Head of Secondary School
Winter Sports Update
It was an exciting day of ISA Finals last Saturday with a number of teams competing at venues across Sydney. I would like to acknowledge all teams who were competing on Saturday for the positive way they represented the School in their respective matches and specifically congratulate the Girls Football Junior A team, the Netball Junior A team and the Hockey 1st XI and Open B teams for winning their Grand Finals on the weekend.
I was also proud to see the support of parents, staff and especially students at the numerous fixtures I attended on the weekend. Not only did it provide positive encouragement for the players, but it also illustrated the wonderful school spirit which is increasingly being seen across so many different activities at Redlands.
Arts Update
Last night was a wonderful celebration of the arts at Redlands with the official opening of the John Roberts Music Centre and the opening of the Yr 12 HSC Visual Arts display. I know for many parents it was their first opportunity to see the excellent new facilities which our Music students have been using this year. Many of our students were performing at the Music Centre opening or sharing the culmination of a year’s effort through their Visual Arts major works. In addition, on Monday evening the Yr 12 HSC and IB students delighted the audience in a performance of their major works in their Music Showcase. All of these events once again illustrated that the arts at Redlands continually provides amazing opportunities for students to share their passions, develop their creativity and step out of their comfort zones – all of which further develop their life readiness. Bravo to all involved.
Service Learning Update
There are a number of Service learning activities taking place at Redlands this term illustrating the selfless efforts of our students to help others. Last Thursday, Yr 11 students Zoe Kimber and Freddie McKewen organised a “Five for a Farmer” sausage sizzle and bake sale on the Senior Campus to raise money for NSW farmers who have been struggling through the extreme drought this year. Yr 11 students Jasmine Chubb, Sienna Kerr, Alice MacDonald and Lindsay McNeil have been coordinating the Kids Need Books book drive in the Junior School collecting approximately 900 children’s books to be shipped to Vietnam for a community library. And our Yr 12 students, led by Emma Woodward, are urging members of the Redlands community to join them in participating in the Blackmores 10km run on Sunday 16 September to raise money for Headspace and awareness for mental health. Donations can be made here and students, parents and staff can sign up to run here. I would like to acknowledge these students and the countless others who are regularly giving back to others through Service activities at Redlands.
Book Week
Over the past fortnight the Secondary School Library has organised a number of events to celebrate Book Week, including various author visits. On Tuesday 14 August, Michael Adams (author of the popular Seven Signs series) spoke to Yr 7 classes sharing some of his insights and approaches to his craft, while last Wednesday, author and journalist Pip Harry spoke to staff and students about some of her experiences as a writer. I would like to thank Ms Curtis and the Library staff for their efforts in bringing in these speakers and continuing to foster the love of reading in our students.
Mr Sean Corcoran
Head of Secondary School
scorcoran@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9870