Year 9

Important Yr 9 Events 

  • 19 November NAPLAN Student Readiness Testing (Period 5) Please remember to bring a fully charged laptop and headphones  
  • 23-25 November Midawarr Program by Culture College on campus 
  • 1 December End of Yr 9 Term 4 and Speech Night  
  • 31 January Start of Yr 10 Term 1 
  • 4 February 2022 Careers Profiling  

Week 6 Burn Bright Spark and Ignite Program 

On Friday last week Yr 9 students engaged in collaborative challenges that explored concepts of leadership and wellbeing. At the start of the day students were split into gender groups. The boys explored healthy male role models and were challenged to think about the traditional concepts and perceptions of manhood. The students were engaged and participated in challenging conversations and integrity, strength and respect. The girls explored the pressures in navigating peer pressure, body image and expectations in online digital spaces. The girls opened their hearts and minds and came together as a community to build confidence, gratitude and emotional intelligence. At the end of the day all the students reconnected as a cohort and participated in different activities that explored friendships, connection and empowerment as young adults in the 21st century. We are so proud of how the students engaged in these activities and saw the invaluable impact it had on them.  

Student reflection: Liam McFarlane  

As I entered today I had an open and growth mindset, I was expecting a large slide show with complementary activities here and there, but my assumption was completely wrong. Stepping into Redlands Hall today I first noticed how the girls and the boys had been separated into different congregations. My first thought on this is that each workshop focuses on how each gender’s brain works differently. As a young man, I know that I approach tasks and barriers very differently from my twin sister, even though we are both growing teenagers experiencing youth life issues and high school life. Also, I believe students who engage in gender-based activities may feel more comfortable and safe, speaking about their issues with people of the same gender rather than a multi-gendered class. The male workshops started by creating great bonds with people we did not know as well and we opened up about ideas and thought we might keep inside and hide from people in other situations. These activities consisted of a speed dating like concept while spending 1-2 minutes with each person telling each other our most embarrassing moments in life, funniest memory and numerous other topics. This created a feeling in our minds that the space we were working in was a safe one while opening up and speaking about topics we may not otherwise talk about is okay and typically brings more positives than negatives. In addition, we completed several activities which would get the blood flow running while also incorporating a lot of life skills including teamwork, self-awareness, critical thinking, decision making, problem-solving, effective communication and building relationships. Overall, I believe our Year Group were very fortunate to have had this opportunity to engage in single-sex classes as part of our learning journey into adulthood. 

 

Week 7 Design Challenge Day: Young Change Agents  

On Tuesday students worked in class groups to explore relevant issue based challenges to develop empathy, ideation, validation and prototyping. Students worked in small groups to develop a variety of pitched and prototypes. They then presented these ideas in the afternoon to the cohort and reflected on the effectiveness of their ideas. Students jumped straight into the process and worked really hard to develop some really interesting ideas. Working with their peers in class groups allowed them to collaborate with a variety of friends on different issues.  

Student reflection: Kabir Yohannan

Our cohort got the opportunity participate in a design challenge to further our understanding of the design process and allow us to offer solutions to issues the world faces. The program consisted of many team building exercises, but our main task was to generate a solution to an issue of our choice. My group suggested creating an app which tracks your carbon emissions so that you can compare your carbon footprint with both the national average and your community. We thought that people will be incentivised to become more eco-friendly this way. As a result of the design challenge my ability to design and collaborate with others has definitely improved.

NAPLAN Student Readiness Testing: Friday 19 November Period 5  

On Friday, Yr 9 students will participate in the NAPLAN School Readiness Test during their usual English lessons on Friday 19 November. The 20 minute online practice test is a requirement for all schools to undertake as part of their transition to NAPLAN online next year. Individual student results are not recorded. In preparation, all students will require a fully charged laptop and a set of compatible earphones.  

Toys’ n’ Tucker  

This year, the first service initiative led by the 2022 Service Captains, Alexander Gibbs and Charlie Harman is the Anglicare Christmas Appeal. Toys’ n’ Tucker is an initiative of Anglicare Sydney which tries to share the joy of Christmas by providing food and gifts for those who might otherwise go without. This past year has been more challenging than ever before, especially for the most disadvantaged in society. Unfortunately, due to COVID, we’re unable to run the Toys’ n’ Tucker drive as usual, with every family bringing donations to be packed by Anglicare into hampers for families in need. Instead, this year, Anglicare is encouraging all of us to donate, and they will be able to organise the hampers. 

So, how will it work? 

  1. You can donate money through the link provided below (This method helps us keep tally of Redlands contribution and will be paid direct to Anglicare in one amount). 
    https://gofund.me/2e6d8ee4 
  2. Anglicare will use the donated funds to buy hamper items at wholesale prices 
  3. Hampers will be packed at their Villawood Warehouse 
  4. They will deliver hampers straight to peoples’ doors, bringing the joy of Christmas with them. 

We aim to raise $5,000, and once we have reached that, we will host a Christmas-themed mufti day! We hope that every family will be able to donate at least $10. Let’s dig deep to share a little joy this Christmas! 

Thank you for your support on behalf of Alexanders Gibbs and Charlie Harman 

Careers Profiling  

This week in our year meeting, the new Careers Advisors came to discuss careers profiling and avenues. The information discussed is outlined below and a letter will be sent out with more details about the program in the upcoming weeks.  

Yr 9 will have the option to complete the Career Avenues assessment. This will assist students and the Careers Advisors in exploring your interests, preferences, behavioral style and their relationship with a range of occupations and study options that are a good match for them. This can also be used for Year 10 subject selection guidance. 

1. Careers Advisor Appointments  

Appointments can be held in study periods, at recess, lunchtime or after school – don’t miss your lessons. Make appointments via the appointment button on the Careers iLearn page or at https://calendly.com/careers-redlands. Please cancel or reschedule as early as you can if you can no longer attend.   

2. University and Careers iLearn Announcements  

This is one of the main ways Careers communicates information for students. Information, dates and opportunities about universities and colleges (Australian & international), private training organisations, workshops, short courses, information evenings, competitions, scholarships, community based programs and more are provided via announcements to students.   

3. Yr 10 Careers Events  

There is a dedicated careers program for Yr 10 including activities such as subject selection preparation, industry visits day, Alumni panel event, resume and interview workshops and various wellbeing activities to prepare students for the workplace and beyond.   

4. University and Career Events  

Regular seminars or webinar presentations by universities (Australian & International), residential colleges, training organisations, cadetship providers, professional associations and more. Advertised in Note day and via iLearn announcements.   

Student Attendance 

Just a reminder that if a student is absent from school an explanation must be provided by a parent/carer to ssabsence@redlands.nsw.edu.au. If your child is absent due to illness, we thank you for providing details of your child’s symptoms. Any student absent with COVID-19 related symptoms must complete a PCR COVID-19 test and evidence of a negative test result must be provided to the School prior to the student returning to campus. 

Ms Alyssha Clarke
Yr 9 Assistant Advisor
aclarke@redlands.nsw.edu.au