Head of Secondary School

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Yr 12 Celebratory Events

This week we have held a number of events to celebrate and recognise the achievements of our Yr 12 students as they come to the end of their Redlands journey. This year, some of these events have been altered due to COVID-19 restrictions and we will now be holding their Formal, their Final Secondary School Assembly and their Valedictory and Prize Giving Evening in the week after they complete their final HSC and IB Examinations. More specific information about these events will be sent to Yr 12 parents in the coming weeks.

However, this week has still been filled with some special events for the Class of 2020 to celebrate their achievements. On Monday we held our final Yr 12 Chapel Service where their Assistant Year Advisor, Ms Wilson, and our Chaplain, Ms Lihou, shared with them messages of hope and support. On Tuesday, instead of our usual Boat Cruise for Yr 12, we organised an Activities Day at the Macquarie University Sports Fields where the Yr 12 students could join their Tutors and other staff members in fun-filled games and activities in a relaxed atmosphere. Yesterday, we held a special assembly for Yr 12 students where they were able to view many different recorded messages of support and appreciation from staff and students across both campuses, as well as some outside messages of encouragement, too. Students also heard reflections from Mr Webber, Mr Atkins and me before they headed off to prepare for their final examinations over this break.

As I said to them in the assembly, I have been struck by how, as a Year Group, they have continued to rise to the many challenges they have faced this year with grace, determination and positivity. They have set an example of true leadership for the rest of the school community to follow. I also reminded them of three messages I shared with them a year ago at their Yr 11 camp which are even more pertinent for them now.

1. Remember you are stronger now than you were twelve months ago because of the challenges and obstacles you have faced and overcome to get this far.
2. Aim to live life with no regrets, both your school life by finishing strong these last few weeks, but also your life after Redlands.
3. Remember you have the support of your extended family of classmates, staff, parents and loved ones, over these final few months of school and for many, many years to come.

It has been a true privilege working closely with the students from the Class of 2020 this year, and I wish them all the best in their lead up to the final HSC and IB Examinations next term.

Yr 12 2021 Leaders

As the Class of 2020 finish their time as school leaders at the end of this term, the Class of 2021 take on these leadership roles and responsibilities from the beginning of next term. Yesterday we informed Yr 11 students of their leadership positions for next year and we will announce these positions to the Secondary School community in a special assembly on our first day of Term 4 on Monday 12 October. We are very proud and excited by the leadership potential of all students in the Class of 2021 and look forward to seeing how they lead the School over the next year.

We also understand that there will be some current Yr 11 students who will be disappointed as they have been unsuccessful in attaining a desired leadership position. However, we are pleased to note that in the new leadership model for this next year, all students who have put their name forward to be considered for a Prefect position, will still be able to assume the duties and responsibilities of this leadership role from the beginning of Term 4. We are thrilled to see so many current Year 11 students express an interest in this role in the new leadership system, and we are pleased that all students will now have the opportunity to illustrate their leadership over their final year of schooling. The final Prefect confirmations will not take place until towards the end of Year 12. 

We are confident that all students from the Class of 2021 will continue to conduct themselves as exemplary leaders, role models and ambassadors of Redlands over the next twelve months. We look forward to supporting and encouraging them as they fulfill these important responsibilities of a Year 12 student at Redlands.

Gala Arts

As mentioned in last week’s Note Day, while we were not permitted to have the usual Term 2 Gala Arts competition at the Concourse this year, last weekend we still had the finalists across the different disciplines competing for House honours at various venues around School. I would like to congratulate all students who made the finals of this annual prestigious arts and House competition, and we all look forward to viewing the final Gala Arts video when it becomes available early next term. I would also like to thank all of the staff for their efforts in making this event a reality within the current COVID-19 environment.

Senior Vocal Competition

Congratulations to all of the students in Yrs 7-12 who performed in the Senior Vocal Competition on Monday evening. It was great that some of our musicians had the opportunity to perform to a limited live audience but a larger virtual audience. Special congratulations to the winners:

Debating

Last week our final Debating competition of the year came to a close. It has been an interesting season for our debaters as they have moved back and forth between virtual and live debates over these past six months. However, our Debating program is stronger than ever with increased participation across the Year Groups and successful results. A special congratulations to our two Yr 8 Debating teams who were runner-ups in the SDN Competition last Friday. I would like to thank Ms Simone Bryant for her leadership of the Debating program over these past four years which has seen it flourish. Ms Bryant will be stepping down from her role as Coordinator of Debating at the end of this year and we will announce a new Coordinator of Debating in due course.

Staffing Updates

We would like to take this opportunity to update you on some staffing changes that will come into effect from the beginning of Term 4. Firstly, we wish Ms Carolyn Shaw all the best as she begins her maternity leave at the end of this term and prepares for the birth of her first child. We are pleased to confirm that Ms Marita Jansons will be the acting Dean of Students during Ms Shaw’s maternity leave, and we are fortunate to have such an experienced Year Advisor able to step into this role. From the beginning of next term, we are also pleased to announce that Mr Nick Walker will be the Acting Yr 9 Year Advisor. Mr Walker has been the Assistant Year Advisor for the current Yr 11 Year Group in recent years and we will be confirming someone to step into this role early next term. In addition, please note that Mr Brad Horner has resigned towards the end of this term and we are currently working to cover his classes and Tutor Group in Term 4. We will also be advertising for an ongoing Science teacher to commence in the beginning of 2021. Furthermore, we would like to thank Ms Danielle Bunday for covering for Ms Elizabeth Scott in Science over the past term and we wish Ms Bunday well in her future pursuits. Finally, we would like to thank Mr Kevin Fenger for all of his contributions to the Innovative Design Department this year. Mr Fenger will be taking up a teaching position much closer to his home from the beginning of next term. We welcome Ms Angela Malek to Redlands in Term 4. Ms Malek is an experienced Computer Science and Innovative Design teacher who will be picking up many of Mr Fenger’s classes next term.     

New PE Uniform

We are delighted to announce that we will be introducing an updated PE uniform from the start of Term 4 this year.

Feedback from the last Uniform survey identified a number of quality and styling issues with the current PE uniform which have been addressed with this updated uniform. The new uniform is made from UltraDry fabric which is super lightweight, breathable, moisture absorbent, quick drying and has UV protection. The styling reflects the school tracksuit and there are there are the following styling/fit options:

PE Tops: unisex and girls (available Term 4 2020)
PE Shorts: unisex long length (available Term 4 2020); unisex mid length (available Term 4 2020 in current fabric; Term 1 2021 in new fabric)  

We request that from Term 4 2021, all students are in the new PE uniform – in the meantime, they may continue to wear their current PE uniform.

Black Dog Fundraiser

Redlanders Hugh Smylie, Elizabeth Lee, Jasmine Zhou and Lily Wickham from the Class of 2018 are taking part in an 80km walk on October 9 to raise money and awareness for mental health through the Black Dog Institute – an organisation dedicated to understanding, preventing and treating mental illness. Improving mental health has been a focus for the Secondary School over these past few years and it is great to see recent alumni continuing their commitment in this space. If you would like to make a donation to them in support of this worthy cause please follow this link.

Term 3 Holiday Wishes

It has been wonderful to observe the many and varied accomplishments of our students this term and to see them continue to flourish in many different pursuits, despite some of the challenges we have all faced. I hope they and you can enjoy some downtime over the break and we look forward to seeing the students returning to campus for the commencement of Term 4 on Monday 12 October.

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