Redlands House/Transition Gold

• Print

Thank You

It is with mixed emotions that I write my final Note Day for Redlands. I am happy to be moving to Brisbane to be closer to family and to have the opportunity to lead a P-6 school, but equally sad to leave the Redlands community which I have been so grateful to be a part of. There are defining moments in one’s life and working alongside an exceptional team whilst leading the Prep School at Redlands has been one of mine. From my first day three and a half years ago, I was impressed by the warmth and sincerity of this community. It has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to work and learn with an outstanding staff, a dedicated and caring parent group and truly exceptional students. I am proud of the journey we have shared together, and the many accomplishments made for the benefit of our students and families. I have been deeply moved by the kind, farewell gatherings that the community have organised. Due to the current climate these will not be going ahead, but I take with me your lovely words, emails and cards, which together with many special moments, will hold a lifetime of memories. I would like to sincerely thank the Redlands Board and Executive without whose infinite support and guidance, we could not have been as successful with implementing so many initiatives. I have no doubt that the Prep School will continue to flourish under the leadership of Mrs Breckenridge and be a vibrant place where our School’s vision is upheld and will rise to the challenges of educating children in a changing world.

A genuine and heartfelt thank you to staff, parents and students in the School community for their understanding, calmness and supportiveness of both one another in these extraordinary times. Despite the gravity of events, it also presents an opportunity to show the richness and uniqueness of our school community through our ongoing warmth and compassion with one another. The School is very aware of the impact, particularly in our diverse international community, where loved ones are abroad and the anxiety this may cause.

In my 2018 Prep Presentation Day address, I shared a story about the importance of being grateful for what we have and remembering that each day is a gift in our lives. Most certainly the last few weeks have made me reflect on this. I promised some families that I would share the story once again, before I left.

If we’ve learned anything this year it’s understanding that there are no guarantees in life, life is unexpected and passes us by quickly. There was a 92 year old woman who reminded me about the importance of happiness and to be grateful for the life we have. She would wake up every morning and dress herself, put on her make-up and do her hair perfectly. One morning she was moving to a nursing home because her husband of 70 years had just passed. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she moved with her walker to the elevator a nurse provided a visual description of her tiny room.

“I love it”, she stated.

“Mrs Jones you haven’t even seen the room…just wait”, said the nurse.

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it”, she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged, it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up – I have a choice. I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones I do. Each day is a gift and as long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day and the happy memories I’ve stored away just for this time in my life.” She went on to explain, “old age is like a bank account you withdraw from what you’ve put in”.

Remote and Online Learning: Friday 20 March

As you will be aware from the letter of 17 March (also on Redlands Pulse), our Junior and Senior Campuses (Preschool-Yr 12) are closed tomorrow to allow us to run a whole school day with remote and online learning. Our teachers will be at school to continue to plan, deliver and oversee learning and the students will learn from home. 

This arrangement will enable us to refine our remote learning processes and also support students who are currently at home and not able to attend school, either through illness or parental choice to keep them at home for a range of reasons.

Please note the following points of information to support this trial process tomorrow:

• All students will be assumed to be present for learning on Friday unless parents notify the class teacher that their child is unwell via the normal process of contacting the class teacher and the Redlands House Reception.
• Whilst there is flexibility with the learning environment at home and understand certain constraints with Preschool age students, we strongly encourage you to follow their normal morning routine and expectation to get dressed into appropriate clothes for learning.
• Find a space at home that supports your child to learn at their best and still be close to you or whoever is looking after them.
• Please contact your child’s teacher or Mrs Huon if you are having any difficulties with accessing Storypark.
• Encourage regular breaks from learning for them to eat, stay hydrated and be active.

Student Arrival and Departure 

With no activities currently in place before and after school until further notice, please be reminded that students should arrive to school at 8.00am and be collected at 3.20pm. We had a large group of students playing unsupervised on the oval from 7.40am yesterday which presents a number of concerns.

Parents and Carers on Campus

In the current climate, parents are asked to minimise time on the Campus at both drop off and collection time. Please avoid congregating on the School grounds after the bell has rung and leave the Campus promptly after the end of the day. Your support and cooperation with this measure is appreciated.

ACECQA – Assessment and Rating

As you may be aware, Redlands House has recently undergone Assessment and Rating by ACECQA, our governing body. Whilst we await the results, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of all staff throughout the process and particular thanks to Year Coordinator, Mrs Huon and Educational Leader, Mrs Thomas who supported all staff. Thanks also to the parents and families for their help and encouragement. Our relationships with pivotal people in the lives of our students was evident, with one assessor commenting, “You can see the love and the trust.” We hope to receive our Assessment and Rating Report before the end of Term 1 which we will share with the community.

Playing in the Prep School Playground

Many of the Redlands House families wait for older siblings at the Prep School after collecting children from Redlands House. For safety reasons, we do not allow children to play in the Prep School playground, or on the climbing equipment. Over the last few weeks several children, who are out of sight and hearing distance from their responsible adult, have had accidents in the playground. Please ensure you keep the children in your line of sight at all times.

Winter Uniform for Term 2

A reminder to families as we draw towards the end of Term 1, and the weather turns cooler, it is time to start thinking about winter uniform requirements. For Redlands House children this means a long sleeve yellow shirt with tracksuit pants, fleecy vest or fleecy jumper. For girls opting to wear tights under their skort, please make sure they are navy blue. Please also remember that the children will still require a hat each day.

Mrs Audrey Fellowes
Head of Preparatory School
afellowes@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9848