Head of Secondary School
Welcome Back
Today marked our first official day back at school for 2021 and it was full of energy and excitement. Our students were able to spend time with members of their Tutor Group in the morning, where they shared their holiday experiences. They kindly welcomed 175 Yr 7 students and 29 new students in Yrs 8-11, and after the Welcome Assembly, they leapt straight into learning, with some having the opportunity to meet new teachers and others able to rekindle relationships with teachers who taught them previously.
Our opening Assembly set a great tone for the year ahead, with valuable messages from our Principal, Mr Webber and student leaders. In my address to the students, I challenged them to strive to be the best version of themselves in 2021. I spoke to the students about how being our best requires optimism, and that optimism doesn’t mean we need to pretend or smile all the time, but it does require a consideration of one’s mindset. Being the best version of ourselves means reflecting and reviewing how we approach people and situations and taking the time to discern the most appropriate way forward, in all that we do. It might be how we speak to someone; a friend, a teacher, our mum. It might be the decisions we make about how to spend our time or how to order our priorities. It might be what we choose to post on social media. It might be how we show our gratitude. I also reminded students that maintaining an optimistic and reflective mindset was especially necessary, when we move out of our comfort zones – be it in the classroom, on the sports field or in building new relationships.
This year we have much to be optimistic about – we have so much to look forward to. At this point, we have camps! Yr 7 and Yr 12 Camps are just around the corner and we are very excited that these Year Groups will be able to get away and have this experience early in Term 1. Some other things to be grateful for are the newly renovated classrooms and the outdoor space provided by the Fahl Garden. These renovated, open and airy spaces will enable the students to learn effectively, collaborate with one another and enjoy each other’s company.
Last week I sent home a Welcome Letter for 2021 to all Secondary School families with lots of information relevant to the commencement of the year. This letter has been published on Redlands Pulse if you missed it last week.
Tutor Meetings
On Tuesday we held our start of the year Tutor meetings for returning students. We hope this initiative further strengthened the strong partnership between students, parents and teachers in the education of the students in the Secondary School. If you have any feedback on this day, please email Susan Jones as we hope to continue to strengthen this program in future years.
Yr 11 and 12 HSC / IB Information Nights
Yrs 11 and 12 HSC / IB Information Nights will be held via webinar on the following dates and times:
Monday 8 February – Yr 11 IB at 6.00pm
Tuesday 9 February – Yr 12 IB at 6.00pm
Wednesday 10 February – Yr 11 HSC at 6.00pm
Thursday 11 February – Yr 12 HSC at 6.00pm
Activities Fair – Friday
The start of a new school year is an excellent time to take a look at the wide variety of cocurricular activities on offer in the Secondary School, such as the Performing and Visual Arts, subject clubs, Debating and many more!
To launch the 2021 cocurricular program, students are invited to the annual Activities Fair this Friday at lunchtime, which is an opportunity to find out more about what is on offer. We encourage all students to try something new in 2021.
Further information about all the programs will be available on Redlands Pulse and a full timetable will be published in the coming weeks.
Uniform
Could I ask parents to assist in ensuring students’ dress and appearance (hair and uniform, for example) meet our standards as they return to school this week. Please refer to the Student Planner if you are uncertain of our expectations. Please note that while blazers are optional for students in Terms 1 and 4, students are still not permitted to wear fleeces or hoodies to and from school. If, on cooler days (hard to believe with the current weather), students want to wear an outer garment, they are required to wear their blazers both to and from school.
Secondary School Photos: Friday 5 March
Yrs 7-12 portraits and Secondary School siblings photos will be held on Friday 5 March. It is important that students are in full school uniform on these days. Please note blazers are mandatory for students in these photos.
Important Links and Guides
For those Parents and Carers new to Redlands this year, please find attached the Pulse links/guides to our user systems:
Below is the link to the Redlands Pulse Useful Links page:
https://www.redlands.nsw.edu.au/redlandspulse2/useful-links/
There are sometimes bumps in the road at the start of a new school year, so please contact the relevant Tutor, Year Advisor or teacher if you have any questions or feedback.
Yrs 10, 11 and 12 Tertiary Education Information Sessions for Parents
Next week we will be offering Tertiary Education Information Sessions for parents of students in Yrs 10, 11 and 12. These evenings are valuable sessions for parents to learn more about the tertiary education program offered for students at Redlands and will be held via Zoom. Links to the Zoom meetings were emailed on Friday 29 January and are below.
Yr 10: 5.00pm (pw: lkZz09)
Yr 12: 5.45pm (pw: oUT09)
Yr 11: 6.30pm (pw: WVQzQT09)
Message from School Nurse
- Attention parents of students with Medical Action Plans for potential life-threatening conditions: In order to help us to assist you in the management of your child’s health for the academic year 2021, it is imperative that you ensure that your child provides the Health Centre Nurse, with the pertinent valid emergency injector/medication (Insulin, EpiPen, Cortisone etc) and an updated Action Plan in a clearly labelled (preferably clear plastic) container by the end of Week 1.
- Attention parents of students with non-life threatening conditions who require prescription medications to be stored at school: At the discretion of the School Nurse, assistance will be given in the administration of short term prescribed medication, when requested in writing by parents/ guardians and accompanied by the relevant medical documentation. Prescribed medication to be retained in the Health Centre must be provided in the original container, with a label clearly displaying the student’s name and the doctor’s dispensing instructions.
Yr 8 Vaccinations – Friday 5 February
The Northern Sydney Public Health Unit will be holding a NSW Schools Vaccination clinic on Friday 5 February to administer Dose 2 of the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV) to Yr 8 students who began the NSW Schools Vaccination program in 2020. This will also be an opportunity to catch up on any missed Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis vaccines (dTpa)for students who were unable to attend the clinic in 2020. Students new to Yr 8 who have not received the HPV Dose 1 and 2 vaccinations or the dTpa should contact their GP.
Parent Information Kits included an information sheet, consent form and privacy statement were returned to the Year Advisors in 2020. You do not need to complete anything further.
Redlands and The Northern Sydney Public Health Unit have added additional infection control measures within the program to help minimise viral transmission between students, nurses, and school staff.
In preparation for the clinic:
- Students who are not feeling well must be kept at home. Students who are sick, especially with any acute respiratory symptoms, will not be vaccinated. The nurse will perform a pre-vaccination assessment and determine the student’s suitability to be vaccinated. Catch-up vaccinations for these students can occur at the next clinic.
- Students will be asked to use hand sanitiser upon entry to the clinic and before returning to their classroom.
- Students will arrive in smaller groups to prevent close-proximity queuing, and physical spacing will be applied.
- Please ensure your child has had breakfast on the morning of the vaccination.
A Record of Vaccination card will be provided to each student vaccinated at each clinic. Details about vaccinations given at school will also be uploaded to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) to support complete vaccination histories. Please note that if a student is absent from this clinic, they will be offered any missed doses at a subsequent clinic. They do not need to go to their GP for these vaccines. Visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation for further information and translated copies of the Vaccination Information Kits.
Ms Gemma Van de Peer
Head of Secondary School
gvandepeer@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9869
