Head of Preparatory School

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Week 8 Wellbeing Spotlight

A Message from Mrs Clinton

This morning, our counsellors hosted a topic talk for our K-6 parents in the Arnold Library focusing on practical strategies to nurture children’s self-esteem. Below is a summary of the key points shared: 

• Proactive self-Esteem building: Encourage positive self-talk and provide opportunities for children to take on new challenges both at school and at home
• Embrace setbacks as growth opportunities: Support your child through challenges by framing mistakes as part of the learning process. For instance, “Its ok to make a mistake, you’re still learning. Mistakes are our friends so keep trying!” We encourage our students to ‘have a go” and try new things. Any setbacks your child may have, should be seen as opportunities for development and a way to enhance resilience. 
• Healthy body image: Promote a balanced view of body image by celebrating diverse body types and focusing on abilities rather than appearance. 
• Impact of technology: Be mindful of the influence of digital media on self-esteem and set clear boundaries for online interactions 
• Encouragement and praise: Recognise and praise your child’s efforts. For example, you might say “You’re really working hard on that project,” or “I’m proud of you for practicing your spelling/writing/piano/guitar/tennis you’ve really stuck with it.” 
• Highlight positives: At the end of each day, ask your child to share three good things that happened. This practice helps them focus on the positive aspects of their day.
• Consistent approach: Our Prep children will continue to put in the effort, and they will respond to parents’ positive reinforcement. Encourage perseverance after school by asking your child to tell you three good things that happened in their day. This encourages your child to notice the positive things that are happening every day, boosting their self-esteem. 
• Daily Wellbeing Check-Ins: Encourage your child to express their feelings and use the ‘Zones of Regulation’ to help them understand their emotions and let them know that “their voice matters”. 

 Please find the slides containing resources from today’s presentation on Pulse.

Kindergarten Clifton Gardens Excursion

Our recent Kindergarten excursion to Clifton Gardens was a resounding success, as students engaged in a fun and interactive day of hands-on learning about forces. Ranger Jamie captivated the students with exciting demonstrations, including liquid nitrogen experiments and flying objects, sparking their curiosity about the physical world. Dressed in scientific safety gear, students eagerly participated in activities that explored contact and non-contact forces, learning how push and pull can change the speed and direction of objects.

Through making gooey mystery matter and launching air rockets, the students were able to plan and conduct their own investigations, applying their new understanding of energy and air pressure. By the end of the day, they were full of excitement, proudly demonstrating their newfound knowledge of how forces work and how energy is used. It was a day full of discovery, fun, and learning that left students eager to explore more!

Camp Week

September 16-20 (Week 9)

The excitement is building for Prep Camp Week. The timetable below outlines the adventures and learning opportunities that are planned for our students. The activities throughout the week all have a single purpose of developing teamwork skills and resilience in our young learners. When we safely encourage our students to try things outside their comfort zone and then shine a light on successes and/or failures, a young person’s resilience grows and develops. Camp days, dancing, working in teams and learning how to share and support each other will all provide golden opportunities for resilience to thrive.

Details:

What to wear: Old PE uniform OR new uniform each day. Olympic Day details below. Hat is essential.

What to bring: Class teachers will specify Camp Day requirements. All other days, normal school bag.

Lunches /recess: Own food on grade excursion days. All other days, normal lunches and canteen orders.

Is there after school sport: Monday and Friday sport afternoons are on as normal.

Olympic Games Day (18th September)

Week 9 is Camp Week for our Prep students. Throughout the week they will be participating in a variety of fun and engaging activities. On Wednesday 18 September, we will be holding our Camp Week Olympic Games Day on the oval. The students will be randomly allocated a country to represent and are encouraged to dress up or wear a splash of colour of that country for the day. This can be as simple as a ribbon, head band, scrunchie etc. For example, if a student is allocated Brazil they may choose to wear green shorts and a yellow shirt.

Parents are also welcome to come and watch the students participate in the Camp Week Olympic Games Day between 8:30 am and 10:30 am. We hope to see many of you there cheering on the students!

K-2 Innovation Week – Sustainability Challenge (Term 4, Week 3)

We are excited to announce that during Week 3 of Term 4, K-2 students will be participating in Innovation Week with a focus on sustainability. Students will have the opportunity to tackle one of three sustainability challenges: designing no-waste lunchboxes, repurposing everyday waste into something useful or beautiful, or creating devices that save water. Additionally, students can work on creating sustainable bird feeders to encourage bird life at school.

We kindly ask families to support this initiative by sending in reusable materials such as plastic bottles, containers, cardboard boxes, bottle tops, string, wool, or fabric scraps. Collection tubs will be placed at Prep Reception and car line from next week to gather these materials. Your contributions will help fuel the students’ creativity. The possibilities for innovation are endless!

Thank you for your support in helping our students become sustainability champions!

Spring Vacation Care 

We are excited to announce that the Spring School Holidays Program is now available for booking via the HubHello system. We encourage you to secure your spots early to ensure your children can join the fun and engaging activities we have planned. 

Please note that our staff will be in an all-day training on 27 September, so OOSH will not be available on this day. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. 

If you encounter any issues with the booking process, please contact us immediately at ooshbookings@redlands.nsw.edu.au for assistance. 

Term 4 Prep After School Sport

Term 4 After School Prep Sport Selections open on 10 September 4:30pm and will close on 13 September 4:30pm.

The Preparatory Sport program at Redlands is designed to introduce young students to a wide range of physical activities that promote fitness, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Aimed at children in their foundational years, the program focuses on developing basic motor skills, coordination, and a love for physical activity through engaging and fun sports experiences.

Students participate in various sports, such as Boys and Girls Football, AFL, Gymnastics and Multi-Sport, under the guidance of experienced coaches who emphasise skill development, safe play, and enjoyment. The program is structured to accommodate different skill levels, ensuring that each child feels encouraged and confident, regardless of their athletic ability.

The Sporting days and choices for Term 4 will include;

Monday

• Boys Football
• Girls Football
• Gymnastics

Friday

• Multi-Sport
• AFL
• Gymnastics

If you have any further questions or inquires, please contact the Preparatory After School Sports Coordinator William Senior, prepsport@redlands.nsw.edu.au

School Start Time  

School starts at 8am and all children are welcome to socialise and play in our supervised outdoor spaces from 8am every morning. We also appreciate that some of our students have special circumstances which mean they arrive a little bit earlier. To support our families and keep those students supervised safely, we ask students who arrive early are to wait in the prep Reception until 8am with their bags. A firm reminder that students are not to go to any other parts of the Junior Campus before 8am.  

Learning Plus Volunteers

Learning Plus (support) are looking for volunteers with weekday availability and a desire to contribute regularly to the Redlands student community working with Yrs 7-12.

We need calm and confident community members who understand confidentiality. We need writers (scribes) and readers. You need to have legible handwriting and the ability to communicate in English.

Our volunteers find this a rewarding activity and a fantastic way to support students at Redlands.

We need volunteers to start training now! 

Contact sprovisions@redlands.nsw.edu.au to express your interest or request more information. 

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