City

Campus News

As we enter Term 4, there is a sense of energy across Haileybury City. The days are growing longer, the blossoms are emerging throughout Flagstaff Gardens, and our campus is entering a season of culmination and celebration.

Throughout the term, we will mark significant milestones including Year 3 Leaders Day, Year 4 Graduation and Year 8 Graduation. For many students, examinations and assessment tasks will also provide an opportunity to demonstrate the learning, knowledge and understanding they have developed throughout the year.

These occasions remind us that a great education is about more than academic achievement alone. The 2025 World Economic Forum Future of Jobs report identifies analytical thinking, resilience, adaptability, leadership and creative thinking as among the most important skills for the future. While these capabilities will help our students thrive in an increasingly complex world, they are most powerful when coupled with empathy, integrity, courage and kindness.

At Haileybury City, we believe the head and the heart must work together. We want our students to think deeply and act compassionately, to solve problems creatively while leading with integrity, and to pursue excellence while remaining connected to others. These are the qualities we cultivate every day through learning, service, leadership and community.

As the gardens surrounding our campus come into bloom, they remind us that growth is the result of many small daily efforts. The milestones we celebrate this term are visible signs of young people flourishing in both knowledge and character.

Early Learning Centre

Fairy tales in action

The ELC children have been exploring fairy tales and character roles, extending this learning into the Physical Education program through an obstacle course inspired by The Three Little Pigs.

At the beginning of the course, the children worked together to build a pig’s house using straw, paddle pop sticks and LEGO pieces as bricks. They shared ideas, explored different materials and discovered how to make their houses stand strong. Combining storytelling, movement and construction supported coordination, teamwork and problem-solving.

This engaging experience brought the familiar story vividly to life, allowing children to step into the characters’ world and work together to build their own fairy tale creations.

Crazy Hair Disco Day in the ELC

Our ELC was filled with colour, creativity and excitement as the children celebrated Crazy Hair Disco Day. With wonderfully imaginative hairstyles, they showcased their creativity, learnt new dance moves and danced the day away with their peers.

Through music and movement, children explored rhythm and coordination, built confidence and enjoyed connecting with one another. The celebration encouraged self-expression and a sense of belonging, with laughter and smiles filling the ELC as everyone joined in the fun.

Thank you to our families for helping make this celebration so special with your creative hairstyles and enthusiasm.

Junior School

Joy

Students relished the opportunities to celebrate the end of Term 3 by dancing the afternoon away at the annual Junior School Disco. Colourful costumes and vibrant accessories graced our students as we sang and danced to our favourite songs. Despite Mrs Spanos’ attempt, it wasn’t Taylor Swift, Katy Perry or Bruno Mars who proved to be the greatest hit of the hour. No, it was none other than ‘Home Among the Gum Trees’ and ‘Dinky Di Aussie’ which were songs taught to our students by our wonderful Music teacher, Mrs Schmidli.

Term 4

The smiles on the students’ faces shone as they made their way back to City Campus following the Term 3 break. Thank you to our families for your work in smoothly transitioning back to school routines. In Term 4, Students are required to wear their full summer uniform, including white wide-brimmed hat or magenta cap to and from school.

Additionally, students are required to wear their black hat when going outside to play. Term 4 is filled with exciting events, assemblies, swimming, Up Day and much more. We encourage all families to keep an eye on the Key Dates.

Future Leaders Day

In Week 2, Haileybury City were excited to welcome Year 3 students from all four of Melbourne’s Haileybury Campuses for the annual Future Leaders Day. The day, aimed at enhancing students’ understanding of leadership and building their capacity to show leadership qualities, involved hearing from our Middle School Captains and Old Haileyburians about what they believe makes a strong leader.

Students were then taken through a dance incursion run by Kinect Performing Arts before building their communication and teamwork skills through a range of hands-on challenges. Not only was this a wonderful opportunity for our students to prepare for their leadership roles in 2027, but one to strengthen their connections with their cross-campus peers.

Middle School

Back to Middle School

On Friday, 16 October, we welcomed our Year 12 cohort back to the Middle School as part of the City Campus Back to Day celebrations. The occasion gave our graduating students an opportunity to revisit an important chapter in their Haileybury journey and reconnect with the teachers, spaces and experiences that helped shape them.

Year 12 families joined their young people for breakfast on the Middle School terrace, marking their final parent engagement at the City Campus. Afterwards, Year 8 students joined the Year 12 boys and girls for an assembly celebrating their growth from Middle School students to graduating young adults. A highlight was the rousing speeches delivered by Year 12 students Henry and Alessia . The event concluded with an entertaining game of ‘Are You Smarter Than a 7th Grader?’ in which Year 7 and Year 12 students battled it out to see who had the stronger understanding of Haileybury’s Year 7 curriculum. Filled with reflection, connection and laughter, the morning gave the Year 12 students an opportunity to share memories and consider how far they had come.

For our current Middle School students, hearing from those nearing the end of their schooling offered a powerful reminder of how much growth lies ahead and the possibilities their own Haileybury journeys hold.

Students shine at House Arts

Creativity, enthusiasm and House spirit were on full display during the Middle School House Arts event. The day began with massed singing, as each House developed its collective voice while learning the uplifting track ‘This Is Me’ from The Greatest Showman. Students then selected a creative pathway (dance, art or drama)and worked together to prepare and present their contributions to Middle School students and staff.

Across the event, students embraced the opportunity to perform, collaborate and step beyond their comfort zones. While the quality of the artistic work was impressive, the day was equally memorable for the encouragement students offered one another and the energy they brought to their Houses.

House Arts provides an important opportunity for students to explore their interests, express themselves and contribute to something larger than themselves. Congratulations to all students for the positive way they participated.

Maths Talent Quest success

Congratulations to Year 7 students Lucas and Bodhi, and Year 8 student Clayton, whose investigations achieved High Distinctions in the Maths Talent Quest, and who were selected to represent Victoria in the National Maths Talent Quest judging.

Lucas and Bodhi investigated the question, ‘What global community trends are reflected in our neighbourhood?’, while Clayton explored ‘Normalising the Ski Resorts Run Rankings.’ From a field of 417 entries, their projects were among just 18 outstanding Victorian investigations selected for national judging.

This achievement reflects the students’ curiosity, mathematical thinking and sustained commitment to their investigations. Their thoughtful discussions and diligent work were evident throughout the lunchtime sessions as they developed their projects. It is wonderful to see their excellence recognised at the national level.

Preparing for Year 7 and 8 examinations

Our Years 7 and 8 students begin their Semester 2 Examinations on Thursday, 5 November. The examination process provides students with an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills, while also developing the habits required for future academic success.

Students have been encouraged to begin their revision early, establish a manageable study schedule and use active strategies such as practice questions, quizzes, flashcards and mind maps. Together, revision materials, in-class preparation and additional guidance are helping students become more confident and independent learners.

Exam Helpdesk sessions begin on Monday, 26 October and will be held before school and at lunchtime. These sessions provide a dedicated environment in which students can study and seek assistance directly from teachers. Preparing for and completing examinations is a skill in itself. Through these experiences, students are identifying the strategies that work best for them while developing organisation, self-motivation and resilience.

Catherine McNamara
Head of City