Campus News
National Reconciliation Week
Bridging Now to Next was the theme for Reconciliation Week this year and we had some wonderful experiences and activities for our students to demonstrate unity, respect and understanding across the week. A highlight was the yarning circle around the fire pit with community members, staff, students and parents all coming together before the school day. Bayley Misfud, aboriginal artist and proud Peek Whurrong woman of the Maar nation, who has worked with our students and created the beautiful mural of our School history, spoke proudly and passionately at our Middle School assembly, and the community BBQ raised money for Children’s Ground. Thank you to the parents who joined us in our learnings and fun.
Languages and Cultures Week at Castlefield: A celebration of global connection (10-13 June 2025)
Languages and Cultures Week is a highlight of the school year at Castlefield, offering students a chance to celebrate the rich cultural and linguistic diversity within our community and beyond.
Throughout the week, our campus came alive with colour, creativity and connection. Students contributed to cultural displays, engaged with languages from around the world and enjoyed themed days featuring global traditions. Themed canteen lunches offered students a taste of international cuisine, adding to the immersive experience.
Interactive activities and workshops provided opportunities to explore music, art, dance and storytelling from different cultural perspectives. Students also took part in language-based games and challenges that celebrated both familiar and new languages.
At its heart, Languages and Cultures Week is about building understanding, encouraging respect and nurturing curiosity about the world around us. It reminds us that diversity is something to be celebrated — and that by sharing stories, customs and languages, we help build a more connected and compassionate school community.
Lost Dogs Home
Our MS Social Justice Captains, Jason and Indianna have been working closely with Ms Kuldin and the community to raise awareness, and with the cooler weather coming, collect items, for the Lost Dogs Home. Thank you to all the families that generously donated blankets, pet food, dog coats and pet toys to the cause. With over 18,000 lost and abandoned pets every year, there is much support needed to care for so many animals.
Pyjama Day and Our Village
In the theme of keeping warm, and generously donating, this Friday, 20 June students are invited to wear pyjamas, oodies, ugg boots and onesies to celebrate the winter that has finally arrived. The foyer is filling up with items for Our Village, the combined charity of St Kilda Mums, Geelong Mums and Eureka Mums, that have come together to achieve a goal of reaching every Victorian baby and child up to age six that needs essential items, by collecting and rehoming items and partnering with social workers and maternal and child health nurses to provide for those infants in need.
We usually find our foyer overflowing with items kindly donated by our families and once again we are asking for charitable contributions, with Friday, 20 June being the final day for donations.
Early Learning Centre
Street Library for the ELC
A heartfelt thank you to our wonderful volunteer, Clive, who brought the children’s imaginative ideas to life by repurposing and transforming a doll house into our beautiful ELC street library; a special invitation to share the joy of reading.
The children’s excitement began after reading The Little Street Library by Amy Adeney. Inspired, they eagerly shared their ideas and drawings: love hearts on the front, sparkling jewels on the roof and decorations of flowers and bees. “Let’s call it Love Library,” said Ivy and the name stuck.
Our Love Library is a place where books can come and go freely. There is no need to check them in or out, just enjoy them, return the books when you are ready or pass them onto friends or family.
If you have a book or two that others might enjoy, please feel free to add them to the Love Library. Let’s keep the joy of reading growing.
Children's promise
During Reconciliation week, the children had the opportunity to acknowledge the land on which we live, learn and play and to share their promises to take care of Boonwurrung Country.
“Thank you for country. I promise to look after the land and not step on the flowers”. Willow
“I wish for everyone to look after the trees, animals and plants. And we are kind to everyone.” Jessie
“I promise to say kind words and to only take what I need from Mother Earth.” Rylan
“My promise is to take care of the bees. Don’t pick their flowers because the bees need the pollen so other flowers can grow.” Nikhil
“I promise to take care of the gardens and make sure I look after the ladybugs and their wings.” Elodie
Junior School
Great experiences
One of the awesome things about being one part of a large school is all the fabulous experiences our Junior School children are exposed to. Earlier in the term, the Middle School ran their Maker’s Market across two venues with various wares on offer. Our Prep to Year 4 students were the first to sample the stalls on the day and gave the sellers a chance to spruik their home-made delights. In return, our buyers had to carefully peruse and choose. It was great to see the interactions between the students and hear the conversations taking place.
The Strings Concert was a lovely collaboration between our Years 3 and 4 Scrolls players, and our new Year 2 players. Under the expert guidance of their teachers, they showcased their skills alongside each other to provide the soundtrack to the book, Mole Music by David McPhail. Dickinson Hall was jam packed with family and friends.
Students also love to perform at Junior School assemblies. Recently we have had a string trio and piano players, much to the delight of the audience.
Screen Time
How much? How often? Does your child jump on a device before school, at a restaurant, or before bed? We are navigating this alongside you with the use of iPads in the Junior School. Teachers may use the iPads for research, differentiation of tasks and for quick question/answer type apps. They recognise the changing demands of children for more and more screen time. To counter this, iPads are being left in student lockers or charging stations, instead of part of their desk set up in the morning, and physical books are chosen over online books. For more information about how you can find the balance at home and great safety tips, we encourage you to visit https://www.esafety.gov.au/.
Middle School
Open Mornings
Our Open Parent Morning in Week 6 was a fantastic opportunity to welcome families of our Years 5 to 8 students into the classroom. It was wonderful to see so many parents taking the time to observe their children actively engaged in learning across a variety of subjects. The students took great pride in sharing their work and demonstrating their classroom routines and learning environments. Teachers appreciated the chance to connect with families and showcase the vibrant, supportive culture we foster every day. Thank you to all who attended and made the morning such a positive and memorable experience.
Semester 2
The start of a new semester is a fresh opportunity to continue growing as learners and individuals. As we settle into new routines, we are reminded of the importance of showing respect, kindness and care in everything we do. With each passing week, we mature — taking more responsibility for our actions, learning and relationships. Expectations continue to rise, and we embrace them as part of our journey toward excellence. Every day counts, and we strive to bring our best effort, attitude and focus to all areas of school life. We wish our families a safe and relaxing break and we look forward to seeing you back on Tuesday, 22 July.
Katrina Manson
Head of Castlefield (Brighton)
Haileybury Parents & Friends Castlefield (HPFC)
SEEN: The Film
We were delighted to have a full house in Dickinson Hall on Monday, 2 June for the viewing of Seen, The Film. Thank you to the families that joined us for this inspiring, thought-provoking and educational documentary.
Lael Stone, parenting author and educator, provided wonderful insights into how to listen to our children (or anyone) in three distinctive ways. She was able to tie together the themes of the documentary and bring wonderful practical examples that had the audience in moments of laughter and then in deep contemplation.
Scott Doran, Vice Principal, was able to outline how the School is looking to manage devices, support families with educational sessions and what the Safety Toolkit the School is creating will look like as we draw closer to the December timeline of Australia banning social media apps for people under 16 years of age.
Thank you to Janine Shifman, MS Events Coordinator, for bringing the event to life.
For those who are interested in finding out more, Lael mentioned follow up resources which can be found here. There are links to The Parenting Course, bonus content and free support, which provides links to podcasts, books, parenting services, videos etc and a link to the film.
Haileybury Parents & Friends Castlefield
