Head of Secondary School

Trust

In some of my opening messages to staff and students over the past few weeks, I have shared with them that a focus for the Secondary School this year is to continue to build and strengthen that sense of trust amongst and between all facets of our community. Over the holidays one of the books I read was about trust and, not surprisingly, how important it is for all successful organisations, but especially schools. I believe that our sense of community and the trust between staff, students and parents is already a strength of the school; however, as a quote I have already shared in other contexts states, that does not mean it is not “too good not to be better”.

So, I thought I would share below some of my remarks from my opening assembly address to students about “trust” to you, as well.

“The Philadelphia 76ers men’s professional Basketball team have had a mantra for the past few years which states, ‘Trust the process’ as the players have grown and developed as individuals and as a team. As students, in many ways, you also have to “trust the process”, specifically the care, commitment and expertise of your teachers and the staff at Redlands, to guide and support you over your schooling journey.

Over my first two years at Redlands, I am pleased to say that I have found the trust between staff, students and parents very strong in the Secondary School. It is a sense of trust very much embedded in our core values of:

Honesty – so we can be open and truthful with each other
Responsibility – being accountable for our own actions
Compassion – illustrating care and empathy for one another
Fairness – treating others justly and impartially
Moral Courage – showing character in the face of ethical challenges
And, maybe most of all, of Respect – respect in ourselves but also respect for all of the other people who assist us in our schooling.

Therefore, I am proud to be part of a community that does not tolerate bullying or intimidation but instead values encouragement and support.

I am proud to be a part of a community that does not stereotype or discriminate others based on gender, race, ethnicity or sexuality, but instead celebrates everyone’s individual differences.

And I am proud to be a part of a community that is full of gratitude not spite; selflessness not selfishness; and hope not cynicism.

I encourage you over the course of this year to strengthen that sense of trust in your teachers, in your peers and maybe most of all, in yourself, so that you can have a most enriching and successful school year ahead.

Judith Locke Presentation

In an ever-changing world, parents are constantly wondering how they can best support their child. As part of our on-going efforts to support parents and provide them with useful information and recent research on ‘best practice’, we are excited to announce that clinical psychologist and author, Dr Judith Locke, will be coming to Redlands to present two workshops for parents around how you can support your child to become more confident and capable. These workshops are designed to provide specific strategies to assist the young people we care for to achieve their personal bests, both within the classrooms as well as in other areas of life. Judith will provide advice as to how to support your child in a friendly and relatable way as well as providing specific strategies around how to help your child become more independent and make the most of their opportunities whilst at school.

Dr Judith Locke is a registered clinical psychologist, and former teacher and workplace trainer. She is now director of the training company, Confident and Capable, which delivers psychological solutions for parents, students and organisations. Judith works with families and individuals in her private practice in Toowong, Qld. She also undertakes research at QUT, investigating modern parenting, student and parent wellbeing, and their interaction with the academic environment. Judith is a member of The Australian Psychological Society (APS) and a Fellow of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists. She is also the author of the popular parenting book, The Bonsai Child: Why modern parenting limits children’s potential and practical strategies to turn it around.

The Secondary School session will be held on Monday 25 February from 6.00pm in Redlands Hall. Please note these sessions are for parents only and you should not bring your children.

Study Centre

After positive feedback from our initial offerings last year, we are further expanding our before and after school Study Centre for students. The Study Centre will take place Monday from 7.30 – 8:15am and 4.30 – 6.00pm and Tuesday and Wednesday from 7.30 – 8.15am and 3.30 – 6.00pm. The aim of the Study Centre is to provide students from Yrs 7-12 with the opportunity to receive shoulder-to-shoulder support or assistance in specific disciplines from Secondary School teachers. These sessions are not to be seen as formalised one-on-one tutoring sessions but instead should be seen as opportunities for students to get assistance or feedback on specific areas of learning. While the Study Centre will take place in the Library for most subjects, some more practical subjects will hold these in specialised spaces. The Study Centre will commence in Week 3 and a schedule of offerings can be found on the Secondary School page of Redlands Pulse.

Parking and Pick Up

We appreciate the challenges of parking, as well as the drop off and pick up of students, around the Secondary School, and thank the majority of parents who follow proper guidelines. However, we have had recent reports of some unsafe practices during drop off and pick up of students around the Campus before or after school. Once again, we ask parents to use the designated drop off and pick up zones on Waters Road and not to double park in local streets or pull into the bus parking lot in front of the Adams Centre. The safety of our students, members of our community and members of the wider community is paramount.

And lastly, please may I remind you to be respectful and considerate of our neighbours. It is not acceptable to block or even park in someone’s driveway as has already been reported to us. Please also be mindful of noise on local streets, especially during early morning drop offs for before school activities. Thank you, in advance, for your cooperation and support.

Please review this summary from the North Sydney Council of some of the more important rules and the associated penalties for not complying with the rules regarding parking around schools. As demerit points are now attached to parking offences in school zones, it is important that parents are aware that breaches of these rules can lead to the suspension of their drivers licence.

Mr Sean Corcoran
Head of Secondary School
scorcoran@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9870