Looking after yourself, looking out for others.

Wellbeing and mental health are important areas facing our young men. It is important that we equip them with the knowledge and skills to thrive and flourish in all aspects of their lives.

In Week 8 of this term, Redfield will host its first Wellbeing Weekacross the Primary and Secondary campuses.

The theme for the week is looking after yourself, looking out for others, with a focus on promoting the physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health of our students.

During Wellbeing Week, students will participate in a variety of activities designed to encourage healthy habits, resilience, positive relationships and looking out for others. These activities include:

1. Year-appropriate wellbeing workshopsto raise awareness of and develop practical wellbeing skills to assist our students. These have been prepared by members of our College Student Wellbeing Team and will be presented by our staff.

2. ‘Counsellor’s Corner’ sessionspresented to our Secondary students by our College Counsellor, Mr John Soulemezis, on a range of issues such as friendship, kindness, looking out for others and self-care.

Our Interhouse Challengeis in full swing. Round 2 of the competition saw Altair 2go head-to-head against Castor 2, whilst Hydrus 2was pitted against Sirius 2. In this round of the competition, students had to answer a range of trivia questions within a five-minute period on topics such as sport, science, mathematics, pop culture, history and brain teasers, including:

• Name the sportsman who used to float like a butterfly and string like a bee”.
• How many reindeer does Santa have?
• What am I? I have an end but no beginning, a home but no family, a space without room. I never speak but there is no word I cannot make...

In addition to trivia, each House also had to complete the Bottle Flip Relayin which six members of each House (one from each year group) had to successfully complete a bottle flip before their opposing teams.

With only a few points separating each House in each round, the competition was fierce, so much so that the Altair-versus-Castormatch-up had to be decided by a game of scissors, paper, rockto decide the victor after both teams finished on level points!

On Friday, 16 August, four of our Redfield students gave up their Friday night to assist those in need by participating in the Ryde Vinnies Van. These students were: 

• Samuel James (Vice-Captain of Community Service)
• Isaac Chee 
• Jordan Hatcher 
• Oliver Saade

Despite the inclement weather, this did not dampen the boys’ spirit. They travelled to two locations in Gladesville to greet those gathered with a warm smile and to serve them sandwiches, snack packs and hot drinks (hot chocolate was a particular favourite on the cold and wet winter’s night). More importantly, students engaged in conversation with those gathered on a range of topics from the Olympics to rugby league teams, sport, hobbies and life experiences. It is this social connection which is so important. The boys did a fantastic job of showing great compassion and empathy to all they met. 

A big thank you also goes to Mr George Georgescu for who assisted me on the night by driving the Vinnies Van. 

The Vinnies Van is truly an amazing experience. I encourage all of our students to be involved with worthwhile initiative.

David Vassallo, Head of Pastoral Care & Service Learning

Monday, 2 September - Year 10 PASS Rugby Referee Course

Wednesday, 4 September to Friday, 6 September - Years 7 to 9 Camps

Wednesday, 4 September - Year 3 Longneck Lagoon Excursion

Monday, 9 September to Friday, 13 September - Redfield Wellbeing Week

Monday, 9 September - Class Parents Meeting at 7:00pm

Year 6 Redfield students recently undertook an educational tour of the national capital. Students were given the opportunity 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. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding to our school in the amount of $30 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion. This amount will be deducted from your total cost of the excursion.

Ben Nolan, Year 6 Teacher

Congratulations go to the students listed below who were presented with a Lion Award at this week's Stage 4 Assembly:

Congratulations go to the students listed below who were presented with a Lion Award at this week's Stage 5 Assembly:

Next week, we bid adiós to Year 9 student Pablo Del Villar Rodríguez-Conde, who returns to Spain after a three month stay in Sydney.

Pablo, a student at Colegio de Fomento El Prado in Madrid, was enrolled at Redfield on a short-term arrangement during his summer holiday break, staying with the Chee family - another "brother" for Nicholas (Year 5), Matthew (Year 7), Thomas (Year 9) and Isaac (Year 11). Throughout his stay, he has integrated himself into College life in a very positive way and enjoyed the sights of Sydney and its surrounds. 

Pablo’s impression of Redfield is that “it’s a nice school; people are very nice”.

We thank Pablo for being such a wonderful addition to the Year 9 cohort and we wish him all the best.

Be prepared to be entertained in a wonderful night of music presented by all of our College ensembles and student soloists.

When: Tuesday, 3 September at 6:30pm

Where: Redfield College Atrium. 

Cost: Donation upon entry.

Frank Romeo, Head of Music

Redfield College recently marked a significant milestone by participating in its first Hills Zone Athletics Carnival, and our boys made us proud with their outstanding performances. Competing against some of the best athletes in the region, our students demonstrated exceptional talent, sportsmanship and determination, achieving remarkable results across a range of events.

Outstanding Performances

A special mention must go to our notable performers who excelled in their respective events. These young men will also represent the Hills Zone and Redfield at the AICES Athletics Carnival on Tuesday, 10 September.

On Monday, 26 August, a team of 22 athletes represented Redfield College at the HZSA Primary Athletics Carnival at Sydney Olympic Park. Under bright and sunny skies, our team shone by throwing, jumping and running like Olympians.

We are incredibly proud to announce that Redfield finished as the third-best boys' team. This is an outstanding achievement. Throughout the day, our athletes earned several place ribbons, which will be proudly handed out at the next Primary assembly.

A special mention must go to the parents who attended and assisted with transportation. Your support is invaluable, and we sincerely appreciate your time and effort.

Congratulations to all our athletes for their exceptional performances, and thank you once again to the parents and staff who made the day possible. We look forward to hearing who has made it to the next level for the CIS carnival. I will notify students and parents accordingly.

The Redfield HZSA Primary Athletics team consisted of:

The Year 12 PDHPE class embarked on an exciting excursion to PhysxRehab. This specialised rehabilitation facility provided students with a unique opportunity to learn about improving performance and maximising an athlete's potential.

Once we arrived, we were greeted by the PhysxRehab team. We were given a talk about the facility, which included state-of-the-art equipment, therapy rooms, a gym as well as a soccer field. Our guide showed us the various rehabilitation techniques and technologies used to aid athletes in their recovery and performance enhancement.

The physiotherapist ran us through various training sessions that he would do with his top-level athletes and discussed the reasons behind why they do them as well as the importance of proper warm-up and cool-down routines and injury-prevention strategies. The technology used was fascinating as it showed measurements such as grip strength, jump height, top speed and distance travelled.

Overall, the excursion to PhysxRehab was a valuable learning experience for the PDHPE class. The class gained valuable knowledge that will greatly benefit us in the lead-up to the HSC Exam.

Colin Lai, PDHPE Teacher 

Futsal Round 4

Futsal Round 5

Volleyball

Rugby Inters Round 5 and 6

When I arrived in the Library on Monday morning, I found a constant stream of students spying through the windows, trying to identify their works among the prize-winners. With noses pressed up against the glass of the Book Fair display room, many students were already compiling a wish-list of books they could find inside. Our Library is always a hub for enthusiastic students, but Book Week is far and away the highlight of the Library calendar.

The theme of “Reading is Magic” opens a world of possibilities for the boys here at the College to celebrate books, authors and illustrators. In the lead-up to Book Week, students themselves became the authors and illustrators, producing fantastic works in the hope of fostering a love for reading and creativity. At the heart of our Book Week Celebrations is a positive and affirming message to our students, encouraging them to embrace the magic of reading and to explore the endless possibilities that exist within the pages of a novel. Reading is not just a pastime but a journey of discovery that opens doors to new ideas, perspectives and adventures.

The much-anticipated return of the Redfield Old Boys' Association (ROBA) Dinner is upon us. Making its return after some 7 years, the evening promises to be a great night of nostalgic reminiscing, delicious cuisine, drinks aplenty and lively conversation. Tickets are strictly limited. Get your mates together and click on the image below to book your tickets as soon as possible to avoid the disappointment of missing out on this comeback event. We look forward to seeing you there!