Castlefield

Traffic and parking reminder

Parking around the property is, at times, a difficulty. Our priority is the safety and wellbeing of our Haileybury community. Parents leaving via the South Road exit, please take care when turning onto South Road, particularly as the pedestrian crossing is so close to the exit.

Remember that all exits from the School to Villeroy and Rouen Streets close at 6.00 pm nightly. Access is via South Road for evening functions.

There is no drop-off/pick up zone in Rouen Street, with parking restrictions in place along one side, at the busy school-start and end times.

There are clearly signposted two-minute parking spaces outside our Villeroy Street gate, and this is to be used as a ‘kiss and go’ zone rather than disembarking from your car. Cars should not be left unattended.

Families are encouraged to use the South Road entrance as the preferred drop-off and pick up location.

Please be considerate of the residents in the streets surrounding our School.

Early Learning Centre

Curious Minds

Children’s curiosity about butterflies has been sparked by the recent influx of white cabbage butterflies. The ELC enjoyed a visit from Butterfly Adventures, who provided many experiences to explore metamorphosis and the anatomy of butterflies, and interact with one of Mother Earth’s most beautiful and amazing creatures.

This connection has been further supported as children observed some chrysalises transforming in the classrooms and butterflies emerging. There have been multi-modal learning opportunities through discussion, stories, songs, rhymes and technology to facilitate research and deepen knowledge of the life cycle.

Being well-informed

On your way through our ELC foyer and corridor, take a moment to view the beautiful and informative displays. They include community connections, collaborative artworks, parent resources, learning Beyond the Classroom, Reconciliation Action Plan, and Quality Improvement Plan.

Junior School

Play time!

Older brothers and sisters love to find their Prep siblings in the playground and in the first few weeks of the term it is very common for children to default to their siblings out in the play space. Navigating social connections is an important part of what our teachers do each and every day, particularly during recess and lunchtime. Teachers on duty wear high visibility vests whilst they rove the play spaces and are there to assist with playground conflict.

It is tough managing soccer match disputes and friendship issues when you are young, so finding a teacher to help in the moment is key to bouncing back and having a happy play time. Our Year 4 leaders are also there for those who need a little directed play.

Their clubs are great starting points for play, and it varies from imaginative play to soccer, chalk drawings and basketball. There is something for everyone!

Fire Fighters visit Prep

This term, the Unit of Inquiry for Prep has the central idea of, ‘Our Communities Are Designed to Keep Us Safe’. They have explored all the resources that support the communities they belong too, identified what each service can provide, investigated special equipment and acted out mock scenarios. We were lucky to have the Fire Brigade come along to run through safe and unsafe fires, what to do if there was a fire in the home and emergency procedures. Our Preps even got to have a go using the fire hose.

Early Pick-up

We understand that at times you may need to pick up your child during the day to attend appointments. Facilitating an early pickup can be difficult as they might be in a specialist class or out at recess or lunch. If you do need to pick up your child for an appointment, we request that you pick up at either 10.25 am or 12.25 pm, the start of recess or lunch, which causes the least disruption to lessons throughout the day. Students will be sent to Reception to meet you and be signed out.

Middle School

The fun that is CAMP!

Our Middle School Outdoor Experience program provides different experiences for all year levels, and allows for many opportunities of challenge, joy, new experiences and stepping outside of our comfort zone.

We welcome back our Year 6 students after they embarked on a week-long tour of Canberra and were able to take in all its offerings that included a trip to the AIS, Parliament House and the crowd favourite, Questacon.

We wish our Years 7 and 8 students all the best as they head to Rubicon Valley and Marysville for their Camps in Week 9. We know the benefit that camps have for all our students, and we appreciate the enthusiasm and eagerness with which our students have approached these programs.

Always improving

With assessments in full swing, it means that our students are provided with timely and beneficial feedback on areas that they can improve on. Feedback is such an important learning tool and allows our families to have conversations regarding the areas they may require greater focus on, or even areas of success and ways in which they continually develop. We encourage our families to read through and understand their child’s feedback with them, and work alongside them to put the advice into practise.

Katrina Manson
Head of Castlefield (Brighton)

Monique Chapman
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends Castlefield