Head of Secondary School

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Conversations

Conversations are a typical human experience, and sometimes, a powerful one. We learn through conversation, through talking with others, through exchanging ideas, through building meanings – with others.

This week I have had some really rich conversations with students. Many of these have been with Yr 7 students around ideas they wish to pursue in their story writing. In our English class we’ve been exploring boundaries and fragility and the relationship between life and death. Weighty subjects for 12 year-olds, but unsurprisingly, they are facets of life Yr 7 are beginning to feel confident to tackle in their writing. The conversations about their ideas around these topics are so important. Being able to clarify, explore and question, is a necessary part of the process of planning and discernment which comes before writing. I usually initiate the conversation with a question: ‘As the writer, what do you want to say to your reader – what’s your message to them about this big idea?’ It’s a wonderful experience to be able to sit with a student and support them to sculpt and shape their ideas, to craft their story, through the power of a conversation.

During the week, I’ve also observed some powerful conversations. A group of eight Yr 8 students (Rebecca Frantz, Kiana Gapaillard, Zoe Halliday, Hannah Scott, Sela Tea, Georgina Williams, Amalie Winton and Ruby Wood) pictured ‘conversing’ before their presentation have been collaborating together on presentations for our celebration of Heritage week. They have met at lunchtimes over a number of weeks with Redlands archivist Marguerite Gillezeau and Yr 8 Year Advisor Ms Lisa Vale, to explore and discuss the history of our School, in preparation for presentations to the Junior School on Tuesday and Yr 7 and 8 on Thursday this week. Their presentations were delightful and the result of powerful conversations with Marguerite and each other. When they presented at the Junior School assembly on Tuesday, they spoke directly to their audience, using questions and visuals to communicate their message and share the history of Redlands. These conversations about the past help us to understand our present and shape our future. Our Yr 8 Heritage Week ambassadors sustained the conversation about the School’s rich heritage through their passion and energy – they clarified, explored, considered and shared.

Another group of powerful conversations I have observed this week is between Yr 10 students and their designated mentor in the Subject Selection process. Up and down the Secondary School Office corridor, Yr 10 have been engaged in conversations about their interests, challenges and plans for the future. We are using a detailed spreadsheet to track these conversations and by the end of day one (the conversations run for two-weeks), a new column had appeared for recording students who would benefit from a second conversation, prior to the selection process. For us, as teacher leaders, these conversations with Yr 10 students are so important and so enriching. Taking the time to sit down with a young person and unpack their motivations and interests prior to committing to a course of study, certainly supports decision making and engenders self-confidence. We anticipate the students will feel supported by these conversations and that their trust of us, as professionals who really ‘know’ them, will continue to deepen over time.

Conversations about managing stress and promoting wellbeing continued this week, in our Yr 12 Student-Led Assembly for Yr 7-9. Anna-Luisa Feller and Sofia Stuckman were key in facilitating the organisation of the assembly and igniting the conversation around positive self-management, a core part of the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) framework. Articulate and confident in their conversation with Yr 7-9, Yr 12 Prefects Olivia Reid and Chloe Stewart unpacked the idea of stress for younger students. Again, they spoke directly to the students and were so successful in their capacity to reach the students through relevant examples and practical suggestions. Dillon Hayford and Daniel Thomas (Yr 12) amused the assembly with a challenging quiz, demonstrating practically how to unwind, have a laugh and work together. Punctuating the assembly was Yr 12 student Rex Markman who wowed the group with a soulful musical item. His gentle confidence and relaxed presence while performing, was an apt way of highlighting to Yr 7, 8 and 9 how to self-manage and how to ‘be’ yourself. Whilst technically, engaging in a quiz and listening to a performance does not constitute a ‘conversation’, it was abundantly clear that Yr 12 were indeed engaging others through this exchange of knowledge and experience. It was a lovely assembly and a credit to the Yr 12 students who formed part of the organisation and delivery.

Finally, it is with mixed emotions that I announce that Ms Simone Salier, Redlands University and Careers Advisor, will be leaving us at the end of this term, to pursue a new career opportunity at Repton School in Dubai. Simone has been at Redlands for seven years and in this time, has made many significant contributions to the community. Simone knows well the value of a powerful conversation! She has engaged in many conversations with students (and parents) over the years, supporting young people to consider their options, to reflect on their strengths and to challenge themselves for success. Simone will be greatly missed but as a community who well knows the value of travel and overseas experience, we wish her well, and look forward to connecting with her once again in the future. Please be assured that we have begun the process of recruiting for a new University and Careers Advisor for Term 3.

Term 3/4 Departure Notice

As we are approaching the mid-point of the year, this is a reminder that those families who are planning on leaving the School during or at the end of Terms 3 or 4 are required to give notice to the Principal via an email to registrar@redlands.nsw.edu.au by the following dates:

Term 3 Departure:  Friday 18 June 2021
Term 4 Departure:  Friday 16 July 2021

As per the 2021 Schedule of Fees emailed to all families in December last year, there will be fees in lieu payable for any notices of departure received after this date.

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Ms Gemma Van de Peer
Head of Secondary School
gvandepeer@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9811