Year 7
Yr 7 Meet and Greet
It was wonderful to see you all at the Meet and Greet on Monday night. The Fahl Garden was abuzz with conversation as parents and teachers connected and chatted. It was lovely to have the opportunity to speak and talk about the Redlands philosophies for student growth and development in Yr 7. Of course the first year of high school is as much about the academic program as it is about building friendships and your child finding their tribe. It is about offering each student a broad range of experiences and opportunities. It really is a chance for them to taste, try and buy before they start refining their choices as they move into Yr 8.
In many ways Yr 7 Camp facilitated opportunities to try new things and to build connections. We tried hard to create an environment where there was an opportunity for students to move out of their comfort zone and we sought to create a balance between stretch and security. It was a chance for students to extend their friendship groups and to develop new relationships. The cocurricular program is another space where students can build new friendships in a more structured environment than perhaps the playground. Groups and clubs allow students to develop their skills and interests in a cross grade environment with like minds. I strongly encourage parents to talk about the cocurricular opportunities on offer for students. Queries can be directed to our Dean of Activities Mr Jon Gray jgray@redlands.nsw.edu.au
Yr 7 Camp
Yr 7 Vaccinations 2022
Each year NSW Health works in partnership with schools to offer the vaccines recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for adolescents as part of the school vaccination program.
In 2022 the following vaccines will be offered for Yr 7 students:
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine 2-doses at least 6 months apart
Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine Single dose
Parent Information Kits that include an information sheet, consent form and privacy statement have been handed to students this week to bring home to parents/guardians. To consent to the vaccination of their child, parents/guardians are advised to:• read all the information provided
• complete the consent form, including signing their name next to the vaccine/s they would like their child to receive
• return the completed consent form to their child’s school.
Parents please ensure:
• your child eats breakfast on the day of the school vaccination clinic
• your child does not attend school with any symptoms of Covid
Absent students
Please note that, to improve vaccination completion, students will be opportunistically offered catch-up vaccination for any missed doses. Any catch-up vaccination will be done on the same day as Year 7 and 10 clinics. They do not need to go to their GP for the missed vaccine.
Parents/guardians who later on wish to withdraw their consent after they have handed in the consent form can do so by writing to the school Principal or phoning the school. The Procedure for Withdrawal of Consent is available on the NSW Health website at www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/.
A Record of Vaccination will be provided to each student vaccinated at each clinic as a physical card. Details about vaccinations given at school will also be uploaded to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) to support complete vaccination histories. Parents can obtain this through the myGov website or the Express Plus Medicare Mobile app. (Anyone aged 14 years or older has to get their own statement.) https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/immunisation/getting-vaccinated/check-immunisation-history
The dates for vaccination the clinics are:
Visit 1 – Wednesday 6 April 2022: Year 7 HPV dose 1
Visit 2 – Thursday 26 May: 2022 catch up opportunity for Year 7 HPV dose 1
Visit 3 – Thursday 3 November 2022: Year 7 HPV dose 2 & dTpa
NAPLAN 2022
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills. Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in the annual tests in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. All NSW schools will sit NAPLAN online in 2022.
Our School will be participating in NAPLAN between 10 and 13 May 2022.
In preparation for NAPLAN, our Secondary School Year 7 and Year 9 students will also be participating in practice tests on Tuesday 22 March. The practice test is a trial run and key preparation activity for NAPLAN in May. It is not an assessment of student ability, and the tests will not be marked.
Excessive preparation for NAPLAN is not recommended. Students can use the public demonstration site (https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site) to familiarise themselves with the types of questions and tools available in NAPLAN.
If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please contact the Dean of Studies (Yrs 7-10), Ms Anna-Marie Rolon.
Ms Sarah Matthews
Yr 7 Advisor
smatthews@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9908 6494