Year 8

Welcome Back to Redlands: Another Year Older, Another Year Wiser

Welcome back to Redlands for 2024! It has been an energetic week as students reconnected with peers and teachers, discovered who was in their new core classes and started engaging with their newly chosen electives. There was certainly a buzz of excitement around the campus.

As Yr 8 students now, the cohort have officially graduated from being the smallest fish in the pond and they have been encouraged to look out for the new Yr 7s and support them with any guidance or advice, as these students now navigate their first year in the Secondary School. Certainly, the Yr 8 cohort have been moving around this week with an assurance and confidence above and beyond what we saw this time last year.

In our opening Year Assembly on Tuesday, I challenged the cohort to reflect on their progress through 2023, considering their strengths and shortfalls and then looking towards what sort of journey they planned to undertake in 2024. A new year is a time to set new goals for their personal growth and Tutors will be unpacking aspirations with their tutees when our Coaching Conversations commence in Week 3. I also encouraged students to commit to looking outwards this year. As the Yr 7 cohort of 2023, much of their time was spent focused on their own selves, considering how they could fit into the School, what their passions would be and how they might personally succeed. As the Yr 8 cohort of 2024, we still want students to strive to achieve their best but we also want them to seek to bring others along with them on this journey. We will be promoting outward thinking this year, challenging students to think about their peers, teachers and others in the community, always looking to engage with them with respect, gratitude and compassion. I am really excited to see the continued growth our students will experience in 2024 and the heights to which they will soar!

New Staff and New Students to Year 8

I want to take this moment to welcome several new staff to our Yr 8 Pastoral team. Ms Veneta Bailey has joined Ms Christen Xue as a Tutor supporting Dumolo Red and Mr John Holden has taken over the role of Tutor for Roseby White. We know that both staff will be wonderful sources of support to our students. Additionally, Ms Vanessa Wang has moved into the role of Assistant Year Advisor for Yr 8 and she will be a wonderful source of support for the students and me as we travel through this year together.

I also want to warmly welcome six new students to the Yr 8 cohort:

  • Stella Aranchikov
  • Paige Barnett
  • Matteo Bellini
  • Zoe Clark
  • Jack Haggman
  • Deaana Tulsiani

We know that these students will thrive at Redlands and it is wonderful to see the cohort already embracing them and making them feel part of the school.


Getting the Little Things Right

Mrs Van de Peer loves to tell us how important it is ‘to get the little things right’ – and this is so important! The little things pave the way for the bigger and better; they are the foundation for our success. Three priority focuses we will be addressing consistently with our cohort this term are encouraging organisation through consistent and successful student planner use; building personal and community pride through maintaining neat and precise uniform standards; and fostering security, responsibility and management through effective locker use.

To this end, we are seeking the support of parents and carers in working with our Yr 8 Pastoral team to help students be the best they can be in getting the little things right. Please help us by:

  • signing student planners each Friday, to help keep students accountable to using these resources for organising their home learning and assessment planning. Tutors will be guiding students through best practice here and also checking student planners every fortnight on Wednesday, Week A.
  • being aware of the guidelines for the old and new uniforms, so that students can be assisted in maintaining strong standards. Uniform guidelines can be found in student planners and information on the new uniform can be accessed through Pulse. It is also important to note that students should now only be changing into PE uniform at the start of PE lessons or right before training. No students should be in classes in PE uniform, unless they are PE lessons. The exception to this is on Thursday Sport days.
  • encouraging your child/ren to keep locks on their lockers, so their possessions can be kept tidy, safe and secure. Tutors will also be assisting with students keeping lockers neat and organised. Some great student locker examples are pictured below!

As always, throughout the year, your child’s Tutor, Ms Wang, as Assistant Year Advisor and I, as Year Advisor, are available should you have any concerns regarding your child’s progress or are unsure of school procedures. Please reach out to us early so we can assist you and support your child. We also encourage you to share any achievements or successes your child experiences outside of school, as we really value celebrating such milestones together.

Good Luck on New Zealand Exchange!

Next week, three of our students – Anay, Emilia and Matilda – will be travelling to New Zealand to Kristin School in Auckland for three weeks of exchange. They will engage in schooling there and live with their exchange families for the duration. Later in March, they will then reciprocate, hosting their New Zealand students, taking them to their classes here and even bringing them on camp. We wish them all the best for a wonderful experience and amazing opportunity!

Student Success: Lauren Rolfe

I am pleased to report that during the last week of the recent school holidays, Lauren Rolfe represented NSW at Softball Australia’s U14 National Championships held in Canberra. On paper, the girls were not expected to come close to winning – they were definitely the underdogs. However, across five days of competition, they supported each other and played extremely well together as a team; so well, in fact, that they won the National Championships, in a nail-biting 7-6 victory! Congratulations to Lauren and her teammates!

On an important note too, Lauren’s success is a great example of the resilience, courage and tenacity we are seeking to instil in all our students. Lauren worked very hard to recover from several injuries prior to the tournament and ensure she could perform at her peak. Her efforts meant she was able to achieve the tournament goals she set for herself with her coaches and leave the tournament extremely satisfied with her involvement.

Secondary School Photographs

  • Wednesday 14 February: Individual Portraits and Sibling Photos
  • Wednesday 5 June: Year Group Photos

Uniform Requirements

All students are required to be wearing their full school uniform, including blazers. Boys must be clean shaven with hair that has been cut so that it is away from eyes, ears and collar. Boys and girls with a hair length touching the collar is to be styled and tied-up neatly so that it is away from eyes, ears and collar. Hair is to be tied back with navy and hair coloured accessories.  No hair dye, mullet style haircuts, make-up or nail polish is permitted. No jewellery is to be worn other than one pair of plain gold or silver studs in ear lobes.

Photo Packages

Standard Portrait and Year Group Package ($40): this will be automatically billed to your school account and posted directly to your primary contact address following the Year Group photos in June. If you do not wish to receive a standard package, please click HERE to opt out before 14 February. Further details of the photo package can be found here. 

Sibling Photos: If you would like to order Sibling Photos, please click SIBLING ORDER, and complete the Order Form before 7 February.

Catch-Up Photo Day

If your child is unable to have their portrait taken on Wednesday 14 February, catch-up photos will be offered on Friday 1 March

If you have any questions, alterations or additional orders, please contact Melba Studios directly on (02) 9438 4566 or email sales@melbastudios.com.au.

Term 1 Key Dates and Upcoming Events:

  • Winter Sport Registration Opens: Monday 5 February
  • Secondary School Swimming Carnival: Tuesday 6 February
  • Activities and Winter Sports Fair: Thursday 8 February
  • Secondary School Photos: Wednesday 14 February
  • Camp Briefing: Thursday 15 February
  • Year 8 Camp (Yarrahapinni National Park): Monday 4 March to Friday 8 March

 

 Mr Jimmy Tod-Hill
Year 7 Advisor
jtodhill@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9908 6462