Year 10

Remote Learning

Remote learning has begun this week and I have been really impressed with Yr 10s organisational skills and mature approach to this new learning platform. Several teachers have commented about how engaged and hard-working the students are. Last Friday and this Wednesday Mr Dong and I held a whole Year Group Zoom meeting and it was wonderful to see everyone’s smiling faces on screen.

Student Wellbeing

As educators, the wellbeing of our students underpins all that we do, and this is particularly evident during times like we are experiencing now. The resilience that students, staff and families have, and are, demonstrating is exceptional and it further reminds us of the importance of the ability to regulate our emotions, cope when dealing with difficult situations and adapt when necessary. We have certainly seen our students demonstrate these specific skills over the past few weeks, and we are incredibly proud of them for this, and many more reasons.

Pastoral Support

We wanted to take this opportunity to remind parents that all of the usual support services are still available, although they may look a little different.  Tutors, Year Advisors, senior Counsellors, Dean of Students and the Chaplain are available as pastoral supports. Students can email these supports directly or through wellbeing@redlands.nsw.edu.au and staff will respond accordingly during school hours.

Our Counsellors are also currently developing a Pastoral Support iLearn page with a variety of different resources, which will be available next week. Parents are also welcome to email any of these supports if you are concerned about your son or daughter, or just need some advice abot how to support them.

Pastoral Program

We have informed the students that they need to check the Yr 10 Pastoral page every morning before their first lesson begins at 8.20am, as any important announcements will be communicated to the Year Group on this page.

The Yr 10 Pastoral team have been working hard to modify our Pastoral Care and Social Awareness programs and the format of the Tutor Group and Year Group meetings in light of the current situation. I would like to thank Mr Dong and all of the Tutors for their dedication and flexibility at this time, and the Yr 10 teachers who are working hard to change all their practices into remote online sessions. It has been a steep learning curve for all of us!

The Tutor sessions each day are a very important aspect of the student’s remote learning day, as it is a time to connect with their Tutor and members of their group during this time when they are socially isolated. The Pastoral program will be as follows:

Check-in Monday – Tutor Groups will have a Zoom meeting from their Tutor, during which they will have the opportunity to chat to each other and their Tutors. Tutors may also use this opportunity to have individual and/or small group sessions. This is an important time for Tutors to see how each student is managing with their new virtual world and also a chance for them to catch up as a group and have a casual chat.

Pastoral Tuesday – Tutor Groups will accept a Zoom meeting from their Tutor’s Pastoral page and the Tutor will run a Pastoral program similar to what we have currently been running, based on how young people can develop resilience, which is even more pertinent now.

Active Wednesday – The whole Year Group will have a Zoom meeting together and Mr Dong and I will run a Year Group meeting and also a physical activity session, showing them short video clips that they can also join in with.

Social Awareness Thursday – Tutor Groups will have a Zoom meeting with their Tutors and continue working on their Youth Homelessness projects.

Chapel Friday – Tutor Groups will have a meeting through Zoom with their Tutor and then be directed to a pre-recorded video message from the School Chaplain, Ms Lihou. This will also include some short activities to complete.

Chapel

As with other aspects of our school routine, Chapel will continue, albeit in a slightly different format. Each week our Chaplain will record a message for the students that they can access through the Chapel iLearn page. Students will be guided to this by their Tutor and are encouraged to participate in reflection activities after they have watched the video.

SchoolTV

The most recent Special Report from SchoolTV provides parents and caregivers with some guidelines on how best to navigate this time of transition with minimal disruption. Please click on this link to access information on resilience. 

Online Study Skills

Dr Salter has added a new section to the Study Skills Handbook: Tips for Remote Home Learning. Please click on this link for further information: Username: redlands; Password: 68results

Ms Rebecca Mountain
Yr 10 Advisor
rmountain@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9908 6462