Campus News
The Oliver! Jnr spectacular
What an exciting time to be a Middle Schooler at Haileybury City! Our musical, Oliver! Jnr, was an amazing spectacle of talent and so many City students were on stage or in the audience to support their friends.
It was a wonderful community event, and I am so grateful to Philippa Bell and the Arts team who worked with our cast and crew for six months to ensure the show was a mighty success. The sell-out crowds loved every minute, and we congratulate every student who was part of the show.
Through this Arts experience, our City students developed persistence, collective capacity, teamwork and commitment, and it showcases the important work we are doing to develop excellence in every student’s character and contribution.
We are national dance champions!
Congratulations to our Years 5 and 6 girls and boys who were again crowned national dance champions in Adelaide. These students have been practising since the start of the year and they progressed from Regionals, to State and then to National competition.
Catherine McNamara was thrilled to share the news that the students put on their best performance ever at the Nationals and were awarded the gold medal. The important lessons of tenacity and determination were learned by all and the added challenge of a bouncy beach ball as a prop just added to the focus that was required.
We thank Catherine McNamara for her hard work in leading the coaching team and in coordinating the many rehearsals required to perform at such a high level. I am told that when the results were announced, the parents screamed more than the students, such was their delight!
Early Learning Centre
Putting literacy in action
Reception children have started the Jolly Phonics program that explores letter-sound relationships. The children have been introduced to the initial sounds of s, a, t, p, i and n and have had experiences to consolidate their knowledge of these letters and their sounds.
Our literacy program involves songs, actions and games to foster children’s love of literacy. By making learning fun and interactive, the children stay engaged and motivated, and this naturally develops their literacy skills. Over the term, children will continue to be introduced to various letters and their sounds.
Numbers add up at Inside Out court
The Pre-Prep children have worked together at the Inside Out court to develop their ability to recognise numbers. As a team, the children sorted out multiples of 10 and then consolidated their skip counting to 100. The children were then further challenged by skip counting backwards from 100.
It was wonderful for the children to embed their numeracy skills out in the community. They will continue to be provided with opportunities to develop their skip counting and numeral recognition skills within the classroom.
Junior School
Celebrating the Arts in house
On Tuesday, 8 August, City’s Junior School students enthusiastically joined in the highly anticipated annual House Arts event. The occasion was filled with creativity and talent as students showcased their musical prowess by performing a series of ‘House-coloured songs’.
The captivating line-up included lively renditions of George Ezra’s Green Green Grass, Elvis Presley’s Blue Suede Shoes, Split Enz’s I See Red, and Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi.
What made these performances even more special was the fact that each song was infused with unique choreography.
Congratulations to Elliott house on their win and thank you to Jacqueline Gough and the JS staff for their enthusiastic support of our House event.
STEM Week is a hit!
This year, Haileybury’s STEM Week coincided with National Science Week and explored the theme of Innovation: Powering Future Industries. At City Campus, Junior School students engaged in exciting activities and events including STEM puzzles, straw rocket, binary bracelets or straw rollercoaster making in Science lessons, the Junior School Science Fair and a Mad About Science incursion.
Our students explored and made the most of all the exciting opportunities STEM Week had to offer.
Middle School
Innovation and future industries
STEM Week from Monday, 14 August to Friday, 18 August brought some great activities to the Middle School. The Innovation: Powering Future Industries theme embraced the advancement in technology in all industries, including artificial intelligence (AI), which was celebrated at the STEM-themed Middle School Assembly.
There were numerous activities for the students including a Catapult Contest led by STEM Captains, Krish Vohra (Year 8) and Amisha Singh (Year 8). There was also a computer science showcase, AI art competition, Rocket League eSports trials, paper plane competition and daily STEM challenges.
Thank you to the Head of STEM Programs at City, Caleb Street, for his expertise and passion that made the week so enriching and enjoyable.
A passion for Music and Art
On Friday, 18 August, the Year 5 boys experienced a tour of the National Gallery of Victoria and the Vault. Our budding artists’ visit to the oldest and most frequented gallery in Australia further developed the students’ love and appreciation of art.
They were also privy to a special school performance of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Hamer Hall. This complements the Year 5 Band Program where students can learn to play a concert band instrument which culminates with a performance for families.
Our Year 5 girls were treated to this wonderful excursion and program last semester. We look forward to the Year 5 boys also performing with skill and confidence at the end of the semester.
Developing historians
The Year 7 students visited the National Gallery of Victoria and the Hellenic Museum on Friday, 18 August to take part in workshops exploring ancient societies and the history of art. The students were inspired by their experiences at the gallery and museum and through using the digital resources.
The boys and girls saw artefacts that developed their critical historical skills, led to some inspiring personal investigations, unpacked historical and archaeological inquiries, and lifted history off the page.
Caroline Merrick
Head of City
Haileybury Parents & Friends City (HPF City)
A meeting of minds
On Monday, 31 July we held the HPFC Social Representatives and Community Meeting and heard from the Head of Campus and Head of Senior School. They shared some of the great things our kids do every day at City, as well as the many opportunities available to them. We also discussed upcoming events for 2023.
We have released a survey on the myHaileybury app about the Second-Hand Uniform pop-up shop. It would be great if you can spend five minutes providing your thoughts in relation to how the pop-up shop will best serve the Haileybury City community.
As always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please email us.
Have a great fortnight.
Melissa Fisher
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends City
