Head of Secondary School
What a Term!
Term 3 has been overflowing with activities and events which showcase student achievement. The Yr 12 HSC Visual Art Showcase held last week in Redlands Hall was a wonderful way to celebrate the artistic talents of the HSC cohort’s skills. The Year 12 HSC Drama Examinations also took place at the end of last week, with the Drama students performing their IPs and GPs to external markers. The Year 12 IB Orals conclude today, after a long week of challenging experiences on the heels of the Trial Examinations. Our Yr 12 students are a resilient cohort and we especially celebrate the achievements of two HSC Dance students, Sienna Adderton and Harry Knight, who received nominations for Callback. Congratulations to both students and their Dance teachers.
Over the past two days, students in Yrs 8, 9 and 10 have engaged in Healthy Relationships and Sex Education sessions led by Dr Tessa Opie of InYourSkin. All groups explored the ‘consent’ with Yr 8 focused on sexual activity, sexting and the law; Yr 9 focused on media porn literacy and sexting, and Yr 10 focused on communication, do’s and do not’s and sexual negotiation.
On Monday, Yr 7 students attended the new Chau Chak Wing Musuem at the University of Sydney to complement their History studies. The new, state of the art building designed by Johnson Pilton Walker, houses the Nicholson and Macleay Collections as well as the University Art Collection. These diverse collections include antiquities, natural history artefacts, ethnography, science and historic photography, together with the University Art Collection united in one multidisciplinary institution.
Students had the opportunity to view artefacts from ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt, and to experience the art of First Nations people, as well artworks from leading contemporary artists. A highlight was the opportunity for experiential learning, where students assumed the role of a historian/ archaeologist, with each student donning gloves to examine an ancient artefact. Students were then tasked with determining the origin and purpose of the object. Many thanks to Ms Eleanor Martin for organisation of this learning event and to the teachers who accompanied students on the day.
Cocurricular Highlights
One of the great losses from COVID-19 isolation was participation in cocurricular programs. Since we’ve been back on campus, overall student participation in cocurricular activities is thriving. We’ve observed a 33% increase in the average number of activities students have enrolled in since Semester 1 2021 (pre-lockdown). Most pleasing has been the average number of activities in Year 7, growing from 1.4 to 3.1 this year. Such participation has allowed our youngest students to establish vital and vertical connections in the Redlands community in their first semester. The hours of engagement in ‘Other’ Activities has grown by 127% since Semester 1 2021 (pre-lockdown). These include activities such as Mock Trial, Debating, DaVinci Decathlon, Lunchtime Clubs and Computing Challenges, further indicate an increased appetite for our students to apply advanced reasoning skills.
Redlands Spring Fair Postponed
After close consultation with our partners and suppliers, and with the safety and wellbeing of our community as our highest priority, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the 2022 Spring Fair due to the inclement weather forecast for Saturday.
Thank you to our dedicated and passionate volunteers and staff for your efforts in preparation of the Spring Fair. We are genuinely disappointed that we are unable to host this much loved and highly anticipated community event this Saturday.
We are currently liaising with our partners and suppliers and will be back in touch next week with further and updated details. Should you have any questions in relation to the postponement of the Spring Fair in the interim then please contact us at feedback@redlands.nsw.edu.au.
Ms Gemma Van de Peer
Head of Secondary School
gvandepeer@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9811