Haileybury has long championed the explicit instruction model and evidence continues to mount about its effectiveness and impact.
For 16 years, Haileybury’s Junior School program has used the explicit instruction approach to literacy and numeracy. Literacy at Haileybury is also supported by a strong phonics focus.
Analysis by Dr Jenny Donovan at the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) supports the efficacy of the explicit instruction approach. Reporting on Dr Donovan’s work, the Australian Financial Review (AFR)* notes that explicit instruction ‘systematically builds one piece of learning on top of another to ensure students master key concepts before progressing to more advanced areas.’
From 2010, Haileybury has supported the explicit teaching model around the country and has continued to show evidence of how it can positively impact outcomes. Of course, the evidence is very clear for Haileybury students. They consistently rank amongst the very best performing in the country on literacy and numeracy outcomes as measured by national testing.
Importantly, Haileybury students’ results are consistently higher than those from students of a similar background. (This is demonstrated very clearly on the MySchool website and the Years 3 and 5 comparisons of the performance of students from similar background.)
Haileybury seeks to support the development of good evidence-based education practice wherever possible. I am delighted, therefore, about the growing momentum behind the explicit teaching approach and the increasing focus on phonics in teaching students to read.
Because of this focus, the 2022 national NAPLAN results show continued improvement in reading in the primary school years. This was noted in the AFR article when Dr Donovan said: “It reflects a new approach that has been taken to teaching reading, particularly in NSW where there has been a focus on synthetic phonics.”
The Commonwealth Government has also supported this approach by providing schools with free access to a resource called Phonics Check for Year 1 students. This is a good initiative.
Haileybury’s 2022 NAPLAN results are exceptional once again. They will go on the MySchool website early in the new year. The reason they are exceptional is because of a school wide approach to lesson planning, a focus on core skills mastery driven by the explicit teaching model in the junior years, and the evaluation of data to drive improvement in teaching practice. Haileybury’s approach is summed up very well by Dr Donovan in the AFR.
‘Donovan says the schools performing above expectation on NAPLAN were those that took “an explicit approach to instruction”.
They’ve taken the curriculum and figured out what it means for day-to-day lessons.
They are consistent in their approach and not leaving it to every classroom teacher to figure out for themselves how to teach something.
They ensure students are mastering what they are being taught, that learning is actually happening.
It’s really fundamental, evidence-based practice doing the things we know are effective in teaching and learning.’
Derek Scott
CEO | Principal
*Hare J, 2022, ‘The educational experiment that failed our kids’, The Australian Financial Review, 3 November, p. 36.
On Friday, 11 November, our Remembrance Day acknowledgement in memory of those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts will be held on North Oval. The community is welcome to attend and join us as we observe a minute’s silence. Students from Prep and Year 8 will then place a cross into the ground to honour the young Haileyburians who served and lost their lives more than 100 years ago.
On Thursday, 10 November, we will graduate the Year 8 cohort of 2022. We are proud of the students and their achievements and we look forward to celebrating their conclusion of Middle School. We wish them every success as they commence their time in Pre-Senior from Monday, 14 November.
The 2022 Orientation Day – Up Day – is scheduled for Tuesday, 22 November for our current Prep through to Year 6 students. Students can wear casual sports clothes with runners. They will spend the day in their 2023 year level and will meet teachers, visit homerooms and be introduced to their new classmates in preparation for next year.
There are so many beautiful festivals our community celebrates and Diwali provided us with an opportunity to learn about the Hindu festival of light.
Pre-Preps were treated to a special visit from parents who read us stories about the Diwali festival and shared its significance in the Hindu culture. The children decorated their own clay diyas (small oil lamps) to take home, light and make a wish.
During Creative Arts the children learnt about colourful rangoli decorations and created their own using coloured paper. They were also treated to a Bollywood dancing incursion.
The ELC children have worked together to create a beautiful community tea towel with self-portraits of all the children and teachers. They make wonderful keepsakes and gifts and are available for purchase in the foyer. All proceeds will go towards the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife which will have a direct impact on growing and protecting our natural habitats.
Recently, it was lovely to have so many grandparents and special friends visit the Junior School and spend time in the classrooms. From trivia and necklace making to drawing portraits and stacking cards, the young and the young at heart bonded over shared stories and the holding of hands.
We appreciate the strong family connections within our community and were thrilled to host this event once again.
Did you know that Castlefield is the only campus with a major intake in Prep? All other campuses move from the same number of ELC classes to the same number of Prep classes, but at Castlefield, we move from two to three classes.
We welcomed our Prep 2023 families and students to begin their Junior School journey in Week 3 during the first of four visits. We were impressed with the confidence these young people showed in the Prep rooms with our teachers. They’re definitely ready for school!
The Haileybury Castlefield Middle School was awash with students and activity—but something was amiss! These students were familiar. They wore a recognisable uniform and knew the names of all the teachers and where to find them. But I cannot recall having such large, hairy and muscular Year 5 boys under my care!
And then it hit me—I was experiencing the ‘Bayside Phenomenon’ known as Back to Brighton, where graduating Year 12 students return to their former Middle School to re-live their favourite moments. They reconnect with mentors and say thank you to all the wonderful teachers and staff who have played a role in their journey.
Every type of emotion was on display as their Haileybury student journey draws to a close and their Old Haileyburian journey commences. The years rush by and it is wonderful that the current Middle School students get to join in the celebration and hear the (grossly exaggerated) stories of yesteryear.
We send our best regards to the graduating class of 2022, thank them for including us in their celebration and remind them they always hold a special place in our heart, mind, history and School.
Katrina Manson
Head of Castlefield (Brighton)
The last few weeks have seen bowling events in the Middle School while the Junior School had their Halloween Disco. Thank you to all the parents who helped set up for these events and to the parents that stayed and supervised.
Keep an eye out for notices about morning teas in November.
Thank you.
Monique Chapman
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends Castlefield
Primary and Middle School held their “HAILEY Sports Carnival” competition last week with all the homerooms competing against each other with energy and determination. There was plenty of enthusiasm as each year level marched onto the sports field led by the marching band and the beating of drums. It was lovely to see the sunshine and clear skies, as well as the student body dressed in yellow, red, green, blue and purple in support of their homerooms.
As part of our Careers and Pathways program our Year 10 students have taken part in the Holland and MBIT vocational tests and one-on-one career planning interviews. The vocational test focuses on linking personalities and the student’s vocational choices and identifying their skills. During the career individual interviews Ms. Jacqueline Cui and Ms. Sherry Yan provided guidance on setting career goals.
The highlight for middle school was the G20 Mock Debating Summit that was held last week after a month of preparation by all the students. The debating summit was organized by the student school leaders and overseen by the middle school staff. The students and teachers watching the different debates appreciated the fierce confrontation between the debating teams. All debating teams used many quotes and a great deal of classical poetry to express their arguments and views.
Senior School held their “Athletics and Fun Games” competition recently. Blue, Gold, Green and Purple House students and all their teachers competed against each other for valuable points that will contribute to the overall Haileybury International School House Competition Shield that will be awarded next year. Each House formally processed onto the sports ground chanting loudly. This was followed by each House showcasing a group performance of singing and dancing before they participated in 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres relay races, tug of war, rope jumping etc. It was great to see the staff and students all getting involved!
Yanni Galanis
International Principal, Haileybury International School, Tianjin
Our ongoing assessments throughout the year ensure our young people and families receive regular feedback about learning behaviours, progress and achievement from Prep through to Year 12. The academic growth of our students is measured in a variety of ways and our teaching staff delve deeply into our data to ensure we better understand every student and their progress.
The upcoming exams for our Years 7 and 8 students are a chance for students and their families to prioritise study, revision, focus and goal setting. Positive habits in all these academic areas are supported by sleep, nutrition, movement and healthy choices, particularly with regards to screen time.
I ask families to lean in and support their young person by opening up opportunities for conversations about effort and success, preparation and performance. Staff are available to support students every day and our help desks are staffed by our fabulous teaching team. Please reach out if you need any assistance in this area.
We are thrilled to have returned to most of our glorious outdoor education programs this year and our most recent campers made their way back to Haileybury from rural Victoria, as you will see below.
Camp is an opportunity for our young people to learn how to navigate new experiences, take on challenges and use the social and emotional resilience and self-regulation we develop, in partnership with our families.
New foods, cabin mates, tent buddies, activities and more all help our students build their confidence to make decisions and choices beyond the home and campus. These life lessons in resilience and positive peer interactions are so important to help our young people to develop their best selves. We are grateful to the many staff who work so hard to ensure these learning experiences are rich and rewarding.
The documentation of children’s learning within the early years is as unique as the children’s achievements themselves. Educators may use quotes, observations or photographs as evidence of a child’s development and this is then shared with families to document each child’s learning journey.
In the ELC, we take this process of documentation a step further, ensuring that children identify the accomplishments and specific learning experiences they are proud to share with others.
The children’s enthusiasm and joy in this process has resulted in a dedicated space in the Reception and Pre-Prep rooms where children can use classroom iPads to photograph their achievements and these are then displayed within their room. Children are also encouraged to articulate what they are proud of and the child’s voice is captured and reflected with their pictures.
This allows children to constantly reflect on the learning that is taking place within the ELC and provides a sense of agency, pride and motivation for each child within their learning. We look forward to sharing these journals with families.
Year 3 students strengthened their understanding of measurement and geometry by using 'Blooket', a web-based quiz program that cycles through a range of concepts they’ve previously explored.
To consolidate their understanding of converting units of measurement, Year 3 teacher, Casey Marshall, created a quiz for students. However, this was no ordinary quiz. When a student got a question correct, they received a number of digital tokens, or they could take tokens from an anonymous peer. Not only was this an engaging way for our students to revise previously taught concepts, but it also builds their capacity to be resilient in a structured game of chance.
Our students are continuing to develop their skills in regulating their emotions. The Zones of Regulation framework allows them to use the language of ‘big problem’ and ‘little problem’ and this digital quiz enabled the Year 3 students to put this into practice.
In Inquiry, Year 2 students are exploring the central idea that ‘understanding geography helps us navigate and connect to the world around us’. Students are building their collaboration and research skills by investigating landmarks and identifying them on a map together.
To recognise the ways in which geography helps us connect with cultures, students explored the Pyramids of Giza, Uluru and the Ise Grand Shrine in Japan. We look forward to seeing their skills continue to grow.
“We are investigating Lake Hillier in Western Australia. It is ten times saltier than the real ocean and it will stay permanently pink. We used Kiddle and Google to research this information.”Oliver Barned
“We are researching the Bungle Bungles in Western Australia. The traditional owners of the land were the Karjaganujaru peoples. To work well in our group, we communicate and help each other.”Aidan Wong
It has been a very busy and exciting start to the term in the City Middle School!
In the last few weeks, we have seen our Year 6 Aerobics Team win first place in their most recent competition. We congratulate all students involved and wish them well as they continue their success into 2023.
After a few years without this fabulous event, the Middle School Spring Concert returned to Keysborough on Sunday, 23 October. This saw all our Middle School Ensembles across the campuses come together for two concerts. Students performed repertoire learnt during the Music Camps earlier in the year and, as always, the performances were absolutely brilliant.
Our Years 7 and 8 students are getting prepared for exams, making the most of the Helpdesks available before school, and working through study skills with their Homeroom teachers.
We still have much to look forward to in Term 4 including our City Art Show, Year 8 Graduation, Speech Night and much more! We look forward to celebrating the wonderful year with our families at our upcoming events at City.
Caroline Merrick
Head of City
The HPF City took the opportunity to celebrate World Teachers’ Day on Friday, 28 October, with a small gift and thank you card given to all our City campus staff and teachers. The hard work, dedication and energy our children receive from the City staff provides an engaging and encouraging learning environment and they are wonderful role models. Thank you!
To all our Senior students completing Year 12, we wish you every success and hope that your dreams are another step closer to becoming reality. Congratulations on your milestone achievement.
Nina Brooks & Nadine Bissland
Co-Presidents, Haileybury Parents & Friends City
It was a special occasion last week when parents, friends, staff, students and, most importantly, the graduating class of 2022, came together at the Haileybury Rendall School for our final Year 12 Breakfast and Graduation Assembly.
This was the fifth graduating class of Haileybury Rendall School and included 36 students completing the VCE or VCAL certificates. We are very proud that 10 of those graduates are First Nations students.
Every day we celebrate being a Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Education and we continue to do our part in helping to Close the Gap. In our School, 15% of our young men and women are First Nations students and it was quite significant to have 28% of our graduating class being from First Nations backgrounds.
It was also interesting that 11 of our 36 students were originally Kormilda College students who stayed on when Haileybury acquired the college at the end of 2017. Another seven students joined us when we first started, so 50% of our Year 12 students have been with us for our entire journey.
It was a pleasure to get to know and work with this cohort. They showed strong leadership for all students in the school and the prefect group was outstanding. They led the way in a range of House activities and were involved in Sony Camp for underprivileged kids and the World’s Greatest Shave that raised over $20,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation. They also supported NAIDOC Week and our first whole school outside assembly, National Reconciliation Week and a wide range of House events.
Year 12 is a rewarding and challenging year and it has been wonderful to see this group celebrate their successes and overcome some challenges. The start of the year that brought RAT tests, COVID-19 isolation, vaccinations and boosters now seem a long way away. It wasn’t so long ago that we wondered if we’d open as a School on day one.
Our students have started their VCE exams and we wish them all the best for the important weeks ahead. We especially look forward to our final celebration, the Valedictory Dinner on Saturday, 19 November.
Andrew McGregor
Principal, Haileybury Rendall School
I am delighted to announce that Adam Tobin has been appointed the Senior Deputy Head of Campus. Mr Tobin is also the Head of Boys Middle School and has been at Haileybury for seven years.
Diwali is the festival of lights and a celebration of goodness and prosperity in the Hindu calendar and culture. The ELC and Junior School students delighted in the opportunity to take part in a Diwali dance workshop and activities such as creating rangoli art and painting terracotta diyas.
Congratulations to Roy Yang (Year 1) who was awarded 3rd place in the Unleashed Short Story Competition. This was an Australia-wide competition that attracted nearly 4,000 entries. Roy’s short story, The Squeezy Problem, will be included in a published book.
Congratulations, Roy, we are very proud of you!
It was a pleasure to be part of the audience at the recent piano and vocal soiree which showcased the musical talents of our students. The success of each performer was a testament to their hard work and dedication to music, as well as the support of their teachers.
Well done to all involved.
Congratulations to all involved in the Year 5/6 play ‘Fairy Tale Misfits’. The performers and backstage crew did an outstanding job and the audience loved every minute of the show!
It is with great pleasure that we announce our ELC End –of Year Concert will be held on Thursday, 24 November, at 9.00 am. This is an event not to be missed!
The children have begun working closely with Leo Intilangelo to refine and practice some of their favourite songs to perform for their families.
We ask children to be at school by 8.40 am on the day to ensure a 9.00 am start. The concert should finish at around 10.00 am.
The Haileybury Junior School Swimming Program will run over four weeks from Monday, 7 November to Friday, 2 December, at the Haileybury Edrington swimming pool. The program will be will run by Aquastar, with students swimming twice a week for 50-minute sessions. Where possible, this will take place during physical education classes.
This is a compulsory program with all students required to attend. Notice and class schedules have been sent home to families in student bags. Parents are welcome to assist in changing if they have a Working with Children Check, and watching their children swim.
Our four Haileybury campuses will come together at Edrington on Tuesday, 8 November, for a Year 3 YLead Incursion. This will help our students develop their leadership skills as they head into Year 4 and have the opportunity to become a Captain.
YLead looks at teaching children to lead with their heart by being:
We look forward to our Year 3 students coming to Berwick and building connections with each other.
The Middle School is very busy and focused at this time of year. All students in Years 7 and 8 have commenced the exam process and will complete their final exams on Tuesday, 8 November.
Year 8 Drama students presented their final assessment pieces to the Middle School on Friday, 21 October. Boys and girls are to be congratulated for their gripping performances.
House Swimming was the final House event for 2022 and all students are to be congratulated for their contribution to their house this year. Sports Captains hosted their final sports awards assembly on Friday where they celebrated our Spring Sports Award recipients.
Year 8 students will be farewelled from Middle School at their Graduation Assembly on Friday, 11 November. This is always a wonderful time to celebrate and recognise the contribution, achievement and growth of our Year 8 cohort in the Middle School.
The final fundraiser for Social Justice will be held on Friday, 11 November. All Middle School students will come together for a picnic on River Flat Oval and then participate in our annual Colour Run. Further information has been sent out on myHaileybury.
Congratulations to our chess team who participated in the Middle School State Chess Championships. Our team comprising of Sanjar Asad (Year 6), Eshan Nakarmi (Year 7), Vinu Pirapakaran (Year 7), Shanna Lee (Year 8) and Alan Xia (Year 8) finished 4th on the day.
A special mention to Sanjar Asad who finished second in the individual standings and only lost one game.
Jeanette Rawlings
Head of Edrington (Berwick)
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our HPFE dinner celebration! It was a beautiful night with fabulous company and a divine meal! Special thanks to Jocelyn and the team at The Orchid @ Montagues for hosting us.
We also supported the Middle School production by selling snack bags for the young thespians attending the production and they were a massive hit! Thanks to all the volunteers who helped us pack and sell the bags on the night—we couldn’t support school events without you!
Orders for the gingerbread houses CLOSE TOMORROW. If you haven’t purchased yours yet, get in quick before it’s too late!
We could also use some help on Thursday, 1 and Friday, 2 December, with the gingerbread collection stand. If you are available to give us a hand from 3.15 pm – to 4.00 pm, please let us know here.
Cheers!
Kerry Ilic
HPFE President
Hpfe@haileybury.vic.edu.au
As in previous years, Haileybury Aerobics is inviting students in Years 4 to 8 to build their aerobics skills and develop their strength and fitness in Term 4. The sessions are an opportunity for children to try aerobics and perhaps audition for a place in one of the Middle School Aerobics teams at their campus. Auditions will be held in early 2023.
The four-week program will run at Newlands Sports Hall and it costs $50.00 per student. Students who have not done Aerobics before are especially welcome to join.
If your child would like to participate, please enrol them via the Trybooking link.
At the final workshop, parents and guardians are invited to watch a mini showcase of what students have learned.
There are only five weeks till the end of term! A Christmas tree will be set up in Newlands Reception from Week 6 and we would like to encourage our Newlands families and staff to please bring an unwrapped Christmas gift to donate.
This tradition and your generosity provide a Christmas gift for a child who might not otherwise receive a present.
Newlands ELC recently celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights. This cultural festival is celebrated across the world and the ELC children enjoyed participating in a Bollywood dancing workshop in Berthon Hall. They also took great delight in cooking coconut laddoo and in decorating clay lamps. A highlight was to have henna tattoos on their hands.
We thank our parents and educators who supported the children in the different activities across the five days of Diwali.
As the end of the year nears the ELC educators are supporting children in a carefully planned series of transition events. The aim of the transition program is for children to feel comfortable, safe and confident within their new education environment, as belonging is a key element in the Early Years Learning Framework.
Reception children will visit the Pre-Prep classrooms to see the differences between the Reception and Pre-Prep learning environments and to get to know the Prep educators ready for their new class in 2023. These visits coincide with Pre-Prep visits to the Junior School.
From Saturday, 22 October to Sunday, 30 October, Australian children celebrate Children’s Week. This is a time when the talents, achievements, skills and rights of children are recognised.
The theme for 2022 celebrates the right of all children to a standard of living that supports their wellbeing and healthy development, based on Article 27 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The ELC children will celebrate this week with a Teddy Bear’s Picnic and the children are invited to bring their favourite teddy bear from home to share their day.
Students must now wear summer uniform on non-PE days. Please note that Junior School students are not required to wear their blazers with their summer uniform but they are reminded to bring their named black ‘Sunsmart’ hats to school to wear during play breaks and PE lessons.
With great enthusiasm and excitement, Timothy Song (Year 4), Alisha Bhalla (Year 4), Yee Yang (Year 3), Ramika Thelisinghe (Year 3) and Alexander Cheung (Year 2) represented Haileybury Junior School in the Interschool Chess State Finals Tournament.
During the face-to-face tournament, our chess players had the opportunity to showcase their chess skills and to compete against students from across Victoria. They each played nine games.
Due to their amazing effort, resilience and sportsmanship, the team was awarded an astounding second place.
Congratulations, chess players!
On Friday, 25 November, students will take part in Junior School House Athletics.
Prep and Year 1 children will compete from 9:00 am until recess, while the Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4 students will compete from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm.
Students will begin with a ‘Run the Gauntlet’ obstacle course before heading off to participate in a variety of novelty rotations such as Paper Rock Scissors Memory Tag, Octopus and Hoop Flip.
Parents are welcome to attend and we look forward to a wonderful final house event for this year.
On Wednesday, 23 November, Newlands Prep students will join Preps from Castlefield, Edrington and the City campuses for an excursion to Melbourne Zoo as part of their Inquiry Unit. The students will enjoy a ‘Wild Explorers’ learning experience and then have free time to explore the many different exhibitions that the zoo has to offer.
This term, Year 3 students will travel to the IMAX Melbourne and Melbourne Museum for their long-awaited excursion.
Students and teachers will enjoy watching A Beautiful Planet, a film made in co-operation with NASA that features stunning footage of our magnificent blue planet—and the effects humanity has had on it over time.
The captivating footage was captured by astronauts aboard the International Space Station and presents an awe-inspiring glimpse of Earth from space. In addition to this, students will view various museum exhibits relating to sustainability.
This excursion links closely to their Inquiry topic of sustainability, where they have been reviewing human impact on the planet and how we can create sustainable changes for a better future.
Congratulations to Anay Ashwin (Year 7) who has been invited to compete in the 2023 Future Problem Solving International competition at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
We are very proud of Anay who recently came second in the Individual Global Issues Problem Solving Middle Division. Well done.
During Term 4, 36 of our Year 7 students will take part in the Debaters Association of Victoria Inc (DAV) Junior Secondary Program.
The program is an introduction to debating for junior secondary students in Year 7 and provides training in the basic skills and structure of debating while giving students the chance to participate in three ‘friendly’ inter-school debates.
DAV trainers introduce students to the art of persuasion and look at how debates work. Students learn how to formulate arguments, define topics and learn the role of each speaker in a debate. DAV adjudicators act as debaters in an exhibition debate and showcase practical examples of what the students are taught.
This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to foster a love of debating and to prepare them for the D Grade competition in Year 8 and beyond.
The Years 5–8 Aerobics students headed to Doncaster Secondary College to compete in the Spring Challenge. Years 5 and 6 students performed well and have improved their skills throughout this year. While they did not place this time, they will continue their aerobics journey next year!
Our Years 7 and 8 teams came home with some wonderful results:
On Tuesday, 8 November, Newlands Middle School will be hosting a Colour Run to raise funds for the Nepal Nagajuna School. The Colour Run has become an annual part of the Social Justice Program at Newlands. Students will have fun and get very colourful while supporting a community in need.
It costs $5.00 per student to participate via this link or by searching ‘Newlands Colour Run 2022’ on the GoFundMe page.
Preparing your child for the event:
Jane Gibbs
Head of Newlands (Keysborough)
We did it! We reached 1,000 Haileybury HPFK Facebook Group members!
Our new target is now 1,100. If you would like to connect with our community, please join our Facebook page.
If you have any queries or would like to contact the HPFK, please email: HPFK@haileybury.vic.edu.a
Lenice Norris
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends Keysborough
I would like to commend our 2022 graduating class for the way they have engaged in formal and informal celebrations throughout the past couple of weeks. Haileybury organises a range of activities for Year 12 students during their final days to create a sense of fun and reflection.
When students engage in the activities in the right spirit, as was the case this year, a fantastic experience is had by all. I would also like to thank the Senior School staff who play an important part in making these days enjoyable for their students.
All students in Senior School have been engaging in examinations and our Units 3 and 4 students will continue to sit exams in the coming weeks, so I encourage all families to do all they can to support their children during this time.
While examinations will be a normal part of our students’ lives for the foreseeable future, VCE examinations can become all-consuming for the young people in our care. A degree of encouragement from parents is always useful in helping students prepare for examinations; however, it is always important to balance this with the message that we will support them if things do not go as planned.
If you have any concerns about your son or daughter either during or post-examination period, please make sure that you contact their relevant Head of Pre-Senior or Head of House to discuss the supports that Haileybury can offer.
The Year 12 leaders for the 2023 school year were announced last Friday. The process used to elect our school leaders is a democratic one and sees students and staff voting for those students they believe to be worthiest to lead Haileybury.
I am constantly amazed at how seriously our students take this power to vote and I’m equally impressed that they make such good choices, year in and year out.
I know that Helen Wadden (Head of Senior Girls) and Graham Leys (Head of Senior Boys) are particularly pleased with the group of School Captains, Senior Prefects, House Captains, Prefects and House Vice Captains elected to these positions for 2023. We cannot wait to begin working with this team of student leaders to make next year as good as 2022.
I have listed the students elected to School Captain, School Vice-Captain, School Sport Captain and Senior Prefect positions below.
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Haileybury College School Captain
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Haileybury Girls College School Captain
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Sam Shinsky
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Neeraja Ahielan
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School Captain
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Sam Shinsky
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Vice-Captain
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Charlie Harrop
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Vice-Captain
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Kyle Stutz
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Sports Captain
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Archie Antonopoulos
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School Captain
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Neeraja Ahielan
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Vice-Captain
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Mia Leys
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Vice-Captain
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Grace Green
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Sports Captain
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Natasha Rourke
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Senior Prefect Berwick
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Abhinav Chimalkar
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Senior Prefect Brighton
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Benjamin Carroll
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Senior Prefect City
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Angus Niggl
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Senior Prefect Keysborough
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Eddie Yeo
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Senior Prefect Berwick
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Mackenzie Liddell
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Senior Prefect Brighton
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Hannah Maddern
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Senior Prefect City
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Emma Niggl
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Senior Prefect Keysborough
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Rebecca Allen
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Thomas Antonis
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Yirong Huang
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Elliot Brown
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Abishan Muraledaran
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Cooper Ford
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Dimitri Petrakis
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Finian Goerke
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Thanh Vu
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Ruihan Huang
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Bianca Anderson
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Charlotte Hendrie
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Olamide Araba
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Jorgia Mellon
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Sienna Conti
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Edie Piastri
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Katherine Dekel
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Aysel Sapukotana
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Anna Fei
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Eshini Siriwardhena
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Genevieve Gray
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Jeslyn Wang
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This year over 95,000 students across 21 countries participated in the International Chemistry Quiz (ICQ). The ICQ promotes and encourages an awareness of the nature and relevance of chemistry among secondary school students. It is supported in Australia by the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.
For the first time, 33 Haileybury students in Years 10, 11 and 12 took part in the ICQ and achieved outstanding results.
The following students were awarded a High Distinction (90% and above):
The following students were awarded a Distinction (80% – 90%):
Congratulations to all our award recipients on their outstanding achievements.
The Australian Science Olympiads are a national enrichment program for secondary science students. They are an opportunity for students to extend themselves beyond school science through completing challenging exams in general science, chemistry, biology and physics.
This year, 52 Haileybury students—18 VCE Science students and 34 Years 9 and 10 students—took part in the Olympiads. The following students were awarded a High Distinction that places them in the top 10% of participants:
The following students were awarded a Distinction that places them in the top 20% of participants:
Congratulations to all our award recipients on their outstanding achievements.
Congratulations to Lila Ni (Year 12) and Hivin Silva (Year 12) who completed Bronze Level and to Malidu Gallage
(Year 12) who completed the Gold Level Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Pam Chamberlain
Senior Vice Principal and Head of Haileybury Senior Schools
The 2023 Senior Musical is the Tony Award-winning The SpongeBob Musical. We will be one of the first Victorian schools to bring this amazing show to life and, in another first for Haileybury, this will be a Years 9 to 12 musical, allowing all Senior students to be involved.
We are looking for singers, actors, comedians, acrobats and dancers to audition for this terrific show and on Tuesday, 22 November, all interested current Years 8 to 11 students are invited to audition.
Auditions start at 12.10 pm but please arrive by 12.00 noon in Aikman Hall at our Keysborough campus.
Please email the musical’s Director nick.waxman@haileybury.vic.edu.au to confirm your interest in auditioning. Nick will email you the audition information, including links to optional solo audition material.
The audition schedule will be:
You can find more audition information here.
Year 9 Drama students from Brighton, Berwick, City and Keysborough travelled to the Malthouse Theatre to perform as part of The Suitcase Series. This award-winning program created by The Malthouse Theatre allows students to create an original theatre piece that revolves around the topic of climate change.
After a two-year hiatus, students were officially welcomed back and performed with energy, enthusiasm and confidence. Entering the performance space, they were energetic and nervous but prepared to perform their original theatre pieces.
It was a great experience for the students to learn about the dynamics of performance by watching other school ensembles and by ultimately reflecting on their own performance, too. The students did exceptionally well and their teachers are proud of their efforts.
Students from VCE Theatre Studies and VCE Drama had their performance exams in the final weeks of October. This externally assessed performance is the result of two years of study and many weeks of focused work.
The VCE Drama students create a seven-minute solo performance based on a range of short stimuli, and the VCE Theatre Studies students develop eight-minute monologue interpretations from a prescribed list. Many students use lavish costumes, detailed set designs and technological components in their presentations, making each of the 24 performances very impressive.
Nick Waxman
Head of Drama and Theatre Studies
On the afternoon of Sunday, 23 October, Haileybury held a major whole school music event at Aikman Hall, Keysborough. The Spring Concert featured performances from over 590 Middle School students and delighted audiences.
Students combined their collective skills and talent to create large ensemble performances. The standard of skill demonstrated was extremely high and was certainly something to experience.
This year, due to the numbers of students wishing to take part, the event was presented in two separate concerts. The 12.00 noon concert featured concert bands, brass ensemble and the percussion department while a 3.30 pm concert showcased orchestras, guitar and choral programs.
More than 750 guests attended each concert and this yet again highlights that the Performing Arts are thriving at Haileybury.
Rod Marshall
Director of Performing Arts & Head of Haileybury Music
This year, Unit 2 Visual Communication Design students have explored 3-dimensional model making. Their brief was to design a small home for a homeless person made from a shipping container.
Students explored existing container designs then used visualisation drawings to design their client’s home. Their design had to be fit for at least one person and include bedroom space, a bathroom, living space, a kitchenette, storage space and heating and cooling.
The task provided each student with technical drawing skills associated with environmental design, including perspective, floor plans and elevations. For many students, this was their first experience of model making and the challenges of creating a building to reflect their drawings.
Here, we share some examples of the work that has been done.
Well done to Art Captain, Kendrick Goy (Year 11). Kendrick’s Secret 1, a painting inspired by pioneering Swedish abstract artist, Hilma af Klint, was awarded first prize in the Secondary category in the long-running Noble Park Art Show.
Kendrick’s original two-dimensional entry was selected by art show Judge, Oz Malik, an international arts and cultural advisor, actor and community arts activist.
Congratulations to Kendrick and to all the Visual Arts students who have entered and been awarded prizes in an impressive array of exhibitions and competitions this year!
Rachelle Rae
Head of Visual Arts Senior School
On Friday, 14 October, our P&D community was welcomed back to the 2022 Pipes & Drums Dinner. It’s hard to believe that our last dinner was in 2019 after our European Championships Tour. A lot has happened since then and so many new faces and families have joined our program since that time.
We had a record number in attendance with more than 60 students performing across the two competition bands. There were emotional speeches from the band leaders, many of whom have been in the Pipes & Drums program since Year 4.
We celebrated the State and National Championship wins but there was also sadness because we will be saying goodbye to many fine Haileyburians.
At the end of this year, we also say goodbye to another amazing person in this School who has been at the very Heart of the Pipes & Drums and Haileybury — our Vice Principal, Pam Chamberlain.
Pam Chamberlain has been our most prominent advocate and supporter throughout the years and the best Vice Principal and Patron of the Pipes & Drums that we could have ever asked for.
In honour of her enduring support, the A Band performed a very special piece called Ode to the Patron, a tune written by myself and accompanied by Daniel Staley’s drumming arrangement. Whether it was ANZAC Day, State Championships or National Championships, Pam was always front and centre and cheering on the band with full magenta flare.
We hope everyone enjoyed their night; undoubtedly there will be many more memorable moments in the Pipes & Drums.
Each year, Senior Pipes & Drums students have the option to take their music knowledge and skills and enrol in VCE Music Performance and Music Investigation Units 3 and 4. Curriculums are focused explicitly on conventions centred around the Great Highland Bagpipe and the Highland Snare Drum.
On Saturday, 22 October, two years of hard work, planning and practice came to a finale for Pipe Major Brodie Nash (Year 12) with a 25-minute VCE performance. Brodie enrolled in Music Investigation Units 3 and 4 and his investigation topic was a demonstration of repertoire and performance techniques and conventions central to R.S. MacDonald’s music and his influence on bagpipe folk repertoire.
Brodie performed three tracks from R.S. MacDonald’s famous piping album Good Drying, The King Danced At Dawn, El Paco Grande, and Departure Suite. The tunes are some of the most technically challenging played by a Haileybury piper and we are very proud of how far Brodie has pushed the boundaries of what a Year 12 piper can achieve.
At the examination, he performed the pieces with flare and panache alongside the backing tracks made by Director of Pipes & Drums, Lincoln Hilton. Well done, Brodie!
Lincoln Hilton
Director, Pipes & Drums
On Friday, 21 October, the Classes of 2000, 2001 and 2002 celebrated their 20-year reunions in style at Haileybury City campus. Delicious food, terrific company and entertaining tours of the campus by OHA Director, Russell Davidson, have been nominated by many attendees as the highlights of a massive night!
The OHA Reunions Calendar for 2023 is below.
Other events returning in 2023 include sporting team reunions, Chapter Reunions, Generations Breakfasts, networking functions, new OHA Open Member events such as Axe Throwing, a Gin Masterclass, a Foodies Walking Tour of Melbourne and the highly anticipated OHA Golf Day on either Friday, 22 or 29 September.
Please head to our website for up-to-date details on all OHA events.
Kylie Phillips
Development Office Operations Lead
On Thursday, 13 October, the 2023 First Girls Badminton teams participated in the Australian All Schools Championships at MSAC. It was a great opportunity to compete in a pre-season competition and to finetune our skills ahead of the 2023 summer season that begins on Saturday, 5 November.
Our players performed exceptionally well and came away with the silver medal after a tightly contested final against Doncaster Secondary College.
Congratulations to Kaitlyn Rodrigues (Year 8), Serena Zhang (Year 10), Isabella Ea (Year 10), Krystal Ea (Year 7) and Wing Yi Mak (Year 9) and thank you to our Head of Badminton, Miki Thomas.
The inaugural APS Combined Athletics Sports were held on Saturday, 15 October, with some outstanding team and individual performances.
The Girls’ team came 2nd and a mere 2.5 points behind the winner, Caulfield Grammar School.
Showing courage in adversity, our girls displayed tremendous team spirit and support for each other in endeavouring to defend their APS title. It was a massive day of competition with the team led by Captains Amy Bunnage (Year 12) and Mia Scerri (Year 12).
They competed in multiple events with national level performances and APS records setting the scene for the day. Collectively, Jaz Firth (Year 8) and Julia Zaitseva (Year 7) performed in over 15 events.
There were amazing personal stories of determination and resilience and of girls moving up age groups to cover spots. These stories and performances reflect the passion of the team.
Individual winners
The Boys team were also solid performers all day, finishing a close 6th behind the winners, Wesley College.
Captain, Charlie Rogers, (Year 12) ran superbly for two second places in the middle distance events of the 1500m and 3km. The Boys were also strongly supported by many newcomers in the team who added great depth to our relays and field events. Matty Milias (Year 7) competed in nine events throughout the day and was a huge point scorer for the team.
Individual winners
Sean Allcock
Director of Haileybury Sport
For 16 years, Haileybury’s Junior School program has used the explicit instruction approach to literacy and numeracy. Literacy at Haileybury is also supported by a strong phonics focus.
Analysis by Dr Jenny Donovan at the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) supports the efficacy of the explicit instruction approach. Reporting on Dr Donovan’s work, the Australian Financial Review (AFR)* notes that explicit instruction ‘systematically builds one piece of learning on top of another to ensure students master key concepts before progressing to more advanced areas.’
From 2010, Haileybury has supported the explicit teaching model around the country and has continued to show evidence of how it can positively impact outcomes. Of course, the evidence is very clear for Haileybury students. They consistently rank amongst the very best performing in the country on literacy and numeracy outcomes as measured by national testing.
Importantly, Haileybury students’ results are consistently higher than those from students of a similar background. (This is demonstrated very clearly on the MySchool website and the Years 3 and 5 comparisons of the performance of students from similar background.)
Haileybury seeks to support the development of good evidence-based education practice wherever possible. I am delighted, therefore, about the growing momentum behind the explicit teaching approach and the increasing focus on phonics in teaching students to read.
Because of this focus, the 2022 national NAPLAN results show continued improvement in reading in the primary school years. This was noted in the AFR article when Dr Donovan said: “It reflects a new approach that has been taken to teaching reading, particularly in NSW where there has been a focus on synthetic phonics.”
The Commonwealth Government has also supported this approach by providing schools with free access to a resource called Phonics Check for Year 1 students. This is a good initiative.
Haileybury’s 2022 NAPLAN results are exceptional once again. They will go on the MySchool website early in the new year. The reason they are exceptional is because of a school wide approach to lesson planning, a focus on core skills mastery driven by the explicit teaching model in the junior years, and the evaluation of data to drive improvement in teaching practice. Haileybury’s approach is summed up very well by Dr Donovan in the AFR.
‘Donovan says the schools performing above expectation on NAPLAN were those that took “an explicit approach to instruction”.
They’ve taken the curriculum and figured out what it means for day-to-day lessons.
They are consistent in their approach and not leaving it to every classroom teacher to figure out for themselves how to teach something.
They ensure students are mastering what they are being taught, that learning is actually happening.
It’s really fundamental, evidence-based practice doing the things we know are effective in teaching and learning.’
Derek Scott
CEO | Principal
*Hare J, 2022, ‘The educational experiment that failed our kids’, The Australian Financial Review, 3 November, p. 36.
On Friday, 11 November, our Remembrance Day acknowledgement in memory of those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts will be held on North Oval. The community is welcome to attend and join us as we observe a minute’s silence. Students from Prep and Year 8 will then place a cross into the ground to honour the young Haileyburians who served and lost their lives more than 100 years ago.
On Thursday, 10 November, we will graduate the Year 8 cohort of 2022. We are proud of the students and their achievements and we look forward to celebrating their conclusion of Middle School. We wish them every success as they commence their time in Pre-Senior from Monday, 14 November.
The 2022 Orientation Day – Up Day – is scheduled for Tuesday, 22 November for our current Prep through to Year 6 students. Students can wear casual sports clothes with runners. They will spend the day in their 2023 year level and will meet teachers, visit homerooms and be introduced to their new classmates in preparation for next year.
There are so many beautiful festivals our community celebrates and Diwali provided us with an opportunity to learn about the Hindu festival of light.
Pre-Preps were treated to a special visit from parents who read us stories about the Diwali festival and shared its significance in the Hindu culture. The children decorated their own clay diyas (small oil lamps) to take home, light and make a wish.
During Creative Arts the children learnt about colourful rangoli decorations and created their own using coloured paper. They were also treated to a Bollywood dancing incursion.
The ELC children have worked together to create a beautiful community tea towel with self-portraits of all the children and teachers. They make wonderful keepsakes and gifts and are available for purchase in the foyer. All proceeds will go towards the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife which will have a direct impact on growing and protecting our natural habitats.
Recently, it was lovely to have so many grandparents and special friends visit the Junior School and spend time in the classrooms. From trivia and necklace making to drawing portraits and stacking cards, the young and the young at heart bonded over shared stories and the holding of hands.
We appreciate the strong family connections within our community and were thrilled to host this event once again.
Did you know that Castlefield is the only campus with a major intake in Prep? All other campuses move from the same number of ELC classes to the same number of Prep classes, but at Castlefield, we move from two to three classes.
We welcomed our Prep 2023 families and students to begin their Junior School journey in Week 3 during the first of four visits. We were impressed with the confidence these young people showed in the Prep rooms with our teachers. They’re definitely ready for school!
The Haileybury Castlefield Middle School was awash with students and activity—but something was amiss! These students were familiar. They wore a recognisable uniform and knew the names of all the teachers and where to find them. But I cannot recall having such large, hairy and muscular Year 5 boys under my care!
And then it hit me—I was experiencing the ‘Bayside Phenomenon’ known as Back to Brighton, where graduating Year 12 students return to their former Middle School to re-live their favourite moments. They reconnect with mentors and say thank you to all the wonderful teachers and staff who have played a role in their journey.
Every type of emotion was on display as their Haileybury student journey draws to a close and their Old Haileyburian journey commences. The years rush by and it is wonderful that the current Middle School students get to join in the celebration and hear the (grossly exaggerated) stories of yesteryear.
We send our best regards to the graduating class of 2022, thank them for including us in their celebration and remind them they always hold a special place in our heart, mind, history and School.
Katrina Manson
Head of Castlefield (Brighton)
The last few weeks have seen bowling events in the Middle School while the Junior School had their Halloween Disco. Thank you to all the parents who helped set up for these events and to the parents that stayed and supervised.
Keep an eye out for notices about morning teas in November.
Thank you.
Monique Chapman
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends Castlefield
Primary and Middle School held their “HAILEY Sports Carnival” competition last week with all the homerooms competing against each other with energy and determination. There was plenty of enthusiasm as each year level marched onto the sports field led by the marching band and the beating of drums. It was lovely to see the sunshine and clear skies, as well as the student body dressed in yellow, red, green, blue and purple in support of their homerooms.
As part of our Careers and Pathways program our Year 10 students have taken part in the Holland and MBIT vocational tests and one-on-one career planning interviews. The vocational test focuses on linking personalities and the student’s vocational choices and identifying their skills. During the career individual interviews Ms. Jacqueline Cui and Ms. Sherry Yan provided guidance on setting career goals.
The highlight for middle school was the G20 Mock Debating Summit that was held last week after a month of preparation by all the students. The debating summit was organized by the student school leaders and overseen by the middle school staff. The students and teachers watching the different debates appreciated the fierce confrontation between the debating teams. All debating teams used many quotes and a great deal of classical poetry to express their arguments and views.
Senior School held their “Athletics and Fun Games” competition recently. Blue, Gold, Green and Purple House students and all their teachers competed against each other for valuable points that will contribute to the overall Haileybury International School House Competition Shield that will be awarded next year. Each House formally processed onto the sports ground chanting loudly. This was followed by each House showcasing a group performance of singing and dancing before they participated in 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres relay races, tug of war, rope jumping etc. It was great to see the staff and students all getting involved!
Yanni Galanis
International Principal, Haileybury International School, Tianjin
Our ongoing assessments throughout the year ensure our young people and families receive regular feedback about learning behaviours, progress and achievement from Prep through to Year 12. The academic growth of our students is measured in a variety of ways and our teaching staff delve deeply into our data to ensure we better understand every student and their progress.
The upcoming exams for our Years 7 and 8 students are a chance for students and their families to prioritise study, revision, focus and goal setting. Positive habits in all these academic areas are supported by sleep, nutrition, movement and healthy choices, particularly with regards to screen time.
I ask families to lean in and support their young person by opening up opportunities for conversations about effort and success, preparation and performance. Staff are available to support students every day and our help desks are staffed by our fabulous teaching team. Please reach out if you need any assistance in this area.
We are thrilled to have returned to most of our glorious outdoor education programs this year and our most recent campers made their way back to Haileybury from rural Victoria, as you will see below.
Camp is an opportunity for our young people to learn how to navigate new experiences, take on challenges and use the social and emotional resilience and self-regulation we develop, in partnership with our families.
New foods, cabin mates, tent buddies, activities and more all help our students build their confidence to make decisions and choices beyond the home and campus. These life lessons in resilience and positive peer interactions are so important to help our young people to develop their best selves. We are grateful to the many staff who work so hard to ensure these learning experiences are rich and rewarding.
The documentation of children’s learning within the early years is as unique as the children’s achievements themselves. Educators may use quotes, observations or photographs as evidence of a child’s development and this is then shared with families to document each child’s learning journey.
In the ELC, we take this process of documentation a step further, ensuring that children identify the accomplishments and specific learning experiences they are proud to share with others.
The children’s enthusiasm and joy in this process has resulted in a dedicated space in the Reception and Pre-Prep rooms where children can use classroom iPads to photograph their achievements and these are then displayed within their room. Children are also encouraged to articulate what they are proud of and the child’s voice is captured and reflected with their pictures.
This allows children to constantly reflect on the learning that is taking place within the ELC and provides a sense of agency, pride and motivation for each child within their learning. We look forward to sharing these journals with families.
Year 3 students strengthened their understanding of measurement and geometry by using 'Blooket', a web-based quiz program that cycles through a range of concepts they’ve previously explored.
To consolidate their understanding of converting units of measurement, Year 3 teacher, Casey Marshall, created a quiz for students. However, this was no ordinary quiz. When a student got a question correct, they received a number of digital tokens, or they could take tokens from an anonymous peer. Not only was this an engaging way for our students to revise previously taught concepts, but it also builds their capacity to be resilient in a structured game of chance.
Our students are continuing to develop their skills in regulating their emotions. The Zones of Regulation framework allows them to use the language of ‘big problem’ and ‘little problem’ and this digital quiz enabled the Year 3 students to put this into practice.
In Inquiry, Year 2 students are exploring the central idea that ‘understanding geography helps us navigate and connect to the world around us’. Students are building their collaboration and research skills by investigating landmarks and identifying them on a map together.
To recognise the ways in which geography helps us connect with cultures, students explored the Pyramids of Giza, Uluru and the Ise Grand Shrine in Japan. We look forward to seeing their skills continue to grow.
“We are investigating Lake Hillier in Western Australia. It is ten times saltier than the real ocean and it will stay permanently pink. We used Kiddle and Google to research this information.”Oliver Barned
“We are researching the Bungle Bungles in Western Australia. The traditional owners of the land were the Karjaganujaru peoples. To work well in our group, we communicate and help each other.”Aidan Wong
It has been a very busy and exciting start to the term in the City Middle School!
In the last few weeks, we have seen our Year 6 Aerobics Team win first place in their most recent competition. We congratulate all students involved and wish them well as they continue their success into 2023.
After a few years without this fabulous event, the Middle School Spring Concert returned to Keysborough on Sunday, 23 October. This saw all our Middle School Ensembles across the campuses come together for two concerts. Students performed repertoire learnt during the Music Camps earlier in the year and, as always, the performances were absolutely brilliant.
Our Years 7 and 8 students are getting prepared for exams, making the most of the Helpdesks available before school, and working through study skills with their Homeroom teachers.
We still have much to look forward to in Term 4 including our City Art Show, Year 8 Graduation, Speech Night and much more! We look forward to celebrating the wonderful year with our families at our upcoming events at City.
Caroline Merrick
Head of City
The HPF City took the opportunity to celebrate World Teachers’ Day on Friday, 28 October, with a small gift and thank you card given to all our City campus staff and teachers. The hard work, dedication and energy our children receive from the City staff provides an engaging and encouraging learning environment and they are wonderful role models. Thank you!
To all our Senior students completing Year 12, we wish you every success and hope that your dreams are another step closer to becoming reality. Congratulations on your milestone achievement.
Nina Brooks & Nadine Bissland
Co-Presidents, Haileybury Parents & Friends City
It was a special occasion last week when parents, friends, staff, students and, most importantly, the graduating class of 2022, came together at the Haileybury Rendall School for our final Year 12 Breakfast and Graduation Assembly.
This was the fifth graduating class of Haileybury Rendall School and included 36 students completing the VCE or VCAL certificates. We are very proud that 10 of those graduates are First Nations students.
Every day we celebrate being a Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Education and we continue to do our part in helping to Close the Gap. In our School, 15% of our young men and women are First Nations students and it was quite significant to have 28% of our graduating class being from First Nations backgrounds.
It was also interesting that 11 of our 36 students were originally Kormilda College students who stayed on when Haileybury acquired the college at the end of 2017. Another seven students joined us when we first started, so 50% of our Year 12 students have been with us for our entire journey.
It was a pleasure to get to know and work with this cohort. They showed strong leadership for all students in the school and the prefect group was outstanding. They led the way in a range of House activities and were involved in Sony Camp for underprivileged kids and the World’s Greatest Shave that raised over $20,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation. They also supported NAIDOC Week and our first whole school outside assembly, National Reconciliation Week and a wide range of House events.
Year 12 is a rewarding and challenging year and it has been wonderful to see this group celebrate their successes and overcome some challenges. The start of the year that brought RAT tests, COVID-19 isolation, vaccinations and boosters now seem a long way away. It wasn’t so long ago that we wondered if we’d open as a School on day one.
Our students have started their VCE exams and we wish them all the best for the important weeks ahead. We especially look forward to our final celebration, the Valedictory Dinner on Saturday, 19 November.
Andrew McGregor
Principal, Haileybury Rendall School
I am delighted to announce that Adam Tobin has been appointed the Senior Deputy Head of Campus. Mr Tobin is also the Head of Boys Middle School and has been at Haileybury for seven years.
Diwali is the festival of lights and a celebration of goodness and prosperity in the Hindu calendar and culture. The ELC and Junior School students delighted in the opportunity to take part in a Diwali dance workshop and activities such as creating rangoli art and painting terracotta diyas.
Congratulations to Roy Yang (Year 1) who was awarded 3rd place in the Unleashed Short Story Competition. This was an Australia-wide competition that attracted nearly 4,000 entries. Roy’s short story, The Squeezy Problem, will be included in a published book.
Congratulations, Roy, we are very proud of you!
It was a pleasure to be part of the audience at the recent piano and vocal soiree which showcased the musical talents of our students. The success of each performer was a testament to their hard work and dedication to music, as well as the support of their teachers.
Well done to all involved.
Congratulations to all involved in the Year 5/6 play ‘Fairy Tale Misfits’. The performers and backstage crew did an outstanding job and the audience loved every minute of the show!
It is with great pleasure that we announce our ELC End –of Year Concert will be held on Thursday, 24 November, at 9.00 am. This is an event not to be missed!
The children have begun working closely with Leo Intilangelo to refine and practice some of their favourite songs to perform for their families.
We ask children to be at school by 8.40 am on the day to ensure a 9.00 am start. The concert should finish at around 10.00 am.
The Haileybury Junior School Swimming Program will run over four weeks from Monday, 7 November to Friday, 2 December, at the Haileybury Edrington swimming pool. The program will be will run by Aquastar, with students swimming twice a week for 50-minute sessions. Where possible, this will take place during physical education classes.
This is a compulsory program with all students required to attend. Notice and class schedules have been sent home to families in student bags. Parents are welcome to assist in changing if they have a Working with Children Check, and watching their children swim.
Our four Haileybury campuses will come together at Edrington on Tuesday, 8 November, for a Year 3 YLead Incursion. This will help our students develop their leadership skills as they head into Year 4 and have the opportunity to become a Captain.
YLead looks at teaching children to lead with their heart by being:
We look forward to our Year 3 students coming to Berwick and building connections with each other.
The Middle School is very busy and focused at this time of year. All students in Years 7 and 8 have commenced the exam process and will complete their final exams on Tuesday, 8 November.
Year 8 Drama students presented their final assessment pieces to the Middle School on Friday, 21 October. Boys and girls are to be congratulated for their gripping performances.
House Swimming was the final House event for 2022 and all students are to be congratulated for their contribution to their house this year. Sports Captains hosted their final sports awards assembly on Friday where they celebrated our Spring Sports Award recipients.
Year 8 students will be farewelled from Middle School at their Graduation Assembly on Friday, 11 November. This is always a wonderful time to celebrate and recognise the contribution, achievement and growth of our Year 8 cohort in the Middle School.
The final fundraiser for Social Justice will be held on Friday, 11 November. All Middle School students will come together for a picnic on River Flat Oval and then participate in our annual Colour Run. Further information has been sent out on myHaileybury.
Congratulations to our chess team who participated in the Middle School State Chess Championships. Our team comprising of Sanjar Asad (Year 6), Eshan Nakarmi (Year 7), Vinu Pirapakaran (Year 7), Shanna Lee (Year 8) and Alan Xia (Year 8) finished 4th on the day.
A special mention to Sanjar Asad who finished second in the individual standings and only lost one game.
Jeanette Rawlings
Head of Edrington (Berwick)
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our HPFE dinner celebration! It was a beautiful night with fabulous company and a divine meal! Special thanks to Jocelyn and the team at The Orchid @ Montagues for hosting us.
We also supported the Middle School production by selling snack bags for the young thespians attending the production and they were a massive hit! Thanks to all the volunteers who helped us pack and sell the bags on the night—we couldn’t support school events without you!
Orders for the gingerbread houses CLOSE TOMORROW. If you haven’t purchased yours yet, get in quick before it’s too late!
We could also use some help on Thursday, 1 and Friday, 2 December, with the gingerbread collection stand. If you are available to give us a hand from 3.15 pm – to 4.00 pm, please let us know here.
Cheers!
Kerry Ilic
HPFE President
Hpfe@haileybury.vic.edu.au
As in previous years, Haileybury Aerobics is inviting students in Years 4 to 8 to build their aerobics skills and develop their strength and fitness in Term 4. The sessions are an opportunity for children to try aerobics and perhaps audition for a place in one of the Middle School Aerobics teams at their campus. Auditions will be held in early 2023.
The four-week program will run at Newlands Sports Hall and it costs $50.00 per student. Students who have not done Aerobics before are especially welcome to join.
If your child would like to participate, please enrol them via the Trybooking link.
At the final workshop, parents and guardians are invited to watch a mini showcase of what students have learned.
There are only five weeks till the end of term! A Christmas tree will be set up in Newlands Reception from Week 6 and we would like to encourage our Newlands families and staff to please bring an unwrapped Christmas gift to donate.
This tradition and your generosity provide a Christmas gift for a child who might not otherwise receive a present.
Newlands ELC recently celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights. This cultural festival is celebrated across the world and the ELC children enjoyed participating in a Bollywood dancing workshop in Berthon Hall. They also took great delight in cooking coconut laddoo and in decorating clay lamps. A highlight was to have henna tattoos on their hands.
We thank our parents and educators who supported the children in the different activities across the five days of Diwali.
As the end of the year nears the ELC educators are supporting children in a carefully planned series of transition events. The aim of the transition program is for children to feel comfortable, safe and confident within their new education environment, as belonging is a key element in the Early Years Learning Framework.
Reception children will visit the Pre-Prep classrooms to see the differences between the Reception and Pre-Prep learning environments and to get to know the Prep educators ready for their new class in 2023. These visits coincide with Pre-Prep visits to the Junior School.
From Saturday, 22 October to Sunday, 30 October, Australian children celebrate Children’s Week. This is a time when the talents, achievements, skills and rights of children are recognised.
The theme for 2022 celebrates the right of all children to a standard of living that supports their wellbeing and healthy development, based on Article 27 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The ELC children will celebrate this week with a Teddy Bear’s Picnic and the children are invited to bring their favourite teddy bear from home to share their day.
Students must now wear summer uniform on non-PE days. Please note that Junior School students are not required to wear their blazers with their summer uniform but they are reminded to bring their named black ‘Sunsmart’ hats to school to wear during play breaks and PE lessons.
With great enthusiasm and excitement, Timothy Song (Year 4), Alisha Bhalla (Year 4), Yee Yang (Year 3), Ramika Thelisinghe (Year 3) and Alexander Cheung (Year 2) represented Haileybury Junior School in the Interschool Chess State Finals Tournament.
During the face-to-face tournament, our chess players had the opportunity to showcase their chess skills and to compete against students from across Victoria. They each played nine games.
Due to their amazing effort, resilience and sportsmanship, the team was awarded an astounding second place.
Congratulations, chess players!
On Friday, 25 November, students will take part in Junior School House Athletics.
Prep and Year 1 children will compete from 9:00 am until recess, while the Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4 students will compete from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm.
Students will begin with a ‘Run the Gauntlet’ obstacle course before heading off to participate in a variety of novelty rotations such as Paper Rock Scissors Memory Tag, Octopus and Hoop Flip.
Parents are welcome to attend and we look forward to a wonderful final house event for this year.
On Wednesday, 23 November, Newlands Prep students will join Preps from Castlefield, Edrington and the City campuses for an excursion to Melbourne Zoo as part of their Inquiry Unit. The students will enjoy a ‘Wild Explorers’ learning experience and then have free time to explore the many different exhibitions that the zoo has to offer.
This term, Year 3 students will travel to the IMAX Melbourne and Melbourne Museum for their long-awaited excursion.
Students and teachers will enjoy watching A Beautiful Planet, a film made in co-operation with NASA that features stunning footage of our magnificent blue planet—and the effects humanity has had on it over time.
The captivating footage was captured by astronauts aboard the International Space Station and presents an awe-inspiring glimpse of Earth from space. In addition to this, students will view various museum exhibits relating to sustainability.
This excursion links closely to their Inquiry topic of sustainability, where they have been reviewing human impact on the planet and how we can create sustainable changes for a better future.
Congratulations to Anay Ashwin (Year 7) who has been invited to compete in the 2023 Future Problem Solving International competition at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
We are very proud of Anay who recently came second in the Individual Global Issues Problem Solving Middle Division. Well done.
During Term 4, 36 of our Year 7 students will take part in the Debaters Association of Victoria Inc (DAV) Junior Secondary Program.
The program is an introduction to debating for junior secondary students in Year 7 and provides training in the basic skills and structure of debating while giving students the chance to participate in three ‘friendly’ inter-school debates.
DAV trainers introduce students to the art of persuasion and look at how debates work. Students learn how to formulate arguments, define topics and learn the role of each speaker in a debate. DAV adjudicators act as debaters in an exhibition debate and showcase practical examples of what the students are taught.
This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to foster a love of debating and to prepare them for the D Grade competition in Year 8 and beyond.
The Years 5–8 Aerobics students headed to Doncaster Secondary College to compete in the Spring Challenge. Years 5 and 6 students performed well and have improved their skills throughout this year. While they did not place this time, they will continue their aerobics journey next year!
Our Years 7 and 8 teams came home with some wonderful results:
On Tuesday, 8 November, Newlands Middle School will be hosting a Colour Run to raise funds for the Nepal Nagajuna School. The Colour Run has become an annual part of the Social Justice Program at Newlands. Students will have fun and get very colourful while supporting a community in need.
It costs $5.00 per student to participate via this link or by searching ‘Newlands Colour Run 2022’ on the GoFundMe page.
Preparing your child for the event:
Jane Gibbs
Head of Newlands (Keysborough)
We did it! We reached 1,000 Haileybury HPFK Facebook Group members!
Our new target is now 1,100. If you would like to connect with our community, please join our Facebook page.
If you have any queries or would like to contact the HPFK, please email: HPFK@haileybury.vic.edu.a
Lenice Norris
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends Keysborough
I would like to commend our 2022 graduating class for the way they have engaged in formal and informal celebrations throughout the past couple of weeks. Haileybury organises a range of activities for Year 12 students during their final days to create a sense of fun and reflection.
When students engage in the activities in the right spirit, as was the case this year, a fantastic experience is had by all. I would also like to thank the Senior School staff who play an important part in making these days enjoyable for their students.
All students in Senior School have been engaging in examinations and our Units 3 and 4 students will continue to sit exams in the coming weeks, so I encourage all families to do all they can to support their children during this time.
While examinations will be a normal part of our students’ lives for the foreseeable future, VCE examinations can become all-consuming for the young people in our care. A degree of encouragement from parents is always useful in helping students prepare for examinations; however, it is always important to balance this with the message that we will support them if things do not go as planned.
If you have any concerns about your son or daughter either during or post-examination period, please make sure that you contact their relevant Head of Pre-Senior or Head of House to discuss the supports that Haileybury can offer.
The Year 12 leaders for the 2023 school year were announced last Friday. The process used to elect our school leaders is a democratic one and sees students and staff voting for those students they believe to be worthiest to lead Haileybury.
I am constantly amazed at how seriously our students take this power to vote and I’m equally impressed that they make such good choices, year in and year out.
I know that Helen Wadden (Head of Senior Girls) and Graham Leys (Head of Senior Boys) are particularly pleased with the group of School Captains, Senior Prefects, House Captains, Prefects and House Vice Captains elected to these positions for 2023. We cannot wait to begin working with this team of student leaders to make next year as good as 2022.
I have listed the students elected to School Captain, School Vice-Captain, School Sport Captain and Senior Prefect positions below.
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Haileybury College School Captain
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Haileybury Girls College School Captain
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Sam Shinsky
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Neeraja Ahielan
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School Captain
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Sam Shinsky
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Vice-Captain
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Charlie Harrop
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Vice-Captain
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Kyle Stutz
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Sports Captain
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Archie Antonopoulos
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School Captain
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Neeraja Ahielan
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Vice-Captain
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Mia Leys
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Vice-Captain
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Grace Green
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Sports Captain
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Natasha Rourke
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Senior Prefect Berwick
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Abhinav Chimalkar
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Senior Prefect Brighton
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Benjamin Carroll
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Senior Prefect City
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Angus Niggl
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Senior Prefect Keysborough
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Eddie Yeo
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Senior Prefect Berwick
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Mackenzie Liddell
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Senior Prefect Brighton
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Hannah Maddern
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Senior Prefect City
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Emma Niggl
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Senior Prefect Keysborough
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Rebecca Allen
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Thomas Antonis
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Yirong Huang
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Elliot Brown
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Abishan Muraledaran
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Cooper Ford
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Dimitri Petrakis
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Finian Goerke
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Thanh Vu
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Ruihan Huang
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Bianca Anderson
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Charlotte Hendrie
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Olamide Araba
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Jorgia Mellon
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Sienna Conti
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Edie Piastri
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Katherine Dekel
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Aysel Sapukotana
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Anna Fei
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Eshini Siriwardhena
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Genevieve Gray
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Jeslyn Wang
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This year over 95,000 students across 21 countries participated in the International Chemistry Quiz (ICQ). The ICQ promotes and encourages an awareness of the nature and relevance of chemistry among secondary school students. It is supported in Australia by the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.
For the first time, 33 Haileybury students in Years 10, 11 and 12 took part in the ICQ and achieved outstanding results.
The following students were awarded a High Distinction (90% and above):
The following students were awarded a Distinction (80% – 90%):
Congratulations to all our award recipients on their outstanding achievements.
The Australian Science Olympiads are a national enrichment program for secondary science students. They are an opportunity for students to extend themselves beyond school science through completing challenging exams in general science, chemistry, biology and physics.
This year, 52 Haileybury students—18 VCE Science students and 34 Years 9 and 10 students—took part in the Olympiads. The following students were awarded a High Distinction that places them in the top 10% of participants:
The following students were awarded a Distinction that places them in the top 20% of participants:
Congratulations to all our award recipients on their outstanding achievements.
Congratulations to Lila Ni (Year 12) and Hivin Silva (Year 12) who completed Bronze Level and to Malidu Gallage
(Year 12) who completed the Gold Level Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Pam Chamberlain
Senior Vice Principal and Head of Haileybury Senior Schools
The 2023 Senior Musical is the Tony Award-winning The SpongeBob Musical. We will be one of the first Victorian schools to bring this amazing show to life and, in another first for Haileybury, this will be a Years 9 to 12 musical, allowing all Senior students to be involved.
We are looking for singers, actors, comedians, acrobats and dancers to audition for this terrific show and on Tuesday, 22 November, all interested current Years 8 to 11 students are invited to audition.
Auditions start at 12.10 pm but please arrive by 12.00 noon in Aikman Hall at our Keysborough campus.
Please email the musical’s Director nick.waxman@haileybury.vic.edu.au to confirm your interest in auditioning. Nick will email you the audition information, including links to optional solo audition material.
The audition schedule will be:
You can find more audition information here.
Year 9 Drama students from Brighton, Berwick, City and Keysborough travelled to the Malthouse Theatre to perform as part of The Suitcase Series. This award-winning program created by The Malthouse Theatre allows students to create an original theatre piece that revolves around the topic of climate change.
After a two-year hiatus, students were officially welcomed back and performed with energy, enthusiasm and confidence. Entering the performance space, they were energetic and nervous but prepared to perform their original theatre pieces.
It was a great experience for the students to learn about the dynamics of performance by watching other school ensembles and by ultimately reflecting on their own performance, too. The students did exceptionally well and their teachers are proud of their efforts.
Students from VCE Theatre Studies and VCE Drama had their performance exams in the final weeks of October. This externally assessed performance is the result of two years of study and many weeks of focused work.
The VCE Drama students create a seven-minute solo performance based on a range of short stimuli, and the VCE Theatre Studies students develop eight-minute monologue interpretations from a prescribed list. Many students use lavish costumes, detailed set designs and technological components in their presentations, making each of the 24 performances very impressive.
Nick Waxman
Head of Drama and Theatre Studies
On the afternoon of Sunday, 23 October, Haileybury held a major whole school music event at Aikman Hall, Keysborough. The Spring Concert featured performances from over 590 Middle School students and delighted audiences.
Students combined their collective skills and talent to create large ensemble performances. The standard of skill demonstrated was extremely high and was certainly something to experience.
This year, due to the numbers of students wishing to take part, the event was presented in two separate concerts. The 12.00 noon concert featured concert bands, brass ensemble and the percussion department while a 3.30 pm concert showcased orchestras, guitar and choral programs.
More than 750 guests attended each concert and this yet again highlights that the Performing Arts are thriving at Haileybury.
Rod Marshall
Director of Performing Arts & Head of Haileybury Music
This year, Unit 2 Visual Communication Design students have explored 3-dimensional model making. Their brief was to design a small home for a homeless person made from a shipping container.
Students explored existing container designs then used visualisation drawings to design their client’s home. Their design had to be fit for at least one person and include bedroom space, a bathroom, living space, a kitchenette, storage space and heating and cooling.
The task provided each student with technical drawing skills associated with environmental design, including perspective, floor plans and elevations. For many students, this was their first experience of model making and the challenges of creating a building to reflect their drawings.
Here, we share some examples of the work that has been done.
Well done to Art Captain, Kendrick Goy (Year 11). Kendrick’s Secret 1, a painting inspired by pioneering Swedish abstract artist, Hilma af Klint, was awarded first prize in the Secondary category in the long-running Noble Park Art Show.
Kendrick’s original two-dimensional entry was selected by art show Judge, Oz Malik, an international arts and cultural advisor, actor and community arts activist.
Congratulations to Kendrick and to all the Visual Arts students who have entered and been awarded prizes in an impressive array of exhibitions and competitions this year!
Rachelle Rae
Head of Visual Arts Senior School
On Friday, 14 October, our P&D community was welcomed back to the 2022 Pipes & Drums Dinner. It’s hard to believe that our last dinner was in 2019 after our European Championships Tour. A lot has happened since then and so many new faces and families have joined our program since that time.
We had a record number in attendance with more than 60 students performing across the two competition bands. There were emotional speeches from the band leaders, many of whom have been in the Pipes & Drums program since Year 4.
We celebrated the State and National Championship wins but there was also sadness because we will be saying goodbye to many fine Haileyburians.
At the end of this year, we also say goodbye to another amazing person in this School who has been at the very Heart of the Pipes & Drums and Haileybury — our Vice Principal, Pam Chamberlain.
Pam Chamberlain has been our most prominent advocate and supporter throughout the years and the best Vice Principal and Patron of the Pipes & Drums that we could have ever asked for.
In honour of her enduring support, the A Band performed a very special piece called Ode to the Patron, a tune written by myself and accompanied by Daniel Staley’s drumming arrangement. Whether it was ANZAC Day, State Championships or National Championships, Pam was always front and centre and cheering on the band with full magenta flare.
We hope everyone enjoyed their night; undoubtedly there will be many more memorable moments in the Pipes & Drums.
Each year, Senior Pipes & Drums students have the option to take their music knowledge and skills and enrol in VCE Music Performance and Music Investigation Units 3 and 4. Curriculums are focused explicitly on conventions centred around the Great Highland Bagpipe and the Highland Snare Drum.
On Saturday, 22 October, two years of hard work, planning and practice came to a finale for Pipe Major Brodie Nash (Year 12) with a 25-minute VCE performance. Brodie enrolled in Music Investigation Units 3 and 4 and his investigation topic was a demonstration of repertoire and performance techniques and conventions central to R.S. MacDonald’s music and his influence on bagpipe folk repertoire.
Brodie performed three tracks from R.S. MacDonald’s famous piping album Good Drying, The King Danced At Dawn, El Paco Grande, and Departure Suite. The tunes are some of the most technically challenging played by a Haileybury piper and we are very proud of how far Brodie has pushed the boundaries of what a Year 12 piper can achieve.
At the examination, he performed the pieces with flare and panache alongside the backing tracks made by Director of Pipes & Drums, Lincoln Hilton. Well done, Brodie!
Lincoln Hilton
Director, Pipes & Drums
On Friday, 21 October, the Classes of 2000, 2001 and 2002 celebrated their 20-year reunions in style at Haileybury City campus. Delicious food, terrific company and entertaining tours of the campus by OHA Director, Russell Davidson, have been nominated by many attendees as the highlights of a massive night!
The OHA Reunions Calendar for 2023 is below.
Other events returning in 2023 include sporting team reunions, Chapter Reunions, Generations Breakfasts, networking functions, new OHA Open Member events such as Axe Throwing, a Gin Masterclass, a Foodies Walking Tour of Melbourne and the highly anticipated OHA Golf Day on either Friday, 22 or 29 September.
Please head to our website for up-to-date details on all OHA events.
Kylie Phillips
Development Office Operations Lead
On Thursday, 13 October, the 2023 First Girls Badminton teams participated in the Australian All Schools Championships at MSAC. It was a great opportunity to compete in a pre-season competition and to finetune our skills ahead of the 2023 summer season that begins on Saturday, 5 November.
Our players performed exceptionally well and came away with the silver medal after a tightly contested final against Doncaster Secondary College.
Congratulations to Kaitlyn Rodrigues (Year 8), Serena Zhang (Year 10), Isabella Ea (Year 10), Krystal Ea (Year 7) and Wing Yi Mak (Year 9) and thank you to our Head of Badminton, Miki Thomas.
The inaugural APS Combined Athletics Sports were held on Saturday, 15 October, with some outstanding team and individual performances.
The Girls’ team came 2nd and a mere 2.5 points behind the winner, Caulfield Grammar School.
Showing courage in adversity, our girls displayed tremendous team spirit and support for each other in endeavouring to defend their APS title. It was a massive day of competition with the team led by Captains Amy Bunnage (Year 12) and Mia Scerri (Year 12).
They competed in multiple events with national level performances and APS records setting the scene for the day. Collectively, Jaz Firth (Year 8) and Julia Zaitseva (Year 7) performed in over 15 events.
There were amazing personal stories of determination and resilience and of girls moving up age groups to cover spots. These stories and performances reflect the passion of the team.
Individual winners
The Boys team were also solid performers all day, finishing a close 6th behind the winners, Wesley College.
Captain, Charlie Rogers, (Year 12) ran superbly for two second places in the middle distance events of the 1500m and 3km. The Boys were also strongly supported by many newcomers in the team who added great depth to our relays and field events. Matty Milias (Year 7) competed in nine events throughout the day and was a huge point scorer for the team.
Individual winners
Sean Allcock
Director of Haileybury Sport
In the spirit of reconciliation, Haileybury acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
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