Foundation

A very warm welcome to all our Redlands families! I hope you all had a relaxing break and spent time with your families and friends.

A special welcome to all parents who are new to Redlands. There are many opportunities for you to meet with other parents and friends. We are very proud of our welcoming and supportive community and invite you to the events listed below.

Community and Fundraising Events in 2019

There are several exciting events to attend this year. This is always a great opportunity to meet other parents, Redlands staff and Executive, learn more about the School and support our development programs.

• Twilight Drinks for Redlands Parents and Carers
  Friday 22 February, 6.00 – 8.00pm, Junior Campus Piazza. Bookings are open here

• Redlands Inaugural Sports Luncheon
  Friday 5 April, 12.00 – 4.00pm, Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron
  This is a new event in our community calendar for Redlands parents and alumni to celebrate 135 years of Redlands Sport. More details to follow in an upcoming Note Day.

• Celebration of Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize Collection
  Thursday 16 May, 6.00 – 8.30pm, John Roberts Centre, Senior Campus

• Redlands Gala Ball
  Saturday 17 August, 6.30pm – midnight, The Westin Sydney

• Melbourne Cup Luncheon
  Tuesday 5 November, 12.00 – 5.00pm, Sergeants Mess, Chowder Bay

School Development Programs

I would like to thank all the families who have made donations to the School’s Scholarship, Building and Library Funds. The School’s fundraising efforts are continuing in supporting these three Funds, with a special emphasis on supporting the Redlands Foundation Scholarship Fund, a means-tested Scholarship launched in 2010 by Principal, Dr Peter Lennox. This provides the opportunity for a Redlands education to exceptional students who may otherwise not be able to experience the Redlands journey. For more information, please visit our website.

RPFA Second Hand Uniform and Books Sales

A huge thank you to the RPFA Committee and all the parent volunteers who organised and helped with the Second Hand Uniform Sale at the end of last year. Over $9,000 was raised for the Redlands Foundation Scholarship Fund.  “The RPFA was delighted to see so much interest and support from our community”, Lisa MacDonald, RPFA President 2018.

Parents’ support is greatly appreciated as it provides us with extra help and resources to implement important programs/activities for our students and teachers. Should you wish to receive further details or get involved, please contact Dana Casimaty, details below.

Mrs Dana Casimaty
Director of Development
dcasimaty@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9858

Head of Junior School

Welcome Back

I have always loved the start of a new school year. Whether as a student or for the last 23 years, as a teacher, those feelings of excitement, opportunities and hope that come with the start of a new chapter are invigorating and from observations of colleagues and returning students, I know I am not alone.

We have had a joyous start to the new school year and I acknowledge the preparatory work of our teachers, Support Staff and Facilities team who spent the time in the holidays to allow us to hit the ground running yesterday. Of course, all of this preparation is for the students and it was a delight to see them bound in on Wednesday morning for the start of term. For many, the holiday sunshine and time spent in the water have clearly accentuated growth too!

In our Welcome Assembly, we particularly welcomed our new staff, new students and Yr 3, and I hope that the journey ahead of them will be full of happy memories as is my hope for all students, teachers and families. I also strongly encouraged the students to take ownership of their year ahead and strive to do their very best in all that they do, looking to be good people along the way. The students themselves were able to articulate the significance of our School Values: Respect, Honesty, Fairness, Compassion, Responsibility and Moral Courage, and were able to identify these as important qualities of being a good person.

My second message centred around us all focusing on just one word that we hope will define us in 2019. Similar to last year, instead of having a longer-worded goal, the focus on just one word should mean that students and teachers will be able to remember and refer back to this word through the year. Many of the classes have already discussed this notion and a number of students have shared their #oneword2019 with me already in passing, which I have loved hearing about; most importantly, why the word is poignant for them. Some of these include persistence, perspective, balance, focus, brave and hope. I encourage you to ask your child what their one word for 2019 is and ask them to explain why they have chosen this word. And if you feel inclined, why not consider a word yourself and share it with your child?

This promises to be another exciting year and I look forward to supporting your child in both their and our hopes and ambitions for 2019.

Junior School Captains 2019

After the formal announcement of our new Junior School Leaders for 2019 at last year’s Speech Day, I was delighted to introduce these students again to the Junior School in our first assembly. As I shared with the students, I have every confidence that they, alongside every one of their peers in Yr 6, will set a wonderful example to the rest of the Junior School in the year ahead and wish them all the best in their student leadership roles.

Junior School Captains                            Aneke Golowenko and Krishna Gupta
Sports Captains                                         Stella Simpson-Morgan and Lachlan Carmichael
Arts Captains                                              Charlee Kwintner and Daniel Koppers
Cowper House Captains                          Charlotte Humphreys and James Black
Dumolo House Captains                         Chloe Bailey and Liam Petersen  
McDouall House Captains                      James Gray and Betti Butcher
Roseby House Captains                          Amber Hosker and Lachlan Green  

Holiday Works and Maintenance

Over the holiday break, our Facilities team and external contractors have been busy upgrading and refurbishing much of the Campus. As you will have noticed, our oval transformation is well underway and we are looking forward to having a high-quality sports-synthetic turf soon for students on both campuses to enjoy. With small and large Football pitches marked, the oval will become both a training space and home venue for Interschool fixtures for our Junior School Football teams as well as a training venue for Secondary students. In addition, its frequent use will significantly decrease both travel time and costs for Junior and Secondary Sports training sessions in both winter and summer.

With Basketball and Netball hoops around the perimeter, the space will also be one that Prep and Junior students can enjoy every recess and lunch too.

The other major works that is almost complete is the installation of air-conditioning in all of our Junior School classroom spaces. Much of this has been completed with a few remaining classes on the top floor of the Parkes Building (Yrs 3 and 5) scheduled for completion in the coming days and in the interim, we will have some temporary aircon units in place for these rooms next week.

The area between the Cornish and Parkes Buildings has also had new sandstone pavers laid and our facilities team have rejuvenated our recycling area to include a chute that students can access from the playground to recycle paper.

Another major project has seen improved LED lighting in all rooms and during this year, we will also be installing a large amount of solar panels on the roof of Dunnet Hall.

Finally, you may have noticed that the external façade of our Yr 4 classrooms, the Prep School and Dunnet Hall have been painted, with the final parts of the Hall being completed now.

I am grateful to our Facilities and Maintenance teams for their efforts and dedication to support our hopes and needs for the Junior Campus and indeed, all of our campuses. 

Meet the Teacher Information Evening

As per the information in my letter last week, please be reminded that our annual Meet the Teacher Information Evening is next Tuesday. These will be held in your child’s classroom where you have an opportunity to meet your child’s class teacher who will speak about their expectations, classroom management, daily routines and curriculum matters, amongst other things. There will also be time for you to ask any questions you may have. The previously communicated date and times for this evening are as follows:

Yrs 3 and 4      Tuesday 5 February                  6.00 – 6.45pm               
Yrs 5 and 6      Tuesday 6 February                  5.00m – 5.45pm

Learning and Technology Parent eChat

Our eLearning Coordinator, Mrs Winrow, and Dean of Teaching and Learning, Mr Coutts, warmly invite all Junior School parents to learn more about how technology is being used in our Junior School classrooms. The presentation will include information on:

• The new Science and Technology Curriculum
• Technology at School
• Google Classroom
• Technology and Wellbeing

Please do come along to attend the Learning and Technology Parent session in our Junior School Arnold Library on Tuesday 12 February at 8.30am after drop off.

To help provide us with an indication on numbers, please RSVP for this session here.

School Photographs (Class and Individual Only)

These take place next Thursday 7 February and will be taken by Advanced Life Photography. Please note blazers are required next Thursday for the photographs.

Orders for packages can be placed securely online at www.advancedlife.com.au using the Junior School’s unique 9 digit Online Order Code: WG5 WJZ 1J5

Please note that sibling photographs will only be taken on Friday 22 February if an order has been placed. Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please direct them via email to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au.

Parking and Pick-Up

My thanks to the majority of parents who have supported our communication about our student-safety focused approach to picking up students at the end of the school day. We are also very mindful that many families are new to Redlands and getting to grips with possible new parking and pick-up arrangements. For families using the car line process, please remind your child to wait with the duty teacher at the Junior School gate and please also be reminded not to push into the line or double park for obvious safety reasons. If the line is full, you will need to go around the block and come back to Allister St. If you are picking up your child from within the grounds of the School, please also organise a regular meeting point which is away from the gates which causes additional congestion.

And lastly, please may I remind you to be respectful and considerate of our neighbours. It is not acceptable to block or even park in someone’s driveway as has already been reported to us. Thanks, in advance, for your cooperation and support. 

Save The Date: Twilight in the Piazza

The first social gathering for all Redlands families has already been planned and will be our annual Twilight in the Piazza parent cocktail evening between 6.00-8.00pm on Friday 22 February on the Junior Campus. This promises to be another wonderful community event for parents and teachers and additional details will be sent shortly. Many of the teachers will also be at this event which is always a wonderful first school social gathering. Please see the invitation at the bottom of the page.

Class Parent Representatives

We are always fortunate to have parents volunteer for the role of Class Parent each year and class teachers will seek interest for this at the Meet the Teacher evening next week. The role is not an onerous one but is one that truly makes a difference for many families in the class, particularly newer families to Redlands. In a slight change from previous years, the RPFA are aiming to have one class parent per class, of which one or more will also serve as Year Group Coordinators to foster greater connection and events across the Year Group.

If you have any questions about the role, please do feel free to contact either Jay Cunningham or Christa Green who have taken on the role of Junior School Parent Group Coordinators this year and along with the RPFA committee, I know that they will provide wonderful connection and support for all parents as we start the year. 

Cocurricular Program  

The Junior School optional cocurricular program will start in Week 3, commencing on Tuesday 12 February. Information will be emailed to all families at the start of next week with details of an online booking system and an outline of cocurricular activities on offer. Please note that places are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Year Group Parent Contact Lists

I am pleased to confirm that Year Group Parent Contact lists will be emailed to all Junior School families next week. Please be reminded that these are strictly for school-based purposes and not for any aspect of commercial use.

2020 Scholarships – applications close Monday 4 February

Students in Year 7 2020 or Year 11 2020 are invited to apply for 2020 Scholarships via the School’s website. 

2020 Scholarships available:

Yr 7 – Academic, Merit/All-Rounder, Music, Ballet – open to all current Redlands Year 6 students.

Yr 11 – Academic, Merit/All-Rounder – open to current Redlands Yr 10 students on a demonstrated needs basis involving means testing.

All candidates are required to sit for the ACER Scholarship exam at Redlands on Saturday 23 February.

All Scholarship information and details on how to apply can be found on our website in the Enrolments section: https://www.redlands.nsw.edu.au/enrolments/scholarships/scholarships-2/

Notice of Departure end Term 1

Required by Friday 8 February 

This is a reminder to any families who are planning to leave the School at the end of Term 1 and have not yet given notice. Please email registrar@redlands.nsw.edu.au before Friday 8 February, in order to avoid fees in lieu.

Mr Ari Guha
Head of Junior School
aguha@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9953 6022 

Head of Early Childhood

Welcome to 2019

It is with great enthusiasm that the staff and I welcome you back to school for 2019. As academic staff and prior to that, facilities and support staff, came back to school in early January, it really didn’t feel like “school” until the children and families returned this week. On Tuesday, we welcomed all new students and their parents where they had the opportunity to meet their Year Coordinators, class teachers and familiarise themselves with the school grounds before everyone returned on Wednesday. The following day, the Piazza was buzzing and it was clear to see and hear the excitement as students checked class lists to find their friends and teacher. It was lovely to see parents lingering a little while after students went into class as they reacquainted with friends. The students eagerly shared their holiday adventures and this year it was so refreshing to hear some students tell me about the gifts they gave to their siblings and parents this Christmas. I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome many new families to the Redlands community and trust that your association with the School will be a long and happy one.

Last week, prior to the students’ return to school, the staff had the opportunity to learn together and hear from some wonderful guest speakers. We had the pleasure of listening to a group of Redlands staff, who accompanied around 50 Yr 11 students on a Service trip to Cambodia over the holidays. These students spent their holiday time giving back to others as they helped build greatly needed facilities. The sweltering conditions and simple accommodation meant some students were out of their comfort zone working eight hours a day; nevertheless, they gave one hundred percent. Our Prep students are many years away from an experience such as this; however, I look forward to sharing moments from this trip with them in hopes that they continue to think about the world around them. Whilst there were many highlights from this wonderful week of learning for staff, including Amanda Gore, who reminded us about the power of joy, the most inspiring words and wisdom came from the expertise of the Redlands staff. Several staff from different sections of the School presented a variety of topics under the umbrella of a Culture of Thinking. These presentations prompted some thought-provoking discussions as we continue to embrace and embed deep thinking and learning in our school.

Dr Lennox also shared with the community the exceptional results achieved by the Class of 2018 in the Higher School Certificate and International Baccalaureate examinations, with 56% of the Year Group achieving an ATAR of 90 or more. Having had two children finish Yr 12, I understand the enormous pressure they feel, their relief and happiness when they finish and then the realisation of a bigger world out there. This is an extraordinary result for those students and I sincerely congratulate them for their determination, focus and resolve, and their teachers who ably assisted them during their Redlands educational journey.

The Prep School came together for their first assembly of the year on Wednesday. The new students were warmly welcomed into the School and all staff were introduced. We had the opportunity at this time to discuss the importance of our School Values and highlighted: compassion, fairness, honesty and respect. Together with those values, we considered our Positive Behaviours for Learning (PB4L) beneath the pillars of ‘Learning’, ‘Respectful Relationships’ and ‘Safety and Organisation’. During the first week of school, class teachers will unpack these pillars and collaboratively choose class agreements and behavioural expectations that will be the touchstone for students throughout the year.

Meet the Teacher Afternoons

Kindergarten            Monday 4 February; 5.00 – 6.00pm
Yr 1                               Wednesday 6 February; 5.00 – 6.00pm
Yr 2                              Thursday 7 February; 5.00 – 6.00pm 

Staff will be holding Meet the Teacher afternoons at the above days and times. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet your child’s class teacher. During the afternoon, information will be provided on the exciting program teachers have developed for 2019. In addition, timetables, expectations, curriculum matters and daily routines will be explained and you will have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have. You will leave with a good understanding of the learning your child will experience this year and I therefore encourage you to attend. The structure of the afternoon will see all classes in the year level meet together for the first half in the Arnold Library in Junior School and then break off into classrooms for the remainder of the session. All information from the sessions will be placed on Redlands Pulse if you are unable to attend.

Twilight in the Piazza

I look forward to seeing you at Twilight in the Piazza, our first parent event for the year on Friday 22 February. Please see the invitation at the bottom of this article.

Learning and Technology Parent Session

We would like to invite all K-2 parents to learn more about the way in which technology is being used in the classrooms. The presentation will include information on:

• Curriculum and ICT
• Seesaw
• Educational Apps
• Technology and Wellbeing

The session will be held in the Lucy Hill Library on Wednesday 20 February at 8.30am. To help provide us with an indication on numbers, please RSVP for the event here.  

Car Line

As a reminder, if you wish to use Car Line, please re-register and read the procedural requirements for 2019 via Redlands Pulse. Preparatory School children can be collected from car line at the following times:
Kindergarten – 2.50pm
Yr 1 and Yr 2 – 3.05pm
Siblings (K, 1 and 2) – 3.05pm

Could you please adhere to these times and if you arrive before the allocated time, we respectfully ask that you refrain from parking on Allister Street, as this blocks the car line and reduces the effectiveness of this facility. Thank you.

BEWARE…Parking Rangers

Please be aware of the Parking Regulations on Allister Street, directly outside the Preparatory entrance of the School.

• Between 7.30-9.00am and 2.30-4.00pm there is no parking If you are leaving your car to assist your child, you must be within 3 metres of your car. To avoid a fine, please do not park in this area.
• The Parking Rangers patrol these areas vigilantly at school drop-off and pick-up times.

If you are parking your car in other designated areas, please be mindful of the neighbours in the surrounding streets. Driveways must remain unblocked, so they can access the road both morning and afternoon.

I would also like to draw your attention to the underground drop off area for the Prep School on Allister Street. This is available between 8.00am and 8.20am. Prefects and teachers are on duty to assist your child to get out of the car and walk into school safely, without walking onto a busy street. I urge you to utilise this wonderful initiative. Thank you for your ongoing patience and assistance as we endeavour to keep our community safe.

Notice of Departure end Term 1

Required by Friday 8 February 

This is a reminder to any families who are planning to leave the School at the end of Term 1 and have not yet given notice. Please email registrar@redlands.nsw.edu.au before Friday 8 February, in order to avoid fees in lieu.

Mrs Audrey Fellowes
Head of Early Childhood
afellowes@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9848

Event

Secondary Sport

Redlands Rhino – Weekly Fixtures

Please note: Redlands Rhino has the most up-to-date weekly fixtures. This is uploaded every Tuesday afternoon at 4.00pm. Please ensure you check this with regards to game times, venues and oppositions.

Weekly Results

Basketball

All teams are back into Round 7 of the ISA Competition this weekend (Saturday 2 February) please ensure you check the Redlands Rhino for the up-to-date fixtures

Netball

Netball trials for Yrs 7 – 9 have begun this week in order to have teams selected and registered before the NSNA registration date. The trial schedule is below:

• Yr 9 – Thursday 31 January (Lang Gym 5.00 – 7.00pm) and Tuesday 5 February (Lang Gym 5.30 – 7.30pm)
• Yr 8 – Thursday 7 February (Lang Gym 5.00 – 7.00pm) and Tuesday 12 February (Lang Gym 5.30 – 7.30pm)
• Yr 7 – Thursday 14 February (Lang Gym (5.00 – 7.00pm) and Thursday 21 February (Lang Gym 5.00 – 7.00pm)

If you have not received the information regarding these trials please email Mr Cameron Ellis. 

The trials for the 1^st VII Netball will begin in Week 6, Tuesday 5 March (Lang Gym 5.30 – 7.30pm) and Thursday 7 March (Lang Gym 5.00 – 7.00pm), these trials are open to all players in Yrs 10-12. If you are interested in trialling for the 1^st VII please email Cameron Ellis with your preferred position #1 and preferred position #2.

Rowing

Over the holidays a number of our students continued their Rowing training either on the water during the optional holiday Rowing sessions or by taking advantage of the opportunity to take a Rowing machine home with them. The main goal of this was to ensure that they can maintain the hard gained fitness developed earlier this season but to also give their bodies a chance to retain the physical resilience required to train well during Rowing camps.

In the final few weeks of the January holidays, our rowers once again headed to the annual January Rowing Camp held in Berry. With our Yrs 10-12 Senior rowers staying for seven nights and our Yrs 8-9 Junior rowers staying for three nights, this is our biggest block of workload completed for the year. The aim of the camp is for our students and crews to transition from the longer distance workloads from Terms 3 and 4 into higher intensity race pace training required to get them performing their best during our Term 1 regattas leading into the respective Heads of the Rivers held in mid-March 2019.

Typically, while on Camp the students trained twice per day on water, with a third training session held on land using the Rowing machines. Avoiding the heat where possible, the training is quite taxing on the students however there are plenty of rest blocks scheduled throughout the day and the students are well fed. It’s through this shared experience that both of our Senior and Junior rowers form some rather strong bonds that will see them progress into the early regattas of Term 1 being a much stronger unified program than would have otherwise been the case.

This weekend will see the first of our Term 1 regattas, with the Lake Macquarie Rowing Club Regatta held at Berry Park (Newcastle). Redlands makes up an approximately one third of the total entries on the day with each student having between three to five races. Students who attended Camp will have benefited greatly from that experience and will handle the racing well while others who unfortunately missed it will have an opportunity to impress at this Regatta.

Sailing

Tassel 2018 57^th International Cadet Australian National Championship Regatta Report
By Zac Braden

This year we were stoked to have five NSW boats competing at the Cadet Nationals held at Sandy Bay on the Derwent River Hobart, Tasmania.  All crews were Redlands students with Pepsea – Zac Braden (Skipper) Liam McFarlane (Crew), It Takes 2 to be Crazy – Ben Harrington (S) Mia McFarlane (C), Por Qui – Mawson Ritchie (S) Sienna Wessels (C), Seaquence – Zac Nisbet (S) Ethan McFarlane (C), Winning Edge – Alissa Braden (S) Connor Ikin (C).

The regatta had 52 boats competing over 6 days and 12 races. This provided what was extremely challenging conditions that included a day with gale force wind bullets, significant variable current and tidal movements and steep choppy waves.  We also had several of the Sydney to Hobart big boats come through our courses on a few of the days adding to the action. The format was both a line honours and a handicap rating for each race. The notable results included Winning Edge securing two firsts on handicap with Alissa Braden being the youngest skipper in the regatta, Por Qui and Seaquence each securing a 3rd on handicap. Pepsea took a tenth on line honours, resulting in a second on handicap and overall a sixth position on handicap.

Each crew in the NSW team showed significant improvement during the regatta, with strong battles in the last days with the top Victorian and Tasmanian sailors.  The regatta finished with everyone feeling very tired but also all enjoying the great camaraderie and mateship that is traditional to the Cadet class.  Thanks to the parents who supported us with the long drive and long days on the water and to coach James Griffin. The Redlands Cup perpetual trophy for the highest place boy/girl mixed crew went to the Victorian crew on Sparkle – Emma Kelly and Will Farnel who placed 4^th overall. The 2019-20 Cadet Nationals will be held at Geelong Victoria.

Swimming

The Redlands Swimming Squad training will be this week, training will take place at North Sydney Olympic Pool on the following days:

• Monday mornings 6.00 – 7.30am (students to meet at North Sydney Olympic Pool, bus to return students to school by 8.00am) first session is Monday 4 February, last session is Monday 11 March
• Friday afternoons 3.30 – 5.00pm (bus will take students from school and return approximately 5.15pm) first session is Friday 31 January, last session is Friday 8 March.

If you are interested in joining these sessions please email Cameron Ellis

Touch Football

Touch Football action returns this weekend Saturday 2 February with the Sydney Metro Gala Day at Macquarie. There have been a number of changes to the original draw so please ensure you check the Redlands Rhino for the up-to-date fixtures.

Mr Tom Kindred
Head of Secondary School Sport
sports@redlands.nsw.edu.au

All Sports contacts can be found on Redlands Pulse.​

Redlands House/Transition Gold

Welcome 

What a fabulous week we have had in Redlands House and Transition Gold this week! We warmly welcome all new and returning families to the Preschool and look forward to embarking on a wonderful year of fun and learning together.

Parent Information Afternoon

For Redlands House families, this event will take place on Thursday 14 February from 4.00 – 5.00pm in your child’s classroom in the Preschool. As this event is for parents to listen and participate in the presentation from their child’s teacher, we do request no children attend.

Parking 

Parking areas around the school can be challenging, especially during pick-up time. To ease congestion and ensure the safety of our students, the Prep School use a Car Line that enable parents to collect their children from the underground carpark from 2.45pm each day. We therefore ask Redlands House families to refrain from parking in the 5 minutes parking zone outside the Preschool from 2.45pm onwards. Families are still able to park for five minutes out the front of Redlands House between 2.30 – 2.45pm. Cones will be placed on the road at 2.45pm, not before, in order to prepare for the Prep Car Line. Please do not remove these cones to park your car, as they are a very important part of our process. Thank you for your careful attention to this. 

Food Breaks in the Preschool

Just a reminder that each child has three breaks for food in the Preschool each day – Crunch & Sip, Morning Tea and Lunch. Crunch & Sip is a small fruit or vegetable snack that is accessible to the children, along with their drink bottle, please place the container in the wire basket at the door of your child’s classroom. Morning Tea and Lunch are stored in separate containers in the big fridge in the foyer. Each class has a fridge door to open. Morning Tea containers are kept in the class basket in the fridge and lunch boxes are stored on the shelf. Please remember that we are an Allergy Friendly Centre (ie. allergy aware) and have a number of children with serious allergies. Therefore, we ask that any food your child brings to Preschool does not contain nuts or traces of nuts, egg or shellfish. We have a number of resources containing nutritious and well-balanced lunch box ideas available in our Parent Library in the foyer for inspiration.

Birthdays

The Preschool staff take delight in celebrating the children’s birthdays each year. The children love to celebrate their birthday too – it’s a great conversation topic all year round. We are happy for you to bring a small treat on your child’s special day. Please be mindful of food allergies, a list of the ingredients will assist us to ensure children with allergies are accounted for. All celebrations will be held in the afternoon and treats will be available for the children to take home. A healthy treat is always preferable, however, if you prefer a cake, small cupcakes work well, as they are easy for the children to manage and don’t require cutting by staff.

Mrs Audrey Fellowes
Head of Early Childhood
afellowes@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9848

From the Principal

Welcome back to a new school year. Notwithstanding some very hot weather this week, staff and students have quickly settled back and are busy getting themselves underway. Our Facilities team, with the help of some contractors, have attended to quite a number of important projects and most have been completed in readiness for the students’ return. On our Junior Campus, the extension of air-conditioning has made conditions more comfortable at Redlands House and in the Peter Cornish building and we are expecting that the Parkes building will be completed very shortly. The refurbishment of the Junior Campus oval is well underway. On the Senior Campus the water damage of late November in the Fitness Centre and the John Roberts Centre has been completed, while a new site for the Uniform Shop has been welcomed by staff and parents. A great deal of other regular maintenance has also been carried out.

The Executive team had a two day retreat two weeks ago to concentrate upon our major goals for 2019, followed by a day with the Deans of both campuses. Last week began with induction for new staff, where we had very few new teachers joining us this year to replace departed staff. A number of teachers have joined us to temporarily replace staff commencing maternity leave or taking Long Service Leave. Altogether only six teachers across the three sections left the school at the end of  last year, two of whom retired. This is the lowest teacher turnover during the past decade. That was also reflected in a Staff Engagement Survey which was undertaken in the final term last year, where there was much positive feeling among staff about their work and support for it at Redlands.

From Tuesday to Friday last week the teaching staff engaged with great spirit in a series of professional learning. Some very high standard sessions were presented by our own teachers who are leaders in the Culture of Thinking and Learning which underpins our Redlands Learning Platform. This followed on from an exciting Learning Fair which was mounted on the final day for teachers last year, with initiatives on show from all sections of the School and with their colleagues moving around to see some of the ideas and activities which had been part of the teaching and learning processes during 2018.

I would like to share a very special and unusual invitation which was sent to one of our Subject Coordinators last week, which was warmly acclaimed by the entire teaching staff.

Redlander Samantha Robertson, 2014 Dux of IB and a Prefect, will be receiving the J. E. Wallace Sterling Award for Scholastic Achievement from Stanford University when she graduates in June with a major in Mathematical & Computational Science. This prize is awarded to the top 25 students in the graduating class who are majoring in a department or program in Stanford University’s School of Humanities & Sciences.

While at Redlands, Sam achieved a perfect 45/45 score in her International Baccalaureate exams, achieving an ATAR of 99.95. She also was one of the very few students globally to achieve a Grade 7 in Higher Level Mathematics. After leaving Redlands, Sam accepted a place at Stanford, one of the most highly selective top-tier universities in the USA. She is hoping to start a PhD program in September, and is currently in the interview stage of that application process.

As part of her award, Sam, along with the other 25 top students, was asked to invite the Secondary School teacher she feels most influenced her scholastic career to a special luncheon on 6 April at Stanford University, just outside San Francisco. We are delighted that Sam has invited Karen Pittard, her IB HL Maths teacher and our Coordinator of Mathematics, to celebrate this achievement with her. 

In Sam’s words: 

“I often think back to my time at Redlands, and think about how incredibly grateful I am to have had such inspiring and motivating teachers, especially in Maths. I would love to have you at the luncheon to help me celebrate the end of my undergraduate career and recognise the impact you had on my confidence and motivation as a Maths student. Most of all, I want to thank you for your support and hard work as my Maths teacher, and I would love for you to know what a positive and powerful influence you had.”

We are delighted with the number of exceptional students at Redlands who have achieved places studying Mathematics in world-leading universities in recent years. Heidi Fang was accepted to Oxford (Merton College) to study Mathematics and Philosophy this year, Alana Adamus (Dux of HSC 2016) followed her brother Luke to study Mathematics at Duke University, and Sonia Kalcina (highest HSC result in 2015) is now in her third year of Mathematics at Oxford (Christ Church College). We will be seeking to connect Heidi with Sonia as Redlanders so Sonia can support Heidi as she finds her feet in Oxford.

Redlands will be granting some study leave to Karen to allow her to attend the luncheon and spend some time at Stanford connecting with some of the Mathematics-related programs.

Special thanks to members of the RPFA who attended the orientation events on Tuesday morning this week when we welcomed new students and their parents. I wish all members of the Redlands community a year of much happiness, enjoyment and fulfilment, and I hope to see many of our parents at the Welcome by our Redlands Parents and Friends Association Committee to be held on Friday 22 February.

Dr Peter Lennox

Please see below important information from Deputy Principal, Ms Sarah McGarry about our Emergency procedures:

Emergency Procedures at Redlands

In the coming weeks we will be conducting Lockdown and Evacuation Drills on both Sydney campuses – Junior and Senior – as part of our ongoing Emergency Training procedures.

As a School we have an Emergency Planning Committee, we have extensive emergency management plans in place, we train our students and staff, we conduct planned drills periodically and reflect and analyse when unplanned evacuations occur. Our first priority is safety.

Our Plans

The School works with emergency management specialists to develop and implement safety procedures, and the goals of drills throughout the year are to improve our ability to protect students, save lives, and reduce injuries, in the event of an emergency situation. These practice drills allow us to evaluate our emergency response plans and improve our response skills.

We do not generally announce in advance whether a lockdown or an evacuation is a planned exercise. It is essential for the safety of our students, staff and any campus visitors, that they are very familiar with our processes and can perform the required steps to complete a safe lockdown or evacuation without forewarning. In the case of younger children, we practise these more frequently and in varying formats so that they are not unduly alarmed.

On both our Senior and Junior Campuses, students have been reminded about what to do in the case of a lockdown or an evacuation and all new students are provided with this information when they start at the School. This information is also contained in the front section of the Student Planner.

Communication

• Students are not, under any circumstances, permitted to use their mobile phone during a lockdown or an evacuation.
• We would usually not communicate to parents that we are undertaking a lockdown or evacuation unless it resulted in a serious emergency requiring a longer disruption to the School day.
• If an emergency situation does continue to disrupt the day, the School will communicate to parents via SMS if it is safe to do so.
• In the case of an emergency situation requiring parents to collect their children, the School will communicate to parents with specific details about pickup arrangements.

Site Access

No person may enter or leave the site during an evacuation or lockdown, including students, staff, parent visitors or helpers. If you are onsite during an evacuation or lockdown, you must follow the instructions of the staff, in particular the wardens (wearing coloured safety helmets). If you arrive whilst an evacuation or lockdown is in place, please wait patiently until it has concluded and it is deemed safe to enter the site.

Please talk with your child about the reason for these drills. Our goal, while practising important safety procedures, is to be sure all students feel safe and confident in how to respond. If you have any questions or need further information, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher (Junior Campus) or tutor (Senior Campus). 

Photo caption: A very warm welcome to the 2019 school year to all families and especially to the youngest members of our Redlands community. 

Head of Secondary School

First Day of School 

Yesterday at around 2:25pm, I started having that twinge of excitement and nervous energy in my stomach. Even after over 20 years of teaching, the feeling was still palpable as I was about to head into my first English lesson of the year to meet my new Yr 7 class. As I walked through the Liggins courtyard, I met two other teachers who shared their similar feelings of excitement and anticipation as they were on their way to their first lessons of the year, as well.

There was certainly a buzz around the Campus on Wednesday as the school year commenced. I know I can speak for many teachers in saying days like yesterday make this profession of ours so special. Some highlights from the day for me were:

• Seeing two Yr 9 girls sprint across the top gardens for a warm embrace after not seeing each other over the summer break.
• Watching one of our Yr 12 students escort a lost Yr 7 student to the gym for their opening Year Group Meeting.
• Throwing a “proper” football (that is an American gridiron ball) with some Yr 12 boys on the courts after school and hearing about their holiday activities and plans for the year ahead.
• Meeting my Yr 7 English class and starting to learn a little more about them.
• And being the first recipient of the Redlands C.O.W Award for Crazy Outstanding Work by the School Captains at yesterday’s assembly. (I have already fulfilled part of my pledge – which, mind you, I had to recite in front of the student body – by posting an image of me with the award on Twitter!)

At last year’s Speech Night, our School Captains, Chloe and Josiah, shared their C.O.W emoji with the Redlands community in the hope we would all display a little more gratitude towards each other. There has been much recent research published on the importance of expressing gratitude not just for the wellbeing of others, but for our own wellbeing, as well. Interestingly, during one of our professional learning days last week, all staff across the School were treated to an uplifting presentation by renowned speaker Amanda Gore on the Power of Joy and one of the key strategies she shared with us to help find the joy in ourselves and bring it out in others was through expressing gratitude.

So, while I was humbled and embarrassed to be singled out in assembly as I know there are so many other staff and students more worthy of the Redlands C.O.W. Award than I, maybe the real power of this presentation was not the award itself, but instead that our student community was able to witness our School Captains expressing gratitude publicly so that they could hopefully learn from their example. Maybe some already did as my final highlight of the day was at the end of my Yr 7 English class in Period 6 as the students were leaving the classroom, they individually said “thank you” as they left the classroom – illustrating once again that a simple expression of gratitude can bring joy to someone else.

Welcome Letter 

Last week I sent home a Welcome Letter for 2019 to all Secondary School families with lots of information relevant to the commencement of the year. This letter has been published on Redlands Pulse under the Secondary School section if you missed it last week.

Tutor Meetings 

On Tuesday we also had our second year of Tutor meetings for returning students. Parents and students were able to have ten minute meetings with their Tutors to reflect on 2018 and develop goals and strategies for 2019. We hope this initiative further strengthened the strong partnership between students, parents and teachers in the education of the boys and girls in the Secondary School. If you have any feedback on this day, please email Susan Jones in the Secondary School Office as we hope to continue to strengthen this program in future years.

Yrs 11 and 12 HSC and IB Information Evenings 

Next week we will be offering HSC and IB Information Evenings for students in Yrs 11 and 12. These evenings are valuable sessions for both students and parents to learn more about their individual academic programs for the year ahead. These evenings will commence at 6.00pm in Redlands Hall on the following days:

Monday 4 February: Yr 11 IB Information Evening
Tuesday 5 February: Yr 12 IB Information Evening
Wednesday 6 February: Yr 11 HSC Information Evening
Thursday 7 February: Yr 12 HSC Information Evening

Judith Locke Presentation 

In our continued efforts to build a stronger partnership between school and home in the development of our Pastoral Care and Wellbeing programs, we are delighted that author of The Bonsai Child, Judith Locke, will be presenting to our Secondary School parent community on the evening of Monday 25 February from 6.00pm. She will explore modern parenting trends and their impact on children, and she will offer practical strategies to assist us in developing confidence and resilience in our children. We look forward to your attendance.

Uniform

Could I ask parents to assist in ensuring students’ dress and appearance (hair and uniform, for example) meet our high expectations as they return to School this week. Please refer to the Student Planner if you are uncertain of our expectations. Please note that while blazers are optional for students in Terms 1 and 4, students are still not permitted to wear fleeces or hoodies to and from school. If, on cooler days (hard to believe with the current weather), students want to wear an outer garment, they are required to wear their blazers both to and from school.

Please note that the Uniform Shop has moved into more spacious surroundings at 286 Military Road.

School Photos Yrs 8-12: Monday 4 February

School photographs are scheduled to be taken on Monday 4 February for students in Yrs 8-12. It is important that students wear proper school uniform on this day, including their blazers.

A range of packages are available and orders should be completed online prior to photographs being taken. Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please direct them to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au. To order, please go to advancedlife and enter the code NWL 4NR ETY.

Activities Fair

Today at lunchtime the Liggins quad burst into life with our Activities Fair. The aim of the Activities Fair is for students to see (and hear) all of the clubs and activities that Redlands has on offer. Student and staff representatives from the various activities shared information and answered questions throughout lunchtime. We encourage students to sign up and get involved in these clubs and activities this year. An overview of the clubs and activities on offer for 2019 has been made available through Redlands Pulse on the Extra/Cocurricular page in Special Programs.

2020 Scholarships – applications close Monday 4 February

Students in Year 7 2020 or Year 11 2020 are invited to apply for 2020 Scholarships via the School’s website. 

2020 Scholarships available:

Yr 7 – Academic, Merit/All-Rounder, Music, Ballet – open to all current Redlands Year 6 students.

Yr 11 – Academic, Merit/All-Rounder – open to current Redlands Yr 10 students on a demonstrated needs basis involving means testing.

All candidates are required to sit for the ACER Scholarship exam at Redlands on Saturday 23 February.

All Scholarship information and details on how to apply can be found on our website in the Enrolments section: https://www.redlands.nsw.edu.au/enrolments/scholarships/scholarships-2/

Notice of Departure end Term 1

Required by Friday 8 February 

This is a reminder to any families who are planning to leave the School at the end of Term 1 and have not yet given notice. Please email registrar@redlands.nsw.edu.au before Friday 8 February, in order to avoid fees in lieu.

Mr Sean Corcoran
Head of Secondary School
scorcoran@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9870

Careers

Yr 10-12 Tertiary Information Evening for Parents

This will be held on Monday 11 February in Redlands Hall. A letter with details of the evening has been sent to all parents and carers. Yr 10 presentation commences at 6pm, Yr 12 at 6.40pm and Yr 11 at 7.20pm.

University of Cambridge – Pre-University Summer Program

This is the first if its kind run by the university itself (not an outside provider) for international students in Yrs 11 or 12 to prepare for studying at a leading global university. The two week program from 14 – 27 July is a selective program for 65 students around the world. You will need to write a personal statement and submit references. Please see Ms Salier if you wish to apply, the deadline is 1 March 2019, click here.

University of the Arts London (UAL) Presentation

UAL are the largest specialist art and design university in Europe with Redlanders currently studying there. They will hold a public information session at Sydney University on Monday 18 February from 5.00-6.30pm at the Abercrombie Building. UAL will visit Redlands in late August, final date TBA. RSVP: ual@bcic.co.uk

Defence Force Work Experience Opportunity and Information Sessions

Stay informed about Defence Force career opportunities, the Gap Year program and specific trade information by attending an information session listed here. These sessions are held weekly at various locations in Sydney and interstate. There are also work experience opportunities available, but please note that if the dates are during term time, prior approval from the Head of Secondary School is needed.

Ms Simone Salier
University & Careers Advisor
ssalier@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9867 

Chaplain

One of the great strengths of Redlands is that we value students reflecting on the bigger issues of life. This is one of the reasons we provide time for Chapel each week, so that students have space and opportunity to reflect. I welcome all our students to Chapel and encourage those who would like to participate in the music or any other aspect of Chapel to come and see me (in H.2.4) as this is a valuable way to serve the school community. 

I have been researching wellbeing and the factors that enable young people to grow in resilience. The research of Cotton et al (2005) and Raftopoulos et al (2011) has identified that religiosity and spirituality are significant protective factors for adolescents. These terms are defined by psychologists as broad categories, however, as you read the more detailed description they relate to such things as sense of a higher power who loves and cares for them, a sense of purpose, a relationship with others, a sense of the sacredness of life and nature and the universe.

These are fundamental aspects of our understanding at Redlands, which we connect to God as Father and creator. We encourage students to consider faith as a relationship with God and others. Jesus said love the Lord God with all your heart and love your neighbour as yourself. Not only do we reflect on the sacredness of nature and the universe but also, God as creator of the universe and that humanity, as his representative, caretakers of these. This provides a connectedness and a rationale for an understanding of sacredness of nature as the Christian faith approaches a personal God and honours his perspective of the world.

Another area where we encourage our students to reflect on this connection between themselves and nature is in our Outdoor Education program. Students do not only experience new contexts and challenges but they reflect on these as well. So on camp, students are required to journal with some guidance. Over the years in Secondary School they will develop the skills and habit of reflection to gain the most from any experience and become reflective and centred individuals.

Parents who Pray

Each term a group of parents and community members gather to pray for Redlands. They pray for the students, staff and the broader school community. The group comes from various Christian traditions and all are welcome. This year the meetings will be on Wednesday mornings 8.30 – 9.15am. Note Day will have reminders and the specific venue for each meeting, however, the dates are listed here so you can mark them in your diary: 20 February, 20 March, 15 May, 12 June, 14 August, 11 September, 23 October, 13 November.

Cotton et al,  ‘The impact of adolescent spirituality on depressive symptoms and health risk behaviors’, Journal of Adolescent Health 36 (2005) 529.e7–529.e14

Mary Raftopoulos & Glen Bates (2011) ‘It’s that knowing that you are not alone’: the role of spirituality in adolescent resilience, International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, 16:2, 151-167, DOI: 10.1080/1364436X.2011.580729

Ms Bronwyn Lihou
Senior Campus Chaplain
blihou@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9830

Debating

Welcome back! It has been a busy start to the year for Debating. We have the ISDA and FED competitions starting this term and continue with Social Debating or Debating Club.

Competitive Debating (ISDA and FED Competitions in Semester 1)

Trials for these are after school this Friday 1 February and the teams chosen continue to compete for the whole season (Semester 1). Students can register for the trials here. Trials will be run by experts in the field.

Masters Academy

Masters Academy will be providing coaches for the competitions and will ensure that there is a coaching program and that the coaches are trained and experienced. More about these competitions and about Debating in general is in the Debating section of Redlands Pulse. Students should meet at the Liggins Quad after school on Friday for the trials.

Debating Club 

This Club runs on a Wednesday afternoons and is also being conducted by Masters Academy. More information on how to register for this is here. Masters Academy is a registered Creative Kids supplier, which entitles parents to a $100 rebate for Debating Club. Please contact info@mastersacademy.com.au or call 8283 2905 for more details.

Students interested in participating in the Rostrum Voice of Youth should contact me in L.2.3.

Students are encouraged to enrol for both Competitive Debating and Debating Club but it is not compulsory to do one in order to do the other.

Please read the About Debating section under special programs on Redlands Pulse and feel free to chat with me or with Ela Kos, our Debating Captain before you decide to make the commitment.

I look forward to another productive Debating season!

Ms Simone Bryant
Debating Coordinator
sbryant@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9875

Languages

This summer, for the first time, five Latin students from Yrs 9, 10 and 12 attended Sydney University’s 25^th Latin Summer School. Over five days, they undertook Latin language lessons on the University’s main campus and mingled with fellow Latinists of all ages, including Classics professors and postgraduate students, all drawn together by their shared passion for ancient culture.

Redlands Latin 2018 teacher Argyris Giantsis was also in attendance, teaching one of the course levels. Students described the event as a great opportunity, and it was wonderful to see the close bond, collegiality and enthusiasm of our Latin students across Year Groups.

Latin Summer School takes place every January and is open to Latin students aged 13 and up.

Miss Shirin Borthwick
Latin Teacher
9903 3133
sborthwick@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Uniform Shop

The Uniform Shop has a new home! We are now located at 286 Military Road, Cremorne just 50 metres down from the Senior Campus Reception towards Winnie Street.   

Our telephone number and opening hours remain the same. 

Please bear with us whilst we settle into our new house and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Mrs Kathy Brown
Uniform Shop Manager
uniformorders@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9850

Year 12

Welcome Back

Welcome to Yr 12 2019! It was wonderful to welcome our boys and girls back this week for their final year of school. They appear rested, reinvigorated and ready for embracing the new opportunities and challenges they will face through the year. The media and those around us can spread a lot of hype and pressure about being a Yr 12 student, but putting things into perspective can really help our students/children avoid becoming overwhelmed. Our Pastoral Program this year aims to assist students with managing their time, stress and expectations through their final year, ultimately working towards personal success. Students will have access to useful resources and key forms/information via our iLearn page, Year 12 Pastoral 2019.

Cambodia Trip 2018

In December, 54 Yr 12 students spent 12 days in Cambodia with trip coordinator Mr Walker and teachers Mr Dong, Ms Laurel, Ms Major, Ms Reinhold and Mr Warrell. The trip was an incredible experience for all concerned. They completed building projects for villages, visited to M’lop Tapang, an organisation providing street children and their families with access to learning tools, services and resources. They were also impressed by the famous historical sites, including Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, S21 and the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh. All participating students should be congratulated on their endless enthusiasm and excellent behaviour displayed throughout the trip.

Matthew Talbot Hostel

Thank you to all Yr 12 students who continued to volunteer at Matthew Talbot throughout the holidays. Your enthusiasm and service allowed the Hostel to continue feeding and accommodating over 200 homeless men a day throughout the break.

Important Dates

An email was sent to all parents/carers last week, outlining our many important dates/key information for Yr 12 to assist with your planning. If you did not receive the email, please ensure your email address is correct on Redlands Pulse/Student Details.

IB and HSC Information Evening

The Yr 12 IB Information Evening will take place on Tuesday 5 February and the HSC Information Evening will be held on Thursday 9 February. Both events will start at 6.00pm in Redlands Hall. It is important that all Yr 12 parents and students attend this event.

School Photos

School photographs are scheduled to be taken by advancedlife on Monday 4 February (Yrs 8 to 12). Please note blazers are required this Monday for the photographs. A range of packages are available and orders will need to be completed online prior to photographs being taken. Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please direct them via email to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au

To order, please go to advancedlife and enter the code NWL 4NR ETY.

Ms Vanessa Wang
Yr 12 Advisor
vwang@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9813

Year 11

Welcome Back

A warm welcome back to all the Redlands parents and carers. I trust everyone had a lovely Christmas holiday period. Just a quick note to welcome Rachel Wilson who will be taking over as Assistant Yr 11 Advisor. Rachel is a fantastic addition to Yr 11 and I know how excited she is to be part of such a wonderful group of parents and students.

School Photos

School photographs are scheduled to be taken by advancedlife on Monday 4 February (Yrs 8 to 12). Please note blazers are required this Monday for the photographs. A range of packages are available and orders will need to be completed online prior to photographs being taken. Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please direct them via email to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au

To order, please go to advancedlife and enter the code NWL 4NR ETY.

Key Events for Term 1 

Parents’ ​IB​ Information Night – Monday 4 February, 6.00 – 7.30pm (Week 2)
Student Photos – Monday 4 February (Week 2)
Parent ​HSC​ Information Night – Wednesday 6 February, 6.00 – 7.30pm (Week 2)
Yr 11 Tertiary Planning Information Evening – Monday 11 February, 7.15 – 8.00pm
Prue Salter – Study Skills Parent Session – Wednesday 13 February 6.00 – 7.30pm
Secondary School Swimming Carnival – Tuesday 19 February
Judith Locke Parent Presentation – The Bonsai Child – Monday 25 February 6.00 – 8.00pm
Yr 11 Day of Hope – Student Incursion – Monday 25 February – full day
Yr 11 Parent Teacher Night – Wednesday 3 April (Week 10)

Mr Edward Atkins
Yr 11 Advisor 
eatkins@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9909 3133

Year 10

Welcome

I would like to warmly welcome all Yr 10 students and their families back to the start of the school year for 2019. Yr 10 is positioned to be a most exciting year and it must be said that this is a pivotal time for students as they prepare for the senior years of high school. Your children have achieved much in the past three years, they have forged new friendships, developed strong working relationships with teachers and peers and have immersed themselves in the dynamic environment of the Secondary School. This year, students will be encouraged to further develop their skills as independent, self-motivated and curious learners. Yr 10 presents as a marvelous opportunity for students to try something new, to engage in a new cocurricular opportunity or to play a new sport. Students will continue to benefit from our strong Tutor program under the guidance of the Yr 10 Pastoral team. We ask that you encourage your sons and daughters to maintain a meaningful dialogue with their Tutor teachers, particularly around goal setting as well as a preparedness to discuss impediments or areas which may warrant further development. I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Robert Skinner to the Yr 10 Pastoral team. Mr Skinner will be the Tutor teacher for 10 Cowper Blue and he is a long-standing member of the Redlands community. He has a wealth of experience teaching both the HSC and IB programs of study and has been an assessor in all forms of History in both these programs. He has been both a Tutor and a Year Advisor for Yrs 10, 11 and 12 and is attuned to the needs of students in their senior years of high school. We feel very lucky that our students will share in his depth of experience. As we begin the year, I would like to encourage you to connect with your child’s Tutor teacher or with myself should you have any concerns. I wish you all well for the year ahead.

New Students

We are thrilled to welcome 10 new students into the Yr 10 cohort this year: Rio Jones, Emily Batemyr, Lachlan Green, Tess Lindsay, Julia Parker, Emily Pashley, Megan Price, Mia Ramsey, Charlotte Robertson and Jasmine Chady. In addition, we are pleased to welcome back Michael Fowler and Phoenix Swann. These students are coming to us from New Zealand, India, Hong Kong, interstate and the Sydney region. I would like to extend a very warm Redlands welcome to these new students and their families.

Approaches to Learning Conversations

I hope both students and parents found Tuesday’s Approaches to Learning conversations very worthwhile. I feel this is a great opportunity for students to refocus at the beginning of the school year and to develop further motivation to progress both academically and personally. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms Rachel Beggs, Ms Simone Bryant, Ms Elizabeth Scott, Ms Elizabeth Keogh, Mr Robert Skinner, Ms Naoko Abe, Ms Anna Alan and Ms Arienne Brodie for their extensive preparation and professional approach to these interviews. If any issues were raised during these conversations that you may feel require further support, please do not hesitate to email me to make an appointment.

Student Achievements

I am always appreciative of students and parents who share news of student achievements. It is lovely to be able to recognise our students in the weekly Note Day and at our fortnightly Year Meetings. Please do be in touch with news of your son and daughter this year, I look forward to sharing the strengths and achievements of our Yr 10 students.

George Murphy has continued his diligent approach to his Snowsports training over the Christmas holiday break. George spent the last five weeks in Winter Park Colorado as part of an elite mogul team of Australian skiers known as AUMSA (Australian Mogul Skiing Academy). He is the youngest in the group and they train five days out of seven each week and undertake a stringent routine of on-snow and off-snow training with regulated rest times and a carefully controlled diet. Some of the off-snow activities included yoga, daily stretching, swimming, gymnastics, trampoline training and general strength and conditioning in the local gym. We congratulate George for his efforts over the break and look forward to hearing his competition results as the year progresses.

Key Dates

Secondary School Photographs (Yr 10) – Monday 4 February
Yr 10 Tertiary Education Meeting – Monday 11 February 
Secondary School Swimming Carnival – Tuesday 19 February 
Secondary School Cross Country Carnival – Thursday 4 April 
Secondary School Athletics Carnival – Tuesday 25 June 
Yr 10 Camp Myall Lakes – Term 4, Week 5, 11-15 November 

Careers

The Tertiary Education Meeting for Yr 10 students and parents will be held on Monday 11 February. Each of the senior years will have a dedicated timeslot during this evening, Yr 10 from 6.00 – 6.40pm. Ms Simone Salier will use this time to disseminate important information relating to the Career Assessment Program, Bridge-U (IT platform for university and career readiness), Industry Visit Day and Career readiness structure which is embedded within our Pastoral Program. At this time in the learning journey students should be beginning to think about their future path and Ms Simone Salier is a wonderful mentor for students. Should you have any questions or queries about careers or university options for your son/ daughter, please do not hesitate to contact Ms Salier  to discuss or make an appointment.

School Photos

School photographs are scheduled to be taken by advancedlife on Monday 4 February (Yrs 8 to 12). Please note blazers are required this Monday for the photographs. A range of packages are available and orders will need to be completed online prior to photographs being taken. Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please direct them via email to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au

To order, please go to advancedlife and enter the code NWL 4NR ETY.

Ms Sarah Matthews
Yr 10 Advisor
smatthews@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9908 6494

Year 9

Welcome back to returning parents and welcome to new parents for Yr 9 2019! I hope you all had a lovely break over the Christmas and New Year holidays. We are in for a busy Term 1 with ten weeks of school followed by Yr 9 Camp in Week 11. I will send further information out regarding Camp closer to the time.

I hope you all received my email last week welcoming you back and also explaining how the Pastoral Care program works this year. If you did not receive it, please could you check on Redlands Pulse that your contact details are correct to ensure you are receiving all school communication.

Fiji Service Learning Opportunity

In the October School Holidays, students from our Year Group have the opportunity to travel to Fiji and immerse themselves in Fijian life. This is the third year that Redlands has partnered with Rustic Pathways to provide this opportunity for Yr 9 students. 

The trip is split into two sections. The first is spent in a highlands village, where students are accommodated via a homestay program and engage in a range of cultural immersion and service activities. Following this, students return to the coast to Rustic Pathways Momi Bay Base. During this time, students work with a Marine Biologist to assist and learn about environmental management of the surrounding reef and coastal area.

This program gives students a wide range of experiences, whilst developing their understanding of the Fijian culture. It is designed to both educate and challenge students, helping them to embrace the concept of being a global citizen.

All parents and students are invited to find out more at the Information Evening on Tuesday 12 February at 6.00pm in the Roseby Library on the Senior Campus. Any questions should be directed to Mr Simon Colyer, Dean of Activities.

Netball Trials

The Yr 9 Netball trials are on Thursday 31 January (Lang Gym 5.00 – 7.00pm) and Tuesday 5 February (Lang Gym 5.30 – 7.30pm). Emails have been sent out to all netballers who played last year. If you have not received the email or are new to Redlands, please go and see Mr Ellis in the Sports Department Office (Fitness Centre).

School Photos

School photographs are scheduled to be taken by advancedlife on Monday 4 February (Yrs 8 to 12). Please note blazers are required this Monday for the photographs. A range of packages are available and orders will need to be completed online prior to photographs being taken. Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please direct them via email to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au

To order, please go to advancedlife and enter the code NWL 4NR ETY.

Ms Rebecca Mountain
Yr 9 Advisor
rmountain@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 6462

Year 8

News

• We welcome seven new students to Yr 8: Liam Batemyr, Allegra Brown, Yasmin Coletran, Matthew Fowler, William Natalli, Elena Parker and Flynn Northam.
• Yrs 8-12 photos are Monday, Week 2. All students need their blazer.
• In the holidays, ten Redlands students represented NSW in the 57th Tassal International Cadet Nationals at Sandy Bay Sailing Club, Tasmania. This year the NSW team was made up entirely of Redlands students from Yr 7 through to Yr 12. Ethan McFarlane and Sienna Wessels represented Yr 8. Five NSW boats competed in 12 races over 8 days. They faced tough conditions with fierce winds and strong tides – very different from Sydney Harbour. Students were able to watch the Sydney to Hobart yacht race finishing over three days, with yachts often sailing right by them during their races.

• Seb Griffith was involved in many Hockey events over the holidays. Most notably his NSW U13 boys won their Australian Indoor Hockey Carnivals early in January at Goulburn.

Pastoral Care Program

The focus of Pastoral Care in Yr 8 will be on behaviour choices, risk taking, cyber safety and building a sense of self to improve personal resilience and foster positive relationships.

In Term 1, students will be analysing the differences between safe and unsafe risks. We will be exploring personal and social responsibilities and assessing the strategies that assist in regulating behaviour to achieve personal goals. By the end of Term 1 students will be able to:

1. Understand the connection between emotions and choices
2. Identify safe and unsafe risks.
3. Understand how our choices/impulses can impact our personal wellbeing and resilience.

The ReachOut parent portal provides a number of useful resources you can make use of at home including: Risk-Taking and Teenagers, Alcohol Drinking and Teenagers and Peer Pressure and Teenagers 

Leave/Absences from School

Should your son/daughter be absent from school due to illness, please immediately email Secondary School Absences (ssabsence@redands.nsw.edu.au), cc’ing your child’s Tutor. Leave during the day should be restricted to emergencies however, should students arrive late or leave early they are required to sign in/out at the Secondary School Office and an email sent to Secondary School Absences. Extended leave requests should be addressed to the Head of Secondary School, Mr Sean Corcoran, and sent to ssabsence@reddlands.nsw.edu.au. Please cc Year Advisors and Tutors in correspondence.

Parent & Student Contact Details

All parents are asked to check their contact details on Redlands Pulse. Please send any changes through via the system on Redlands Pulse (rather than to the YA’s), so that we have the most up to date and detailed information (including medical details).

Communication 

A reminder that subject related questions should be directed to your child’s teacher or relevant Subject Coordinator. If you are unable to find necessary contacts, please contact your child’s Tutor who will be able to assist.

Yr 8 Pastoral Care on iLearn 

This week students will be introduced to the student Yr 8 Pastoral Care iLearn page. Here students will have access to our Pastoral program overview, announcements, study skills resources, key forms and information etc.

Parent and Student Contact Details

All parents are asked to check that student medical details, student swimming abilities and personal contact details are correct on Redlands Pulse. Please make any necessary updates via Redlands Pulse. Updates may take 48 hours to appear.

School Photos

School photographs are scheduled to be taken by advancedlife on Monday 4 February (Yrs 8 to 12). A range of packages are available and orders will need to be completed online prior to photographs being taken. Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please direct them via email to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au

To order, please go to advancedlife and enter the code NWL 4NR ETY.

Key Dates

Ms Marita Jansons 
Yr 8 Advisor
mjansons@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9819

Year 7

Yr 7s First Week

Thank you for all of your support in our Yr 7 Transition Day. Students were able to meet their Tutor and many members of staff while organising their Student Planners, connecting to the Redlands network, being introduced to school rules, assigning lockers, experiencing their first Secondary School Chapel and enjoying a sausage sizzle. The weather was very warm and students were extremely impressive in their behaviour and positive energy. 

This week, Yr 7 students will have their first one-on-one meeting with their Tutors, be introduced to the Redlands Approaches to Learning rubric, participate in a Camp briefing, attend their first classes and their first Sport rotation. With Camp next week, we will revisit many aspects of their new classes and schedule in Week 3.

Students received a copy of their schedules today.  If students are in Music classes, please support us in ensuring these Music lessons do not consistently fall in the same subject lessons. 

Camp

The Yr 7 Camp meeting point for Monday 4 February will be Dunnet Hall at  6.00am. Our Yr 7 team asks for your support in saying goodbye at the door and allowing your children to enter the Hall in a timely manner to leave on schedule.

Ms Alissa Ynson
Yr 7 Advisor (Acting)
9968 9863
aynson@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Snowsports

Welcome to 2019 for another exciting season for the Redlands Snowsports community. Welcome back to all existing families and a very special welcome to those families new to Redlands who would like to join our activities this year.

Please send me an email if you are newcomers so I can keep you informed during the season (thanks for those already received this week!).

Snowsports Race Registration

Now open.

Book here

To get the year off to a good start it’s important to get all upcoming dates in your calendar so you can arrange accommodation in the snowfields during Race Week.

Important Dates for 2019

More details are on Redlands Pulse. 

Mr Bruce Campbell
bcampbell@redlands.nsw.edu.au
Snowsports Administrator
0413764445

Ballet and Dance

Students Achievements

Firstly a huge congratulations to all our Senior students who received their RAD exam results over the holidays. Well done! An absolutely wonderful achievement. A special mention to Isabel Dong, Alyssa Tinetti, Alina Filatova and Ella Banfield who all received Distinction in their grades. Congratulations! 

Jazz Auditions

Jazz auditions are on Friday 1 February. 
Levels 2 and 3 3.30-4.00pm
Levels 4 and 5 4.30-5.00
Junior Jazz Performance Group 5.00-5.45pm (Yrs 5 and 6)
Senior Jazz Performance Group 5.45- 6.30pm (Yrs 7 and 8)

Contemporary Auditions

Senior Advanced Contemporary auditions are on Friday 8 February 5.30-6.30pm (from Yr 8)

New Term – New Faces

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome all our new Ballet and Dance students to the Academy. Come and say hello and meet the staff! It will be a wonderful year.

We also have new teachers on board:

Julie-Anne Kerr is a RAD examiner with long standing teaching experience as a former Co-Director of Tanya Pearsons Coaching Academy. Julie-Anne is highly experienced and well respected as a Classical Ballet teacher and coach.

Shelley McShane, a well experienced and qualified Jazz and Contemporary teacher will be covering Miss Marcia’s Jazz classes in Term 1 as Miss Marcia is on maternity leave.

New Uniform

We have a new top for Jazz and Contemporary. It is not yet mandatory but we will encourage all new students to wear it. Please ask in the Uniform Shop (not Bloch) for the new Jazz top. 

Contact Us

For all updates, enquiries and information regarding classes, uniform and competitions, please check in on Redlands Pulse, Note Day and the Ballet and Dance TV.

Can’t come to class? Please do not forget to let us know if sickness, injury or change of circumstance has occurred. Send us an email evabishop@redlands.edu.nsw.au

Any questions? Please contact us at evabishop@redlands.edu.nsw.au. We would love to hear from you!

Important Dates:

Term 1 

Week 1          Saturday 2 February – Dance Classes Start
Week 11         Saturday 6 – Friday 12 April – Class Watching Days
Week 11         Friday 12 April –  Last classes

Ms K Martin
Coordinator of Ballet and Dance
dance@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9908 6461

Drama and Theatre

Welcome everyone to an exciting Term 1 at Redlands Drama and Theatre community. A special welcome to all our new families. Redlands offers a variety of courses in Acting, Theatresports, Shakespeare, Musical Theatre, Film and Production for students from Kindergarten to Yr 12. There are lots of fabulous activities, festivals, performances and competitions planned for 2019. Any student interested in joining any of our classes can collect an enrolment form from any reception, Redlands Pulse or via email.

Musical

Tickets will be on sale very soon for the Redlands Musical for 2019 and will be available directly from The Concourse, Chatswood box office. Redlands will be presenting the wonderful musical Strictly Ballroom from 28 – 30 March.

Musical Rehearsals

Our full rehearsal schedule has been emailed to all Musical company families. Exact scenes, songs and students required for each rehearsal are available here, on the Theatre and Drama noticeboard and will also be emailed to parents. Students are reminded to be prompt to all rehearsals, bring plenty of food and water, wear appropriate clothing as required and their very important libretto!

Makeup and Props Team

Any student interested in theatre makeup or property creation is invited to become part of the Makeup or Props team for 2019. Students will meet every week on Friday afternoons and are trained in stage makeup and stage properties. The teams will be involved in school functions throughout the year such as the Musical and Gala Arts. Any student interested in joining these groups should collect an enrolment form from the Drama and Theatre Office.

Gala Arts

An audition information meeting will be held on Wednesday 13 February at 1pm.

This year’s Gala Arts performance will take place on Friday 31 May in the Concert Hall at The Concourse at Chatswood. Auditions are this term. Audition application forms will be available at the start of Week 3 at the Gala Arts information meeting on Wednesday 13 February. Tickets will be on sale after the contestants are announced at the end of Term 1. Mark your diary with this wonderful date for Performing Arts at Redlands. It is always an exceptional evening as we celebrate the talents of our students.

Junior School Theatresports

Any student wishing to participate in Theatresports in the Junior School is welcome to join us at lunch on Tuesday. Meet at the flagpole on 5 February. Workshops are free and open to all students from Yrs 3 to 6.

Secondary School Theatresports

Redlands Theatresports competition preparation is beginning! Workshops are free and open to all students from Yrs 7 to 12. Classes take place on Monday lunchtimes in the Drama Studio. Redlands will be entering a Senior and Junior team in Impro Australia’s 2019 Theatresports  Schools Competition. The regional TSC takes place in Term 2 with heats running from early May.  Winning schools will progress to take part in the qualifying finals in June and the top teams in each division will go into a Grand Final at the Enmore Theatre at the end of June. See Mrs Daley for details.

The Shakespeare Carnival

Sport for Jove Theatre is returning with The Shakespeare Carnival for 2019. Right across NSW, high school students will have the chance to tread the boards and creatively engage with Shakespeare’s works on the stage as actors, dancers, musicians and designers. Redlands Shakespeare Carnival will be held on Wednesday 20 March at 6.30pm at the Senior Campus garden terrace. To audition please see the categories guidelines.

Senior Acting Ensemble

Interested in becoming part of the Redlands Drama Senior Acting Ensemble? Students who would like to develop their acting skills and be part of an ensemble that creates new works, as well as working towards theatre festivals are invited to come on Tuesday lunchtimes to the Drama Studio. See Mrs Daley for details.

More information can be found on

Redlands Pulse

Mrs Joy Daley
Coordinator of Theatre and Drama
drama@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9860

Music

Departmental News

The Music Department is excited to be opening its doors to what will be another new and exciting year of musical learning. Following on from various professional learning and training sessions throughout last week, our team of passionate Music educators and specialists are incredibly excited about the creative journey that lies ahead for our Music community. What lies ahead for all our students is a rich and diverse range of Music opportunities for all aspiring young musicians enrolled in the Academic, Cocurricular and Extra Subject Music programs.

Over the summer holiday period, the Department celebrated in the outstanding achievements of the Yr 12 graduates, who all obtained exceptional results in their Music studies in the Higher School Certificate and International Baccalaureate courses. In the HSC, the top mark awarded was 95% and in IB Music, Grade 7. As a group of musicians, 67% of students studying Music courses received an ATAR of 90+.

New Staff Welcome

The Department would like to welcome a number of new Music teachers to our team across the Junior and Senior Campuses. In leading our Instrumental Music Ensembles, Mr Mathew Owen joins us as Lead Conductor and Music teacher (Yrs 7-12), while in the Extra Subjects Music program, we welcome Ms Julia Booth (Vocal Specialist) and Mr Solomon Frank (Clarinet Specialist).

Music Department Launch Event

Come join us for an evening of Jazz Music as the Friends of Music host our launch event, Jazz in the Gardens, on Saturday 9 March at 6.00pm. As part of this event, the first-ever Redlands EP of Original Compositions will be released. Please mark this event in your calendar.

Friends of Music Meeting

The first Friends of Music Meeting will be held on Wednesday 13 February at 4.30pm in T14. We welcome all families from the Junior and Senior Campuses to this team of parent volunteers. Afternoon tea will be provided at 4.00pm.

Extra Subjects Private and Group Music Tuition

The Private and Group Tuition commences next week in Week 2. Please note that Music specialists will be in direct contact with parents to issue the teaching timetable for the term.

The Extra Subjects Music Tuition program provides specialist lessons in private singing and instrumental tuition. This program is primarily to provide tuition during school hours, where students leave a curriculum for 30 minutes per week to attend their private Music lesson. Music tutors rotate the lesson times on a four-weekly cycle to ensure that students only miss 30 minutes of the same curriculum lesson two to three times each term. Only in special circumstances, and if possible within individual teaching timetables, will Music tutors be able to organise for lessons to be made during free periods, lunch, before or after school hours.

All enrolments for Extra Subjects Voice and Instrumental tuition must be submitted by Friday 15 February for lessons to commence in Term 1. Any forms received after this date will commence lessons in Term 2. Parents and guardians are advised that students who are requesting a change to their current Extra Subject Music tuition will need to submit a Notification of Change Form four weeks prior to the end of Semester 1. Please note that once term has commenced, lessons will NOT be able to be terminated. The Notification of Change form can be downloaded from Redlands Pulse and emailed to Music Administrators.

The Extra Subjects Group Music tuition program includes Musicianship, Sound Engineering, Rock Bands and Composition. These groups meet throughout the week before and after school and provide students with opportunities in building music theory skills, recording, contemporary performance and song writing. These lessons occur before or after school and are led by our experienced Music tutors and specialists in these areas of learning. Days and times of these classes can be found on Redlands Pulse under Music.

Junior and Secondary Cocurricular Music Ensembles

Cocurricular Music ensembles commence in Week 3, providing students with a wide variety of ensembles in which to participate. The Ensemble program is based on participation in the CORE experiences of Band, Choral, Guitar and Strings, with students being invited to participate in the Extension Program in the areas of Jazz and Chamber Music. The Music Department invites any interested students to sign-up by Friday 15 February. Days and times of rehearsals can be found on Redlands Pulse under Music. 

Music Competition Series

Students are encouraged to begin selecting and preparing repertoire for the upcoming auditions for the various Music competitions. The process in selecting finalists will require students to present one work which demonstrates musical competency. For information on audition requirements please download forms from Redlands Pulse under Music.

Senior Campus

Advanced Music Ensembles Auditions

Students who would like to audition for Advanced Strings or Advanced Concert Band are required to email seniormusic@redlands.nsw.edu.au for more information. These auditions will be held on Monday 4 February and Wednesday 6 February (Week 2). For more information on audition requirements, please find application forms on Redlands Pulse. 

Senior Music Lockers

Music Instrument Lockers are in the process of being processed and assigned. Please ensure you have completed the Music Locker form and submitted to the Secondary School Music Office by Monday 4 February. This form can be found on Redlands Pulse.

Junior Campus

Music Instrumental Program (MIP)

MIP commenced today for Yrs 4 and 5. In allocating instruments, parents are required to have logged into Relands Pulse to give consent for Instrument Hire if you are wishing to hire from the school. A reminder that all students in Yr 4 will be billed $20 for the accompanying text for the program. This book was distributed today. It is an expectation that all students complete a minimum of 3 x 15 minute practices a week. For any enquiries regarding the MIP program, please contact Hilary Luck, Assistant Coordinator of Music.

Junior Music Ensemble Auditions

Students who would like to audition for the Ensembles listed below are required to complete an audition application form. For information on audition requirements, please find application forms on Redlands Pulse. On receipt of submitted applications, parents will be contacted with confirmation of audition by Junior Music Administration.

• Junior Voices Audition – Friday 8 February (7.30am)
• Junior Concert Band – Thursday 7 February (Lunchtime)

Mr Darren Kuilenburg
Coordinator of Music
seniormusic@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9820