Head of Junior School
UPCOMING EVENTS
Please note that all Upcoming Events for the Junior School are on a separate Note Day article/page.
Swimming Carnival
Yesterday, it was fantastic to enjoy our first Junior School Carnival of 2020; the annual House Swimming Carnival, held in the impressive arena of the Sydney Aquatic Centre.
Whilst the times may have been slightly slower, the same energy, enthusiasm and competitive spirit was in evidence and I loved seeing students supporting one another and taking pride in their personal and House achievements. There were also some exceptional swimmers on show in all age groups and I congratulate these students on their accomplishments, which clearly reflected a commitment to hours of training.
As always, the combined efforts of all of our staff deserves to be recognised as both 25m and 50m pools ran non-stop over a number of hours to allow all students to enter in as many races as they wished to. In particular, I congratulate our Head of Junior School Sport, Mr Dunne, for his meticulous preparation and planning for this major event and his leadership on the day. All in all, a wonderful day for students, staff and families and well done to Cowper on their fifth successive Swimming Carnival victory!
Sibling School Photographs on Friday 21 February
Further to the communication sent earlier this week, please be reminded that School sibling photos are available tomorrow and will take place between 7.30–9.30am in Parkes Hall. If you miss this time, there is another opportunity on Wednesday 11 March on the Senior Campus.
Orders for photography packages from Advanced Life can be placed securely online here using our school’s unique 9 digit advanced order codes:
Junior School: WG5 WJZ 1J5
Preparatory School: VWP CQN 923
Parents are responsible for taking their children to Parkes Hall for the photographs and returning them to their classrooms or relevant areas of the school upon completion of photos.
A reminder too that our Junior School class and individual photos take place later this term on Friday 20 March.
Student Road Safety Concern
In the last week or so I have been very concerned to hear of a couple of near misses with Junior School students crossing Military Road. One involved a student running across the road as the lights were just turning green and the other involved a student not fully paying attention as she crossed the road whilst also on a phone.
To be clear, unless with an adult, Junior School students are expected to cross Military Road using the pedestrian footbridge by our Senior Campus. They should exit the Campus at the Murdoch Street gate, cross the manned pedestrian crossing and then walk up Hampden Avenue to the footbridge.
Parents of students whom this might affect are asked to reinforce this important safety message. I will also do so again in our assembly next Monday.
Class Parents Representatives Needed
We are almost there! Thank you to parents who have offered to be a Class Parent this year. We are now just seeking at least one parent representative from the final classes: 3 White (Mrs Snooks), 4 Red (Mr Morrison), 5 Green (Mr Watkins), 6 White (Ms Tobiansky) and 6 Green (Ms Cosolito).
Please contact either the class teacher or Mrs Fairfax in the Junior School Office if you are able to take up this important community role for 2020 ahead of the first meeting of this group next Thursday morning, which I am looking forward to attending.
Parent Scribe Volunteers
Ahead of examinations later in the year, our Secondary School Learning Support Coordinator, Mrs Lisa Ole, is looking for parents who may be able to volunteer some time to assist students with disability provisions in the Secondary School. All training is provided and it is also a wonderful way to see aspects of learning that the students are exposed to in various subjects in the Secondary School. There are opportunities to volunteer in all Year Groups, as we do school-based provisions for Yrs 7-12 as well as for the formal HSC and IB exams. If you have any questions or would like to express your interest, please email Mrs Ole directly here.
Jack Heath – Author-in-Residence
Next week sees us welcome back award-winning author, Jack Heath to Redlands as an author-in-residence. Jack is excited to start the week with us in our assembly and is looking forward to teaching every class over the week with a focus on inspiring and developing students’ creative thinking and writing.
Jack was a hugely engaging and entertaining guest speaker to Yrs 5-7 last year during Book Week and this is a coup for us to have him help inspire and develop our students as writers. He will also lead an after-school professional learning session with Junior and Secondary teachers with a focus on how we might inspire young writers.
Jack will be signing and selling copies of his new book, 200 Minutes of Danger, at a cost of $15, and will be available to sign copies and chat with children on Tuesday and Friday lunch time and Thursday after school in the Arnold Library.
Twilight in the Piazza
A number of staff and I look forward to joining many in our Redlands community at tomorrow’s annual Twilight in the Piazza event on the Junior Campus. Please note that the event entrance is only via Allister Street.
Melanoma March
I am pleased to share and promote the Melanoma March on Sunday 22 March in Manly to raise awareness and funds for Melanoma Institute Australia.
One of our Junior School mums, Jen Benfield, is marching because, thanks to ground-breaking new treatments made possible by research, she survived Stage IV melanoma.
“If you Google Stage IV cancer, it’s really scary. There’s fear. Not so much of dying, but of missing out on all those great milestones of the kids, and of them not having their mother around. I want them to have support from me throughout their life”, Jen shared.
Jen was put on an immunotherapy clinical trial followed by surgery to remove the tumours and wonderfully, she is now cancer free. Having benefitted from new treatments, Jen and her family are committed to helping this poignant cause for them and encourage others to consider supporting this event in any way you can.
Mr Ari Guha
Head of Junior School
aguha@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9953 6022