Head of Secondary School

Learn How You Learn

I hope all students have had time to reflect on their reports from Semester 1, either over the holidays or at the beginning of this term, and have set goals and developed strategies for how they might continue to improve academically over the second half of the year. With Yr 7 and 8 Parent Teacher Evenings in Weeks 2 and 3 this term, I thought it was an appropriate time to share some of the messages I regularly give to students in my Yr 7 English class which I believe are particularly important for all students in their first few years of Secondary School. While students often get caught up in grades and marks, numbers and percentages, and see these as an “end point”, I remind students in my class that the most important accomplishment they should strive for in these first few years of their schooling is to “Learn How You Learn” and “Learn About Your Learning”. I believe that it is this focus on critical and honest self-reflection (a skill which can be challenging to develop in adolescents) which will best prepare for them for their later years of schooling and assist them in being a self-directed learner. Therefore, I would encourage all students, but particularly those in Yrs 7 and 8, to “look beyond the grade” and think about the strategies and approaches which help you learn best for years to come.

Yr 12 HSC and IB Drama Group Performances 

On Tuesday evening, I was fortunate enough to attend the group performances for the Yr 12 HSC and IB Drama classes. While I once again enjoyed the outstanding showcase of the Yr 12 Drama students on the stage, I was not surprised by this aspect of the evening, as I have been privileged to see many of these students performing in various Redlands productions over the past few years. However, I was particularly impressed with the depth of thought which went into these performances and their willingness to take intellectual and creative risks on the stage. We often talk about developing a culture of thinking and deep understanding in our students at Redlands, and to me these performances illustrated the culmination of this approach and how successful it can be. Bravo to all of the performers, crew and teachers for their efforts!   

Staffing Update 

As mentioned in my letter to parents in the holidays, at the end of this week we bid farewell to Ms Kate Carolan, who is moving to Dubai to take up a teaching position at an international school. We thank her for all of the contributions she has made to Redlands during her time at the school and we wish her all the best on her return to the international school scene. We are fortunate to have secured the services of Mr Conrad Del Villar in the English Department who is a highly experienced HSC and IB teacher and who will be taking Ms Carolan’s English classes and Tutor Group. In addition, at the end of Week 4, French teacher, Ms Sophie Masson, will be leaving Redlands to also take up a teaching position in Dubai which will bring her closer to home in the Northern hemisphere. We wish her all the best on this move and thank her for all of the contributions she has made during her time at Redlands. We look forward to welcoming Ms Dominique Barbeau to Redlands, who is also a highly experienced HSC and IB Languages teacher and who will be taking Ms Masson’s French classes and Tutor Group. 

Cyber Safety Presentation 

On Monday, cyber safety expert Brett Lee was at Redlands to deliver presentations throughout the day to students in Yrs 7-10 as well as a presentation to parents in the evening. I know a number of the students and parents found these presentations quite informative. He focused on five key principles to stay safe online which I thought would be useful to share with all parents:

• Set rules and boundaries – just like other areas of life, there should be clear rules associated with technology use. Rules are not meant to stop children having fun, they are to protect them. Some useful rules should focus on time limits and curfews, an understanding of what language is acceptable, guidelines of where in the home technology can and can’t be used, what websites, games and apps can be used, and what to do if something of concern happens or a mistake is made.
• Stay current – this involves parents being across what children generally do on the internet, when children are going online, what programs/software/games they are using. You can stay current by talking to their children and other adults, seek advice or contact the school for guidance.
• Take charge – ensure technology is not taking charge. Be aware of what technology is used, where and when. What sites are being accessed and where these are occurring. Remove technology from bedrooms – this should be a safe space. 
• Use management controls – parents have a right to know where their children go and whom they communicate with.
• Communicate – create an environment of openness about technology and talk about it with your children.

Mr Sean Corcoran
Head of Secondary School
scorcoran@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9870