From The Principal

You may have noticed a recent article in the SMH regarding Newington College investigating a potential move to coeducation and entering into a consultation period with the school community, with a focus on the diversity of the student body and preparing students for their lives post school.

Newington is not alone as a traditional single-sex school that is considering or has transitioned to a coeducational model. In fact, a previous article in the Financial Review predicated that at the rate schools were transitioning there would be no single-sex schools in Australia by 2035.

When speaking to current and prospective parents a common theme is the importance of Redlands being a coeducational school and the benefits this brings to their child’s holistic education, personal growth and development.

Our students learn, lead and grow together in an environment that reflects the real world beyond the school gates and this naturally prepares them for the next stage in their lives. Educational research has demonstrated that single-sex schooling can actually perpetuate gender stereotypes, which can persist after students leave school. In contrast, coeducational settings can break down assumptions about the other gender. Girls and boys work together as friends and colleagues, develop equitable relationships and regularly challenge gender stereotypes.

There are many myths and false statements that get perpetuated when discussing the merits of coeducation versus single-sex schooling. A classic example is that coeducation is preferable for boys but not necessarily for girls. Extensive meta-analysis on educational research clearly dispels this myth, along with any logical interrogation of the position. How could it be that boys would benefit from learning, leading and developing along with girls, whilst this wouldn’t be the case for girls? When our students undertake tertiary education and employment they will be collaborating in diverse mixed gender teams and prior experience in doing so, throughout their education, is extremely important for girls and boys. I would go as far as to say we are disadvantaging them if this is not the case.

So, I give thanks for the bold step taken by the leaders of Redlands, Board and Executive in the late 1970s in moving to a coeducational model and laying the foundation for the future success of the School, to the benefit of our students.

Twilight in the Garden, Friday 1 April, 6.00-8.00pm

On behalf of the Redlands Parents and Friends Association, I am delighted to advise that we have rescheduled our Twilight in the Garden event to Friday 1 April, 6pm in the Fahl Garden on the Senior Campus. I am very much looking forward to meeting new parents and reconnecting with current parents at this annual community event. More details will be provided so for now, please save the date. 

Photo Caption: Yr 9 students in Science class excitedly investigating how waves made by different sized tubes affect the distance a candle could be extinguished.

Community Update

It was a pleasure to attend the first meeting of our Prep School Parent Contact Group (PCG) this year, where I met Class Parents and shared the activities and projects currently underway in Community Engagement; projects that include a new School website and a review of our portal environment. These two significant projects will be built with feedback and guidance from our community and were welcomed by our Prep PCG group. Our PCGs continue to explore ways to keep our community connected, included and supported within the many and varied aspects of school life.  If you are looking to connect with our community for support then please reach out to the passionate and diverse experience of our class and year group parents, the RPFA and Friends of Groups that support Redlands families.

We are delighted to announce that we have scheduled our Twilight in the Garden event for Friday, 1 April.  This parent event will be held in the Fahl Garden on our Senior Campus. The safety and wellbeing of the Redlands community remains at the core of our planning, and the hosting of this much loved event will of course be in alignment with the respective NSW Health guidelines of the time. More details on this event will follow in the weeks to come and in the interim please save the date in your schedule.  

Our alumni of Redlanders can be found locally and globally. We continue to ensure the important connections with our community are nurtured and developed through Redlands dedicated alumni engagement program that includes interstate and international reunions and networking opportunities and a quarterly newsletter. We value the relationships we have with our Alumni and our aim is to support a lifelong connection to the School. More information on our Alumni engagement program, including international chapter meetings, can be found here.

A reminder that all COVID-19 related communications to parents and other relevant information is posted on the COVID-19 Page of Redlands Pulse.

Thank you 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.

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

Foundation

A Redlander for Life!

At the start of this year, Kim Flatman, Alumni and Community Engagement Coordinator, and I had the great pleasure of attending the Class of 2021 Valedictory Dinner. This was a wonderful occasion to celebrate the achievements of this Year Group and a time to reflect on their learning as well as welcome them to our global network of more than 10,000 alumni.

Our students, parents, staff, alumni, friends and members of local and international networks belong to the Redlands community.

With a dedicated engagement program there are many opportunities for our Alumni to benefit from their Redlands education beyond the School gates. One of these relevant initiatives are local, interstate and international reunions which have a regular place in our events calendar and provide networking opportunities. Due to COVID-19 many of these events had to be transformed and we have found alternative opportunities such as professional webinars and virtual speed mentoring with our Secondary School students.

International and Interstate Alumni Chapters

We regularly connect with Redlanders across Australia and the globe. These events enable Alumni to meet each other across our diverse community and we provide participants with updates on recent developments at Redlands. Redlanders are always very keen to learn how much has their School has advanced since their time here.

Our next Chapter meeting with Redlanders living in the USA & Canada via Zoom will take place on
Wednesday 2 March 2022 at 5.00pm PST / 8.00pm EST. We are also connecting with our Alumni in the Southern Highlands on Saturday 5 March. 

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

RPFA

New and Notable

Class lists have all been distributed in record time and class/year parents have been identified. Thank you to all the volunteers who have put their hand up to be class parents this year! Your class and year parents should be in touch shortly with opportunities to meet other parents.

In concert with the School’s strategic plan, the RPFA is continuing its efforts to help with recycling – from the Second Hand Book Sale we conducted at the end of last term, to the upcoming Second Hand Uniform Sale (more below), as well as alternatives for bulk recycling of no longer usable uniforms.

With the Second Hand book sale, we are happy to report that over 300 older edition books no longer used by the School were donated to an indigenous high school in Central NSW – taken there by car by one Redlands mum! The majority of remaining books were donated to Lifeline, and all donations were greatly appreciated. Regarding uniform recycling, we are currently in the process of completing a trial run with Worn Up, to assess both the cost and convenience of this service to the entire Redlands community.

Coming Up

Parent Get-togethers

Fri 18 Feb Yr 11 BYO coffee at Balmoral Rotunda from 8.30am
Wed 2 Mar Yr 12 drinks at Mosman Rowers from 6pm
Thurs 10 Mar Yr 9 drinks at The Oaks from 6pm
Wed 16 Mar Yr 8 drinks at The Oaks from 6pm

Second Hand Uniform Sale

From Fri 18 Feb – Please bring in clean pre-loved uniforms you no longer need to support sustainability and scholarship. More details in the Help section below.

Walks on Tracks

Next week’s walk will be on Wed 23 Feb from Mosman to Cremorne Point. Meet at the Bradleys Head Road/ Middle Head Road roundabout at 8.40am. Any questions, please contact Ann Marie Kimber or call 0406 691 533.

Book Club

Our first meeting is next Wed Feb 23 to discuss ‘Still Life’ by Sarah Winman. If you would like to join, please contact Katherine Dixon or call 0432 619 890 for further information.

Twilight in the Garden

The all-school, parent-only welcome drinks event has been re-scheduled to Fri 1 Apr. Please save the date – further details will be provided soon.  

Spring Fair

The Redlands Spring Fair is a highly anticipated bi-annual event for our school community, with stalls raising money for the School as well as charities nominated by students. The daytime event currently scheduled for Saturday 3 September is centred around food, fun and entertainment, showcasing the community’s diversity and depth of students’ art-related activities. Please let us know if you would be interested in joining us for a coffee next week to discuss and be part of organising this wonderful event here.

Help Needed

Second Hand Uniform Sale

Please donate good quality uniforms in excellent condition from tomorrow Fri 18 Feb to Wed 2 Mar. Please ensure uniforms are clean and stain free. Kindly drop off at the Uniform Shop on a coat hanger (or hang on the ones available); please do not leave them in bags by the door. Please also note we are not accepting PE polo shirts, due to the new uniform designs being implemented. Your donations help us do our part in supporting sustainability. In addition, funds raised are contributed towards the means-tested Redlands Foundation Scholarship Fund.

If you’re interested in helping sort and pack uniforms, we will be sorting on Fri 18 Feb, Wed 23 Feb and Wed 2 Mar; doing stocktake on Fri 4 Mar; and packing on Fri 11 Mar and Wed 16 Mar. Please let us know if you can help here. Please note, due to current restrictions, we can only invite 6 vaccinated parents to any one gathering on school grounds. If you don’t get the chance to volunteer to help with uniforms this term, there are still opportunities going forward as we conduct the sale every term. 

This Month’s Spotlight – ‘Friends of’ Groups – Friends of Sailing

‘Friends of’ groups are a subset of the RPFA made up of interested parents who support the activities in a particular sport or performing art within the School. We currently have Friends of: Basketball, Dance, Drama, Football, Hockey, Music, Netball, Rowing, Rugby, Sailing and Snowsports. For more information on these groups and contact information, please click here.

Friends of Sailing (FoS) has been re-instated this season with the main aim to build our Redlands sailing community and help RSYS with on and off water volunteering to help our kids have the best experience this season. On Sat 12 Feb, FoS parents enjoyed a lovely breakfast on the deck of RSYS overlooking the harbour while the students raced Pacers, Optis and Elliotts for our entertainment. This was followed by providing a Sausage Sizzle for the kids as they returned to shore. We look forward to making the most of the last few weeks on the water this season, and FoS welcomes any sailing parents to join in on the action! 

Friends of Sailing breakfast at Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron last weekend

Photo Gallery

Junior School new families coffee last week 

Full house at the first Prep School Parent Contact Group (class parents) meeting yesterday morning

Walks on Tracks participants & their furry friends on the Waverton/Wollstonecraft walk yesterday morning

Yr 9 Coffee Morning 

2022 RPFA Committee

President: JP Forrest
Vice President: Brittne Whitelaw
Secretary: Rebecca James 
Treasurer: Annette Swann
Committee – Declan Hourihan, Jennifer Mast, Jo Lloyd, Karen Nicholson, Kate Kesby, Lisa Middlebrook, Maria Kinsela, Monique Scattini

Head of Secondary School

Week Three and Thriving

It’s been another incredibly hectic week and the students are making the most of their slightly extended recess and lunch times to run around, relax and converse with friends. Earlier this week I was witness to some pretty intense handball competitions in the Undercroft. Yr 8 and Yr 9 students were making a lot of noise (which is good) and expelling a great deal of energy (also good) – despite the inconsistent weather, appear to be thriving through the first few weeks of Term 1.

At lunchtime last Friday we held our annual Activities Fair to showcase the variety of extracurricular and cocurricular activities we have on offer to students. It was a wonderful event, despite the rain! Thanks to Mr Montz and the Yr 12 musicians for creating such an energetic atmosphere with live music, and to all the staff and students who were there to support and celebrate the many cocurricular offerings at Redlands.

All activities and clubs have now commenced. A timetable for 2022 is available on Redlands Pulse, along with details of the best staff contact should your child wish to find out more. For lunchtime clubs, students don’t need to pre-register – they can just grab a friend or two, and turn up on the day. We’re very excited to be able to offer our full suite of activities in a COVID-safe manner after all the disruption of recent years.

Our Yr 12 Leaders showcased their first Student Led Assembly this week. It was rather inventive, lots of fun and a great way to connect with the students. We look forward to more of their student-led assemblies later this term – they are already working on something special with Yr 9 for International Women’s Day.

Also, the Career Avenues interviews have commenced for Yr 10 students – they have been well attended by students and parents. The main topic of conversation is study options, strengths, and skills.

Study Centre

The aim of the Study Centre is to provide students from Years 7-12 with the opportunity to receive shoulder-to-shoulder support or assistance in specific disciplines from Secondary School teachers.

Teachers from a variety of subjects are available before and after school Mon-Wed each week in the breakout spaces of the New Learning Hub.

The full timetable is available on the Secondary School Redlands Pulse page and is shared with students via Year Group Pastoral pages.

Students are also welcome to use the Learning Hub before and after school, during Study Centre hours, in order to engage in independent study.

Yr 12

HSC and IB Success Webinar for Parents and Students in Yr 12 2022

Last night we held a 45-minute Webinar for Yr 12 students and their parents. Mr Webber, Mr Bentley, Ms Benjamin, Mr Taylor, Ms Mountain, Ms Hurst and Ms Fowler spoke to students about the following:

A recording of the Webinar can be accessed here.

At the commencement of the webinar I talked briefly about the importance of PACE.  Persistent And Continuous Effort. And the importance of gradually increasing the PACE as the year goes on.

I also underscored our experience as educators that often the ‘light bulb’ moments don’t happen until after the Trial Examinations. The Trials are always difficult and it is in the weeks after these challenging examinations, where typically students really drill down into deep learning, begin to transfer their learning to more complex unseen questions and also more confidently engage with how they learn best. The best exam, the best essay, the best anything the students ever do is in the final examination for a subject or course, and these final examinations are still a long way off.  Pacing oneself to the finish line is, therefore, essential!

In the coming weeks, we will be publishing the Holiday Study Opportunities for Yr 12. There will be three holiday sessions – Term 1, 2, 3 and in each holiday session the opportunities will be slightly different and build upon each other, as we move forward to the final examination period for both IB and HSC. We aim to offer workshops, lectures, study skill support, coaching conversations, examination sprints and also independent and collaborative study bubbles to our Yr 12 students. Punctuated within these academic support sessions will be a range of wellness activities, and we strongly encourage all students to get involved, in order to achieve a balance to their days and support the brain-body connection.  

Save the Dates for Yr 12 Events

Year Transition Support

In Period 4 on Tuesday, Yr 7 listened to a ‘student-friendly’ version of the School Readiness Webinar that was presented to parents last Monday.  Students got a tour of the Yr 7 Core Page, learnt what an assessment task is and who they can go to for help with home-learning and assessment tasks.

Below is a slide that takes them through what they should do when they are notified of an assessment task.  The English Assessment Task Notification has already been posted and students have had the task explained to them by their English teachers.

Yr 7 Meet and Greet

Monday 14 March is the Yr 7 Parent Meet and Greet Afternoon to be held on the Fahl Garden. Yr 7 parents – we would love you to come and join us for an evening of introductions and conversation. The purpose of the evening is to enable our Yr 7 Parents and Carers to meet our Teachers, Tutors and Year Advisors in an informal setting so you can begin to establish those connections that we see as so important in developing a productive partnership between home and school. It is also a wonderful opportunity to meet other Yr 7 parents. Light refreshments will be provided.

This is a strictly RSVP Parent only event.  RSVPs close on Monday, 7 March 2022. Book here.

COVID INFORMATION | Our current COVID plans are that all Guests and Staff must wear a mask during the event. On arrival you will be asked to check in using a QR Code and register your attendance by attaining a name badge in the John Robert Centre forecourt, before making your way to the Fahl Garden.

To those attendees who can access a Rapid Antigen Test, please do so 24 hours prior to the event, to ensure the safety of all attendees. Those individuals who record a positive Rapid Antigen Test, who have been identified as close contacts and are within their 7-day isolation period or who are displaying any COVID-19 symptoms, should not attend the event. If you have had COVID in the past 30 days you are not required to take a Rapid Antigen Test.

Environment and Sustainability

Our Yr 12 Environment Captains Iris Buisman and Jacob Gold have been hard at work promoting environmental consciousness at Redlands.  

Waste Free Wednesdays

In Term 4 last year the very first Waste Free Wednesday was held on the Senior Campus, and we are pleased to announce that Waste Free Wednesdays will be continued in 2022. From Week 4 onwards, all staff and students are encouraged to consciously minimise their waste on Wednesdays. Hopefully, as a community, we can identify the significant amount of waste we create in just one day, and gain a deeper understanding of what methods and swaps we can make to reduce this amount. Our Yr 12 Captains are seeking parent support and encourage parents and carers to also be mindful on this day.

Redlands Mask Recycling

Using money raised through the purchase of masks at $3 each in the Secondary School, a dedicated bin for the recycling of face-masks has been purchased – initiated by our Environment Captains Iris and Jacob. Students and staff who are discarding their mask at the end of the day are encouraged to use the mark recycling bin, which has its permanent home in the Secondary School Office. A mask-recycling drop-off point at the Gerard Street Gate will also be available each afternoon. Our Redlands Mask Recycling bin is one of the first of its kind in Australia, so having one on the Senior Campus is a great initiative, and we are excited to see the continuation of sustainable thinking and action despite the many challenges posed by the pandemic.

Winter School Information Session and Application Process

The Winter School Information Session will be help via Zoom at 6pm on Tuesday 22 Feb 2022 via this Zoom link.

Attendance at the Information Session is strongly recommended so students and parents are fully informed as to the nature of the program and application process before registering interest.

Families will be able to register their interest for Winter School from Wed 23 Feb via a TryBooking link.

In a change to previous years, students will then be required to submit a multimodal application via iLearn following the expression of interest.

After the initial application, prospective students and parents may be invited to interview, to be conducted in Week 7 (14-18 March). 

Places at Winter School are limited and due to the high volume of applicants, not all students will be offered an interview. Criteria on which applications will be assessed will be communicated at the Information Session, and found in the Terms and Conditions of the registration link. 

Pick-Up and Drop-Off via Car – please don’t use the Adams Centre driveway

We ask that you please do not use the Adams Centre driveway, located near the footbridge, to drop-off or pick-up your Secondary School children. This area is a main thoroughfare for students passing on the footpath and it’s very unsafe if cars are swinging into the Adams Centre driveway and out again in order to collect teenagers. There are many suitable places in Cremorne for a drop-off and pick-up via car, and we encourage you to identify a suitable place with your teenage children, and one that prioritises the safety of all members of our community.

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

Service

Clean Up Australia Day

We are excited to announce that as per tradition, Redlands will be participating in Clean up Australia Day, which will be held on Sunday 7 March (Week 6). 

We have registered a site at Balmoral Beach from 12:00-2:00 pm, and we will be meeting at the Rotunda at 11:50. We will provide the necessary equipment, so just bring yourself! 

Come along if you would like to help this great cause, clean up one of our local beaches, clock up some CAS hours or just want to have a good time! 

Excitingly, this year, there will also be house points up for grabs for all participants – the House with the most participants will be earning valuable points that go towards the House Shield at the end of the year.

Join our effort here: 

https://www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au/fundraisers/rachaelriley  

If you would like some more information or have any questions, you can contact Ms Riley at: rriley@redlands.nsw.edu.au

See you there! 

Iris and Jacob (Environment Captains)

Balmoral Swim Schools Relay Challenge

Redlands will be participating in the 2022 Balmoral Swim Schools Relay Challenge on Sunday 3 April. 

The Schools Relay Challenge is a community-based initiative where schools help raise funds for the Children’s Cancer Institute, increase awareness of this important cause and importantly have fun participating in an open water swim relay.

How it works:

• Each team has 4 swimmers.
• Each swimmer swims a leg of the relay 200m.
• Participants can swim in their school year category, or an older category
• Entry cost are $15 for each swimmer

More information and registration information will be sent out next week. 

https://www.balmoralswim.com.au/page/73/schools-relay-challenge

Ms Rachael Riley
Coordinator of Service and Social Engagement
rriley@redlands.nsw.edu.au 

University and Careers Advisors

Open Days & Info Sessions 

ADF | Defence Careers Virtual Info Session 

Tuesday 15 February 2022, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm 

Consider a career like no other and represent Australia with pride in the Navy, Army or Air Force.

View Here

World Education Program | Online Info Session 

Wednesday 16 February 2022, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm 

Find out more about your student exchange opportunities at WEP’s online info session. 

View Here

WSU | Discover Western: Subject Selection & Future Career in Teaching & Education, Intrepreting & Translation, Arts and International Studies 

Tuesday 1 March 2022, 5:00 pm 

View Here

WSU | Discover Western: Subject Selection & Future Career in Business & Accounting, Law, Tourism & Urban Planning 

Tuesday 1 March 2022, 6:00 pm 

View Here

TAFE NSW | Launch your Career in Cyber Security 

Tuesday 15 March 2022, 10:00 am – 11:00 am 

Online 

View Here

Australian Institute of Fitness | 2022 Open Days 

View Here

University of Sydney | Life of a Psychologist 

Wednesday 6 April 2022, 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm 

Online 

https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4PFpfIj9QoKUY4VFWAFtNw 

2022 Northern Beaches Careers Expo 

Thursday 26 May 2022, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm 

View Here

Workshops and Courses 

Whitehouse Institute of Design | Foundation Sewing Studio – Online Summer Workshop 

Saturday 26 February 2022, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm 

View Here

Grok Academy | Cyber Live 

Wednesday 16 March 2022, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm 

Online 

A Navy captain is held captive inside his ship. A major landmark has gone dark. And weapons are pointed at Sydney’s busiest sites… 

View Here

BiG Day In 2022, Parramatta 

Tuesday 24 May 2022, 9:00 am – 2:30 pm 

Western Sydney University, Parramatta Campus 

The BiG Day In events are aimed at senior secondary school and university students interested in careers in ICT and technology.

View Here

Competitions 

RACI Chemistry and Art Competition 

Students are asked to create a 2D image no greater than A4 size which depicts their thoughts about chemistry, chemists or the chemical industry. 

View Here

Australian History Competition 2022 

Registration is open now and closes 31 March 2022. 

Find Out More Here

Climate Action Youth Design Challenge 

Within this challenge, there are three key themes we encourage you to explore: 

1. Renewable and responsible energy use: Globally, energy use is increasing at an unsustainable rate. Only 1/5th of the world’s final energy consumption in 2013 was from renewable sources. 
2. Preserving our water supply: Only 3% of the world’s water is fresh (drinkable), and humans are using it faster than nature can replenish it. 
3. Sustainable cities: Currently, cities contribute more than 70 per cent of global carbon emissions and over 60 per cent of resource use. 

Entries close Friday 17 June 2022.

View Here

Mrs Justine Fowler and Ms Clare Hurst
University and Careers Advisors
careers@redlands.nsw.edu.au 

Year 12

Yr 12 Information Evening

On Wednesday evening we had the Yr 12 information webinar. If you missed this event, which provided important information for parents and students, the link is available on the Pastoral iLearn page that students can access. A reminder that the HSC and IB academic contacts are Mrs Lucy Benjamin lbenjamin@redlands.nsw.edu.au for HSC and Mr Darren Taylor dtaylor@redlands.nsw.edu.au for IB.

Balmoral Swim- Schools Relay Challenge

This year, Redlands is participating in the Balmoral Swim-Schools Relay Challenge on Sunday 3 April. One of the joys of our Redlands community is the collective willingness to be involved in fundraising initiatives and participate in community events. It would be great to see Yr 12s being part of leading this event and raising much needed funds for the Children’s Cancer Institute. For further information please contact our Coordinator of Service Ms Rachael Riley rriley@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Secondary School Individual Portraits and Sibling Photos – Friday 4 March.

On Friday 4 March, all students will be accompanied by their Year Advisors to Redlands Hall for portrait photos after 8.20am. If your child is unable to have their portrait taken on 4 March please inform your Year Advisor. A catch-up date for missed portraits will be offered on 18 March at school, or by appointment with Melba Studios, located in Artarmon.

Secondary School Sibling Photos will take place on 4 March from 7.15am-8.20am in Redlands Hall. If you would like to order Sibling Photos, please click here, enter the password ‘ALLISTER’ and select Siblings Order Form before 23 February.

All students are required to be wearing their full school uniform, including blazers. Boys must be clean shaven with hair that has been cut so that it is away from eyes, ears and collar. Girls with hair touching the collar should tie it back with navy accessories (elastics, ribbon, scrunchies). No hair dye, make-up or nail polish is permitted. No jewellery is to be worn other than one pair of plain gold or silver studs in ear lobes.

If you have any questions, alterations or additional orders, please contact Melba Studios directly on (02) 9438 4566 or email sales@melbastudios.com.au.

Ms Rebecca Mountain
Yr 12 Advisor
rmountain@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9908 6462

Year 11

Year 11 Study Period Arrival and Departures

Please note, that students who have free periods in Periods 1 or Periods 5 and 6 must arrive at school by 8.15 and leave school at 3.20. Yr 11 students are not allowed to arrive late to school or go home early. This is only a Yr 12 privilege. 

iGrow Data Platform

This week, Yr 11 were introduced to our iGrow Data Platform which has been developed by Redlands to holistically track and nurture the academic growth and wellbeing of each student. In Week 4, Yr 11 students will begin discussing their individual data with their Tutors to identify areas of strength and strategically plan for Semester 1. This will assist Yr 11 with making positive holistic choices as they transition into their senior years of study. 

Yr 11 Harbour Cruise – Update

We are delighted to notify you that the postponed Yr 11 Harbour Cruise has now been confirmed for Friday 11 March (Week 6). The Harbour Cruise is an important event to celebrate the end of Yr 10 and mark the transition into senior studies at Redlands. 

This event will take place aboard a Captain Cook cruise vessel on Sydney Harbour. Please refer to the letter that was sent to parents and carers via Redlands Pulse for information about how to purchase your child’s ticket and our Rapid Antigen Testing requirements to participate in this event. If you purchased a ticket for your child last term, this will roll over to the new date. We are looking forward to a wonderful celebration with Yr 11!

Mr Nicholas Walker
Yr 11 Year Advisor
nwalker@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9909 3133

Year 10

Yr 10 Career Interviews

Students have all either signed up for or have been allocated a time to meet with their Career Avenues Advisor. Interviews began this week and parents are invited and encouraged to join these meetings through a Zoom link from home while students Zoom from campus. If you have any queries please contact Mrs Fowler and Ms Hurst on careers@redlands.nsw.edu.au.

Student Centre

The Study Centre was buzzing this week as students engaged in receiving  additional academic support by meeting with peers and teachers in the Learning Hub. Students can access the Study Centre timetable through iLearn Yr 10 Pastoral Page and parents can access the timetable through Redlands Pulse under Useful Links.

Chess Club

This is a relatively new club at Redlands and students are able to join at any time throughout the year by coming to H19 during Thursday lunch. If your child is interested in chess, encourage them to attend as a possibility to join the Interschool Chess Competition is possible later this year, depending on interest generated. 

Locks on Lockers

Every student is responsible for their own locker, the items in their locker and the security of their own personal belongings throughout the school day. Every student has been asked to have a lock on their locker. Tutors have followed up this week and Year Advisors will be following up as well to ensure each locker is securely closed. Thank you for your support from home in this endeavour.

Ms Alissa Ynson
Yr 10 Advisor
aynson@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9865    

Year 9

Science

Last week 9O students excitedly investigated how waves made by different sized tubes affected the distance a candle could be extinguished. They particularly enjoyed using the giant blue Air Zooker.

New Industry Intrapreneurship program – Yr 9

The Yr 9 Commerce team including Jessica Lasky, Vyvian Kang and Claudia De Leo have launched a new term-long Industry Intrapreneurship program. Last week our students heard Mr Aidan Mullan from Interface speak about finding sustainable solutions to key issues within the carpet and floor covering industry. The program students will be involved focuses on design thinking and targets the development of critical, creative, collaborative and communication competencies which form part of our Learner Attributes in the Redlands Learning Platform.

Balmoral Swim- Schools Relay Challenge

This year, Redlands is participating in the Balmoral Swim- Schools Relay Challenge on Sunday 3 April 2022. One of the joys of our Redlands community is our collective willingness to be involved in fundraising initiatives and participate in community events. This is a great opportunity for Yr 7 students to participate and generate friendships with students from other year groups. For this reason Yr 7 students are warmly encouraged to take part. Funds raised from this event will support the Children’s Cancer Institute. For further information please contact our Co-ordinator of Service Ms Rachael Riley rriley@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Winter School Information Session and Application Process

The Winter School Information Session will be help via Zoom at 6pm on Tuesday 22 Feb 2022 via this link.

Attendance at the Information Session is strongly recommended so students and parents are fully informed as to the nature of the program and application process before registering interest.

Families will be able to register their interest for Winter School from Wed 23 Feb via a TryBooking link.

In a change to previous years, students will then be required to submit a multimodal application via iLearn following the expression of interest.

After the initial application, prospective students and parents may be invited to interview, to be conducted in Week 7 (14-18 Mar). 

Places at Winter School are limited and due to the high volume of applicants, not all students will be offered an interview. Criteria on which applications will be assessed will be communicated at the Information Session, and found in the Terms and Conditions of the registration link.

Key Documents

Study Centre timetable is available here  

Cocurricular timetable is available here 

Key Dates

Term 1 – Monday 31 January – Friday 8 April

Term 2 – Wednesday 27 April – Friday 24 June

Term 3 – Tuesday 19 July – Thursday 22 September

Term 4 – Monday 10 October – Wednesday 7 December

Ms Lisa Vale
Yr 9 Advisor
9968 9837
lvale@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Year 8

Balmoral Swim Schools Relay Challenge

This year, Redlands is participating in the Balmoral Swim- Schools Relay Challenge on Sunday 3 April 2022. One of the joys of our Redlands community is our collective willingness to be involved in fundraising initiatives and participate in community events. This is a great opportunity for Yr 8 students to participate and generate friendships with students from other year groups. For further information please contact our Co-ordinator of Service Ms Rachael Riley rriley@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Yr 8 Camp

Yr 8 Camp is scheduled to take place during Week 9 of this Term (w/c 28 March) at Yarrahapinni on the mid-north coast. It’s crucial that our Camp provider, OEG, has up to date medical information on all our students. You should have received an email from OEG and/or Operoo asking you to create a profile for your child/ren. Profiles of students with some medical conditions will require a recent Medical Advisory Plan (MAP) form signed by a doctor. Please feel free to contact The Outdoor Education Group Operoo team if you have any questions or concerns, via medicals@oeg.edu.au

Visual Arts Class 

One of your fantastic Yr 8 Visual Arts Class proudly displaying their work. 

Secondary School Individual Portraits and Sibling Photos – Friday 4 March.

On Friday 4 March, Yr 7 to 12 students will be accompanied by their Year Advisors to Redlands Hall for portrait photos after 8.20am. If your child is unable to have their portrait taken on 4 March Please inform your Year Advisor.  A catch-up date for missed portraits will be offered on 18 March at school,  or by appointment with Melba Studios, located in Artarmon.

Secondary School Sibling Photos will take place on 4 March from 7.15am-8.20am in Redlands Hall. If you would like to order Sibling Photos, please click here, enter the password ‘ALLISTER’ and select Siblings Order Form before 23 February.

All students are required to be wearing their full school uniform, including blazers. Boys must be clean shaven with hair that has been cut so that it is away from eyes, ears and collar. Girls with hair touching the collar should tie it back with navy accessories (elastics, ribbon, scrunchies). No hair dye, make-up or nail polish is permitted. No jewellery is to be worn other than one pair of plain gold or silver studs in ear lobes.

If you have any questions, alterations or additional orders, please contact Melba Studios directly on (02) 9438 4566 or email sales@melbastudios.com.au.

Mr Edward Atkins
Yr 8 Advisor 
eatkins@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9909 3133

Year 7

Year 7 Camp

The Yr 7 Program is the launch pad into the Redlands Outdoor Education Program and provides students with a scaffolded outdoor experience. Yr 7 camp is compulsory for all Yr 7 Redlands students. The intent is for students to forge friendships and build their confidence in a safe and dynamic environment. A range of activities including; bushwalking, camping, canoeing, cycling, initiatives and orienteering is part of the Yr 7 Program. Students will camp each night at Redlands High Country Campus in House groups with their Tutors and Camp Leaders.

Today, our external provider OEG Outdoor Education Group presented to Yr 7 students in Redlands Hall.

The key takeaways for our students from this presentation were:

• Camp is great fun
• Take only the specified items on the gear list (this list has been prepared to ensure students will be comfortable no matter the weather conditions and with consideration for the activities undertaken). A bucket hat is essential, no baseball caps (sunburnt ears hurt).
• Yr 7 camp activities have been designed to promote new friendships and the benefits of working productively as part of a team.

The OEG website for gear list and program information can be found here and the password is Shine.

Any parent queries regarding Yr 7 Camp should be directed to our Head of Outdoor Education, Mr David Gregory, dgregory@redlands.nsw.edu.au 

Balmoral Swim- Schools Relay Challenge

This year, Redlands is participating in the Balmoral Swim- Schools Relay Challenge on Sunday 3 April 2022. One of the joys of our Redlands community is our collective willingness to be involved in fundraising initiatives and participate in community events. This is a great opportunity for Yr 7 students to participate and generate friendships with students from other year groups. For this reason Yr 7 students are warmly encouraged to take part. Funds raised from this event will support the Children’s Cancer Institute. For further information please contact our Co-ordinator of Service Ms Rachael Riley rriley@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Peer Support 

Tomorrow, students will begin the Peer Support Program with our Yr 11 Peer Support Leaders. Students will be organised in small groups with Peer Support Leaders from their House facilitating the program. This session will be over zoom with “getting to know you” activities and a Kahoot quiz. Subsequent sessions will be face to face. This opportunity for cross grade interaction is incredibly valuable for our new Yr 7 students and we look forward to witnessing the new connections that they make. 

Yr 7 Science

Ms Sarah Matthews
Yr 7 Advisor
smatthews@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9908 6494

Head of Junior School

It has been great to feel an ever-increasing sense of normalcy in our school week and the range of activities from sport to bands; from cocurricular activities to choirs; from debating to chess; from school photos to interschool sport; support the sense of purposefulness and busyness accustomed to Redlands.

We continue to maintain our COVID-safe plan and actions to keep our community safe and I thank students, staff and families for their continued support and attention as we reach the end of Week 3 with very low numbers of positive cases across our whole School. Please be reminded to ensure your child has a mask each day and a spare one where possible. As you would be aware, rapid antigen tests continue next Monday and Wednesday and we await further information from NSW government on plans beyond next week, which will be passed on thereafter.

Class Parent Representatives

Thank you to the Junior School parents who have volunteered to be class parent representatives this year. I am looking forward to being part of the group’s termly meetings starting next Tuesday morning, with details to be circulate to class parents by our Class Parent Coordinators, Catherine Brown and Catherine Wale.

Car Line Pick up

The car line seems to be running more efficiently and safely and in particular, I am grateful to parents for not arriving early and as close to 3.20pm. As I have mentioned before, we would rather you come after this time than before it and will have staff on duty until 3.40pm each day. We will aim to reissue signs with both your child’s name and year group instead of just the name but to assist our staff, please add the year group to your sign.

Six of the best traits your child needs to succeed

 Recently, I read an article by Hilary Wilce, an education writer, sharing her beliefs on Six of the Best Traits Your Child needs to Succeed’. Her views are similarly aligned with my own and it was also interesting to note the correlation with Redlands’ own core values of honesty, respect, responsibility, compassion, fairness and moral courage.

At Redlands, we want to be able to provide the very best opportunities and experiences for academic, personal, social and emotional growth for each and every child entrusted in our care and our core school values are an integral part of our ‘hidden curriculum’ that are an essential aspect of what we hope an all-round Redlands education provides our students.

The significance of the partnership between home and school, which I have always maintained is critical in a child’s development, is also highlighted in this article which is copied below for your reference. If you have any thoughts or comments on the article, I would be delighted to hear them via email and hope you may find the article as stimulating as I did.

“What makes a child do well in school? When I ask parents that question, they always have lots of great answers: a high IQ, a terrific school, well-run lessons, skilled teachers, a creative curriculum, high expectations.

Although all these things help, the real secret of great learning lies elsewhere – inside children themselves. Increasingly, researchers are discovering that what children bring to the classroom matters every bit – and in many ways more – than what the classroom can offer them. Children with the attitude and disposition that encourage good learning will flourish even in a mediocre school, while those who come with a mindset that hampers learning won’t be able to make much of even the best educational opportunities.

Numerous studies in the US and elsewhere show that test scores leap, often by more than 10 per cent, when children are encouraged to develop good attitudes towards themselves and their learning. As a result, schools around the world are starting to offer programmes to help their students develop key character strengths.

A recent Positive Education conference at Wellington College in Berkshire drew participants from America, Singapore and Australia to discuss how teachers can help students grow their inner cores. But parents have been left out of this learning loop, and often don’t realise that there is far more to securing a good education for their children than simply bagging a place at the best school in the neighbourhood – schools and teachers can only turn children into terrific learners if those children’s parents are laying down the foundations at home that will encourage pupils to step up to the challenges of the classroom.

There is growing evidence that character traits such as resilience, persistence, optimism and courage actively contribute to improved academic grades. And there are six key qualities that parents can foster in their children that will help them do their very best in school. These are:

1. Joie de vivre

The ability to love and appreciate life might sound wishy-washy in the hard world of exam results, but love and security feed a host of qualities that great learners need. These include the ability to be open and receptive, to be willing and to feel connected. Meanwhile, cultivating an attitude of appreciation means being able to enjoy the journey of learning, wonder at nature, relish a good story, feel good about achievements, and enjoy the companionship of the classroom. All of which, in turn, feed confidence, excitement and curiosity back into the learning loop.

2. Resilience

For years, resilience has been known to be essential for great learning. Martin Seligman, the US psychology professor who has studied this extensively, has shown that it helps children think more flexibly and realistically, be more creative and ward off depression and anxiety. Resilient children give things a try. They understand that learning has plenty of setbacks and that they can overcome them. Resilient children talk to themselves differently from non- resilient ones, and don’t turn mistakes into catastrophes (“I’ve failed my Maths test, it’s a disaster. I’ll never get Maths!”). Instead, they look at a wider, more positive picture (“Ugh, that was a horrible test, and I screwed up, but I didn’t do enough work. Next time I’ll do more revision, and it’ll probably be a better paper as well”).

3. Self-discipline

There are many famous pieces of research that show that children’s ability to control their impulses appears to lead to better health, wealth and mental happiness in later life. In school, self-discipline is central. Great learners need to listen, absorb and think. They need to keep going through difficult patches, stick at hard tasks, manage their time well and keep mental focus. Children who bounce about the classroom shouting the first answer that comes into their heads will never be great learners. Of course, a joyless, overly controlled child will never be one either. Balance matters. All children need to develop a functioning “internal locus of control”.

4. Honesty

Honesty matters for great learning because its opposites – deception and self-deception – hinder progress. Great learners don’t say “I’m brilliant at Science” but, “I’m OK on photosynthesis, but not sure I’ve nailed atomic structure yet.” And this needs to start early.

The pre-schooler who speaks up and asks what a word means in a story, rather than pretending to know, is already on the way to being a skilful learner. Honesty allows children to build good links with teachers and mentors. It grows confidence, attracts goodwill, and gives children an infallible compass with which to steer their learning.

5. Courage

Learning anything – piano, physics, tennis – is about approaching the unknown, and stepping up to new challenges. Great learners are just as frightened of this as others, but can overcome their fear and find focus. They are able to try, fail, and try again. They can also navigate school life skilfully. Children need moral courage to turn away from distractions and to be willing to be seen as “a geek” if they want to study, while developing courage also helps them to stand their ground through the temptations of the teenage years.

6. Kindness

Great learners are kind to themselves. They understand that learning is sometimes hard, and not always possible to get right, but keep a “good” voice going in their heads to encourage themselves on. A kind disposition also draws other people to them and bolsters their learning through the help and support of others, as well as allowing them to work productively in teams and groups. A kind disposition also feeds listening and empathy, which in turn foster deeper, more complex learning.

All these character qualities are great for learning – and also for life. Research shows that they help people build more confidence, face challenges better, earn more money, have more satisfying careers, build stronger relationships, and keep depression and anxiety at bay. Yet, sadly, figures also show that increasing numbers of children are growing up with less ability to control their moods, direct their actions, or show empathy and self-mastery, while many mental health problems, including eating disorders and self-harm, are on the rise. Our children badly need us to help them develop stronger, more flexible backbones, and all the qualities that contribute to a strong inner core can be actively fostered and encouraged by parents (parents and schools working together is even better). Just as muscles grow stronger with regular exercise, so character traits are strengthened by thoughtful encouragement and reinforcement.”

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

Head of Preparatory School

Three weeks in and my child is so tired!

There has been lots happening in Prep in the last three weeks and over all our start to the year has been a happy and exciting experience. For some though, the novelty of starting a new school and navigating new school routines or even getting used to the old ones can create some wobbles as tiredness sets in. Some Preppies won’t miss a beat and will fly into their new year without a tear, but for some, it is normal to experience and elicit some degree of apprehension. To help with Parent expectations, below are some of the typical things we see across our Prep community in the first fortnight.

Emotions

Expect your child to be emotional (excited, apprehensive, sad, fearful, worried, etc). Starting school or returning to school after such a long break can present enormous change, and one that you simply cannot over prepare your child for. Talk about, welcome, and support all those little feelings as completely normal responses to a very big change. It would be an anomaly for most children to breeze through this transition. So also talk about how every other child in their class will probably be feeling just the same as your child feels.

Tiredness

Expect your child to be tired. There is so much learning outside of just the curriculum. Your child is learning to function in a much more complex social arrangement, building trust with a new teacher and environment, learning to sit still and listen for extended time periods, working collaboratively, learning advanced sharing and turn taking skills, learning advanced play skills and many many more things. All this learning typically produces a tired brain and tired child. They will rapidly absorb this new routine in the coming weeks and the tiredness is likely to fade. A tip is not to overschedule your child. Maybe pick one extracurricular to do in the first term as to ease into routines and to allow your child to figure out what interests them.

Behaviour

Expect some slight changes to your child’s behaviour at home and school. Early learners use a lot of emotional energy during the day, so on some days they can be running on empty by the time they see you.  This is a very common occurrence with parents frequently asking how their child can be an “angel” in the classroom, but difficult at home. Come to pick up prepared for a big, undistracted hug and acknowledge how well they did without your and how happy you are to be picking them up. This helps to reconnect their primary attachment and refills their emotional resilience until the next drop off.

All these responses are normal. Please just remember your child is doing well and you’re doing great too. We will always get in touch with you if we are thinking conversations need to be had.

My main tip in these first few weeks is to arrive at pick up with a big smile and to just listen to their stories of the day. Simple prompts can sometimes help ‘I know you had PE today, what was the best bit?’ or ‘Can you teach me a French word today that you learnt?’ As parents we want to know every detail of their day and who they played, what did they eat etc etc, but after a hot, sweaty day your child will probably just want to get outside and play for a while to unwind and eat!

After a few weeks, if you are finding that your child is still having difficulty with the navigation of school, please come and talk to me or Mrs Clinton and I am sure together we can find some strategies to help.

PCG Morning Tea

The PCG met for the first time this year and it was so wonderful to see new and old faces at the meeting. Thank you to all those parents who have volunteered to be class representatives. I look forward to working with you all and deepening our connection between school and home across Redlands House and Prep School. A big thanks must go to Jen Mast for all her work to gather such a positive group of parents together.

Clubs Update

A reminder that after school Clubs are not on this term. As a prep team, we have been looking at some key questions around Clubs and have decided to move them to lunchtime and before school time slots. More information will be sent over the next few weeks as to what Clubs will be on offer and how to register for term 2.

School Bags

The Redlands Prep school bag that can be purchased from the uniform shop is the appropriate size for our prep students to fit everything they need to bring to school. With this said, can I please ask that all lunchboxes are placed inside the children’s bag and not hung on the outside of the school bag. These hanging boxes are becoming a trip hazard in the classroom and are too big for our Prep students to manage themselves. A simple lunchbox with a drink bottle that fits into the mesh holder on the outside of the bag is all that is required please.

On some days our students must bring instruments, library bags, sports clothes to school and a hanging lunchbox are an unnecessary addition to their load.

We ask the name tag on the school bags to be filled in and students can place ONE ribbon or a key ring on their bag for identification. We will discuss this with our students over the next few days.

We will aim to have all lunchboxes in bags by Monday and please use time on the weekend to discuss with your child what singular piece of identification they would like on their bag.

Parent Helpers

We have new decodables and guided reading sets of books that we have purchased for our Prep students which is very exciting. With new books comes the need to cover and protect them so we are putting the call out to our fabulous Prep community to help us cover them!

I am planning to have book covering working bees from 8.30am-10.30am the following dates.

Mondays – 28/2, 7/3, 14/3

Wednesdays – 2/3, 9/3,16/3

Fridays – 4/3, 11/3, 18/3

With COVID guidelines in mind, it is possible for us to have 5 volunteers each session. Volunteers need to be fully vaccinated and will be required to wear a mask the entire time they are in the school. There will be coffee involved to help you make your mind up!

If you would like to help, on all or any of these days, please email me directly. A big thank you in advance from all of us in Prep.

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

Redlands House and Transition Gold

Medication

Redlands House has strict government regulations that must be adhered to. Medication will only be administered at Redlands House Preschool if the medication is prescribed to the child or if it accompanied by a certificate of statement from the child’s doctor.

For medical conditions – If medication is to be administered at a Redlands House Preschool, a medical action plan is to be provided by the child’s parents/guardians.

For illness – If medication is to be administered at a Redlands House Preschool, a medical record is to be completed and signed by the child’s parents/guardians.Please ask educators for a medical form.

In the case of an emergency – If medication is to be administered at a Redlands House Preschool in the case of an emergency, verbal permission can be obtained by an educator from the child’s parents/guardians. In the case of an anaphylaxis or asthma emergency medication can be administered without authorisation.

Medication will be stored in a child proof medication area (either within the fridge or cupboard as appropriate). Under no circumstances should medication be left in the child’s bag or in a place accessible to any children.

School Photos for Redlands House

Sandpit Photos will be at Redlands House on Tuesday 8 March and Thursday 10 March. They will take individual photos and class photos of all Senior, Junior and Transition Gold students, these photos will be available to families several weeks later. There is nothing to do prior to the visit. After the visit they will provide each family with a set of photographs and you can select the photos you would like to purchase.

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

Maximising Wellbeing & Minimising Risk

The Sport Department is working closely with the Redlands Executive to observe all guidance from the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, as we seek to safely maximise sporting opportunities for our students in 2022, (concurrently minimising the potential for Covid transmission).

Our approach to planning for the safest possible resumption of Sports Activities includes:

Please click on this link to access the Redlands – Covid-19 Sport Protocols for this Saturday. This document will provide you with an overview of the current protocols that are in place at each of the Redlands home sporting venues. The Sports Administrators will communicate with families directly on the requirement in place at ‘away’ venues each week.

 Mask-wearing

• Mask-wearing is required when traveling between sports venues and on school grounds (this includes students walking or traveling by bus to or from school).

• Secondary School students must always wear masks at indoor sports venues when not exercising, including in change room and bathroom facilities.

Change-Rooms and Uniform

• In order to minimise large groups of students mixing in changing rooms, students have permission to wear their PE uniform to school on days they have Sport training.

 Representative Sport

• Students whose Representative Sport training session is not scheduled on Thursday afternoon will be dismissed from school at 2.30pm.
• Sport Specific information is also available to families on the Secondary School Sports Page on Redlands Pulse.

Swimming

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the 2022 Redlands Swimming Carnival has been postponed until Tuesday 14th June 2022, Term 2, Week 8.

We are asking all Redlands students who are keen to represent Redlands at the ISA Swimming Championships to complete the ISA Swimming Registration (please note students only will have access to the Google Survey, via their Redlands School email address). The ISA Swimming Championships on Wednesday 9 March 2022 (Term 1, Week 6).

Please note this date is a direct clash with Year 7 Camp, so unfortunately students in Year 7 are unable to compete in this year’s ISA Swimming Championships.

Registrations are currently open and will close at 6.00pm Tuesday 1March (Term 1, Week 5).

If you have any questions, please contact Mr Ellis in the Sports Department cellis@redlands.nsw.edu.au.

More information regarding the ISA Carnival will be available on Redlands Pulse Swimming in the coming weeks.

Winter Sport Registrations

On Monday 21 February, the 2022 Winter Sport Registration process will open, students will be emailed this link via their Year Group iLearn page. Registrations close on Thursday 3 March at 4:00pm. Students and Parents should read the preliminary information on Redlands Pulse – Winter Sport to gain and understanding of the sporting commitments required for the winter season.

Please note: those students (including current Yr 12) who completed a non-rep summer sport must complete a Winter Representative Sport

Fixtures

A friendly reminder that the weekly Fixtures (The Redlands Rhino) can be found on the Secondary School Sport page on Redlands Pulse or on the Redlands App from Wednesday each week. Please ensure you check this on Friday each week to ensure you have the most up to date fixture information.

Attendance at Sport

Over the past few weeks, we have had a significant number of students missing from their training sessions and fixtures. While we do understand that students do fall ill between Friday and Saturday morning, can we please draw your attention to the following communication processes to assist the Sports Department with the management of programs during the week at training and Saturday fixtures.

1. Parents are required to send an email to the appropriate Sports administrator prior to missing any training session asking for them to be excused 
2. 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
3. Injured students are required to attend all training sessions and Saturday fixtures
4. Failure to do any of the above will jeopardise a student’s eligibility for Colours, Pockets, and Awards & result in school disciplinary action

Please note that the first unexplained absence will result in a lunchtime detention with further unexplained absences escalating to a Friday afternoon Detention. Please refer to the Student Planner 2022 for full details on requirements for participating in a Representative Sport.

Key Contacts

Representative Sport

Touch Football

There was some great Touch Football played out at Oakhill College and St Pauls Grammar School on Saturday, with the Boys managing to get some games under their belt, while the weather played havoc with the Girls teams. The Snr A boys had a tough initiation into the ISA Division 1 Boys system, taking on the Oakhill 1 team who boast 7 of the ISA representative team that took out the NSWCIS Championships last year. The boys worked hard throughout the match and certainly took a lot out of the game for next week. The Jnr A boys were unlucky in their match, going down 5-8 to Oakhill also, again a great first hit out for the boys. The Jnr B boys had a strong win in their first match also against Oakhill with some impressive play across both halfs of Touch. The Jnr C boys had a more challenging time, taking on a very strong St Pauls Grammar School team. In a one-sided first half the boys really looked at the 2^nd half for improvement with some strong passages of play, allowing them to score 2 tries through the middle.

Basketball

It was great to see so many of our students back in action and playing basketball again on Saturday in what was the first round of the ISA Basketball Season for 2022. In the Girls Basketball, tensions were high as the ISA have moved to the first-past-the-post format. We had our teams competing against Barker, SACS and St Pauls. With some great competition and some close results, the Girls program came away with four wins (1^st Girls, Inter A Girls, Junior B Girls and Year 7A Girls), one draw (Junior A Girls) and three losses. The Boys Basketball also had some great contests over the weekend, coming away with four wins (15C, 15E, 14B and 13C) and eleven losses. Due to the late changes in the competition fixtures, not all of our Boys teams were able to play on Saturday but have been preparing hard for their first game this weekend.

We had a number of students attend ISA Basketball trials on Monday. A huge congratulations to the following students who were selected into the ISA team: Meera Coburn (Open Girls), Emilie Bessell (Open Girls), Eva Osborn (Open Girls), Nikola Barac (Open 1^st Boys) and Oliver Kebsy (Open 1^st Boys). We wish these students the best of luck as they represent the ISA in their upcoming fixtures/competitions.

The Friends of Basketball AGM will be held on Monday 21 February at 6pm. This meeting will be held over Zoom, you can find the link by clicking here. If you would like to be considered for a position on Friends of Basketball, or if you are interested in being involved in any capacity, please join the meeting on Monday.

A reminder to make Redlands Pulse your primary source of information for any sport related questions. The most up to date Basketball information can be found under the Basketball page including the training schedule, Basketball handbook and draft season fixtures. A reminder that the most up to date fixtures are available on Redlands Pulse under the “Redlands Rhino (fixtures)” tab  or the Redlands App on Tuesday afternoon of each week for the upcoming Saturday.

Best of luck to all teams this Saturday 19 February. 

Sailing

Last weekend our Redlands sailors competed in their first round of the Redlands Series for the year, giving them the opportunity to compete against each other. In the Pacer division, Alissandra Braden and her crew Conner Ikin took out first place, followed by Izaac Nisbet and his crew Caitlin Edwards in second and Alex Gibbs and his crew Hugo Baird in third. Meanwhile in the Elliott division, both teams tied on overall points, however Isabella Treloar and her crew; Eliza Osborne, Marlon Giacco, Jerry Sun and Ruairi Lambert, managed to win the final race of the day, making them the overall champions.

This week, our sailors will be training to compete at the Pittwater Secondary Schools Teams Racing Championships, taking place this Friday and Saturday.

Tennis

Congratulations to Tristan Wong (Year 10) on being selected in the ISA Boys Tennis team. He will now represent ISA at the CIS trials. Congratulations also to Isaac Swann (Year 10) and Kabir Yohannan (Year 10) on being named reserves for the ISA Boys Tennis team. 

It was great to see students back on the courts last weekend after a long hiatus from competition. There were some great displays of talent amongst the students which I’m sure will only get better as the season continues. It was pleasing to see students’ excellent sportsmanship on display win, lose, or draw.

A reminder for Round 2 (19 February) this weekend:

• If you are unable to attend Saturday competition, please email Luke Jeffery by no later than 12pm on Friday.
• Please check the draw and playing pairs list to see when/where/who you are playing.
• For any questions, please email Luke Jeffery.

Please join me in wishing the Tennis students all the best for their upcoming matches this weekend!

Wet Weather

General

In the event that training is cancelled due to wet weather, a notification will be posted on the Redlands Sport Twitter page (@RedlandsSport) in addition, an email will be sent out to both students and parents. This includes morning and afternoon training along with weekend fixtures.

Thursday afternoon sport – wet weather arrangements (Year 8-12)
In order to limit student mixing indoors, Students in Year 8-12 who are dismissed at the end of Period 5 are required to go directly home. Sport coaches and Redlands staff will supervise their COVID-safe departure. 

Thursday afternoon sport – wet weather arrangements (Year 7)
In the event that year 7 sport is cancelled on Thursday afternoon, students will remain at school until 3.10pm and participate in cohort-based activities.

Thursday afternoon – early departure (Year 8-12)
As we attempt to limit student mixing indoors, there will be no classroom supervision for students who do not have any scheduled sport training on a Thursday afternoon. Therefore, students who do not have training on Thursday afternoon will have permission to leave early.

Fitness Centre

With Summer Sport up and running and our Winter Sport athletes beginning their prep for the 2022 ISA Season the Fitness Centre is the perfect place to build strength, work on speed and improve endurance. All students can access the morning sessions which run Monday–Friday and start promptly at 6.30am. We have had brilliant numbers across the sessions with over 35 students attending our Wednesday morning session this week.

In addition, starting from next week, the Fitness Centre will also be open to all students on Wednesday afternoon. This afternoon session will be targeted towards specific areas of development such as speed, power and flexibility. For all of our Winter Rep. Athletes, this Wednesday afternoon session is a fantastic way to prepare for the upcoming season. As well as the Wednesday Open Session, Monday will be a specific session for our 1st Boys Basketball. This session can also be accessed by specific athletes who have had prior permission from the Director of Athletic Development Mr Jack Gooding.

Students are reminded to bring with them the following.

• A water bottle
• Towel
• Redlands PE / Sports Uniform

Sports and students are asked to contact the Director of Athletic Development Mr Jack Gooding jgooding@redlands.nsw.edu.au for any specific questions regarding these sessions.

Trainer of the Week

Following on from Isaac Brooks efforts from last week we have another Redlands Trainer of the Week. For this week, the winner is none other than Heidi De Saxe. Heidi has been one of our strongest and most committed members of our Fitness Community and through COVID would often attend multiple sessions each day. Heidi has continued her efforts to start Term 1 and has achieved some incredible results including moving an amazing 72.5kg on the Trap Bar Deadlift for a whopping 15 reps. Heidi is an active member of the Junior As for Redlands Touch Football and will also be representing Redlands in Netball for the Winter Season.

Student Achievement – Hockey

A huge congratulation to Sebastien Griffith who, following an intensive 2 days of trial, has been selected to play in the NSW U18 Hockey Team. We wish him all the very best of luck over the representative Hockey season and look forward to hearing further updates!

Redlands Running Academy

If your teenager(s) has an interest in running and would like to build fitness for the Redlands XC Carnival at the end of the term, there will be a Wednesday morning running group called the ‘Redlands Running Academy’ for selected students which will meet every Wednesday morning at 6.20am in the Senior Campus Undercroft for a continuous half hour run, returning to school by 7.15am. For more information please email sports@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Mrs Alison Cox
Head of Secondary School Sport
acox@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Junior Sport

In what proved to be a rain free Saturday we got under way with our Representative Sports Program with all matches taking place, with the exception of Touch Football. Our newest students to the Junior School started their representative sport career with all of our Yr 3 and Year 4 teams securing a win over Newington at home in Basketball. Our Yr 5 and Yr 6 Tennis teams played some great single and double matches and securing two wins. Our Girls Football had a great start to their season and playing at home on Redlands Oval all season is a bonus for both parents too. A reminder that entry to the oval for Girls Football matches on Saturday is through the oval gate on Murdoch St. Our Yr 5 and Yr 6 Basketball teams had a tough first round against Mosman but played some good basketball over the morning.

As outlined last week, the draw (Saturday morning matches) for coaches, parents and staff will be ‘live’ in nature and will be available via the link below which allows you to filter the draw by sport and even team. Sport draws and changes are never emailed to parents and due to changes that may come through so please do not print this out. When changes to times and or grounds come through from host schools during the week, these will automatically update this draw on your device. I have also included the addresses of the venues within the host school to save time and stress once you arrive at a venue with 25 playing fields and you have to find Field 1b. Please spend some time navigating and saving this document on your phone or device

2022 Summer Sport Draw

Representative Sport Student Absence

Again a reminder that 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.

2022 Summer Sport Team Lists

Please check these as there have been a few changes to teams over the last few days. Students have been told it is their responsibility to check the team lists, see if there any team changes that affect them and then cross check new times in the draw. That way it avoids students being moved teams turning up at the incorrect time and or venue.

Winter Sport Selection

Thank you to those families who completed their Winter Sport Preference last Friday. All the students have been sorted into their nominated sports and can be viewed below. If you are happy with your selection there is nothing else to do. If you wish to change sports please email Junior Sport with the change (name and class of your child and the sport they want to come out from and the new sport they wish to enter into). Please note there are no changes to any sports after 4.00pm Friday 18 February.

2022 Winter Sport Review

2022 Winter Sport Information

Cross Country Preparation

As you would be aware all students in their PE lesson have been undertaking the 20m multistage fitness test, commonly referred to as the Beep Test’. Once all classes have completed this a grade average will be advertised, those above the grade average will run in the championship run, those below the fun run. Both runs take place over the same course, both have ribbons for place getters. Our new venue is Tunks Park Cammeray with the carnival taking place Tuesday 8 March. A fly over of the course can be viewed here. 2022 Course Video. If you can manage to get down to Tunks park for a walk or run before the event that always settles nerves on race day. A more detailed note and package will be emailed shortly.

Student Absence

For those students who are representing Redlands in fixtures on Saturdays and will miss their game due to illness or misadventure, parents/carers 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.

Norths Junior Rugby Under 6-Under 12

Rugby is a sport that we aim to grow at Redlands. Currently we have a large number of families who are involved in Norths Rugby. Norths Junior Rugby are a local community rugby club, teaching boys and girls from age 5 the skills, philosophy and sense of community of rugby union. With their home ground based at Tunks Park, the club is part of the Northern Suburbs District.

MINIS

Games are played on Saturdays in the Gordon District Minis comp

U6 – 7 players a side | 2 x 10min halves on a small field | NO TACKLING

First year of rugby union with a strong emphasis on participation, enjoyment and making new friends. There is no tackle or ruck/maul but a two-handed grab low (tag) on the shorts.

U7 – 7 players a side | 2 x 15min halves on a small field | NO TACKLING

Development is centered around catch and pass, again with a strong emphasis on participation and having fun. Introduction of non-contested three person scrums and two-person line outs.

U8 – 7 players a side | 2 x 15min halves on a small field | INTRODUCTION OF TACKLE

First introduction of tackle and the ruck contest. The safe practices of the tackle and ruck maul are taught by “Smart Rugby” accredited coaches.

U9 – 10 players a side | 2 x 20min halves on a small field | 5 person scrum

More positional play is encouraged, and the team increases to 10 with an uncontested 5-person scrum and line out while still on a half-sized field. The opportunity remains for everyone to safely try all positions on the field.

JUNIORS

Games are played on Sundays in the Sydney Junior Rugby Union comp

U10 – U11 – Graded 12 players a side | 2 x 20min halves on a fuller field Games include competitive scrums and line outs. Conversions, kicks in general play and semi and grand finals are other changes to the first year of juniors. The

competition covers the Sydney Metropolitan area on a home and away basis.

U12 – U16 – Graded 15 players a side | 2 x 25min halves on a full-sized field

For more information, please click here

Have a great term.

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

Ballet and Dance

Academy Staff

We are delighted to welcome three new dance teachers to the Academy this term:

Texas Nixon Kain – Contemporary Teacher

Texas had previously undertaken a Bachelor degree in Contemporary dance at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Whilst in London, she participated in the Tate Exchange program, which included a self choreographed performance at Tate Modern. She was part of a series of contemporary pop-up dance performances at the festival ‘Our City Dances’ in Brighton, England. She also worked within  ‘COLAB’ which is Trinity Laban’s ‘eccentric two week festival of creativity and innovation’, where she was involved in a collaborative project with both dancers and musicians, working together to culminate in a live performance, including dance and film, inspired by stimulus of 1950s musicals and the adaptation to contemporary dance and music. Upon her return to Australia, she continued her training and graduated from Sydney Dance Company’s pre-professional year. Within the last year, Texas has performed a series of improvisational works, those being in relation to Lindy Lee’s artwork last year at Art Month, and also had the opportunity to perform a similar score at an opening at the Opera House. Texas has most recently just finished up a season at Carriageworks, performing 3 new debut works by Gabrielle Nankivell, Omer Backley-Astrachan and James Vu Anh Pham.

Alex Frost – Contemporary Teacher

Alex Frost commenced her dance training at the age of three. She has trained in a variety of dance styles including Classical Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop and Musical Theatre. She achieved up to Advanced 1 Level from the Royal Academy of Dance while training with the Teresa Johnson Ballet School in Sydney. Alex has completed a Diploma of Elite Performing Arts at Brent Street Performing Arts and is currently undetaking a Bachelor of Dance Practice at the Australain College of Physical Education.

Alex has a strong passion for choreogrpahy and dance production, appreciating the strength of performing arts in both the dance and commercial world. Her teaching focuses on raising the dance skills and capabilities of each student whilst helping them to build their uniqueness in the world of dance.

Mari Ohanes – Tap & Broadway Jazz Teacher

Mari has been dancing for 17 years. As a student of Macquarie Performing Arts (MPA), she is trained in Ballet, Jazz and Tap at vocational Advanced 2 level as well as Contemporary, Character, Musical Theatre and Acrobatics. For the past four years she has held a teaching and choreographer role at MPA and JDance Performance Studios, teaching British Ballet Organisation (BBO) Exam syllabus classes as well as open classes. Mari’s first national level achievement was at the 2009 Showcase National Dance Championships. She was awarded the title of National Champion in Jazz and Tap for her age group, as well as her own student choreography. Multiple BBO Dance Theatre awards as well as BBO Dance Scholarships have allowed Mari to train with the BBO in both the UK and New Zealand. As the Principal Dancer for the Nairi Dance Group and Soloist for the Hamazkaine Sevan Dance Group, Mari has toured Sydney, Melbourne and Armenia with cultural Armenian folk dance. Aside from her teaching career, Mari studies a double degree in a Bachelor of Speech, Hearing and Language Sciences and a Bachelor of Human Sciences majoring in Brain and Cognitive Science. She aims to complete her masters within the field in coming years. 

We also say farewell to tap teacher Ms. Mikalah who leaves us to move into a full time position in Events/Sales Coordination. We wish Mikalah every success in her new career.  

Classes This Week

Above are our Kindergarten Ballet students practising their First Position with Ms Debbie.

Our Yr 7/8/9 Ballet Program Class (above) working on Écarté Derrière with Ms Traynor.

Activities Fair

Our Dance captain Kyle Banfield kindly manned the Ballet and Dance Academy stall at the Redlands Activies Fair last Friday. Despite the wet, blustery weather our stall looked resplendent, thanks to our incredible collection of costumes on display. Thank you to all those secondary students who came over for a chat and signed up for Dance, we will be in touch soon. And if you are interested in any of our classes for Term1 please email us dance@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Friends of Ballet and Dance (FoBD)

Dear Parents/Carers,

Friends of Ballet and Dance (FOBD) would like to invite interested parents to a morning tea (details below):

Thursday 24 Feb @ 10:30am | La Baguette, Shop 2 / 202-212 Military Road, Neutral Bay

This is a great opportunity to meet other parents across different age groups and to catch up on all things “Dance”. 

Ms Revie will come along to say a quick “Hello”.

Can’t Come to Class?

Please do not forget to let us know if sickness, injury or change of circumstance has occurred. Please send an email to dance@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Any Questions?

Please contact us at dance@redlands.nsw.edu.au. The start of term is a very busy time for our team but rest assured we are here to help and we thank you for your patience at this time. 

Ms G Revie
Head of Ballet and Dance
grevie@redlands.nsw.edu.au
02 9908 6488 

Drama and Theatre

What a busy few weeks it has been in the Drama and Theatre world. From the Activities Fair to Junior Theatresports, students are finding their feet and rhythm when coming back to face to face learning. 

Musical Update 

All musical families have been added to the Shrek iLearn page. Rehearsals are going fabulously and are thrilled after the Act 1 run. 

Tickets 

Tickets will go on sale in March. More details to follow 

Schedule  

A reminder to keep checking iLearn and pulse for the weekly updated schedule. 

Extra-subject Drama and Theatre 

Classes are going well. If you want to enrol your child please contact drama@redlands.nsw.edu.au. Some classes are at capacity and have a waitlist. 

Reminder: Please ensure you email drama@redlands.nsw.edu or your childs class tutor about absences prior to the lesson. 

Highlight of the Week: Preparatory School 

Prep Music Theatre: “We had fun today singing Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, acting like monsters and dancing like Gummy Bears” 

Highlight of the Week: Junior School 

Yr 3 Acting: “ We are on an island as coconut kitties and we are in charge! How fun” 

Highlight of the Week: Senior School 

Yr 11 and 12 HSC Drama Onstage excursion

“The program featured a selection of exemplary group and individual projects from 2021 Higher School Certificate Drama students including performances, video drama and a moved reading of a script. The energy in the theatre was palpable and it was awesome to see the hard work other drama students have done to achieve such incredible performances”. 

Key Dates 

Drama and Theatre Department 
drama@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9860

Music

Living my best Redlands life…

The Activities Fair on the Senior Campus last week saw the Senior Music Captains spruiking the myriad offerings available to our Redlands musicians!  This video on the Redlands LinkedIn page conveys some of the buzz of the day! Most exciting was the resulting new faces that found their way into our ensembles this year!

Making music with others provides our students with a powerful sense of belonging and wellbeing as we work towards shared goals and in collective pursuit of excellence and expression. 

Last Call for Enrolments!

If you’ve yet to sign up, there’s still time to jump on board! You will find the electronic sign up forms for all our offerings on PULSE, with enrolments for all offerings in Term One closing Monday 21 February 2022. 

CLICK HERE TO JOIN A COCURRICULAR ENSEMBLE
Choirs, Bands, String, Guitar, Piano & Chamber Ensembles

CLICK HERE TO ENROL IN PRIVATE TUITION
Lessons, Rock Bands, Sound Engineering & Musicianship Classes

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR LOCKER HIRE (SENIOR)

Updated Policies for 2022

With all our ‘sign up’ forms now digitised and accessible via Pulse, we have also collated the revised Terms and Conditions for 2022 of all our services in one document, and these too are readily available on Pulse.

Tuition Record Books

2022 has seen the long awaited refresh of our Tuition Record Books.  Each student is issued with and required to use the Redlands Tuition Report book as a means of documenting learning and facilitating home & school / tutor & parent communication. The cost of these custom exercise books is $5, which is billed directly to the school account as issued.

We look forward to a continued partnership and freeflowing communication with you within this resource, as we work together to further the Music Education of your child.

Friends of Music Meeting – Thursday 24 February 2022 at 7pm

Parents and Community Members are invited to join us next Thursday for our ‘Friends of Music’ launch meeting for 2022 via Zoom at 7pm.  Our mantra for the year is ‘just give what’s in your hand’.  There are no round pegs and square holes in this team – just you, and whatever big or small thing you would like to add in support of the opportunities for our young musicians. 

This is such a great way to get to know others in our community and to be close to the action as your child grows in their musicianship. A wonderful year is ahead!

CLICK THIS LINK  to join us via Zoom Next Thursday 

SAVE THE DATE!
Jazz In The Garden – Saturday 19 March 2022 at 6pm

With rehearsals for Jazz Ensembles commencing this week, preparations are already underway for this exciting Launch Event for 2022!  Students enrolled in the Jazz Program will be taking to the stage in the Fahl Garden (weather permitting – Edwards Auditorium is our backup!). Should restrictions at the time allow, our hope is that this might be a BYO family picnic event.

Stand by for confirmation closer to the date! Rehearsals for this event will take place between 2.00pm-6.00pm throughout the afternoon prior to the event. More information to come!

SAVE THE DATE!
Battle of the Bands – Monday 4 April 2022 at 6pm

In conjunction with our Rock Band Specialists, the determined theme for this year’s Battle of the Bands is (DRUM ROLL!)…. Music from the 90’s!

The Battle of the Bands supports our emerging contemporary musicians. The competition is open to students in Years 7-12 and features our Junior School Rock Bands as featured performers (in a competition free context), as well as successfully auditioned ‘Unplugged’ solo or duos acts.

Auditions for the UNPLUGGED SOLOS / DUOS opens tomorrow for all students via video upload to the Music Department Auditions page until next Friday 25 February 2022. More information is available on iLearn, though essentially a 2 minute video excerpt of your proposed performance piece is required for the UNPLUGGED categories. Auditions for the BANDS category will be facilitated by our Rock Band Tutors, with filmed auditions being made and submitted during rehearsals in Week 4.  

Junior & Senior Piano Competitions – Monday 29 April 2022 from 4-8pm

We are very excited that Piano Competitions are back on the horizon! Junior auditions are being managed by the Junior Music Office, while Senior students are directed to the Music Department Auditions page on iLearn. Please enquire at your campus Music Office for more information on the audition process for your division.

Music Ensembles Supervision

For ensembles that rehearse before school, please be reminded that there is no supervision for students until 10 minutes (and only 10 minutes after) any scheduled ensemble. Please ensure that students are not left without appropriate care. 

Instrument Insurance & Instrument Care

Learning to take care of an instrument is an important part of the music-learning journey. As instruments are valuable and fragile, we thank our parents for partnering with us to ensure that students do not let other children play with their Redlands instruments, that that instruments are kept in a safe place and away from extreme or rapidly fluctuating  temperatures (i.e. hot cars, in a room with direct sunlight etc). Always make sure Instruments are stored in their cases when not being played. 

It is our expectation as a condition of hire that school hired instruments are included on each family’s personal home and contents insurance. Redlands is not liable for the loss, theft or damage of hire instruments while in a loan agreement. 

We’re here to help!

Please reach out to the Music Office of your respective Campus if we can assist you with any Music-related matter.

The Music Department wishes you a lovely week.

Amy Richardson

Director of Music

juniormusic@redlands.nsw.edu.au
seniormusic@redlands.nsw.edu.au

Prep and Junior Music

Secondary Music