Head of Junior School

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Please note that all Upcoming Events for the Junior School are on a separate Note Day article/page.

Yr 6 Camp

Please enjoy some Yr 6 Camp photos on Redlands Pulse.

Our first Junior School camp of 2020 is all but over as Yr 6 have enjoyed a wonderful few days in Canberra this week.

For 13 of the cohort, the week started with them competing as part of the Redlands Swimming team on Monday at the HICES Carnival before they headed down separately to the main group with Mr Carter. They arrived just before dinner and quickly integrated into their respective groups and slept well on that first night!

Canberra is enjoying beautiful weather this week and our students have been actively engaged in some rich learning experiences in both civics and outdoor education such as camping, canoeing, a high ropes course 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. This diverse range of activities makes this camp arguably my favourite Junior School camp, which a lot of the students I have spent time with have agreed.

One of the things that has made me particularly proud has been observing how the students have supported and looked after one another and consistent feedback I have received from various sources about how polite, engaged and respectful the group have been.

Whilst our oldest age group in the Junior School, it was still lovely to see new friendships and connections being developed as the students had a lot of fun creating memories together, which I’m sure you will hear about upon their return. As a Year Group, they are possibly the most connected and united I have seen over many years and this is also something other teachers and group leaders are observing.

For me, simple opportunities to sit and enjoy a conversation over a meal with students are always a highlight for me alongside actively joining them in these sessions. As I said to one parent just this week, I often reflect on having one of the best jobs in the world and feel very privileged to be in a profession that serves my passion and purpose. Trips like this merely confirm this.

My gratitude is extended to the teachers in loco parentis for their care of each child in the group. It is a huge responsibility but the meticulous planning of Mrs Robinson and Ms Cosolito, in particular, has helped with the smooth organisation of the week.

I look forward to welcoming the group back at approximately 4.00pm on Friday afternoon on the Murdoch Street side of the Campus where there is a designated bus zone, which I ask parents to keep clear. As in previous returns, we will aim to stagger the return of the three coaches by a few minutes to help with the safe return and departure of the students.

Teaching, Learning and Wellbeing – P-6 Parent and Carer Information Session

Tuesday 17 March from 8.30-9.30am
Arnold Library, Junior School
RSVP here

Parents and carers are warmly invited to an information session focusing on how we support our children’s learning and wellbeing across our Junior Campus. More information can be found on the Upcoming Events page.

Please register your attendance here and let us know if you have any specific information or questions that you would like addressed during the presentation. 

International Women’s Day

It was heartening to see a sea of hands go up in Monday’s assembly when students were asked of the significance of last Sunday as I spent time with the students acknowledging and celebrating last Sunday’s International Women’s Day. This year’s theme, #EachforEqual, focused on the importance of an equal world being an enabled world. As a coeducational school, a gender equal world is one that our students simply see as the norm but we did discuss how this is not always the case in many parts of our globe in so many different ways.

Like many of the students, I had watched the final of the T20 Women’s Cricket World Cup final last week and explained to the students the joy of seeing nearly 90,000 cricket fans in the MCG for this game; something that would have been unheard of perhaps even five years ago for a women’s game but also highlighted the closing gap in gender equal sports coverage and profile. I also shared how I love seeing our coed sports teams compete on more than equal terms with all-boys schools and just last week, I watched most of our eight senior Basketball teams compete against a local boys’ school with every one of our teams having a mixture of girls and boys.

In the final part of the assembly, I shared some of the women who have inspired me in my life and also talked about a former Headmistress of the School, Miss Roseby, who led the School with great inspiration and innovation during two World Wars between 1911 and 1945. A number of students also volunteered to talk about females that they are inspired by, which was a great way in which to end the assembly.

School Photos Reminder

Please be reminded that Junior School class and individual photos will be taken next Friday 20 March. All students should ensure that their uniform complies with the School regulations as per page 20 of the Student Planner. Blazers will be required for these photos.

Judo Success

I was delighted to hear of the recent Judo successes of Yr 5 student, Sergey Philips, who achieved three medals in the last month in competitions.

• Canberra International – Gold Medal
• Sydney International – Bronze Medal
• Budokan Judo Tournament – Gold Medal

These successes have secured Sergey’s place in the NSW State team whom he will represent at The Australian National Championships on the Gold Coast in June. Well done, Sergey!

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