Head of Secondary School

Head of Secondary School

Welcome Back to Term 3 

Students returned to school on Tuesday, refreshed after their mid-year break. It has been wonderful to hear tales from those who traversed ski slopes, explored cities of Europe or restored at home in Sydney.

During our 7-9 Welcome Assembly this week, Mr Webber shared the news that Mr Corcoran, Deputy Principal, has been appointed as Principal from 2023. Mr Webber and Mr Corcoran will be joining Yr 10-12 for their assembly next week. The Secondary School warmly congratulates Mr Corcoran on this well-deserved appointment. 

Looking ahead to Semester 2, students have started the term by reflecting on their Semester 1 Reports and setting personal process-based goals for the remainder of the year – focusing on the power of their habits over desired outcomes.

Prevailing wisdom claims that the best way to achieve what we want in life – getting better results, building better friendships, relaxing more and worrying less, achieving success in our sport or activity – is to set specific, actionable goals. Whilst goals are good for setting direction and planning progress, habits are best for making progress and it’s the process that makes the difference.

This week, students are meeting with their Tutors for a Connection Conversation where they will reflect on their personal strengths, areas for growth and discuss their Semester 2 process goal. Here are a few goals already set by students:

“I will prioritise balancing my cocurricular activities with my schoolwork leading into Yr 11… I will aim to do this by planning out my time more efficiently and staying on top of my work in class so I have less to revise when I need to study for exams.”

“In order to gain knowledge and expand my vocabulary in Chinese, I will study after school by completing revision in my personal study time. By the end of the term, I would like to have a solid set of study notes which I can use to revise for examinations”

“To complete my school work more efficiently, I will complete my home learning before I engage in free time. I will minimise distractions by putting my phone away.”

Fundraising Efforts 

Last term, Yr 10 engaged with a Homelessness Initiative. Students collected close to ten boxes of donations. Six were delivered to Wayside Chapel with new or gently used items/clothing they had requested. They were delivered the first Monday of the holiday and Wayside Chapel was overwhelmed and very thankful for the amount of donation items. Another four boxes with kitchen items were delivered to St Vinnies Emergency Housing as requested by Matthew Talbot. They were also very appreciative and said they can always use more items. The bake sale, held in the final week of Term 2, raised just under $1000 and a cheque will be written to Wayside Chapel this term. 

Jeans for Genes 

Redlands has a long history of supporting the annual Jeans for Genes Day fundraising initiative. This year, in 2022, the event will be held on Friday 5 August. The charity’s mission is to support families and children with birth defects or incurable genetic diseases. Last year, Redlands raised close to $10,000. In 2022, we are aiming to match or surpass this total. Head to the Redlands Jeans for Genes Fundraising page to make a donation.

Redlands Cup and Snowsports Interschools 

Redlands Cup and the Snowsports Interschools competitions took place at Thredbo and Perisher during the holidays, after two years without these events. Redlands Cup was a great success, with around 400 competitors from around the state. In the Interschools Competition, Redlands had 11 team podium finishes! A special congratulations to Harrison Fung (Yr 12) who placed 2nd in Division 1 Moguls, Sienna Wessels (Yr 11) who placed 2nd in Division 1 Snowboard GS and 3rd in Division 1 Snowboard Cross, and Ava Keller (Yr 7) who placed 3rd in Division 3 Moguls. We expect to have qualifiers for the State Championships coming up in a few weeks.

Student Voice Surveys 

In Week 3, students will have the opportunity to complete their annual Student Voice Survey. This survey is a chance for students to have their say in terms of how teachers can best support them in the classroom. The survey will tell us about how students feel about things such as classroom activities, feedback, assessment and learning environment.  

Pink Socks 

This Saturday 23 July, we are hosting a pink sock round in support of the Breast Cancer Network Australia. We encourage all students across the Secondary School to purchase pink socks from the Uniform Shop in support of this charity. All parents, coaches are also encouraged to wear a pink item on the day. On this day the Sports Department has arranged for a large number of our Winter Sports teams to play at our home venue, Macquarie University.

Winter School 

We wish our 60 Yr 10 Winter School students well as they depart for a term at High Country Campus on Tuesday. The Winter School staff arrived at the High Country Campus site last Saturday to prepare themselves for the arrival of students. The HCC site has undergone significant improvements for Term 3, including new bathrooms in the dorms, more storage for students, new sofas, new classroom furniture, better heating – the list goes on. The students have just under a week to settle in before Mrs Anna Marie Rolon, Dean of Studies (7-10) arrives to support them with their academic transition.

Gala Arts 

This event has finally returned to the Redlands calendar! The Gala Arts competition at The Concourse is held this coming Friday evening (22nd July). Get your tickets to be able to cheer on the forty or so competitors across Vocal, Instrumental, Theatre, Dance and Visual Arts in this amazing showcase of our students’ artistic talents. Tickets can be purchased here. A reminder that all students who attend as guests are required to wear full winter uniform, including blazers.

9 Into 10 Subject Selection Information Evening 

Last night students and parents of Yr 9 tuned into a webinar hosted by the Dean of Studies (7-10), Mrs Anna Marie Rolon, and the Head of Teaching and Learning, Mr Matthew Bentley, to gain valuable information on the subject selection process as our Yr 9 students look ahead to Yr 10 and senior studies. At Redlands we have an academic and pastoral program which seeks to build autonomy in our middle high schoolers, to support them to become independent and agentic in their decision making. Whilst in Stage 5 there are still subjects that are mandatory, students begin to make decisions about the various pathways. In preparation for their senior studies, they have the opportunity to experiment in a variety of academic areas to build on their core skills of communication, research, writing, problem solving, making and creating. This week, Yr 9 students have been meeting with subject coordinators and teachers to discuss their choices and options ahead of making their final selections on Monday. We commend and congratulate our wonderful Yr 9 cohort on their maturity throughout this important process.

Yr 12 Holiday Workshops

During the recent Winter Break a large number of our Yr 12 students attended a range of workshops and study sessions both in person and remotely in order to further prepare themselves for their upcoming Trial examinations. Some of these sessions were run by outside agencies, such as Oxford Study Courses (OSC) and Jeddle, focussing specifically on examination technique, whilst others were run by their teachers and focussed on curriculum content and related skills. It was great to see the students so engaged in their learning after a long Term 2 and really starting to understand more fully the requirements of their respective courses. We are intending to offer similar sessions for Yr 12 students in the Term 3 and 4  break where we will also make available examination sprint sessions designed to improve student performance under timed conditions.

Volunteer at Redlands

We need new additions to our team of volunteers who assist Redlands students in Years 7-12 with exams and assessments throughout the year.We are actively recruiting for the Y12 Trial examination period from 8-18 August.

Prep, Junior and Secondary School parents, grandparents, friends and Redlanders are all welcome to express their interest.

No subject specific knowledge is required; you are simply there to read and/or write what the student dictates, and to regulate the time.

If you respect confidentiality, are reliable and punctual, patient and relaxed we would love to hear from you.

Volunteering is rewarding and will help you gain a new perspective on the Redlands experience. With your help students can achieve their full potential and you have the opportunity to see the types of assessments students sit across a range of subjects in the senior school. Our students are very appreciative of the support they are given.

If you would be interested in finding out more about helping with exams, please contact Cressida Rigney at crigney@redlands.nsw.edu.au or on 9968 9854.

Term 4 Departure Notice

This is a reminder that those families who are planning on leaving the School during or at the end of Term 4 are required to give notice to the Principal via an email to registrar@redlands.nsw.edu.au by cob tomorrow Friday 22 July.

As per the 2022 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.

Families who are planning on leaving the School during or at the end of Term 3 were required to give notice by Friday 24 June.

For further enquiries, please contact registrar@redlands.nsw.edu.au.

COVID-19 Reminders

If away from school and able to engage in learning, students continue to be able to access class content on iLearn. If concerned about assessment work, students are to contact subject coordinators to develop a suitable plan for assessment management and submission.  

If you your child tests positive for COVID-19:

  •   You must notify the school via email ssabsence@redlands.nsw.edu.au
  •   Record positive test through Service NSW site (RAT or PCR)
  •   Isolate for 7 days
  •   Students may return to school after their 7-day isolation period finishes if they do not still have symptoms.
  •   Students do not have to return a negative RAT or PCR test before returning to school.
  •   Students should wear masks in indoor settings for 3 days after their 7-day COVID-19 positive isolation period (Days 8-10)

 If your child is a Household/Close Contact:

  • You must notify the school if they are a household/close contact via email ssabsence@redlands.nsw.edu.au
  • If they develop symptoms, they must not come to school, should self-isolate and get tested for COVID-19. If they test positive, they should self-isolate for 7 days and only return to school after 7 days when they no longer have any symptoms. If they test negative, they should stay at home until they no longer have any symptoms.
  • Students who are household/close contact must undertake a Rapid Antigen Test each morning before school and return a daily negative test on school days to attend school during that time.
  • Students in K-12 who are household/close contacts must wear a mask in all indoor settings at school for the 7 days of their household/close contact period. They do not have to wear a mask outside.
  • Students who are household/close contacts will not be able to attend overnight excursions or camps.
  • If a student has been COVID-19 positive in the previous 4 weeks, they do not need to follow these household/close contact guidelines if they become a household/close contact within that 4-week period.

  • If a student has not been in contact with the household member who has tested positive while they were infectious (either 48 hours before they have symptoms or have tested positive), then they do not need to follow these household/close contact guidelines.

A reminder that students should have a mask in their bags when they arrive at school each day as they might need to wear them for assemblies or on public transport. Students are also welcome to wear masks at school at any time if they wish.

We will communicate any further updates to the advice when it is made available. We thank you for your continued support during this time.

Redlands Spring Fair – Save the Date

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