Head of Preparatory School

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Redlands ySafe

This week we welcomed David Smith, the NSW State Education Manager for ySafe, back to Redlands. David shared his expertise on the education and wellbeing of our students in the current digital space. Through example sharing and current research statistics, David’s message continues to be “alert rather than alarmed” and to follow a few simple principles when talking about and practicing Cyber Safety with students.  Easily remembered as the ABCs for Cyber Safety they are:

A – manage Access 

B – set Boundaries 

C – openly Communicate 

David will return to Redlands in Term 2 for further student and parent sessions.

Parents and carers are encouraged to explore the Redlands Cyber Safety Hub. It is a valuable resource to support your child. It includes a range or relevant topics such as:

• Cyber safety guides
• Screen time recommendations
• Creating a safe home
• Gaming
• Setting up parental controls
• App and Game reviews

Redlands iGrow

At Prep Assembly next week, Mr Ben Castelli (Head of Learning Analytics) will introduce iGrow to our students. This is an exciting interactive data platform that has been developed by Redlands to visualise student growth within our holistic learning framework. Throughout Term 1, students will have the opportunity to provide feedback that will shape the development of a bespoke dashboard and growth coaching model. The voices of the Prep students will be important as their perspective will start their Redlands learning narrative.

For some of our new parents, Redlands iGrow will be totally new. If you want to learn more about iGrow, I encourage you to have a talk to myself, your classroom teacher, Mrs Smith, or email Mr Castelli directly (bcastelli@redlands.nsw.edu.au).

Upcoming Events 

K-6 Sleep and Healthy Routines Discussion

Date: Tuesday 28 February 2023 (Week 5) 
Time: 8.30am-9:30am
Location: Junior School Arnold Library 

All of us need regular, high-quality sleep, and helping your child get a good night’s sleep can enhance both their general functioning during the day, and their mental health and well-being. The establishment and development of healthy routines is without a doubt a critical aspect to help parents prepare their child for a sound sleep. The Junior School Counselling team is excited to welcome parents and caregivers to the Junior School Arnold Library to attend a topic talk on Sleep and Healthy Routines, where we will focus on the following items:

– The importance of sleep and its connection to brain and mood

– Common difficulties: nightmares, digital media, separation

– How to create and implement healthy routines 

To register, please fill out the following form.

If you have any general questions you’d like us to address, please fill out this anonymous voluntary form.

Thank you and we very much look forward to seeing you at the Redlands Junior School.

Technology in the Classroom Parent Workshop

Date: Wednesday 8 March
Time: 8.45am-10am
Location: Arnold Library

We are excited to invite our parents and carers to our Technology in the Classroom Prep Parent Workshop on Wednesday 8 March 2023. Join our eLearning Coordinator and Year 6 Student Technology Leaders as they introduce parents to the why, what, and how we use technology as a tool for learning in the Prep classrooms. Parents will have an opportunity to experience how students use iPads at school through hands-on activities with various Apps on school iPads. Places are limited to 50 participants and parents can book via the link below. 

Venue:  Arnold Library (Junior School)
Time:  8:45-10:00am
Booking: View Here   

Kindergarten Home Reading workshop

Date: Monday 13 March
Time: 8.30am- 9.15am
Location: Arnold Library

We invite all our 2023 Kindergarten parents and carers to hear from our Kindy team about how to help your child at home with reading. It is also an opportunity to appreciate the latest evidence-based research as to why we teach reading as we do. Come to find out about why certain readers are sent home with your child, how to support their reading journey but also how to create the love of reading in every child.

Parent Volunteers

Thank you to all the parents and carers who have emailed teachers regarding their willingness to volunteer this term. We have some book coverers already helping to get our new readers into the classroom.

Our aim is to have our volunteer network up and running by Week 6. Please ensure that you have your WWCC emailed to me by Friday 3 March. Your class teacher will be emailing volunteers directly with the classroom need. Thank you again for supporting the Prep school.

If you are wanting to volunteer for the Wellbeing Lunchtime Clubs, please be aware that it will be a weekly commitment for the term. You are welcome to volunteer for one or all lunchtimes! Email Ms Fiebiger directly for more details at nfiebiger@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Rapid Antigen Tests

To help protect our community, each student will be given a box of 5 test kits to take home this week. We encourage the use of these kits and please remember to keep your child at home if they are unwell, regardless of the test result.

Redlands App

Stay connected and informed with the Redlands App. This essential tool keeps you updated on all the latest news and events in our school community. Seamlessly integrating with Pulse, you can view your news and notices, groups, and calendar.

This year, we’re excited to introduce a new activities section that allows you to easily view your child’s activities, from sports to music lessons. You’ll receive push notifications for any session cancellations or changes.

It’s easy to get started! Download the Redlands App from Google Play or the Apple App Store and log in with your Redlands parent account. For more information and an overview of features, visit the Redlands App section on Pulse.

Mrs Ainslie Breckenridge
Head of Preparatory School
abreckenridge@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9848