Year 7
Inducting our New Year 12 Leaders
This week was special one in the school calendar as we officially inducted our Yr 11 students into Yr 12, recognising them and the new student leadership team. Yr 7 watched the assembly with great focus, perhaps imagining themselves on the stage one day in the far distant future; however, as newly inducted school captain, Jasmine reflected as she spoke to the audience, it seemed like just yesterday that she was sitting on the floor as a Yr 7 student, watching the swearing in of her new Yr 12 Leadership team, and now she was on the stage. While there is a lot of time for Yr 7 between now and their own Yr 12 experience, I am sure it will come faster than any of us think.
New School Captains Isaac and Jasmine spoke with warmth, passion and humility to the assembly audience. They emphasised the importance of authenticity and affirmed that they will strive to be authentic and approachable captains. Their speech, including Jasmine’s revelation that she has a phobia of yoghurt and Isaac’s reflection that he really needs to work on his driving skills (not a good driver but definitely very driven!), certainly highlighted their authenticity. Our Head of School, Mr Corcoran, also supported this message of authenticity by discussing the powerful servant leader examples embodied by Nelson Mandela and Maya Angelou. There were some valuable messages offered for our Yr 7 cohort to reflect on.
The week has also been an important one for Yr 7 in building their study habits and in revising for their Week 3 Examinations. The aim of these Yearly Examinations for students in Yr 7 is not just about performance, but also about cultivating effective study habits and routines that will serve them well as they progress towards their Senior Studies. I am confident our Yr 7 cohort will learn a great deal from their experiences next week. While it may be a challenging week for some, it will build their resilience, organisation and work habits.
The Examination timetable can be found on the Yr 7 Pulse page.
Tutors have also been engaging in Growth Conversations with students across this week, with students reflecting on how to achieve their best in their study and examination preparation, and the examinations themselves, and also considering how best to show their care for others in light of our term value that ‘other people matter.’
It has been very pleasing to hear of the thought students have put into these conversations, particularly in light of their close consideration of what they want to achieve over the next few weeks. I would highly encourage you to ask your child/ren about these conversations, what their goals were and if there was anything that could be done to assist them to achieve these goals.
Theatresports Success!
Yesterday evening, our Year 7 Theatresports team competed against 8 schools at St Andrews Cathedral School at the Theatresports Schools Challenge. After some entertaining competition, the team placed First overall and will now perform at the finals!
This is a wonderful achievement and thee students are incredibly excited! Congratulations to the team of Sienna de Saxe, Fergus Kerr, Charlie Li, Clementine Roumanoff and Mackenzie Willis.
Thank you also to their Theatresports tutor, Amber Virtue, for doing such an exceptional job in training our students and building their confidence.
Debating Notice:
New Debaters
All students in Yrs 7-11 who are new to debating and would like to be considered for a 2024 competitive team need to trial this term. Please email Mrs Beggs and attend the RDC Trials from 3:30pm-5:30pm on the dates noted in the table on Pulse. If you are not sure whether you want to be on a team but would just like to have a go to see if debating is for you, this is your chance! Email Mrs Beggs to let her know!
Existing Debaters
All 2023 ISDA, FED, SDN, and RDC debaters are expected to come to internal (RDC) debating for the rest of term to keep up training, practice debates and feedback. Please arrive promptly at 3:30pm. These debates (your best ones) will also be used to inform team selection for 2024. If you are NOT wishing to attend or be considered for 2024 team selection, or if you will be running late due to a musical or other commitment, please let Mrs Beggs know via email.
For further information, please visit the Redlands Debating page on Pulse.
New Zealand Exchange Opportunity for T1 2024:
Next year, the school will be offering an opportunity for a student exchange to NZ in February and March. Four Yr 7 students will have the opportunity to travel to Kristin School near Auckland for three weeks in February, and the School, will in turn, host four Kristin students in March. Kristin is an independent coeducational school and has an extensive exchange program, in which we have participated for several years. Find out more.
Redlands students will travel to Auckland for three weeks from Saturday 3 February to Saturday 24 February 2024. Students will stay with a Kristin host family. They will attend the Kristin Year Group Camp for one of the three weeks and go to classes with their host partner for the remaining two. Kristin students will travel to stay with their exchange partner and family in Sydney from Saturday 2 March to Saturday 23 March. Kristin students will attend Year 8 camp with their partner in the first week, joining normal classes and activities after that.
This program would suit students who are fully involved in the life of the School, are prepared to be involved in the life of Kristin, and will be excellent ambassadors for Redlands when overseas. For further information and to provide an EOI, please visit Pulse.
Parent Seminar
Strength in Connections: Fostering Resilience, Self-confidence, and Healthy Relationships in Adolescents
In Week 4, our school counselling team will be holding another valuable session designed to support parents and caregivers of young people who might display heightened emotional reactions to stressful situations and peer conflicts. The workshop will provide information and practical strategies to assist parents and carers in nurturing resilience and a robust sense of self in our young students. The seminar is designed to offer ways to help your young person develop the skills needed to tackle challenges, boost their self-confidence, and navigate social relationships in a manner that fosters healthy connections with their peers.
The seminar will be in the Learning Hub (LH2.7 & LH2.8) on Tuesday 31 October from 5.30pm – 7.00pm, with nibbles and drinks available between 5.30pm – 6.00pm. For further information and to register your attendance, please visit Pulse.
Term 4 Key Dates and Upcoming Events
- Week 3: Yr 7 Examination block begins.
Mr Jimmy Tod-Hill
Year 7 Advisor
jtodhill@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9908 6462