Head of Secondary School

• Print

Go Open

The last few weeks have been Go Open weeks in Secondary School. Teachers have had a coordinated approach to visiting each other’s classrooms as an opportunity for us to collaborate, share and learn from one another through opening our classrooms. It has been wonderful to hear teachers reflect on the ‘Wow’ moments they observed in each other’s classrooms on our very own iLearn Discussion. Below is just a small sample of some of the comments teachers have shared with each other:

“The teacher’s patient and caring approach in this class was amazing. Students felt as though they were able to make mistakes and all the students supported each other’s learning.”

“One of my ‘Wow’ moments was the teacher’s questioning skills which enabled each student to provide their ideas and think even deeper.”

“I was impressed with the students’ positive response to feedback and their willingness to take on board any advice. These interactions reflected a relationship of trust and respect between the teacher and students.”

In addition, around ten teachers also volunteered to “Shadow a Student” for a part of their day. The aim of this initiative was for teachers to “step in the shoes” of a student for a day, gain a better understanding of the schooling experience from a student’s perspective and have an authentic observation of student learning across various departments and classes. I had the great pleasure of shadowing Sarah in Yr 8 for half a day. Not only did I learn a lot from our double Maths and Science lessons, but I also appreciated the opportunity to sit in the playground at morning break with Sarah and her friends and hear their views of the School. Thank you, Sarah, for allowing me to step into your shoes as a learner for a day and to all of the teachers for opening up their classrooms to each other over the past few weeks.

Greenlands Week

This week the Secondary School is celebrating Greenlands Week, where we are focusing on the many and varied issues facing our environment and some of the strategies we can enact to make a difference. On Tuesday we had our Greenlands Week assembly led by our Environment Captains, Alice MacDonald and Ben Piro, where we focused on environmental issues and what we can do to make a difference both here at School and in the wider community. Today we held a waste audit at lunch to more closely examine our impact in the environment and look at how we can enact our own war on waste. Tonight we are also hosting a special screening of the film, 2040. The film explores what the world could look like by the year 2040 if we embraced the best solutions already available to us to improve our planet. Students and families across both campuses of the school are invited to this special community screening on at 6.00pm at the Orpheum Theatre. You can book your tickets here or buy tickets at the door and all proceeds will go towards environmental initiatives at Redlands. And finally, we will be holding a mufti day tomorrow, Friday 6 September. With a gold coin donation, students may wear green or animal themed attire on the day. All proceeds will go to the Giraffe Conservation Program at Taronga Zoo.

Blackmores Running Festival: Redlands Team

The Blackmore’s Running Festival is on Sunday 15 September and Redlands is participating in it for the second year to raise awareness for mental health and all proceeds will go to one of Australia’s leading mental health supporters, Headspace.  We invite students, staff and parents to walk, jog or run as part of the Redlands team: Redlands Headspace 2019. You can choose to run the marathon or the half-marathon under the Redlands team; however, most participants will be participating in the 10km Bridge Run (Group C) with an 8.00am start time. The team will meet beforehand in Bradfield Park and we encourage runners to wear pink on the day. You can register to run here or, if you are unable to run, you can still make donations to the Redlands fundraising page here. Thank you in advance for your support.

Uniform Shop

A reminder to parents to check their children’s summer uniform for Term 4.  We now have stock of summer dresses, grey shorts and short sleeve shirts, so come and see us before the rush. 

Don’t forget you can order uniforms online from Flexischools by visiting Flexischools. Orders can be delivered to the Prep and Junior School or you can collect them from the Uniform Shop.

Please note the Uniform Shop will be closed for Stocktake on Wednesday 18 September.

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