Year 10

Upcoming Events

• 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

Year 10 Week in Review

Voice Notes – ‘Hope in Hard Times’

Last night I went to the Orpheum to stock up on hope. I was there to attend the last event of the Redlands’ Voice Notes series, and what a series it has been. We have heard the power and passion of indigenous women talking about Country, culture and identity in our modern world; we have delved into modern masculinity amidst algorithms and outrage; and last night we were privileged to hear three distinct voices offering us an insight into the necessity and very real existence of Hope in Hard Times. Suzie Barnett, representative of social enterprise group ‘Too Good Co’; Natalie Kyriacou, author, environmentalist and activist; and James Spenceley, entrepreneur, politician and humanitarian aid supporter, came together to offer their perspectives on hope in an informative and uplifting panel, facilitated by our amazing Ms Rachael Riley.

It may be trite to say, but the evening was indeed a genuine affirmation of hope. From the opening event support offered by so many in our Yr 10 cohort, to the thoughtful comments that were made by the presenters, the evening reaffirmed the value of hope and the efforts we can all enact to be more hopeful and to extend that hope to others. Whether it be Natalie’s advice to surround ourselves with positive people and affirming stories of hopeful environmental actions – and thereby transform the spiral of negative algorithms into content focused on hope and kindness – or Suzie’s guidance to get in touch with groups like ‘Too Good Co’ and attend one of their lunches to be immersed in a space of positive support for those facing tough times, or just hearing James’ amazing stories of getting on a plane (not once but seven times) to visit the Ukrainian warzone to bring desperately needed resources to those trapped in conflict situations, the evening was one of positivity and hope, in spite of all that the world might be throwing at us. A key takeaway message for me was that hope is and must be more than just a desire, if it is to empower you and others. Hope must become something that is turned into action – something tangible that can be done to alter a situation. Our three speakers confidently shared their stories and hopefully they set the spark to inspire positive thinking and hopeful actions in our audience.

I want to extend my thanks to all of Yr 10 students who volunteered to support the evening and to the Voice Notes Committee who have curated such wonderful speakers for us over this past year. I have found all three events to be fascinating and urge you to attend the 2027 series, especially if you were unable to make any of the 2026 events.

Warringah Youth Voices

Last Thursday, five Year 10 students had the opportunity to attend Warringah Youth Voices, which Redlands was proud to host alongside Zali Steggall and her team of youth representatives.

Felix Davis, Aimee Kang, Gabby Thomas, Lily van Hulsen and Astrid Vincent attended the evening, learning about civic engagement and the importance of civic education for the younger generation. Lily described the event as an important evening for those interested in learning more about how young people can play more of a role in the democracy of Australia. Getting to hear Zali Steggall explain what goes on in the parliament and having the chance to meet students from other schools in the Warringah district was a highlight for her. Astrid identified the workshop as affording her a deeper understanding of Australian democracy and the important role students can play in shaping the future. She found it particularly valuable to hear directly from an elected representative and collect insight into the responsibilities and challenges of political leadership. The workshop showed her that active citizenship is not just about voting, but also about staying informed, sharing opinions, engaging in the community and speaking up about issues that matter.

Aimee described the event as engaging and a great opportunity to meet students, mostly leaders within their school, wanting to create change across the area. Specifically, the activity where students sat on mixed tables and invented a political campaign was rewarding as students had to both try to appeal to the audience that would be voting, create the best policies for change, and also make their party memorable. Gabby thought that Warringah Youth Voices was an amazing opportunity, particularly liking how the mixed tables allowed students to meet more people who were also passionate about current events and civics, even if they were a little younger than most of the other participants. Felix enjoyed the live Q&A with Zali Steggall, which, due to it being anonymous, provided a really interesting and helpful forum because people could ask questions without fear of judgement or worry.

Our Yr 10 students held their own amongst the predominantly Yr 11 student representatives from other schools, connecting and interacting with confidence and engaging in deep discussions about the political world to which young people can contribute. Our students felt it was an interesting event which helped deepen their understanding on how important it is for young people to have access to civic education.

Write a Book in a Day

On Tuesday, a wonderful initiative was given life in our school, pioneered by our very own Hannah Yu – ‘Write a Book in a Day’. This charity initiative, aimed to support the raising of vital funds for children’s cancer research, also taps into students’ literary skills, challenging them to, as the name suggests, compose a full book within 12 hours. You can find out more about the initiative at their website.

A huge congratulations to Hannah for her excellent efforts in being the motivating spark and organising drive behind bringing the event to the Secondary School. With five teams from Yr 10 involved, it was embraced by the cohort and offered a wonderful spark to some of our students creativity. Below are Hannah’s reflections on the event.

Write a Book in a Day is such an amazing competition, and I was so happy to be able to bring it to Redlands this year. What I love most about WABIAD is that it’s a combination of teamwork, fun, and imagination, and it’s all for a good cause! We had an early start to the day; upon receiving our story parameters in teams, we quickly got to work brainstorming ideas and building off each other. Then,  after we laid out our plot line (which always ends up being a combination of everyone’s ideas), we split into our roles. At the end of the day, I couldn’t be happier with our final result, and I hope that next year, we can get even more people at Redlands to participate! Huge thanks to the Roseby Library, especially Ms Rowe and Mr Tod-Hill for helping me organise this event, but most of all to our 5 teams of writers and illustrators! Thank you so much for turning up and sharing your creativity.

Free Thinkers Forum at Rosebank College

On Wednesday, several Yr 10 students were involved in the Free Thinkers Forum at Rosebank College. This excursion is a student-led philosophy and ideas event that brings together students from different schools to explore, debate and discuss complex contemporary issues. Inspired by the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, the forum provides a platform for young people to present bold, original perspectives on challenging ethical, social, political and technological questions, before engaging in moderated discussions with their peers. Students are encouraged to think critically, communicate persuasively, consider diverse viewpoints and embrace intellectual risk-taking, creating a vibrant environment that celebrates curiosity, reasoned debate and the exploration of ideas without easy answers.

Congratulations to Yr 9 Avisha Sashipal for winning the internal Speech-Off and presenting her speech at Rosebank yesterday on Anthropocene: The Human Impact. And a special thank you and well done to Felix Eade, who adjudicated a speech on conviction and moral courage. All students who participated in this event leaned into curiosity, asking deep questions over the day and taking full advantage of this opportunity. Congratulations to everyone who was involved and I look forward to them bringing such intellectual fervour back to the school and sharing their experiences amongst their peers. Well done to Felix Eade, Aimee Kang, Erol Jackson, Layla McKinnon, Eva Svirschi, Lily van Hulsen Hannah Yu who all participated.

Spotlight

A Winter School Reflection from Natalie

From all reports, our cohort up at Winter School have been having an amazing time. I reached out to a student who was unable to attend our Moonbah program in Yr 9 and thus is experiencing the High Country Campus for the first time and asked her to share her thoughts. Here is Natalie Bain’s perspective (and gosh, it makes me jealous of the phenomenal experience they are having!):

As someone who didn’t go to Moonbah, coming to Winter School meant facing a whole new set of fears – living without my family, navigating a completely different lifestyle and learning to become more independent. But by taking the leap and coming here, I’ve also overcome my biggest fear: looking back on my high school experience and regretting that I didn’t put myself out there enough.

Winter School has given me an opportunity that I know I’ll never forget. I’ll be able to look back on memories like the frantic bursts of laughter between snowball missiles after hot chocolate breaks, the shared excitement after watching Top Gun: Maverick on Monday Movie Night (thank you, Ms Cooper, for the top-tier movie choices!), or braiding hair on the bus to Thredbo, surrounded by the excitement of finally hitting the slopes.

I think everyone here at Winter School is still living in awe of the fact that our lives consist of five days a week at the peak of a mountain. Every day, we share the thrill of knowing that we’re experiencing the opportunity of a lifetime. And I think that shared sense of excitement, gratitude and adventure is what makes Winter School so special.

For me, Winter School has been more than just skiing. It has been about stepping outside my comfort zone, making memories and choosing to embrace an opportunity that once scared me. And I know that, years from now, these will be the memories I look back on and feel incredibly grateful that I was able to experience.

Spring Fair – Looking for Volunteers!

A reminder that 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 more volunteers 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 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 volunteer, please complete the sign-up form: Spring Fair Student Volunteer Registration

Future Pathways – Weekly Newsletter 

VIEW HERE

Australian Economics Careers Convention 

13 September, 9am – 5pm at Macquarie University 

It’s a free full day of talks, panels and small-group advising with economists from various organisations. It’s aimed at Years 10–12 — both students already planning on economics at university who want a head start, and students who just want to see what the job actually looks like. Registration link is here. 

US College sporting scholarship pathways webinar: Study & Play USA 

14 September 

• Interested to learn more about the US College Pathway? 

• Never heard of the NCAA, CCCAA, NJCAA, NAIA before? 

• Wanting to know what a scholarship actually covers? 

• Intrigued by how our recruitment company can assist you with this process? 

• Not sure if your grades are good enough to go to the US? 

• Athletically, are you where you need to be to get interest? 

Register for Free September 14th Webinar Here 

Reminders and Notices:

Student Phones and Personal Technology

At school, we are keen for our students to be engaged in their learning and connecting with each other in real life during break times. To this end, we have clear restrictions in place regarding smart devices – they are not allowed at school and must remain in student lockers for the duration of the day – and a clear policy in place around the responsible use of personal devices / laptops in the classroom. You can access our Digital Services Responsible Use Policy through Pulse.

I encourage parents / carers to review this policy and to help support our young people in managing their device use effectively. I also remind parents / carers please to avoid contacting students via apps like messenger during the day. If information needs to be passed on to your child/ren, please contact the Student Services Centre. Thank you for your support.

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