Redlands House/Transition Gold
Please note that all Upcoming Events for Redlands House/Transition Gold are on the Prep/RH Upcoming Events Note Day page.
Community Spirit
Community spirit was in abundance at the New Starters Afternoon Tea and Twilight Cocktail events held over the past two weeks. The Redlands Parents and Friends Association, together with the School, welcomed families of students who were new to Redlands this year. Both events provided opportunities for families to learn more about Redlands life and meet parents and staff of the School. At the New Starters Afternoon, Michelle Tea, RPFA President and Dana Casimaty, Director of Development welcomed guests and introduced our vibrant, unique and international community. Children enjoyed delicious cakes, fruit and icy poles on a warm afternoon. The Twilight Cocktail evening was extremely well represented by Preparatory School families and Principal, Mr Stephen Webber introduced himself to the community sharing his background in education and his motivation and excitement to join Redlands. Alumni Greta Argyropoulos (Class of 2017) and Christopher Blundell (Class of 2013) delighted guests with their wonderful performances. Events such as these would not be possible without key members of staff and I would like to thank Rebecca Mackay, the School’s Events Coordinator and the Facilities and Maintenance teams for their behind the scenes preparation. This week also held the first Preparatory School Parent Coordinator Group meeting for the year. Thank you to Bree Stevens and Lucienne Willis for their coordination of this group and to the parents who have given their time to organise various social functions for their class and cohort, for the year ahead.
April Vacation Care
If you would like your child to attend the April Vacation Care program, please visit Redlands Pulse to preview the activity plan. The Flexischools website will be open on Monday 9 March at 12.00pm to make your bookings. Please contact the OOSH Coordinator, Trinetta Newbond, with any Vacation Care or After School Care queries.
Seniors and Transition Gold Parent Teacher Interviews
Redlands House Seniors and Transition Gold Parent Teacher Interviews take place in Week 8 this term. Bookings can be made with your child’s teacher via the School Interviews website from Monday 2 March to Friday 6 March. Go to www.schoolinterviews.com.au and enter the code 58kwr. Please enter your details, select the teacher and the time that suits your family best.
Community Garden
Redlands House has a wonderful community garden at the top of the playground. The children have a wonderful time caring for this space, learning a variety of skills while having lots of fun growing plants and vegetables. Gardening assists children learn how to care for their environment, as well as develop Maths and Science concepts, in a way that builds both self-confidence and responsibility. To enable this project to be successful, we rely on parent helpers. If you are able to assist in any way, please let staff know. One of the teachers and the children usually tend the garden between 8.30 – 9.00am once or twice a week.
Paint on Clothes
Every day the children have numerous opportunities to be creative with a variety of resources. Although the children are required to wear an apron whilst engaging in these activities, paint can sometimes make its way onto their uniforms. Some parents have mentioned that they have difficulty removing these stains. Please find the following washing instructions from the manufacturer of the paint.
Washing Instructions – Soak garment, wash in warm water with detergent or Wondersoap. Use of stain removers may make stain removal more difficult.
Orange Class News
Orange Class Seniors have returned to Preschool to discover some exciting new creatures have started at Redlands. Ladybugs have moved in to the veggie patch much to the students delight. This discovery has sparked enthusiasm to uncover, observe and investigate all small creatures in our playground from the bees, the ladybugs, flies and ants. As the students explore the relationships we have with these living things, noticing and responding to change, they develop an awareness of the impact human activity has on environments and the interdependence of living things. This in turn supports students to become socially responsible and develop a lifelong respect for the environment in which we live.
To nurture this learning, the Orange Class teachers lead the Seniors through a Visible Thinking Routine, Think, Puzzle, Explore. This helps students connect to prior knowledge, to stimulate curiosity and to lay the groundwork for independent inquiry.
To promote scientific inquiry, we read from Eyewitness Natural World and looked thoughtfully at close up images of the creatures we had discovered. The Seniors engaged in discussions about what they could see, noticing similarities and differences between these creatures. Following this the Seniors, were provided with a wide range of mediums to express their knowledge and ideas, to further their meaning making.
Mrs Audrey Fellowes
Head of Preparatory School
afellowes@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9848