Haileybury Rendall School continues to reach new heights and build on its successes, as students and teachers look forward to 2022.
High-quality teaching and a safe inclusive environment at school are two key aspects of students enjoying positive education outcomes. Haileybury student surveys have reflected positively on each of these areas.
Haileybury participates biennially in the LEAD (Listen Evaluate Act Deliver) surveys delivered by Independent Schools Victoria (ISV). The student surveys from Years 5 and up are most important and provide valuable data for evaluation for our ongoing school improvement. More than 2,300 students completed the surveys, with statistical validity of 95%.
I am particularly pleased that students gave a result of 8.57/10 for the statement “My school is a safe place to learn”. The ISV average on this question was 8.04/10. This strong response sets up the basis for strong education engagement from students and I’m noting that the majority of students who completed this survey were teenagers aged 13 to 19.
Similarly, positive results supporting student safety were 8.41 (ISV 7.69) in response to the statement “My teachers know and accept me”, and 8.27 (ISV 7.62) in response to “I feel like I am a part of this school”.
Dealing with issues of bullying are an important part of every school’s work. Students gave a strong response to the statement “Bullying does not pose a problem at this school”, with a score of 7.30 (ISV 6.55). This was also reflected in a score of 7.76 (ISV 6.95) to the statement “Students respect each other at this school”.
Of course, there is always more work to do in this most important area, particularly noting the significant challenges around cybersafety. We will continue to focus on reducing cyberbullying through strong education programs, however, I am pleased there was a strong response to “The school deals well with incidences of cyberbullying”, with students scoring Haileybury 7.89 (ISV 7.19) in this area.
These good results are a reflection of the very high-quality teaching staff at Haileybury. This is recognised by the students who responded with 8.59 (ISV 7.48) to “The school provides me with high-quality teachers”. To the statement “My teachers know and respect me”, students responded with a score of 8.41 (ISV 7.69).
These are very positive results that reflect the student experience. We do not take them—the results or the students—for granted and we will continue to work hard to improve and live up to our motto that every student matters every day.
Derek Scott
CEO | Principal
Term 1A has commenced and our Years 7 and 8 students have moved up a year. The Year 8 Graduation Assemblies were wonderful and celebrated the amazing cohort of students who have completed their time in the Middle School and now begin their journey through Senior School.
Year 8 students Kayla Johnstone and Monty Wright spoke to their fellow students and recalled fond memories of the many events and friendships they’ve enjoyed together. They also gave heartfelt thanks to their teachers.
What an incredible leadership team we had in 2021, led so impressively by Kayla and Monty. We wish all our Year 8 students much success over the next few weeks.
Award recipients will be centre stage when we record our Castlefield Speech Night on Monday, 29 November. Photographers will be on campus to capture images of students with their certificates and these will be forwarded to parents. This special event will also be recorded and made available to families to share together. Families will be updated via the myHaileybury app when the recording is ready to view.
On Friday, 3 December, all students entering Years 1 to 7 in 2022 enjoy the Haileybury tradition of Up Day. Students meet their new teachers and take part in the classes that will be part of their school week in 2022. All students are invited to wear casual sport clothes and runners.
Some new staff members will join us for the day, although arrangements for Up Day won’t necessarily reflect the final staffing line-up for 2022.
The ELC students have been excited to explore and spend time in their new learning environments for 2022. Reception children have been getting to know the Pre-Prep spaces and educators and the Pre-Prep children enjoyed spending time in the Junior School during visits to the Prep classrooms. This is an exciting time as children build new relationships and enhance their sense of belonging as they take the next steps of their learning journey.
We look forward to
welcoming all 2022 Reception and Pre-Prep students to our ELC Orientation Day
on Saturday, 27 November when they will meet their educators and explore their
new learning environments.
After last term’s STEM week, the students’ interest in Science is still burning bright and recently the Pre-Preps spent an exciting morning with the Middle School Science teachers who visited the ELC to conduct some mind-boggling experiments!
As the year draws to a close, we are spending time consolidating learning and celebrating each child’s growth and development. Children and educators are being mindful and making the most of every moment to share joy and relationships together for the remainder of Term 4.
Each class looks forward to getting together during our end-of-year virtual celebrations that will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, 7 December.
It’s wonderful to see events and our community coming together again. The canteen is open and students always love running the Eskies there in the morning. The Prep and Year 1 Swimming Program, overseen by Mrs Natalie Lath and Mr James Ashby, began after the long weekend and the children have loved using the pool again.
Staff have been so impressed with the level of independence and organisation students have shown. Strings teachers have adapted to capacity restrictions to offer our fabulous Year 2 Strings Program once again. House Leaders are loving leading their clubs at recess and lunch, too. Sandpit creations are overseen by Year 4 students John and Finlay
and the sandpit is always well attended!
Students and staff are working hard to make our final whole-school events memorable for all. Our Term 4 Presentation Assembly will see all Junior School students come together for the first time in a long time—and we can’t wait!
The Year 4 Graduation is shaping up to be a beautiful event to farewell our students as they move into Middle School.
In lieu of our annual Christmas Concert, we will hold a Christmas Party for students with lots of singing and dancing. Mrs Tracey Jacob has great ideas for our children to mark this exceptional year. Stay tuned for more information!
It was with great pride, much joy and a tinge of sadness that we graduated our Year 8 Middle School cohort. Walking across the stage of Dickinson Hall for the last time, supported and applauded by their peers, this was a true moment of significance and reflection. The next time they will all assemble in this space will be at their ‘Back to Brighton Assembly’, as part of their Year 12 Graduation.
As our parents were not able to attend this year, we warmly issue you all a standing invitation for this celebration—albeit in 2025!
The graduating Year 8s are undoubtedly the most resilient, agile and ‘prepared to pivot’ collection of students in the history of the School. What they have lived through and experienced first-hand over the past two years, will be written and talked about for decades to come. Many aspects of their lives may seem boring in comparison—but I think we can agree that we now all deserve something a little boring and predictable in our lives!
The Middle School has served its purpose and completed its role and we hand this impressive collection of young men and women to the Senior School who will embrace them, challenge them and support them along their journey.
Congratulations Year 8! We are so proud of you and wish you every success in the future. The Castlefield Middle School remembers you fondly and holds you in the highest regard.
Katrina Manson
Head of Castlefield (Brighton)
Can You Spare Some Time?
The end of the term is rapidly approaching and we are still on the lookout for volunteers to join our committee to help deliver our community events next year.
If you are interested in joining, please reach out via email to hpfc.presidentexec@gmail.com.
Ian Green
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends Castlefield
Haileybury officially launched its Science, Technology, Mathematics and Engineering (STEM) Whole-School Program with an official ceremony and the opening of its STEM laboratory. School leaders, staff, and Years 7 to 11 students attended the ceremony along with some special guests.
The School was honoured to welcome Mr He Mubi, Director of Educational Technology and Information Research Centre of Tianjin Academy of Education Sciences, Mr Han Ruixin, Deputy Director of Education Comprehensive Service Centre of Tianjin Education Commission, and Mr Guo Yu, Curator of Tianjin Binhai Science and Technology Museum.
Monash University successfully organised its annual ‘masterclass’ demonstration lessons to our Years 9 to 12 students last week. Masterclass subjects ranged from The Myths of Criminology and Artificial Intelligence to Drug Discoveries and Nutrition.
Students asked plenty of interesting questions, participated in discussions with leading professors and learned more about how university courses are delivered.
The Chinese Cultural Festival was held recently and the theme was Seeking and Stepping on Ancient Chinese Rhyme. The focus was on bringing primary school parents and children together to celebrate singing, poetry, calligraphy and art. Teachers, parents and students wore traditional costumes and made some special memories as they took part in traditional Chinese cultural activities.
Our Executive Principal, Mr Peter Rogerson, welcomed a rural revitalisation group from Jiangda County Tibet to our school as part of their communication tour of Beijing. The guests were introduced to our history and observed Calligraphy, Music and Swimming classes as well as learning about the management of our school.
As part of their social service commitment, the Green House Leaders, Head of House Mr Jack Sun and tutor Mr Gerard Dunne visited a local early learning centre to help students with their lessons. They took part in storytelling sessions and in arts and craft activities, where they helped the younger children design colourful and fun t-shirts. The highlight of the day was everyone joining together to dance and sing to a popular children’s song.
Yanni Galanis
International Principal, HIST
As we approach the end of our fourth year, it is clear that Haileybury Rendall School is a success on many levels.
Our strong enrolment growth—from under 400 students in 2018 to well over 850 students in 2022—is one of the clearest endorsements of all that we are doing. Across the Top End, our reputation for delivering Tier One outcomes in Darwin is spreading quickly. This was enhanced with outstanding NAPLAN 2021 results that showed our students at all year levels are leaps and bounds ahead of other Territory students in all metrics.
Of course, this is a tribute to great teaching and the power of well-crafted explicit instruction. We now have significant waiting lists at all Junior School levels and, next year, we will begin with our largest ever cohort of Year 7 students.
Our extensive provision of extra-curricular activities has also seen us create a huge point of difference among Darwin schools.
Our strategic building plan has also prepared us for growth and expansion and, next year, we will open the two-storey Building 8 with its 12 new learning spaces. This brings all facilities on our campus online for 2022 but there are other significant projects in the works.
Our International 60-bed Boarding House will open in January 2022 and will attract students from across south-east Asia once the COVID pandemic allows the world to open up again. We remain hopeful that our first international students could arrive in July 2022 and further enrich our diverse learning community.
We are also set to duplicate our Early Learning Centre to cater for the demands of young learners and we expect this facility to be open for business from the beginning of 2023.
These are exciting times for all members of our community as we cement our reputation as the best school in northern Australia.
Andrew McGregor
Principal, Haileybury Rendall School
Can you believe that Edrington now has its very own beehives? The bees have settled into their colourful new homes and we hope for some fresh honey in the coming months.
Edrington students have recently enjoyed outstanding success in two state art competitions. Five of the seven finalists in the Under-18 category of the Heide Museum of Modern Art competition are from Edrington.
Congratulations to finalists Arreli Thanapathy (Year 2) Laura Xue (Year 3) Sophia Aung
(Year 1) and Zhiyan Wei (Year 1). Special mention and congratulations go to Dylan Goonewardene (Year 3) who was awarded second place in the Under-18 category. This is a remarkable achievement considering Dylan is only in Year 3!
This year, several Middle School students took up the challenge and entered artworks into the Casey Creations competition and three students had their talents recognised and rewarded. Casey Creations is an annual competition and showcases the artistic talents of young people from Years 5 to 12.
Huge congratulations to Charvi Shetty (Year 8) who won first place in the Intermediate Visual Arts division for her still life artwork titled Two Worlds. Isha Raj (Year 7) won second place in the same division for her landscape painting, Thrive. Siyansa Weerasinghe (Year 6) won an encouragement award in the Junior division with her digital still life inspired by Romero Britto titled Bright Side of Cherries.
All winners, their parents and guests have been invited to an awards presentation with a virtual exhibition of all prize winners works in December. Congratulations to all!
Moving to a new year level can evoke feelings of excitement and nervousness, so it’s important for these changes to be as smooth as possible. To help with this, each year level begins the transition to their next class during Term 4.
Reception children have been spending time in the Pre-Prep classrooms and playground to familiarise themselves with this new environment. Being able to move between classes and see new faces allows children to feel comfortable ready for the next school year.
Our ELC Orientation Day was held on Saturday, 20 November. Children attended the ELC in small groups and spent time in their future classroom and met their teachers and future classmates for 2022.
The children in Pre-Prep will spend time in both Prep classrooms during Term 4 so they can experience being with different peers and teachers before next year.
We are looking forward to an exciting time ahead!
It has been wonderful to have our Junior School students attend
Swimming lessons this term. As we head into summer, Swimming lessons are an
important part of our program and our students benefit greatly from being in
the water. We are delighted that these lessons have been able to run at last.
Last week, we farewelled and celebrated our Year 8 students with a Graduation Assembly. We wish them all the best as they embark on a new chapter in Pre-Senior.
In Middle School, our Year 7 students have excitedly moved up into Year 8 and have begun their Term 1A Program. As new leaders of the Middle School, we have challenged them to lead by example through application, involvement and by making the most of their final year in Middle School.
Finally, our Year 5 students will take part in a Bike Ed program on Monday 22 and Tuesday, 23 November. Cycling Australia will deliver elements of their championed ‘Ridenation’ program with sessions emphasising safety, bike skills and making cycling part of everyday life.
Jeanette Rawlings
Head of Edrington (Berwick)
Firstly, a big congratulations to our VCE students! Exams are done and you made it! We are all so proud of you.
For the next few weeks, we are collecting donations of non-perishable food items for the Berwick Rotary Clubs’ Benevolent Society. There are tubs in the classrooms where children can place their donations. Please give generously so we can share the joy of Christmas with others. All items donated are placed into hampers and distributed to the local community.
Our Virtual Team Mission was so much fun. Don’t
worry if you missed out this time because we will definitely do it again next year! There
were many laughs and brain fry all round!
Congratulations to our graduating Year 8 students who have moved to Pre-Senior for Term 1A. Our School Captains, Timothy Dang and Ellie Gianakis, were excellent role models for their peers and I commend them for their efforts.
Indeed, the way in which every student conducted themselves throughout the year is highly commendable and yet another indication of the true spirit of this remarkable Year 8 cohort.
I remind them to reflect on the past and to look forward to the many opportunities available in the future. Our students are well prepared for entry into Pre-Senior and Newlands will remain part of their journey.
With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, we are pleased to conduct our student Orientation Days in preparation for 2022. The dates are as follows:
Saturday, 27 November—ELC students
Thursday, 25 November and Friday, 3 December—Prep students
Friday, 3 December—all current and new students
Information sessions:
Monday, 22 November—Middle School information webinar
Tuesday, 30 November—Prep information session via Zoom
All information has
been communicated to families via the myHaileybury app.
Newlands ELC educators recently attended a professional development evening presented by Alistair Gibbs. Alistair is an Early Learning Manager for Gowrie Victoria and is the Vice-President of the Victorian Branch of Early Childhood Australia.
He is a renowned advocate for inclusive environments and has a particular interest in Anti-Bias curriculum. He received the 2018 Anti-Bias Award from the Social Justice in Early Childhood Foundation.
During his thought-provoking presentation, he challenged how educators approach anti-bias themes within early childhood. He raised staff awareness into analysing how environments are established, how language is used and how picture books convey information to children.
Newlands ELC educators will continue their journey with Alistair next year and will audit the Centre’s resources. As staff reflect and strengthen their understanding and knowledge in this area, they will share the outcomes with families and the wider community.
This year, Haileybury Chair of Athletics Mark Reed has trialled an innovative Perceptual Motor Program (PMP) with the Pre-Prep children. Mark wrote the Program and has involved the children in weekly activities to enhance their gross motor, eye-hand and eye-foot coordination. Children have been able to build their sense of balance, visual motor skills and their body and spatial awareness.
This Program has been an outstanding success in supporting children’s physical development and their ability to use their senses to interact with their surroundings. It will be extended to Reception classes next year.
In the final weeks of online learning, Prep students were treated to a Zoo Zoom by TV Zoologist Chris Humfrey at Wild Action Zoo. Chris introduced different native Australian animals to the Preps who’d been learning about them in their Inquiry unit.
Chris shared his passion and knowledge about Australian animals with the students and explained how we can help the animals around Keysborough. He introduced students to a giant burrowing cockroach—much to the dismay of the teachers!
He then toured his personal zoo and introduced a variety of other native species. The session ended with an interesting question and answer session.
Year 3 students participated in a ‘Zoom-cursion’ by youth leadership experts yLead. The program aimed to support next year’s Junior School leaders who were introduced to HEART—an anacronym that helps define good leaders:
H elpful: looking out for everyday actions that enrich the lives of others
E veryday Heroes: identifying attributes of role models and how to recreate those individually
A ware and Active: becoming more aware of personal strengths and how they can be used to take positive action as a leader
R espectful Relationships: tips to create and maintain positive and respectful connections
T eam player: the importance of working with others in an encouraging and supportive environment.
Students thoroughly enjoyed this experience and look forward to leading by example.
This term, the Year 4s have been participating in sessions dedicated to their health and development. Sex Education Australia’s (SEA) health and human development programs help students gain age-appropriate information about growing up, puberty, body safety, anatomy and reproduction.
The focus of the
program is on young people getting accurate information that will help keep
them physically, socially and emotionally safe and healthy. SEA is inclusive
and respectful of the wide-ranging values and beliefs that families have and
this is an important part of the Year 4 Child Health and Safety curriculum.
The second annual StartUp Pitch Showcase event for Haileybury was hosted by the Head of Entrepreneurship, Mr Damien Meunier. It showcased entrepreneurial pitches from 10 groups across Newlands, City, Edrington, Castlefield and Darwin, with each group presenting their unique and ingenious business ideas.
The pitches were judged by a distinguished panel, namely the Principal |CEO of Haileybury, Mr Derek Scott and Ms Anna Sever, Mr Simon Terry and Ms Felicity Furey.
The comprehensive feedback from each judge highlighted the outstanding quality of pitches and made the process of picking a winning group for the Year 8 boys and girls extremely difficult.
The winning team for the boys voted was VIPT from the City campus. The VIPT group is seeking to develop a rideshare service app that assists the visually impaired and was inspired by wanting to help one of their peers.
For the girls, our very own Newlands team consisting of Ellie Gianakis, Ruby Molnar, Zoe Berends and Brooke Lew, took out first place with Coco Cosmetics. This group recognised a gap within the market to create a tinted acne cream that is an alternate solution to covering up breakouts with makeup. The cream also acts as a cleanser, covering up any red spots while simultaneously helping to eliminate them. It can be customised to suit different complexions. The group’s vision is to create an organic, vegan-friendly product, with an SPF rating of 30+ and subtle scent, that is backed by dermatologists. The passion and determination shown by this group throughout their StartUp journey has been exceptional. We hope to see this business idea get off the ground one day!
Well done to all the teams involved and to their StartUp teachers who helped each group produce a quality pitch.
Thankfully, with the easing of some Government COVID restrictions, we could hold some events to celebrate the end of Middle School and the end of the Newlands journey for our students. We have been incredibly proud of how this year level has been able to step up and lead in spite of so many changes to their learning throughout 2021.
In their final week, they enjoyed a pool session in our Haileybury Grenda Aquatic Centre and an excursion to Caribbean Rollarama for some 80s inspired roller-dancing fun. On their Graduation Day, they watched some beautiful heartfelt farewells from teachers while enjoying a lovely lunch and ice cream from Mr Whippy—thanks to the HPFK!
We wish all our Year 8s a wonderful and successful journey into Pre-senior and beyond.
The Year 7 boys celebrated the end of their academic year in style. After what has been a challenging year, the students were excited to complete their final examinations and enjoy a range of fun and engaging activities.
At the Aqua Park, students bounced, slipped and splashed their way along bridges, down slides, over trampolines and through different barrels of doom. As the clouds cleared, students also planned, built and tested solar powered vehicles. A highlight was seeing the students cheering on their vehicles in the Boys Middle School Quad, as they raced to find any available sunlight.
As part of the post examination days, the Year 7 boys welcomed The Man Cave presenters back to Newlands. This workshop focused on guiding students to build healthy relationships across all domains of their life. It explored conflict resolution, how to empathise with others and what is means to have a respectful relationship. From these experiences, students will transition to Year 8 with the tools and resources to support their personal wellbeing.
The Year 8 students enjoyed their final graduation lunch on Friday 12 November in the Sports Hall. It was a wonderful way to celebrate their completion of Year 8 and get together for one last time. While the rain teamed down outside, students were able to sit together and reflect on their time at Newlands, shoot some hoops with each other and be entertained by a final rap send off from the Big Jaya, Fitness Tiem and their dance crew. Mr Whippy arrived on time to provide ice-cream delights and then students retreated to their homerooms to watch the graduation video that was recorded earlier in the week. As a special treat, staff had also made a farewell video with some classic ‘send offs’ and ‘visual gags’ that was well-received by all. The afternoon finished with the traditional final ‘walk out’ with all the Year 8 students marching out of the BMS Quad, led by the Pipes and Drums with every BMS student from Years 5-7 forming a guard of honour and applauding them. It was a just reward for our students who have been through so much in the last two years. Well done to them all.
As our Grade 6s missed their camp due to lockdowns over the past two years, five days of incredible experiences have been arranged for them over the last few weeks of term. Please keep an eye out for the Consent2Go and further communication regarding these events.
Jane Gibbs
Head of Newlands (Keysborough)
We are very excited to announce that the HPFK Christmas Stall will be held on campus on Thursday, 2 December. Gifts are priced from $1 to $5 and we ask that students bring monies for the stall in a zip-lock bag. All Junior School students will visit the Christmas Stall during the day.
We are finally on Instagram! Please search for haileybury_hpfk and follow us. Our first 100 members will be entered into a draw to win a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champagne.
If you would like to connect with our Facebook community, please join our Facebook page by clicking here:
If you have any queries, or would like to contact the HPFK, please email: HPFK@haileybury.vic.edu.au.
Lenice Norris
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends Keysborough
VCE Units 3 and 4 examinations were finished on Wednesday, 17 November and all examinations for Years 9 to 11 subjects have also been completed and returned to students.
I would like to thank all students for the way they conducted themselves throughout the examination period. Thanks also to the teachers who marked papers and provided feedback in a timely manner.
It is, of course, important that all students reflect on their exam performance and begin to set some strong academic goals for next year. If you feel that your son or daughter needs any help with goal-setting, in the first instance, contact their relevant Head of Pre-Senior or Head of House.
Haileybury’s 2022 academic year began on Monday, 15 November 2021, with all students commencing their 2022 classes.
In most cases, students began the day with the teacher who will take them throughout the year. However, some teachers may change at the beginning of the new calendar year in January. Haileybury does its best to limit these changes but it is rare for teachers who are new to the School to be able to start in November, so some changes are unavoidable.
Haileybury has been running its Term 1A Program for 15 years as we believe the extra teaching time provided gives our students a competitive advantage, especially in their Units 3 and 4 studies.
We were so excited to have been able to FINALLY send our Pre-Senior students on an Option and Expedition after 18 months of battling lockdowns and ever-changing COVID restrictions.
The smiles on students’ faces were as large as the entrance of Luna Park, knowing they were finally able to explore the environment outside the four walls of home and school while spending some much-needed face-to-face time with their friends.
As part of this revised Program, students completed a four-day Option which saw them have a reely good time on a fishing charter, getting their dose of vitamin sea at URBNSURF, working on their koalafications to drive, getting the seal of approval from our fish friends of the sea while snorkelling and having a tumbling good time learning the tricks of the circus.
Students also completed a four-day Expedition where they camped under the stars and completed activities including adventure and overwater initiatives, cycling and bushwalking as far as the eye could see!
While COVID still continues to impact what we can and cannot do, I am so grateful our students were able to have an off-site experience. Our Options and Expeditions have always been a highlight for students throughout their entire Senior School experience—now more than ever given the current climate.
Marco Cudizio
Pre-Senior Options and Expeditions Coordinator
We were delighted to welcome back our Year 10 students last week and we celebrated their return with a mix of academic, social and industry activities.
Students began the week working in their House groups to make a film called Straight Outta Lockdown. It’s a record of their experiences over the various COVID-19 lockdowns that will be replayed at the end of their Year 12 and will hopefully remind them of a time that is well past.
Inter-House competitions saw the Boys and Girls houses combine for a hotly contested mixed netball competition that was won by Jackson and Berthon. There were also trivia, tennis, dodgeball and more.
Several lunches, quad parties and Mr Whippy serving up 500 ice creams at the rate of one every six seconds kept the masses fed and allowed for some much-appreciated time to relax and socialise with peers.
The Work Experience Program was run as a Virtual Industry Program, providing authentic insights into a range of industries. It was exceedingly well attended by students who were obviously engaged.
A visiting lecture from the Drug Education Project gave our young people empowering advice on harm minimisation and help-seeking in social situations and gave them the opportunity to hear from a highly experienced, knowledgeable speaker.
Award winning Australian author Alice Pung also paid a virtual visit and delighted the audience with her sometimes funny and sometimes poignant stories about her experiences and those of others featured in the Year 10 text Growing up Asian in Australia. She also shared tips for writing authentic short stories which gave students a head start for their first Year 11 English/EAL task beginning this week.
To conclude their year as Year 11s, our 2022 Year 12 cohort took part in some transition sessions in preparation for Term 1A. This group of students has experienced an incredibly challenging two years, so the week was an opportunity to come together and get excited about their final year of schooling.
The sessions covered how to perform at their best with the introduction of the High Performance Mindfulness program by accredited mindfulness and meditation teacher Emma Murray. Emma has worked with elite sportspeople including Olympic athletes and AFL Premiership teams.
The students began to build a profile of when they are in their ‘A Game’ and ‘B Game’ to become more aware of unhelpful thoughts and feelings that can impact their performance. The program will continue in 2022 with resources available for students to access.
Other sessions focused on caring for mental and physical health, academic preparation and a snapshot of the year ahead with regard to careers, expectations, responsibilities and some of the privileges they obtain when they begin Year 12.
We look forward to the latest Year 12s embarking on their new roles as leaders and mentors to the Senior School students.
Our Science students have been busy this term. Systems Engineering student James Richards (Year 11) built a working model of an automatic dog door that is triggered by a chipped RFID tag on the pet’s collar. It allows a dog to enter and exit the secure door with sensors ensuring the door doesn’t close if it is blocked.
Dominic Rowe (Year 11) has prototyped and built an autonomous tennis ball-seeking vehicle during Systems Engineering. It contains a complex set of systems, with sensors, servers and many moving parts and the ball collector does not start rotating until the ball is detected.
Dr Megan Thornton has been studying food chemistry with her Year 9 Science City class. They have all been baking at home during home learning.
The final week of the 2021 academic year saw our Year 10 cohort complete a group-based ‘Virtual’ Industry Brief in place of work experience. After another year of missed opportunities due to COVID-19, Haileybury was optimistic about delivering a program that provided every student with ‘work-like’ experience.
Our Year 10s were fortunate to engage with The Careers Department in Sydney which provided information relevant to workplace industries of the future. Students selected an area of interest and were then placed in groups and given a Virtual Industry Brief to research and complete by the end of the week.
The students presented their brief in House groups last Friday and have uploaded their projects to The Careers Department to await feedback from industry professionals. We would like to congratulate all students for their enthusiasm and engagement with the Program and for remaining focused on completing their brief.
Keysborough Senior School marked Remembrance Day with a minute of silence in the Frank Elmore Chapel Forecourt.
My best wishes to all students who started their new academic year last week. I hope that you have a fantastic year. I also wish all our Year 12, 2021 students the very best for 16 December which is VCE results day.
Pamela Chamberlain
Senior Vice-Principal
Head of Haileybury Senior Schools
It is with a heavy heart that I announce that this will be my last article for Insight as I am retiring at the end of this year.
I have had a long and immensely satisfying career at Haileybury. The School is a very different place from when I started in 1982 but the constant during this time has been the wonderful students and dedicated colleagues with whom I have had the privilege to work over the years.
There have been many memorable productions, of course, but it is impossible to name favourites. The one thing they all have in common is a desire to improve on the last. I am very proud that my last show was Leader of the Pack which embodied everything I have aspired to over the years.
My replacement as Head of Drama and Theatre Studies will be Mr Nick Waxman who is a very experienced leader and teacher from Eltham College. He is joining us in a busy term with three senior productions—the School Play, the Year 10 Play and the City Senior Play—all being cast in the next three weeks. I will leave the announcement of these plays to him in the next newsletter.
I am looking forward to sitting in the audience in 2022.
Finally, a warm welcome to Mr Rod Marshall as the new Director of Performing Arts.
Stewart Bell
Director of Performing Arts
As we head towards the end of the school year, all large ensembles have resumed rehearsals across all year levels. It was most pleasing to hear several ensemble conductors report that students were clearly enthused about returning to rehearsal with their peers and friends.
It was also interesting to hear ensemble leaders say that most students came back to ensemble post Lockdown 6.0 with improved technical ability. Students have clearly been practising at home during remote learning.
Last week and this week, Middle School large ensembles across all Melbourne sites have been rehearsing and recording music for our upcoming Speech Nights. Chamber Strings, Choir and Concert Band will be professionally video-recorded for the 2021 Speech Nights.
Senior School rehearsals are full steam ahead in preparation for a live audience in Aikman Hall. Groups set to perform at Senior School Speech Night include: the Senior String Orchestra, featuring VCE Music Performance student Lucas Lee (Year 12) the Stage Band, with Music Investigation student Zuva Goverwa (Year 12) and a VCE Investigation/Performance piece, featuring Olivia Van Der Heyden (Year 12) Harry Marshall (Year 11) Tommy Caspers (Year 10) and Marcus Beyer (Year 9).
An Aria Night item will be performed by vocalist Alex Hawkins (Year 12) and a VCE Music Performance item will showcase the talents of Addison Law (Year 12) Tim Peatman, (Year 12) India Buntman-Bryant (Year 11) Daragh Rodrigues (Year 10) and Nick Petersen (Year 10).
It will be a highlight of my school year to hear these amazing young musicians perform live in concert on Friday, 3 December.
Throughout Term 3 the Pipe Organ in the David Bradshaw Chapel, at Keysborough
has been undergoing a significant overhaul. As part of the work, the organ façade has been repaired to better reflect the quality of the fittings and artwork located in the Chapel.
Of course, the upgrade to the organ is not just cosmetic. A full rebuild and maintenance has taken place on the incredible 1,800-plus pipes housed inside this impressive instrument.
Rod Marshall
Head of Haileybury Music
Casey Creations Youth Arts Competition is run by the City of Casey for young people who live, work or study within the Council area. The annual competition is part of National Youth Week celebrations and showcases the artistic talents of students from Years 5 to 12.
It is split into two categories—2D Visual Arts and Photography—and the entries are judged by a panel that includes young people and local artists. Many students enter in the hope of gaining recognition for their talents.
Several Middle School students from Edrington took up the challenge and received prizes. Huge congratulations go to Charvi Shetty (Year 8) who won first place for her still life artwork titled Two Worlds in the Intermediate 2D Visual Arts division.
Isha Raj (Year 7) won second place for her landscape painting, Thrive. Siyansa Weerasinghe (Year 6) won an encouragement award in the junior division with her digital still life inspired by Romero Britto titled Bright Side of Cherries.
All winners, parents and guests are invited to an online awards presentation with a virtual exhibition of prizewinning works on Thursday, 2 December at 4.00 pm.
The competition is a great opportunity for young people to ignite their creative skills and imagination and to have their artworks on display for the wider community to see.
Rachel Hibberd
Head of Visual Arts Co-curricular (Berwick)
When Tiana Sirgiovanni was 13-years-old she was involved in a car accident. Thankfully, no one was badly injured but Tiana did need treatment for whiplash, so her mum took her to an osteopath.
Tiana saw the benefits of a holistic treatment where her whole body, not just the affected area, was treated using techniques including soft tissue massage and spinal manipulation. This hands-on experience was the catalyst for Tiana’s decision to become an osteopath.
With the help of a reference from one of her teachers at Haileybury, Tiana received the George Alexander Foundation Scholarship to complete a Bachelor of Health Science (Osteopathy) at Victoria University. She also has a Master of Health Science (Osteopathy) and her thesis was published in the International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine. Her thesis examined patient expectations of manual versus non-manual treatment in osteopathy.
Needless to say, having achieved her goal to become an osteopath, Tiana is very thankful to her teacher!
She loves how osteopathy doesn’t only look at the spine but can treat headaches, jaw pain, shoulder pain, knee pain and ankle pain. It also takes into account other factors that may contribute to pain such as ergonomics when we work, sleep and drive as well as lifestyle and diet.
To grow and develop her osteo skills, Tiana needed to venture out of Victoria. Nearly a year ago, a fantastic opportunity arose in Townsville and Tiana hasn’t looked back. She is loving the Queensland lifestyle!
Tiana has also commenced a 12-month yoga teacher training course, as osteopathy and yoga do intertwine. She has an incredibly useful Instagram account @thatosteochick where she offers advice including video exercises.
During her university studies, Tiana coached volleyball at Haileybury and also supervised exams. She thoroughly enjoyed returning to the School and reacquainting herself with so many of her teachers.
On a personal note, Tiana is fond of film photography and would like to devote more time to this hobby.
Thanks for staying connected Tiana and keep living your best life!
Hayley Denny
Development & Alumni Manager
High-quality teaching and a safe inclusive environment at school are two key aspects of students enjoying positive education outcomes. Haileybury student surveys have reflected positively on each of these areas.
Haileybury participates biennially in the LEAD (Listen Evaluate Act Deliver) surveys delivered by Independent Schools Victoria (ISV). The student surveys from Years 5 and up are most important and provide valuable data for evaluation for our ongoing school improvement. More than 2,300 students completed the surveys, with statistical validity of 95%.
I am particularly pleased that students gave a result of 8.57/10 for the statement “My school is a safe place to learn”. The ISV average on this question was 8.04/10. This strong response sets up the basis for strong education engagement from students and I’m noting that the majority of students who completed this survey were teenagers aged 13 to 19.
Similarly, positive results supporting student safety were 8.41 (ISV 7.69) in response to the statement “My teachers know and accept me”, and 8.27 (ISV 7.62) in response to “I feel like I am a part of this school”.
Dealing with issues of bullying are an important part of every school’s work. Students gave a strong response to the statement “Bullying does not pose a problem at this school”, with a score of 7.30 (ISV 6.55). This was also reflected in a score of 7.76 (ISV 6.95) to the statement “Students respect each other at this school”.
Of course, there is always more work to do in this most important area, particularly noting the significant challenges around cybersafety. We will continue to focus on reducing cyberbullying through strong education programs, however, I am pleased there was a strong response to “The school deals well with incidences of cyberbullying”, with students scoring Haileybury 7.89 (ISV 7.19) in this area.
These good results are a reflection of the very high-quality teaching staff at Haileybury. This is recognised by the students who responded with 8.59 (ISV 7.48) to “The school provides me with high-quality teachers”. To the statement “My teachers know and respect me”, students responded with a score of 8.41 (ISV 7.69).
These are very positive results that reflect the student experience. We do not take them—the results or the students—for granted and we will continue to work hard to improve and live up to our motto that every student matters every day.
Derek Scott
CEO | Principal
Term 1A has commenced and our Years 7 and 8 students have moved up a year. The Year 8 Graduation Assemblies were wonderful and celebrated the amazing cohort of students who have completed their time in the Middle School and now begin their journey through Senior School.
Year 8 students Kayla Johnstone and Monty Wright spoke to their fellow students and recalled fond memories of the many events and friendships they’ve enjoyed together. They also gave heartfelt thanks to their teachers.
What an incredible leadership team we had in 2021, led so impressively by Kayla and Monty. We wish all our Year 8 students much success over the next few weeks.
Award recipients will be centre stage when we record our Castlefield Speech Night on Monday, 29 November. Photographers will be on campus to capture images of students with their certificates and these will be forwarded to parents. This special event will also be recorded and made available to families to share together. Families will be updated via the myHaileybury app when the recording is ready to view.
On Friday, 3 December, all students entering Years 1 to 7 in 2022 enjoy the Haileybury tradition of Up Day. Students meet their new teachers and take part in the classes that will be part of their school week in 2022. All students are invited to wear casual sport clothes and runners.
Some new staff members will join us for the day, although arrangements for Up Day won’t necessarily reflect the final staffing line-up for 2022.
The ELC students have been excited to explore and spend time in their new learning environments for 2022. Reception children have been getting to know the Pre-Prep spaces and educators and the Pre-Prep children enjoyed spending time in the Junior School during visits to the Prep classrooms. This is an exciting time as children build new relationships and enhance their sense of belonging as they take the next steps of their learning journey.
We look forward to
welcoming all 2022 Reception and Pre-Prep students to our ELC Orientation Day
on Saturday, 27 November when they will meet their educators and explore their
new learning environments.
After last term’s STEM week, the students’ interest in Science is still burning bright and recently the Pre-Preps spent an exciting morning with the Middle School Science teachers who visited the ELC to conduct some mind-boggling experiments!
As the year draws to a close, we are spending time consolidating learning and celebrating each child’s growth and development. Children and educators are being mindful and making the most of every moment to share joy and relationships together for the remainder of Term 4.
Each class looks forward to getting together during our end-of-year virtual celebrations that will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, 7 December.
It’s wonderful to see events and our community coming together again. The canteen is open and students always love running the Eskies there in the morning. The Prep and Year 1 Swimming Program, overseen by Mrs Natalie Lath and Mr James Ashby, began after the long weekend and the children have loved using the pool again.
Staff have been so impressed with the level of independence and organisation students have shown. Strings teachers have adapted to capacity restrictions to offer our fabulous Year 2 Strings Program once again. House Leaders are loving leading their clubs at recess and lunch, too. Sandpit creations are overseen by Year 4 students John and Finlay
and the sandpit is always well attended!
Students and staff are working hard to make our final whole-school events memorable for all. Our Term 4 Presentation Assembly will see all Junior School students come together for the first time in a long time—and we can’t wait!
The Year 4 Graduation is shaping up to be a beautiful event to farewell our students as they move into Middle School.
In lieu of our annual Christmas Concert, we will hold a Christmas Party for students with lots of singing and dancing. Mrs Tracey Jacob has great ideas for our children to mark this exceptional year. Stay tuned for more information!
It was with great pride, much joy and a tinge of sadness that we graduated our Year 8 Middle School cohort. Walking across the stage of Dickinson Hall for the last time, supported and applauded by their peers, this was a true moment of significance and reflection. The next time they will all assemble in this space will be at their ‘Back to Brighton Assembly’, as part of their Year 12 Graduation.
As our parents were not able to attend this year, we warmly issue you all a standing invitation for this celebration—albeit in 2025!
The graduating Year 8s are undoubtedly the most resilient, agile and ‘prepared to pivot’ collection of students in the history of the School. What they have lived through and experienced first-hand over the past two years, will be written and talked about for decades to come. Many aspects of their lives may seem boring in comparison—but I think we can agree that we now all deserve something a little boring and predictable in our lives!
The Middle School has served its purpose and completed its role and we hand this impressive collection of young men and women to the Senior School who will embrace them, challenge them and support them along their journey.
Congratulations Year 8! We are so proud of you and wish you every success in the future. The Castlefield Middle School remembers you fondly and holds you in the highest regard.
Katrina Manson
Head of Castlefield (Brighton)
Can You Spare Some Time?
The end of the term is rapidly approaching and we are still on the lookout for volunteers to join our committee to help deliver our community events next year.
If you are interested in joining, please reach out via email to hpfc.presidentexec@gmail.com.
Ian Green
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends Castlefield
Haileybury officially launched its Science, Technology, Mathematics and Engineering (STEM) Whole-School Program with an official ceremony and the opening of its STEM laboratory. School leaders, staff, and Years 7 to 11 students attended the ceremony along with some special guests.
The School was honoured to welcome Mr He Mubi, Director of Educational Technology and Information Research Centre of Tianjin Academy of Education Sciences, Mr Han Ruixin, Deputy Director of Education Comprehensive Service Centre of Tianjin Education Commission, and Mr Guo Yu, Curator of Tianjin Binhai Science and Technology Museum.
Monash University successfully organised its annual ‘masterclass’ demonstration lessons to our Years 9 to 12 students last week. Masterclass subjects ranged from The Myths of Criminology and Artificial Intelligence to Drug Discoveries and Nutrition.
Students asked plenty of interesting questions, participated in discussions with leading professors and learned more about how university courses are delivered.
The Chinese Cultural Festival was held recently and the theme was Seeking and Stepping on Ancient Chinese Rhyme. The focus was on bringing primary school parents and children together to celebrate singing, poetry, calligraphy and art. Teachers, parents and students wore traditional costumes and made some special memories as they took part in traditional Chinese cultural activities.
Our Executive Principal, Mr Peter Rogerson, welcomed a rural revitalisation group from Jiangda County Tibet to our school as part of their communication tour of Beijing. The guests were introduced to our history and observed Calligraphy, Music and Swimming classes as well as learning about the management of our school.
As part of their social service commitment, the Green House Leaders, Head of House Mr Jack Sun and tutor Mr Gerard Dunne visited a local early learning centre to help students with their lessons. They took part in storytelling sessions and in arts and craft activities, where they helped the younger children design colourful and fun t-shirts. The highlight of the day was everyone joining together to dance and sing to a popular children’s song.
Yanni Galanis
International Principal, HIST
As we approach the end of our fourth year, it is clear that Haileybury Rendall School is a success on many levels.
Our strong enrolment growth—from under 400 students in 2018 to well over 850 students in 2022—is one of the clearest endorsements of all that we are doing. Across the Top End, our reputation for delivering Tier One outcomes in Darwin is spreading quickly. This was enhanced with outstanding NAPLAN 2021 results that showed our students at all year levels are leaps and bounds ahead of other Territory students in all metrics.
Of course, this is a tribute to great teaching and the power of well-crafted explicit instruction. We now have significant waiting lists at all Junior School levels and, next year, we will begin with our largest ever cohort of Year 7 students.
Our extensive provision of extra-curricular activities has also seen us create a huge point of difference among Darwin schools.
Our strategic building plan has also prepared us for growth and expansion and, next year, we will open the two-storey Building 8 with its 12 new learning spaces. This brings all facilities on our campus online for 2022 but there are other significant projects in the works.
Our International 60-bed Boarding House will open in January 2022 and will attract students from across south-east Asia once the COVID pandemic allows the world to open up again. We remain hopeful that our first international students could arrive in July 2022 and further enrich our diverse learning community.
We are also set to duplicate our Early Learning Centre to cater for the demands of young learners and we expect this facility to be open for business from the beginning of 2023.
These are exciting times for all members of our community as we cement our reputation as the best school in northern Australia.
Andrew McGregor
Principal, Haileybury Rendall School
Can you believe that Edrington now has its very own beehives? The bees have settled into their colourful new homes and we hope for some fresh honey in the coming months.
Edrington students have recently enjoyed outstanding success in two state art competitions. Five of the seven finalists in the Under-18 category of the Heide Museum of Modern Art competition are from Edrington.
Congratulations to finalists Arreli Thanapathy (Year 2) Laura Xue (Year 3) Sophia Aung
(Year 1) and Zhiyan Wei (Year 1). Special mention and congratulations go to Dylan Goonewardene (Year 3) who was awarded second place in the Under-18 category. This is a remarkable achievement considering Dylan is only in Year 3!
This year, several Middle School students took up the challenge and entered artworks into the Casey Creations competition and three students had their talents recognised and rewarded. Casey Creations is an annual competition and showcases the artistic talents of young people from Years 5 to 12.
Huge congratulations to Charvi Shetty (Year 8) who won first place in the Intermediate Visual Arts division for her still life artwork titled Two Worlds. Isha Raj (Year 7) won second place in the same division for her landscape painting, Thrive. Siyansa Weerasinghe (Year 6) won an encouragement award in the Junior division with her digital still life inspired by Romero Britto titled Bright Side of Cherries.
All winners, their parents and guests have been invited to an awards presentation with a virtual exhibition of all prize winners works in December. Congratulations to all!
Moving to a new year level can evoke feelings of excitement and nervousness, so it’s important for these changes to be as smooth as possible. To help with this, each year level begins the transition to their next class during Term 4.
Reception children have been spending time in the Pre-Prep classrooms and playground to familiarise themselves with this new environment. Being able to move between classes and see new faces allows children to feel comfortable ready for the next school year.
Our ELC Orientation Day was held on Saturday, 20 November. Children attended the ELC in small groups and spent time in their future classroom and met their teachers and future classmates for 2022.
The children in Pre-Prep will spend time in both Prep classrooms during Term 4 so they can experience being with different peers and teachers before next year.
We are looking forward to an exciting time ahead!
It has been wonderful to have our Junior School students attend
Swimming lessons this term. As we head into summer, Swimming lessons are an
important part of our program and our students benefit greatly from being in
the water. We are delighted that these lessons have been able to run at last.
Last week, we farewelled and celebrated our Year 8 students with a Graduation Assembly. We wish them all the best as they embark on a new chapter in Pre-Senior.
In Middle School, our Year 7 students have excitedly moved up into Year 8 and have begun their Term 1A Program. As new leaders of the Middle School, we have challenged them to lead by example through application, involvement and by making the most of their final year in Middle School.
Finally, our Year 5 students will take part in a Bike Ed program on Monday 22 and Tuesday, 23 November. Cycling Australia will deliver elements of their championed ‘Ridenation’ program with sessions emphasising safety, bike skills and making cycling part of everyday life.
Jeanette Rawlings
Head of Edrington (Berwick)
Firstly, a big congratulations to our VCE students! Exams are done and you made it! We are all so proud of you.
For the next few weeks, we are collecting donations of non-perishable food items for the Berwick Rotary Clubs’ Benevolent Society. There are tubs in the classrooms where children can place their donations. Please give generously so we can share the joy of Christmas with others. All items donated are placed into hampers and distributed to the local community.
Our Virtual Team Mission was so much fun. Don’t
worry if you missed out this time because we will definitely do it again next year! There
were many laughs and brain fry all round!
Congratulations to our graduating Year 8 students who have moved to Pre-Senior for Term 1A. Our School Captains, Timothy Dang and Ellie Gianakis, were excellent role models for their peers and I commend them for their efforts.
Indeed, the way in which every student conducted themselves throughout the year is highly commendable and yet another indication of the true spirit of this remarkable Year 8 cohort.
I remind them to reflect on the past and to look forward to the many opportunities available in the future. Our students are well prepared for entry into Pre-Senior and Newlands will remain part of their journey.
With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, we are pleased to conduct our student Orientation Days in preparation for 2022. The dates are as follows:
Saturday, 27 November—ELC students
Thursday, 25 November and Friday, 3 December—Prep students
Friday, 3 December—all current and new students
Information sessions:
Monday, 22 November—Middle School information webinar
Tuesday, 30 November—Prep information session via Zoom
All information has
been communicated to families via the myHaileybury app.
Newlands ELC educators recently attended a professional development evening presented by Alistair Gibbs. Alistair is an Early Learning Manager for Gowrie Victoria and is the Vice-President of the Victorian Branch of Early Childhood Australia.
He is a renowned advocate for inclusive environments and has a particular interest in Anti-Bias curriculum. He received the 2018 Anti-Bias Award from the Social Justice in Early Childhood Foundation.
During his thought-provoking presentation, he challenged how educators approach anti-bias themes within early childhood. He raised staff awareness into analysing how environments are established, how language is used and how picture books convey information to children.
Newlands ELC educators will continue their journey with Alistair next year and will audit the Centre’s resources. As staff reflect and strengthen their understanding and knowledge in this area, they will share the outcomes with families and the wider community.
This year, Haileybury Chair of Athletics Mark Reed has trialled an innovative Perceptual Motor Program (PMP) with the Pre-Prep children. Mark wrote the Program and has involved the children in weekly activities to enhance their gross motor, eye-hand and eye-foot coordination. Children have been able to build their sense of balance, visual motor skills and their body and spatial awareness.
This Program has been an outstanding success in supporting children’s physical development and their ability to use their senses to interact with their surroundings. It will be extended to Reception classes next year.
In the final weeks of online learning, Prep students were treated to a Zoo Zoom by TV Zoologist Chris Humfrey at Wild Action Zoo. Chris introduced different native Australian animals to the Preps who’d been learning about them in their Inquiry unit.
Chris shared his passion and knowledge about Australian animals with the students and explained how we can help the animals around Keysborough. He introduced students to a giant burrowing cockroach—much to the dismay of the teachers!
He then toured his personal zoo and introduced a variety of other native species. The session ended with an interesting question and answer session.
Year 3 students participated in a ‘Zoom-cursion’ by youth leadership experts yLead. The program aimed to support next year’s Junior School leaders who were introduced to HEART—an anacronym that helps define good leaders:
H elpful: looking out for everyday actions that enrich the lives of others
E veryday Heroes: identifying attributes of role models and how to recreate those individually
A ware and Active: becoming more aware of personal strengths and how they can be used to take positive action as a leader
R espectful Relationships: tips to create and maintain positive and respectful connections
T eam player: the importance of working with others in an encouraging and supportive environment.
Students thoroughly enjoyed this experience and look forward to leading by example.
This term, the Year 4s have been participating in sessions dedicated to their health and development. Sex Education Australia’s (SEA) health and human development programs help students gain age-appropriate information about growing up, puberty, body safety, anatomy and reproduction.
The focus of the
program is on young people getting accurate information that will help keep
them physically, socially and emotionally safe and healthy. SEA is inclusive
and respectful of the wide-ranging values and beliefs that families have and
this is an important part of the Year 4 Child Health and Safety curriculum.
The second annual StartUp Pitch Showcase event for Haileybury was hosted by the Head of Entrepreneurship, Mr Damien Meunier. It showcased entrepreneurial pitches from 10 groups across Newlands, City, Edrington, Castlefield and Darwin, with each group presenting their unique and ingenious business ideas.
The pitches were judged by a distinguished panel, namely the Principal |CEO of Haileybury, Mr Derek Scott and Ms Anna Sever, Mr Simon Terry and Ms Felicity Furey.
The comprehensive feedback from each judge highlighted the outstanding quality of pitches and made the process of picking a winning group for the Year 8 boys and girls extremely difficult.
The winning team for the boys voted was VIPT from the City campus. The VIPT group is seeking to develop a rideshare service app that assists the visually impaired and was inspired by wanting to help one of their peers.
For the girls, our very own Newlands team consisting of Ellie Gianakis, Ruby Molnar, Zoe Berends and Brooke Lew, took out first place with Coco Cosmetics. This group recognised a gap within the market to create a tinted acne cream that is an alternate solution to covering up breakouts with makeup. The cream also acts as a cleanser, covering up any red spots while simultaneously helping to eliminate them. It can be customised to suit different complexions. The group’s vision is to create an organic, vegan-friendly product, with an SPF rating of 30+ and subtle scent, that is backed by dermatologists. The passion and determination shown by this group throughout their StartUp journey has been exceptional. We hope to see this business idea get off the ground one day!
Well done to all the teams involved and to their StartUp teachers who helped each group produce a quality pitch.
Thankfully, with the easing of some Government COVID restrictions, we could hold some events to celebrate the end of Middle School and the end of the Newlands journey for our students. We have been incredibly proud of how this year level has been able to step up and lead in spite of so many changes to their learning throughout 2021.
In their final week, they enjoyed a pool session in our Haileybury Grenda Aquatic Centre and an excursion to Caribbean Rollarama for some 80s inspired roller-dancing fun. On their Graduation Day, they watched some beautiful heartfelt farewells from teachers while enjoying a lovely lunch and ice cream from Mr Whippy—thanks to the HPFK!
We wish all our Year 8s a wonderful and successful journey into Pre-senior and beyond.
The Year 7 boys celebrated the end of their academic year in style. After what has been a challenging year, the students were excited to complete their final examinations and enjoy a range of fun and engaging activities.
At the Aqua Park, students bounced, slipped and splashed their way along bridges, down slides, over trampolines and through different barrels of doom. As the clouds cleared, students also planned, built and tested solar powered vehicles. A highlight was seeing the students cheering on their vehicles in the Boys Middle School Quad, as they raced to find any available sunlight.
As part of the post examination days, the Year 7 boys welcomed The Man Cave presenters back to Newlands. This workshop focused on guiding students to build healthy relationships across all domains of their life. It explored conflict resolution, how to empathise with others and what is means to have a respectful relationship. From these experiences, students will transition to Year 8 with the tools and resources to support their personal wellbeing.
The Year 8 students enjoyed their final graduation lunch on Friday 12 November in the Sports Hall. It was a wonderful way to celebrate their completion of Year 8 and get together for one last time. While the rain teamed down outside, students were able to sit together and reflect on their time at Newlands, shoot some hoops with each other and be entertained by a final rap send off from the Big Jaya, Fitness Tiem and their dance crew. Mr Whippy arrived on time to provide ice-cream delights and then students retreated to their homerooms to watch the graduation video that was recorded earlier in the week. As a special treat, staff had also made a farewell video with some classic ‘send offs’ and ‘visual gags’ that was well-received by all. The afternoon finished with the traditional final ‘walk out’ with all the Year 8 students marching out of the BMS Quad, led by the Pipes and Drums with every BMS student from Years 5-7 forming a guard of honour and applauding them. It was a just reward for our students who have been through so much in the last two years. Well done to them all.
As our Grade 6s missed their camp due to lockdowns over the past two years, five days of incredible experiences have been arranged for them over the last few weeks of term. Please keep an eye out for the Consent2Go and further communication regarding these events.
Jane Gibbs
Head of Newlands (Keysborough)
We are very excited to announce that the HPFK Christmas Stall will be held on campus on Thursday, 2 December. Gifts are priced from $1 to $5 and we ask that students bring monies for the stall in a zip-lock bag. All Junior School students will visit the Christmas Stall during the day.
We are finally on Instagram! Please search for haileybury_hpfk and follow us. Our first 100 members will be entered into a draw to win a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champagne.
If you would like to connect with our Facebook community, please join our Facebook page by clicking here:
If you have any queries, or would like to contact the HPFK, please email: HPFK@haileybury.vic.edu.au.
Lenice Norris
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends Keysborough
VCE Units 3 and 4 examinations were finished on Wednesday, 17 November and all examinations for Years 9 to 11 subjects have also been completed and returned to students.
I would like to thank all students for the way they conducted themselves throughout the examination period. Thanks also to the teachers who marked papers and provided feedback in a timely manner.
It is, of course, important that all students reflect on their exam performance and begin to set some strong academic goals for next year. If you feel that your son or daughter needs any help with goal-setting, in the first instance, contact their relevant Head of Pre-Senior or Head of House.
Haileybury’s 2022 academic year began on Monday, 15 November 2021, with all students commencing their 2022 classes.
In most cases, students began the day with the teacher who will take them throughout the year. However, some teachers may change at the beginning of the new calendar year in January. Haileybury does its best to limit these changes but it is rare for teachers who are new to the School to be able to start in November, so some changes are unavoidable.
Haileybury has been running its Term 1A Program for 15 years as we believe the extra teaching time provided gives our students a competitive advantage, especially in their Units 3 and 4 studies.
We were so excited to have been able to FINALLY send our Pre-Senior students on an Option and Expedition after 18 months of battling lockdowns and ever-changing COVID restrictions.
The smiles on students’ faces were as large as the entrance of Luna Park, knowing they were finally able to explore the environment outside the four walls of home and school while spending some much-needed face-to-face time with their friends.
As part of this revised Program, students completed a four-day Option which saw them have a reely good time on a fishing charter, getting their dose of vitamin sea at URBNSURF, working on their koalafications to drive, getting the seal of approval from our fish friends of the sea while snorkelling and having a tumbling good time learning the tricks of the circus.
Students also completed a four-day Expedition where they camped under the stars and completed activities including adventure and overwater initiatives, cycling and bushwalking as far as the eye could see!
While COVID still continues to impact what we can and cannot do, I am so grateful our students were able to have an off-site experience. Our Options and Expeditions have always been a highlight for students throughout their entire Senior School experience—now more than ever given the current climate.
Marco Cudizio
Pre-Senior Options and Expeditions Coordinator
We were delighted to welcome back our Year 10 students last week and we celebrated their return with a mix of academic, social and industry activities.
Students began the week working in their House groups to make a film called Straight Outta Lockdown. It’s a record of their experiences over the various COVID-19 lockdowns that will be replayed at the end of their Year 12 and will hopefully remind them of a time that is well past.
Inter-House competitions saw the Boys and Girls houses combine for a hotly contested mixed netball competition that was won by Jackson and Berthon. There were also trivia, tennis, dodgeball and more.
Several lunches, quad parties and Mr Whippy serving up 500 ice creams at the rate of one every six seconds kept the masses fed and allowed for some much-appreciated time to relax and socialise with peers.
The Work Experience Program was run as a Virtual Industry Program, providing authentic insights into a range of industries. It was exceedingly well attended by students who were obviously engaged.
A visiting lecture from the Drug Education Project gave our young people empowering advice on harm minimisation and help-seeking in social situations and gave them the opportunity to hear from a highly experienced, knowledgeable speaker.
Award winning Australian author Alice Pung also paid a virtual visit and delighted the audience with her sometimes funny and sometimes poignant stories about her experiences and those of others featured in the Year 10 text Growing up Asian in Australia. She also shared tips for writing authentic short stories which gave students a head start for their first Year 11 English/EAL task beginning this week.
To conclude their year as Year 11s, our 2022 Year 12 cohort took part in some transition sessions in preparation for Term 1A. This group of students has experienced an incredibly challenging two years, so the week was an opportunity to come together and get excited about their final year of schooling.
The sessions covered how to perform at their best with the introduction of the High Performance Mindfulness program by accredited mindfulness and meditation teacher Emma Murray. Emma has worked with elite sportspeople including Olympic athletes and AFL Premiership teams.
The students began to build a profile of when they are in their ‘A Game’ and ‘B Game’ to become more aware of unhelpful thoughts and feelings that can impact their performance. The program will continue in 2022 with resources available for students to access.
Other sessions focused on caring for mental and physical health, academic preparation and a snapshot of the year ahead with regard to careers, expectations, responsibilities and some of the privileges they obtain when they begin Year 12.
We look forward to the latest Year 12s embarking on their new roles as leaders and mentors to the Senior School students.
Our Science students have been busy this term. Systems Engineering student James Richards (Year 11) built a working model of an automatic dog door that is triggered by a chipped RFID tag on the pet’s collar. It allows a dog to enter and exit the secure door with sensors ensuring the door doesn’t close if it is blocked.
Dominic Rowe (Year 11) has prototyped and built an autonomous tennis ball-seeking vehicle during Systems Engineering. It contains a complex set of systems, with sensors, servers and many moving parts and the ball collector does not start rotating until the ball is detected.
Dr Megan Thornton has been studying food chemistry with her Year 9 Science City class. They have all been baking at home during home learning.
The final week of the 2021 academic year saw our Year 10 cohort complete a group-based ‘Virtual’ Industry Brief in place of work experience. After another year of missed opportunities due to COVID-19, Haileybury was optimistic about delivering a program that provided every student with ‘work-like’ experience.
Our Year 10s were fortunate to engage with The Careers Department in Sydney which provided information relevant to workplace industries of the future. Students selected an area of interest and were then placed in groups and given a Virtual Industry Brief to research and complete by the end of the week.
The students presented their brief in House groups last Friday and have uploaded their projects to The Careers Department to await feedback from industry professionals. We would like to congratulate all students for their enthusiasm and engagement with the Program and for remaining focused on completing their brief.
Keysborough Senior School marked Remembrance Day with a minute of silence in the Frank Elmore Chapel Forecourt.
My best wishes to all students who started their new academic year last week. I hope that you have a fantastic year. I also wish all our Year 12, 2021 students the very best for 16 December which is VCE results day.
Pamela Chamberlain
Senior Vice-Principal
Head of Haileybury Senior Schools
It is with a heavy heart that I announce that this will be my last article for Insight as I am retiring at the end of this year.
I have had a long and immensely satisfying career at Haileybury. The School is a very different place from when I started in 1982 but the constant during this time has been the wonderful students and dedicated colleagues with whom I have had the privilege to work over the years.
There have been many memorable productions, of course, but it is impossible to name favourites. The one thing they all have in common is a desire to improve on the last. I am very proud that my last show was Leader of the Pack which embodied everything I have aspired to over the years.
My replacement as Head of Drama and Theatre Studies will be Mr Nick Waxman who is a very experienced leader and teacher from Eltham College. He is joining us in a busy term with three senior productions—the School Play, the Year 10 Play and the City Senior Play—all being cast in the next three weeks. I will leave the announcement of these plays to him in the next newsletter.
I am looking forward to sitting in the audience in 2022.
Finally, a warm welcome to Mr Rod Marshall as the new Director of Performing Arts.
Stewart Bell
Director of Performing Arts
As we head towards the end of the school year, all large ensembles have resumed rehearsals across all year levels. It was most pleasing to hear several ensemble conductors report that students were clearly enthused about returning to rehearsal with their peers and friends.
It was also interesting to hear ensemble leaders say that most students came back to ensemble post Lockdown 6.0 with improved technical ability. Students have clearly been practising at home during remote learning.
Last week and this week, Middle School large ensembles across all Melbourne sites have been rehearsing and recording music for our upcoming Speech Nights. Chamber Strings, Choir and Concert Band will be professionally video-recorded for the 2021 Speech Nights.
Senior School rehearsals are full steam ahead in preparation for a live audience in Aikman Hall. Groups set to perform at Senior School Speech Night include: the Senior String Orchestra, featuring VCE Music Performance student Lucas Lee (Year 12) the Stage Band, with Music Investigation student Zuva Goverwa (Year 12) and a VCE Investigation/Performance piece, featuring Olivia Van Der Heyden (Year 12) Harry Marshall (Year 11) Tommy Caspers (Year 10) and Marcus Beyer (Year 9).
An Aria Night item will be performed by vocalist Alex Hawkins (Year 12) and a VCE Music Performance item will showcase the talents of Addison Law (Year 12) Tim Peatman, (Year 12) India Buntman-Bryant (Year 11) Daragh Rodrigues (Year 10) and Nick Petersen (Year 10).
It will be a highlight of my school year to hear these amazing young musicians perform live in concert on Friday, 3 December.
Throughout Term 3 the Pipe Organ in the David Bradshaw Chapel, at Keysborough
has been undergoing a significant overhaul. As part of the work, the organ façade has been repaired to better reflect the quality of the fittings and artwork located in the Chapel.
Of course, the upgrade to the organ is not just cosmetic. A full rebuild and maintenance has taken place on the incredible 1,800-plus pipes housed inside this impressive instrument.
Rod Marshall
Head of Haileybury Music
Casey Creations Youth Arts Competition is run by the City of Casey for young people who live, work or study within the Council area. The annual competition is part of National Youth Week celebrations and showcases the artistic talents of students from Years 5 to 12.
It is split into two categories—2D Visual Arts and Photography—and the entries are judged by a panel that includes young people and local artists. Many students enter in the hope of gaining recognition for their talents.
Several Middle School students from Edrington took up the challenge and received prizes. Huge congratulations go to Charvi Shetty (Year 8) who won first place for her still life artwork titled Two Worlds in the Intermediate 2D Visual Arts division.
Isha Raj (Year 7) won second place for her landscape painting, Thrive. Siyansa Weerasinghe (Year 6) won an encouragement award in the junior division with her digital still life inspired by Romero Britto titled Bright Side of Cherries.
All winners, parents and guests are invited to an online awards presentation with a virtual exhibition of prizewinning works on Thursday, 2 December at 4.00 pm.
The competition is a great opportunity for young people to ignite their creative skills and imagination and to have their artworks on display for the wider community to see.
Rachel Hibberd
Head of Visual Arts Co-curricular (Berwick)
When Tiana Sirgiovanni was 13-years-old she was involved in a car accident. Thankfully, no one was badly injured but Tiana did need treatment for whiplash, so her mum took her to an osteopath.
Tiana saw the benefits of a holistic treatment where her whole body, not just the affected area, was treated using techniques including soft tissue massage and spinal manipulation. This hands-on experience was the catalyst for Tiana’s decision to become an osteopath.
With the help of a reference from one of her teachers at Haileybury, Tiana received the George Alexander Foundation Scholarship to complete a Bachelor of Health Science (Osteopathy) at Victoria University. She also has a Master of Health Science (Osteopathy) and her thesis was published in the International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine. Her thesis examined patient expectations of manual versus non-manual treatment in osteopathy.
Needless to say, having achieved her goal to become an osteopath, Tiana is very thankful to her teacher!
She loves how osteopathy doesn’t only look at the spine but can treat headaches, jaw pain, shoulder pain, knee pain and ankle pain. It also takes into account other factors that may contribute to pain such as ergonomics when we work, sleep and drive as well as lifestyle and diet.
To grow and develop her osteo skills, Tiana needed to venture out of Victoria. Nearly a year ago, a fantastic opportunity arose in Townsville and Tiana hasn’t looked back. She is loving the Queensland lifestyle!
Tiana has also commenced a 12-month yoga teacher training course, as osteopathy and yoga do intertwine. She has an incredibly useful Instagram account @thatosteochick where she offers advice including video exercises.
During her university studies, Tiana coached volleyball at Haileybury and also supervised exams. She thoroughly enjoyed returning to the School and reacquainting herself with so many of her teachers.
On a personal note, Tiana is fond of film photography and would like to devote more time to this hobby.
Thanks for staying connected Tiana and keep living your best life!
Hayley Denny
Development & Alumni Manager
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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