From the Principal

One of the great pleasures in working with young people in education is that they regularly inspire you with their energy, resilience, positive outlook and hope for the future.

Our Year 12 leaders wanted to do something special today to lift the spirits of the students and staff and as usual they came up with a creative initiative. I have just come from Redlands Hall where a group of our Yr 12 students performed a medley of songs from the musical Grease (that unfortunately has been postponed), with the performance being streamed online to every Tutor Group meeting in the Secondary School.

The sense of fun, energy and enjoyment beamed into classrooms around the School, with students joining in and other staff around the Campus also having the opportunity to watch online. I was so impressed by their leadership and care for the community and it was wonderful to see smiling faces both in Redlands Hall and via Zoom online in the classrooms and offices. You can sing along and dance to their performance here. 

One aspect of the current situation we are all dealing with that has become abundantly apparent is that we are all connected, locally, nationally and globally. Our common humanity across the globe is amplified, we start to recognise that decisions made at all levels and around the globe have a ripple effect far and wide, and that we are dependent on so many others who we at times take for granted.

This is not only a time for us to value those dear to us, our family and friends, but also to think beyond our immediate circle and our commitment to our broader society and in seeking creative ways in which we can make a difference. It may have been a brief performance but today we were reminded by our students of the importance of looking outwards, and that in giving we all receive so much more than expected. 

We are looking forward to a day of remote learning tomorrow with students and teachers collaborating in our virtual classrooms, with students learning from home and teachers at school delivering and overseeing lessons. We have our Sports Department running an online physical training session for our students from 6.45am to get the day of remote and online learning started. The subsequent feedback from staff and students will enable us to further refine our remote learning processes, should the need for a more sustained period of remote learning eventuate.

Mr Corcoran, Mr Guha and Mrs Fellowes have reinforced the arrangements for tomorrow in each of their sections of Note Day, so could you please read their sections closely. I would just reiterate that all students will be assumed to be present for learning tomorrow from home unless parents notify the School that their child is unwell via the usual absentee email.

I would also like to advise that this weekend there will be a thorough cleaning and sanitisation treatment of all internal areas of both campuses, including classrooms, offices, bathrooms and halls. This is in addition to the increased daily wiping and sanitising of all surfaces, chairs, handles, handrails and light switches throughout all areas of the School and the wiping and sanitising of School buses prior to and after each trip. This is not due to any current student or staff diagnosis, as you would be informed if this was the case, it was a good opportunity to implement this as an additional measure due to no activities being held on campus this weekend.

I also draw your attention to the School’s COVID-19 Information Page on Redlands Pulse which provides the latest updated information from the School, an updated list of cancellations and postponements and other resources for parents.  

The development of the New Learning Hub on our Senior Campus has been progressing as per plans and it has been exciting to see it unfold from the scaffolding. We are grateful to all our partners and community for supporting this transformative project.  

Stephen Webber

Photo caption: Uplifting students and staff, Yr 12 students performed songs from the musical Grease with the performance being streamed online to every Tutor Group.

Foundation

Legacy Gift of Class of 2020 (Yr 12)

We are proud to announce that the Class of 2020 will continue to support the Redlands Foundation Scholarship Appeal whilst generating funds towards their class gift to the School. The cohort have collectively decided on purchasing a ping pong table which will be situated in the green space around the New Learning Hub for students to enjoy once this new facility is open.

The members of the core team are: Caroline Bates, Grace Bracks, Yasmin Gupta, Saskia Jane, Faith Oosthuizen and James Reid (photo at top). This team will be leading fundraising initiatives which the whole cohort will participate in.

We will advise more news on their efforts in due course. Congratulations to the Legacy Gift team and the Class of 2020!

New Learning Hub Update

The New Learning Hub has unfolded from the scaffolding on the Monford Place side. We are grateful to all our donors and community for supporting this transformative project.

The Family Plaque campaign will have to close in a few weeks. If you still wish to secure your Family Plaque on the Donor Recognition Wall, please click here.

Second Hand Uniform Sale

This event has been cancelled, more details to follow at a later date.

Alumni

Redlanders Alumni Business Breakfast

Unfortunately this event is postponed in April. We greatly appreciate your interest in joining us and hopefully we will be able to announce a new date in the near future.

Industry Visits

This event is postponed. Thank you all the families and Alumni who offered their support to host it for our Yr 10 students. We look forward to bringing more information about this initiative in the coming months.

Reunion News

The Class of 1990 30 Year reunion is postponed. We would like to thank Annie Flynn and Paul Economides for their support and enthusiasm towards this event. Whilst at Redlands, this cohort witnessed much evolution and change at Redlands. The early 1990s saw our first cohort of IB students preparing for their final examinations in what was then Yr 13 (the year after HSC students had graduated). The Junior School (previously Cremorne Girls High school) also opened to students, expanding the size of our School. 

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

RPFA

Second Hand Uniform Sale

This second hand uniform sale is cancelled.

Walks on Tracks Is Still On

Wednesday 25 March at 8.40am
Seaforth – meet at the roundabout in Seaforth at the junction of Sydney Road and Frenchs Forest Road
Dogs welcome

Any questions, please call Ann Marie Kimber on 0406 691 533.

Book Club

Our next meeting to discuss A Match Made in Mehendi by Nandini Bajpai is postponed.

Please email Lerida Grant on lerida@bigpond.net.au for more information.

Upcoming Events

All events are cancelled or postponed until further notice. 

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

COVID-19 Update

These are certainly unprecedented times for our community. Some of you will have greater concerns for your child’s health and the health of family members and loved ones, and we understand that these concerns should be paramount for you and your families at this time.

This is a rapidly evolving situation and senior leaders are meeting regularly (now via video link) to assess all of the information and advice as it comes to hand before making decisions for the best of our community. We are aiming to communicate as quickly, clearly and efficiently as possible so that staff, students and parents have the necessary information at hand. Again, please refer to the School’s COVID-19 Information Page for the latest updates, and any queries should be addressed to feedback@redlands.nsw.edu.au.

We also realise that this can be a particularly difficult time for the students in our care who may be concerned about their health or the health of loved ones or are worried about falling behind in their academic studies and disappointed that many of the activities they love and in which they flourish have had to be cancelled or postponed. These are all understandable reactions and we are committed to reassuring, supporting and comforting students during this time.

When we have been through challenging times in the Secondary School I have been privileged to see the best in us shine through. As I have said in times before, “our community is our strength” and I have certainly seen some of the “best” in our community this week.

Whether it was our Sports department thinking creatively with Sports training cancelled and refitting our Fitness Centre into a mini television studio to live cast fitness sessions for staff and students to participate in remotely, starting Friday morning (Richard Simmons and Jane Fonda – watch out!).

Whether it was some of our Yr 12 leaders reaching out to me with some ideas about how they, as student leaders, could lift school spirt and organising a live streamed Grease sing along in Tutor period today (and it wasn’t just the students joining in!). Click here to view video.

Whether it was feedback from a member of the community earlier this week who witnessed a “random act of kindness” by some of our senior students who came to the assistance of an elderly lady who had fallen down in a crowd outside of Woolworths.

Our community is our strength.

I wanted to once again briefly outline some of the measures we have been putting in place this week.

Remote Teaching and Learning

As you are aware, Friday we will be conducting a full school trial of our remote teaching and learning platforms. While more detailed information can be found on the Secondary School page of Pulse, some key information is below:

• Students should follow their timetable of classes for the day, commencing with Period 1 at 8.20am.
• If a student is “absent” tomorrow and will be unable to participate in the remote learning classes, then parents should send an absent notification as per usual to ssabsence@redlands.nsw.edu.au.
• Teachers will use Zoom video conferencing software at the beginning of the lesson to check in with students and complete the roll. If the student is unable to connect with the teacher in this manner, they will be able do so via one of the collaborative tools that has been set up in iLearn (eg – Google Docs, a Discussion, etc.) or via a direct email to the teacher. Teachers will determine to what extent Zoom is used for the rest of the lesson, depending on the activities set out.
• Each lesson, with associated learning activities, resources and assignments, will be available for students to work through remotely on their individual iLearn Class pages.
• Students will check in with Tutors via Zoom and their Tutor Group iLearn pages during the scheduled Tutor period.
• Students should wear PE uniform for the day.
• Students are required to have an appropriate virtual or actual background any time they are using Zoom to video conference into a lesson (eg. a plain wall as background).
• Students are expected to follow appropriate online behaviour as outlined in the Responsible User Guidelines in the Student Planner.

Social Distancing Measures

We have been putting in place a number of social distancing measures in the Secondary School, including:

• Cancelling all assemblies, Year Group meetings, Chapels and other associated large organised gatherings of students until further notice.
• Cancelling, postponing or altering cocurricular, Service activities and excursions.
• Limiting the number of students using the Library at any time and cancelling the before school and after school Study Centre until further notice.
• Altering some of the practices in the Canteen to limit student use at any one time.
• Spreading out students in classrooms as much as possible and moving outside for some lessons in this beautiful weather.

Wellbeing Measures

We realise the current situation can be challenging for students and we want to ensure they are emotionally supported by our Pastoral team during this time. It is important to know that students can contact their Tutor, Year Advisors and/or Counsellors if they need any additional support during this time. They can still do so in person when on site. If they are off-site, they should use a number of the other communication channels to make contact.

It is important that all of us provide calm and reasoned support during this time for the young people under our care as many of the sources of information which they might consume can lead to unhealthy worry and panic. Now more than ever, it is important to have those family conversations around the dinner table to provide them with further understanding and reassurance. Remind them it is still okay to laugh, have fun and enjoy life – even if it is a bit different for them at the moment – as the live streamed Yr 12 Grease medley in Tutor period illustrated. And finally, in this time of social distancing, it is important that we provide greater “emotional connectedness” with our children and all the people in our community. I am confident we will all come together to support each other during this time.

Parent Navigation Guide for Redlands Information Systems

This guide has been developed to help parents navigate the School’s three major information systems: Redlands Pulse, Engage and iLearn (Canvas). It can also be found in the Useful Links section of Redlands Pulse.

Uniform Update – Shorts

Please note that shorts for Secondary School boys have arrived in the Uniform Shop. These can be purchased from Friday for boys to wear as part of the summer uniform in Terms 1 and 4. Please note boys will also need to wear the long grey socks with shorts as part of this uniform.

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

Careers

University Visits/Tours

All university visits to Redlands, the annual universities tour to Canberra, and any tours or events that you may have booked with universities have all been cancelled until further notice. Where possible, webinars or Skype presentations will be arranged. Yrs 11 and 12 students will also be provided with links to receive regular updates from universities.

SAT in May Cancelled

The Collegeboard has cancelled the May test but is keeping open all other tests in 2020 at this time. If you are unsure about how this will affect you, please contact Ms Salier.

ADF Gap Year Applications Open

There are 24 gap year job roles available across the army, navy and airforce. This is only a 12 month commitment with valuable skills learnt along the way. Apply now, as places fill quickly: https://bit.ly/2U2aS3N

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

Chaplain

Innovative and courageous are two words that encourages us as we as a school community plan for the  coming weeks. It is a great encouragement that we have so quickly worked out contingencies and there is  even a buzz of expectation for our remote learning on Friday.

This reminds me of the story of Joshua in the bible. The people of God were so used to life as it had been for 40 years living in the desert under the leadership of Moses and it was all about to change. Moses had died and Joshua was taking up the role. They were not to stay in the desert but venture into the new land and begin to take it as their own. The people and especially Joshua must have been quaking in their boots. Joshua would have had all sorts of questions buzzing in his brain: Will I cope? How is it going to work? This is going to take more responsibility from me; am I up to it?

In the midst of the uncertainty God speaks wonderful words to Joshua: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

These words galvanised Joshua and the people to face changes and challenges knowing that whatever they faced, God was still sovereign and present with them; comforting, strengthening and helping.

The Lord is always ready to respond to our call to him. As we turn to him and trust him, he is with us. This is a great encouragement for us as we face the changes ahead. We might not always feel in control but we can rest in the hands of the one who is in control and from him draw strength and courage.

Both of us are keen to support you. Feel free to send an email to us (see below) if you want to chat or if you would like us to pray about anything specific confidentially. We are vigilant in praying for our community: students, staff and families, but we are pleased to pray about any specific requests. In your email please indicate if you want us to ring you.

Parents Who Pray

Our next meeting was to be  next week Tuesday 24 March however the general cancellation of meetings means that this will not take place as a gathering. I will send out prayer notes to regular attenders but if you are a person who prays and would like to have some prayer notes to pray for the whole school community, please send Bronwyn Lihou an email.

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

Ms Fiona McKenzie
Junior Campus Chaplain
fmckenzie@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9953 6022

Debating

Debating Draws

FED

As emailed to all parents and students, our participation in the FED competition has been suspended until further notice. The FED Executive is looking into postponing to Term 2 is an option. You will be notified if and when we are able to recommence later in the year.

I want to thank you for your dedication to Debating and for your excellent results in the five rounds that we have had this year. A special mention to 7B who have been undefeated.

ISDA

As emailed to all parents and students, the ISDA Executive had an extraordinary meeting this week. They have suspended all ISDA debates for the term. While they hope to be able to resume with Rounds 5, 6 and 7 in Term 2, we will know more as the weeks progress.

There will be no final rounds of ISDA for 2020 and therefore it ceases to be a competition. We are hopeful that students will get to debate three rounds in Term 2 to get more Debating experience.

Thank you for your dedication to Debating and for your results in the rounds this term. Special mention to the Yr 9 team who are undefeated!

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

Uniform Shop

Due to the ongoing situation with COVID-19 and our need to be conscious of social distancing, we would like to encourage all parents to use one of the following options when needing to purchase uniforms:

• Log onto flexischools.com.au and place an order online
• Send an email to uniformorders@redlands.nsw.edu.au with your order and payment details
• Call the Uniform Shop directly on 9968 9850 and we can take payment over the phone.

You may choose to either have your order sent to the Prep/Junior School, sent directly to your home address for an Australia Post charge of $25.00 or alternatively collect from the Shop whilst we remain open. 

If you have any questions regarding sizes, please don’t hesitate to call us.

Boys’ Shorts

A reminder the new grey shorts for boys in the Secondary School are now available to purchase.

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

Year 12

Coronavirus – Remote Learning 

As parents have been advised, this Friday students will undertake remote learning from home and we have been preparing them through Tutor Time with further Zoom and iLearn technologies. All individual lessons will be posted to class iLearn pages so that students can access this at home. Students should still be getting up and into their PDHPE gear tomorrow to sign in for their lessons throughout the day. Maintaining as much normality in this evolving and unprecedented situation is important.

For all Redlands COVID-19 updates please click here.

This SchoolTV Special Report provides parents and caregivers with some guidelines on how best to approach this topic whilst still ensuring the wellbeing of their child. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback. 

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the School for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Parent Tip from Dr Prue Salter

This is the perfect time to browse the many units Dr Prue Salter has dedicated to Working Better at Home. These will be shared with students this week and students will make a plan to ensure they are able to study from home, if required. Please use the login information below to explore her resources and work through them with your child, especially if we are to move to remote and online learning.  

Our school’s subscription details to www.studyskillshandbook.com.au are – Username: Redlands; Password: 68results

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

Year 11

Important Information Regarding Online Learning

Student work is currently being made available on all iLearn class pages for all Year Groups and all classes. This ensures that students who are at home for whatever reason are able to keep on top of their academic studies. In addition, staff and students have been learning how to use Zoom this week, to enable them to have virtual classes if the need arises in the near future.

You will be aware that this Friday 20 March, all students are to remain at home for a practice remote learning arrangement, with staff being onsite delivering lessons through Zoom and iLearn. Students have been trained in how to use these systems during Tutor sessions this week. They are aware that they need to follow their timetabled sessions for the day, ensuring they join any Zoom sessions that are requested through iLearn, and complete any online work. Please have a conversation with your child surrounding this and ensure they ask their Teachers or Tutors if they have any questions or concerns.

Please note that there is also a dedicated COVID-19 page on Redlands Pulse for any necessary updates the school needs to communicate to parents. If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to email me.

Student Achievements

I am delighted to announce the following student achievements:

Gianni Watson won Senior Sailor of 2020 at the End of Season Sailing Presentation (see below).

Sofia Stuckmann and her partner have won Gold at the Australian Junior Beach Volleyball Championships (AJBVC) at Coolangatta Beach for the U18 group. The pair were undefeated throughout the competition.

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

Year 10

Important Information Regarding Online Learning

Student work is currently being made available on all iLearn class pages for all Year Groups and all classes. This ensures that students who are at home for whatever reason, are able to keep on top of their academic studies. In addition, staff and students have been learning how to use Zoom this week, to enable them to have virtual classes tomorrow and if the need arises in the near future.

You will be aware that this Friday 20 March, all students will learn from home for a practice remote learning arrangement, with staff being onsite delivering lessons through Zoom and iLearn. Students have been trained in how to use these systems, during Tutor sessions this week. They are aware that they need to follow their timetabled sessions for the day, ensuring they join any Zoom sessions that are requested through iLearn, and complete any online work. Please have a conversation with your child surrounding this and ensure they ask their Teachers or Tutors if they have any questions or concerns.

Please note that there is also a dedicated COVID-19 page on Redlands Pulse for any necessary updates the school needs to communicate to parents. If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to email or ring me.

Interesting Article of the Week

please read

This term’s Pastoral Care Program’s focus regarding developing resilience skills is particularly pertinent in light of the current situation.  This week I have attached a factsheet from the Australian Psychological Society.

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

Year 9

‘No act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted’ – Aesop

Pastoral Care

This week, Pastoral Care time has focused on online and remote learning preparation – including updating notifications on iLearn and familiarising ourselves with Zoom software. Tutors have allowed students time to investigate online platforms, explore any questions they may have about remote learning and process any worries they may have about the current global climate.

Remote and Online Learning

Our School is still operating with face to face teaching and learning. However, Friday 20 March has been confirmed as an at home school day with remote and online learning. More information can be found in Mr Webber’s email sent Tuesday 17 March.

School Communication

A reminder that all Redlands COVID-19 updates can be found on Redlands Pulse, please click here. Also on this page is a list of postponed or cancelled activities for each section of the School. This is updated on a daily basis and is the central source of information for parents.

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

Year 8

Coronavirus – Remote Learning 

As parents have been advised, this Friday students will undertake remote learning from home and we have been preparing them through Tutor Time with further Zoom and iLearn technologies. All individual lessons will be posted to class iLearn pages so that students can access this at home. Students should still be getting up and into their PDHPE gear tomorrow to sign in for their lessons throughout the day. Maintaining as much normality in this evolving and unprecedented situation is important.

For all Redlands COVID-19 updates please click here.

This SchoolTV Special Report provides parents and caregivers with some guidelines on how best to approach this topic whilst still ensuring the wellbeing of their child. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback. 

Yr 8 Camp

Camp information will be postponed until further notice.

Parent Tip from Dr Prue Salter

This is the perfect time to browse the many units Dr Prue Salter has dedicated to Working Better at Home. These will be shared with students this week and students will make a plan to ensure they are able to study from home, as necessary. Please use the login information below to explore her resources and work through them with your child, especially if we are to move to remote and online learning.  

Our school’s subscription details to www.studyskillshandbook.com.au are – Username: Redlands; Password: 68results

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

Year 7

Coronavirus – Remote Learning 

As parents have been advised, this Friday students will undertake remote learning from home and we have been preparing them through Tutor Time with further Zoom and iLearn technologies. All individual lessons will be posted to class iLearn pages so that students can access this at home. Students should still be getting up and into their PDHPE gear tomorrow to sign in for their lessons throughout the day. Maintaining as much normality in this evolving and unprecedented situation is important.

For all Redlands COVID-19 updates please click here.

This SchoolTV Special Report provides parents and caregivers with some guidelines on how best to approach this topic whilst still ensuring the wellbeing of their child. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback. 

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

Head of Junior School

COVID-19 Update

These are unprecedented times for us all and I am grateful to our Redlands staff for their unwavering commitment and flexible thinking as we continue to respond accordingly to the ever-evolving COVID-19 landscape. I also thank the many parents who have passed on positive feedback on the School’s communications and actions in response to government and health authority guidelines.

As regularly communicated, we continue to review and initiate measures to look after the wellbeing of students and staff and I applaud and acknowledge the students’ proactive responses, resilience and understanding of change in this unique situation that we are all faced with. In particular, we recognise that the necessary cessation of all cocurricular and sporting activities has a significant impact on the everyday life of the students and I would encourage families to continue to try to cultivate these passions outside of School in this interim period.

Like many in our community, I have family overseas and it is easy to be consumed in a 24 hour news reel watching how different countries and industries across the globe are dealing with the Coronavirus and its trail. Worrying and trying to support loved ones, particularly for many parents in the Gen X and Gen Y brackets who have children and parents to consider in equal measures, is hard and I wish all in our community and their extended family all the very best at this time and moving forward.

Junior School Remote and Online Learning: Friday 20 March

As you will be aware from the letter of 17 March (also on Redlands Pulse), our Junior and Senior Campuses (Preschool-Yr 12) are closed tomorrow to allow us to run a whole school day with remote and online learning. Our teachers will be at school to deliver and oversee these lessons and the students will learn from home.

This remote learning arrangement will enable us to refine our remote learning processes and also support students who are currently at home and not able to attend school, either through illness or parental choice to keep them at home for a range of reasons.

Please note the following points of information to support this trial process tomorrow:

• All students will be assumed to be present for learning on Friday unless parents notify the class teacher that their child is unwell via the normal process of contacting the class teacher and the Junior School Absences email.  
• Students are strongly encouraged to follow their normal morning routine and expected to get dressed into appropriate clothes for learning.
• Find a space at home that supports your child to learn at their best and still be close to you or whoever is looking after them.
• Please do contact your child’s teacher if you are having any difficulties or our IT Support team.
• Limit distractions when your child is learning.
• Encourage regular breaks from learning for them to eat, stay hydrated and be active.
• Students and families should revisit the ICT Student Responsible User Guidelines on p16-18 of their Student Planner.

There have been increasing articles providing support for families in the event of school closures and of the many I have read, this article from Dr Katie Martin is one that I wanted to share with parents as it provides a range of practical activities which also aligns with some of our thinking on remote and online learning.

Student Wellbeing 

As precautionary measures are implemented to reduce and prevent the spread of COVID-19 within our community, our students may increasingly be aware of and impacted by the situation. This may lead to feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. Rather than avoid conversations at home, parents are encouraged to keep the lines of communication open to reassure their children, dispel misunderstandings, provide developmentally appropriate information and focus on positive messages.

This special report from Michael Carr-Gregg at School-TV provides advice and support for parents on how to best approach the topic whilst supporting their children’s wellbeing.  In addition, parents might find this article from UNICEF useful as it provide tips to help comfort and protect children. Involving them and encouraging self-efficacy can assist children to feel a sense of control and purpose.

In response to children’s questions and fears, our classroom teachers have also been provided with a range of resources including picture books, animations and fact sheets. If you have concerns about the wellbeing of your child please feel welcome to contact your child’s teacher, our Dean of Students, Mrs Kourakis, or one of our School Counsellors, who also available as support.

I encourage all parents and carers to regularly refer to the designated COVID-19 page (please link) on Redlands Pulse for the latest information and additional resources for parents to support children’s wellbeing at this time.

Student Arrival and Departure

With no activities currently in place before and after school until further notice, please be reminded that students should arrive to school at 8.00am and be collected at 3.20pm. We had a large group of students playing unsupervised on the oval from 7.40am yesterday which presents a number of concerns.

Parents and Carers on Campus

In the current climate, parents are asked to minimise time on the Campus at both drop off and collection time. Please avoid congregating on the School grounds after the morning bell has rung and leave the Campus promptly after the end of the day. Your support and cooperation with this measure is appreciated.

Yr 6 Camp

Further to my extended comments about Yr 6 Camp last week, which was very fortunate to have taken place, the School was grateful to the Australian Government generously contributing funding of $20 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs, which is duly acknowledged and paid directly to the School upon completion of the excursion.

This has supported the opportunity for our students to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy. The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education.

Vacation Care – Important Information April Holidays

Please refer to the letter that was emailed to OOSH families yesterday about the cancelling of Excursions/Incursions for the April holidays. This letter can be located on Redlands Pulse (OOSH) and under the COVID-19 page. At this stage, Vacation Care will go ahead as planned. Any questions or concerns should be directed to OOSH and NOT Flexischools.

Farewell, Mrs Fellowes

Next Tuesday is the final day for our Head of Preparatory School, Mrs Audrey Fellowes. In our campus leadership roles, Audrey and I have worked closely over the last three and half years to build a stronger Junior Campus and I am grateful for her support and collaboration in this time. Regrettably, I know a number of farewell events have had to be cancelled as we restrict larger gatherings but as she returns to Queensland to take up the Head of Primary role at Clayfield College, I wish Audrey all the very best in this new adventure for her and her family.

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

Head of Preparatory School

Thank You

It is with mixed emotions that I write my final Note Day for Redlands. I am happy to be moving to Brisbane to be closer to family and to have the opportunity to lead a P-6 school, but equally sad to leave the Redlands community which I have been so grateful to be a part of. There are defining moments in one’s life and working alongside an exceptional team whilst leading the Prep School at Redlands has been one of mine. From my first day three and a half years ago, I was impressed by the warmth and sincerity of this community. It has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to work and learn with an outstanding staff, a dedicated and caring parent group and truly exceptional students. I am proud of the journey we have shared together, and the many accomplishments made for the benefit of our students and families. I have been deeply moved by the kind, farewell gatherings that the community have organised. Due to the current climate these will not be going ahead, but I take with me your lovely words, emails and cards, which together with many special moments, will hold a lifetime of memories. I would like to sincerely thank the Redlands Board and Executive without whose infinite support and guidance, we could not have been as successful with implementing so many initiatives. I have no doubt that the Prep School will continue to flourish under the leadership of Mrs Breckenridge and be a vibrant place where our School’s vision is upheld and will rise to the challenges of educating children in a changing world.

A genuine and heartfelt thank you to staff, parents and students in the School community for their understanding, calmness and supportiveness of both one another in these extraordinary times. Despite the gravity of events, it also presents an opportunity to show the richness and uniqueness of our school community through our ongoing warmth and compassion with one another. The School is very aware of the impact, particularly in our diverse international community, where loved ones are abroad and the anxiety this may cause.

In my 2018 Prep Presentation Day address, I shared a story about the importance of being grateful for what we have and remembering that each day is a gift in our lives. Most certainly the last few weeks have made me reflect on this. I promised some families that I would share the story once again, before I left.

If we’ve learned anything this year it’s understanding that there are no guarantees in life, life is unexpected and passes us by quickly. There was a 92 year old woman who reminded me about the importance of happiness and to be grateful for the life we have. She would wake up every morning and dress herself, put on her make-up and do her hair perfectly. One morning she was moving to a nursing home because her husband of 70 years had just passed. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she moved with her walker to the elevator a nurse provided a visual description of her tiny room.

“I love it”, she stated.

“Mrs Jones you haven’t even seen the room…just wait”, said the nurse.

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it”, she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged, it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up – I have a choice. I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones I do. Each day is a gift and as long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day and the happy memories I’ve stored away just for this time in my life.” She went on to explain, “old age is like a bank account you withdraw from what you’ve put in”.

Remote and Online Learning: Friday 20 March

As you will be aware from the letter of 17 March (also on Redlands Pulse), our Junior and Senior Campuses (Preschool-Yr 12) are closed tomorrow to allow us to run a whole school day with remote and online learning. Our teachers will be at school to continue to plan, deliver and oversee learning and the students will learn from home. 

This arrangement will enable us to refine our remote learning processes and also support students who are currently at home and not able to attend school, either through illness or parental choice to keep them at home for a range of reasons.

Please note the following points of information to support this trial process tomorrow:

• All students will be assumed to be present for learning on Friday unless parents notify the class teacher that their child is unwell via the normal process of contacting the class teacher and the Preparatory School Absences email.
• Whilst there is flexibility with the learning environment at home and understand certain constraints with Prep age students, we strongly encourage you to follow their normal morning routine and expectation to get dressed into appropriate clothes for learning.
• Find a space at home that supports your child to learn at their best and still be close to you or whoever is looking after them.
• Please contact your child’s teacher or Mrs Stacey Smith Dean of Teaching and Learning if you are having any difficulties or our IT Support team.
• Limit distractions when your child is learning.
• Encourage regular breaks from learning for them to eat, stay hydrated and be active.
• Students and families should revisit the ICT Student Responsible User Guidelines on p16-18 of their Student Planner.

There have been increasing articles providing support for families in the event of school closures and this article from Dr Katie Martin is one that the School wanted to share with parents as it provides a range of practical activities which also aligns with some of our thinking on remote and online learning.

Please view the dedicated COVID-19 Redlands Pulse page for all information and useful links.

Student Arrival and Departure 

With no activities currently in place before and after school until further notice, please be reminded that students should arrive to school at 8.00am and be collected at 3.20pm. We had a large group of students playing unsupervised on the oval from 7.40am yesterday which presents a number of concerns.

Parents and Carers on Campus

In the current climate, parents are asked to minimise time on the Campus at both drop off and collection time. Please avoid congregating on the School grounds after the bell has rung and leave the Campus promptly after the end of the day. Your support and cooperation with this measure is appreciated.

Vacation Care – Important Information April Holidays

Please refer to the letter that was emailed to OOSH families yesterday about the cancelling of Excursions/Incursions for the April holidays. This letter can be located on Redlands Pulse (OOSH) and under the COVID-19 page. At this stage, Vacation Care will go ahead as planned. Any questions or concerns should be directed to OOSHbookings@redlands.nsw.edu.au NOT Flexischools. 

The Big Dig Yr 2

Last week, Yr 2 enjoyed a wonderful excursion to The Big Dig Archaeology Centre in The Rocks. Students loved learning about the families who lived in this area in the 1800s and were riveted by the stories about their lives. By learning about archaeology and artefacts, they developed an understanding of how artefacts are used to discover what life was like in the past. Students made connections and inferences about the artefacts they saw, deepening their understanding of life in the past. However, the highlight for the students was most definitely the opportunity to become an archaeologist and dig for artefacts!

Mrs Audrey Fellowes
Head of Preparatory School
afellowes@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9848

Redlands House/Transition Gold

Thank You

It is with mixed emotions that I write my final Note Day for Redlands. I am happy to be moving to Brisbane to be closer to family and to have the opportunity to lead a P-6 school, but equally sad to leave the Redlands community which I have been so grateful to be a part of. There are defining moments in one’s life and working alongside an exceptional team whilst leading the Prep School at Redlands has been one of mine. From my first day three and a half years ago, I was impressed by the warmth and sincerity of this community. It has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to work and learn with an outstanding staff, a dedicated and caring parent group and truly exceptional students. I am proud of the journey we have shared together, and the many accomplishments made for the benefit of our students and families. I have been deeply moved by the kind, farewell gatherings that the community have organised. Due to the current climate these will not be going ahead, but I take with me your lovely words, emails and cards, which together with many special moments, will hold a lifetime of memories. I would like to sincerely thank the Redlands Board and Executive without whose infinite support and guidance, we could not have been as successful with implementing so many initiatives. I have no doubt that the Prep School will continue to flourish under the leadership of Mrs Breckenridge and be a vibrant place where our School’s vision is upheld and will rise to the challenges of educating children in a changing world.

A genuine and heartfelt thank you to staff, parents and students in the School community for their understanding, calmness and supportiveness of both one another in these extraordinary times. Despite the gravity of events, it also presents an opportunity to show the richness and uniqueness of our school community through our ongoing warmth and compassion with one another. The School is very aware of the impact, particularly in our diverse international community, where loved ones are abroad and the anxiety this may cause.

In my 2018 Prep Presentation Day address, I shared a story about the importance of being grateful for what we have and remembering that each day is a gift in our lives. Most certainly the last few weeks have made me reflect on this. I promised some families that I would share the story once again, before I left.

If we’ve learned anything this year it’s understanding that there are no guarantees in life, life is unexpected and passes us by quickly. There was a 92 year old woman who reminded me about the importance of happiness and to be grateful for the life we have. She would wake up every morning and dress herself, put on her make-up and do her hair perfectly. One morning she was moving to a nursing home because her husband of 70 years had just passed. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she moved with her walker to the elevator a nurse provided a visual description of her tiny room.

“I love it”, she stated.

“Mrs Jones you haven’t even seen the room…just wait”, said the nurse.

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it”, she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged, it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up – I have a choice. I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones I do. Each day is a gift and as long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day and the happy memories I’ve stored away just for this time in my life.” She went on to explain, “old age is like a bank account you withdraw from what you’ve put in”.

Remote and Online Learning: Friday 20 March

As you will be aware from the letter of 17 March (also on Redlands Pulse), our Junior and Senior Campuses (Preschool-Yr 12) are closed tomorrow to allow us to run a whole school day with remote and online learning. Our teachers will be at school to continue to plan, deliver and oversee learning and the students will learn from home. 

This arrangement will enable us to refine our remote learning processes and also support students who are currently at home and not able to attend school, either through illness or parental choice to keep them at home for a range of reasons.

Please note the following points of information to support this trial process tomorrow:

• All students will be assumed to be present for learning on Friday unless parents notify the class teacher that their child is unwell via the normal process of contacting the class teacher and the Redlands House Reception.
• Whilst there is flexibility with the learning environment at home and understand certain constraints with Preschool age students, we strongly encourage you to follow their normal morning routine and expectation to get dressed into appropriate clothes for learning.
• Find a space at home that supports your child to learn at their best and still be close to you or whoever is looking after them.
• Please contact your child’s teacher or Mrs Huon if you are having any difficulties with accessing Storypark.
• Encourage regular breaks from learning for them to eat, stay hydrated and be active.

Student Arrival and Departure 

With no activities currently in place before and after school until further notice, please be reminded that students should arrive to school at 8.00am and be collected at 3.20pm. We had a large group of students playing unsupervised on the oval from 7.40am yesterday which presents a number of concerns.

Parents and Carers on Campus

In the current climate, parents are asked to minimise time on the Campus at both drop off and collection time. Please avoid congregating on the School grounds after the bell has rung and leave the Campus promptly after the end of the day. Your support and cooperation with this measure is appreciated.

ACECQA – Assessment and Rating

As you may be aware, Redlands House has recently undergone Assessment and Rating by ACECQA, our governing body. Whilst we await the results, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of all staff throughout the process and particular thanks to Year Coordinator, Mrs Huon and Educational Leader, Mrs Thomas who supported all staff. Thanks also to the parents and families for their help and encouragement. Our relationships with pivotal people in the lives of our students was evident, with one assessor commenting, “You can see the love and the trust.” We hope to receive our Assessment and Rating Report before the end of Term 1 which we will share with the community.

Playing in the Prep School Playground

Many of the Redlands House families wait for older siblings at the Prep School after collecting children from Redlands House. For safety reasons, we do not allow children to play in the Prep School playground, or on the climbing equipment. Over the last few weeks several children, who are out of sight and hearing distance from their responsible adult, have had accidents in the playground. Please ensure you keep the children in your line of sight at all times.

Winter Uniform for Term 2

A reminder to families as we draw towards the end of Term 1, and the weather turns cooler, it is time to start thinking about winter uniform requirements. For Redlands House children this means a long sleeve yellow shirt with tracksuit pants, fleecy vest or fleecy jumper. For girls opting to wear tights under their skort, please make sure they are navy blue. Please also remember that the children will still require a hat each day.

Mrs Audrey Fellowes
Head of Preparatory School
afellowes@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9968 9848

Secondary Sport

redlands Rhino – Weekly Fixtures

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

Weekly Results

The Digital Age of Sport

As sport transitions into a digital environment, we encourage students to view this as an opportunity to re-focus on areas of their physical and mental development which they otherwise may not have had the time.

For many students and parents, sport provides an invaluable touch point for community connection, social interaction, mental and physical health. It is vital we maintain this connection within our school community. For this reason maintaining a degree of routine is extremely important for our students.

Our Sports department will be aiming to operate many programs digitally through the Secondary Sports iLearn page. We encourage all students to view and stay in touch with this content. Across the coming weeks, students will have access to Zoom scheduled meetings for sport specific fitness sessions. Coaches will be uploading videos of key skills for every sport which students can practice. We will have a range of tactical and analysis based tasks for students to complete at home or in a small outdoor area.

All of this content will provide an opportunity for concurrent or delayed feedback from staff or coaches. For this reason we ask parents to encourage students to use this material so they are collaborating and connecting with their peers and relevant staff in a meaningful way.

All of the content being created is aimed at either individual or partner work. With this in mind it is a great way for parents, siblings or close friends to join in and either learn a new skill or build on their own fitness.

Open Zoom Fitness Session Friday 20 March

To kick off our transition to a digital sport environment, our Sports staff will be hosting an open Zoom fitness session for any staff and students this Friday at 6.45am. Any students can sign into the Zoom meeting to be taken through a 45 minute high intensity interval work out hosted by all of our Sports staff. Students will need a towel, drink bottle and a small space to exercise in (2m x 2m). Students are encouraged sign in with a sibling, friend or even a parent who may be working from home. This is a great way to kick off the day and transition into the online learning environment. The scheduled meeting can be accessed through the Secondary Sports iLearn page and clicking on the Zoom link.

We look forward to your on going support in the coming weeks as we manage this transition to a more digital form of sport.

Tennis

Saturday was the last weekend of Tennis matches for the term, with teams playing in either a final or a playoff match. The 8.00am timeslot teams were just able to complete their matches as rain threatened, while the 10.00am timeslot teams had to fight the weather, with a couple of matches being washed out. However, a number of Redlands teams did have the opportunity to play in their scheduled Final with mixed results. Team 1 and Team 7 went back to back winners this term, both having won the Term 4 NSTA Tennis competition. Congratulations!

Teams 9 and 20 both won their Final, well done. Team 10 had a close match with the deciding set going down to a tiebreaker. Team 22 also played in the Final for their division. James and Finnigan had a challenging match against the Cammeraygal team. The opposition played extremely well, with great serving, Redlands fought hard but missed out on the win. A great effort.

Congratulations to all the Summer Tennis students on their excellent attitude at training and on court during matches. 

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

All Sports contacts can be found on Redlands Pulse.​

Junior Sport

Season Draw

REdlands Pulse

Absences

Summer Sport Wrap Up

Thank you to all students for their efforts this season with their summer sport. It was great to sit on the bench for the Yr 3/4D Basketball team against Grammar and watch them play as was described as their “best game this season”, defeating them 16-0. The teamwork was impressive, the passing clean and virtual handshakes after the game entertaining.

That ends the first part of the 2020 summer sport season, the remaining six rounds will recommence in Term 4.

Cancellation of Saturday Sport – Girls Football

We had several schools withdrawing their students on Friday evening from all Saturday sport on 13 March. We had three teams affected and quite a few other schools were left with lots of gaps with no opposition to play. Thank you to the families for their patience and understanding. The teams who did play were the 6B who had a big win over Ravenswood and our Yr 3/4 team who, although losing 5-3 to SCEGGS, did well considering they had four girls who didn’t attend.

Wednesday Sport Golf

Last Wednesday our golfers from Yrs 3 to 6 worked with golf pros at Cammeray Golf Course on making the green using irons. The explanations were clear, the students were engaged and most of all they were having fun. Yes, we had to repair some divots, some balls did go astray, some heads came up off the ball but I was very impressed with our students and how they handled the technical game of Golf.  

CIS Football Trials

On Monday we were due to have two Junior School students, Zoe Noakes and Arkie Riches, attend the trial for CIS Football. These students were selected by the Football Coaching staff based on their 2019 season but unfortunately it was called off by CIS. As with all other CIS sports and events which were cancelled, we are awaiting more information.

HICES Football and Netball Trials

Four students George Frith, Christopher Stevens, Max Taylor and Gabriel Grindlay were due to trial for possible HICES Football selection and our 6A netballers were also scheduled to attend the 2020 HICES Netball Tournament Trials. We are awaiting information from HICES on a possible reschedule.

HICES Swimming

Congratulations to Isobel Campbell who was selected for CIS Swimming for Breaststroke and IM. She was due to attend the CIS Carnival with our Junior Boys Relay team at SOPAC next week but this was cancelled and we will await an update from CIS as to the progression for these swimmers.

Winter Sport Trials

As you would be aware the Winter Sport trials for team selection scheduled to take place over the next three weeks this term have been cancelled. This has been updated in the Sports Calendar found on Redlands Pulse. The aim is for these to take place early next term.

Can I suggest that you work with your child to keep up their fitness, skills etc in an environment that works for you during this hiatus and remember good hygiene before and after activity.

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

Snowsports

FOSS – Icebreaker

FOSS invites all interested parents (not students) to their first function this year, The Icebreaker, at the Balmoral Beach Club on Thursday 30 April from 6.00-10.00pm.

Second Hand Ski and Snowboard Sale

This equipment sale is on the Senior Campus on Sunday 3 May from 1.00-3.00pm where it’s time to recycle those Redlands soft shells and Winter School uniforms as well as skis and snowboards.

Please put dates in your calendar to arrange accommodation during Race Week.

SNOWSPORTS CALENDAR and booklet 

Registration

For parents who wish their child to compete for Redlands this upcoming winter, Snowsports Representative Race Registration is now open.

register here

Race Week

Race Week is from 9-18 July at Thredbo. Bookings open next week. 

For students to stay at High Country Campus  HCC Bookings

If you have your own accommodation Own accommodation bookings

Important Dates (TO BE CONFIRMED)

More Snowsports details and dates are on Redlands Pulse. 

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

Drama and Theatre

Musical

This week some of our fabulous cast of Grease performed two songs via video link to the school community in Tutor Groups. We celebrate their achievements and look forward to seeing our performers on the stage in the future. As they say in the theatre, “the show must go online!”

The following photos from our final rehearsal last weekend highlight the enthusiasm, dedication and passion these students have for performance as part of the Redlands community.

The Shakespeare Carnival

Our wonderful Shakespearean theatre performances were videoed individually last week. These performances will be adjudicated by our Guest Judge and Redlander, Tess Haubrich. The winners will be announced soon.

More information can be found on

Redlands Pulse

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