Head of Secondary School

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Final Student-Led Assemblies for Class of 2023 Student Leaders

This week School Captains Josie and Dan, and the entire Student Leadership Team, including our House Captains, led two wonderful assemblies for Yrs 10-12 and then Yrs 7-9. These were excellent assemblies which landed well with students and staff, striking just the right tone for the final weeks of the term.

The Student Leaders bestowed their final Fall Forward Awards to those deserving of recognition for growth, learning from failure or simply an incredible achievement.

For the first part of the Awards Ceremony the Yr 12 students bestowed Fall Fall Awards to their most valued staff members. There were lots of cheers for the following members of our School community.

The Caffeine Queen: Usa, Canteen Barista

An individual without whom the sleep deprived Yr 12s would not survive… Not only for providing much needed caffeine but for her daily words of kindness and her contagious smile!

Deans of HSC and IB: Ms Benjamin and Mr Taylor

The next awards go to Redlands’ two favourite Brits. You might know them as the Delightful Deans, the Diploma-giving Duo, the superstars with the ATARS, the sparks with the marks or the jurisdictions with the predictions – Ms Benjamin and Mr Taylor! From her emotional support chocolates to his endless suit combinations, this pair have gone above and beyond for their students in Yr 11 and Yr 12!

Fall Forward Award for the Queen of Managing Behind the Scenes: Secondary School Office Manager, Ms Susan Jones

The queen of behind the scenes who probably also wins the Fall Forward award for most emails sent. She constantly works hard behind the scenes down at the Student Services Centre organising meetings, events and everything in between! She also helped us create and order the Fall Forward badges.

Fall Forward Award for the Most Iconic Duo: Mr Walker and Ms Martin

This award goes to the dynamic duo who have heroically put up with our Yr 12 cohort through various ups and downs of our high school journey, been consistent franchisers of the Fall Forward brand and never fail to embarrass Yr 12 with the many formal and gala photos displayed on Level 4 of the Learning Hub for everyone to see. 

A Fall Forward Badge for the King of Badges: Mr Tod-Hill

The teacher who courageously led Yr 7 through their first year of high school, with his unwavering commitment to not only his Year Group but also his many English classes. He rocks a different badge on his blazers everyday and we hope we see the Fall Forward badge make an appearance.

The Fall Forward Award for Helping People When They Literally Fall Forward: School Nurse, Emar Macken

Let’s just say that this amazing staff member doesn’t need any Irish luck to win this award. She’s always there for us when we take Fall Forward a little too seriously and take a tumble, or we’re feeling sick or sometimes just in need of rest. She’s been here for us ever since us Yr 12s started in Yr 7, and has been a calming, warm presence ever since.

The King of Behind the Scenes/King of AV: Mr Ben Peate

This individual works behind the scenes of every assembly and pretty much all events! We are so grateful for his expertise with Audio Visual – making every assembly possible, ensuring we sound pitch perfect and setting up the screens so that we can show you all videos and do Just Dance with you!

Fall Forward Award for the Canteen King: Mr Joel Squire

This award goes to the staff member who keeps everyone fed in the School community. Need a chocolate stand? Need a sausage sizzle? This next recipient really puts the Flexi in our School… we thank him kindly.

A Message about 7-10 Yearly Examinations in Term 4

As we continue to navigate the challenges of the academic year, we understand the importance of striking a balance between learning and taking well-deserved breaks. The holidays should be a time for students to relax, refresh, and reset. It is an opportunity for them to spend quality time with family and friends, engage in their favourite activities, and recharge for Term 4.

Next term, the Yr 7 & 10 Yearly Exams will take place in Week 3 and the Years 8 & 9 Yearly Exams will take place in Week 4. While we encourage students to enjoy their well-deserved break, we understand that some may wish to engage in some light revision to stay prepared.  All examination notifications will be published before the end of this term and each subject provides a study guide as part of these notifications. These study guides are designed to offer students a structured approach to engaging in revision.

However, please remember that this is entirely optional. There is no pressure for students to spend the entire holiday period studying intensively. The goal is to strike a balance that works best for each student, ensuring they return to school feeling refreshed and energised for Term 4. For those families planning to go away during the holidays, we hope that this time will provide much-needed rest and recreation so students can come back to school with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

Should you have any questions or require additional information regarding the study guides or any other matter, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Dean of Studies (7-10) or the Subject Coordinators who are here to support you and your child in their academic journey.

New Student Leaders for 2023/2024

Last Friday we were so pleased to be able to announce the new student leaders for the Secondary School.

Secondary School Captains 2024

Portfolios

House Captains

Captains of Activities 2024

Yr 11 HSC subject selections

Post their Preliminary Examinations, Yr 11 HSC are now finalising their Yr 12 subject selections. A link has already been sent to students and this should be completed by Tuesday 19 September at 9am. Mrs Benjamin spoke with Yr 11 prior to the examination block about the process and students were invited to book a meeting with her should they have any queries. If students have any questions, they are still welcome to meet with Mrs Benjamin, or send her an email.

Yr 12 HSC and IB Examinations and Holiday Workshops

Examination timetables and key information has been sent home for the upcoming HSC and IB Examinations. Please read through these documents carefully and reach out to the relevant Dean with any questions. There are a number of Holiday Workshops available for our Yr 12 students and information about these is available on the Core HSC and IB iLearn pages, as well as the Yr 12 Pastoral page. We encourage Yr 12 to have study schedules in place and remind them that consistency is key over the next few weeks. We are proud of how Yr 12 are working and engaging with their Deans to understand better what to focus on between now and the final exams. If students need any further support as we move closer to the exams starting, please reach out to Mrs Benjamin or Mr Taylor.

Yr 12 IB Visual Arts Exhibition

The Yr 12 IB Visual Arts Exhibition is in Redlands Hall this week. Students submit for assessment a selection of resolved artworks to exhibit. The selected artworks show evidence of student’s technical accomplishment during the two year Visual Arts course and their understanding of materials, ideas and practices appropriate to visual communication. Congratulations to Maia Healey, Sebastien Griffith, Iris Leung, Flynn Northam, Lily Swift and Madeline Zheng for their efforts.

Flynn Northam

Lily Swift

Madeline Zheng

Sebastien Griffith

ISA Athletics Carnival

Huge congratulations to our ISA Athletics team who proudly represented Redlands at the ISA Athletics Carnival on Tuesday, achieving 60 podium finishes, with 16 1st places, 23 2nd places and 21 3rd places. Congratulations especially to our Girls team which finished 2nd overall in Division 1 and to the 21 students who have qualified to compete at the Combined Independent Schools Championships next week. Further details of our athletes’ achievements can be found in the Secondary Sport section of Note Day. 

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