Campus News
High engagement at City
What an amazing few weeks we have enjoyed at Haileybury City. You will read below of the adventures in the Adventure Room, slamming poetry, interesting Book Week authors, the love of bugs, gardeners galore, gold panning, celebrating the men in our lives and much more. Every week at Haileybury City is full of high engagement and fun on the learning journey. Our students have been working hard on all aspects of their learning, and we know how important the feeling of belonging is to our wellbeing. Thank you for the ongoing support of all our HPF community and School events. We all benefit when we have strong partnerships between home and school.
Fathers and significant men
Thank you to our Haileybury City men for engaging in all your children’s events. Many dads attended multiple times to enjoy one-on-one time with their children. It is always a joy to see their faces light up when their father or significant man walks through the door. We are so grateful to the fabulous Heads of School and staff who planned and organised such a creative and diverse set of experiences. The sky really was the limit, and it was especially rewarding that not one device was used and still everyone had such a fun time.
I hope to see you all at the HPF City Term 4 event to dance the night away.
Early Learning Centre
Exploring our natural environment
Reception children have had an ongoing interest in insects, and they have been exploring where certain insects live. The children’s observations of worms and their gradual understanding of what compost is and how it helps our environment has been fascinating.
Further investigations will continue as we develop an understanding of these habitats and an awareness of how we care for our environment. Sustainable practices will continue to be embedded into the program as we look at the effect our actions have on the habitats of different small creatures.
Our ELC families will be spending a lot of time observing bugs in their native habitat at home with their resident young entomologist.
Spring has sprung
The change in season has brought changes to our Level 3 terrace garden. This has led to Pre-Prep discussions about the different flowers and plants we can observe within our environment. During group time experiences, children have researched different seeds and predicted the types of plants that will grow from these seeds. Exploration of life cycles has excited the children as they problem-solve what will happen next.
We look forward to more exciting investigations within our natural environments.
Junior School
Excursion to Gasworks Theatre
The Junior School did not quite wander along the ‘yellow brick road,’ but they did board a bus to Gasworks Theatre to enjoy the Wizard of Oz final dress rehearsal, performed by our charismatic and talented Middle School students. The excursion provided a wonderful opportunity for all Prep to Year 4 students to enjoy a theatre experience, while concurrently giving insight and inspiration for their own thespian experiences in years to come. The quality of our performers and production team was exemplary. Upon departure, Claudia in Year 2 described the experience as “11 out of 10,” while Florence , also Year 2, exclaimed, “That was amazing!” We thank the musical team for opening their final rehearsal to the Junior School students and teachers.
Fathers and significant men morning
The Junior School students were delighted to welcome fathers, significant men and special guests to share in a morning of fun and games. Using our Level 9 space, the Junior School built bridges out of newspaper and masking tape, engaged in an array of sports games such as spike ball, basketball, balancing beams and beanbag soccer, and finally created personalised travel mugs as a gift for their special guest. The room was brimming with laughter, and we thank our parent community for supporting this event.
Year 3 camp
We are immensely proud of the resilience, teamwork and independence shown by our Year 3 students for their first school camp at Forest Edge. The students engaged in a variety of activities, with highlights including archery, racing a partner on the 312m long zipline, bushwalking and embarking on a low ropes course. Joined by Year 3 classes from Castlefield, the students embraced opportunities to form bonds with other Haileybury Year 3 students, while further cementing relationships with their City classmates. Well done to all staff and students involved in a successful Year 3 camp experience.
Middle School
Museum and movie magic
It was wonderful to come together on the afternoon of Thursday, 4 September at IMAX and the Melbourne Museum with our Middle School fathers and significant men to celebrate and acknowledge the significant impact they have on our young people.
Fathers, significant men and the students were treated to an epic private screening of A Beautiful Planet 3D on the towering seven-storey screen and with the hair-raising surround sound of IMAX Melbourne. The film, created in partnership with NASA, provided a unique and powerful overview of Earth, including all its beauty and challenges, as well as examining the complexities and wonders of space. Following this, our students and their guests explored the rich and insightful Melbourne Museum, with the Dinosaur Walk a highlight.
A brilliant afternoon was had by all as our young people and their fathers and significant men were able to spend quality time together while enjoying some of the unique cultural landmarks we have on our doorstep at Haileybury City.
Book an Adventure
What a phenomenal week Book Week was for our Middle School students in 2025, with the theme for this year being Book an Adventure.
Our boys and girls were fortunate to have incredible authors Karen Comer, James Phelan and Tristan Bancks visit Haileybury City to discuss their novels and share plenty of advice regarding the writing process they follow. The Year 6 students were especially excited and starstruck as they have just read Bancks’s novel, Detention, as part of their English studies in Term 3, with many of them lucky to have their book autographed.
Students learnt about the research and planning that goes into a novel, as well as the way the authors lean on their prior experiences and knowledge when writing. The need to tighten the tension to create complex and engaging stories was emphasised as well as the importance of undertaking an extremely thorough editing process before final publication.
In addition to the author visits, the library classroom was transformed into the Adventure Room for the week. This magical and creative space comprised seven themed rooms, including Under the Sea, Winter Wonderland, Magic Room, Egyptian Pyramids, Candy Lane, Space Odyssey and Jungle Room. Students had the opportunity to go on an adventure and visit each room, voting for their favourite one at the end of it.
Thank you to Allie Kuhne and the Library Team for creating a brilliant week for the students.
OutLoud Poetry Slam
For the past three months, our Years 7 and 8 City OutLoud Poetry team have been brainstorming, composing, crafting, trimming, tweaking, polishing and practising and practising and practising to create their piece ‘When I Was Young.’ These impressive efforts culminated in their on-stage performance at the Wheeler Centre on Monday, 1 September. Progressing through to the Finals, the team delivered a stellar performance in front of special guest judges; Panda Wong, Charlie Brooks and Andy Griffiths. The day was defined by the uplifting sense of community and the power of passionate, creative and brilliant young performers. As one judge remarked, the future of poetry is in brilliant hands. Well done to Macey, Madeline, Maverick, Mavis and Nevindie for your tireless work and exceptional performance.
Highlights in Humanities
Recently, there have been magnificent opportunities for our Years 5 and 7 Humanities students.
As part of their History Unit, Gold Fever, the Year 5s ventured to Sovereign Hill. This immersive experience deepened students’ understanding of life on the goldfields in the 1850s in an engaging and hands-on way.
Students explored the outdoor museum’s recreated goldfields town, which included costumed characters. Some of the many highlights were gold panning in the creek, watching a gold pour demonstration, visiting historic shops and cottages and learning about the Eureka Stockade and daily life during the gold rush. The excursion certainly brought history to life.
Caroline Merrick
Head of City
Haileybury Parents & Friends City (HPF City)
HPF City Glam Disco – don’t miss out!
Friday 24 October 2025 | 6.30 pm – 9.00 pm | Level 2, City Campus
It is time to shine, sparkle and dance at our biggest event of the year. Enjoy dinner, drinks, DJ, dancing, prizes, raffles and auctions — all while raising funds for:
- a scholarship for a student who would not otherwise attend our school
- student-led enhancements like ELC scooters, Junior School play equipment, a Middle School gaga pit and the ever-important microwave and fridge for the Senior School students.
Feel free to wear whatever makes you shine. Sparkles and disco attire may win prizes, but are not a requirement. No outfit? No problem — we will have accessories on the night to add some sparkle to your work attire. Disco ready? Even better! The willingness to have fun and catch up and chat — top of the class!
Donation deadline: 7 October 2025
Drop at City Reception, King Street, or contact Michelle White: michelledeannewhite@gmail.com | 0400 337 515
Tickets: $75.00 via Humanitix – book now!
Second Hand Uniform Shop – Up Day
We are now in the final preparation for the biggest SHUS day, Up day 2025. It is a great time to use the holiday break to go through the cupboards and contribute items to the blue bins.
To guarantee that your items are on sale by Up Day, we will require the items to be received no later than Friday, 14 November. This will enable us to ensure that we can process all the items prior to the date of sale.
Items that are always in high demand include:
- ELC – all items
- Junior School – shirts (no paint stains), dresses, tunics, blazers
- Middle and Senior Schools – skirts, blazers, shirts (no paint stains), lab coats, sports items.
HPF City AGM – Save the Date
Wednesday 13 November | The Graham Hotel
Join us from 6.45 pm for a 7.00 pm AGM start, followed by dinner from 7.30 pm. Hear updates from the Head of Haileybury City, Head of Senior School, and HPF Co-Presidents on the year’s activities, financials and other AGM matters.
We will present nominations for HPF City Executive and Social Representative roles — maybe consider stepping up to join in the fun or supporting your amazing reps by voting for them for 2026.
More details to come on the myHaileybury app.
See you at the Glam Disco!
Melissa Fisher
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends City
