in the NSW Combined Independent Schools teams for both Basketball and AFL. This is a remarkable double achievement and very rare with the level of selection extremely competitive with over 350 independent schools in the State. 

Tuesday Cocurricular Clubs

With upcoming Camps and Learning Review meetings, please note the following cancellations of Clubs in the coming weeks as listed below due to teacher unavailability:

Mother’s Day Classic

Interested Redlands families are encouraged to register for the Redlands team on the Mother’s Day Classic website. There are 59 days to go until the big day on Sunday 12 May. This is a wonderful family-oriented event with categories for serious runners through to fun runners of all ages. All proceeds from this event are donated to Breast Cancer Research. 

Don’t forget to purchase your Redlands pink caps and a new pink Team Redlands tshirt from the Uniform Shop, with all profits going to the Mother’s Day Classic charity.  

To register your interest in joining the Redlands team, please click here. Please note that you will need to complete the registration process, nearly all the way to the payment stage before you can select to join the Redlands team and the password is ‘Shine’.

Thank you to the Redlands Parents and Friends Association who will again have a tent at the event as a meeting point.

Redlands Inaugural Sports Luncheon

The Redlands Inaugural Sports Luncheon, celebrating 120 years of Redlands Sport, will be held towards the end of this term on Friday 5 April 2019 between 12pm – 4pm at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Kirribilli.

This Luncheon is open to all Redlands parents and alumni and provides a great opportunity to celebrate the integral value of sport to the Redlands community and its students of the past, present and future. We are delighted to announce our guest speakers, all past Redlands students, who will share their very inspiring journey during this luncheon:

• Karyn Gojnich (née Davis), Class of 1978 (Olympic Sailor, Redlander and former Redlands parent)
• Janusz Hooker, Class of 1987 (Olympic Rower)
• Lachlan Mackay, Class of 2000 (Rugby, Australian Wallaby)
• Holly Crawford, Class of 2001 (Olympic Snowboarder)

Tickets are $130 per person and includes a gourmet two course meal and beverages. Limited spaces are available and bookings can be made here. I hope to see many of you there as we recognise this milestone in the history of Redlands Sport.

Easter Working Bee

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