Year 7

This Week

Congratulations once more to our talented Yr 7 Debating team at the Debating Semi Finals and Grand Finals. A description of the event is provided by Aleisha Lawrence (Yr 11):

  • Redlands presented the case that “Media bias and fabricated personal information sways election results, personal information negatively impacts the family members of politicians (the key example presented was the statements released about Bill Shorten’s mother prior to the election) and most of the information clouds the public’s ability to vote for politicians that serve their best interest”. Whilst it was an impressive debate on both sides, represented by the adjudication panels split decision, the opposition won at the end of the night. We commend the Yr 7 debaters Kabir Yohannan, Sophia Rolon, Sholto Mirrlees-Black, Rafferty Heard, Arya Gapaillard and Annie Zhang on making it to the ISDA Semi Finals. 
  • The FED 7B team debated the topic “That we should ban school report cards” in the SDN Grand Final, on the affirmative. They presented the case that alternate methods such as “effort tracking” are preferable to the traditional report card method. This was a nail-biting Grand Final with a split decision by the adjudicators which unfortunately did not go in Redlands’ favour. The Redlands team, Jocelyn Wang, Ruby Voyce, Anneka Steele, Flynn Kieran and Jack Keogh, were gracious in defeat and should be very proud of their achievements.

Congratulations to all of our athletes and spirited students who participated and competed in the various events this week at the Athletics Carnival. Special recognition goes to the following students for their incredible performances and overall points earned in their various events: Xander Halfen, Liam McFarlene, Sophia Rolon, Ruby Voyce, Grace Durrant, Eva Osborn, Henry Charles and Isaac Brooks. 

We wish our Yr 7 students Rafferty Heard, Daisy Thomas, Zara Clement, Madeleine Wilson and Sienna Leisk all the best at Winter School next term as they improve their skiing and snowboarding while embracing life in Jindabyne with fellow Redlands students. It is a wonderful experience and we encourage them to make the most of this opportunity.  We look forward to hearing all about it when they return in Term 4. 

Term 2 Pastoral Care: Hitting Our Stride

Students are continuing to focus on refining their habits, study skills and other tools for success by revisiting many ideas introduced to them in Term 1 and adding a few new ones to their repertoire. The Yr 7 Pastoral Program has been designed to include strategies and ideas from: Burn Bright Program, Pru Salter’s Study Skills, 7 Habits of  Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey and feedback from our wonderful Yr 7 cohort.  This week includes:

Monday – Chapel
Tuesday – Athletics Carnival 
Wednesday – End of Peer Support Celebration in Tutor Rooms
Thursday – Year Meeting in Gym
Friday – End of Term Assembly 

Pru Salter’s Weekly Tip

Learn more at www.studyskillshandbook.com.au. Our school’s subscription details are – Username: redlands; Password: 68results

Peer Support

A huge thank you to our amazing Yr 11 Peer Support Leaders who ran Friday sessions throughout Terms 1 and 2 with our Yr 7 students. The program was designed to incorporate meaningful and important topics to support students in Yr 7, including bullying, female and male role models, peer pressure and much more. 

Debating Workshops in Semester 2

Masters Academy is the largest private supplier of communication education to schools in NSW. With a network of over 70 trained coaches, including some of the best speakers in Australia, Masters Academy specialises in building communications confidence and getting results for students of all ages.

This program provides hands-on, exciting learning experiences for your child which will not only give them a great insight into the world of Debating, but will also teach them core skills such as confidence, public speaking and essay writing techniques. Workshops are one hour long and will be held on Wednesday afternoons from 3.30 – 4.30pm. Each workshop group will be staffed by our expert Debating coaches who will provide ongoing support for students whilst they learn and put into practice new skills throughout the term, teaching them structures and using a wide variety of enjoyable activities to develop their speaking skills.

Masters Academy is a registered Creative Kids Supplier, which entitles parents to a $100 rebate for Debating Club. Please contact info@mastersacademy.com.au or call 8283 2905 for more details. Masters Academy is open to holding additional sessions (numbers permitting) at a more suitable time. Register interest with Masters Academy here if you can’t make it on a Wednesday.

Other Announcements and Upcoming Events
  • Yr 7 Parent Teacher Night 31 July is a chance to touch base with each classroom teacher for a five minute interval of time and receive a brief overview of your child’s performance and progress. If there are any concerns needing more than the allotted five minute time allocation, please request a separate meeting or phone call at a different time with a specific teacher. 
  • Thank you for the parent communication this week for the Athletics Carnival. It is imperative that we are aware of each child’s location and means of transportation when they are in our care. If students do need to leave early, arrive late or ride with another student during a Carnival, please ensure a note is always sent to Secondary School Absences and include the Year Advisors and Tutor in the email as we are at the event with your child. 
  • If you are ever concerned about what shows your teen may be watching, consider looking into how to set Parent Controls on Netflix.
  • eSafety Parents and Carers (eSafety Commissioner) provides tips and advice on helping your child have safe and enjoyable experiences online. Parents and Cybersafety (Education Vic) provides some sound advice on family media agreements.
  • This is a reminder that students should not be staying on Campus after school hours unless participating in a school-related activity. Students are expected to go home at 3.20pm for their safety. 
  • Athletics and Waterpolo photos are on 12 September.

Ms Alissa Ynson
Yr 7 Advisor (Acting)
9968 9863
aynson@redlands.nsw.edu.au