Darwin Issue 18

CEO | Principal's Report

This week’s return to school of Year 12 students and of our Year 11s for their Units 3 and 4 subjects is most welcome.

The Year 12s have been outstanding in managing their way through their final two years of school that have obviously been quite different to what they would have anticipated. They have, of course, been assisted by the brilliant teaching staff who have committed to providing every possible support to help Haileybury students achieve.

The focus over the next three weeks is on providing as much classroom time with Units 3 and 4 students in the lead-up to the exams, and doing all we can to provide memorable end-of-school events for the Year 12s. We will be holding a full Graduation after the examinations have been completed in November.

We are looking forward to the rest of our students across all year levels returning from week three to week five. While we are very pleased with student progress due to the strong academic online program delivery, we are well aware that students have missed the social and co-curricular aspects of school. So, within health guidelines, we will be building the widest range of activities that we can provide to all year levels as students return.

During the past few months, we have been investigating a range of additional ways to protect and increase the safety of our school community as we plan for the return to onsite learning and working. The School has sought expert advice and investigated ways to reduce the potential for the indoor air in our buildings to contribute to the development or spread of illness. Key initiatives and changes you will see implemented during Term 4 will be:

• Monitor CO2 levels
• Increase ventilation (either mechanically or naturally)
• Switch to 100% outside air where possible
• Improve filtration
• Rapid antigen testing kits
• Commence mechanical ventilation at least two hours before school starts
• Portable HEPA Filtration Units
• Review of existing systems.

We are fully committed to the health and welfare of our students and staff. It is mandatory for all Haileybury staff to be vaccinated and I have been delighted with the staff support for this. Similarly, we have been pleased to see Years 11 and 12 students getting vaccinated in large numbers.

Haileybury is fully supportive of the vaccination program. It is clear that it is the quickest way to open up our society and for us to provide a safe school environment for staff and students. We encourage all families with children eligible for the vaccination to have it done.

Derek Scott

CEO | Principal

Campus News

As the Haileybury Rendall School (HRS) term came to an end on Friday, 24 September, we look back at a very busy period.

We made the most of the great weather towards the latter part of the dry season and some highlights included our Year 9 experiential adventures to Lake Argyle in Western Australia, the Outdoor Education VCE excursion to Kakadu and the Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award trip to Maguk, near Jabiru.

Other special events were our popular Footy Colours Fundraising Day, the inimitable Book Week Parade, House Cross Country across the School and our Family Movie Night under the stars.

Thank you to all staff, students and parents for helping to make Term 3 another rewarding and successful one at HRS. It was unusual for us in the Northern Territory due to a three-day lockdown that caused some disruption and we thank everyone for their understanding and support as we moved to home online learning for the first time.

We wish the best to our Year 12 and Units 3 and 4 VCE students who will take part in the General Achievement Test (GAT). They enjoyed revision lectures at school during this ‘holiday’ period as they prepared for their final examinations.

Hopefully everyone in our community finds some time to relax and refresh and to get ready for the final stage of the year. Stay safe!

COVID-19 Update

As I hear the daily news of the COVID-19 pandemic spreading through New South Wales and Victoria, I always take a moment to think about my friends, family and colleagues down south.

We know that Victorian schools have now been closed for around 220 days. In the Northern Territory, we have so far been fortunate to avoid these inconveniences and have only experienced two short lockdowns this year. The Howard Springs quarantine facility team has done a brilliant job containing coronavirus cases.

Our first lockdown occurred across the June–July school holidays. Then, our main responsibility was keeping our Early Learning Centre open for the children of essential workers and maintaining a skeleton staff onsite to keep the School running.

In Week 5 of Term 3, Darwin and surrounding regions went into a full three-day lockdown. The Territory locked down ‘hard and fast’ and, incredibly, there was no spread from the one case detected in our community. During this period, Haileybury Rendall School quickly and successfully moved to online learning for all students from Transition (Prep) to Year 12.

Since then, we have continued to enjoy our freedoms with no further community cases. School life has been largely unaffected.

Working Towards COVID-Normal

Medical experts across the country are now urging us to do all we can to get vaccinated against the virus. We are advised that the way to achieve COVID-normal will be strongly connected to population vaccination levels.

Northern Territorians are getting vaccinated at similar rates to the rest of the country and the NT Government is now providing the opportunity for children aged 12 and over to receive the Pfizer vaccine. Parents are able to book and organise this privately, but the vaccines are also coming to schools as a convenient alternative.

Haileybury Rendall School will be part of this school-based vaccination program. Middle School and Senior School students can receive two doses of Pfizer vaccine between September and November and we are currently seeking parental permission for this.

Years 11 and 12 students will receive the vaccine first, before the start of the VCE examination period. A team of local health professionals will oversee the vaccine process at the School.

We wish the very best to everyone across our country in these challenging times.

Andrew McGregor

Principal, Haileybury Rendall School

Arts

Performing Arts and Music students finesse their skills in preparation for VCE examinations and VCD students complete their SAT folios.

Performing Arts

Holidays for Some

Despite the lack of professional theatre happening in and around Melbourne, I have been lucky enough to watch some outstanding live dance and monologue performances as our senior students prepare for their examinations.

Our dancers are at the point where fine tuning and making sure the narrative is clear and matching their statement of intention are the focus. Our actors have responded well to a little bit of rest and have been able to come in to school to work with set pieces and props.

The challenge in Theatre Studies is to establish the world of the play—showing that you understand the context and what has gone before and what is to follow. It is always exciting to see an actor grow into a role as they grasp the language in action.

Stewart Bell
Director of Performing Arts

Music

One VCE Music Journey Nears the End and Another Begins

While our most senior VCE Music students complete their final preparations to take Unit 4 Performance exams next week, Year 5 Brighton students begin their instrumental journey. They are receiving Band instruments in preparation for practical instrumental classes that begin online this week.

At Brighton, Berwick and City, all Year 5 students now participate in a semester of instrumental tuition on Band instruments—trumpet, trombone, euphonium, flute, clarinet, saxophone and percussion.

Delivered as a classroom program, each student learns one of these instruments alongside their peers in a fun and engaging setting that features many smiles, giggles, discoveries and, of course, instrumental success. Following a semester in the classroom program, students are encouraged to enrol in individual tuition and to continue their music journey at school.

VCE Rehearsals Taking Shape

At the time of recording the video links below, in the last week of Term 3, most VCE ensembles had only been able to have three rehearsals together in preparation for upcoming October final exams.

For the exams, each assessed student is required to perform a 25-minute recital program. As always, students who take the formal VCE assessments will be brilliantly supported by their peers who are not enrolled in Units 3 and 4. Special thanks must go to these wonderful people!

Aaron Nazaretian (Music Performance)

In the first link below, Aaron Nazaretian (Year 11) is rehearsing the first movement of Vivaldi’s Mandolin Concerto (RV425). While you can clearly hear the complexity in Aaron’s guitar part, a significant challenge for the ensemble rests in keeping the timing together while carefully matching the changing dynamics across the work.

Vivaldi's Mandolin Concerto - Rehearsal Link

Performers: Aaron Nazaretian (Guitar), Nathan Gu (Violin), Sam Koh (Violin), Sarah Tan (Viola), Elliot Guo (Cello) and Dr Christina Chao (Harpsichord).

Jacinta Bennett (Music Performance)

In the second link below, vocalist/keyboardist Jacinta Bennett (Year 11) works through a Laufey Lin song, Someone New. Performing comfortably on two instruments simultaneously is a sophisticated skill that requires many hours of practice. In addition to focusing on coordinating her own performance, Jacinta must at all times lead the remainder of the ensemble in terms of phrasing, balance and intensity. Similarly, the ensemble must listen carefully to Jacinta to follow the nuances of her interpretation of this lovely song.

Someone's New - Rehearsal Link

Performers: Jacinta Bennett (Vocal/Piano), Harry Marshall (Bass), Fraser Elvins (Drums) and String Section (Alicia Robertson, Rowena Ng, Harry Sun, Nathan Su).

Olivia Van Der Heyden (Music Investigation)/Harry Marshall (Music Performance)

The final rehearsal video below is a work that will be used by two students in separate VCE exams. This complicated tune, Run For Cover, requires considerable individual skill as well as a strong understanding of ensemble cohesion—meaning the musicians’ ability to accurately perform their own part while focusing on the collective rhythmic and stylistic cohesion.

The extended performance techniques also warrant mention. Olivia Van Der Heyden (Year 12) performs much of the work in the upper register of the alto saxophone. In fact, many of the notes you can hear are technically beyond the range of the instrument! Olivia has also developed a contemporary alto saxophone sound/tone that is well beyond what would be expected of someone her age.

On the electric bass, Harry Marshall (Year 11) uses the slap bass guitar technique of hammering and thumping the lower strings while percussively plucking the upper strings. This not only contributes melodic content to the bass line but also captures that funky rhythmic quality at the heart of this contemporary performance style.

Run For Cover - Rehearsal Link

Performers: Olivia Van Der Heyden (Alto Saxophone), Harry Marshall (Electric Bass), Tommy Caspers (Drums), Marcus Beyer (Keyboard) and Mr Kim May (Electric Guitar).

Rod Marshall

Head of Haileybury Music

Creative Industries

In Search of Architectural Excellence

Visual Communication Design (VCD) students have finally completed the enormous task that is their SAT folio. This creative process has been well underway since Term 1. After creating a hypothetical client and addressing their needs through design, all Units 3 and 4 students have successfully produced a body of work that demonstrates a range of manual and digital skills.

Old Haileyburians Association

Another Old Haileyburian discusses their professional and personal experiences so far and what they have learned along the way.

Closing a Business and Coming Out the Other Side

Join the OHA as we sit down with Christina Hewawissa (OH 2015) as she bravely shares her personal journey with depression, the tough decision to close her clothing brand and the exciting new opportunities that lay ahead.

Stay Connected Podcast

#stayconnected #oha #alumni #podcast @theplantfamily_official

OHA News

To keep up-to-date with all OHA News, visit https://oha.org.au/news/ and enjoy recent articles on:

• Where are they Now—Elise Nash (OH 2014)
• Where are they Now—Will Stock (OH 2015)
• Where are they Now—George Botros (OH 2010)
• Where are they Now—Emily McLean (OH 2011)
• Full Spark Series
• In Loving Memory Tributes to Rob Whiteway (OH ’50) and Malcolm Evans (OH ’55)

Hayley Denny

Development & Alumni Manager

Foundation

Keeping You up to Date

The latest edition of Foundation News can be found here.

This edition contains information on:

• Haileybury Foundation Scholarships for 2022
• News of scholarship offerings to the Afghani community
• The success of the Haileybury Workplace Giving program.
  

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.

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