Head of Secondary School

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Remote Learning Experiences          

There is an emerging discourse around the experience of Remote Learning, especially for parents, who are managing their children’s days as well as their own. Over the past week, I have enjoyed reading a few articles published in The Conversation, namely an article on the importance of supporting young people to adapt their brain to the context of remote learning, what to prioritise and what we can learn from schooling in lockdown. Drawing on the experiences of our Victorian neighbours, and the many international experiences of schooling in lockdown, can support an evidence-based approach and also be hugely affirming. I hope you enjoy reading these articles and encourage you to share any readings you might find useful, with me.

Feedback and Adjustment

I want to thank the parents and carers who took the time to respond to the Remote Learning Survey made available last Friday. Overwhelmingly your feedback was positive and strongly supportive of the Remote Learning program and processes in place to support students through this challenging time. In particular, you praised the hard work and dedication of the Secondary School teachers. This was well received by teachers, who like all people, appreciate being affirmed and recognised. The survey also reflected parental satisfaction with the quality of support provided by our ICT department via isupport@redlands.nsw.edu.au. Further the Zoom-Free time and our alternating of whole days with two-half days was also well received. Providing students with the opportunity to develop and extend their self-management skills is one opportunity that arises from this Remote Learning experience, and while challenging at times, it does enable many students an experience of personal success.

I had the pleasure of an hour via Zoom with the Secondary School Parent Contact Group (SSPCG) this week and was able to provide some feedback on our programs and further opportunities and plans for Term 3 and 4. At this meeting we discussed providing two-weekly Timetables for students (and parents) and it was my intention to publish Week 5 and Week 6 today. I have held off on this, however, because we are currently making plans for a Connection Experience in Week 6 and we’d like to more fully explore this, before publication. As you can imagine, any shift to the Timetable requires consultation with staff, students and parents. I appreciate your understanding in this respect. You can find the Week 5 Timetable here.

Communication

This week we have been focused on providing communication opportunities. These exist for staff and students. Yesterday a group of staff spent time with Yr 12 HSC students and Yr 12 IB students via Zoom. The purpose of these meetings was to touch base, show support and identify areas of concern. As expected, our Yr 12 students were able to simultaneously express both the challenges and opportunities posed by the pandemic and this period of Remote Learning. We are very proud of their resilience and capacity to keep things in perspective in a period of great noise about the Trial Examinations. Mr Webber reminded them ‘focus on what you can do and try not to worry’. We are confident that whatever the future holds, our Yr 12 cohort will respond remarkably.

We also met with Yr 11 yesterday to explore some upcoming events in their calendar. A significant milestone on their schooling journey is the process of Leadership, which they have now entered into. Ms Jansons, our Deans of Students, unpacked for Yr 11 the Leadership process, making available key resources and opportunities for them to consider. We look forward to receiving applications for Captains roles in the coming week and the great potential this cohort have to offer.

Next week we look forward to hearing from students across Yr 7-12 about their experiences of Remote Learning, in a conversational format, designed to enable student voice and provide direct feedback to teachers.

Assessment Modification Yr 7-10

Given our status in Remote Learning, we have modified the Term 3 assessments. Yr 7 has now been published and Yr 8-10 will be made available early next week. Whilst it is important to maintain normalcy as much as possible in lockdown, we are aware that students are experiencing Zoom fatigue and spending hours on preparing for an assessment is not ideal. Therefore, assessments are being modified in a variety of ways to support student wellbeing.

Australian Mathematics Competition

On Wednesday our Yr 7-11 Extension Mathematics students competed in the Australian Mathematics Competition against top mathematics students across the country.  They engaged with 30 real-world scenarios that demonstrated the importance and relevance of Mathematics in students’ everyday lives. We congratulate each student for their online participation and thank Mr Baker for remotely coordinating this enrichment opportunity.

Jeans for Genes Day – Friday 6 August

Tomorrow, across both campuses, we are celebrating Jeans for Genes Day. 

1 in 20 children face a birth defect or genetic disease, like cancer, cystic fibrosis, and
life-threatening metabolic disorders. That’s 12 children born every minute worldwide.

Listen to the inspiring message from Ari Abe-Apostolou (Yr 5) in the following short video, encourage your children to wear their jeans tomorow and donate via the link in the poster above. 

Redlands Online Trivia Night

Redlands Family Trivia Night
Sunday 15 August
5.30pm
via Zoom
Register HERE to Go for Gold!

The RPFA warmly invite all families to the Redlands Online Trivia Night. This fun-filled family occasion was a big hit with our Redlands community last year and with lots of terrific prizes up for grabs again this year. is sure to be another hotly contested event.

Week 5 Registration to Attend School

If you are sending your child to school next week, then please complete the Week 5 Registration to Attend School (essential worker) Survey.

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