Year 9

Yr 9 Excursion to the Sydney Jewish Museum

On Tuesday the whole Yr 9 cohort went to the Sydney Jewish Museum as part of a joint History and Christian Studies excursion to learn about both the Holocaust and Jewish faith. Students had lectures on both areas and heard from a survivor before spending time exploring the museum in small groups.

One group was fortunate to meet Paul Drexler, a survivor of both Auschwitz and Theresienstadt. Born in 1938 in Slovakia, he was transported at age 6 and in 1945 saw his father for the last time. He came to Australia with his mother and the two blankets she had grabbed before they were taken from their home. It is these blankets that kept him warm during the five days he spent in the cattle train being taken between camps.

When he arrived in Australia in 1948, he was warmly greeted by children at school and learned that it doesn’t matter where you come from or what you look like, what faith or culture you follow, we are all humans.

During question time he was asked when he knew he wanted to share his story with others. Paul responded “I want people to know that only 7% of Jewish children survived the Holocaust. 1.5million children and 6 million people were murdered because of hate.” He has spoken at the museum every Tuesday for 35 years so that the children of today might learn to respond in kindness and love to each other.

Yr 9 Student Arnhem Land Reflections

In our final end of term assembly on Friday, Frankie Richardson and David Abineno will address the school to reflect and share their experiences in Arnhem Land. Here is a copy of their reflections:

Frankie: Thank you and good afternoon to teachers and students. My name is Frankie and I am joined by David today to reflect on the opportunity we had to immerse ourselves in a different culture on our trip to Arnhem Land. The words we share were very difficult to choose and put together because of how amazing the trip was, and how many aspects of it there were.

David: On Wednesday the men and women were separated and brought to different areas of the camp as Frankie has already told you the men were taken to the spear and fire making part of the camp while the women went to do weaving and healing.

The first thing we did is make our spear throwers or as the Yolngu call them – galpus. We were first told that the galpu is a symbol of a boy becoming a man and all the boys received one. My galpu is slightly different to the other boys’ Galpus in my year as mine in my opinion has more meaning. When the boys were done making their galpus I was not so fortunate. My galpu was not carved correctly so I needed to wait for it to be carved the right way to be able to throw the spears without breaking it. I sat down with one of the elders named Kevin and another named Michael. I learned that they were brothers and I learnt a lot about the Yolngu culture from them. In the end Kevin spoke to his brother and told him to go and get something. At the time I did not know what it was and I did not really pay attention. I asked where he was going and Kevin told me that it was a surprise and that I would find out in a bit. A few minutes later Kevin and I got to talking a lot and he even called me his best friend. When Michael came back Kevin told me to close my eyes and not to open them until he told me to. 

Frankie: I’m not here to tell you what your trip to Arnhem Land was or what it will be like, because that is for you to experience, if you haven’t already. I want to tell you about my experience I had and what I learnt from my time there.

Something very impactful to me was the women’s business. This was a culturally immersive experience with just the Yolngu women, and the women and girls from Redlands. We were asked to share our problems with a Yolngu woman, who then healed us with bush medicine which was oils from leaves through massage. For me this wasn’t just a physical experience, it was also very emotional. I felt like I had connected on another level with not only the woman who healed me, but with my friends and girls in my year. It helped me see the power in vulnerability, which we don’t appreciate much in our society. I was also amazed how the Yolngu community willingly welcomed us onto their land, taught us, and even went as far as healing us and wanting to help us with our injuries and problems. The kindness and community they shared was genuine and something I struggle to put into words. To attempt to put it simply, the healing was something I have never experienced before and there is nothing I can compare it to now, but I left it feeling free-er and a different version of myself.

Another experience that was extremely impactful to me was a workshop we did with a woman named Tash. This workshop completely altered my thinking about myself and my place in the world. Tash made me realise how privileged I am, and how much change I can and need to make. I learnt that it isn’t our fault if we have never been taught about aboriginal history or culture, but it is our fault if we don’t go out into the world and take the learning that is so readily available for us. The Yolngu are sharing their culture with open arms, welcoming us, and if we don’t take that opportunity, it is our fault. We don’t have to look far for information, and this is what is needed if we want to move forward from the past and make positive change.

Overall, this camp helped me connect to a culture I originally didn’t know much about, and taught me not only information about the people, but how connections with others can teach us more than any schoolbook can.

Holidays…

As we approach the holiday break, we encourage you to take the time to rest, relax, and enjoy quality time with your loved ones. Whether it’s a family vacation or a quiet staycation, I hope this break brings you the opportunity to recharge your batteries and come back refreshed and ready for Semester 2.

We would also like to share some thoughts on preparing for the new term ahead. As such, I encourage you to use this break as a time to start preparing for the new term.

Here are a few tips that might help:

• Review progress: Take some time to review your child’s academic progress from the past term. Celebrate their achievements and identify areas that need improvement. Work with your child to come up with strategies for addressing any challenges they might face.
• Set goals: Sit down with your child and discuss their academic goals for the next term. Encourage them to set specific and realistic targets and help them come up with a plan to achieve them.
• Plan for extracurricular activities: Discuss with your child any extracurricular activities they might want to pursue in the next term. Plan ahead and make arrangements for any necessary equipment or transportation.
• Set a schedule: In the second half of the break, encourage your child to start waking up and going to bed at regular times to help them readjust to school routines.

We want to ensure that your child starts Term 3 on the right foot. As always, we are committed to providing the best possible learning experience for your child. We look forward to working together to make the upcoming term a success.

Gala Arts

Friday 21 July, 6.30pm

The Concourse 

Please join us at Gala Arts at the end of the first week of Term 3, an exceptional evening of entertainment where we celebrate the talents of our students, and book your tickets via the QR code in the following invitation.

This annual Creative and Performing Arts festival showcases the plethora of talents of the diverse Redlands student body from Yr 7 to 12. The Festival was created to showcase the creative talents of Redlands students whilst at the same time promoting Inter-House competition and House spirit. Students perform in dance, instrumental, theatre and vocal categories. Visual Art photography work will be on display in the foyer and the winner will also be announced at the event.

Key Dates for Term 2