Head of Secondary School
A Peek Inside the Classroom… Drama
This term I have asked teachers to invite me to their lessons to witness some of the “wow” moments that occur in their classrooms. So, over this term, I will be visiting classes in each subject area and will be giving little “peeks inside the classroom” in my Note Day pieces. This week I will write about my Drama lesson.
On Monday I had the great pleasure of observing Ms Janson’s Yr 8 Drama lesson. At the beginning of the lesson I was treated to some of the final “clowning” performances where students could show their understanding of this type of physical theatre. We then learned about how we develop characters in performance and I jumped in some character work around the stage to the amusement of some of the students and the teacher. Students then collaborated in groups to create various tableaus illustrating different scenarios, characters and emotions. It was wonderful to see students able to develop their creative thinking in such a safe, supportive and stimulating environment. Thank you Ms Jansons and the Yr 8 Drama students for this peek inside your classroom!
da Vinci Decathlon
This week students from Yrs 7-10 competed at the da Vinci Decathlon held at Knox Grammar School. The da Vinci Decathlon is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of school students across the state. Students compete in each Year Group in teams of eight across the following ten disciplines: Engineering, Mathematics and Chess, Code Breaking, Art and Poetry, Science, English, Ideation, Creative Producers, Cartography and General Knowledge. Over 3,500 students from over 100 schools competed in this year’s event.
Redlands had some outstanding results with our Yr 7 team placing 2nd in Art and Poetry; our Yr 8 team placing 2nd in Engineering; and our Yr 10 team placing 2nd in Cartography and 3rd in Art and Poetry. Congratulations to all students who competed in this event and a special thank you to Ms Williamson, Ms Kilshaw and Mr Baker for her organisation and support of this activity.
ISA Cross Country
On Wednesday, a team of over 80 boys and girls represented Redlands at the ISA Cross Country Championships. This year was one of our most successful days in recent memory in terms of both participation and results. We earned the following team placings:
- Senior Girls 1st
- Senior Boys 2nd
- Intermediate Girls 4th
- Intermediate Boys 8th
- Junior Girls 1st
- Junior Boys 4th
Overall, we placed 3rd in the Boys competition and, for the first time in Redlands history, we won the Girls competition! Once again, we also finished first overall amongst the coed schools. Congratulations to all the coaches and participants on a fabulous day.
Yr 10 Industry Visit
Last Friday was our third Industry Visit Day for Yr 10 students. All students spent the day at one of nine possible companies, gaining exposure to that industry and workplace while also learning valuable skills which will help prepare them for life-readiness after school. Students had an opportunity to visit Ernest & Young, Westpac, The One Centre ad agency, PTW Architects, Energy Estate (an energy start-up), NewsCorp, the Four Seasons Hotel, Canon and St James Hall Chambers barristers. Not only was this a valuable experience for our students, but many of the companies were impressed by our Yr 10s, commenting on their professional and insightful nature. I would like to thank Ms Salier for providing this opportunity for our students as well as Ms Jane from the Alumni Office for her efforts in organising a number of Redlanders from these companies to host us on the day.
Red Shield Appeal
On Sunday, 90 Yr 11 students (under the leadership of some of our Yr 12 Prefects) spent the morning door knocking around the School to raise money for the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal. This year we raised a record amount for Redlands of over $6,200 for this annual appeal. I want to thank Ms Coleman and all of the students for their efforts on the day.
STEAM USA Trip 2020
A fabulous new opportunity has been developed for students interested in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) subjects or career options: our STEAM USA trip 2020. It is an educational tour of America’s flourishing technology epicentres, innovative art exhibitions, geological landscapes and man-made structures with strong curriculum and cross curricula links. The tour will be visiting Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Phoenix, as well as many exciting places in between. The trip is targeted to Yrs 9, 10 and 11 students in 2020 (current Yrs 8, 9 and 10). The information evening for this new overseas offering will be on Monday 3 June at 6.00pm in R3.1; to register interest in attending, students should complete the quick survey via the students Redland google account (access is only using a student Redlands account). The information brochure is available here.
Mr Sean Corcoran
Head of Secondary School
scorcoran@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9870