Head of Junior School
UPCOMING EVENTS
Please note that all Upcoming Events for the Junior School are on a separate Note Day article/page.
Secondary School Information Session
Year 5 Parents and Students
While Yr 7 2022 is almost two years away, parents and students often start thinking ahead towards Secondary School at the beginning of Yr 5.
Yr 5 parents and students are invited to an Information Session to learn more about Secondary School and the transition from Junior School.
Over the next 18 months there will be more information about Secondary School provided to students and parents as part of our Transition program from Yr 6 to Yr 7.
We look forward to seeing you next Wednesday.
Jack Heath – Author-in-Residence
We have loved having author, Jack Heath, spend the week with us in the Junior School. Jack arrived on Monday morning as our author-in-residence and from his very first interaction with the students in assembly, it was clear that his engaging and personable manner, coupled with his humour, would be well received by students and staff alike.
An important aim for us was to ensure that every child experienced Jack’s energy and creative writing guidance and I enjoyed sitting in on a couple of these classes, as well as being part of a staff creative writing workshop after school, which teachers thoroughly enjoyed and took much from to develop our own practice.
Jack’s sessions involved asking students to describe stories they like, and then he explained how to generate the premise for a new story by connecting recycled ideas (eg. Harry Potter + The Hunger Games + Titanic = an orphaned wizard has to compete in a fight to the death on the deck of a sinking ship). The students then wrote a short sample based on the premise that they generate together before he showed them editing techniques that they could use to refine and extend their work. It was great to hear some of the students read their writing samples out with Jack and other students highlighting things the author has done well.
The week has been an unmitigated success and I am sure will be a catalyst to greater student engagement in both reading and writing.
AFL Paul Kelly Cup Success
On Tuesday, our Junior Girls and Boys AFL teams took part in the divisional Paul Kelly Cup competition. I was able to get to a couple of early games and enjoyed watching both teams play with great spirit, skill and teamwork and after the group stages, both teams progressed to the Semi Finals with a 100% record. This continued for the rest of the tournament with both teams eventually crowned as Grand Final winners, and they will now progress to the Regional Finals on 17 June.
Of note, the girls team did not concede a single point in the tournament whilst scoring 222 points at the same time!
Congratulations to all of the students involved and with AFL now a sporting option for girls and boys in Yrs 7 and 8, this may be a pathway and sporting interest some of these students will continue with in the Secondary School.
NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge
The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely.
The Premier’s Reading Challenge for 2020 begins next Monday and Junior School students will receive information this week from Mrs Wiebe.
Students will be required to read 20 quality books at their appropriate reading level. Fifteen of these books will need to be PRC books with a further five listed as free choice (do keep an eye out for the stickers in the Library at their year level or above). Please note that no more than two books from any series of books can be counted as PRC. After four years of involvement, students receive a Gold PRC certificate and after seven years, a prestigious platinum certificate is awarded in Junior School assembly.
The Arnold Library team and class teachers look forward to promoting and supporting students with this reading challenge for 2020.
Welcome Cocktail Evening
It was a delight to enjoy the company of many parents last Friday at the annual Redlands Welcome Cocktail evening. Despite the move indoors due to the predicted rain, the evening was a wonderful social opportunity for parents and staff to connect.
My thanks are extended to the Redlands Parents and Friends Association for their work in hosting the event along with Redlands staff. With our Junior School Basketball matches starting at 7.00am the next morning in the same venue, I also thank our Facilities team for their sterling efforts on Friday night and very early on Saturday morning. Thank you to everyone who was able to make this first community social event which was a great start to the year.
Road Safety around the Junior Campus
On Tuesday afternoon at 4.00pm, an adult cyclist was involved in an accident with a vehicle at the Rangers Rd and Allister St intersection. Some of our staff provided first aid to the cyclist but if any parents witnessed the accident, please could they notify the Junior School office or Mosman Police.
I would like to remind all parents of the importance of road safety around our Campus for our students, staff and the local community, whether on foot or bicycle, especially during pick up and drop off.
Combined Independent Schools of NSW Sports Selection
Congratulations to Yr 6 student, Hugo Flatman, who has been selected in the NSW Combined Independent Schools Basketball team. This level of selection is extremely competitive with over 350 independent schools in the State and we wish Hugo well in the upcoming State competition.
Class Parents Representatives
It was a pleasure to attend the first Junior School Class Parents’ meeting this morning, chaired by our Junior School Parent Group Coordinators, Jay Cunningham and Rebecca James. I am grateful to these parents for volunteering their time and support in these vital community-building roles and look forward to working alongside them this year.
April Vacation Care
If you would like your child to attend the April Vacation Care program, please visit Redlands Pulse to preview the activity plan. The Flexischools website will be open on Monday 9 March at 12.00pm to make your bookings. Please contact the OOSH Coordinator, Trinetta Newbond, with any Vacation Care or After School Care queries.
Mr Ari Guha
Head of Junior School
aguha@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9953 6022