Head of Preparatory School

Head of Preparatory School

PREP SCHOOL UPCOMING EVENTS

 

I thought I would share a beautiful message that ‘Michael the Gardener’ as our students lovingly know him as, created in our sandpit for us all this morning. We are all missing each other and it certainly brought a smile to all our faces this week. Michael assures me and the students that all the flowers and plants are all being very well looked after!

It goes without saying how incredibly proud I am of every single Prep student and staff member again this week. After jumping in and out of morning greetings and lessons, it has reminded me what makes a Redlands student stand out from the rest. The words resilience, courage, kindness and respect all come to mind. I wish I could bottle the love and friendship between students, staff and families at Redlands. Let’s continue to look after each other as we move into another week of Remote Learning.

With the announcement this week that Remote Learning will continue for another four weeks, our staff went straight into preparation mode and are busy planning for the next four weeks. I think that we are very lucky to have the Olympic Games as not only a great distraction but also as a learning tool for online activities.

I am currently in the planning stage for a Week 4 Remote Learning Parent Information Webinar that I will conduct next week. I will be discussing strategies on assisting with at home learning, updates around expectations, support  and student well being as well as the additional offerings for our students. As soon as thew date and time is set, I will send an Engage notification of information.

August 2-6

Week 4 Organisation

 Week 4 On Campus booking form

On site request link for on campus remote learning:  https://forms.gle/npFRXyw8yrksGbkAA

Please make requests by 8pm Friday 30 July.

Redlands House and TG parents are asked to email Chemane Huon directly for bookings please on chuon@redalnds.nsw.edu.au

Wednesday 4 August – Olympic Challenge Day and Resource Pick Up Day

Next Wednesday we will be having a K-6 Olympics Challenge Day where Stacey Smith and the PE Department will be running a day of fun and challenging activities with an Olympic theme. The day will start with Stacey outlining the activities via Zoom and how the day will work. More information will follow but the idea of the day is to have ‘reduced screen time day’ for all K-6 students and it will also give our staff the opportunity to come onto campus during staggered times to plan and put together our next resource pack. The resource packs will be available at the following times for pick up on Wednesday.

Kindergarten – 11am-12pm
Year 1 – 12.30pm- 1.30pm
Year 2 – 2pm-3pm

These packs will be on tables outside the Prep School on Allister Street. As cars pull in, the staff will hand you your resource pack. Please do not park and exit your car or walk up to the School.  We ask that if you have your car line sign that you display it for us. If you are unable to make the allocated pick up time, please talk to friends and other parents who may be able to pick up your pack and deliver it to your letter box.

Strategies for Remote Learning

One of our Junior Campus counsellors, Alessandro Digiacomo will be writing a weekly piece for our Note Day around practical strategies to assist families in remote learning. As we move further into lockdown, he thought some fresh ideas may be helpful. Please don’t hesitate to contact him if you would like to discuss any of these strategies further.

Behaviour Management

  • Positive reinforcement is highly encouraged. Reinforce the task or behaviour you want your child to achieve. For example, if the behaviour is for them to sit there for 20 minutes, praise them for this.
  • Compromise is important. For example, it could be better to work with your child to divide their time into small -bite-sized- chunks than to expect 1 hour of work without time for a break.
  • Don’t sweat the small stuff! In other words, if their handwriting isn’t perfect, try not to worry so much about it. Focus on the completion of tasks instead.
  • Check in with your child and ask them how they are doing along the way but not excessively.
  • Break it up. Try to help your child “switch off” throughout the day by allowing them to have manageable breaks.

The child that’s giving up

  • All-or-nothing thinking is quite common and children a lot of the time don’t speak up when asking for help. Students are encouraged to ask their teacher for help, but if you see them struggling, you can definitely step in to support your child.
  • Negotiating: find out what your child wants and work together with them to reach a compromise. For example, if they want to have more break time, try to work with them so both of your needs are met.
  • Your child needs to know there is support available. Please remind them that we are all here to help them.

Seating my child

  • We know that these are very busy times for all, but try as best as you can to be present however you can manage. If you are only available for an hour a day, it is recommended that you divide this into 20 minute intervals.
  • If you can sit with your child and there is a wall, try to seat your child on the “wall side” of the table and you next to them can sit on the outer. This can help to contain their restlessness. If your child doesn’t like this set up, try to find a dedicated work space your child can use for their school work.
  • Clocks are great! Try to have one that’s visible so you and your child can keep track and set small goals together.

Expectations

  • Have realistic expectations for your child based on what the classroom teacher expects or what the teacher is asking the student to complete. If they can’t complete a task, find out what is causing them difficulty. Ask specific questions when checking, e.g. “Did you have trouble with this question?”.
  • Less is more: it’s preferable that students understand the content and do something well than to be pushed to complete extra “extension” tasks. Some students may love and request extra work, but not all of them, and this is okay.
  • Being empathetic: it is a huge shift for you as a parent and also for your child, so trying to understand their position is important in establishing expectations.
  • It’s whatever you and your child can manage. Reassess if things don’t seem to be working.

Remote Learning Prep After School Sport Ideas

Even though we are unable to come together to participate in after school sports activities, our Prep Sports Coordinator, Chloe Davis has put together a great remote learning experience that any of our Prep students can access.

All you need to do to participate is to click here  HERE on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. The sessions run for approximately 15 minutes and require some open space, a drink bottle and towel. Give these sessions a go and feel free to share photos with Chloe at prepsport@redlands.nsw.edu.au. These sessions can also be used for the “Redlands is going to Tokyo” Challenge. Have fun and stay active Prep School.

Another great way to keep our students exercising and having fun at home is through some dance funky dance moves. Dale from RedEd has put together a 30minute dance lesson for anyone who would like to participate. Please click here https://vimeo.com/578977331 and use the password: RED101 to access.

Term 3 After School Prep Sports and Clubs information

With Remote Learning continuing, a decision has been made to cancel all Prep After School Sport and Clubs for Term 3. This is disappointing for all our external providers and coaches but they are looking forward to being back at Redlands for Term 4. 

However, in more exciting news, we can provide an update about Term 4 After School Sport registrations. There is NO rollover of registrations and an Expression of Interest Form for all Term 4 After-School Sports (Football, Tennis & Basketball) will be released on Monday 13th September at 1:00pm on the Prep Sport Pulse. For Term 4 registrations, parents/carers will complete preferences for all sports in one form to reduce the time taken to complete the form. More information about Term 4 After-School Sport is available on Pulse. Of course we do need to be aware that this can change due to current circumstances and government announcements.

Welcome Home our Olympians

This Friday, 92 of our Australian Olympians return to Sydney after competing in Tokyo, including bronze medal rower, Cameron Girdlestone, who is Mr Brakell’s brother-in-law. In normal times, they would stay in Tokyo to cheer on other Australian athletes sports and be part of the closing ceremony before returning to a parade but instead, they will head straight into quarantine for two weeks.

So how can we make their return a little more memorable? Our students have been invited  to write a message of support to a particular athlete that may have captured their attention or maybe just a ‘well done’ card or a lovely picture to all of our Olympians.

Cards and messages of support can either be posted directly to Mantra Sydney Central, 438 Sussex Street, Haymarket NSW 2000 or they can be scanned/ photographed and emailed directly to the hotel here where they will be printed out.

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