Year 7

Key Dates

Swimming Carnival

Congratulations to all Yr 7 students who participated in the Secondary School Swimming Carnival. What a wonderful example of House spirit and courage. The level of cheering and encouragement across the Year Group for not only their peers, but their House was exceptional.  

It was exciting to note that Yr 7 had the highest level of participation across all Year Groups, and of course, a huge congratulations to Roseby who won the overall carnival. Students should be very proud of their efforts. Further congratulations to the following students:

• Eleanor Blankenstein (Aged Champion 12 Year old Girls)
• Charlotte Humphreys, Charlotte (Runner Up 12 Year old Girls)
• Charles Hargrave (Runner Up Aged Champion 12 Year old Boys)
• Angus McInnes (Runner Up Aged Champion 12 Year old Boys)
• Annabelle Hwang (Runner Up Aged Champion 13 Year old Girls)

We have eight students in Yr 7 who have been selected in the ISA Swim team: Eleanor Blankenstein, Charles Hargrave, Charlotte Humphreys, Annabelle Hwang, Angus McInnes, Alexander Ramsay, Georgina Williams and Sophie Yu. Well done to these students, and we wish you success at this next level of competition.

Homework

Students have now received their 2020 Assessment Handbooks (A guide for students and parents). Tutors will continue to focus on the organisation and planning methods required when looking at schedules for the year ahead. We appreciate your support at home with this to ensure we are not providing undue stress to an already busy transitional period for our Yr 7 cohort.  

This week, tutors have discussed with students the Redlands Homework Policy, as per page 17 of the Student Planner. Key points:

• Yr 7 – Up to 1 hour to 1.5 hours per day (averaged across a week).
• In Yr 7, no new home learning is set on Thursday night which is due on the following day (Friday). This evening is used to catch up on home learning tasks from the week.
• In Yrs 7-10, there will be no new home learning tasks set over the holidays.  

School Photographs

The following photographs will be taken by Advanced Life on Wednesday 11 March on the Senior Campus. Students are required to wear blazers.

• Sibling photos in the Redlands Hall from 7.15 – 8.20am.  Junior School siblings are welcome to have their photo taken on 11 March if they were unable to attend the Junior Campus sibling photo day last week.
• Yr 7 portrait photographs in the Redlands Hall from 10.30am.
• Cocurricular Dance and Debating during recess and lunch.

Order envelopes are available from the Secondary School Office and orders for photography packages can also be placed securely online at www.advancedlife.com.au using our School Order Code: NWL 4NR ETY. Portrait and group package orders are due by photography day. Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please direct them to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au.

NSW School Vaccination Program

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 2020 the following vaccines will be offered:

Parent information kits that include an information sheet, consent form and privacy statement will be sent home to parents/guardians at the end of Week 5. 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 Tutor before Friday 13 March.
• ensure that their child eats breakfast on the day of the school vaccination clinic.

Catch up vaccinations for absent Yr 7 students will be done on 11 June and 20 November. There is no need to go to the GP for these vaccines.

A Record of Vaccination card will be provided to each student vaccinated at each clinic. Parents/guardians should ensure that this record is kept for future reference and should not assume that their child has been vaccinated if they do not receive this Record of Vaccination. 

Assessments

The 2020 Assessment Handbook and Assessment Calendar are both available on Redlands Pulse and our iLearn Pastoral Care Page. The Assessment Handbook provides students with an overview of all policies particular to the year group along with subject overviews. The Assessment Calendar provides students with a timeline of assessment throughout the year.

Yr 7 Meet and Greet

Thank you for making the Yr 7 Meet and Greet evening so successful. It was wonderful for our staff to put a name to a face, and establish those connections that we see as so important in developing a productive partnership between home and school. If you have questions, seek information, guidance or clarity related to the school, subjects, pastoral matters or issues specific to your child, please make contact directly.

Parent Resource

Starting Secondary School by Michael Carr-Gregg and Sharon Witt

This is a parenting guide that deals with one of the most significant transition periods of a child’s life – starting secondary school.

‘We want to give you and your child the best opportunity to thrive in secondary school. By the end of this book you’re going to feel a whole lot more capable of dealing with what Year 7 throws at you.’

The jump between primary and secondary school marks one of the biggest transitions in a student’s life. It’s the point at which a child leaves the relatively safe cocoon of childhood and enters the wide world of adolescence. For both parents and their children, it can be a huge shock, as they encounter a minefield of serious issues to deal with – everything from peer and study pressures to phones, parties and beyond.

In this invaluable resource for Australian families, bestselling authors Michael Carr-Gregg and Sharon Witt provide all the tools and information you need for entering this turbulent and testing time. With warmth and wisdom, they offer latest advice on the following: Settling into secondary school; homework, study tips and tricks; coping with stress, anxiety and depression; social issues such as bullying and friendships; health and wellbeing, including the importance of sleep and diet; and latest advice on mobile phones and technology.

Starting Secondary School is a whole lot more complex than it once was, but this invaluable resource will help your family face this major milestone armed with knowledge and confidence.

Ms Lisa Vale
Yr 7 Advisor
9968 9837
lvale@redlands.nsw.edu.au