Head of Secondary School
Challenges Are What Make Life Interesting… Overcoming Them Makes Life Meaningful
Week 7 has certainly posed some challenges, which we have embraced and overcome as a community. The most recent was our temporary water outage yesterday, which precipitated the need to dismiss the students early. The students did a brilliant job of responding to this challenge. They managed the limitations posed by the water outage very well, and when it came time to communicate with parents and Tutors, they did so quickly and calmly. It was astounding to see how speedily they exited the Campus (from their designated areas!) and to work with a group of 900 young people who are so cooperative and good-humoured. We were, of course, glad to welcome the students back this morning – challenge overcome.
International Women’s Day (IWD) this year invited us to #choosetochallenge which sparked some reflective thinking and calls to action from both students and staff. The IWD student-led assembly on Tuesday focused on how we can #choosetochallenge stale and outdated perceptions of women, which ultimately prevent equality from being achieved. Students from across the School explored their experiences of womanhood and many were able to articulately pose a challenge to the Redlands community to think, empathise and act, for the betterment of women and all genders. It was wonderful to see the faces of so many students and staff, and hear their voices on why celebrating International Women’s Day is essential to the ongoing dialogue around gender parity. Our Yr 12 students, Anna-Luisa Feller and Julia Parker, were the drivers of this assembly. They worked with our AV team to set up a mini-recording studio in the Secondary School Office, and over the period of a week, students and teachers stopped by to share their experiences and offer insights into how at Redlands we can #choosetochallenge. I invite you to take the time to watch this IWD Assembly, and share in the energy and wisdom of our community – together we can overcome the challenges which prevent gender parity and fully celebrate women’s rights as human rights.
The challenges posed by our 2021 Market Day really only centred around what delicious food items to buy! Yr 9 remarkably turned the Fahl Garden into a bustling market square, where nachos, ice-cream, sausage sizzles, fairly floss, biscuits, and other sugary treats abounded. The queues for each stall stretched back deep into the Garden. Staff and students walked around juggling biscuits upon slices upon sausage sandwiches – eyes bigger than stomachs – there was too much for one person to eat. Teachers from the HSIE and History faculty inspected each market stall, making detailed notes on the product, the packaging, health and safety among other areas. Some students clearly considered the impact of their carbon footprint, using sustainable packaging to effectively market their goods. Whilst I am sure that pulling this day together was challenging for our Yr 9 students, the growth emerging from this challenge was evident in their execution of this successful event. Thanks must also go to the teachers who led them to this point and the parents who undoubtedly supported them.
Sticking with the theme of challenge, it has been wonderful to see many students taking advantage of the Study Centre available to all students in the Learning Hub before and after school on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Being able to meet with a teacher to revise areas of learning from a lesson or to unpack an assessment experience is a valuable way to consolidate and extend knowledge. On Monday, I met Filip Feller from my Yr 8 English class to support his crafting of conceptual paragraphs for his upcoming assessment task. In the Learning Hub Study Centre on Level 2 we talked through the ‘big ideas’ of his text and explored suitable quotes for him to hang his ideas from in the essay. As a teacher, it was a wonderful way to provide more specific support to one of my students, and for him, as a student, to receive some one-to-one support, building confidence and skills. I encourage all students, and specifically those in Yrs 11 and 12, to use the Study Centre, in order to meet with teachers and receive personal feedback.
Finally, the restrictions placed upon us by COVID-19 have been challenging as they have limited our capacity to gather together as a large community. Although we have successfully found ways to adapt and innovate, we are thankful that in recent days, some of these restrictions have eased. Once again, we look forward to singing, gathering and welcoming our parents and alumni back onto the Senior Campus – we’ve got a really great new building to show off! In the coming weeks, we look forward to welcoming our Yr 7 parents onto the campus (more on this in the coming days) and being able to hold larger events, in a COVID-safe way, to celebrate and enjoy the Redlands community.
Ms Gemma Van de Peer
Head of Secondary School
gvandepeer@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9870