Head of Junior School

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Please note that all Upcoming Events for the Junior School are now on their own Note Day article/page. 

This Head of Junior School page will consist of general information from the Head of Junior School. 

Junior School Speech Day

Please find below an overview of the schedule for our annual Junior School Speech Day, the final event in the Junior School calendar on Wednesday 4 December. Attendance for all students is compulsory and it is exciting that every student will perform at least one item on stage.

Junior Campus Carols Service

Next Thursday 28 November sees us host our annual Junior Campus Carol Service in Robert Dunnet Hall. Commencing at 2.00pm, the Service is also open to parents although please note that there is limited seating available.

2019 Student Prize Winners

Next Monday afternoon, class teachers will notify their students of this year’s class prize winners in their respective classes. In each class, six prizes will be awarded as outlined below:

• Two prizes for Academic Effort and Achievement
• Two prizes for Outstanding Approach to Learning
• Two prizes for Citizenship

Each year, class teachers award these prizes based on their observations over the whole year and in conjunction with feedback from specialist teachers who teach them too. In addition, there are some major prizes awarded in Yr 6 only and these will also be announced to the cohort on Monday. All of these prizes will be presented on Speech Day which will also be the occasion for the announcement of our 2020 Student Leaders, as previously communicated.

Please note the above details and timings for Speech Day and if you have any questions, please contact your child’s class teacher in the first instance or the Music department if it is connected to Music. I look forward to seeing you at this final event of the year, always one of the highlights.

Maths Olympiad Competition

This year, more than 37,000 students participated in The 2019 Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads (APSMO) including a number of Redlands students. The questions are unique in that they focus on the students’ ability to solve mathematical problems in a creative manner as opposed to simply reaching a solution using a prescribed method.

Students completed 5 separate papers over 5 months and compete in teams of up to 30 students. Three Redlands teams from the Junior School, consisting of students from Yrs 4, 5 and 6 took part in the competition. 

I am delighted to announce that the Yr 5 and 6 Numeracy Enrichment team has once again finished in the top 10% of teams and has been awarded an Outstanding Team Achievement plaque. Congratulations to all the teams and participants and in particular to the following students who scored highly.

Top 2%
Yr 6: Hugo Ward*, Jesse Forrest, Krishna Gupta, Callum Zhu 

Top 10%
Yr 6: Piper Bradley, Nathan Lu, Michael Havryk, Liam Petersen, Kiana Gapaillard, Nathan Lu
Yr 5: Jack Li, Sachin Lipscomb, Konnie Pan*
Yr 4: Sam Ashby*

*denotes highest achiever award for their respective Year Group

In addition, the following students achieved a finish in the top 20%: 
Yr 6: Thomas Dewar, Yumeto Lee, Ruby Wood 
Yr 5: Luka Gordon, Luke Shoosmith, Hugo Flatman
Yr 4: Alexander Heller, Kernel He

All the students who competed in the competition will receive a certificate that will be presented at assemblies over the next week. Mrs Ling and the class teachers wish to congratulate all the students who participated with great enthusiasm and gusto. Part of the benefit of participating in this type of competition is the opportunity it gives students to tackle complex mathematical problems and to share thinking and strategies when discussing the paper afterwards and I know that Mrs Ling has been very impressed by the range of ideas and thinking that students displayed.

Yr 5 Science

In Units of Inquiry this Term, Yr 5 is studying Light. The overarching idea of the unit is based on how light is essential to our existence and the students have been experimenting with and exploring the different properties of light, including shadow, reflection and refraction. Their learning has extended to see how our eyes use light to see and consolidate their understanding of the anatomy and function of the eye.

To enable the students to further develop their understanding of how the eye works, each Yr 5 class took part in eye dissections which took place in our Secondary School Science Labs, under the watchful eye and assistance of Mrs Harrisson (Head of Science) and her team. There was an air of excitement (and reservation!) amongst the students, as the classes set off across the footbridge; however, I am pleased to report that each and every lesson was a resounding success and the students relished the opportunity to learn in the Secondary School Science laboratories. My thanks are extended to Mrs Benneyworth for her part in the organisation of these sessions and also to all of the Science teachers and technicians on the Senior Campus who gave the Yr 5 students their time and expertise to make this immersive learning opportunity possible for them all.

Yr 7 2020 Orientation Day

On Tuesday, our current Yr 6 students spent an important day on the Senior Campus as part of their transition to Secondary School next year. Joined by their parents for the first part of the day, I spoke with many of the group who shared excitement about the opportunity to meet new friends, spending time in a range of exciting specialist classes and also simply wandering around the Senior Campus and starting to familiarise themselves with soon-to-be new surroundings.

Bushfire Fundraiser

Thank you to Junior School students and families who generously contributed $2093 to the bushfire relief funds from our mufti day last Friday. The event was also held in the Secondary and Early Childhood sections of the School.

Lost Property

We will endeavour to repatriate all lost property before the end of term but as we approach the end of term, parents and students are reminded to check lost property before the end of term for missing items. Any unlabelled clothing or lunch bags will be passed on to the next school sale or given to charity as we clear the area for the end of the year.

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