Year 9
Welcome Back!
Welcome back to Redlands for Term 3! I trust that everyone was able to have a relaxing and enjoyable break, whether you were at home or abroad – I hope that Yr 9 is revitalised and ready to tackle another big term. There’s much happening for our cohort this term; subject selection for Year 10 and the launch of the collaborative learning projects, to name a few.
I want to particularly welcome Andrea Lazzarin, Luis Senftleben and Katie Unwin, three new students to Redlands who joined us in Yr 9 this term.
Yr 9 began the term by jumping into Growth Conversations with their Tutors across Periods 1 and 2 on Tuesday. By now, Yr 9 should be comfortable reflecting on their personal progress from the previous term and articulating specific goals for a successful year ahead. These conversations are now well-informed with student academic grades and approaches to learning helping students to see their own efforts and achievements. It was so wonderful to see students taking their Growth Conversations seriously and coming up with valuable goals for Term 3.
Here are some examples of the rich range of goals for Yr 9 this semester:
- “I would like to focus on building better personal habits. I will continue making sure I get enough sleep and cut screen time down to 30 minutes a day.”
- “I would like to focus on being less distracted in class because this is an area identified by teachers. I will become more mindful about how much I am talking in class.”
- “I would like to focus on being more detail oriented with assessment tasks because I often leave editing and refinement till last. I will fully complete each section of a task before starting the next.”
- “I would like to improve my English essay writing and my organisation because it is important to develop essay skills and not procrastinate. I will use my student planner and calendar to plan out when to do assessments.”
- “I want to focus on putting what I’ve done in the past couple of terms into all subjects because I previously put more effort into some subjects and not others. I will do this by gradually putting more effort in so that I don’t get burnt out. I will also focus on concentrating and listening more in class and paying more attention to boost my grades.”
Responsible use of Technology – Reminders for Students
This term all students from Yr 7-10 are to keep their mobile phones locked away in their lockers from when they start school until they finish the school day. Redlands recognises that the school environment provides a nice space to ‘break’ from social media and other phone apps. If a student needs to contact a parent or carer during the day, then they can visit the Student Services Centre to use the landline phones at the front desk. If a student needs to use their phone as a learning tool, they are to collect their phone at the beginning of the lesson from their locker and return it at the end of the lesson.
Additionally, loan laptops are now only for devices that are being repaired (with a letter explaining this from a parent – in future a form will be sent to parents to sign and return). There is no option for a loan device if the student has simply forgotten their laptop or forgotten to charge it. A limited number of charging bays are still available for laptops opposite the ICT Service Desk.
Student Uniform Reminders
Winter Uniform
For the duration of Term 3, students are required to wear their winter school uniform, including their blazers, when travelling to and from school. School shoes should be black leather shoes, polished, and hair needs to be kept tidy, with hair longer than shoulder length worn up and out of the face, and no hair dye is permitted. No jewellery is allowed apart from one pair of plain gold or silver studs or sleepers. The full uniform details can be found in student planners and in the school uniform guide on the Year 9 Pulse page.
Sport Uniform
The Redlands Sport Uniform is to be worn only during sport activities:
- For all PDHPE (practical) classes
- For all Redlands Sports Carnivals
- For Thursday Sport day
The Sport uniform should never be worn for a full school day except for Thursday Sport days.
Parent Presentation – Weathering the storm: Responding to teen anxiety and depression
In Week 3 of this term, Tuesday 1 August, a presentation will be held specifically designed to support parents and caregivers who have young people with diagnosed anxiety and depression, as well as those who display signs and symptoms of these conditions. During this session, the crucial role of parents in responding to mental health issues will be explored, helping you to support your child in times of distress by gaining a deeper insight into your teenager’s experiences.
You can find out more information and register your attendance through Pulse.
And Finally – Good Luck to everyone at Gala Arts!
Tomorrow night is one of Redlands most exciting nights – the Gala Arts. The evening promises to be an exceptional night of singing, dancing, acting, musicianship and amazing artistic talent! There are a few tickets left which can be booked via the QR code in the flyer below.
Best wishes to everyone involved in Gala Arts tomorrow, and to Katie Budden who is assisting as part of the Stage Crew.
Gala Arts
Gala Arts Program
Term 3 Key Dates and Upcoming Events:
- Week 1: Gala Arts (Friday 21 July)
- Week 3: Parent Presentation: Supporting Student Mental Health with a focus on Anxiety and Depression (Tuesday 1 August)
- Week 5: Science Week.
Mrs Lucienne Willis
Yr 9 Advisor
lwillis@redlands.nsw.edu.au