Head of Secondary School
Jeans for Genes Mufti Day: Friday 2 August
Tomorrow is our Jeans for Genes Mufti Day where we will be raising money for the Children’s Medical Research Institute. Students are encouraged to come to school wearing denim and are asked to make a $2 gold coin donation for this worthy cause during their Tutor period.
Parent Presentation: Technology Addiction and Sleep (Wednesday 14 August)
Good sleep is crucial to health and wellbeing. The use of digital devices, especially before bedtime, can have a major impact on sleep quality. Child psychiatrist Dr Philip Tam and sleep expert Lisa Maltman will discuss how to help your child create good sleep habits and avoid the pitfalls of too much technology. Dr Philip Tam is an award-winning child psychiatrist, researcher and pioneer in internet-related psychological disorders and video-game addictions. He will examine how to address these often-challenging problems in young people. Lisa Maltman is the founder of The Sleep Connection, established to meet the growing need to educate students, teachers and parents in schools on the importance of sleep health, and works closely with the Woolcock Medical Institute in Sydney, a body world-renowned in the area of sleep research. We are pleased to have Dr Philip Tam and Lisa Maltman present on these important topics on Wednesday 14 August from 6.00-7.30pm in Redlands Hall. All Secondary School parents are invited to attend. No RSVP is necessary.
Reflective Learners
Last night we held the Yr 7 Parent Teacher Night in Lang Gym. As I said to many parents over the course of the evening, personally I really enjoy this night as it gives me an opportunity to wear my English teacher hat and speak to students and parents from my English class. All Yr 7 students should be proud of their efforts over Semester 1 and their successful transition into the Secondary School. As this Parent Teacher Night followed their reports from the end of last term, it is natural for some Yr 7 students to overly worry about their academic results. And while students often get caught up in grades and marks, numbers and percentages, and see these as an end point, I remind students in my class that the most important accomplishment they should strive for in these first few years of their schooling is to Learn How You Learn and Learn About Your Learning. I believe that it is this focus on critical and honest self-reflection (a skill which can be challenging to develop in adolescents) which will best prepare them for their later years of schooling and assist them in being self-directed learners. Therefore, I would encourage all students to ‘look beyond the grade’ and think about the strategies and approaches which help them learn best for years to come.
Winter Sports Update
This past Saturday I was out at Macquarie University watching many of our Football and Rugby teams in action. I always enjoy getting around the sidelines on a Saturday and seeing our students participate in sports. This weekend I was struck by the sense of fun and camaraderie of our Girls 2nd XI Football team, the fierce determination of our 14As Boys Football team (who won an exciting 1-0 match against one of the top teams despite only having 10 fit players) and the spirit and sportsmanship displayed by the 13A Rugby team in an exciting match that went right down to the wire. However, this weekend I was most impressed by the character shown by our Boys 1st XI Football team. Despite being down 2-0 at halftime against the top team in the competition, they were not discouraged nor disheartened, but instead dug deep in the second half to gain the ascendency and score two goals to level the contest in an exciting match. I wish them and all winter sports teams all the best as they build to the conclusion of the winter sports season and (hopefully) finals action to come.
Congratulations
I would like to make special mention of Zac West (Yr 12). Towards the end of the holidays Zac competed in the 2019 Laser Sailing World Championships in Japan. Competing in the Men’s Division, Zac finished 2nd overall winning the silver medal in an outstanding result. Congratulations, Zac!
Congratulations also to Emma Mahon (Yr 10), Olivia Vigneault (Yr 9) and Isaac Brooks (Yr 7) who represented Redlands and the Combined Independent Schools (CIS) at the NSW All Schools Cross Country Championships last Thursday. Pitted against the top 100 runners across the state from their respective age groups, Isaac finished 35th, Olivia finished 33rd and Emma finished 5th, a result which qualifies her for the Australian Cross Country Championships later this month. Congratulations to all three runners and a special thank you to Mr Nick Walker for his tireless dedication to the Cross Country program throughout the season.
Redlands Gala Ball
With only a few weeks left until the Gala Ball, start bidding in our online auction for incredible prizes valued at over $50,000.
If you place an online bid by Tuesday 6 August, you are eligible to participate in the Lucky Draw to win one of two Osana Family Health Care annual memberships. The winners will be announced in Note Day on 8 August. The auction will close on Saturday 17 August, 10.30pm. More details in the Foundation section of this Note Day.
Mr Sean Corcoran
Head of Secondary School
scorcoran@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9870