Head of Secondary School

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It’s all happening for Yr 12

This week, along with all other Yr 12 teachers, I returned Trial Examinations to students. Whilst there is always a temptation to spend a good deal of time talking and often commiserating about the Trials, it’s actually necessary to reflect quickly, decide on some clear actions and then move forward. On Sunday night I made a plan for the reminder of the term and counted up the lessons left – there are 23 – well there were 23. Today there are 19 remaining. I shared the plan with my class because I rely on them to hold me accountable. 

As a teacher I love the time after the Trials. It’s when all the lightbulb moments happen for Year 12. They have been tested and survived; now they know they can manage an intense period of exams and from this experience emerges the capacity to really distil the most effective study strategies to assist their transfer of deep learning to an examination setting. This realisation is epiphanous for some students who through reflection and conversation with teachers come to clearly articulate what they will take forward from the Trials and what they will leave behind as they move towards the HSC, which is about 7.5 weeks away, and the IB which is about 9 weeks away. For me, the student-teacher conversations post-Trials are so formative in this respect. Yes there is written feedback – either on the Trial paper or via the Marker’s Report, but the opportunity to sit, chat and consider ‘what next’ with a subject teacher is necessary to motivate and propel students forward. In my conversations with students this week, we are interrogating:

• What went well
• What was surprising and disappointing
• Time management lessons
• Following a Study Schedule in a consistent way
• Barriers to being self-disciplined and consistent
• Support mechanisms

We are setting actions – not loads of them, but a few actions for the next one to two weeks. Mostly these actions involve re-reading, re-writing, re-thinking. But sometimes they also involve tidying a bedroom, asking parents for support, or shifting into a higher gear – one that holds higher expectations for self. Most Year 12s can drive now – so the ‘pedal to the metal’ metaphor works well. We do not want to increase our speed too forcefully, but we do want to slowly accelerate in terms of effort and output as we approach the final examinations. Some students need to dial down their efforts (burnout is real for some Year 12 students), some need to maintain a steady speed but generally, most Year 12 students should be steadily dialling up – or slowly increasing their efforts and output. Usually they have more in the tank than they think they do. In the final few weeks of secondary school, Year 12 experience many emotions. They are often tired, stressed and managing the deep learning demands of their subject courses. They are also navigating the emotions that surface for all young people as they conclude their secondary school journey. Excitement, sadness, trepidation – all three may be felt on any given day. Aware of all that is going on for our senior students at this time, we tend to advise them to break up the final study period into two distinct chunks – the weeks prior to graduation and the weeks after graduation and in the lead up to the final examinations. A Study Schedule is essential; they can find blank schedules and an example on their Core iLearn pages. In this they should map out their study but also their downtime and events. Also essential is reflection, conversation and relaxation. Tomorrow, we look forward to our Year 12 cohort having a bit of fun with a pyjama and pizza day. I imagine the students in Year 7 to 11 will be a little jealous but I also know they look up to Year 12 with admiration and respect. We only have them for a little time left and we look forward to celebrating their final stages of their school journey with them over the coming weeks.

Student Recognition – Kids Giving Back

Our Principal, Mr Corcoran, and I were proud to receive an email from Carole Schlessinger, CEO and Co-Founder of the organisation Kids Giving Back, sharing how a number of our Secondary School students and their families spent time volunteering in the first half of the year to help others through this organisation.

Kids Giving Back is a charity whose mission is to create the next generation of generosity through meaningful, hands-on experiences for young people to give back to others. Through charity partners, they arrange opportunities for children aged 6-18 years old and their families to provide assistance and support for people experiencing food scarcity or hardship.

The contribution of our students resulted in the production of over 8500 hot meals, salads, fruit kebabs, breakfast boxes, snack packs and care packs with empathetic, positive messages, which were distributed to 15 charities around Sydney. In addition, 1800 servings of soup were served at a twice weekly soup kitchen.

I will duly acknowledge these students in assembly next week but I wanted to also do so through this wider community communication as well. Thank you to the following students who participated in one or more of the programs:

Alexandra Lloyd Yr 11, Jack Petering Yr 11, Chloe Petering Yr 8, Noah O’Keefe Yr 8, Madeline Moore Yr 7.

To hear of our Redlands students embracing the concept of contributing back into the community is heart-warming and a wonderful example of our students living our School Values whilst making a difference to the lives of others and as Carole wrote, “their exceptional leadership qualities, compassion, and strong sense of civic responsibility are truly inspiring and a testament to the values that your school instils in them.”

Winter Uniform Clearance – 30% Off Selected Items

As we will be introducing our new Redlands uniform in 2024, we are having a Winter Uniform clearance sale with 30% off the following range, whist stocks last:

• Blazers
• Knitted Jumpers
• Girls Skirts
• Girls Blouses
• Boys Long Sleeve Shirts

Uniform Shop Opening Hours

The Uniform Shop will be closing at 4pm on Thursdays until further notice. 

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