From the Deputy Principal

Respectful Relationships and Consent 

Last Friday, the Government introduced its new campaign “Consent Can’t Wait,” aimed at equipping parents and adults with tools to help young Australians develop healthy relationships and attitudes towards consent, ultimately to keep them safe from harm. This initiative is part of the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032, aiming to address statistics that are a frequent and troubling part of our news.  

At Redlands, we have long recognised our role as an educational institution and connected community in raising confident and kind individuals through mutual compassion and respect. We have collaborated with Dr Tessa Opie for several years to ensure that we, as a School community, are proactively supporting our young people and their families with the tools to navigate conversations around relationships and consent in a way that keeps them informed, safe and able to exercise their agency in this important area of their life-readiness. 

This month, Dr Opie has again engaged with our entire School community through research-based professional learning sessions for staff, a parent webinar, and workshops and seminars for our Year 6 to 12 students on respectful relationships and consent. Year 6 parents received additional resources to continue these conversations at home. I extend my gratitude to all our staff, particularly our Deans of Students, Ms Jansons and Ms Clinton, for their support and leadership of this important domain of our Student Wellbeing Framework.  

For more resources, visit Consent Conversation Guides. 

Festival on the Fahl – McGrath Foundation 

This week, our Student Leadership team rallied to organise the Festival on the Fahl, an inclusive and vibrant School event supporting the McGrath Foundation. First organised by our 2023 School Captain, Josie Simpson, the Festival on the Fahl serves as a legacy and all funds raised will directly support McGrath Breast Care Nurses. The Redlands Charity Round this Saturday 1 June is another opportunity for our community to support and raise awareness for the McGrath Foundation.  

Celebrating our Heritage: 140 Years of Redlands 

Next week marks our 15th Heritage Week at Redlands, celebrating our 140th anniversary and 125 years on our Senior Campus on Military Road. This year’s theme is Service, a core pillar of our School ever since its foundation. Some of the many exciting celebrations and activities include: 

• An invitation to our entire community – staff, students, parents, and alumni – to participate in an online History Quiz, with prizes announced in next week’s Note Day (Thursday 6 June).  
• All our students will receive 140th anniversary badges and special cupcakes.  
• The Preparatory School will hear from our Archivist, Ms. Gillezeau, on Tuesday 4 June in assembly.  
• All staff are invited to a special morning tea with birthday cake and a historical presentation by our Principal on Thursday 6 June.  
• The week will culminate with our Foundation Day Service on Friday 7 June, featuring a panel discussion with distinguished alumni. The service will be attended by the graduating class of each campus – Years 6 and 12. 

If you would like to learn more about Redlands’ history (or to help you with the Quiz!) see the history timeline on the School website and our dedicated 140th anniversary page.  

For a deeper dive or to conduct some family history research into a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent who might have attended Redlands, you can explore our online Archives resources where you will find back issues of Redlands’ publications, photographs and film footage. 

It’s also not too late to join Year 1 and Year 7 and try your hand at recreating some of Redlands’ heritage photographs. You will find dedicated files of archival photographs at the above link on Pulse. Please feel free to share your efforts with Archivist Marguerite Gillezeau mgillezeau@redlands.nsw.edu.au so we can showcase these and then add them to the Redlands Archives collection. 

I thank Marguerite for sharing her knowledge of our School’s rich history and her creative efforts to make it accessible and engaging for all members of our community. 

Ms Sabine Partington
Deputy Principal 

Photo Caption: The Festival on the Fahl is an inclusive and vibrant School event supporting the McGrath Foundation.

Community Update

It was a pleasure to welcome more than 200 parents, grandparents, students and carers onto the Senior Campus early this week for our Secondary School Open Morning. Students from Years 9 and 10, supported by our leadership team, hosted small group tours, answering questions and providing a wonderful insight into life at Redlands for our guests. Redlands reputation as a leading school of choice for families both nationally and internationally continues to grow through our focus on each individual student, exceptional teachers and world-class learning programs and resources.

We were also delighted to host our Year 10 students, parents and carers on Wednesday night for the Pathways and Subject Expo information session hosted by our Secondary School leadership team. This important session provides our Year 10 community with important information regarding the Higher School Certificate (HSC) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs in order to support their selection for commencement in Year 11.

Redlands has offered both the HSC and IB pathways for over 30 years, longer than any other school in NSW. Our decades long association with both HSC and the IB has helped to build our reputation as a leading provider of a well-rounded global education. I understand that these two programs may be a mystery to a large number of our families as they currently navigate their way through our Preschool, Kindergarten, Junior School and early years of Secondary School so I will endeavour to unpack them a little more below, with further information on the HSC and IB programs available here.

In short, the HSC is the highest educational award in New South Wales schools. The HSC is an internationally recognised credential that provides a strong foundation for students wishing to pursue university qualifications at home or abroad, vocational training or employment. Preliminary courses begin at the start of Year 11 and continue for three terms. These courses are the building blocks and prerequisites for the HSC. Our students have the opportunity to practise key skills, take calculated risks and learn more about their subjects before beginning their HSC courses in Term 4 of Year 11. In Year 12, students will complete internal assessments that contribute towards their HSC marks, before sitting their final exams at the end of the year.

Redlands has offered the International Baccalaureate since 1988, longer than any other school in NSW. The IB is an international qualification, recognised for its academic rigour and holistic learning focus. The IB course is taught continuously over two years in Years 11 and 12 and provides a liberal educational experience across six academic subjects allowing for focus in the three Higher Level subjects and breadth in the three Standard Level subjects. Final grades are determined through exams and internal assessments. There is a combination of both traditional examination and assignment style assessment, with the former testing a breadth of knowledge and the latter a depth of understanding.

I remain grateful for the continued guidance and support our community provides and, as ever, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Community Engagement team should you have any feedback, suggestions or questions.

Grandparents and Special Friends Day

Kindest regards

Mr Grant Birse
Head of Community Engagement
9908 6406
gbirse@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Foundation

Empowering Young People to Thrive

Our High Country Campus, located just outside Jindabyne, was developed by the School in partnership with the Redlands Parents and Friends Association and it opened in 1996 with two accommodation buildings. It is home to our flagship Winter School, a nine-week residential program  for Year 10 students and to Year 7 and 11 Camps.

Our Moonbah Program, commencing in 2025, will provide all Year 9 students with the opportunity to spend a term in an immersive residential environment of self-discovery, collaborative learning, relationship building and community mindedness at High Country Campus. They will engage in a variety of learning and recreational pursuits including project based learning, First Nations education, community service, outdoor education, cocurricular activities and sports; in addition, there will be a focus on bespoke wellbeing and mindfulness activities tailored to the beautiful High Country Campus.

High Country Campus Development

Our High Country Campus requires further development to accommodate the entire Year 9 cohort during two terms.

We are grateful for the support from our community for this development. Independent schools fund their development from saving, loans and donations. We are seeking philanthropic support of AUD$1M and this target will be the focus of an inaugural Redlands Giving Day on 21 August, through which we seek to mobilise the support of our community.

If you would like to learn more about the expansion plans, join us as a matching gift donor or support us on the day, please contact me directly.

If you wish to make a donation in this financial year, please visit here. We are offering family recognition plaques for gifts of $10,000, $5,000 or $1,000.

Donate Here

High Country Campus Tours

If you wish to see the campus during the winter holidays, please register and come and see this wonderful site.

Alumni Update

Stephanie Ng RL 2019 visited from the UK

We were thrilled to catch up with Stephanie Ng RL 2019 during her visit back to Sydney. Stephanie recently graduated from Central Saint Martin’s College, University of the Arts in London with First Class Honours! She is now on her way to Colombia University USA to do her Masters in Architecture!

“It was really surreal to come back to Redlands and to visit my IB art teacher Mr Harpley. Now five years on from Redlands, I have been very blessed to have had many great opportunities being in London and soon, New York. I know that none of it would have been possible if it hadn’t been for my high school Art and Design teachers, Mr Harpley and Ms Alan, who always went above and beyond for their students, truly inspiring us for life and for Ms Salier, our Careers Advisor, for opening our eyes to so many possibilities after graduation. They really changed my life and for that I will always be grateful for them.” Stephanie

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

Redlands Parents and Friends

Marking Reconciliation Week

As a diverse and inclusive community we have a role to play in reconciliation to collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.

The dates for NRW commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey, the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.

The spirit of reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of Australians, to create a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Festival of Redlands – Shining a Light on 140 Years – Saturday 19 October

With less than five months to go, planning is well under way for this first-of-its-kind event for our community to celebrate 140 years of Redlands. Set in the grounds of the Junior Campus, this event will include games, sports, arts, drama, music and refreshments and will also showcase our High Country Campus.

To bring this epic occasion to life, we are calling on as many in our school community as possible to volunteer. Contact us if you would like to find out more and the RPFA will be in touch!

Boarders standing in front of Redlands House in 1916

Birthday Trivia: 1923 – The Liggins Building officially opens to accommodate the Junior School and boarders and ensures the School is contained in one site

Upcoming Parent / Family Get-togethers 

Contact us to list your event.

Walks on Tracks

Weekly guided walks around the northern Sydney area are organised by Ann Marie, a wonderful RPFA volunteer. This is a great way to meet other Redlands parents and get in shape, plus a wonderful way to spend a morning discovering the many paths of the Sydney area.

The invitation for walks is open, so if you have friends or family who you think would like to come along, please feel free to bring them. Dogs are also welcome on most walks, look for the ???? below .

Walks start at 8.40am and are roughly 1 1/2- 2 hours. For those with the time, we love to stop for a coffee afterwards. In case you’re running late, just text Ann Marie so they can wait for you. Upcoming walks:

• Wednesday 5 June. Mosman to Cremorne Point. Meet at the roundabout at the Buena in Mosman ????

Any questions, please contact Ann Marie on 0406 691 533.

Book Club

The Redlands Book Club is a group of Redlands parents – past and present – who share a love of reading. New members are always welcome! The Book Club meets twice each school term to discuss a book, rotating among members’ homes. Occasionally, outings are also organised to events, movies or shows that are tied in with books, including annual attendance at the Sydney Writer’s festival in May. If you would like to join Book Club, or simply want to know more, please contact Monica or Sabiha.

A number of Book Club members will be attending the Sydney Writers Festival this month. If anyone is interested in joining in, they can contact Monica or Sabiha (see details above) to find out more.

We are delighted to share the next four books and meeting date:

1. Hello Beautiful by Anna Napolitano – next meeting Thur 13th June at 7:00pm
2. The Women by Kristin Hannah
3. The Other Side of Beautiful by Kim Lock
4. Safe Haven by Shankari Chandran

Behind the Scenes with the RPFA: Meet your Class Parents

A wonderful group of volunteers, Class Parents are in place from Redlands House all the way up to Yr 12. Their efforts in welcoming new parents, organising teacher celebrations and facilitating class social events go a long way in maintaining the connected and engaged school community we enjoy here at Redlands.

Check back here each week to meet 2024 Class Parents and discover how you can get involved!

CP Five

• Name: Miralda Ishkhanian
• Role: KY Class Parent
• Kids: Nathaniel (Kindy), Anastasia (Yr 5), Isabella (Yr 6)

If you could choose a Class Parent theme song what would be the title name?
A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay.

Why did you decide to become a Class Parent, and what do you love most about it?
I wanted to have a more active role within the school community and being a class parent was the perfect opportunity to achieve that whilst having fun and making new friends. What I love most about being a Class Parent is the sense of fulfillment that comes from making a difference. Whether it’s organising a class play date, helping with a fundraiser, or simply being there for the students, the impact is tangible. Plus, the camaraderie among parents and the joy of seeing students thrive are truly heartwarming.

What advice would you give to a parent or carer looking to get more involved in the school?
Becoming involved within your school is a truly rewarding experience as it enables you to actively connect with the school community such as through supporting teachers and students, building friendships, celebrating milestones and a general sense of belonging.

If you could trade places with your children for a day, what would you most want to experience?
That’s an intriguing question! If I were to trade places with my children for a day, I’d love to experience the world through their eyes allowing me to reconnect with the innocence, wonder, and boundless potential that often fades as we grow older.

The Week in Pictures

Year 6 mums at their coffee morning, thanks to the Class Parents for organising!

???? Gold Star photo goes to the Yr 9 Drinks @ The Fernery. Someone missed their calling as an event photographer….!

We hosted the final Redlands Parents Tennis Day on Wednesday at the Neutral Bay Club. This week it was the Secondary School Parents on the court.

We were blessed with another gorgeous sunny day and lots of fun was had with parents participating in a number of beginner and intermediate clinics and a Round Robin competition. Hong Lin (Year 2 and Year 10) won the lucky door prize and received a Private Tennis Lesson, Rebecca Gait (Year 8 and Year 11) won the Round Robin competition, taking home the trophy and a brand new Babolat Tennis racquet, Fiona Beatty (Year 1, Year 7 and Year 9) and Tania Tan (Year 11) were the runner ups and received a Private Tennis Lesson each, and Kathryn Parsons (Year 7 and Year 9) won the Coaches Choice award and received a tube of tennis balls.

Thank you to all the parents who participated in the three events we have hosted over the last 3 weeks. We look forward to seeing you all again in 2025.

Do you have pictures of parent / family get-togethers you want to share?

Please send them to RPFA Note Day.

Grandparents and Special Friends Day

RPFA Committee

President: Brittne Whitelaw
Vice President: Carrie Taylor
Secretary: Jennifer Mast
Treasurer: Joe Russo
Committee: Monika Crennan, Michelle McDonald, Lisa Middlebrook, Karen Nicholson, Emma Okhovat, Sophia Stewart-Kasimba 

Contact us!

Head of Secondary School

Festival on the Fahl

Year 12, led by Service Captains Antonia Morgan and William Algar, hosted another wonderful Festival on the Fahl experience today in aid of breast cancer, supporting the McGrath Foundation. Their financial goal was an ambitious one, reflective of enduring support for students and families impacted by breast cancer. The Secondary School was a sea of pink for the occasion with students and staff doing what they do best – engaging with community for community.

Year 10 Discernment of Stage 6 Pathways

Last night it was an absolute pleasure to welcome our Year 10 students and their parents to the School for the Stage 6 Pathway Information Evening. Deans of HSC and IB, Ms Benjamin and Mr Taylor, provided an overview of the Higher School Certificate and International Baccalaureate Diploma programs. Afterwards, our dedicated teaching staff spoke individually to students and families about the various possibilities and opportunities that await them.

This morning a panel of Year 12 students spoke to Year 10 about their experiences, sharing their learnings and advice. A variety of subjects was covered from subject specifics to managing ADHD, studying for four hours a day, navigating overwhelming emotions, leaning into positive relationships with teachers, getting your head around TOK and benefiting from Extension subjects. Year 10 posed some thoughtful questions to Year 12, with Jacob concluding the session with a pithy recommendation to ‘study hard and have fun’.

Thursday 30 May Redlands Hall

ISA XC Carnival

We had some fantastic results at this week’s ISA XC Carnival at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre.

Highlights from the carnival include:

• Liv Law (Year 8) winning the U14s girls 3k
• Immi Howard (Year 10) winning the U16s girls 4k
• Isaac Brooks (School Captain) winning the Senior Boys 6k
• The Intermediate Girls winning the overall shield

Below is a list of students who qualified for the CIS XC Carnival which will be held again at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre next Thursday.

• Ed Callaghan – 12 Years Boys 3k – 8^th Place
• Stella Brock – 12 Years Girls 3k – 6^th place
• Sophie Wong – 12 Years Girls 3k – 7^th place
• Fiona Russell – 12 Years Girls 3k – 12^th place
• James Doree – 13 Years Boys 3k – 11^th place
• Niamh McDonald – 13 Years Girls 3k – 8^th place
• Finn Gurney – 14 years 4k – 10^th place
• Alex Taylor – 14 Years 4k – 12^th place
• Liv Law – 14 years girls 4k – 1^st place
• Natalie Bain – 14 years girls 4k – 9^th place
• Tom Brown – 15 years boys 4k – 8^th place
• Ethan Lee – 15 years boys 4k – 11^th place
• Isobell Campbell – 15 years girls 4k – 11^th place
• Otto Ross Sampson – 16 years boys 6k – 5^th place
• Liam Riddell – 16 years boys 6k – 11^th place
• Immi Howard – 16 year girls 4k – 1^st place
• Amber Kusano – 16 year girls 4k – 6^th place
• Genevieve Holt – 16 years girls 4k – 8th place
• Heidi de Saxe – 16 years girls 4k – 11^th place
• Max Perry – 17 years boys 6k – 11^th place
• Annabelle Hwang – 17 years girls 4k – 10^th place
• Isaac Brooks – 18 years boys 6k – 1^st place
• Alex Symons – 18 years girls 6k – 10^th place.

Da Vinci Decathlon – Full Results 2024

The Top 16 placings in each subject of the Da Vinci Decathlon have now been published. Congratulations to the Redlands Da Vinci teams in Year 7-11 for placing in the following categories.

Well done again to the Year 11 team for their strong all-round achievement. The Year 8s placing 10^th overall is also a fantastic result for a highly cohesive team. 

Tournament of Minds

Congratulations to the fourteen students in Year 7 to 9 who have been invited to participate in Tournament of Minds (TOM), a cocurricular competition well recognised for stretching and challenging gifted and high potential students. Redlands will be represented by two vertically structured teams:

TOM creates opportunities for like-minded students to engage in open-ended, team-based problem solving, and the vertical year group structure allows for peer mentoring that builds connection and collaboration across different age groups. Both Redlands teams will present their solutions to one of four challenges in The Arts, Language Literature, Social Science, or STEM at the Sydney North Regional Final in early September. If they win their challenge, they will qualify for the NSW Branch Final at UNSW on 22 September.

From the Chaplain

All welcome to attend the Redlands Parent Prayer Meeting on Tuesday 18 June at 5.30-6.30pm in the Junior Campus-Arnold Library. 

Ms Gemma Van de Peer
Head of Secondary School
gvandepeer@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9811 

Year 12

Key Dates

• 3 June SS Cocurricular photos
• 3 June Student Presentation: Drugs and Alcohol Awareness
• 5 June Student Presentation: Man Cave
• 5 June Year Group Photos
• 20 & 21 June Senior Music Festival 
• 25 June SS Athletics Carnival
• 28 June Yr 12 Formal
• 28 June Last Day of Term 2
• 23 July First Day of Term 3
• 26 July Gala Arts
• 5-16 August YR 12 HSC & IB Trials
• 26-30 August Yr 12 Final Orals & Yr 3-12 HSC Visual Arts Exhibition
• 16-20 September IB Visual Arts Exhibition
• 25 September Valedictory
• 26 September Last Day of Term 3
• 14 October First Day of Term 4
• 16 October – 8 November Yr 12 HSC Exams
• 21 October – 11 November Yr 12 IB Exams 

HSC and IB Holiday Workshops

Continue to sign up for Jeddle and OSC workshops! We have several students registered. Remember, if attendance is too low than some workshops may be at risk of being cancelled. Sign-up now! 

Year 12 HSC and IB Holiday Workshops July 2024 

HSC Jeddle Registration Link

IB OSC Registration Link

In Week 1, workshops will be delivered by Redlands teachers and do not require registration. Some of the IB workshops delivered by the Oxford Study Courses group are full but you can contact them at osc@oxfordstudycourse.com to register your interest in a full course and have your name added to a wait list. If there is sufficient interest, another workshop may be opened.

Yr 12 Formal

Please note, all students and parents received information last Friday regarding the Year 12 Formal. Please ensure the tickets are purchased and students register their attendance and table choice through the link provided in the letter. The letter can be found here on Pulse.

Student Presentation: Man Cave

Next week, our cohort identifying as he/him will be participating in a Man Cave workshop, building on their first workshop with the program in Yr 10. 

Man Cave is a group dedicated to preventative mental health and emotional intelligence to support boys in becoming great men. They exist because the leading cause of death among young men ages 15-44 is suicide. Man Cave believes these statistics are preventable as every young man should have healthy relationships, contribute to their community and should be supported to reach their full potential.

Message to Parents: We’re looking forward to having The Man Cave come work with our Year 12 students on 5 June 2024. The best way we can support the boys is by also ensuring the community around them is supported too. Please visit the link below as preparation for you to support the boys during this time.

Parent and Guardians Pre-Workshop Resources

Student Presentation: Paul Dillon

Next week, the entire cohort will engage in a 1-hour session with Paul Dillon on drugs and alcohol awareness. Thank you for your support from home. Please see parent resources to support in these ongoing conversations:

• Teenagers, parties & tips for parents (Alcohol Think Again) 
• Teenage parties: a hosting guide for parents (Raising Children Network) 
• Alcohol Drinking & Teenagers (ReachOut Parents) 
• Special Report: A guide to safe partying (School’s TV) 

Student Presentation: Healthy Relationships & Sexuality Program

This week, students participated in the Sexual Health, The Media & Consent workshop, hosted by In Your Skin and Dr. Tessa Opie. Students who participated in the day were engaged, contributed actively to discussions and commented on how much the cohort has matured and grown over these last few years. It was refreshing for students to take notice of the changes within individuals and the cohort as a whole when discussing extremely sensitive and truly important topics.

Please see some resources for parents to support continued conversation around the same topics at home.

• Communication & Relationships: Romance Relationships (Raising Children Network) 
• Sex, Consent & Teenagers (ReachOut Parents) 
• Special Report: A conversation on consent (Schools TV) 

Student Speakers: Year 10 Pathways Panel

This week, the following students were invited to share their experiences of transitioning between Yr 10 and Yr 11 and offer their words of advice to current Yr 10 students. The teachers and students commented on how well spoken and authentic these Yr 12 students were in sharing their perspectives, encouraging Yr 10 to organise themselves, work hard and trial different strategies for their personal academic and social growth. Well done to all students involved.

IB Representatives: Anderson Boris, Tara Gold, Andrew Kinghorn, Alisha Tang, Hamish Campbell, Rafferty Heard, Sophia Rolon, Charlie Parker

HSC Representatives: Anneka Steele, Henry Charles, Indi Hindmarsh, Dylan Keay, Jay Sefton, Chloe Moore, Zara Naismith, Summer-Eve Smyth, Jacob Pamenter

Yr 12 Drama Collaborative Projects

Last Friday, Yr 11 and 12 IB Drama students presented their collaborative projects – written, directed and performed by the group. Students were only preparing these pieces from the middle of Term 1 and they presented an exceptional level of talent, thought and creativity. The audience was blown away by the depth of each piece, the use of the stage, the props, sounds and one another. Each project captured your attention immediately from the beginning and left the audience thinking well beyond the performances, covering important and meaningful topics, such as the life of cellist Jacqueline Du Pré, Dementia and the repetitive nature of adulthood. Well done to all students and staff involved in this incredible evening.

My Love, My Life, My Cello

by Andrew Kinghorn, Hallie Hunt, Amelia Barter and Max Rossiter

Perfecting the Art of the Circle

by Olivia Everingham, Scarlett Ilic and Tristan Minassian

Cicada

By Charli Waterland, James Stuart, Will Algar and Eva Osborn

Cross Country Carnival

Congratulations to all students who competed at the ISA Cross Country Carnival on Wednesday.

Well done to Yr 12 runners: Hamish Campbell, Isaac Brooks, William de Saxe, Flynn Kieran, Charlie Parker, Conor Petersen, Thomas Sigaloff, Thomas Wright, Jasmine Black, Lara Farrell, Eva Osborn, Daisy Thomas and Grace Durrant.

2024 Humpty Dumpty Balmoral Burn

Congratulations and well done to the teams who participated in the Humpty Dumpty Balmoral Burn run last Sunday. Coach Walker said that each student who competed brought incredible spirit, camaraderie, and outstanding support for one another as they took on the challenging 420m ascent up Awaba Street, all for a great cause, dedicated to raising funds for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation, which supports children’s hospitals and health services across Australia. Our students’ participation exemplifies their commitment to service and community. See below for Yr 12 results.

Team 1- Freddie Yates, Isaac Brooks, Hamish Campbell, Conor Petersen – 6th place

2024 Festival on the Fahl

As a school community who strongly values service, today’s 2024 Festival on the Fahl raised funds for the McGrath Foundation to directly support the patients and families of those affected by breast cancer. Fifty-seven Australian Women are diagnosed with Breast Cancer every day.

Continue to donate here

Ms Alissa Ynson
Yr 12 Advisor
aynson@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9865   

Year 11

Respectful Relationships Workshops and Presentations  

Redlands has a robust PDHPE and student wellbeing relationships and sexuality curriculum. To support our school curriculum all students, continue to be involved in a series of workshops and presentations on the topic of respectful relationships. The sex-positivity approach isn’t about encouraging people to go out and have sex, it seeks to change cultural attitudes and norms around sexuality, promoting the recognition of sexuality (in the countless forms of expression) as a natural and healthy part of the human experience and emphasising the importance of personal sovereignty, safer sex practices, and consensual sex (free from violence or coercion). It covers every aspect of sexual identity including gender expression, orientation, relationship to the body relationship-style choice, and reproductive rights. Last year, Year 11 were involved in our inaugural Relationships Day workshops. This year, to support continued learning, In Your Skin presented updated research to help students actively consider their relationship values and expectations, and to develop a healthy and realistic sense of self and ‘other’.   

To encourage further conversation at home, please find additional resources:

• Communication & Relationships: Romance Relationships (Raising Children Network) 
• Sex, Consent & Teenagers (ReachOut Parents) 
• Special Report: A conversation on consent (Schools TV) 

Balmoral Burn Teams Relay

From Mr Nick Walker:

I am proud to share the outstanding efforts of our Redlands teams at last Sunday’s Balmoral Burn Teams Relay. Each student who competed brought incredible spirit, camaraderie, and outstanding support for one another as they took on the challenging 420m ascent up Awaba Street, all for a great cause, dedicated to raising funds for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation, which supports children’s hospitals and health services across Australia. Our students’ participation today exemplifies their commitment to service and community.

Here are the results of their efforts:

Senior Boys

Team 1- Freddie Yates, Isaac Brooks, Hamish Campbell, Conor Petersen – 6th place (Isaac Brooks was the first up the hill and had the quickest individual run overall)

Team 2 – Hugo Jones, Charles Hargrave, Maxwell Perry, Cam Simpson – 8th place

Team 3 – Tobe Cornelius, Rory Howe, Hiro Phillips, Daniel Kopper – 10th place

Team 4 – Ayden Shaw, Ernie Hart, Jet Gwilliam, Harrison Meagher – 14th place

Senior Girls

Team 1 – Olivia Law, Amber Kusano, Immy Howard – 9th place (The team would have placed 2nd overall but were one team member down. Amber Kusano had to run back down the hill and do a second lap back up but didn’t quite make it down in time, and then had to put on another bib to run back up again!)

Team 2 – Amynta Field, Jemima Hugman, Annabelle Hwang, Sarah Zeppel – 10th place

Team 3 – Lauren Dower, Sela Tea, Piper Bradley, Clara Blackstock – 16th place

Furthermore, our Year 11 students organised a Bake Sale on Friday, raising over $1000 to contribute to this worthy cause.

Year 11 IB Theatre

The collaborative project is an IB task where the students work with a selected theorist and practitioners or practice. This included participating in workshops in class and with external providers, such as Jacques Lecoq and levels of tension, Complite, Frantic assembly and Laban. Students are given a range of starting stimulus and work to collaboratively craft a performance that reflects their Theatre Makers Intentions, these are also crafted and devised by the group and all members of the group must then play a specific IB role for each section – they must all be creators and performers, then they have the option of designing, eg, lighting, multimedia, costume, set, sound/soundscapes and/or directing a section each. Following the performance, they submit a written report to the IB about how they managed to impact the audience (hence the talk-back) and discuss how and to what extent they reached their Theatre Maker’s intentions and how they could grow as performers and theatre makers.

ISA XC Carnival

Congratulations to all Yr 11 students who competed in the ISA XC Carnival at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre this week.

Below is a list of students who qualified for the CIS XC Carnival which will be held again at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre next Thursday.

Max Perry – 17 years boys 6k – 11^th place
Annabelle Hwang – 17 years girls 4k – 10^th place
Alex Symons – 18 years girls 6k – 10^th place.

A big thank you to Mr Walker, Mr Ellis, Ms Yamamoto, Ms Carroll and Ms Stafford for all their assistance at the ISA XC carnival.

Congratulations to Sophie Yu (Year 10) for winning the regional final round of the Plain English Speaking Award on 28th May at the Arts Unit in Lewisham. Earlier this month, Sophie presented her speech at the North Sydney local finals held at Cammeraygal High School and progressed through each subsequent round. She represented Redlands in this prestigious public speaking competition organised by the Arts Unit of the NSW Department of Education and has now successfully qualified for the upcoming state semi-finals. We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the coaches and teachers for their constant support throughout her journey. We wish Sophie all the best for the State Semi-Finals!

Year 11 Da Vinci Decathlon – Full Results

The Top 16 schools in each subject of the Da Vinci Decathlon have now been published, and provide the full picture of how our Year 11s achieved a Bronze medal for coming 3^rd overall in the State. The following subject placings were achieved:

• Code Breaking 2^nd
• Ideation 2^nd
• Cartography 3^rd
• Mathematics 5^th
• Creative Producers 8^th
• English 9^th
• Engineering 11^th
• Legacy 13^th

Congratulations again to Hugo, Jesse, Lachlan, Krishna, Katherine, Liam, Emma, and Sophie for these fantastic results!

Ms Lisa Vale
Yr 11 Advisor
9968 9837
lvale@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Year 10

Year 10 Course Pathways

This week, Yr 10 attended two significant events in the course selection pathway. On Wednesday night, students and parents heard from the Dean of HSC, Ms Lucy Benjamin and the Dean of IB, Mr Darren Taylor, alongside a range of course experts, about the differences between the course pathways, their structure and suitability. Students engaged keenly in the subject ‘walk’, asking excellent questions about the framework of the different courses and the nature of specific subjects.

On Thursday morning, Yr 10 students had the opportunity to hear from current Year 12 HSC and IB students about the ‘nitty-gritty’ of what it’s like to be a student studying in each course. The Yr 12 panellists were incredible – they shared their insights with vulnerability, articulation, and a real depth of knowledge, offering Yr 10 students a real glimpse into what Year 12 is actually like. The panellists espoused such passion and excitement for the courses they are studying, the content they are learning, and for the teachers who are supporting them, that I have no doubt Yr 10 left feeling enriched and supported by listening to their older peers’ experiences. I encourage parents and carers to ask probing questions about each experience as students look toward making this significant decision for their Senior Studies.

ISA Cross Country Carnival

Congratulations to all Yr 10 students who competed in the ISA XC Carnival at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre this week.

Below is a list of students who qualified for the CIS XC Carnival which will be held again at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre next Thursday.

• Ethan Lee – 15 years boys 4k – 11^th place
• Isobel Campbell – 15 years girls 4k – 11^th place
• Otto Ross-Sampson – 16 years boys 6k – 5^th place
• Liam Riddell – 16 years boys 6k – 11^th place
• Immi Howard – 16 year girls 4k – 1^st place
• Amber Kusano – 16 year girls 4k – 6^th place
• Genevieve Holt – 16 years girls 4k – 8th place
• Heidi de Saxe – 16 years girls 4k – 11^th place

Of particular note is Immi Howard’s 1st place in the 16 years girls 4k, and the Intermediate Girls winning the Overall Shield. 

A big thank you to Mr Walker, Mr Ellis, Ms Yamamoto, Ms Carroll and Ms Stafford for all their assistance at the ISA XC Carnival.

Year 10 Da Vinci Decathlon Placings

The Top 16 schools in each subject of the Da Vinci Decathlon have now been published, and I am delighted to announce that our Year 10 team placed 15^th in Cartography. Congratulations again to Zara, Leah, Kira, Ethan, Lucinda, Finlay, Frankie and Marcus for this excellent result.

Dr Phoebe Poon – High Potential learning Coordinator 7-12

Term 2 Key Dates and Upcoming Events:

• Festival in the Fahl – Week 5: Thursday 30 May
• Redlands Heritage Week – Week 6: Monday 3 June
• Year Group Photos – Week 6: Wednesday 5 June
• SS Athletics Carnival – Week 9: Tuesday 25 June
• Police Liaison Officer Presentation – Week 9: Thursday 27 June
• End of Term 2 – Week 9: Friday 28 June

Mrs Lucienne Willis
Yr 10 Advisor
lwillis@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Year 9

Burn Bright

As part of our Pastoral program, we were very fortunate to have the team from Burn Bright return on Monday to run their ‘Ignite’ program with our boys and their ‘Spark’ program with our girls. 

Both programs are designed to encourage students to develop self-efficacy at a critical time in their adolescent lives. The programs asked our students to consider their core values in a world where there is significant pressure from competing external influences – be it peer pressure, body image, the media, family expectations, etc. And the importance of strength, integrity and respects in the face of these pressures. 

The two key standouts parts of the day for me as an observer were:

• ‘The Line Game’, a powerful reflective activity, asking the group to respond to a wide variety of prompts – a lot was learned about one another without saying a word.
• The ‘Who Sit? Me Sir?’ game played at the end of the day.

Both parts of the day required community involvement with the key message of the importance of a ‘we not me’ approach and open and honest communication in fostering a positive culture within the Year Group. 

Year 9 were very impressive in their engagement with the presenters, and I feel both grew as a group and took a lot away from the day in personal reflection. 

Year 9 Tour Guides

Two weeks ago, Ms Susan Jones put out a call to Year 9 students to tour perspective families around the campus during an Open Morning held on Tuesday. Pleasingly, she was inundated with volunteers!  

I want to sincerely congratulate and thank all 52 students for their efforts. The way they presented themselves and the warmth with which they greeted and guided these families through the Secondary School was wonderful to see and there was nothing but positive feedback from several families that I spoke to.  

There are also a number of Year 9 students following this up with similar responsible this Friday morning for whom I’m sure will also put their best foot forward. 

Year 9 Da Vinci: Top 16 Results

The Top 16 schools in each subject of the Da Vinci Decathlon have now been published, and I am delighted to announce that, in addition to their brilliant 3^rd place in Science, our Year 9 team also gained the following placings:

• 4^th in Cartography
• 13^th in Creative Producers
• 15^th in Mathematics

Congratulations again to Abby, Alex, Bowen, Charlotte, Sophia, Soraya, Will Thomson, and Will Vass for their fantastic efforts.

Year 9 Tournament of Minds

Congratulations to Tom Beatty, Charlotte Boris, Georgia Cavric, Amelie Dewar, Melissa Franco, Roman Jackson and Abby Stante for their selection into the first team to represent Redlands at Tournament of Minds since 2013. Tournament of Minds or TOM is a well-recognised cocurricular competition for gifted and high potential learners, which cultivates creative and lateral thinking as well as team-based problem-solving. Along with seven other students in Year 7 and 8, these Year 9 students will complete a six-week long Term Challenge in one of four disciplines (The Arts, Language Literature, Social Science or STEM) and a Spontaneous Challenge that requires them to present a solution to an open-ended problem in 5 minutes before a panel of judges. TOM is an initiative led by Dr Poon, our High Potential Learning Coordinator (7-12), with the help of staff from a range of faculties – Ms Bailey, Ms Cleghorn, Mr Holden, Ms Joo, Ms Kang, and Ms Wilson. I look forward to reporting on the progress of our TOM team in future Note Days. 

Mr Tobias Horan
Yr 9 Advisor
9968 9872
thoran@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Year 8

Week 5 – Celebrations and Festivals

This past week, Dumolo Red proved that a great way to manage the routine of school and the pressure of assessments is to find space to celebrate and have fun in each others’ company. They took the opportunity during our ‘Fun Friday’ Tutor time to embrace this philosophy, holding a joint birthday party for Cooper, Laura and Lucas, with some amazing cakes and cupcakes to share. It is always lovely to see our students thinking beyond themselves and celebrating one another.

Moonbah Pilot Returns:

This week, there was also much buzz and genuine excitement with the return of students from the Moonbah Pilot Program. Students reported a fantastic week away, exploring the High Country Campus and engaging in new learning to expand their personal skills and to foster their abilities in collaboration.

In our Year Assembly on Monday, Deaana, Fergus, Kate and Lachlan shared with the group highlights from their Moonbah Pilot experience. They identified their enjoyment and satisfaction from time spent interacting in the natural world, and engaging in service learning through developing knitting skills to make pouches for orphaned native animals. Just having space to disconnect from the often busy and fast paced nature of modern life proved unexpected and incredibly positive. 

The students also offered their reflections about living in a shared dormitory setting and the joy of connection and camaraderie that this new experience engendered. They also outlined their satisfaction from the variety of immersive activities over the week but most noticeably it was the strengthened connections with their peers that they most appreciated. Their overall message was one of excitement for the Year 9 Moonbah program in 2025.

You can find more information about the Moonbah Program through Pulse. 

Da Vinci Decathlon Reports and Results:

This week, we were excited to learn the overall results of our amazing Yr 8 Da Vinci Decathlon team. They came tenth out of 78 competing schools nationwide, placing second place in English and Art/Poetry, eighth in Code Breaking and fourteenth in Mathematics. What a fantastic achievement!

Members of the team, Aaron, Aimee and Ina, spoke to the cohort during our Year Assembly, explaining the challenging and wonderfully satisfying nature of their day at the Da Vinci Decathlon. They emphasised the valuable focus Da Vinci places on collaboration to solve tricky tasks and the variety of activities that pushed them to apply their knowledge and skills successfully. They also explained one of their excellent submissions to us, which achieved second place in English. It was a visual depiction of the impossibility of achieving utopia, where a brightly coloured fish was being caught from amongst a lake full of greyscale fish. The thoughtful message being that homogenised, perfect identities are not the way to a brighter future, and rather we need to be vigilant that the world does not take away our individuality.

On Tuesday, our Da Vinci team were awarded certificates for their success.

Festival on the Fahl

Today, in support of breast cancer awareness and to raise money for cancer research with the McGrath Foundation, our Yr 12 leaders are holding the now annual, Festival on the Fahl. There has been a wonderful outpouring of support for this day, with students donating generously, purchasing tickets from the Redlands Rhino earlier this week. It is lovely to see our Redlands community coming together for a great cause.

The day itself will be filled with fun activities and games, music performances and, of course, a good old-fashioned sausage sizzle. I am looking forward to heading out to the Fahl later this afternoon and enjoying the sunshine, games and festivities.

I managed to take some photos of students dressed in their pink best this morning but stay tuned for more festival photos next week!

ISA Cross Country

On Wednesday, the ISA Cross Country Carnival was held with Redlands achieving great success. Congratulations to all our Yr 8 students who competed. Including: Natalie Bain, Angus Baird, Tristan Fournier Le Ray, Luca Garvey, Finn Gurney, Liv Law, Apollo Mangos, Dean Mansell, Anay Mishra Mall, Lily Musgrave-Kresa, Freja Nixey, Ken Osaki, Jaime Rogerson, Zara Siva, Alex Taylor, Lily van Hulsen and Ariella Wold.

A special congratulations to Liv Law who achieved the exceptional result of first place in the U14s girls 3km.

Moonbah Parent Information Evening

On Tuesday 4 June, parents will have the opportunity to discover more of the Moonbah program for 2025. The event will be held in Redlands Hall from 6:00pm-7:00pm. Full information is available on Pulse.

Yr 8 students are welcome to attend with their parents but we advise that students return home before the event and then arrive in full school uniform for the starting time of 6:00pm. If this is not possible, please contact me (Mr Tod-Hill, Year Advisor) to discuss alternatives.

Term 2 Key Dates and Upcoming Events:

• Redlands Heritage Week – Week 6: Monday 3 June
• Year 8 Moonbah Parent & Student Information session – Week 6: Tuesday 4 June
• Year Group Photos – Week 6: Wednesday 5 June
• SS Athletics Carnival – Week 9: Tuesday 25 June
• Police Liaison Officer task (cyber safety and social media) – Week 9: Thursday 27 June
• End of Term 2 – Week 9: Friday 28 June

Mr Jimmy Tod-Hill
Year 8 Advisor
jtodhill@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9908 6462

Year 7

Yr 7 Excursion Opportunity – Youth Ocean Carnival 

As part of Greenlands Week, we are hoping to take 20 Yr 7 students along to the Youth Ocean Carnival at Luna Park. This is an incredible opportunity with multiple speakers, STEM learning outcomes and an awful lot of learning! 

Learn More

If you are interested in attending this event, please complete this Expression of Interest form. 

Details: 

• Date: Wednesday 5 June 
• Time: 9am – 2.30pm 
• Location: Luna Park (Bus from Redlands) 
• Extra Instructions: You will need to be picked up from Luna Park at 2.30pm 

Festival in the Fahl 

Today we hosted our Festival in the Fahl. It was an incredible event where all Redlands students came together to raise money and awareness for Breast Cancer. Here are some photos of the day…

Cross Country

A huge congratulations to the following students who all participated in the ISA Cross Country Carnival this week. Stella Brock, Lucinda Henderson, Fiona Russell, Sophie Wong, Agnes Anderson, Piper Aubin, Pearl Brown, Angelica Edwards, Mila Lipscombe, Niamh McDonald, Alma O’Leary, Edward Callaghan, Sasha Gordon, Hamish Gurney, Marcus Melvin, James Doree, Emilio Dressler, Xavier Le Page, Nova Sebel, Kyler Simpson, Bear Whitelaw, Miles Woodhouse. We are so proud of all of your efforts.

• Ed Callaghan – 12 Years Boys 3k – 8^th Place
• Stella Brock – 12 Years Girls 3k – 6^th place
• Sophie Wong – 12 Years Girls 3k – 7^th place
• Fiona Russell – 12 Years Girls 3k – 12^th place
• James Doree – 13 Years Boys 3k – 11^th place
• Niamh McDonald – 13 Years Girls 3k – 8^th place

Year 7 Tournament of Minds

As part of the High Potential Learning enrichment program that follows the Da Vinci Decathlon, some students in Yrs 7 to 9 have been invited to compete in Tournament of Minds. Congratulations to our Yr 7s, Yolanda Bai, Alisha Rajalingam, Aashray So and Sophie Wong who were selected based on their academic achievement and the quality of their written applications to Da Vinci earlier in the year. TOM is a well-recognised cocurricular competition for gifted and high potential learners, which cultivates creative and lateral thinking as well as team-based problem-solving. Our Yr 7s will have the benefit of peer mentoring in the vertically structured teams comprising students across three Year Groups. TOM is an initiative led by Dr Poon, our High Potential Learning Coordinator (7-12), with the help of staff from a range of faculties – Ms Bailey, Ms Cleghorn, Mr Holden, Ms Joo, Ms Kang and Ms Wilson. I look forward to reporting on the progress of our TOM team in future Note Days. 

Year 7 Da Vinci Decathlon – Full Results

The Top 16 schools in each subject of the Da Vinci Decathlon have now been published, and I am delighted to announce that our Year 7 team came 10^th in Mathematics. An excellent result for their first effort in the high school competition. Congratulations again to Bear, Elysia, Enrico, Ethan, Jenna Jennifer, Keaton and Lali.

Shout Outs 

Well done to Annaliese Beatty who read our Acknowledgement of Country during the Stage 4 Assembly this week. 

Thank you to all of our Yr 7 Students who have helped shape our Heritage Week Assembly in Week 6: Ivy Abineno, Elysia Angus, Anneliese Beatty, Xander Christian Hare, Jenna Forrest, Ashton Hsiau, Antony Vass, Aryana Mishra Mall, Aimee van der Burg, Mila Lipscombe, Lily Maxwell, Joao Segorbe, Alex Read, Charlie Benfield, Sam Parsons, Elias Buggy Axton, Arthur Scown and Alexia Tsacalos.

Ms Abby Walker
Yr 7 Advisor
9968 9818
awalker@redlands.nsw.edu.au 

Head of Junior School

National Reconciliation Week

This week, our assembly focus was National Reconciliation Week. We discussed that this special week is dedicated to fostering respect and understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. We spoke about reconciliation as being an ongoing commitment to improving relationships by acknowledging past injustices, promoting mutual respect, and by working together towards equality and unity. The National Reconciliation Week theme for 2024, Now More Than Ever, is a reminder that the focus on justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must continue. It is our very strong hope that by learning about and celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories, we build a more inclusive, empathic and harmonious community.

Greenlands Week

A Message from Redlands Sustainability Manager, Kimberley Chipper

Redlands will be celebrating Greenlands week next week to promote environmental awareness and sustainable practices. A wide variety of activities will be occurring throughout the week and during lunch time for students.

If your child is interested in the below workshops during lunchtime, please ensure they have any required items with them:

• Swap shop: Thursday 6 June (please bring in a book or game to swap)
• Sow and grow: Friday 7 June (please bring in a plastic bottle)

As part of the Banish recycling program, Redlands will also be taking collections of the following hard-to-recycle items in Week 6:

Old phones

• Plastic bottle top lids
• Writing utensils (pens/textas/markers)
• Toothpaste tubes/toothbrushes
• Empty makeup containers/tubes

These items can be dropped into the containers at Prep/Junior reception in Week 6.

We will also be having a ‘touch of green’ mufi on Tuesday 4 June, where students can add a small touch of green to their school uniform (eg. green socks, green hair ties/ribbons).

Sydney Writers Festival

A message from Mrs Susan Moore-Patel (Year 6 Teacher)

A merry little band of writers from the Junior School writers’ workshop club, along with the Junior School library leaders, were delighted to be able to attend the Sydney Writers’ Festival last Thursday 23 May, at the Town Hall. Designed to inspire the next generation of readers and storytellers, the day included:

• an interactive and amusing “evil masterminds convention” from the creative duo behind the popular Frog Squad series among others, Kate and Jol Temple
• a trip through Deep Time as actor and author Tasma Walton took us through the process of creating her Nerra series
• a talk packed with tips from the legendary Nova Weetman, author of books such as Sick Bay, as well as “articles, TV shows and the odd shopping list”
• a hilarious insight into the real-life inspiration (think four naughty brothers) behind Nathan Luff’s many works, including Chicken Stu, Bad Grammar, and the Nerd Herd series

The students came away from the day enriched and inspired and ready to write their own truths.

Results of Year 3 and 4 Bebras Computational Challenge 

A group of 43 students in Years 3 and 4 recently participated in the Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge. Congratulations to all students who took part in this inaugural event.  We are thrilled to announce that three of our Redlands’ students, Millie Barnes, Leanne Liang and Yuxin Wang, achieved the highest possible award of Excellence by earning a perfect score for their team entry. Bebras is an interactive, international challenge that promotes and develops students’ critical, creative, and computational thinking, as well as problem-solving skills. This international competition is run by the Australian Mathematics Trust (AMT) in cooperation with CSIRO in Australia. Well done to all our participants for their outstanding efforts and achievements.

Parent Presentation: Setting Boundaries

Thursday 6 June, 8.30am

All K-6 parents and carers are invited to attend the Term 3 Parent Presentation – Setting Boundaries, The Foundation of Healthy Childhood Development. Please book via the link in the following invitation. 

Junior School Semester 1 Report Information Webinar

Thursday 13 June, 6pm

Bookings are open for the webinar on Thursday 13 June.  Join us as we share with parents the small but important changes to our student reports in line with the new curriculum.  This webinar will provide an overview of the updated reporting format, explain how to interpret the updated achievement section, and answer any questions you may have. We believe this session will ensure that all parents are well-informed about the report format updates. Please save the date for this informative event. 

Book Here

• Date: Thursday 13 June
• Time:  6pm
• Format: Webinar

Parents Circles: Responsive Parenting and Raising Healthy Children

Wednesday 12 June, 8.30am

A message from our Junior Campus Counsellor, Silvia Roberts

In recognising that the essential condition for a healthy child’s development is the child’s relationship with nurturing adults, I have been facilitating regular Parents Circles throughout Term 2. Our next and last Parents Circle for Term 2 is on Wednesday 12 June. Please see the details below.

The Parents Circles draw on specific topics and are centred on providing a space for open discussions and questions. The sessions are also aimed to equip parents with a wide range of essential practical and emotional regulation skills and guide parents through the art of fulfilling their children’s needs which are the essence of healthy positive parenting. 

The sessions take place in Lucy Hill Library, after school drop-off. We welcome our Prep and Junior School parents to attend. Please feel free to bring your own coffee or tea. As this is a parenting circle of support, numbers are limited to 20 to keep it small enough for interactive discussion so please book your space here. 

The topic for Week 7 (Wednesday 12 June 8.30 am – 9.30 am) is:

Building Healthy Self-Esteem in Children

• Negative core beliefs in children can lead to them developing depression, anxiety, codependency, relationship issues or addictions later in life.
• How can parents prevent the onset of negative core beliefs?
• Exploring a core natural attribute of children – “being valuable” and guiding parents to attend to this attribute functionally and effectively. This will help their children develop an appropriate levels of self-esteem.

Entries open for Year 5 and Year 6 OUCC 2024

Redlands is excited to offer the opportunity for Year 5 and Year 6 students who are experienced with Blockly coding, computational thinking and problem-solving, to enter Round One of the Oxford University Computational Challenge (OUCC) to be held on Tuesday 18 June at Redlands. The competition will be run in the morning from 8:30am to 9:30am. Entry to Round 2 is by OUCC invitation only and qualifying students will  sit  the second round on Thursday 1st August.

The OUCC  helps students develop skills to produce programmed solutions to computational thinking problems. Each round consists of three sections. The first two sections comprise of five tasks each and the last of two tasks, with the complexity increasing with each section. Students have one hour to complete all tasks within sections one and two and attempt the tasks in section three. Students will tackle problems using the Blockly programming language. The cost of the competition is $5.00. This cost will be added to your subsequent Term Fee Statement.

Please note that registrations close at 5pm on Friday 7 June. You can enter your child at this link here.

Grandparents and Special Friends Day

From the Chaplain

All welcome to attend the Redlands Parent Prayer Meeting on Tuesday 18 June at 5.30-6.30pm in the Junior Campus-Arnold Library. 

Mr Ian Holden
Head of Junior School
iholden@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9953 6022

Head of Preparatory School

Greenlands Week

Next week across the P-12 Campus is Greenlands Week. Sustainable best practices are one of the key strategic drivers of our Redlands Strategic Plan, Greenlands Weeks is an opportunity for our staff and students to integrate and advocate for sustainable best practices here at Redlands. Last week our Prep sustainability worriers visited all our grade assemblies to share the upcoming activities and to get us all excited about the week.

The table below outlines our week ahead, as you can see there are many ways for our young learners to get involved and learn how to be more sustainable in their everyday lives.

Parent Presentation: Setting Boundaries

Thursday 6 June, 8.30am

All K-6 parents and carers are invited to attend the Term 3 Parent Presentation – Setting Boundaries, The Foundation of Healthy Childhood Development. Please book via the link in the following invitation. 

Prep Parents Semester 1 Reports Information Webinar

A message from Mrs Anagnostu, Dean of Teaching and Learning

Bookings are open for the Prep Parents Semester 1 reports information webinars on Tuesday 11 June and Wednesday 12 June. We will be running two webinars, one for Kindy parents and a second for parents of students in Years 1 and 2.  Join us as we share with parents the small but important changes to our student reports in line with the new curriculum. This webinar will provide an overview of the updated reporting format, explain how to interpret the updated achievement section, and answer any questions you may have. We believe this session will ensure that all parents are well-informed about the report format updates. Please save the date for this informative event.

Kindy Parents Tuesday 11 June

• Date: Tuesday 11  June
• Time: 6pm
• Format: Webinar
• Booking link here

Year 1 and 2 Parents Wednesday 12 June

• Date:  Wednesday 12 June
• Time: 6pm
• Format: Webinar
• Booking link here

Parenting Circles: Responsive parenting and raising healthy children

Wednesday 12 June, 8.30am

A message from our Junior Campus Counsellor, Silvia Roberts

In recognising that the essential condition for a healthy child’s development is the child’s relationship with nurturing adults, I have been facilitating regular Parents Circles throughout Term 2. Our final Parents Circle for Term 2 is on Wednesday 12 June. Please see the details below.

The Parents Circles draw on specific topics and are centred on providing a space for open discussions and questions. The sessions are also aimed to equip parents with a wide range of essential practical and emotional regulation skills and guide parents through the art of fulfilling their children’s needs which are the essence of healthy positive parenting. 

The sessions take place in Lucy Hill Library, after school drop-off. We welcome our prep and junior school parents to attend. Please feel free to bring your own coffee or tea. As this is a parenting circle of support, numbers are limited to 20 to keep it small enough for interactive discussion so please book your space here. 

The topic for Week 7 Wednesday 12 June 8.30am–9.30am) is:

Building Healthy Self-Esteem in Children

• Negative core beliefs in children can lead to them developing depression, anxiety, co-dependency, relationship issues or addictions later in life.
• How can parents prevent the onset of negative core beliefs? 
• Exploring a core natural attribute of children – “being valuable” and guiding parents to attend to this attribute functionally and effectively. This will help their children develop an appropriate levels of self-esteem.

Teacher Appreciation Morning Tea

A big thank you to the wonderful parents who supplied a delicious morning tea for the staff yesterday. It is always a treat to have pastries at morning tea and I know that all the staff felt very valued. Days like today remind us that in a busy world to stop and say thank you, I appreciate you and all you mean so very much. Thank you.

Grandparents and Special Friends Day

From the Chaplain

All welcome to attend the Redlands Parent Prayer Meeting on Tuesday 18 June at 5.30-6.30pm in the Junior Campus-Arnold Library. 

Mrs Ainslie Breckenridge
Head of Preparatory School
abreckenridge@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9848

Redlands House and PreKindergarten

Staff Changes

On Monday 3 June, we will welcome Mrs Sophie Bloxam as a new Redlands House staff member. Mrs Bloxam will support Ms Hamilton as the Yellow Class teacher assistant for both Junior and Senior classes. Mrs Bloxam comes to us with a great deal of experience working with children in the early years in the UK. We are confident she will be an asset to the Redlands House team. I know you will all make Sophie feel very welcome.

We have all loved having Mrs Bruce in Yellow Class whilst we found a suitable candidate for this role. Mrs Bruce has had a positive impact on the students, she is a valued and appreciated team member. We are very fortunate to have her working with us, her wealth of knowledge and experience is truly valued. Mrs Bruce will continue to work in the Preschool in various roles on a casual basis.  

Parent Teacher Learning Discussions for Juniors

Parent Teacher Interviews for families of Junior students will be held in Week 6, from Monday 3 June to Friday 7 June. Interviews can be booked using this link. Bookings can be made until 9am on Friday 31 May. If you’re unable to attend these interviews in person, we can arrange for the interview to be conducted via Zoom. Please book in and advise your teacher directly if you would prefer a Zoom interview session.

Illness Prevention

As we continue to prioritise the health and safety of our school community, we want to emphasise the importance of keeping children home if they are feeling unwell. With the ongoing challenges presented by various illnesses, including seasonal colds, flu, and other contagious infections, it is crucial that we work together to minimise the spread of illness within our school. When children are sick, they require rest, care, and attention to recover fully. Sending them to school while they are unwell not only hinders their ability to focus and participate in learning activities, but also poses a risk of spreading the illness to other students and staff members.

Mrs Chemane Huon
Redlands House and Transition Coordinator
chuon@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9904 1448

Mrs Ainslie Breckenridge
Head of Preparatory School
abreckenridge@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9848

Secondary Sport

It has been great to see the Redlands Community get behind and embrace the Redlands Charity Weekend, beginning with the Festival on the Fahl that was run this afternoon, as well as the Pink Sock Charity Round that will take place this weekend.

For this Saturday 1 June fixtures we will be hosting our Redlands Charity Round raising funds and awareness for the McGrath Foundation. All teams are encouraged to purchase and wear Pinks Socks (this is mandatory for all 1st Teams), and have encouraged opposing schools to do something similar (or a touch of pink if they wish).

There will be some activations at each venue:

• NBSIC – Netball
• Macquarie University – AFL, Football and Rugby
• Bowman Field – Hockey

With each venue doing something different, there will be opportunities at each to purchase socks, ribbons or other items should you wish.

Socks can be order through 2 channels:

• Flexischools (Uniform Shop) this is open now and can be purchase
• Redlands Sports Department – socks can be purchased from the Redlands Sports Department from Monday 27 May.

Socks will be $20, with all proceeds going to the McGrath Foundation. 

Redlands Secondary Sports Calendar

• Monday 3 June & Tuesday 4 June – NSWCIS Football Championships
• Monday 3 June – ISA U16 Rugby Trials
• Tuesday 4 June – ISA Opens Rugby Trials
• Thursday 6 June – NSWCIS Cross Country
• Saturday 8 June – NO ISA

AFL

Round 4 of ISC BOYS AFL has concluded. Both teams showed passion and determination in hard games across the weekend. I am very proud of the boy’s effort on the field.

• Redlands 1 vs Riverview 2 – Loss 65-57.
• Redlands 2 vs Trinity 4 – Loss 82-22.

A reminder to all parents, carers and students that this weekend is Pink Sock Round where all students wear pink socks to raise funds for breast cancer. I encourage all parents and students to participate and enjoy the day.

Round 5 fixtures will be posted on AFL Redlands Pulse page.

Cross Country

It was a great day out at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre yesterday for the ISA Cross Country Carnival. There were a number of fantastic individual results with some highlights from the carnival including:

• Liv Law (Yr 8) winning the U14 Girls
• Immi Howard (Yr 10) winning the U16 Girls
• Isaac Brooks (Yr 12) winning the 18 Boys
• Redlands Intermediate Girls (U15 & U16) also won the Intermediate Girls Division

There will be a full breakdown of results available in next week’s Note Day.

Equestrian 

Congratulations to Annabelle Hwang and her horse Squid, competed at the TSHA National Titles over two days for show jumping in the 80cm to 1m championship classes. Overall, they finished 6th across the two days. 

Football

Round 4 of the ISA competition was full of action and we produced some great Football.

Our girls played a tough round at home and won every game, congratulations to our First XI Girls for winning the first game against St Andrew’s and our Boys came up against a strong opposition in Oakhill.

Round 5 Pink Sock Day at Macquarie Sports Field this Saturday 1 June with all the teams playing at home. Please come and support Pink Sock Day and support of our Redlands teams. All players are encouraged to buy pink socks from the Uniform Shop or Sports Office this week and wear them on Saturday.

Goalkeeper Sessions every Monday 7am-8am at the Junior School with Coach Dominique. To sign-up please email ggomez@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Fitness Centre

This week in the Fitness Centre Open Gym and Rep Sport sessions students have been undertaking a series of jumps, hops, movement and strength challenges featuring some of our new testing equipment to help students set goals for the remainder of the term program.

We encourage students to head into the Fitness Centre Tuesday and Thursday lunchtime Week 6 to come and try!

Hockey

In Round 4 our 1st and 3rd teams were up early on Saturday morning, travelling to Moorebank. The teams came up against St Andrews Cathedral School. 1sts Girls started the day with a strong performance, winning 5-0 including a penalty stroke to Jess. The girls put in a great performance and are building towards a grudge match this weekend against Barker.

Players of the match: Abbie and Jess 

It was a very tough game for the 2nd Girls, with a number of students unavailable up against a strong Barker side. Whilst the team was down to 10, they fought valiantly, and coach Jan was ecstatic with all players effort throughout the game, and particularly the defensive performance.

Player of the match: Elenor 

3rd Girls game was also a good game to watch, as both teams had good skill and technique. The girls started the game well and deservedly got the win 2-1. Special mention to Miriam for playing goalkeeper and doing a fantastic job.

Players of the match: Elsa and Bernice

Best of luck to our Hockey teams this Saturday in our annual Pink Sock Charity Round supporting McGrath Foundation. Our 1st Girls will have a tough match up against Barker and 2nd and 3rd Girls hosting Blue Mountain Grammar School. Looking forward to seeing all players wearing pink socks and staying to support each other for this great cause!

Netball

We had some great netball played last weekend. A big shout out to students who helped stepped up to play for other teams when they were low with absences. Team work and support is what  sport is all about. Well done and also thank you to those parents who continue to help the fixtures run each weekend by scoring for teams. It does not go unnoticed by me, thank you.

Players and trainers of the week are listed below.

Abigail Cairns, Abby Stante, Liv Dijskstra, Eloise Kelly, Oliwia Polok, Serei Bayley, Ivy Flatman,  Lila Soste, Alexia van der Merwe, Lily Conyers, Eloise Mathur, Sophie Wong, Clara Blackstock, Sienna de Saxe, Olivia Kristic and Bianca Maxwell.

This weekend is round 5. It is our charity Pink Round. Please wear your pink socks or a touch of pink to raise awareness and support the McGrath Foundation. There will be cakes on sale at NBISC and you will also have the chance to buy socks there too, so get involved and get your Pink on! Please remember the netball dress and sports shoes are still compulsory- it is just a touch of pink!

This week all the Netball teams have been gifted a Redlands shoe bag from our Friends of Netball, we hope this will ensure the girls always have their netball shoes with them for trainings and games and all their belongings come home! Thank you to our Friends of Netball community for organising the bags.

Rugby

We also ask that players and parents check the Pulse page & Rugby news notifications for weekly updates and important information.  A Pulse News Notification was shared earlier this week detailing the information below:

On Saturday 1 June our Rugby teams will be playing at Macquarie University Fields in the Redlands Charity Round to raise money for the McGrath Foundation. Here are the ways we want everyone to get involved:

1. Pink Socks: All players must wear pink socks during their game. These are available for purchase at the Uniform Shop.
2. Touch of Pink: Sideline supporters are encouraged to wear a touch of pink to show their support.
3. Game Day Volunteers Needed: We need volunteers to man a stall where we’ll sell pink goodies as a fundraiser. We are sharing this with AFL and Football families who are also playing at Macquarie University. Please sign up using this online link for the slots allocated to Rugby.
4. Pink Goodies Donation: We’re asking people to contribute pink goodies for the stall to sell. All money raised will go directly to the McGrath Foundation. If this is something you can do, please register your goodies here.
5. Opens Player Contribution: We would like 1st XV players to act as roaming sellers to capture the attention of supporters on the sideline. Please ask your Opens player to come to the stand with a mate so we can load them up with goodies and an EFTPOS machine. Please remind players that they are representing the school and as such need to wear the correct uniform and display exemplary manners.

Your help in spreading the word and encouraging participation is crucial. Let’s make this event a huge success!

Thank you as always for supporting Friends of Rugby!

Trainer of the week:

The following players should be congratulated on their efforts over the last week.

• Jackson Trude
• Felix Eade
• Charlie Reeves
• Digby Scott
• Hugo Scott

Uniform

Students are to wear full Redlands Rugby Uniform for Saturday Fixtures. Students will be unable to take to the field without a mouthguard

Please if you haven’t already visited the uniform shop, ensure you have the correct GAME uniform.

Firsts players will alternate between the schools merge jerseys this season. Please always wear REDLANDS SHORTS & SOCKS.

Reminders

All students are encouraged to attend the fitness center to compliment their development within Rugby. Please read the Fitness Center pulse page for information on how to register your attendance for optional sessions.

Opens (Year 11 & 12) players will continue their compulsory session weekly as scheduled on student calendars

Snowsports

Redlands Cup Dinner

Redlands & FOSS would love to invite you to the annual Redlands Cup dinner on Friday 12th July. Please book your tickets as soon as possible.

Snowsports Registrations Closing Soon!!

All Snowsports bookings will be closing Friday 31 May, please follow the link for booking Interschools, Redlands Cup, Rentals and Camps.

Book Here

Tennis

We had a very successful Saturday and congratulations to all the students who won their matches. A reminder for this weekend to wear a pop of pink for our Charity round, raising money for the McGrath Foundation. 

Good Luck to all our Tennis students who will be playing across Mosman, Central Coast & Oxley this weekend.

Water Polo

Trainer of the week: This season we will name players/trainers of the week throughout the term on Note Day each week. These players demonstrate commitment to the team in training and strong performance in games.

• Opens Girls: Olive Ross-Sampson
• Inters Girls: Maddie Dunnet
• Inters Boys: Cooper McDonald

A few reminders:

• Fixtures have been loaded onto Pulse and the student’s calendar. We encourage all students to download the Redlands App
• Open Water Polo girls, your compulsory 1x Gym session on Tuesdays 3.30-4.30pm. Attendance is recorded.
• Inter teams, to attend the Fitness session, please read the Fitness Center pulse page. Inter team students can select the morning they wish to attend but will need to register their attendance.
• Water polo is a representative sport and as such attendance is compulsory to all training and fixtures. Absences must be logged through Pulse sport absence form. 

General Sport Information

Fixtures

• All student training and fixture details will be available to families under My Schedule on Redlands Pulse. Additionally, the weekly Fixtures (The Redlands Rhino) can be found on the Secondary School Sport page on Redlands Pulse from Wednesday each week. Please ensure you check Redlands Pulse Friday afternoon to ensure you have the latest fixture information.

Uniform

• The Redlands sports uniform should be worn to all trainings and matches (students are not permitted to wear any non-Redlands branded clothing). In the event of inclement weather students should wear their Redlands fleece or sports tracksuit.
• Students must wear trainer style sneakers that are preferably white with non-marking soles. It is part of our shared responsibility to ensure that students wear footwear that aligns with the activity to be undertaken. High top sneakers, Vans, Converse etc. are not appropriate for School Sport.

Saturday Sport Absences

• Parents are required to log an absence via Clipboard prior to missing any training session.
• Any student unable to attend a Saturday fixture due to illness, is required to submit a Medical Certificate to their Sports administrator by the Monday morning following the missed fixture.
• Injured students are required to attend all training sessions and Saturday fixtures.
• Failure to do any of the above will jeopardise a student’s eligibility for Colours, Pockets, and Awards and result in school disciplinary action.
• Please refer to the Student Planner 2024 for full details on requirements for participating in a Representative Sport.
• Bus Transport
  • When travelling on Redlands transport the Redlands school rules are in place and students should be always upholding the values of the school:
• Have good behaviour, safe behaviour and appropriate language at all times.
• Follow the driver (and supervising staff) instructions at all times.
• Obey the transport rules and regulations at all times (seat belts must be worn at all times).
• Leave the bus how they found it (no rubbish, no mess).

Students who fail to meet the standards of the above will face school disciplinary action.

Wet Weather

• Unless communicated differently or in the morning of the session (via Redlands Pulse & Clipboard), all training sessions are to be deemed ‘on’.
• Students should bring with them a change of Redlands Sport Uniform (Thursdays only) or their school uniform (Tuesday) if there are light showers during training.

Winter Sport

A reminder that all key information for the season has been uploaded onto the Secondary School Sport page of Redlands Pulse, if you have any additional questions, please reach out to the appropriate Sports Administrator listed at the bottom of this page.

Sports Photos

All Sports Photos are available for parents to view / purchase on the SPA Images Website 

Photo Library >> Schoolsports 2022-24 >> select your sport

Password (redlands2024) Redlands has an agreement with SPA Images that we will only use the images for marketing purposes.

Melba has finalised all photos taken of sport teams and co-curricular activities and they are now available for parents to view and purchase. Please visit the Melba Studios website, Select the ‘Schools’ icon. The password for access is winnie.

Concussion Protocols

Parents and Carers last week received an email containing the Redlands Concussion Protocols, which can also be found in the Key Documents section of Redlands Pulse – Secondary School Sport. A reminder to all that these protocols are for both a return to school and a return to sport. Students who have a suspected concussion are asked to seek medical attention at their earliest convenience.

Winter Sport – Key Contacts

Junior Sport

Snowsports

In previous years we have had a large number of Junior School students involved in our Snowsports program. For more information about what is on offer please refer to the link here Redlands Snowsports and for any questions please reach out to Danielle Steer dsteer@redlands.nsw.edu.au who is our director of Snowsports.

AFL Paul Kelly Cup

Well done to our Year 5 and 6 students who represented Redlands in the PKC on Wednesday. We had enough players for both a girls and a boys teams this year and despite the majority of these students not playing the game before they had a great experience. In beautiful conditions at Tunks Park both the girls and boys teams got off to a great start in their respective pool matches with wins over Lane Cove Public School and St Ignatius College Riverview.

IPSHA Gymnastics Trials- Open Invitation

During the week you would have received a Pulse new item advertising an open day for IPSHA Gymnastics for both boys and girls. Please refer to this item and or our Gymnastics Pulse page for more information.

Redlands Cross Country Carnival Photos

As you would be aware, I organised for a professional sports photographer to attend the Junior School Cross Country Carnival to take some photos for parents and the school. There are some great shots online for you to view and or purchase or download. Please follow the steps below to view this folder that is only accessible to Redlands families and will be uploaded in the coming days

Log In Here

• Click prompt to Access Gallery
• Select – Redlands Icon
• Select – 2024 folder
• Select Event i.e. Junior Cross Country Carnival
• Enter: Name & Email Address
• Enter Password: Dunnet01
• Select- View album

There’s a whole range you can choose from. Prints, Personalised Prints, Canvas, Framed Photos, Digital Images to mention a few.

Athletics- Field Event Trials

As previously advertised, in preparation for our Athletics Carnival students will be completing a unit of Athletics in their PE classes in Term 2 which will cover High Jump, Long Jump, Shot Put and Discus. We will then be hosting Field Events Pre Carnival trials for these events in Term 2. To nominate your child for these Pre Carnival trials please complete your child’s details here. 2024 Field Event Trials. Registration closes soon.

Representative Sports- Saturday morning match wear

Just a reminder for all families who represent Redlands in Saturday sport only Redlands Sports Uniforms and match day kit is to be worn. Each family should own either a school tracksuit and or a fleece that they can wear over the top of their playing kit if they are cold. If your child feels the cold they may play in their fleece if their match allows it.Any incorrect item will now be confiscated as all students have received the same message.

Redlands Pulse Orientation and Navigation Video

Our intranet, Redlands Pulse, is the first port of call for all Junior School Sport related enquiries. A video has been produced to show you how to navigate through Pulse. You can view this short video here.

Redlands Pulse -The Junior School Sport pages on Redlands Pulse will continue to be the ‘source of truth’ for all information relating to sport this term. I am asking that if parents have an enquiry relating to sport that your first port of call will be the Junior School Sport section of Redlands Pulse.

Sport Information Booklet

For all Sport information regarding what sports we offer when, how to navigate our documents, as well as information on Uniforms and Carnivals please refer to our Parent Information Booklet on Pulse.

Wednesday Sport Inability to Train

If your child has an injury that prevents them from training, please send through an email to Junior Sport juniorsport@redlands.nsw.edu.au requesting they ‘sit out’ of training for that particular session. We can then forward this to the relevant external coaching staff. Where applicable please include when they can return to normal training, so coaches are aware of this. That way coaching staff are aware of an injury that prevents them from participating at the venue but also allows us to be aware of periods where they are medically required to ‘sit out’.

Representative Sport Student Absence

If students are absent on match day, parents are required to complete this online absence form. This will allow your responses to be passed on electronically to your child’s coach efficiently and at short notice. The Student Absence link can also be found on the Junior School Sport Page on Redlands Pulse.

Please don’t hesitate to view our Sport Information page on Redlands Pulse if you have any questions pertaining to Sport.

Mr Trevor Dunne
Head of Junior Sport
tdunne@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9953 6022

Dance Academy

The Academy had a busy and successful week with exams and eisteddfods.

Congratulations to Imogen Jeffery-Bilich and Summer-Eve Smyth who completed their final RAD exam, Advanced Two, a massive accomplishment!

Juliet Cooke, Irene Kim, Adabelle Lee completed their RAD Intermediate exam, and Freya Carroll, Ina Guan, Anabelle Kendrigan and Zoe Murdoch did their RAD Intermediate Foundation exam.

Our Senior Jazz Performers took to the stage at the IRBD competition on Saturday. Their dances were beautifully crafted and elegantly presented with stunning detail and finesse. Congratulations to our SJP2 who received 3^rd place.

We are all really looking forward to seeing both these dances again in the upcoming months.

Can’t Come to Class

If your child is sick or will miss their dance class then please complete the RDA Absent from Class form – CLICK HERE

Private Lessons: A reminder that for private lessons, you need to contact your private lesson teacher and cc the Dance Department. 24 hours notice is required for any cancellations. Any private lesson missed with less than 24 hours notice will be charged as a received lesson. Note: for private lessons do not complete the RDA ABSENT FROM CLASS FORM.

Any Questions?

Please see our RDA Pulse page for the most up-to-date information on all things dance, and if you have any questions, concerns or feedback please contact us. 

A reminder that if you wish to make an appointment to speak with Ms Revie, please contact the Dance Department.

Ms Gilly Revie
Head of Redlands Dance Academy
grevie@redlands.nsw.edu.au
02 9908 6488 

Dance Curriculum

Important Dates

Drama and Theatre

Year 11 and 12 IB Theatre Collaborative Exam Performances

The Year 12 Collaborative Performance was such a distinct, challenging and rewarding experience.  Physical theatre of this duration, scale and skill was a new experience that pushed our class a lot. The distinct demands of this task meant that we had to take risks, say yes and keep up the momentum of devising. We were all a bit hesitant and worried about the task but we were motivated by the continually astounding pieces of our peers. Devising such abstract and varied pieces was really valuable; in creating these new narratives, we pushed ourselves through convoluted theatre-making intentions and outside our comfort zones, and we pushed ourselves physically through tough lifts, sleep deprivation and countless rehearsals. The last few rehearsals with production (lighting, sound and visual effects) were the most rewarding, I was honestly a bit worried about the performance being too weird and confusing, but seeing our performance onstage with such rich imagery was very exciting and comforting.

What was even more rewarding was the reactions and feedback from the audience because our class really moved them in different ways. “Perfecting the Art of the Circle” was not only seamless, stunning and symbolic but a really heart-wrenching portrayal of having a family member with dementia – so much so that one viewer said that her outlook on people with dementia was changed by this performance, and that she would tried to reach the person inside the isolating fish bowl of dementia.

“My Life, My Love, My Cello” moved the audience with the striking physical shapes, lifts, facial expressions and the use of Jacqueline Du Pré’s music. The ensemble’s representation of the frustrating disconnect between Du Pré’s passion for playing and her deteriorating motor skills pulled at the heartstrings.

My group’s performance “Cicada” constructed the contrast between the drudgery of work life and the childhood freedom of play (or as theatre theorist Jacques Lecoq wrote, ‘le jeu’).  Our physical use of rhythm and pace, as well as eerie lighting, sound and visuals, made the audience gasp and laugh at different moments. One audience member remarked days later that the performance really stayed with them and another reflected that our connection of the cicada’s life cycle to adulthood made them think about how little time we have to live, play and experience the world.

As a young theatre maker, this project made me consider how even our school productions can create impactful, unique stories. This was a great opportunity to expose ourselves to different, non-realistic theatre types and to design lighting, visual and stage design. We learnt the maturity needed to adapt the performances, compromise with each other and apply feedback. However, even with these skills, none of these performances would have been nearly as polished and well-executed without the unending effort, expertise and dedication of our Theatre teacher, Ms Smith, the technical expertise of Mr Hummerston and the creativity of Izzy for the amazing makeup artistry. Theatre is an incredibly time-intense, challenging and gratifying subject, the commitment of everyone involved created something beautiful on Friday night. 

Charli Waterland
Year 12 IB Theatre Student

As a young theatre maker, this project made me consider how even our school productions can create impactful, unique stories. This was a great opportunity to expose ourselves to different, non-realistic theatre types and to design lighting, visual and stage design. We learnt the maturity needed to adapt the performances, compromise with each other and apply feedback. But even with these skills, none of these performances would have been nearly as polished and well-executed without the unending effort of Mrs Smith, the dedication of Mr Hummerston and the creativity of Isabelle the makeup artist. Theatre is an incredibly time-intense, challenging and gratifying subject, the commitment of everyone involved created something beautiful on Friday night. 

Last Friday, the IB Theatre classes of 2024 and 2025 had the incredible opportunity to take part in an IB collaborative performance as the practical application of our Collaborative task. As a year eleven student it was amazing to be given the chance to perform and interact in the same space as the year twelve performance pieces, just to be able to witness the standard of performance that we will allegedly be able to produce at this time next year. It was enlightening to witness just how much we still have left to learn about in the IB theatre course and what such a skillset could be used to create with a year’s more experience under our belts.

I know from a personal standpoint that I was speechless the first time I watched the year twelve pieces, and the effectiveness of what they managed to achieve with all of the different mediums and techniques that were so fluidly incorporated into their performances.

Additionally, it was a terribly foreign experience to have to engage in an IB ‘talk-back’ for the first time, and I know for certain the my year eleven theatre cohort struggled to begin with when trying to figure out how to manipulate our questions in a way that produced valuable outcomes in reference to the IB syllabus, but also framing them in such a way that our audience members with no IB experience would still be able to understand and contribute. Overall, the evening was terribly exciting as a first time experience, and I am more than enthused to be able to engage in another next year with even more skills and understanding than now.

Tali Feldman
Yr 11 IB Theatre Student

Kathakali Dance & Theatre Workshop

On Monday morning we had the privilege to learn from IB examiner and Kathakali expert, Fenella Kelly. She came into Redlands via Zoom to do a workshop on Kathakali dance and theatre, which is a traditional Indian style of dance and theatre and comes from the south, Kerala. The word comes from katha (story) and kali (play) and started in the 17th century, based on two main Hindu epics, Mahabharata and Ramayana. The storyline is conveyed through song, movement and percussion (the Triad) and often lasts all night long. The singers sing a line traditionally in Sanskrit or now Malayalam, and the actors respond with a series of mudras (hand movements), foot movements and navarasas (facial expressions). The mudras link together to create sentences of dialogue. The percussionist will accompany the actor by creating a beat. The audience may not understand the language but they can follow along with the acting (and also that they are probably familiar with the story) to understand. 

We started the morning off with some theory where we learned about the roots of kathakali (strongly rooted in Hinduism and martial arts) and then we were able to get up and do some practical work. Fenella explained to us that the session always started and finished with a salutation and then we did a warmup into our bodies. Kathakali requires a strong foundation and great flexibility so we experimented with that – I found my body wasn’t used to the foreign movements which was a big challenge! We then worked with footwork, mudras and navarasas to create a narrative. This workshop really helped me learn about how strongly culture influences performing arts- it isn’t something I think about often in the Western styles of performing arts. Kathakali also had a unique aspect that moved the actor from laukika (ordinary perception) to alaukika (extraordinary perception) in a spiritual transformation, and we learned that this art form requires the actor to not be ‘human’ but ‘other’. For all students interested in becoming a better actor or performer, I would highly recommend in engaging with theatre traditions from other cultures to keep an open mind and diversify your skills. Thank you to Fenella Kelly for this amazing workshop and to Ms Smith for organising this incredible opportunity!

Remie Gibbs
Year 11 IB Theatre Student

Matt Cameron, Ruby Moon Playwright Interview

Last Friday on the 24th of May, the HSC Drama students and I were presented with the opportunity to speak with the renowned playwright Matt Cameron, the writer of the absurdist play we have been learning this term: Ruby Moon. We were given the chance to ask questions to Matt about his career as a playwright and his interpretations of Ruby Moon twenty years after he first wrote it. I embrace this opportunity to further, not only my understanding of the play itself, but also how the play was received in the theatre industry and how it became the prominent play it is today. Hearing Matt explain the experience of the play’s first performance to slowly becoming the well known piece of theatre it is now, exhibited the persistence it requires to succeed within the theatre industry as a playwright. I found this very inspiring as a person who wants to go into the world of theatre after high school. Furthermore, Matt explained to us how each of the characters of Ruby Moon were inspired from people he had met through his life, ranging from the actors involved in the first production of Ruby Moon to his own mother. The method Matt drew from people in his life has given me a new way to create characters by capturing various aspects of people. In conclusion, having the opportunity to ask Matt Cameron about his experiences as a playwright and background information on his absurdist play Ruby Moon was an amazing experience that provided me with valuable information I will use in the future of my schooling and within the drama space.

Jaiden Murphy
Yr 11 HSC Drama Student

Kathryn Smith
Acting Subject Coordinator of Drama and Theatre
ksmith@redlands.nsw.edu.au 

Music

Senior Music Festival 2024: Now on Sale!

The countdown is on for Senior Music Festival 2024 with its spectacular ‘Kaleidoscope’ theme! We’re raring to launch onto The Concourse Concert Hall stage on Friday 21 June 2024 at 6.00pm, with over 220 senior school students contributing to the festival!

The Concourse Box Office is officially open and tickets are selling fast! Share the link below with family and friends everywhere – this night promises huge entertainment for all.

• Adult $50.00
• Child/Concession/Student $35.00
• Family (2 adults, 2 children) $150.00

If you are helping a Redlands Senior Music student towards this year’s ticket-seller prize, enter their 6 digit student number in the box when checking out under “Questionnaires”. 

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR TICKETS!

Senior Vocal Competition

The Senior Vocal Competition on Monday was a wonderful celebration of all of the vocal talent we have here at Redlands. Our adjudicator, Brad Cooper, was impressed with the range of talent available. 

Congratulations to the winners of each division below: 

CLICK HERE FOR VOCAL COMPETITION PHOTOS

Studio Concerts

Our studio concerts have started this week, with many of our students performing. These informal concert opportunities are an opportunity for both our students to perform and parents, carers and friends to check in with their children’s musical learning!  Please see updated times below for next week: 

JUNIOR STUDIO CONCERTS

SENIOR STUDIO CONCERTS

Senior Piano Competition Auditions

The Senior Piano Competitions auditions are coming up! The Piano Competition is a wonderful chance for both our Junior and Senior students to show off their incredible talents and skills. Auditions are due by the end of term. 

SENIOR PIANO COMPETITION AUDITIONS – CLICK HERE

Semester 2 Senior Extension Ensemble Auditions 

A reminder that Senior Extension Ensemble Auditions are due tomorrow!  Click on the links below to apply.

ADVANCED CONCERT BAND – SEMESTER 2, 2024

ADVANCED STRINGS – SEMESTER 2 2024

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA – SEMESTER 2, 2024

SENIOR CHAMBER ENSEMBLE – SEMESTER 2, 2024

ADVANCED GUITAR ENSEMBLE – SEMESTER 2, 2024

ADVANCED STAGE BAND – SEMESTER 2, 2024

SENIOR VOICES – SEMESTER 2 2024

Term 2 Events

Please see a list below of important Term 2 Music Events to keep your eye on:

Here to help!

Keep your eye on Pulse and the MUSIC EVENTS page to ensure key dates are all on the family calendar and reach out to your campus Music Office if we can assist in any way.

Mrs Jacqueline McGlade  

Junior Music Administrator | juniormusic@redlands.nsw.edu.au | 9908 6495

CLICK FOR PREP & JUNIOR MUSIC PULSE

Ms Kirsty Hales

Senior Music Administrator | seniormusic@redlands.nsw.edu.au | 9968 9820

CLICK FOR SENIOR MUSIC PULSE 

Ms Katherine Moses
Junior Campus Music Subject Coordinator (P-6)

Ms Victoria Williams
Senior School Music Subject Coordinator (7-12)

Mr Mathew Owen
Director of Music Performance (P-12)