Issue 22 2020 - 30 Jul 2020

From the Principal

In managing the risks of the current COVID-19 situation we have needed to live-stream key Secondary School assemblies into Tutor rooms as well as pre-recording some events.

This week we held an assembly focused on leadership, as we move into the period in which voting occurs for specific portfolio roles for 2021. As something different for my Note Day article this week, I thought you may enjoy watching the short assembly, which contains specific messages on leadership from Mr Corcoran, Year 12 Prefects Max Durrant and Anna Saunders and myself. I feel that it conveys the focus of leadership that we are aiming to develop in the School.

watch here

I would like to acknowledge the Dominik Mersch Gallery who very generously provided their facilities for the Next Gen Art Exhibition, initiated and organised by Captain of Visual Arts, Sunday Stephens, at the very end of last term. I was very impressed with the works selected for the exhibition, which provided the opportunity for our current and past Visual Arts students to showcase their works in one of Sydney’s leading contemporary art galleries.

In a further link with our School, the Dominik Mersch Gallery represents some of Australia’s most renowned contemporary artists who were previous winners of the Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize, including Tim Johnson and Philip Wolfhagen. The Gallery’s exhibitions are detailed in the following link for those parents who are interested in the very best of Australian contemporary art: https://www.dominikmerschgallery.com/exhibition/?y=upcoming

The current and next exhibitions feature two contemporary artists who have also exhibited in the Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize: Locust Jones ‘Situation Room’ (until 9 August) and Dani Martin ‘Between’ (14-30 August); and Dani Martin has also presented a number of artist talks to our Visual Arts students. For further details: info@dominikmerschgallery.com

Finally, I wish our Year 12 students all the very best for their HSC and IB Trial examinations, which they will be sitting over the next two weeks.

Mr Stephen Webber

Photo caption: Year 1 students proudly demonstrating their e-learning competency.

Foundation

I hope all our families have managed to settle well into Term 3 routines and especially those who started at Redlands this term.

Yr 12 Legacy Gift – Students are leading the way

We appreciate everyone’s contribution to this wonderful student-led initiative.

Our Legacy Gift team is assessing possibilities during a Sprit Week in Week 9. We will provide more information in the coming weeks about this fun and memorable week of Yr 12 led activities.

There is still a chance to be part of this initiative and support our Yr 12 students by securing the Class of 2020 handmade tea towel. 

buy here

Alumni Spotlight

Angus Konsti, Class of 2016

At the end of 2019, Angus completed his BFA in Design for Performance at NIDA. This is a significant achievement in itself as Angus was awarded a scholarship commencing the year after he graduated from Redlands. Angus is now mid-way through his MFA in the same course and he is loving it.

“If it weren’t for the Drama Department at Redlands I wouldn’t have ended up at NIDA, this soon anyway, as they recommended I do set design for my IB instead of a monologue. If I recall correctly, it was the first time a student at Redlands had made this decision, so it was a bit new to all of us but it was definitely worth it.”

In recent months, Angus has been busy designing the sets and costumes for Roundabout, directed by Emmy Award winner Sean Stewart. Roundabout is an interactive farce for the digital age. In this show, science fiction meets comedy as three young school leavers in an awkward love triangle meet on the video platform Twitch. This show is possible to attend online next week, 4 – 9 August here. Congratulations Angus, we are very proud to share your news with our School community!

Melbourne Cup Luncheon

After detailed considerations of possible event plans and due to many uncertainties, we have come to the conclusion not to host our annual Redlands Melbourne Cup Luncheon this year.

We appreciate the great interest and support from our community and are pleased to announce that we have secured the Sergeants’ Mess, Chowder Bay for 2021. We look forward to welcoming you to this event next year!

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

RPFA

Redlands Silver Linings Cookbook

Thanks to all the contributors to the RPFA’s Silver Linings Cookbook so far. If you haven’t yet submitted your recipe, please do consider sending in a family favourite to rpfavicepresident@redlands.nsw.edu.au before the end of this month. Thanks and happy cooking!

Cookbook template

Book Club

We will be discussing The White Girl by Tony Birch – Recently shortlisted for the Miles Franklin award, “a story of good, evil and the legacy of Australia’s colonial past” on Thursday 10 September from 7.30pm. 

2020 RPFA Committee

rpfa@redlands.nsw.edu.au

President: Michelle Tea
Vice President: JP Forrest
Secretary: Jo Lloyd 
Treasurer: Christine Walsh
Committee: Anna Maria Stillone, Annette Swann, Jean Martin, Kate Kesby, Malcolm Pascoe, Maria Kinsela, Peter Coleman, Tina Shacklock

Head of Secondary School

Leadership

As Mr Webber mentioned in his Note Day article, this week’s Secondary School assembly focused on leadership to prepare students in Yrs 7-12 to vote for student leadership positions this week. As I have previously communicated in Note Day, this year’s student leadership process will be slightly different to previous years as Prefects will not be determined at the end of this term and there will be no staff or student vote for these positions at this time. Instead, all current Yr 11 students have had the opportunity to be considered for a Prefect position over the next year and it has been great to see the large number of current Yr 11 students put their name forward to be considered for this position. All of these students will then have the opportunity to display their leadership through actions over the next year and the final list of Yr 12 Prefects will now be determined towards the end of their final year at School. However, all of the other school wide leadership positions such as School Captains, Arts Captains, Sports Captains, Service Captains, Environment Captains, House Captains and individual Sport and Cocurricular activity captains will be determined this term and students are voting on these positions this week.

In the assembly, two of our current Yr 12 student leaders, Max Durrant and Anna Saunders, shared their reflections on leadership. Max reflected on his experiences as Rowing Captain this year and the importance of displaying leadership in challenging times, such as the sudden cancellation of the end of season Rowing events which the crews had been training for throughout the season. Anna talked about how those students who do the little things, like showing care, compassion and concern for others and their community are often the best leaders amongst us. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Max, Anna and all of our Yr 12 students for the tremendous leadership they have shown in leading the school community during this challenging year.   

Sports Update

It was wonderful to see our students throughout the Secondary School return to competitive sporting fixtures last weekend in the truncated winter season. I travelled out to Macquarie University fields to watch some of our Girls Football, Boys Rugby and Boys AFL play. I would like to congratulate our Junior Boys AFL team for their outstanding performance in the inaugural Boys AFL match in the Secondary School. (Our Junior Girls AFL team played their inaugural match the previous weekend which Mr Kindred wrote about in his Note Day article last week.) The boys lost their first match but won their second match against a strong Knox side. But more importantly was the commitment they showed and standard they set as trailblazers for Boys AFL in the Secondary School.

I would ask all parents and students to please strictly adhere to the Covid-19 arrangements at sporting fixtures on the weekend. These arrangements can vary from venue to venue and it is important that we are all following the respective guidelines to ensure the safe return and continuation of sport.

House Athletics

We will be running the Secondary School House Athletics Carnival on Friday 14 August at Sydney Olympic Park. Due to Covid-19 Arrangements, the Carnival will take on a modified format and further information will be sent home to students and families by the Sports Department early next week. Please note that no parents will be permitted to attend the Carnival.

Yr 12 HSC and IB Trial Examinations

Over the next two weeks our Yr 12 students will be sitting their HSC and IB Trial examinations. This year, we are unable to hold these examinations off-site as we have done so in recent years; however, we are pleased to be able to use a floor of the Learning Hub as an examination centre for the Yr 12 students over the next fortnight. We wish our Yr 12 HSC and IB students all the best for these Trial examinations.

Jeans for Genes Day

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

Careers

Open Day Season

All universities will be holding open days virtually this year. Most universities are offering multiple days or open weeks so that students and parents have greater opportunities to connect and find out more information. Open Days commence in August and go through to early September. You will need to register. For all the NSW/ACT Open Days visit here

Town Planning as a Career Information Session

PIA Young Planners are hosting a free seminar on Town Planning as a career on Monday 3 August from 4.00-5.00pm via the Zoom platform. The session will cover the role of planners in cities and communities, what does a career in planning look like and relevant tertiary studies information. Register here

Sydney University Yr 12 Parent Information Session

To be held on Tuesday 4 August from 6.00-7.00pm, this session will cover applications, transitioning to university, support services and more. Register: here. Note that all Yr 12 students will be receiving their UAC guide and a presentation on how to apply to Australian universities on Monday 17 August.

Ms Simone Salier
Tertiary Education and Careers Advisor
ssalier@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9867

Year 12

Yr 12 Trial Examinations

Monday 3 August – Thursday 13 August
Level 4 New Learning Hub (unless advised otherwise)

Students should be on-campus at least 15 minutes prior to the commencement of their examination. Students are only expected to be at School if they have an exam or sport – the Library is open but may have scheduled classes using the area as well. Secondary Sport will still continue as normal and Yr 12 students are to attend all trainings and games – unless there is a specific examination clash (please notify the Sports Department if that is the case).

If your child is unwell, please notify Secondary School Absences, Mr Atkins (YA) and either Mr Randall (HSC) or Mr Taylor (IB) prior to their examination starting. A doctor’s certificate will then need to be provided with a completed Illness/Misadventure form located on Redlands Pulse and sent through to the relevant staff member.

Catch up examinations may be scheduled at a later date. 

Yr 12 Group Photos Available Now

Orders can be placed securely online at www.advancedlife.com.au using our school’s unique 9 digit advanced order code, NWL 4NR ETY. Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please direct them via email to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au

Study Skills – Dr Prue Salter

The next videos from Dr Salter are now ready. The three videos are 10-15 minutes each and cover:

  1. What should you be doing now before the Trial HSC exams / Mock IB exams?
  2. Tips for during the exam block. 
  3. What is important after the exams before the end of term?

There are handouts and grids and planners for each section. 

click here to view

Username: drsaltersgroup; password: videoseries4

We encourage all students to take advantage of this support and Dr Salter’s offer to give feedback to students on their study plans.  

After the Trial examinations, Dr Salter will return for one last time to show you how to make a study plan through to the last exam using your personal exam timetable. 

Mr Edward Atkins
Yr 12 Advisor 
eatkins@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9909 3133

Year 11

Wellbeing – Student Motivation

Some students have found that their motivation levels have declined as a result lockdown period and consequently have found it challenging to reclaim their natural exuberance for academic work and other activities. This article from Reach Out gives parents information and strategies for helping children to increase their motivation levels.  

Yr 11 Preliminary HSC and IB Yearly Examinations

Exams for both programs will run together during the same examination block from Week 6 Thursday 27 August – Week 7 Friday 4 September. At this time, students should be adhering to a regular study regime. Please speak with your child about their planning for these examinations, now is the time to ensure that study notes are in order, so during the two weeks prior to examinations students can focus on reviewing these notes and consolidating their learning. Tutors will be discussing strategies with students in Tutor Time this week as well as directing students to the following resources for further strategies and ideas.

Getting organised for exams https://studyskillshandbook.com.au/inside/inside_content/exams3c.html

Planning your time in the lead up towards exams https://studyskillshandbook.com.au/inside/inside_content/exams3d.html

How to make study notes and summaries https://www.studyskillshandbook.com.au/inside/inside_content/exams1.html

www.studyskillshandbook.com.au – Login: redlands; Password: 68results

Some top tips for staying focussed in an online world:

  1. Have clear distinctions between schoolwork time and your personal time. If you let those two worlds collide you will end up never really feeling like you can have time to yourself without feeling guilty. Then in the learning times you can make a more conscious effort to stay on track.
  2. If you know you can’t stay focused in your bedroom, then do your learning in another part of the house where someone can check up on you. Working in an area of the house where you will be supervised can help you stay on track.
  3. Take notes when you are listening to the teacher talk or make a mind map about what is being discussed in the lesson. If you are writing about what you are learning it will help you to be more focused.
  4. Turn off all notifications and make sure your mobile is on silent (or preferably in another room). Don’t have other windows or applications open on your computer. Take away the temptation so you don’t send messages to other students or work on other tasks during a lesson when you are meant to be focused.
  5. Every 20 minutes look away at something 20 feet (about 6 metres) away for 20 seconds to reduce eye strain. Stand up and stretch if you need to.

Ms Sarah Matthews
Yr 11 Advisor
smatthews@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9908 6494

Year 10

NSW School Vaccination Program 2020

The Northern Sydney Public Health Unit will be holding a NSW Schools Vaccination clinic on Tuesday 1 September to administer the Meningococcal ACWY single dose vaccine to Yr 10 students. Parent Information Kits that include an information sheet, consent form and privacy statement will be sent home to parents/guardians next week. Consent forms are due on 21 August and are to be handed in to the Secondary School Office. Please include a copy of the vaccination record for any vaccines that your child has received in the last 12 months. This could be a report from your GP, or a letter from you including the name of the vaccine and the date given.

Redlands and the Northern Sydney Public Health Unit have added additional infection control measures within the program to help minimise viral transmission between students, nurses, and school staff.

In preparation of the clinic:

  • Students who are not feeling well must be kept at home. Students who are sick, especially with any acute respiratory symptoms, will not be vaccinated. The nurse will perform a pre-vaccination assessment and determine the student’s suitability to be vaccinated. Catch-up vaccinations for these students can occur at the next clinic.
  • Students will be asked to use hand sanitiser upon entry to the clinic and before returning to their classroom.
  • Students will arrive in smaller groups to prevent close-proximity queuing and physical spacing will be applied.
  • Please ensure your child has had a good breakfast on the morning of the vaccination.

A Record of Vaccination card will be provided to each student vaccinated at each clinic. Details about vaccinations given at school will also be uploaded to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) to support complete vaccination histories. Further information about the Meningococcal AWCY vaccine is available here.

Registration for ICAS 2020 

The 2020 International Competition and Assessment for Schools (ICAS) in Science will take place on Monday 17 August in school. This competition is undertaken by over 400,000 students across Australia and the region, and is a rigorous test of scientific thinking. Participation in the competition provides our students with excellent examination practice and an opportunity to see how they fare in competition with students of their own age from across the country. Students who are interested in Science can use the test to assess areas of strength and weakness. Success at the test is a way of demonstrating aptitude when applying for Science related opportunities in and out of school.

Entry for students in Yrs 7-10 is voluntary. Please complete the registration form before Monday 3 August if you would like them to take part. A fee of $15.95 will be charged to your account if you wish your child to participate. 

More information about ICAS is here. Please contact Ms Simone Bryant, Assistant Science Coordinator, if you have any queries.

Pastoral Care Program

This week some of the Tutor Groups had a visit by Ms Salier, our University and Careers Advisor, in which she provided information and resources as to how to write a resume for a job application. Ms Salier will be visiting the remaining Groups next week.

As part of the aim is to improve organisational skills and become better prepared for Yrs 11 and 12, students completed either a hard or soft copy of their first weekly planner this week. In it they were asked to provide as much detail as possible for their daily schedule after school and at weekends, to enable them to set sufficient time aside for studying and learn to use their free time wisely and productively. Please have a conversation with them about this process and encourage them to work out each week what works for them and what needs to be changed for the following week. Week 4 is a busy week for assessments, and planning now should help make this time less stressful for them.

Most students this week will have begun looking into the issues surrounding mental health and wellbeing as part of our Pastoral Program for Term 3. Initially, they have been learning about anxiety and how it is a natural biological response to fear or uncertain situations, and that everyone experiences it. In addition, they have also learnt how approximately 22% of female and 9% of male Australians aged 16-24 experience some form of anxiety disorder.

Social Awareness Program

Our Social Awareness program also began this week looking at aged homelessness, with the students learning that around 17% of homeless Australians are aged over 55, with the projection for this to increase significantly over the coming decades. They are learning how homelessness has a negative impact on both physical and emotional health, with 64% of people living on the street being at risk of death within five years.

Ms Rebecca Mountain
Yr 10 Advisor
rmountain@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9908 6462

Year 9

Key Date

Leadership Voting 2021 from Tuesday 28 July
Yr 9 into 10 2021 Information Evening Thursday 30 August

 

Emilie Bessell – Basketball 

Congratulations to the Girls 1st Basketball team on an excellent season. The team played in the NSWCIS Basketball Championship on Wednesday 22 July. The first game of the day was against Pymble Ladies College. A tightly fought final quarter from Redlands saw some great teamwork, which resulted in a 10 point lead at the final siren. The second and final game of the day was against St Luke’s. St Luke’s gained some momentum in the second half. Although St Luke’s had the upper hand in the end, it was a great effort from the Redlands girls. Redlands should be very proud of their efforts on the day. Notable mention goes to Emilie Bessell of Yr 9 for her representation as a member of this team. Emilie is also congratulated for being selected as an ISA Representative player in 2020 and for receiving ISA Colours as a recognition of excellence in her commitment to Girls Basketball.

 

Registration for ICAS 2020 

The 2020 International Competition and Assessment for Schools (ICAS) in Science will take place on Monday 17 August in school. This competition is undertaken by over 400,000 students across Australia and the region, and is a rigorous test of scientific thinking. Participation in the competition provides our students with excellent examination practice and an opportunity to see how they fare in competition with students of their own age from across the country. Students who are interested in Science can use the test to assess areas of strength and weakness. Success at the test is a way of demonstrating aptitude when applying for Science related opportunities in and out of school.

Entry for students in Yrs 7-10 is voluntary. Please complete the registration form before Monday 3 August if you would like them to take part. A fee of $15.95 will be charged to your account if you wish your child to participate. 

More information about ICAS is here. Please contact Ms Simone Bryant, Assistant Science Coordinator, if you have any queries.

Ms Marita Jansons 
Yr 9 Advisor
mjansons@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9819

Year 8

Upcoming Events

Wednesday 5 August – Yr 8 Parent Teacher Evening via Zoom
Yr 8 Camp has been rescheduled to Term 4 Week 5 – more information to come.

This Week

Congratulations to several Yr 8 students who demonstrated a significant improvement in their Approaches to Learning from Term 1 to Term 2. These students were individually recognised for their improved effort at our Yr 8 meeting last Friday during Tutor: Jasmine Black, Daniel Casimaty, Anabelle Cullen, Olivia Everingham, Lara Farrell, Dylan Keay, Hugo Little, Eliot De Macedo-Stewart, Oolan Margon, Krishan Price, Christo Shacklock, Oliver Summons and Charlotte Wrigglesworth.

Well done to all Yr 8 Sport teams. It has been wonderful seeing practices and games resume with the first full day of competition last Saturday. Good luck to all students for the remainder of the season ahead and thank you to all parents for your continued support in Sport.  

ReachOut.Com: Motivating Your Teen When School is the Last Thing on Their Mind

Since returning to On-Campus Learning in Term 2, students have been managing their study load, assessment schedules, Sport resuming and seeing their friends again while many concerns from around the world continue to be discussed outside of school, on the news and at home. As we begin a new term, it is timely to make time to have a conversation with your teen, focus on the positives, work out a plan, discuss healthy media practices and make contact with your child’s Tutor or Year Advisor if there are any concerns. Take a moment to read this article on motivation from ReachOut.com.

Beginning of Term Tip from Dr Prue Salter

Students were given time last week to access their Yr 8 Assessment Calendar for Term 3, map out their assessment due dates and begin backwards planning. Students are currently using a modified term planner from Dr Prue Salter’s Study Skills Handbook. This is a great time to check in with your child regarding their upcoming assessments and whether they feel prepared beginning this next term. If any additional support is requested, please email your child’s Tutor in the first instance so we can put a plan in place as soon as possible. Study Skills Handbook can be found here. Username: redlands; Password: 68results.

Registration for ICAS 2020 

The 2020 International Competition and Assessment for Schools (ICAS) in Science will take place on Monday 17 August in school. This competition is undertaken by over 400,000 students across Australia and the region, and is a rigorous test of scientific thinking. Participation in the competition provides our students with excellent examination practice and an opportunity to see how they fare in competition with students of their own age from across the country. Students who are interested in Science can use the test to assess areas of strength and weakness. Success at the test is a way of demonstrating aptitude when applying for Science related opportunities in and out of school.

Entry for students in Yrs 7-10 is voluntary. Please complete the registration form before Monday 3 August if you would like them to take part. A fee of $15.95 will be charged to your account if you wish your child to participate. 

More information about ICAS is here. Please contact Ms Simone Bryant, Assistant Science Coordinator, if you have any queries.

Ms Alissa Ynson
Yr 8 Advisor
9968 9863
aynson@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Year 7

Absences

Just a reminder on processes for absences and approved leave. Please email the school as soon as possible if your child is sick and unable to attend that day. Please note that this is a dedicated absence email address only – any emails sent to this address will not be responded to. If a student is absent from school for any longer than two days, please supply a doctor’s certificate. No medical appointments should be made during school hours, including Thursday afternoon sport. This obviously does not include medical emergencies. Requests for approved leave should be made in writing to Mr Sean Corcoran. Would you please cc me into this correspondence as well.

If you are in doubt as to whether to COVID test or not, you are to seek your GP’s opinion. If your GP does not think testing is warranted, he/she will provide you with a note for the school saying so. Please refer to this Australian Government Fact Sheet: COVID–19: Identifying the symptoms.

Uniform

It is important that students remain vigilant about appearance and uniform.

For girls, regulation school skirt, hem to the top of the knee, long sleeved white blouse with blue buttons, grey tights (free from holes or ladders), navy woollen jumper, blazer to be worn to and from school, and optional long navy trousers with black ankle socks.

For boys, long sleeved white shirt, long mid-grey trousers with grey ankle socks, navy woollen jumper, blazer to be worn to and from school. There have been significant growth spurts amongst our boys, and therefore, hems of trousers may need to be taken down.

Pastoral Care

This term, the focus of Tutor Time will be based on ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens’. Being a teenager is both a wonderful and challenging period where tough issues and life-changing decisions have to be made, and that’s where the seven habits of highly effective teenagers come into play. Throughout the term, students will be discussing how they can become more independent and effective by following seven basic habits. The habits range from being proactive in every aspect of one’s life, to planning and prioritising one’s daily life and responsibilities.

Our Year Assembly this week focused on our paradigms of self and others. As quoted by the wonderful Harper Lee in her book, To Kill A Mockingbird, “People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for”, with the question posed, ‘Are your paradigms of self, helping or hindering you?’ Our discussion focused on the people who surround us, and the need to be nourished by those who believe in us and build us up. We look forward to further exploring this concept in coming weeks.

Registration for ICAS 2020 

The 2020 International Competition and Assessment for Schools (ICAS) in Science will take place on Monday 17 August in school. This competition is undertaken by over 400,000 students across Australia and the region, and is a rigorous test of scientific thinking. Participation in the competition provides our students with excellent examination practice and an opportunity to see how they fare in competition with students of their own age from across the country. Students who are interested in Science can use the test to assess areas of strength and weakness. Success at the test is a way of demonstrating aptitude when applying for Science related opportunities in and out of school.

Entry for students in Yrs 7-10 is voluntary. Please complete the registration form before Monday 3 August if you would like them to take part. A fee of $15.95 will be charged to your account if you wish your child to participate. 

More information about ICAS is here. Please contact Ms Simone Bryant, Assistant Science Coordinator, if you have any queries.

Ms Lisa Vale
Yr 7 Advisor
9968 9837
lvale@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Head of Junior School

Student Services Team

A newly-formed Junior Campus Student Services team has been set up, centred around providing teachers, students and families with specific support and guidance across teaching, learning and wellbeing. Alongside the Head of Prep School, the Dean of Teaching and Learning and the Dean of Students, we will meet on a fortnightly basis to review individual student progress and suggest recommendations for teachers, parents and support staff. Where appropriate, additional staff might also be added to this team on a needs basis. Teachers can refer students to the Student Services team for support and guidance, knowing that each student will be considered from a multi-disciplinary perspective. The team is an important new addition to our processes and systems, ensuring every student is known, supported and valued across our campus.  

Community Code of Conduct

An updated Redlands Community Code of Conduct has recently been published and available for parents to access here on Redlands Pulse . The School recognises and appreciates the benefits of an inclusive, cohesive community and the purpose of this Code of Conduct is to provide guidance to ensure mutual understanding of our expectations of community behaviour and interactions for all members of the School community. All stakeholders are required to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with this Code.

From the document, I particularly draw your attention to a point I also mentioned in my first letter of the year to all parents, reminding parents of the expectation that all forms of communication with staff should be appropriate, respectful and courteous in both tone and content and that there are no circumstances under which an aggressive manner towards a member of staff is acceptable. If you do have a concern, I encourage you to raise this with us through the appropriate channels as also clearly listed in my letter at the start of the year, which do not include WhatsApp groups.

Health Matters

All parents are asked to support our community welfare by being specific about reasons for medical absence when emails are sent to class teachers and the Junior School Absences email. This way we will know whether to seek further medical clearance before your child returns to school.

Return to Interschool Sport and Debating

It was great to have our Debating and Sports teams all resume interschool competition last weekend and both Yr 5 and 6 Debating teams won against, arguing the affirmative case for “That schools should supply free healthy options in school canteens”. Our Netball, Football, AFL and Rugby teams also enjoyed the resumption of competitive sport and I am grateful to families for supporting the necessary precautionary steps at varying venues.

Junior School Athletics Carnival

All things being well, we are looking forward to having our Junior School Athletics Carnival next Wednesday 5 August at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre, Homebush. As you will have noted from Mr Dunne’s letter last week, for safety reasons, spectators are not permitted to attend this event and apart from a few of the centre staff, only Junior School students and staff will be in attendance on the day; we have also decided not to involve any of our Secondary School House Captains as has been the case in the past. We have a number of measures in place to support our COVID-safe plan for the event and we will continue to monitor the latest health advice in the days leading up to the scheduled event and make changes or even cancel the event if COVID circumstances change in NSW.

Young Investigators Science Club

Places are still available for our popular Science Club run by Eye Heart Science. If your child is keen to join this exciting club for curious scientists, please do so via this link. Young Investigators runs on a term by term basis with each term covering an exciting new Science topic. This term, the team are exploring an eight week program on microbiology and the sessions will involve fun hands-on Science experiments, activities and demonstrations. Some of this term’s sessions will involve making DIY hand sanitisers and soap, an up close look at some microorganisms and other exciting new challenge. All sessions are designed to help inspire and motivate the next-generation of critical thinkers by sharing and instilling a passion for Science. 

School Photos

A reminder that our Junior School class and individual photos will take place next Thursday 6 August.

Orders for photography packages from Advanced Life can be placed securely online here using our School’s unique 9 digit order code which is: WG5 WJZ 1J5. Late fees/additional charges will be applied for purchases ten days after our photo day.

All children are required in their full school winter uniform, including blazers. Please ensure shoes are polished and socks are correct length. Girls need to have hair tied back with navy elastic, ribbon or scrunchie. Only gold or silver studs may be worn. Where students have PE on this day; for this day only, they should also bring their PE kit separately and will be guided to change in the changing rooms in small numbers to ensure adequate distancing.

Should you have any queries concerning the online ordering process, please direct them via email to enquiries@advancedlife.com.au. Mrs Fairfax in the Junior School Office can also assist with any general enquiries via email or on 9953 6022.

Jeans for Genes Day

Next Friday 7 August sees our annual support of Jeans for Genes Day where students are encouraged to wear jeans and/or denim and bring a gold coin donation to support this charity.

Spanish News

The Education Perfect Regional Championships for NSW began on Tuesday 28 July at midday and will conclude at midday on Tuesday 4 August.  

This competition provides students with the opportunity to compete against other language students in schools across NSW. All students in the Junior School are registered to participate. To compete, all students need to do is answer Spanish language questions on Education Perfect. Points are awarded for all questions, except self-marked questions and dash.

As an added incentive, Education Perfect has provided some prizes for students of Spanish in our Junior School. The student with the top score in Spanish in each Year Group will also receive a $30 Giftpay Voucher. There will also be further prizes for students so stay tuned for more information. I encourage all students to participate to improve their Spanish skills and have fun in this exciting and motivating competition. ¡Buena Suerte!

Junior Campus Photos

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

Head of Preparatory School

Student Services Team

Teaching, learning and wellbeing is further supported on the Junior Campus with a newly formed Student Services team. This team meets fortnightly to review individual student progress and suggest recommendations for teachers, parents and support staff. The team members include our Dean of Teaching and Learning, our Dean of Student Wellbeing and our Heads of Preparatory and Junior School. Teachers can refer to the Student Services team for support and guidance, knowing that each student will be considered from a multi-disciplinary perspective. The team is a great new addition to our processes and systems, ensuring every student is known, supported and valued across our Campus.  

Parent Teacher Interviews

Please note that the Parent Teacher interviews that were scheduled for Week 3 are now planned for Week 7 via Zoom. Even though we have made these later in the term, if you have any concerns or questions surrounding your child’s learning, please don’t hesitate to contact your class teacher for a conversation.

Jeans 4 Genes

Redlands Junior Campus will be taking part in Jeans for Genes Day on Friday 7 August. The students will be supporting this charity by wearing their jeans to school on this day and bringing a gold coin to donate to the boxes that will be in classrooms. Jeans for Genes Day raises money to support the Children’s Medical Research Institute to discover treatments and cures for childhood illnesses. Students will learn more about this charity from their teachers throughout the week. I encourage you to discuss Jeans for Geans Day with your children before next Friday.

Wednesday Clubs

Prep Clubs commence next Wednesday afternoon and will run from 3.00-3.45pm. The online Trybooking system is open until 8.00am on Monday 3 August. Please make sure you enter your child’s name and not yours when booking. When booking, please ensure you click on the final Purchase button and that you have received a confirmation email from Trybooking. Your choice is not confirmed until this email has been received.

From 3.45pm parents will be able to pick up their child from Clubs via the car line procedure. As there will be a mix of both Yr 1 and 2 parents picking children up, please ensure your name sign is clearly visible for the teacher calling out names.

Lost Property and Canteen

As students are returning to after school activities, our Lost Property cupboard is becoming quite full! Can I please encourage all families to check that all clothing is labelled. Please don’t worry if the lost piece of clothing doesn’t make it back to you the next day. With a good label, those missing pieces always boomerang back!

A gentle reminder that if your child forgets their lunch then they are to go to Reception where Mrs Hunt or Ms Rosling will provide them with an orange ticket. This ticket is then presented at the Canteen where the student will be given either a cheese or vegemite sandwich and a piece of fruit. The lunch cost will be recorded and added to your family account at the end of term.

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

Redlands House/Transition Gold

School Readiness

As we enter Semester 2 many families are starting to think about next year and considering if their child is “school ready”. This is a hot topic in the media and in playgrounds all over Australia. Should you hold your child back a year and allow them to enter school at an older age than their classmates?

A global trend in education has seen parents lean towards holding their children back with research showing little academic benefit in starting early and considerable benefits in starting late. Psychologist Dr Amanda Mergler published an article in the Australasian Journal of Early Childhood. She found the proportion of parents holding children back until they turned six almost doubled in the last five years. It has been reported that in NSW the proportion of parents holding back could be as high as 22%.

Many factors must be taken into consideration when making this important decision such as how close a child is to the cut-off age, maturity of the child, social and emotional maturity, impacts in the later years, financial pressures and the parent’s own school experience. Your class teacher is a good reference point. They see how your child works in a group learning space, as opposed to being taught individually. Group work demands skills such as concentration and on task behaviour focus.

Some would say you’re not actually holding them back, you’re actually giving them a head start! Links to related articles:

https://www.impact.acu.edu.au/community/how-holding-kids-back-from-school-can-increase-academic-success

https://www.mychildmagazine.com.au/should-i-hold-my-child-back-from-starting-school

Juniors to Seniors

To clarify the process for new families who have children moving from Juniors to Seniors in the coming year, children stay in their class, with the same group of children for the Senior year. In the Senior year they will attend three days a week as follows:

Orange Class Seniors  – Wednesday/Thursday/ Friday
Yellow Class Seniors  –  Monday/Tuesday/ Wednesday
Blue Class Seniors     –  Monday/Tuesday/ Wednesday

Jeans 4 Genes

Just a reminder Redlands House will be taking part in Jeans for Genes Day on Friday 7 August. If your child attends Preschool on this day, please join us in supporting this charity by wearing jeans and/or denim to Preschool and bringing a gold coin to donate to the boxes on the sign in table. Jeans for Genes Day raises money to support the Children’s Medical Research Institute to discover treatments and cures for childhood illnesses.

Sports Day

On Wednesday 12 August, our Seniors and Transition Gold students will participate in a mini sports carnival on the Prep School oval. After morning tea the children will walk to the oval with their teachers and classmates. They will have the opportunity to engage in a range of fun activities and games. Sadly this year, parents will not be able to spectate. We will be sure to fully document this fun event and post some great photos and videos to Storypark.

Baby News

We are very excited to report that our lovely Ms Pyky safely delivered her baby boy this week. Baby Finley arrived in the early hours of Tuesday morning, both Finley and Tiia are doing well.

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

COVID-19 Protocols – Week 2

It was a joy to watch our boys and girls take to the fields and courts in their first week of interschool competition in several months on the weekend. It made me appreciate how fortunate we are to be able to take part in sporting competition as a school in this current COVID-19 environment. As we progress into Week 2 of competition our COVID-19 protocols will be slightly amended as we implement a one spectator per player policy.

The majority of our school sporting competition is within the Independent Sporting Association (ISA). It is acknowledged that each school may have some varying protocols appropriate for their specific communities and sporting venues, including our own. Our Sports staff will communicate any specific differences for certain schools or venues as required.

Redlands Sport Venue Protocols

The following protocols apply across the following venues: Dunnet Hall, Lang Gym, Junior School Oval, Redlands House Courts, Macquarie University playing fields, Cammeray Tennis Centre, Wheatleigh Street Tennis Courts and Primrose Park ovals:

  • Any individual should not attend a sports fixture if sick or unwell. Following this they should follow all health advice as provided by NSW Health.
  • If any individual has been to Victoria in the last 14 days, they are not allowed to attend sport.
  • There will not be a canteen or BBQ facilities at venues.
  • Only one spectator per player is allowed inside the venue to spectate.
  • All spectators must maintain 1.5m apart and remain within the boundaries of any set spectator zones.
  • A COVID-19 safe coordinator will be provided at home venues and will direct visitors to allocated drop off zones or parking areas where applicable.
  • All visiting spectators, parents or officials are to register their first name, REDLANDS, {SPORT SPECTATING} via SMS to this number 0488 825 971. E.g. JOHN, REDLANDS, FOOTBALL. Details of this will be provided at the entry of the venue.
  • All students, coaches and officials are asked to wash hands or hand sanitise regularly.
  • There will be no shaking hands and no post match functions will be held.
  • There will only be limited access to change room and toilet facilities

 

Summer Sport Registration 

Please note registrations for summer sport will become live from Monday 3 August. Students will be sent a Google link to register. Every student from Yrs 7-11 must complete this link no matter if they intend on registering for a rep sport, non rep sport, dance or an exemption.

Students should discuss their preferred choice with their parents or guardians, however, please note that only students can register for the sport through their school Google account. Registrations will close 13 August.

Details about all summer sports can be found on Redlands Pulse. Or you can contact the relevant Sports Administrator.

AFL

Last week saw the inaugural round of AFL for our Boys teams taking on Knox Grammar School. A fantastic effort by both teams and a historic moment for Redlands Sport as the boys took the field. Indeed for Mr Adrian (Coach) Carter there was almost a tear in his eye as he saw the game come to fruition in the Secondary School after many years of driving the sport in the Junior School at Redlands.

The A team tried hard and improved significantly throughout the game, with the highlight being keeping Knox to just two goals in the second half and showing a genuine desire to match it against a well organised, more experienced team. The B team took to the field with vigour and excitement. They were up and about and clearly dominating the first half and keeping their noses ahead in the second half. The effort from a lot of boys who had never played AFL before was quite remarkable. All in all it was a very positive first game for all players and there is certainly plenty of talent to build on in the coming weeks.

We are continuing to build the Redlands AFL philosophy of play around the central tenets of energy plus effort. If we can embody these two concepts as a team and school program, our students will have a great deal of success ahead of them. Unfortunately the game for the girls was washed out, but we look forward to seeing the girls in full force this coming weekend against the Canada Bay Cannons.

Athletics

Athletics training is focussing on Middle Distance and Sprints.

The Redlands Secondary School Athletics Carnival will be held on Friday 14 August (Term 3, Week 4). This Carnival will be compulsory for Yr 12 students, and optional for Yr 7-11. There will be more information regarding the Carnival sent out to students and parents next week.

Football 

Boys

The boys took on a number of schools across the weekend in Round 1 of the ISA competition. The 1st XI boys unfortunately went down 1-3 to St Spyridon, this was a tightly contested match, with Spyridon scoring two late goals to blow out the score line. The 1sts will look to bounce back this week as they take on defending premiers St Pius X at Macquarie University. The 15A team had a strong win against St Pats 2-1. The 15B unfortunately went down 2-3 in a tight match against Oakhill, whilst the 14As and 13As both had impressive first up wins against Oakhill College.

This week will see a return to Macquarie University. We will be allowing one spectator per player at the fields and ask that those spectators observe and adhere to the COVID19 protocols and policies that will be in place.

Girls

The 1sts Football were playing in a 2019 Grand Final re-match against Barker College. It was a tense first half, with both teams creating opportunities to score but unable to convert. The half time score was 0-0 as both teams regrouped for the second half. Redlands came out firing in the second half and scored the first goal of the game, although the celebrations were short lived when Barker quickly scored a goal of their own. Barker took this momentum and were able to add another two goals to their tally, with Redlands unable to convert on any more of their second half opportunities. The final score for the game was 3-1 to Barker. The 2nds had a tough match against SACS. The final score was 4-1 to St Andrew’s but the Redlands girls showed some promising signs for the season ahead. The Inter A Girls were up against SACS as well. Dominating the possession and working together as a team to create some great opportunities, the girls finished with a 5-0 win. The Junior A Girls were the only Redlands Football team who were playing at our home fields, Macquarie University. For many girls it was their first time playing in a Redlands uniform and they played a great game. It took some time for the girls to learn to play together and after half time it was clear they had figured it out. Scoring four goals in the second half, the Junior Girls came away with a 4-1 win over CCGS. Best of luck to all teams this weekend, it will be great to see all of Boys and Girls Football at home on Saturday.

Hockey

The Redlands Girls Hockey season is off to a fantastic start. Our 1sts played against St Andrew’s Cathedral School at Barker College. The two teams had a very close contact last year, so it was set to be a close match. The girls were off to a great start and set the tone for the game early. SACS were unable to keep up and Redlands won the match with a huge 7-1 score. The 2nds travelled to CCGS and controlled the game from early on. Another great win for Redlands with the final score 2-1. The Junior Girls were off to Chevalier for a double header against Chevalier and Oxley, which was the first-time representing Redlands for a number of these girls. In the first game against Chevalier, it would prove to be a tough game against a very well drilled team. The final score in game one was 0-3 to Redlands. The girls came out in the second game firing and with a little more experience playing together, they were able to create some great passages of play and convert on three occasions to finish the game with a 3-0 win over Oxley. Best of luck to all teams this weekend.

Netball

ISA

Last weekend saw the start of the ISA Netball season and it was great to see so much excitement and enthusiasm from all Redlands players on the court. Congratulations to the Inter A and Inter B teams who started off their respective seasons strongly with dominant wins against Barker and St Pauls Grammar School.

This weekend sees five of our teams travelling to Chevalier College for their Round 2 match. Players in the 1st VII, 2nd VII, Inter A, Inter B and Inter C teams have been provided with a bus to take them to Chevalier College on Saturday. It is highly encouraged that players take the bus with to their respective games as Chevalier is not allowing any spectators/parents on site or at games. Additionally, parking at the school will be minimal. The first bus, taking the Inter A and Inter C team will depart the Adams Centre (on Military Road) at 7.30am. We ask that all players arrive at 7.15am to ensure the bus can depart on time. The coach of both teams will also be travelling on the bus with their team. The second bus, taking the 1st VII, 2nd VII and the Inter Bs, will depart the Adams Centre (on Military Road) at 8.45am. We ask that all players arrive at 8.30am to ensure the bus can depart on time. The coach of all three teams will also be travelling on the bus with their team.

The buses will return students to Redlands following their games. The estimated arrival time back at Redlands for the Inter A and Inter C teams (Bus 1) is 1.45pm and for 1st VII, 2nd VII and Inter B teams (Bus 2) is 3.00pm (this could vary depending on traffic). Can all parents please ensure they provide permission on Engage, prior to Saturday, for your daughter to travel on the bus. Alternatively, please email Ms Jess Howard providing written permission.

Please note, the 3rd VII and Inter D teams have a BYE this weekend. All teams are asked to check Redlands Pulse for their game times this weekend and ensure they arrive at the venue 30 minutes before the game time. 

A reminder, all players must have their own water bottle with them and no food is to be shared before, during or after a game. Most schools will not be offering change room facilities, so we ask that all players arrive at the venue dressed in their Netball uniform and ready to take the court.

All players are asked to remove all jewellery prior to entering their venue on a Saturday. It was disappointing to see games stopped and players removed from the court in Round 1 for having not removed jewellery so we ask that all players be vigilant in removing it for the rest of the season. Players are not allowed to cover any piercings with tape, they must be removed.

NSNA

Last Saturday saw another great round for our NSNA teams with some closely fought matches across all Year Groups. Congratulations to our 7A and 7B teams who had fantastic wins over Monte and Loreto. Once again, a big thank you to the players and parents for following the many guidelines set out by NSNA to ensure the competition can go ahead, it is greatly appreciated.

This Saturday sees Round 3 of the competition taking place. All teams will play at the same time as last week, but please check the fixture on Redlands Pulse to confirm the court number. NSNA has introduced some additional guidelines for this Saturday and these will be communicated to you via email this week.

Please ensure all teams, both NSNA and ISA, regularly check their emails from Ms Howard as well as Redlands Pulse for the most up to date information regarding the Netball season. Any player absences (both training and games) need to be sent to Ms Howard prior to the game or training so that coach and supervising staff members can be informed. 

Rugby

Redlands Rugby kicked off the 2020 season with games between all of our Age Groups signalling the last weekend of trials and selections. The effort from the students across the program was excellent, with some wonderful running rugby combining with the structure and organised attack that the teams have been working on over the pre-season. The day finished with our Opens and Under 16s group playing off in the 1st XV trials and this match did not disappoint. There were some standout performances in the backline with Riley Felton and Gus Miller combining early with a wonderful chip and chase for a try. Alexander Phipps followed this up in the forwards, working hard on a defensive lineout to steal the ball cleanly, providing a perfect attacking platform for his backs again. Elsewhere the combination between Luke Brown and Mitch Simpson in the forwards was proving to be a handful for the defence with some great early carries setting up two tries. One player to highlight was the efforts of Cristan Hill in attack and defence, throwing himself into every contact whilst still providing great, clean ball for his attack.

From that match, a starting 1st  XV was named for the opening game of the season against Oxley on Saturday 1 August and can be found on Redlands Pulse.

There will be matches for all Redlands Rugby teams on the weekend with all match fixtures available on Redlands Pulse and via the Redlands Rhino. Please be aware that there will be two buses travelling to the venue on the weekend with both buses having very clear departure times and student lists.

Bus 1 (Under 14s and 15s Rugby) – Departing 6.45am – 50+ students, 1 Coach / Returning to the school by 1.30pm.

Bus 2 (Under 15s and 16s / Opens Rugby) – Departing 8.20am – 50+ students, 1 Coach / Returning to the school by 3.45pm.

Bus Permissions will be available to all parents / students so please complete so we have accurate rolls for our coaches. Please be aware that for this weekend there is a No Spectator Policy at Oxley.

Tennis

Redlands Tennis students have patiently spent the past couple of months training with our fingers crossed that Saturday competition would start. The day finally arrived on Saturday. It was great to see students out on the court enjoying playing tennis and supporting their teammates along with other teams playing at the same venue. It was a very successful day for all Redlands ISA Tennis teams. Our 1sts played St Pius College and wasted no time dropping only a couple of games in the first few sets. Our 1sts set the tone for all other ISA teams with strong performances from Teams 2 – 10, special mention to Teams 2, 5, 6 and 7 winning 8 – 0, a fantastic achievement. Teams 3, 8, 9 and 10 had much closer matches all demonstrating great persistence and a strong net game with Teams 3, 8 and 9 walking away with the wins. It was great to see our development squads taking to the court for their first Saturday of the term, all students are gradually improving their Tennis skills through modified point play. Thank you to all students and families on their flexibility and support as we continue to navigate training and Saturday competition at this time.

Please continue to communicate illness and injury to Eliza Peirce. Do not attend training if felling unwell. All Tennis information is available on Redlands Pulse. The most up to date draw is available on the Redlands Rhino. Information on spectators will be available as it comes to hand.

Touch Football

Although we are just beginning the ISA winter season, the ISA summer Touch Football competition will sneak up on us quickly, there will be more information regarding the Touch Football season on Redlands Pulse in the coming weeks, with the sign up for Redlands 2020/21 summer sport starting soon.

Waterpolo

We had a great first week of Waterpolo this week, with the Yr 7/8 Girls team playing on Friday night. Their first game was a tough introduction to the competition but the girls quickly took to the match like ducks on water moving round the pool against a strong Brigidine team. The second game was a much improved game, taking on Stella, the girls confidently moved the ball between each other, creating a number of scoring opportunities.

The Senior Boys and Girls were in action on Monday night, with each team playing two games which was a great opportunity to get back into the pool after a long hiatus. The Boys took to the water first against St Andrews, with some strong opening drives they were able to win this match comfortably. They then backed up again against St Andrews (both teams ended up playing each other multiple times on Monday), with fatigue setting in, Redlands still managed to take this match. The final boys game was against a younger Pittwater High School, who were very strong in the water. The boys unfortunately lost. Our girls had it tough on Monday night taking on Brigidine and Pittwater High respectively. The first match took the girls a little bit to get going with Brigidine proving too strong. The second game was a little closer, with the girls relaxing more and having a lot of fun!

We have updated the team lists for the Waterpolo season which can now be found on Redlands Pulse – Waterpolo. Once the draw has been finalised and sent out I will be able to send those details across.   


“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the lion or a gazelle – when the sun comes up, you’d better be running. Life, it’s your choice.” Unknown  

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

All Sports contacts can be found on Redlands Pulse.​

Junior Sport

Round 1 Winter Sport

In what has seemed like the longest pre-season ever, we finally got through Round 1 of Winter Sport last Saturday. It was great to see students excited about playing competitive sport again. Fitness and conditioning were an issue in some matches but that it to be expected considering the extended period of time between matches. Remember to please be at warm up 30 minutes before scheduled start of the game for an adequate warm up and pre-game assigning of positions.

With COVID-19 Match Protocols in place at home and away venues this is certainly something that will continue to evolve in the current situation. To assist you and the variations between school and venues I have included a link COVID Protocols please read in your child’s Winter Team lists. In this folder you can view each of the school’s respective protocols and condition of entry.

Match of the Week

Team

Football 4A

Opposition

Scots

Round

8

Date

25/07/2020

Result

10 – 1 Win

Coach

Ella Cahalan

             

Notable Performers

Player

Reason

Jas Ramsay and Gabby Grant

Great passes and influential in the defence line – moving up with the team to always be an option.

Thys Hulsbosch

Amazing footwork and through balls creating many opportunities in front of goal.

Luca Gazzilli

Amazing switch of plays throughout the game, going into space and opening up the pitch.

 

The 4As came through with a 10-1 win against Scots. With domination in the opposition’s half for almost the whole game, our 4As displayed great collaboration and ball skills to win us the game. Amazing wall passes between Anay and Thys to overcome the oppositions defence. Great crosses from Harry and Luca into the goalie box, setting up numerous opportunities Infront of goal. Jasmine, Gabby and Giorgio were excellent at sweeping the ball off the opposition and passing down the line to our midfielders. Oli and Connor dominated the middle section of the field, receiving the ball from our defenders and creating captivating plays when moving forward. Great saves by our two goalies Connor and Giorgio –  hopefully will get some more action next week!

Athletics Carnival

Our second major carnival is confirmed for Wednesday 5 August at SOPAC (Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre). In preparation for this Carnival every student has been allocated with a 1, 2 or 3 digit entrant number and will need to memorise their own entrant number. This number is a computer reference for their colour House, DOB, events etc. and on the day when they finish their race (by passing through the timing gates ), they can turn around and see their name and time on the large digital screen.

On the morning of the Carnival, this number will need to be written in large text on their arm prior to them arriving at school. On the day of the Carnival students can head down to the marshalling area when an event is called that they wish to enter, have their entrant number recorded and they are allocated a lane to run in.  

This new process will allow a smoother process for students when entering events, accurate results, name on the big screen but, most importantly, will allow every student the opportunity to track their times over their Junior School years in various events.

Congratulations to all students who participated in our Shot Put and High Jump trials last week and our Long Jump Trials on Wednesday afternoon. We have over 130 students at each trial across all four age groups in both boys and girls and with participation points added to their House score. I was very impressed with those students who participated in the Long Jump Trials. In a two hour window every student had an instructional lesson, a warm up jump and three measured jumps each with only three or four foul jumps recorded. The top students from these trials will have their finals next week.

Times
7.15am         Student arrival and temperature check
7.30am         Roll call on Redlands oval seated in class groups (in classrooms if raining)
7.45am        Buses depart Redlands Junior Campus (Allister St)
8.50am        First event scheduled
2.45pm        Buses will return to school between 3.30pm-3.45pm (traffic dependent)
3.30pm        Yrs 3 and 4 pick up from Redlands Oval at school
4.00pm         Yrs 5 and 6 pick up from Redlands Oval at school

Student Absence

Continuing from Term 1, 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.

Team Movement

This may already occur but the aim is now to make the process more transparent for all parties as unexplained team movements sometimes cause unnecessary stress. At Redlands our teams are ‘fluid’, meaning teams may change from week to week depending on three main criteria:

Ability – in direct comparison to other students on the team
Attendance – any student who misses two games in a season unrelated to sickness may be moved
Attitude – this is based on behaviour at trainings, on game day and not limited to the sporting arena

Parents and students have been reminded to check these online team lists each Thursday night to see if there are any changes from training the day before.

Goal Keeper Training

As you know, the Junior School organises Goal Keeper specific training session every Thursday morning from 7.00-8.00am. If your child is interested in goal keeping and wish to attend this session with Dominque, please turn up and register on the morning. We are very fortunate to have such a high quality Goal Keeper Coach in Dominique and the students who have attended his sessions have really enjoyed them. 

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

 

Snowsports

Suburu Snow Australia Interschools Event Cancellation

It is with significant disappointment that Snow Australia Interschools and Perisher announce that the Suburu Snow Australia Interschools Event, scheduled to be held from 6-12 September, will be cancelled.

Snow Australia Interschools has closely monitored and purposefully embraced COVID-19 requirements and developments since early March. Key changes governing NSW Community Sport COVID-19 operations that were introduced on 16 July, together with rising COVID-19 case numbers in NSW and an increase in the Reported NSW Case Locations (‘Hot-Spots’), will prevent a growing number of eligible participants from NSW schools and locations, travelling and competing with certainty at Perisher in September.

The NSW Office of Sport, Snow Australia Interschools and Perisher are committed to ensuring that the safety, health and wellbeing of our Event participants, parents, teachers, volunteers, spectators, workers and mountain communities is of absolute priority. The NSW Office of Sport has appropriately mandated that we:

  1. Take all reasonable steps to minimise the number of spectators attending community sports events, such as Interschool Snowsports.
  2. Ensure processes are in place to exclude participants (including spectators and officials) if they have attended any of the reported case locations listed on the NSW Health website, which currently totals 40 NSW locations. In addition, we must also minimise co-mingling of participants from different schools / regions, and ensure any spectators comply with 1.5 metres physical distance and have strategies in place to prevent those spectators from different schools / regions and event timeslots, co-mingling.  

One of our major 2020 event objectives was to host an inclusive NSW / ACT / QLD Community Sports activity in the most challenging of years, however these updated public health guidelines and requirements are not conducive to achieving that outcome.

We sincerely thank our school coordinators, participants, parents, Principals, volunteers, workers, resort staff, resort and mountain communities for their support and acceptance through this most challenging of years. We look forward to an exceptional year of participation, fun and renewal in 2021. We will be back bigger and better than ever, and we are also exploring development of a Post-School Event during our August States Event week next year, for our current 2020 Yr 12 student cohort and other school-leavers. For further information visit NSWInterschools.

Unfortunately we have had to end our school representatives chances of competing this year for Redlands, but the situation has been monitored and deemed unsafe. I thank all the efforts of all the parents this whole season and especially those who have made arrangements to attend this event in Perisher in September.

All entry fees will be refunded this week via the credit card that was used in Trybooking. I hope this makes the Redlands athletes hungrier to compete next year.

Friends of Snowsports AGM

I would also like to invite parents to our Friends of Snowsports AGM on 24 September at the Kirribilli Yacht Club (instead of Presentation Night as planned). More details to come.

More Snowsports details and calendar are on Redlands Pulse

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

or Ms Eliza Peirce
epeirce@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9909 3133

Ballet and Dance

Announcement

Redlands Ballet and Dance Academy will present The Sleeping Beauty in our End of Year Concert! Premiered in 1890 in St Petersburg, The Sleeping Beauty was choreographed by Marius Petipa and set to music by Pyotr IIyich Tchaikovshky (Ouus 66).

Graded and Vocational RAD Ballet Examinations

Royal Academy of Dance Ballet examinations will be held at Redlands in late August. Over 100 students will be entered at both the Graded and Vocational levels. Further information to follow.

Any Questions?

Please contact us at dance@redlands.nsw.edu.au. We would love to hear from you.

Ms K Martin
Head of Ballet and Dance
kmartin@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9908 6461

Mrs Katharine Boase
Subject Coordinator of Dance
kboase@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9889

Drama and Theatre

Solo Showcase

Congratulations to all the Yr 12 IB and HSC students who presented their individual major works in Performance, Theatre Criticism and Design for their final examination this week. All were excited to have the opportunity to perform live to their peers in the Drama Studio. Footage for families and friends to enjoy will be made available shortly. We wish our Yr 12 students all the very best as they work on the final components of their course.

Drama Competition

The Drama Competition will be held this term in a digital format. Students will be competing in the categories of comedy and drama with contemporary performance pieces. The final date for submission is Wednesday 19 August (Week 5). Judging will take place during Week 6 and the winners will be announced in Week 8. House points will be awarded for each submission. 

The details are as follows:

  • Performances can be either a solo, pair or ensemble piece
  • Performances must be no more than four minutes in length
  • There will be no auditions this year with final competitors selected from the videos submitted
  • Each submission must comprise of a video performance (mp4 format) and an application form. Both must be submitted into an allocated google drive folder in Week 3.
  • All content/and or material must be appropriate and suited to the age of performers. If unsure, speak to a Drama teacher.
  • Please use the Acting for Camera 101 video for guidance. Stay tuned, this is coming soon!
  • Each performance will be judged on the following criteria:
    • Criteria 1 – Skills – Performance skills appropriate to the style or form
    • Criteria 2 – Interpretation – Stylistic interpretation of the chosen repertoire
    • Criteria 3 – Techniques – Demonstration of a solo and/or ensemble techniques
    • Criteria 4 – Presentation – The care taken with suitable dress/costume   and appearance appropriate to the performance style.

Redlands News

Congratulations to Angus Konsti (Redlander 2016) who has will shortly be featuring in NIDA’s Roundabout an interactive farce for the digital age.

6 characters. 3 bodies. 1 meddlesome audience. So many things could go wrong. Science fiction meets comedy as three young school leavers in an awkward love triangle meet on the video platform Twitch. In the chat channel are three skylarking digital humans who yearn to be made flesh for the first time in 13,000 years. With the help of the audience they possess the actors.

The characters play musical chairs, hopping from body to body while interacting with the audience in real time. Will the audience keep up with the speed of change? Will the actors be consumed by the personalities of the digital characters?

Roundabout is written and directed by Primetime Emmy Award-winning storyteller and science fiction writer Sean Stewart. Begin your journey into Roundabout on the show’s TwitchFacebook and Twitter pages.

8.00pm AEST, 4, 5 and 8 August and 11.00am AEST, 7, 8 and 9 August. Tickets from $0–$25. (Content warning – M15+ adult themes, flashing lights)

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

Music

Choral Program – Resumption Plan

The Music Department is pleased to announce that we will be resuming various singing based groups within the Redlands Choral program offerings from Week 3 onwards.

The planning of our modified format for rehearsals has considered, first and foremost, the safety of our choristers who are currently enrolled in the Choral program and the staff who are responsible for leading our choirs each week. For the time being, due arrangements based around current numbers, we have decided not to process new choral enrolments at this stage.

This planning, over many months, has been guided by the advice of the Australian Government, NSW Health and School Leadership, along with recommendations that have emerged through online discussions with leading Choral Conductors and Epidemiologists at local, national and international levels.

Detailed information on the ensembles commencing next week, safety precautions and organisation of rehearsals will be communicated to the Music community this Friday 31 July.

Hygiene in the Music Setting

As part of our return to group settings, this continues to be a well-considered aspect of our planning, and students involved in group instruction will follow the guidelines through the spreading out of rehearsals, utilising larger areas and rehearsal spaces to promote distancing, where possible. Regular cleaning and disinfecting of musical equipment and resources will be undertaken daily.

In rehearsals, all students are expected to adhere to the recommendations pertaining to social distancing expectations. In consideration of these guidelines, all students are required to:

  • Bring their own instrument (if applicable) to school for use in rehearsals
  • Be organised with their own scores and repertoire as issued by Music Administration

The Music Department has made plans and organised resources to ensure that all students rehearse independently and with their own stand. Under no circumstance are students to be sharing a music stand with another student.

Term 3 Music Program Overview

More detailed information outlining the specifics of weekly rehearsal arrangements and expectations surrounding student safety will be communicated by Music Administrators. For any additional enquiries or questions please contact the respective offices.

Senior Campus

Yrs 11 and 12 Higher School Certificate and International Baccalaureate Showcases

Yr 12 HSC and IB Music Showcases

  • Music 2, Music Extension and IB Music – Monday 24 August (4.30pm)
  • Music 1 – Tuesday 25 August (4.30pm)

Yr 12 students and families, please note that a notification of the arrangements for the Yr 12 HSC and IB Music Showcases will be communicated this Friday 31 July. These showcases are intended to provide students with additional performance opportunities in presenting their practical portfolios to experienced HSC and IB Music examiners, prior to final submission later in the term.

Yr 11 HSC and IB Music Showcase

  • Music 1, Music 2, Music Extension and IB Music – Wednesday 16 September (4.00pm)

Semester 2 Competition Auditions

  • Vocal Competition Auditions (Term 3, Week 5)
  • Instrumental Competition Auditions (Term 3, Week 9)

The audition process for both the Vocal and Instrumental entries will require students to demonstrate advanced technical skills, personal expression and understanding of style. For the audition, students will only need to present one work. A second contrasting piece will need to be considered at the time of the audition and discussed with the audition panel. This piece will not be required to be presented at the time of the audition but will need to be prepared and presented in advance of the Competition if the candidate is selected as a finalist. Application forms can be found on Redlands Pulse.

Please note: Entries are only accepted when accompaniment scores are submitted to Music Reception at the time of the application submission.

Redlands Composition Competition

The Music Department is pleased to announce the Music Composition Competition. This creative opportunity is designed for any aspiring young composer in Yrs 7-12 who is currently enrolled in the either the Academic Music program, Cocurricular Music Ensembles program or Extra Subjects program. Students are encouraged to continue developing original works for submission by Friday 14 August (Term 3). Application forms can be downloaded from Redlands Pulse.

Auditions for Extensions Program (Week 4)

Extension Chamber Music, Jazz Vocal Ensemble and Advanced Guitar Ensemble

With the start of new repertoire in preparation for upcoming Term 4 events, the Extension Music program has opened enrolments for students interested in joining ensembles to further extend their music skills. Selection for participation in these ensembles is dependent on participation in core ensembles and in meeting the requirements of the audition process. Application forms can be found on Redlands Pulse. Auditions will be held in Week 4.

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