Year 10

Upcoming Events

  • Music Awards Dinner – Week 5A: Friday 21 August
  • Summer Sport Trials – Week 6B: Thursday 27 August
  • Voice Notes: Hope in Hard Times – Week 7A: Wednesday 2 September
  • Spring Fair – Week 8B: Saturday 12 September
  • Winter Sport Dinner – Week 9A: Friday 18 September
  • Winter School Returns – Week 10B: Thursday 24 September
  • End of Term 3 – Week 10B: Friday 25 September

Voice Notes: Hope in Hard Times: Wednesday 2 September Week 7

The Term 2 Voice Notes event, ‘Strong Enough to Care’, was a fascinating evening full of deep intellectual conversations and challenging insight around modern masculinity. This term, Redlands will hold its final Voice Notes for the year and the focus will be a more global one, offering a frank and uplifting panel conversation on ‘Hope in Hard Times’. Held again at the Orpheum, the panel will be exploring the power of hope through the lenses of humanitarianism, social enterprise and environmental stewardship.  While the world is currently facing significant challenges, the evening will be aimed at bringing us all together as panellists explore what it means to face the world with optimism: where it comes from, what sustains it, and what we can learn from those who choose to hope anyway, so we can pass it on.

This edition also strikes close to the core of our current Yr 10 cohort who are looking towards the process of leadership applications next year and becoming inspiring captains of the School. One of the guest speakers is also James Spenceley, father of our very own Roman Spenceley in Yr 10.

I encourage parents and children to attend this event to learn more and to be inspired with ways to pass hope out into the world. Come ready to listen, to be surprised, and to leave a little lighter than you arrived. To find out more and to purchase tickets, please visit the ’Voice Notes’ booking page here.

Year 10 Week in Review

Passion Projects in Tutor

This term we are looking beyond ourselves in Tutor time, seeking to connect with others and the broader communities that surround us. A key step in achieving this is a Tutor Time passion project, where each student creates a brief and presentation to engage their Tutor group in one of their passions! The hope is that by learning a bit more about each other and what brings us joy, we can build our connections and grow in empathy and understanding. It’s a little bit like traditional Primary School ‘Show and Tell’!

Last week, Johnny Shiao offered a wonderful account of his passion for designing clothes. He engaged the group in detailing his inspirations, design process and even explained how he had brought to life one of his designed hoodies (pictured below). While he expressed being dissatisfied with the final product, he was pleased that he had been able bring his sketches to life! Our new McDouall Blue Tutor, Ms Wakefield, also stepped up to the plate, donning her snorkelling gear to take her Tutor group through her passion for snorkelling. Visions of beautiful waters, bright fish and even some shipwrecks engaged the group in her passion for underwater exploration. Thank you Johnny and Ms Wakefield for leading the way with enthusiasm in opening our Passion Project presentations!

Stronger Together Men’s Breakfast

On Sunday morning, Mr Bowmaker took Felix Elwin (Yr 11), Henry Richardson (Yr 10) and Joao Segorbe (Yr 9) to the Stronger Together Men’s Breakfast, hosted by Zali Steggall MP and local men’s groups at Queenscliff Surf Club. The morning focused on men’s mental health and wellbeing, with an emphasis on connection, having honest conversations, supporting others and knowing where to seek help when it is needed. The keynote speaker was Kieran Foran, who spoke openly about his own experiences and the importance of looking out for one another.

Henry spoke to me recently about the event, expressing how moving it was to attend with such a diverse group of men to have genuine and open conversations about men’s mental health. He expressed the importance of such conversations and the importance of raising awareness of measures of support for those with mental health challenges. I was particular pleased to hear Henry’s desire to advocate further in this space, both at Redlands and beyond, to ensure people have access to education and support in men’s mental health. Henry has reflected deeply on the event, writing authentically and thoughtfully about the event and what it meant to him:

The event brought together a diverse group of men, from young students, new dads, local groups, mentors and more! It was a chance to have genuine and open conversations in a trustworthy and risk-free environment. We heard from various speakers and panellists, from various organisations dedicated to providing a meaningful and open environment for men to connect and express their emotions. One story that stood out was from Manly Sea Eagles coach Kieran Foran, and his struggles with alcohol, gambling and depression. He spoke in such an authentic manner, touching the hearts of the entire audience. What struck me most was when he touched on the idea of being a burden, how the stereotypes around men are so extreme, and reaching out for help is actively looked down upon. The message Kieran left us with was, “The moment that we try to fight these battles alone is the moment that we lose out, and everyone suffers as a result,” detailing the importance of seeking help, how one decision doesn’t define you and you’re able to turn your life around once you find the bravery to ask for help. 

Statistically men’s mental health is overlooked. Around ¾ of Australian suicide related deaths are male and more than one third of young Australians meet the criteria for a mental health disorder. Personally, I’ve always believed men’s mental health doesn’t get the attention it deserves, what this event did was sharpen that belief, turning it from something I knew in theory into something I genuinely felt, sitting in a room full of men who clearly needed a space like this for a long time. It was a chance to personally connect and empathize with a variety of men, from teenagers to grown fathers, all openly communicating. Consistent and open connection plays a large part in positive wellbeing and was a consistent theme throughout the event. A wide support network is integral to healthy wellbeing, filled with wholesome relationships allowing for support in both the dark times and the light.

Furthermore, the ambience and environment in the room allowed for men to feel comfortable showing emotions. Whilst sharing an emotional story, Jimmy Dressler-Smith from Dad Steps (an organisation aiming to help young fathers), became emotional. Immediately the room erupted in an extended applause and Jimmy was comforted by fellow panellists. These are environments we need to promote more often, both in education and workplace settings, breaking unrealistic male stereotypes. These stereotypes are an integral reason why men struggle to be open around mental health, specifically around the idea “boys don’t cry.” It’s a cultural normality encouraging young men to hide their emotions to appeal socially, though it’s outdated and irrational. In an everchanging world, emotions are at the forefront of communication, and they’re essential at conveying an authentic sense of self. I continued to relate as Nick Crott spoke about PAVE mentoring, and their mission to assist teenagers with life in general, how just talking to someone about your day can lead to a deep conversation regarding your true emotions. PAVE’s mission resonates with me because their mission in a sense aligns with my ideals, wanting to help people by doing the simplest and smallest of things. 

The stories and experiences shared at Stronger together are rooted in my being, and the knowledge I gained will continued to be spread. My key takeaway from this experience is that connection and emotion provide the framework for healthy wellbeing, borrowing the words of Zali Steggall, “connection matters, belonging matters, purpose matters.” As peers, friends and a broader nation we must acknowledge more has to be done to assist in the prevention and managing of mental disorders and challenges, we must learn to teach boys to build words rather than walls. If there’s anything I want you to take away from this is that we are a community and we are stronger together.

Breakfast with a Scientist

As part of Science Week this week, students had the opportunity to attend Breakfast with a Scientist, an exciting event that connected them with professionals working in a range of STEM fields, and which also offered them an amazing free breakfast!

It was wonderful to see many of our Yr 10s attend the event, not just for the free food, but to hear firsthand about career pathways, current research, and real-world applications of science, helping our students make meaningful connections between their classroom learning and future possibilities. Opportunities such as these inspire curiosity, encourage ambitious thinking, and highlight the many exciting pathways available beyond school. Thank you to all those in the Science department who helped to bring such an event together. And a big congratulations to Henry Richardson and Eva Svirschi who emceed the event with confidence and charisma!

Spotlight:

CAT and Raspberry Pi Foundation Awards

Congratulations to all students who competed in The Computational and Algorithmic Thinking (CAT) competition, giving students the opportunity to develop their problem-solving skills through algorithmic thinking. The competition incorporates unique ‘three-stage tasks’ that encourage students to develop informal algorithms and apply them to test data of increasing size or complexity. Congratulations to our Yr 10 students who achieved Credit Awards: Lachlan Carter, Connor Price, Noah Taylor and Oscar Whitaker. Well done also to those who received Participation Awards: Charlie Lee, Alba Martin-Gomez and Hannah Yu.

Congratulations also go out to all students who competed in The Raspberry Pi Foundation Coding Challenge (RPFCC), designed to be accessible to all students, even if they have basic coding skills. The aim of the challenge is to enhance skills, build confidence, and inspire students to develop programmed solutions to computational thinking problems. Students chose their level of challenge as below:

  • Novice – For students who are new to block-based programming, or who have recently started learning to code using blocks.
  • Explorer – For students who are confident using block-based programming and have experience creating programs using blocks.
  • Navigator – New to text-based programming. For students who have recently started coding using a text-based programming language and are developing their skills by creating small programs.
  • Pathfinder – Experienced text-based programming. For students who are confident programmers using a text-based programming language.

Well done to all our students, particularly Charlie Tilden and Oscar Whitaker who received Distinction Awards at the Explorer Level, and Giulia Borsa and Ari Abe-Apostolou who received Participation Awards.

Spring Fair – Looking for Volunteers!

The Redlands Spring Fair is fast approaching, and we are looking for students in Yr 10 to volunteer on Saturday 12 September. The Fair is one of the biggest community events on the Redlands calendar, bringing together students, families, staff, alumni and friends of the School. We are seeking approximately 400 student volunteers from across Yr 9-12 to help make the day a success.

Students can sign up for a two-hour shift between 9.00am and 3.00pm, with a range of volunteer roles available throughout the day. Students who are available for longer are welcome to volunteer for multiple shifts. Participation in the Spring Fair is a great way to contribute to our community, develop leadership and teamwork skills, and continue developing a service mindset. To register, please complete the volunteer sign-up form: Spring Fair Student Volunteer Registration

Redlands Musical 2027 Auditions:

A highly anticipated part of the Redlands Calendar is always the marvellous musical! This year, the School is performing Honk!, a heartwarming and humorous adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale, The Ugly Duckling. It is a musical for all ages with sparkling wit, a memorable score, a fabulous ensemble cast and a wonderful message as Ugly discovers the importance of self-acceptance, resilience, kindness and embracing what makes each of us unique. There will be four performances that will take place at The Concourse, Chatswood from Wednesday 8 March – Saturday 13 March 2027 (6:30pm weeknights and 2:30pm Saturday).

Audition Information

All students (Yr 7 – 12 students in 2027) who would like to be in the cast and orchestra must complete and submit an audition. Current Yrs 7-11 students will need to complete this form in order to gain access to the Canvas page for the audition information.

All audition videos are due Monday 24 August at 5pm. No late uploads will be accepted. 

Auditions can be challenging, and not all students will be selected for the final cast list, but you are encouraged to give it a go. Students seeking further information are encouraged to email musical@redlands.nsw.edu.au to arrange a meeting with Mrs Boase.

Future Pathways – Weekly Newsletter 

VIEW HERE

 

Reminders and Notices

Yr 10 Term 4 Examination Date Change

Please be aware that the dates for the Yr 10 Term 4 Examinations have recently changed. Examinations will now commence in Week 3, as part of a broader Yr 10 Term 4 Transition Program. To find out more, please read the letter from Dean of Studies (7-10), Mrs Rolon, accessible through Pulse.

Term 4 Harbour Cruise

Students have been informed and the excitement is building! On Wednesday 25 November, our cohort will be dressing in their best and heading out for a night of fun and connection in the annual Yr 10 Redlands Harbour Cruise. This is the official event for the Yr 10 Class of 2026 and it will begin at King St Wharf at 7:00pm (arrival time 6:30pm) with a return disembarking time of 10:15pm.

General details and conditions of entry and tickets are currently live and accessible at this link.

It is going to be a wonderful evening of connection and celebration for the cohort as they come to the end of Yr 10 and prepare to move into their Yr 11 and 12 studies.

Mr Jimmy Tod-Hill
Year 10 Advisor
jtodhill@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9908 6462