City Issue 17
ELC children are discovering their green fingers, Junior School students take their camp and disco online and the Middle School puts care packages in the post.
Campus News
Celebrating Fathers and Significant Men
At City campus, we enjoyed creating memorable moments for our fathers and the significant men in our lives to remind them how special they are.
Our ELC children made a special bound book with reflections and thoughts about their dads or grandpas. They were illustrated by our ELC children through their Creative Arts Program which focused on line, detail and the medium of watercolour.
Our Junior School students had a great morning online with over 100 Zoom lounge rooms joining us with a BYO coffee! Mr Naughton and I shared why our dads are so special and what they have taught us about caring, learning and playing.
Throughout our marvellous morning, our fathers and special friends were showered with words of love from their children and were able to share what they had learned from their dads. We played some fun games, enjoyed trivia and finished with our inaugural sharing of ‘punny Dad Jokes’. Mr Naughton started the ball rolling and we had lots of laughs—and a few groans!
Middle School Dads and special friends made music and movement with Ms Pollard, Mr Williams and Mr Bonotti at our Middle School morning event. It was amazing to hear the kitchen band of Milo tins, saucepan lids and garbage bins accompanying music greats such as Paul Simon.
Special thanks to our community for Zooming in and to our great staff for creating such exciting events to celebrate the special men in our lives.
Happy Holidays
Although this is not the kind of holiday break we hoped for, we know everyone needs a well-deserved rest! We wish our staff, students and families a wonderful and refreshing break from their screens and hope you enjoy lots of extended PJ time!
We will return in Term 4 with renewed optimism and hope for being back on campus in due course, and being able to enjoy an end-of-year holiday beyond our neighbourhood.
Early Learning Centre
Spring is in the Air on Level 3
Reception children have continued to investigate how healthy food choices support growing bodies. As the sun begins to shine more brightly on the terrace and spring is in the air, the change of season is the perfect opportunity to update the vegetable garden on Level 3.
Children have explored and chosen vegetables sown at the beginning of spring. These seeds were added to our garden bed with many questions—including ‘how did a snail make its way onto the Level 3 terrace?’
ELC friends engaging in our Online Learning Program have received seeds in their Home Learning Packs to support these investigations at home.
Reception students Sophie Gilham, Zheng Jaelyn Lai, Amelia Mann
A Letter is Worth a Thousand Words
Children in Pre-Prep have shown a keen interest in writing in recent weeks. This has led to a ‘letter corner’—a space for children to write and ‘post’ letters to family members and to each other.
Writing requires children to use many skills including fine motor control to move the pencil and understanding of phonics when constructing words. High-frequency words and sentence starters are just some of the exemplars available to support children in constructing their letters.
The sharing of written messages has brought great joy to the children and the ELC Post Box has been inundated with letters and cards that have been received by our grateful families.
Pre-Prep with James Bissland and Zakariyah Almosawi
Junior School
Year 3 Virtual Camp
Minute to win it. Thirty seconds of fame. Physical challenges. Sharing stories and dinner together. It certainly sounds like Year 3 Camp!
Even though we couldn’t physically attend, our virtual experience of camp was one of the highlights of the term for Year 3 students. After a camp debrief with leader Mr Marshall, the students moved into groups and engaged in four different rotation activities.
Mrs Bell inspired our students to present their ‘30 Seconds of Fame’ where they explained one of their strengths to the group. Mr Marshall then took the students through their paces by seeing how many times they could perform a certain skill in a minute.
Mr Williams increased the heart rate of our Year 3 cohort with some fantastic physical challenges and students told stories using Scratch with our CDT expert, Mr Schaepman.
After enjoying all the activities, students and families shared a virtual dinner and a bedtime story concluded the evening. It was a memorable night for all students and staff.
Bop 'Til You Drop
To reward our students for their hard work and commitment during online learning, we finished Week 9 with a Junior School Virtual Disco. Bop ‘Til You Drop had our students moving and grooving through an hour of fun activities and dancing.
It was pleasing to see our students demonstrate ‘Play’ after they have shown so much dedication to the ‘Care’ and ‘Learn’ parts of our philosophy.
Middle School
R U OK?
The Middle School recognised RU OK? Day on Thursday, 9 September. This important day was an opportunity for us all to take a moment to check in with those around us.
During Homeroom sessions students learned about the four-step process of checking in with their friends—ask, listen, encourage action, check in. They also explored coping strategies for challenging situations and what to do when someone expresses that they are not ok.
We recognise that the current situation is challenging for many families, so please reach out to your child’s Head of School if you need some support. We hope that the upcoming holiday break provides an opportunity for students to refresh and recharge ahead of Term 4.
Care Packages in the Post
As a means of staying connected to our City community, Middle School students should have received a care package in the post. These packs include puzzles, competitions, colouring pages and a note from their Heads of School.
Our Girls Middle School students received some seedlings, in line with their 2021 message of ‘from little things big things grow’. Our Boys Middle School students received a pack of playing cards to perfect their magic skills with the help of resident magician Mr Street!
“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.” —Brene Brown
Caroline Merrick
Head of City
Haileybury Parents & Friends City (HPF City)
Warmer and longer daylight hours and September school holiday are upon us. We hope that everyone finds ways to 'spark joy' as Marie Kondo would say, with more time spent outdoors—and less time on devices!
Fire up the BBQ, potter in the garden, grab a cuppa, read a book in a sunny spot, head out for a bike ride, walk the dog and chat with your neighbours...How will you while away the hours?
Whichever way you choose to spend your time, we hope you find some quality R&R.
Nina Brooks and Nina Bissland
Co-Presidents, Haileybury City Parents & Friends
Discover more Insight updates
Arts
Some students return to campus to rehearse and talented musicians and performer are given the opportunity to build on their success.
Performing Arts
Face-to-Masked-Face at Last
It has been exciting and energising to have the Performing Arts Team at school rehearsing and refining their skills for the VCE examinations.
A big ‘thanks’ to our parents who have taken on board the extra constraints required due to this lockdown and who have helped get our students COVID tested. So far, everything has been going smoothly, with everyone able to find spaces where they can work.
Going back to the old gym with my Theatre Studies class was strangely reassuring after spending so much time there last year. Our students were positively beaming as they worked in the same space and, when it has been taken away from you, you realise how much happens just through proximity.
We are on a steep curve to catch up on our physical preparation but working steadily through the holidays will have everyone ready for action.
In sadder news, the Newlands musical has had to be cancelled after the cast and crew valiantly hung on for as long as they were able. Newlands was going to perform at Aikman Hall but with the stage soon being used for VCE exams, the venue is unavailable.
Plans for memorable moments are being worked on but everything still depends on our students being allowed back to school. We all continue to wait for news on that…
Stewart Bell
Director of Performing Arts
Music
Talented String Students Recognised
Musicians within the Haileybury community have been busy over the past fortnight.
Three of our String students, Campbell Wilson-Moran (Year 10) Elliot Guo (Year 10) and Abigail Xu (Year 8) were awarded places in the prestigious Melbourne Conservatorium Young Artists Academy (MCYAA) following recent successful auditions.
As part of the MCYAA program, these hardworking students will undertake comprehensive chamber music studies and study new repertoire, attend national and international masterclasses and, hopefully, take part in plenty of face-to-face rehearsals.
Well done to Mr Kieran Casey and Ms Myfanwy Bramble for their exceptional work with these outstanding young musicians.
Rhian Aoun Chosen for National Program
Last week, one of our senior VCE Music Investigation vocal students, Rhian Aoun (Year 12) was chosen as a finalist in the UNDSCRVD talent competition. The event will be hosted by internationally renowned artists The Veronicas.
The five finalists selected from across Australia will be mentored by The Veronicas in a documentary-style reality show broadcast on TikTok. You can see Rhian’s first post as part of the show at https://vm.tiktok.com/ZSJKepBHh/.
Thanks to Ms Fiona Mastorovic for her outstanding work with Rhian over the years.
VCE Music Students Prepare
Following a recent change in government restrictions, VCE Music students are now able to prepare for their upcoming Music Performance examinations onsite. While the conditions for attending rehearsals are strict, including a weekly COVID test, students were able to finally rehearse with their ensembles on the Aikman Hall stage.
I was so impressed by the amount of work achieved by our young musicians in lockdown— truly amazing and inspiring stuff. Of course, it was particularly special for students to able to see each other and work together once more.
Thank you to the Music staff who rehearsed with students for the Thursday and Saturday programs held over the past fortnight.
Joy of Music Concert Streamed
As part of the @ Home with Haileybury Program the Music Department recently hosted The Joy of Music. The streamed concert was a 30-minute sample of events from across the 2018 and 2019 concert calendar.
The show featured a Tattoo performance, a performance from the Melbourne Recital Centre concert, several performances in Aikman Hall, the Senior Choir contributing to an Aria Night presentation and a jazz performance held at St Kilda’s MEMO Music Hall.
1,500 students were captured in this snapshot of life within the Music Department in a normal two-year concert calendar.
Rod Marshall
Head of Haileybury Music
Creative Industries
Middle School Art Tells Stories
Middle School students are always encouraged to include personal interests in their works. Whether this takes the shape of a hobby or their identity, the students invest and take on great ownership of their final artworks.
We love hearing the stories that accompany these works, especially when they are as meaningful as the example below.
The earring on the artwork represents Zambia, which is where I come from. The ‘red’ stands for the blood that was shed during the British colony, the ‘green’ represents the vegetation and agriculture, the ‘orange’ represents the natural minerals and, lastly, the ‘black’ represents the peoples and tribes. Ultimately, I designed this artwork to recognise and appreciate all the tremendously brave women who have moulded who I am today. To conclude, the message for the viewers of this piece is to be grateful for all the women who are a part of their lives and to never underestimate what a woman is capable of doing. The woman does not necessarily have to be of African origin—it can be any woman of any nationality.
Faith Kauseni Year 8
Castlefield Students Make Art at Home
Year 4 students have been using a range of materials at home in response to their study of artist Alexander Calder. Calder is the inventor of the mobile and is famous for his circus of wire figures that he manipulated to perform.
We’re sure these performers below have brought lots of joy also.
Jaya Brown and Lucy Dunbar Year 4 Castlefield
Karl Sebire
Head of Creative Industries
Sports Report
AFL Draft Combine Update
Justin Davies (Year 12) will join fellow team mates Marcus Windhager and Connor Macdonald (both Year 12) in the 2021 NAB AFL Draft Combine.
Some 90 selected Australian Rules footballers from across the country will participate in the 2021 NAB AFL Draft Combine that will assess each player’s physical strengths through several tests including 20-metre sprint, agility tests and vertical jump. This provides critical data for AFL clubs as they enter the draft in October.
We wish these students all the very best.
Dance Nationals Cyber Competition
Due to the current lockdown and border closures, the TFT DanceStar National Championships are being held as a Cyber Competition. Qualifiers were asked to submit their video footage for judging and sections are being streamed weekly, with results announced at the end of each week.
This week our soloists performed and competed against dance schools and secondary schools across the nation. The results were:
Freya Stills Blott (Year 11) Third—Secondary Senior Hip Hop Amber Section
Michaela Davidson (Year 10) Third—Secondary Senior Soloist Contemporary Amber Section
Emily Peatman (Year 11) Third – Secondary Senior Soloist Jazz Amber Section
Melanie Nguyen (Year 11) Third—Secondary Senior Soloist Lyrical Amber Section
Laura Bellian (Year 11) Second—Secondary Senior Soloist Lyrical Amber Section
Ashlyn Scott (Year 7) Second—Secondary Junior Audition Jazz Section
Chloe Chung (Year 12) First—Secondary Senior Soloist Contemporary Red Section.
Congratulations to all our amazing soloists and their coaches on their outstanding achievements. Many of them filmed their pieces during lockdown and some competed with their VCE Dance solo works that they choreographed themselves. The sections were large and competitive—as were the scores. Well done!
We look forward to seeing how our Primary, Years 7–8 and Senior School Dance Teams go in their sections in the coming weeks.
Sean Allcock
Director of Haileybury Sport
OHA
The Haileybury Spark Series continues to explore the lives and fascinating career paths of Old Haileyburians such as Yannee Liu.
Spark Series Spotlight—Yannee Liu (OH 2019)
The OHA is delighted when alumni give back to their school and this year saw the introduction of the Haileybury Spark Series, developed and run by the Haileybury Careers Department.
OHA members volunteered their time to come back and speak to students about their career paths.
Yannee Liu (OH 2019) recently returned to the School to speak at the Science (Pharmacy, Health Science, Technology) session of the Haileybury Spark Series.
We had the pleasure of getting to know Yannee a little more through the Spark Spotlight Series available on the OHA website. View Article
Why not enjoy more of the Spotlight series while you are there?
Yannee Liu (OH 2019)
To keep up-to-date with all OHA news, subscribe to our Stay Connected Newsletter.
Hayley Denny
Development & Alumni Manager
Foundation
Two new scholarships have been introduced to support the educational aspirations of young people in Australia’s Afghani community.
Transforming Lives
The Haileybury Foundation is focused on transforming lives by providing opportunities for deserving students who would otherwise be unable to receive a world-class education at a school such as Haileybury.
Women in Afghanistan have faced many barriers to their education, not least the continued threat of violence and attacks on educational facilities in the country. We are committed to supporting students from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds and we are delighted to be offering the opportunity for two young Australian-Afghani students to join our community and complete their secondary education at Haileybury.
Through the generosity of our Haileybury Foundation donors, applications are now open for two fully funded scholarships for girls from the Australian-Afghani community. They will commence in Year 7 in 2022 at one of our four Melbourne campuses.
The scholarships will cover the students’ full tuition, uniform for all seasons and sports and laptop computer as part of the Haileybury Managed Device Program.
HOW TO APPLY:
Applications Open: 1 September, 2021
Applications Close: 30 September, 2021
Please visit the Haileybury Foundation Scholarships page for information on how to apply.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us at foundation@haileybury.vic.edu.au.
Thank You
Donations to Haileybury Foundation continue to stream in. Our students are incredibly fortunate to be in receipt of such a high-quality education that would otherwise be out of reach.
All gifts to Haileybury Foundation are tax deductible. Our donors are having enormous impact and we have been delighted with the involvement of our community–from past parents, alumni and staff to current parents and former staff.
Donations can be made at https://www.haileybury.com.au/giving.
Social Media
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