Year 10

Welcome

I would like to warmly welcome all Yr 10 students and their families back to the start of the school year for 2019. Yr 10 is positioned to be a most exciting year and it must be said that this is a pivotal time for students as they prepare for the senior years of high school. Your children have achieved much in the past three years, they have forged new friendships, developed strong working relationships with teachers and peers and have immersed themselves in the dynamic environment of the Secondary School. This year, students will be encouraged to further develop their skills as independent, self-motivated and curious learners. Yr 10 presents as a marvelous opportunity for students to try something new, to engage in a new cocurricular opportunity or to play a new sport. Students will continue to benefit from our strong Tutor program under the guidance of the Yr 10 Pastoral team. We ask that you encourage your sons and daughters to maintain a meaningful dialogue with their Tutor teachers, particularly around goal setting as well as a preparedness to discuss impediments or areas which may warrant further development. I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Robert Skinner to the Yr 10 Pastoral team. Mr Skinner will be the Tutor teacher for 10 Cowper Blue and he is a long-standing member of the Redlands community. He has a wealth of experience teaching both the HSC and IB programs of study and has been an assessor in all forms of History in both these programs. He has been both a Tutor and a Year Advisor for Yrs 10, 11 and 12 and is attuned to the needs of students in their senior years of high school. We feel very lucky that our students will share in his depth of experience. As we begin the year, I would like to encourage you to connect with your child’s Tutor teacher or with myself should you have any concerns. I wish you all well for the year ahead.

New Students

We are thrilled to welcome 10 new students into the Yr 10 cohort this year: Rio Jones, Emily Batemyr, Lachlan Green, Tess Lindsay, Julia Parker, Emily Pashley, Megan Price, Mia Ramsey, Charlotte Robertson and Jasmine Chady. In addition, we are pleased to welcome back Michael Fowler and Phoenix Swann. These students are coming to us from New Zealand, India, Hong Kong, interstate and the Sydney region. I would like to extend a very warm Redlands welcome to these new students and their families.

Approaches to Learning Conversations

I hope both students and parents found Tuesday’s Approaches to Learning conversations very worthwhile. I feel this is a great opportunity for students to refocus at the beginning of the school year and to develop further motivation to progress both academically and personally. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms Rachel Beggs, Ms Simone Bryant, Ms Elizabeth Scott, Ms Elizabeth Keogh, Mr Robert Skinner, Ms Naoko Abe, Ms Anna Alan and Ms Arienne Brodie for their extensive preparation and professional approach to these interviews. If any issues were raised during these conversations that you may feel require further support, please do not hesitate to email me to make an appointment.

Student Achievements

I am always appreciative of students and parents who share news of student achievements. It is lovely to be able to recognise our students in the weekly Note Day and at our fortnightly Year Meetings. Please do be in touch with news of your son and daughter this year, I look forward to sharing the strengths and achievements of our Yr 10 students.

George Murphy has continued his diligent approach to his Snowsports training over the Christmas holiday break. George spent the last five weeks in Winter Park Colorado as part of an elite mogul team of Australian skiers known as AUMSA (Australian Mogul Skiing Academy). He is the youngest in the group and they train five days out of seven each week and undertake a stringent routine of on-snow and off-snow training with regulated rest times and a carefully controlled diet. Some of the off-snow activities included yoga, daily stretching, swimming, gymnastics, trampoline training and general strength and conditioning in the local gym. We congratulate George for his efforts over the break and look forward to hearing his competition results as the year progresses.

Key Dates

Secondary School Photographs (Yr 10) – Monday 4 February
Yr 10 Tertiary Education Meeting – Monday 11 February 
Secondary School Swimming Carnival – Tuesday 19 February 
Secondary School Cross Country Carnival – Thursday 4 April 
Secondary School Athletics Carnival – Tuesday 25 June 
Yr 10 Camp Myall Lakes – Term 4, Week 5, 11-15 November 

Careers

The Tertiary Education Meeting for Yr 10 students and parents will be held on Monday 11 February. Each of the senior years will have a dedicated timeslot during this evening, Yr 10 from 6.00 – 6.40pm. Ms Simone Salier will use this time to disseminate important information relating to the Career Assessment Program, Bridge-U (IT platform for university and career readiness), Industry Visit Day and Career readiness structure which is embedded within our Pastoral Program. At this time in the learning journey students should be beginning to think about their future path and Ms Simone Salier is a wonderful mentor for students. Should you have any questions or queries about careers or university options for your son/ daughter, please do not hesitate to contact Ms Salier  to discuss or make an appointment.

School Photos

School photographs are scheduled to be taken by advancedlife on Monday 4 February (Yrs 8 to 12). Please note blazers are required this Monday for the photographs. A range of packages are available and orders will need to be completed online prior to photographs being taken. Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please direct them via email to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au

To order, please go to advancedlife and enter the code NWL 4NR ETY.

Ms Sarah Matthews
Yr 10 Advisor
smatthews@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9908 6494