Head of Preparatory School

Thank You

It is with mixed emotions that I write my final Note Day for Redlands. I am happy to be moving to Brisbane to be closer to family and to have the opportunity to lead a P-6 school, but equally sad to leave the Redlands community which I have been so grateful to be a part of. There are defining moments in one’s life and working alongside an exceptional team whilst leading the Prep School at Redlands has been one of mine. From my first day three and a half years ago, I was impressed by the warmth and sincerity of this community. It has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to work and learn with an outstanding staff, a dedicated and caring parent group and truly exceptional students. I am proud of the journey we have shared together, and the many accomplishments made for the benefit of our students and families. I have been deeply moved by the kind, farewell gatherings that the community have organised. Due to the current climate these will not be going ahead, but I take with me your lovely words, emails and cards, which together with many special moments, will hold a lifetime of memories. I would like to sincerely thank the Redlands Board and Executive without whose infinite support and guidance, we could not have been as successful with implementing so many initiatives. I have no doubt that the Prep School will continue to flourish under the leadership of Mrs Breckenridge and be a vibrant place where our School’s vision is upheld and will rise to the challenges of educating children in a changing world.

A genuine and heartfelt thank you to staff, parents and students in the School community for their understanding, calmness and supportiveness of both one another in these extraordinary times. Despite the gravity of events, it also presents an opportunity to show the richness and uniqueness of our school community through our ongoing warmth and compassion with one another. The School is very aware of the impact, particularly in our diverse international community, where loved ones are abroad and the anxiety this may cause.

In my 2018 Prep Presentation Day address, I shared a story about the importance of being grateful for what we have and remembering that each day is a gift in our lives. Most certainly the last few weeks have made me reflect on this. I promised some families that I would share the story once again, before I left.

If we’ve learned anything this year it’s understanding that there are no guarantees in life, life is unexpected and passes us by quickly. There was a 92 year old woman who reminded me about the importance of happiness and to be grateful for the life we have. She would wake up every morning and dress herself, put on her make-up and do her hair perfectly. One morning she was moving to a nursing home because her husband of 70 years had just passed. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she moved with her walker to the elevator a nurse provided a visual description of her tiny room.

“I love it”, she stated.

“Mrs Jones you haven’t even seen the room…just wait”, said the nurse.

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it”, she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged, it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up – I have a choice. I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones I do. Each day is a gift and as long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day and the happy memories I’ve stored away just for this time in my life.” She went on to explain, “old age is like a bank account you withdraw from what you’ve put in”.

Remote and Online Learning: Friday 20 March

As you will be aware from the letter of 17 March (also on Redlands Pulse), our Junior and Senior Campuses (Preschool-Yr 12) are closed tomorrow to allow us to run a whole school day with remote and online learning. Our teachers will be at school to continue to plan, deliver and oversee learning and the students will learn from home.

This arrangement will enable us to refine our remote learning processes and also support students who are currently at home and not able to attend school, either through illness or parental choice to keep them at home for a range of reasons.

Please note the following points of information to support this trial process tomorrow:

All students will be assumed to be present for learning on Friday unless parents notify the class teacher that their child is unwell via the normal process of contacting the class teacher and the Preparatory School Absences email.
Whilst there is flexibility with the learning environment at home and understand certain constraints with Prep age students, we strongly encourage you to follow their normal morning routine and expectation to get dressed into appropriate clothes for learning.
Find a space at home that supports your child to learn at their best and still be close to you or whoever is looking after them.
Please contact your child’s teacher or Mrs Stacey Smith Dean of Teaching and Learning if you are having any difficulties or our IT Support team.
Limit distractions when your child is learning.
Encourage regular breaks from learning for them to eat, stay hydrated and be active.
Students and families should revisit the ICT Student Responsible User Guidelines on p16-18 of their Student Planner.

There have been increasing articles providing support for families in the event of school closures and this article from Dr Katie Martin is one that the School wanted to share with parents as it provides a range of practical activities which also aligns with some of our thinking on remote and online learning.

Please view the dedicated COVID-19 Redlands Pulse page for all information and useful links.

Student Arrival and Departure

With no activities currently in place before and after school until further notice, please be reminded that students should arrive to school at 8.00am and be collected at 3.20pm. We had a large group of students playing unsupervised on the oval from 7.40am yesterday which presents a number of concerns.

Parents and Carers on Campus

In the current climate, parents are asked to minimise time on the Campus at both drop off and collection time. Please avoid congregating on the School grounds after the bell has rung and leave the Campus promptly after the end of the day. Your support and cooperation with this measure is appreciated.

Vacation Care – Important Information April Holidays

Please refer to the letter that was emailed to OOSH families yesterday about the cancelling of Excursions/Incursions for the April holidays. This letter can be located on Redlands Pulse (OOSH) and under the COVID-19 page. At this stage, Vacation Care will go ahead as planned. Any questions or concerns should be directed to OOSHbookings@redlands.nsw.edu.au NOT Flexischools.

The Big Dig Yr 2

Last week, Yr 2 enjoyed a wonderful excursion to The Big Dig Archaeology Centre in The Rocks. Students loved learning about the families who lived in this area in the 1800s and were riveted by the stories about their lives. By learning about archaeology and artefacts, they developed an understanding of how artefacts are used to discover what life was like in the past. Students made connections and inferences about the artefacts they saw, deepening their understanding of life in the past. However, the highlight for the students was most definitely the opportunity to become an archaeologist and dig for artefacts!

Mrs Audrey Fellowes
Head of Preparatory School
afellowes@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9848