Year 8

Key Dates

Welcome back to the start of the new year, and most excitingly, the beginning of Yr 8. I hope that all families had a lovely Christmas break spent with family and friends. We also warmly welcome eight new students to our cohort: Charlie Fenton, Jayden Hannaford, Megan Kirkpatrick, Grace Matthews,  Arin Moya Jones, Hiro Phillips, Sonia Polok and William Thassim.

Effort Tracking

This week, students will have had a chance to go through their Approaches to Learning Reports from the end of last year. Students have met with their Tutors to reflect on the data, to target specific subjects, and to set new goals as they begin Term 1. We have been incredibly proud of the effort grades our students achieved last year; their hard work, persistence and dedication to achieve course outcomes was exceptional, and we look forward to further supporting them in this process.

Yr 8 Vaccinations Friday 5 February

The Northern Sydney Public Health Unit will be holding a NSW Schools Vaccination clinic on Friday 5 February to administer dose 2 of the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV) to Yr 8 students who began the NSW Schools Vaccination program in 2020. This will also be an opportunity to catch up any missed Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis vaccines (dTpa) for students who were unable to attend the clinic 2020. Students new to Yr 8 who have not received the HPV dose 1 and 2 vaccinations or the dTpa should contact their GP.

Parent Information Kits that included an information sheet, consent form and privacy statement were returned to the Year Advisors 2020. You do not need to complete anything further.

Redlands and The Northern Sydney Public Health Unit have added additional infection control measures within the program to help minimise viral transmission between students, nurses, and school staff.

In preparation for the clinic:

• Students who are not feeling well must be kept at home. Students who are sick, especially with any acute respiratory symptoms, will not be vaccinated. The nurse will perform a pre-vaccination assessment and determine the student’s suitability to be vaccinated. Catch-up vaccinations for these students can occur at the next clinic.
• Students will be asked to use hand sanitiser upon entry to the clinic and before returning to their classroom.
• Students will arrive in smaller groups to prevent close-proximity queuing, and physical spacing will be applied.
• Please ensure your child has had breakfast on the morning of the vaccination. 

A Record of Vaccination card will be provided to each student vaccinated at each clinic. Details about vaccinations given at school will also be uploaded to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) to support complete vaccination histories. Please note that if a student is absent from this clinic, they will be offered any missed doses at a subsequent clinic. They do not need to go to their GP for these vaccines. Visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation for further information and translated copies of the Vaccination Information Kits.

Online Canteen Orders Through Flexischools

From the beginning of Term 1 2021, purchasing food from the Canteen will be via a pre-order system, Flexischools. While some snacks will still be available for students to purchase in person, the majority of meals will need to be pre-ordered via Flexischools using the app or website, prior to 8.30am. Parents and carers create a Flexischools account for their child via this link. 

Uniform

As we begin the new school year, we appreciate your support in maintaining our uniform standards by ensuring that the uniform is clean and in good repair. Students are expected to have neat hair, of natural colour, and are not permitted to wear makeup. In terms of jewellery, small gold or silver studs or sleepers are permitted. It is a particularly appropriate time to check that the hem length of girls’ dresses reaches the knees and whether shirts and trousers still fit after the summer holiday period. We also ask parents to ensure that all student items are clearly labelled.

Please note that in Terms 1 and 4, blazers are optional and in Terms 2 and 3, blazers are a mandatory part of the uniform. Blazers are also required for special days which will be announced ahead of time.

Hats are strongly encouraged when playing outside at lunch or recess. Sunscreen is available from either the Secondary School Office or Nurse’s Office.

Lockers and School Bags

All students will be assigned lockers on the first day of school. Students are responsible for bringing a lock to secure their locker. Bags are not to be brought to class for safety reasons and to support traffic flow around the school. Students (Yrs 7-10) should secure their bags in their locker at the beginning of the day and carry only the materials they need for their immediate classes, returning to their locker during the breaks in the school day, to retrieve other items.

Technology and Mobile Phone Usage

Technology is used for learning purposes only. Students in Yrs 7-10 should keep their mobile phones in their lockers throughout the day and are not permitted to have them out in the playground at recess or lunch. When necessary, teachers will direct students to use their laptops and/or mobile phones in the learning space. At recess and lunch, students are to leave their devices in their locked locker. At this time, students are encouraged to REST with each other; to Refresh, Exercise, Socialise and have Time-Out. If students wish to engage in academic activities at lunchtime, and require their laptop, then they should do so in the Library.

Ms Lisa Vale
Yr 8 Advisor
9968 9837
lvale@redlands.nsw.edu.au