Head of Secondary School

HSC or IB?

On Wednesday evening we held our Yr 10 into Yr 11 Subject Information Evening. This event was an opportunity for parents and students to hear from Secondary School leaders, Subject Coordinators and individual teachers about the various courses and subjects available to students in Yrs 11 and 12. At Redlands, we are very fortunate that our students have the choice of either enrolling in the Higher School Certificate or the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme for their final two years of study. While an increasing number of schools are exploring the IB as an option of study for their senior students, at Redlands the IB is just “part of what we do” as we were the first school in Sydney to offer the IB 30 years ago.

We realise that students and parents are having many conversations about whether the HSC or the IB is the best course for them. While Yr 10 students will be making this choice over the next few weeks, we thought it would be beneficial for parents in Yrs 7-9 to hear some of the messages we are sharing with Yr 10 families so they have the best information in the lead up to senior studies.

Firstly, the IBDP and HSC are both highly regarded programs of study that allow students to achieve academic success and their own academic “personal bests” which will best prepare them for their next stage if life after Secondary School. However, some of the key differences between the two programs are the following:

The HSC is the leaving certificate for all students in NSW who complete Secondary School. The HSC caters to a wide range of students who use their degree for a variety of post-school opportunities. While the majority of students use the HSC to gain an ATAR which will allow them direct entry into undergraduate university programs, the HSC also caters for students who are looking for entry into TAFE programs or are moving directly into the workforce. The IBDP is an international program studied by approximately 150,000 students worldwide. It is a mission-based program which focuses on preparing students for direct entry into undergraduate university programs.
The HSC is comprised of two separate “one year” courses. The Preliminary HSC course actually covers the first three terms of Yr 11 while the HSC course covers Term 4 of Yr 11 and the first three terms of Yr 12. The IBDP is a two year course covering both Yrs 11 and 12.
The HSC allows for more specialisation as the only mandatory course is English. The IBDP is a more generalist program as students have to choose subjects in six different “groups” (including an additional language) as well as complete other compulsory “core” elements.

In addition, there are some myths and misconceptions that we also debunked with Yr 10 parents and students on Wednesday evening. Some of these are:

“I can only achieve academic success in one program.” Students can achieve academic success and their academic “personal bests” in either the HSC or the IB.
“The School preferences one program over the other.” In terms of staffing, scheduling or other structures, Redlands does not preference one program over the other.”
“I need to stop doing cocurricular activities in Yrs 11 and 12 to perform well academically.” Redlands strongly believes in the values of a holistic education and we believe it is best for students to continue to pursue their cocurricular interests and passions in Yrs 11 and 12.”
“If I take the HSC I cannot apply for overseas universities.” While the IB is studied more widely around the world and is more known and recognised internationally, many students at Redlands and across NSW who complete the HSC are still able to apply for and successfully gain enrolment in overseas universities.
“I should only choose specific subjects because they scale well.” We strongly recommend students choose subjects they feel they are good at or enjoy.”

We encourage Yr 10 students and parents, as well as students and parents from Yrs 7-9 to speak to Dean of Studies, Mr Randall, Dean of IB, Mr Taylor, Subject Coordinators, teachers and Tutors if they have any further questions.

ISA Cross Country

Yesterday our Cross Country runners were tremendously successful at the ISA Cross Country Championships. Our Junior Girls team finished first and, for the first time in our history, our Senior Boys team finished first. Overall our girls finished second and our boys finished third. Individually, Olivia Vigneault (Yr 8) won the U14 Girls race and Emma Mahon (Yr 9) won the U15 Girls race, while Olivia Donoghue (Yr 9) finished 3^rd in the U15 Girls race. (A more complete summary of results will be included in next week’s Note Day.) Congratulations to all of the runners and coaches on these outstanding results!

Paul Dillon

On Tuesday, we were very fortunate to once again have Paul Dillon speak to students in Yrs 10, 11 and 12 as part of our Pastoral Care and wellbeing program. Paul is the Director and Founder of Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA) and has been a leader in the area of drug and alcohol education for the past 25 years. He works with many school communities across the country to ensure that they have access to good quality information and best practice drug and alcohol education. His talks at Redlands are always informative and well-received by the students.

Paul will also be holding a parent seminar Thursday 14 June from 6.00-7.30pm on Adolescents and Risk-Taking entitled, “Why do teens do the things they do and what can you do about it?”. This talk will have a different focus from last year’s talk to parents which received much favourable feedback. A letter will be sent out with further information on this seminar and we strongly encourage parents to attend.

Gala Arts

Tomorrow evening is Gala Arts at The Concourse, Chatswood from 6.30pm. Gala Arts is our annual Performing Arts festival, showcasing the plethora of talents of the diverse Redlands student body from Yrs 7 to 12 across the categories of vocal, theatre, instrumental and dance. Personally, I cannot wait to see many of our creative and performing arts students shine on stage in this friendly House competition and wish staff and students all the best for tomorrow night.

English

Poppi Kent, who is in Yr 11, should feel justifiably proud that she will be receiving a Merit Certificate for the story she submitted for the 2018 Nan Manefield Young Writers’ Award, which is run annually by the Stanton Library. The Mayor will be presenting the award next week. Poppi’s story, The Voices in My Head , is a sensitive portrayal of a young woman struggling to forge an identity independent of the constraints imposed upon her by society. Poppi’s impressive creation of a sustained narrative voice is one of the striking aspects of this work, as is her deft, and, at times, amusing, characterisation of Amy, her protagonist.

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