Head of Junior School
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.
Welcome Back
I love the start of a new school year and as I shared in assembly, the very first day is arguably my favourite day. Whether it was as a student myself or for the last 24 years as a teacher, those feelings of excitement, opportunities and hope that come with the start of a new chapter are invigorating and from observations of colleagues and returning students, I know I was not alone.
There has been a palpable energy as we have started to the new school year and I acknowledge the preparative work of our teachers, Support staff and Facilities team over the holidays to allow us to hit the ground running yesterday. Of course, all of this preparation is for the students and it was a joy to see them bound in on Wednesday morning for the start of term.
In our Welcome Assembly, we particularly welcomed our new Principal, Mr Webber, new staff and our 75 new students. I hope that the journey ahead for all of them will be full of happy memories, as is my hope for all students, teachers and families.
Mr Webber spoke to the students about himself and his hopes for Redlands and the students, encouraging them to be comfortable with who they are, to support each other and be positive in all that they do.
During this assembly, I talked about the significance of our School Values: Respect, Honesty, Fairness, Compassion, Responsibility and Moral Courage, as important qualities of being a good person and our hope that these values intrinsically become part of our students’ character.
I also shared the image below and talked about the personal race we will all run in 2020, which may present ups and downs along the way. The road to success is rarely a linear pathway and sometimes our greatest learnings can be in how we respond to a setback, in whatever form. As I shared with students, our role as parents and adults is to be there as support for them, particularly at these times.
My final message centred around us all focusing on just one word that we hope will define us in 2020. This has been a theme for the Junior School for the last three years where instead of having longer-worded goals, each student and teacher has chosen to focus on just one word for the year.
Many of the classes have already discussed this idea and a number of students have shared their #oneword2020 with me already in passing, which I have loved hearing about; but more importantly, why the word is poignant for them. I encourage you to ask your child what their one word for 2020 is and ask them to explain why they have chosen this word. And perhaps consider a word yourself and share it with your child?
School Photographs
A reminder that school photos taken by Advanced Life Photography are next Thursday 6 February and that students will be required to be in their school blazers for the photos. Orders for packages can be placed securely online with Advanced Life using the Junior School’s unique 9 digit Online Order Code: WG5 WJZ 1J5. Pease note that sibling photographs will only be taken on Friday 21 February if an order has been placed. Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please direct them via email to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au.
Cocurricular Clubs
The Junior School optional Cocurricular program will start in Week 3 of Term 1, commencing on Tuesday 11 February. Information will be emailed to all families at the start of next week with details of an online booking system and an outline of each Cocurricular activities on offer. Please note that places are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Junior School Calendar
A comprehensive Junior School calendar has been uploaded to Redlands Pulse for your reference and can be accessed here.
Meet the Teacher Information Evening
As previously communicated in my start of year letter to all families, next week sees our annual Meet the Teacher Information Evening. These will be held in your child’s classroom where you have an opportunity to meet your child’s class teacher who will speak briefly about their expectations, classroom management, daily routines and curriculum matters, amongst other things. There will also be time for you to ask any questions you may have. A reminder of the date and times for this evening are listed below:
Yrs 3 and 4 Tuesday 4 February 5.00 – 5.45pm
Yrs 5 and 6 Tuesday 4 February 6.00 – 6.45pm
Class Parent Representatives
We are always fortunate to have parents volunteer for the role of Class Parent each year and class teachers will seek interest for this role at the Meet the Teacher evening next week. The role is not an onerous one but is one that makes such a difference for families in the class, particularly our newer families to Redlands. If you would like to nominate as the person for your child’s class or if you have any questions about the role, please do feel free to contact either of our Junior School Parent Contact Group Coordinators, Jay Cunningham or Rebecca James, who will be only too willing to assist.
Parking and Pick Up
My thanks to the vast majority of parents who have supported our communication about our student safety focused approach to the drop off and pick up students at the end of the school day. We are also very mindful that many families are new to Redlands and getting to grips with possible new parking and pick up arrangements. For families using the car line process, please remind your child to wait with the duty teacher at the Junior School gate and please also be reminded not to push into the line or double park for obvious safety reasons. If the line is full, you will need to go around the block and come back to Allister St. If you are picking up your child from within the grounds of the school, please also organise a regular meeting point which is away from the gates which causes additional congestion.
And lastly, please may I remind you to be respectful and considerate of our neighbours. It is not acceptable to block or even park in someone’s driveway as has already been reported to us. Thanks, in advance, for your cooperation and support.
New School Information System
Thank you to all parents for your support during the settling in period of the upgrade to our School Information System (SIS) from Edumate to Engage. The new SIS system has a clearer more friendly interface for students and parents and is more compatible with mobile phone web browsers. Our ICT Support team is on hand to address any queries you may have. Please contact pulse@redlands.nsw.edu.au.
2021 Scholarships – closing 10 February
Applications for Academic, Merit, Music and Ballet Scholarships for Year 7 2021 are closing on 10 February. To apply, please go to: https://www.redlands.nsw.edu.au/enrolments/scholarships-2/
Term 1 Departure Notice
This is a reminder to those families who are planning on leaving the School at the end of Term 1: If you have not already given notice to the Principal via an email to registrar@redlands.nsw.edu.au, could you please do so by next Monday 3 February, as fees in lieu will be payable for any notices of departure received after this date.
2020 Junior School Captains
After the formal announcement of our new Junior School Leaders for 2020 at last year’s Speech Day, I was delighted to re-introduce these students to the Junior School in our first assembly, where they were recognised and congratulated by Mr Webber. As I shared with the students, I have every confidence that they, alongside every one of their peers in Yr 6, will set a wonderful example to the rest of the Junior School in the year ahead and we wish them all the best in their student leadership roles.
Junior School Captains – Leda Subasi and Jacob Cartwright
Sports Captains – Stella Cunningham and Joel Daily
Arts Captains – Kira Delaney and Dante Minassian
Cowper House Captains – Lola Brasler and Digby Scott
Dumolo House Captains – Heidi de Saxe and Jake Nochar
McDouall House Captains – Alexandria Fitzpatrick and Gabriel Grindlay
Roseby House Captains – Sophie McDonald and Roy Rivera
Baby News
After going on maternity leave at the start of this week, Junior School teacher, Stacey Clarkson gave birth to a beautiful baby girl this morning, a younger sister for Lucy. Born in the very early hours, both Stacey and the baby are resting and doing well and we look forward to seeing them later in the term.
Mr Ari Guha
Head of Junior School
aguha@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9953 6022