Head of Secondary School

Head of Secondary School

Learning Experiences

Yr 11 have approached their examinations with maturity and calmness this week, as Yr 12 conclude their final lessons before the end of the term and celebrate with their House for the House Morning teas, which have taken place for them at Tutor time each day this week. It’s been great to hear the joy in the students’ conversations about their cocurricular and sport dinners they’ve been attending in the evenings and see them prepare for the start of the Summer Sport season. Yr 7, 8 and 9 are travelling well in the lead up to the end of term and aware their Term 4 examination blocks are on the horizon. It’s certainly a productive time of the term and the learning buzz on campus is palpable as students consolidate and extend themselves across a variety of spheres.

Speech Night 2023 – Change of Venue

Due to the current redevelopment of the event spaces at Luna Park we are moving a number of our bigger events, including the Secondary School Speech Night and Yr 12 Prize Giving Ceremony and Valedictory Dinner, to one of Sydney’s premier event spaces, The Star Event Centre in Pyrmont. Further information will be provided in Term 4 on the Speech Night program, including a comprehensive venue guide to assist students and parents with the change in venue.   

BioTech Futures

During National Science Week, Yr 10 students heard from twenty-three-year-old Betty Zhang, founder of not-for-profit Melbourne Bioinnovation Student Initiative (MBSI). MBSI aims to bring together young scientists, engineers and clinicians to work on projects in digital health, medtech and synthetic biology. Betty shared some of the incredible innovations occurring in Australian universities and what it takes to commercialise these breakthroughs through investment. She invited Yr 10 to step outside of their comfort zone by signing up to BioTech Futures, a 4-week innovation and mentorship program. The program empowers our brightest young minds through connecting them with world-class academics to think creatively about scientific inspired solutions. Five Redlands teams from the Yr 10 cohort, including two currently at Winter School, are taking part in the challenge and their topic areas range from biodegradable metal implants for limb reconstruction to sustainable energy splitting greenhouse gases. The teams will have multiple touchpoints with their mentors, receive instruction on scientific research and citation and have the chance to present their findings at a Symposium hosted by the University of Sydney, where they will hear from Dr Peter Newman (USYD) and Dr Fang Chem (UTS).

Student and Community Safety Update – Stay in Place Drill

Evacuation and Stay in Place drills are an essential part of our safety and risk management practices at School. 

We treat drills as if they are real and model our response to the students as a learning exercise. IN the Secondary School, the students are excellent at drills. They respond appropriately and calmly and I always feel so privileged to lead the community when I see how maturely the students approach an evacuation.

In the coming weeks we will be holding a Stay in Place drill, formerly known as a ‘lockdown’. Many things can prompt a Stay in Place but in essence, a Stay in Place occurs when there is a real or perceived danger to the School site, and a Stay in Place is a measure to enhance student and staff safety. A clear procedure exists for us to navigate a Stay in Place drill and our students know the secret message that is relayed to them which is a signal to adopt ‘stay in place’ measures. There are also clear processes for communicating with students after the drill the purposes of the drill and the affirmation they are safe. Year Advisors know when the drill will take place and usually have key information about students so they can support anyone who may feel excessively heightened or unable to manage their distress. If you would like to provide any additional context as to why your teenager may need additional support to navigate this drill, then please reach out to the Year Advisor before the end of this week.

The House Spirit Fair takes place next Thursday and our Yr 12 students look forward to one of their final opportunities to have fun, engage the younger year groups and raise funds for the Legacy gift.

Yr 12 IB Visual Arts Exhibition 

Uniform Shop Closed Tomorrow

Please note that the Uniform Shop will be closed tomorrow 8 September.

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

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