Haileybury’s Year 8 students share their entrepreneurial ideas and imaginations at our successful Startup Pitch Showcase.
Haileybury’s focus is on building exceptional core skills in students and then broadening their development through a huge range of opportunities within the curriculum and in the co-curricular space.
A strong initiative within the curriculum has been the development of Startup as a subject. Startup is Haileybury’s entrepreneurship subject in which all Year 8 students, in teams, build their own startups to solve a real-world problem that they have identified and are passionate about.
The Pitch Showcase event brings together the best startup ideas from each of our Melbourne campuses to challenge for the overall title of ‘Best Startup Idea 2022’. The winning team also received $1,000 in seed funding to help kickstart their startup.
After two years of virtual events, it was exciting to finally hold the Startup Pitch Showcase live on stage in Aikman Hall on Wednesday, 9 November, in front of the students’ Year 8 peers and the Year 7 cohort who are about to commence the Startup subject.
Each team was given four minutes to pitch their idea to a 1,000-strong audience and panel of judges. I was thrilled to be one of the judges alongside Anna Sever (Deputy Principal, Teaching and Learning who is also in charge of Haileybury’s own startup, our virtual school, Haileybury Pangea). Other judges were Simon Terry (Haileybury Council Member and a successful entrepreneur) and Jodie Imam, CEO and Founder of Tractor Ventures.
Harry Fletcher, Mikkel Ostergaard, Nicholas Sheng, Ayush Parekh and Connor Newby-Wearne from Castlefield pitched ‘Plan.It’, a productivity management app designed to entice users to complete tasks and improve their scheduling and sleep.
Tea Hanks, Rachel Yu and Eshaal Alamgeer from Newlands pitched ‘Careena’, a double-sided marketplace for connecting business owners and teenagers. Its aim is to help address the issue of casual employment for teenagers and the staff shortages experienced by many business owners.
Noah Goodwin, Ari Smith and James Hooper from City, pitched ‘Let’s Talk’, a website and app for supporting positive mental health in adolescents.
Luthara Attanayake, Aiyana Rajakurana, Mihini Wickramrachchi and Tahani Karunajeewa from Edrington pitched ‘Social & Safe’, an interactive scenario-based card game to promote discussion around positive relationships and safe behaviours.
All pitches were impressive, however, the team from Edrington with ‘Social & Safe’ were the winners. Haileybury will continue to support this team with the scaling of their startup.
We wish Luthara, Aiyana, Mihini and Tahani good luck as they represent Haileybury at the 2022 Interschool Pitch Competition at the Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship at Melbourne University on Thursday, 1 December.
Derek Scott
CEO | Principal
At 11.00 am on Friday, 11 November our school paused to remember the 41 fallen Haileyburians during a special assembly on North Oval. Our Prep and Year 8 students played a significant role in placing a cross for each fallen Haileyburian. Parents, staff and students, starting with our ELC children, also each laid a flower to create a floral cross.
Term 1A has commenced with our Years 7 and 8 students moving into Years 8 and 9 respectively. The Year 8 Graduation Breakfast and Assembly was a lovely occasion for students and their families to celebrate the completion of Middle School and the start of the journey through Senior School.
Cooper Curley (Year 8) and Spiros Dassios (Year 8) addressed their schools and shared fond memories of special events and friendships. They also gave heartfelt thanks to their parents and teachers. What an incredible leadership team we had in 2022, led so impressively by Cooper and Spiros. We wish all our Year 8 students much success over the next few weeks.
Our Senior School building is now complete and we have seen a significant reduction in the number of trade vehicles on Villeroy Street. As our traffic movement and parking adjusts, I ask that each member of our community continue to respect the rules, regulations and behaviour required of vehicles moving and parking in and around our School. Please be respectful of residents and their property, avoid parking across their driveways and obey signposted areas. The safety and well-being of everyone, especially our students is paramount and I thank our community for their ongoing support.
The Pre-Preps enjoyed a thrilling science experience put on by our own Senior School science department. Myles Nelson and his team demonstrated many amazing experiments that left our Pre-Preps on the edge of their seats.
Crazy water that kept changing colour, exploding cans, coloured water that moved up and down, dry ice and bubble blowing test tubes were some of the highlights. How lucky we are to be part of the remarkable Haileybury community!
Reception and Pre-Prep classes recently completed a gymnastics program in the school gymnasium. The children’s confidence in their physical skills developed noticeably after they experimented with basic gymnastics movements like rotation, locomotion, swing, hang, balance, spring and landing.
The children thoroughly enjoyed the program and approached each week with a sense of fun, anticipation and determination. It was an enriching and challenging experience for everyone involved.
It was also wonderful to have so many family volunteers who helped the program run smoothly and successfully. Our sincere thanks go to the ELC parents and grandparents who were an invaluable help each week.
When the local fire department visited, Prep students were able to get a close look at a fire truck and all its equipment. They were thrilled to have a turn at using the hose too!
Firefighters spoke to the children about how they help in the community and how to stay safe if a fire happens at home. In the event of a fire at or near school, we also practice an evacuation or lockdown drill so the Preps know what to do in an emergency.
In Year 2, all children participate in our Strings Program. They select the violin, viola, cello or double bass and have two lessons a week. This program culminates with all Year 2 students from across Haileybury’s campuses joining each other on stage at Aikman Hall for an amazing recital.
Led by the Head of Strings, Kim Ho, 198 students played together to The Best Sound in the World by author and illustrator, Cindy Wume. It’s always a favourite event on the calendar!
Week 5 has been a busy time in the Middle School. Huge congratulations to our Years 7 and 8 students who sat their end of year exams and who approached their assessments, revision and the examination process with grit and determination.
We are immensely proud of their efforts and how they received feedback that they can take into Term 1A and beyond.
On Thursday, 10 November, our Years 5, 6 and 7 students were treated to a fun-filled and colourful House festival. In the name of charity, they tested their skills in rock climbing, human foosball and dunking their teachers in an icy tank. All money raised is being donated to Greenpeace.
As part of our Culture of Connectedness we continually provide opportunities for students to come together inside and outside the classroom. This term’s events have given Middle School students the chance to connect to their school community and feel a sense of place.
Katrina Manson
Head of Castlefield (Brighton)
The past few weeks have seen our Middle School boys and girls enjoy bowling and arcade nights at Zone Moorabbin. A huge thank you to those who helped set up, supervise and pack up at the Junior School Halloween Disco. Thank you also to the teachers for their time. The event went very well.
We are on the lookout for class reps for next year. If you are interested, please contact me at monchapman@yahoo.com.au.
Just a reminder that the SHUS is open twice a week on Wednesdays from 8.15 am to 10.15 am and on Thursdays from 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm. If you wish to donate any unwanted uniform, please remember:
Monique Chapman
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends Castlefield
During the week, the annual Music Festival was held on the sports field to celebrate and showcase our students’ amazing music talent. The performances were rich and colourful and included a variety of song, dance and instrumental performances.
Senior School held its annual Fright Night recently and a great deal of fun was had by staff and students. The event was coordinated by our student leadership body and many student clubs organised booths with games and food.
The main attraction was the spectacular student theatre performances and it was fantastic to see staff and students dressed in their scary costumes.
Recently, Primary and Middle School students held their annual autumn excursions at the nearby agricultural farming centre. They learned the fundamentals of farming and agricultural science and experienced life on an urban farm. Students learned firsthand about soil health, fruit orchards, vegetable gardens and how to grow produce like wheat, apples, sweet potato, corn flour and pumpkin.
As part of our boarding program, a fire safety workshop was held for our weekend boarders to raise their awareness of fire prevention and how to safely escape a fire and use fire extinguishers. Students tried on fire safety suits and practised using the dry powder fire extinguishers.
Yanni Galanis
International Principal, Haileybury International School, Tianjin
At City, it’s easy to see nature, our history and our future all around us when we have Flagstaff Gardens across the road, the Melbourne skyline visible from our rooftop, and our ELC children run around the Terrace with their friends, enjoying the fresh air.
As a nation, our young people are our future.
We have developed a close connection with a Wurundjeri artist, Simone Thomson, who was commissioned to paint our ELC Terrace. It has been a privilege to engage with Simone over the past few months and she has been inspired by our campus.
Her vision was that children would continue to gather, listen and learn, just as the First Nations peoples did for tens of thousands of years. Simone completed her artwork the week we unveiled our peace pole. It is a symbolic gesture as we seek to uphold our promise: ‘May Peace Prevail on Earth’.
Simone wrote the following contribution that she wanted to share with our campus.
‘The Gathering Circle is a symbol of community and respect in the Aboriginal world. For thousands of years, my people have held ceremonies and important talks by sitting facing one another and listening to each other. This is where trade would take place, this is where marriage agreements would take place. Elders and Senior Leaders would sit and make decisions that the Clans would then abide by. Resolutions of disagreements would be reached. This was our classroom; our Elders were our teachers—they would speak of the lessons of country and our ancient traditional song-lines.
The form of the circle is unbroken, we are always connected from birth to the Dreaming.
In the bird’s eye view, the U symbol represents a person sitting on the ground, cross-legged. Each U shape represents the children sitting around the Gathering Circle listening to their Elders, their teachers. They face one another with respect and listen to the stories of country.
They learn of the lands and waterways they live and learn on—Wurundjeri Country. They learn of the kangaroo and the wombat that leave their marks in the red earth; they learn of the mountains that hug the place we know as Melbourne—Naarm. They learn of the vibrant green gum leaves of the manna gum, the white barked tree the Wurundjeri are named from. ‘Wurrun’, meaning manna gum, and ‘djeri’ meaning the witchetty grub.’ Simone Thomson Woi-Wurrung Wurundjeri/Yorta-Yorta.
With our City campus located at the heart of the arts capital, it is no wonder children in the ELC love to express themselves creatively. Music and dance are a feature of our outdoor space as children move and play outside and our terrace, with our beautiful gathering circle, is a vibrant example of history and story told through art.
Within each room in ELC, the arts and the skills these experiences help develop are nurtured and fostered. Reception children are focusing on collage through a love of Eric Carle texts, while Pre-Prep are expressing what is important to them and what makes them individual and unique through portraits.
As we draw closer to the end of the year, we look forward to our ‘end of year celebration of learning’ and the opportunity to showcase our learning journals and a musical performance.
Families are welcome to attend our celebrations.
Reception will be held on Thursday, 1 December, and Pre-Prep on Friday, 2 December. Both events will be held from 8.45 – 9.30 am where we will also unveil our gathering circle. Invitations will be sent out shortly. We hope you can join us.
Our Year 2 Strings delivered a superb performance on Tuesday, 8 November at Aikman Hall. Around 200 excited students, including our City students, took to the stage and the magnificent sound of cellos, violas, double basses and violins filled the hall.
Our very focused young musicians told a wonderful story through words and music and were expertly directed by our strings teachers. The performance was indicative of how far the students have come this year, with most of them starting their strings journey at the beginning of 2022. This growth is credit to their teachers, parents and themselves.
Our Years 3 and 4 Scrolls students took to the stage the following week. The amazing performance highlighted the progression that can be made from Year 2 to Scrolls due to hard work and practice. The audience was entranced as they listened to the moving music.
Aikman Hall was again abuzz with excitement as our dance students performed in the Dance Gala— a moment they been waiting for all year. Their hard work during their weekly after-school dance club paid off and their enthusiastic moves had the audience grinning from ear to ear. For many, it was their first time at Aikman Hall.
I’m sure our students and the audiences will remember this night for a long time. We are so proud of our students’ effort and their fantastic performances.
Our Year 3 students immersed themselves in a collaborative leadership workshop with other Haileybury campuses during week 6. Students were excited as they boarded the bus to travel to the Edrington campus to develop their understanding of leadership.
During the workshop, students explored what it takes to be a respectful, courageous and positive leader in the community. Throughout the day, students unpacked the acronym ‘HEART’—helpful, energetic, active and aware, resilient and team player—through an array of learning experiences.
Our students are now well placed to be outward looking and future focused and to develop their capacity and skillset as Year 4 leaders in 2023.
We congratulate our Years 7 and 8 students in completing another successful examination period. All students put their best foot forward in preparation and ensured they were well organised.
Exam handback happened on Friday, 11 November, and we were delighted with the level of improvement across all Year 7 and 8 students. It was wonderful to hear our students demonstrate self-reflection about their study habits and revision skills and to show pride in their progress.
As a celebration of Year 7, and in preparation for our Middle School leadership application process, our Year 7 students participated in a ‘Lead It’ incursion run by Tripod. The students spent the day exploring everyday leadership and figuring out what makes a good leader. It was a highly engaging program and ensured students were well equipped in the leadup to 2023.
Year 7 students began the leadership process in Term 1A and will deliver their speeches and then vote in the first two weeks of the new term. A new cohort takes over from our exceptional 2022 Middle School leaders and we look forward to their contribution to the life of our campus in 2023.
After completing exams and to celebrate the end of Middle School, our Year 8 students completed a walking tour of Melbourne. Students learnt about the history of Melbourne’s street art and enjoyed spending the day together as Year 8s for the final time.
I was delighted to hear so much positive praise from the staff who accompanied them around Melbourne. Our students are excellent ambassadors for our City campus.
City campus gathered under dark skies at the flagpole at Flagstaff Gardens to lay a wreath and remember those who went before us and what they sacrificed in order for us to enjoy peace today.
Our student leaders lowered the flag and spoke about Remembrance Day, the pipers played, the Brass Ensemble performed the national anthem, our bugler played the Last Post and Rouse and our Prep students laid the wreath.
We were delighted to be joined by members of two Rotary clubs, our Main House Patron, Fraser Main, and our CEO|Principal, Derek Scott.
It is important we continue to remind our young people of our wish to see ‘Peace prevail on Earth’. We also unveiled our new Peace Pole in a ceremony beautifully led by the Year 3 students who will lead our Junior School in 2023.
It was a privilege to see our Prep to Year 8 students represent Haileybury City so well and observe this important occasion in such a respectful way.
Caroline Merrick
Head of City
The HPF City met for its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday, 3 November. Both Nina and Nadine have stepped down as Co-Presidents and are handing over the reins to the safe hands of Melissa Fisher. We wish Melissa well in her role as President and know she will continue to bring enthusiasm and passion to the Haileybury City community and her role.
A huge thank you to all members of the HPF City Executive Committee and Social Representatives of 2022. We’ve been very successful in bringing our community together and in our fundraising efforts.
Our new HPF Executive Committee for 2023 is:
As outgoing Co-Presidents, it has been an absolute honour and pleasure to be involved with the HPF City, especially during the ‘Lockdown Years’. The Haileybury City community helped anchor our families throughout 2020 and 2021 via online events that engaged young and old and broke the monotony of that time.
From a coffee masterclass, a Lego challenge and wellness mornings to Dolly Disco Trivia night, Haileybury jigsaw puzzles, a mid-winter Cocktail Party and more, we’ll remember many of these events with fondness.
2022 brought all our students back onto campus and there were opportunities for the HPF City to hold a number of face-to-face events throughout the year. Our community is strong and vibrant and we thank all the parents and carers for their ongoing support.
In partnership with the Haileybury Foundation, the HPF City also launched the inaugural City Scholarship to sponsor a disadvantaged student to receive an exceptional Haileybury education.
The Junior and Middle School students are excited about Up Day and we hope they have a wonderful time. The HPF City will host our Pop Up Second-hand Uniform Shop on the morning between 8.00 am and 9.00 am. Come along and grab the next size up as you can guarantee by the time January rolls around your children will have grown again. Plus, it’s always handy to have spares!
Recently, Haileybury City celebrated its first cohort of students to have their entire high school experience at the City campus, with many students beginning their journey in Year 7 in 2017 when the campus opened.
To mark the occasion, House pennants listing the graduating students from Flagstaff and King House were distributed after their VCE English exam.
The Perry (Oliver) and Webb/Woolard (Harriet) families made this happen and were pleased to give the students a special keepsake from their time at City.
Congratulations to our students and families alike for achieving this wonderful milestone. Its lovely to see our students complete their secondary schooling at Haileybury City and we wish them a bright and successful future.
Nina Brooks & Nadine Bissland
Co-Presidents, Haileybury Parents & Friends City
Congratulations to Luthara Attanayake, Mihini Wickramarachchi, Tahani Karunajeewa and Aiyana Rajakaruna in Year 8 who represented Edrington at the cross-campus Start-up Pitch Event. They have worked hard to produce ‘Social and Safe’, a card game teaching young people about safety online and in public.
Their pitch engaged the judges so much that they won first place and received $1,000 seed funding! Congratulations also to Damien Meunier, Head of Entrepreneurship, for organising such a successful event.
Our parents recently enjoyed a beautiful dinner at The Orchard at Montague to celebrate a very happy year at Edrington. Many thanks to Tracy Day and Kerry Illic (HPFE Presidents) for organising this event and for their tireless efforts throughout the year.
There were also some wonderful raffle prizes donated by members of our community.
Diversity and culture are fostered in many ways in the ELC children’s learning program. Recently, the festival of Diwali was celebrated, which was an opportunity for children to learn about Indian culture. The Junior School and ELC students took part in a Bollywood Dance Workshop and learnt a few popular Bollywood dance moves, such as the peacock, changing of a light bulb and the chicken step.
Children also learnt about the significance of lighting diyas (clay lamps with oil) during the festival of Diwali. The warm, bright glow emitted from a diya is considered auspicious—it represents enlightenment, prosperity, knowledge and wisdom. Children painted their own diyas with metallic paints to take home and light with their families.
Children were also introduced to the artwork of Rangoli, which is a traditional Indian art form dating back approximately 5,000 years that is still practiced in India. Coloured powders are used to decorate the floor outside homes and symbolise joy and prosperity. Parent volunteers helped children use different coloured powders or coloured sand drizzled on a stencil to create a pattern on the floor.
Children also developed their knowledge about Rangoli beyond decoration. They learnt that traditionally, calcite and limestone powders were used for the basic design as limestone deters insects from entering a household.
We are delighted to invite parents, grandparents, guardians and special friends to our Junior School Christmas Concert on Tuesday, 6 December, in the John Twist Hall. There will be a matinee performance at 2.00 pm and an evening performance at 6.00 pm.
Students will wear their PE uniform during the concert and we ask all students to bring a touch of Christmas to add to their uniform. This might be a hat, antlers, tinsel or baubles. It is entirely up to the children what touch of Christmas they would like to wear.
All students from Prep to Year 4 will be required to wear their P.E uniform on the day of the concert and return for the evening performance at 5.15 pm in their sports uniform. Please send their touch of Christmas to school by Friday, 2 December, so we can use them during our rehearsal.
Students are to be picked up from their classrooms after both performances to ensure all students are safely collected.
The past few weeks have certainly been busy in our Middle School.
Congratulations to all Years 7 and 8 students who sat exams in weeks 5 and 6. After many weeks of study and revision, the hard work paid off with students doing extremely well!
After exams, our Year 7 students headed into the City for an Amazing Race-style excursion. This saw eight teams solving clues and completing challenges that took them from Degraves Street to Her Majesty’s Theatre, Bourke Street and the State Library. Congratulations to Reynolds 1 who were victorious!
On Friday, 11 November, we farewelled our Year 8 students at the Middle School Graduation ceremony. Isabelle Tomah and Vedant Gupta spoke fondly of their Middle School memories, recalling the challenges of COVID-19, but reflecting on the positive memories that dominated their journey. The Colour Run that afternoon was a big success; no student or teacher was spared!
Last week, our Year 5 students had their Bike Ed program and our internal roads were packed with excited bike-riders. The weather was marvellous and the students had a great time learning valuable cycling and road safety skills.
We look forward to Speech Night next Wednesday evening on 30 November, which will be a fantastic opportunity to recognise the achievements of so many students throughout 2022.
Hello Edrington! We could use some help on Thursday, 1 and Friday, 2 December for the Gingerbread collection stand. If you are available to give us a hand from 3.15 pm – 4.00 pm, please let us know here. Make sure you take pictures of your creations and share them with us on Facebook and be sure to ‘follow’ us. We can’t wait to see your pictures!
Below are a couple of important dates to pop in your calendars:
The festive season is well and truly bearing down on us. Take care out there!
Kerry Ilic
HPFE President
Hpfe@haileybury.vic.edu.au
On Tuesday, 22 November, all students from ELC to Year 7 will spend time in their 2023 classes as part of Up Day. Regular start and finish times will apply for current students, but they will be able to wear their sport uniform for the day.
New students joining Newlands will also attend the campus on this day. This is an excellent opportunity to meet teachers and peers and to sample some of the subjects and activities on offer at Newlands. We are confident your child will enjoy this exciting day.
Our Newlands Speech Night will be held on Monday, 28 November, in Aikman Hall, Keysborough beginning at 7.00 pm. The night celebrates Middle School student achievement and is a chance to reflect on the success of 2022.
Communication about the evening has been sent to all Middle School families via the myHaileybury app.
Jaeden Williams, director of Biik Bundjil education organisation, recently visited Newlands ELC to present an engaging and interactive session that explored the language, culture and shared history of the Boon Wurrung people. He specifically focused on the six native seasons of Boon Wurrung country.
Jaeden told the children about how the flora and fauna correlate to each of the seasons so that children can explore their environment and find the subtle changes that happen each season. Newlands ELC children also learned which season their birthday falls in.
The ELC children followed Jaeden’s visit with a biodiversity session with Black Snake Productions. The session explored the diversity of wildlife found in the Australian bush and explained how vulnerable the bushland ecosystems are to the impact of humans and introduced animal species.
The session introduced the children to different reptiles, frogs, marsupials and birds. The children observed how the animals have adapted to their environment and were shown how to handle the animals safely. The children were thrilled to see pythons, wallabies, possums, gliders and owls.
The Year 2 students were fortunate enough to be part of a Science Discovery Dome Incursion. A huge inflatable dome greeted the students as they walked into Berthon Hall and standing beside the dome was Nick, a scientist, who was dressed in an astronaut’s outfit!
During the 60-minute session our Year 2 students deepened their understanding of what causes night and day and the seasons. The orbit of the earth and moon and the casting of shadows were discussed and images of the solar system were projected on the roof of the dome.
The children asked many interesting and thoughtful questions and there are now many new topics to explore for the remainder of our Science Unit this term.
Our 2023 Prep classes had their first transition session in the Junior School. The teachers were so excited to welcome the students into their classroom and to begin the Junior School journey with them. They spoke about the differences between the ELC and the Junior School and drew a self-portrait to finish off the session.
Year 3 students from all campuses travelled to Edrington as part of a special leadership program run by YLead, an organisation that is focused on empowering young people.
Newlands, Castlefield, City and Edrington came together to understand what makes a good leader and the importance of leading from the heart. Students joined in activities that represented the HEART acronym and that demonstrated leadership qualities.
The campuses had a sausage sizzle lunch together and enjoyed playing soccer, basketball and rolling down grassy embankments during the lunch break. The students look forward to applying their new skills next year.
With a rainbow of colour, Newlands Middle School students celebrated nearing the end of their 2022 academic year with the annual Colour Run. Laughter erupted around the Fisher and Hazlitt Ovals on Tuesday afternoon as students from Years 5 to 8 were splattered in red, blue, pink, orange and green powder.
The event raised a total of $1,739.25 which will be donated to the Nepal Nagarjuna School. Thank you for your enthusiasm and participation!
Details of the school can be found here.
As part of the post-exam program our Year 7 students enjoyed a morning at Bounce where they jumped on trampolines and climbed the walls. So much fun was had by all.
Following a busy final examination period, our Year 8 students were rewarded with an excursion to Victoria’s biggest theme park, Funfields. Students spent the day on incredible rides and enjoyed some sunshine with their friends.
All of us at Newlands wish all Year 8 students the best as they move into their Pre-Senior year at Haileybury.
During Term 1A an intensive Startup bootcamp tested the entrepreneurial waters at Newlands. Our Year 8 students rolled up their sleeves and learned the fundamental steps of building a startup business.
In this fast-paced subject, students followed a step-by-step process to develop a prototype backpack that had to be designed for a specific customer. The last stage involved students pitching their business proposal in only 60 seconds.
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
VCE Units 3 and 4 examinations ended on Wednesday, 16 November, and all examinations for Years 9 to 11 subjects have been completed and returned to students. I would like to thank all students for the way they conducted themselves throughout the examination period and my thanks also to the teachers who marked examinations and provided feedback in a timely manner.
It is, of course, important that all students reflect on their examination performance and begin to set some strong academic goals for next year. If you feel your son or daughter needs any help with goal setting, contact their relevant Head of Pre-Senior or Head of House in the first instance.
Haileybury’s 2023 academic year got under way on Monday, 14 November, with all students beginning their 2023 classes. In most cases students began the day with the teacher that will take them throughout the year, although some teachers may change at the beginning of the new calendar year in January 2023.
Haileybury does its best to limit these changes, but it is rare for teachers new to the school to be able to start in November, so some changes are unavoidable. Haileybury has been running the Term 1A program for 16 years as we believe it gives our students a competitive advantage, particularly in their Units 3 and 4 studies.
Ending their experience as Year 11s, our 2023 Year 12 cohort took part in transition sessions to prepare them for the start of Term 1A. This group of students has endured an incredibly challenging few years, so the week was an opportunity for the year level to come together and get excited about their final year of schooling.
We were pleased to see Lachlan Roberts (OH 2021) and Molly McNabney-Stevens (OH 2020) return to Haileybury to give the benefit of their experience to our 2023 Year 12 cohort. Other sessions included a visit to popular tertiary institutions. Thank you to our Head of Careers, Catherine Johnson, for setting up these visits.
We look forward to our new Year 12s embarking on their new roles as leaders and mentors to the Senior School student body.
During the week of Monday, 7 November, our Year 10 students completed five days of work experience. This was a wonderful chance for them to get a first-hand look at some of the industries they may eventually like to work within. One of our students, Charlie Bell, even managed to get himself a part-time job following his week out.
For those students moving into Year 10 in 2023, a quick reminder that some of the best and most stimulating work experience places fill up very early in the year. If you have a dream placement that you would like to complete in 2023, talk to your new Head of House early and obtain the necessary forms to send to your preferred employer.
Keysborough Senior School marked Remembrance Day with a minute of silence in the Frank Elmore Chapel Forecourt.
A large number of our students took part in the Australian Mathematics Competition on Monday, 7 November, and they achieved some outstanding results.
Maths Challenge for Young Australians
High Distinction (top 15%)
Year 9
Year 10
Distinction (top 30%)
Year 9
Year 10
Australian Mathematics Competition
Congratulations to Sisi Wang (Year 9), Jaeden Vaithianathan (Year 10) and Deelaka Suraweera (Year 12) who received Victorian State Awards at the AMC awards ceremony which honoured the best performers in the state.
Best in School
Year 9
Prize (top 0.3%)
Year 9
Year 10
Year 12
Chirandith Deelaka Suraweera
High Distinction (top 3%)
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Distinction (top 20%)
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Year 12
Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad (AIMO)
Prize (top 1%)
Year 10
High Distinction (top 10%)
Year 10
Australian Mathematical Olympiad Committee (AMOC) Senior Contest
Bronze
Year 10
University of Melbourne Mathematics and Statistics
School Mathematics Competition
Outstanding
Year 10
Year 12
Research Competition
Finalists
Year 12
Distinction
Year 9
Pam Chamberlain
Senior Vice Principal and Head of Haileybury Senior Schools
Our Years 5 and 6 Berwick students have worked tirelessly with their director, Candice Naude, to bring to life the wonderful Fairy-Tale Misfits. The actors, backstage crew and creative team honed their skills over many weeks to ensure the show was a rich learning experience and a blast for the audience.
Year 1 students are using everyday materials to bring tactile experiences into the drama room while exploring the four seasons. In one session, the students were given newspaper and invited to create whatever they liked so they could play in a certain season. Some of the children created autumn leaves.
The drama classroom is an imaginative and explorative space where our students deepen their learning through collaborative play.
Nick Waxman
Head of Drama and Theatre Studies
The past fortnight has been yet another busy time for Haileybury’s Music Department. At the Senior School level, Music Performance students completed their final VCE Unit 4 Music Theory exam.
Following on from performance recital assessments completed at the beginning of term, the Music Performance written examination is a comprehensive test that covers three key aspects of music theory: analysis of recorded music, aural perception and music notation.
I wish the Unit 4 students the very best as they await their results on Monday, 12 December.
At the other end of the music education journey, Junior School students enthusiastically performed at two whole school string concerts in Aikman Hall on Tuesday, 8 November, and Tuesday, 15 November.
Exciting and highly energised events, these concerts see students performing in large-scale concerts, often after only 10 months of instrumental instruction. The facial expressions on the young performers are something to witness as they walk onto the stage under concert lighting for the first time. Over 600 students performed across the series.
In the Middle School, concert bands, choirs and string orchestras have been preparing for upcoming Speech Night performances that begin at the end of next week. Speech Nights are an exciting opportunity for our Middle School musicians to perform proudly to the Chairman of the School Council, Tom Poulton, our CEO|Principal, Derek Scott and, of course, to parents and peers.
The Speech Night series concludes on Friday, 2 December, when Haileybury’s most academically recognised students attend their final awards ceremony as graduating Year 12 students. A selection of VCE music performances will entertain the audience.
The Music Department’s final performance for the year, Haileybury Carols, will take place on Thursday, 8 December, in St Paul’s Cathedral in the city. It would be wonderful to see as many families as possible celebrate the season of Christmas in a non-religious and culturally diverse end to the school year.
Rod Marshall
Director of Performing Arts & Head of Haileybury Music
After a quick and busy Term 4, the Units 3 and 4 Visual Arts students sat their final examinations and concluded their VCE studies for the year. We are incredibly proud of the hard work and persistence demonstrated by this year’s cohort and wish them a well-earned break.
The benefits of studying a creative subject at Senior School will stand them in great stead as they tackle the next steps in their journey—beyond school for our Year 12s and at the beginning of new subjects for our Year 11s. We look forward to hearing all about their pathways and welcoming them back to mentor our new Senior School students in 2023.
Term 1A is bustling with creative energy as students begin their new courses in Media, Product Design and Technology, Visual Communication Design and in Art Making and Exhibiting, which is our newest subject and replaces Studio Arts.
Classes are filled with exciting projects that are designed to get students into the swing of visual arts thinking. Students will develop a range of technical skills, be introduced to the history and context of art, design and media, and take part in practical exercises that set the scene for 2023’s projects.
Haileybury Visual Arts warmly invites you to join our 2022 artists, designers and media producers to celebrate the opening night of their Units 3 and 4 End of Year Exhibition. Called Inspired, the exhibition will be held on Tuesday, 22 November, in the Sholto Black Building and Gallery at our Keysborough campus.
Students, parents, friends, staff and the community are welcome to view the work of Media, Product Design and Technology, Studio Arts and Visual Communication Design graduates from Berwick, Brighton, City and Keysborough.
Drinks and nibbles will be served from 5.30 pm and the Visual Arts Captains will formally open the exhibition at 6.00 pm.
Rachelle Rae
Head of Visual Arts Senior School
As 2022 wraps up, we start planning the next phase of the Pipes & Drums program. Uniform is resized, awards are given, new student leaders are nominated, and performers can move up and graduate from their current skill level group.
These kinds of events are typical towards the end of the Pipes & Drums year. However, what seldom happens is that a whole new group is created.
The Tuesday rehearsals of Term 4 have been attended by our senior A and B band pipers and drummers and our younger contingent from Middle and Junior School, many of whom have never played with their intercampus peers.
During rehearsals, new friendships have been forged and new material has been chosen for this younger Middle and Junior School group. They will learn a set of marches including popular tunes such as Muir of Ord, Mhari's Wedding, Silver Threads, Blue Bells and Scotland the Brave.
It’s an exciting development for the program and we see big things ahead for our new band additions as they begin their musical journey and create memories to last a lifetime.
Please click here if you’re interested in enrolling your child into the Pipes & Drums program.
Lincoln Hilton
Director, Pipes & Drums
The Class of 1972 celebrated their milestone 50-year reunion on Friday, 28 October, at the Castlefield campus. It was delightful to see more than 30 gentlemen reconnecting and reminiscing about their time at School!
The 12th annual Clark Club luncheon was held on Friday, 28 October, at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club. The event celebrates our alumni who graduated 50+ years ago and recognises the contribution of Brian ‘Weary’ Clark, a stalwart member of the Haileybury staff for 43 years.
Each year a different Clark Club member delivers an entertaining oration to Brian Clark and this year was no exception with Roger Holding (OH 1966) delivering a wonderful oration. Anna Sever, Deputy Principal (Teaching & Learning), also gave an insightful presentation on Haileybury Pangea.
With over 160 people attending, including members of the Class of 1972, the luncheon was a huge success with many members staying well past the official finishing time.
We greatly appreciated those who travelled from interstate to attend and everyone for navigating the challenging weather conditions.
Kylie Phillips
Development Office Operations Lead
Haileybury’s focus is on building exceptional core skills in students and then broadening their development through a huge range of opportunities within the curriculum and in the co-curricular space.
A strong initiative within the curriculum has been the development of Startup as a subject. Startup is Haileybury’s entrepreneurship subject in which all Year 8 students, in teams, build their own startups to solve a real-world problem that they have identified and are passionate about.
The Pitch Showcase event brings together the best startup ideas from each of our Melbourne campuses to challenge for the overall title of ‘Best Startup Idea 2022’. The winning team also received $1,000 in seed funding to help kickstart their startup.
After two years of virtual events, it was exciting to finally hold the Startup Pitch Showcase live on stage in Aikman Hall on Wednesday, 9 November, in front of the students’ Year 8 peers and the Year 7 cohort who are about to commence the Startup subject.
Each team was given four minutes to pitch their idea to a 1,000-strong audience and panel of judges. I was thrilled to be one of the judges alongside Anna Sever (Deputy Principal, Teaching and Learning who is also in charge of Haileybury’s own startup, our virtual school, Haileybury Pangea). Other judges were Simon Terry (Haileybury Council Member and a successful entrepreneur) and Jodie Imam, CEO and Founder of Tractor Ventures.
Harry Fletcher, Mikkel Ostergaard, Nicholas Sheng, Ayush Parekh and Connor Newby-Wearne from Castlefield pitched ‘Plan.It’, a productivity management app designed to entice users to complete tasks and improve their scheduling and sleep.
Tea Hanks, Rachel Yu and Eshaal Alamgeer from Newlands pitched ‘Careena’, a double-sided marketplace for connecting business owners and teenagers. Its aim is to help address the issue of casual employment for teenagers and the staff shortages experienced by many business owners.
Noah Goodwin, Ari Smith and James Hooper from City, pitched ‘Let’s Talk’, a website and app for supporting positive mental health in adolescents.
Luthara Attanayake, Aiyana Rajakurana, Mihini Wickramrachchi and Tahani Karunajeewa from Edrington pitched ‘Social & Safe’, an interactive scenario-based card game to promote discussion around positive relationships and safe behaviours.
All pitches were impressive, however, the team from Edrington with ‘Social & Safe’ were the winners. Haileybury will continue to support this team with the scaling of their startup.
We wish Luthara, Aiyana, Mihini and Tahani good luck as they represent Haileybury at the 2022 Interschool Pitch Competition at the Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship at Melbourne University on Thursday, 1 December.
Derek Scott
CEO | Principal
At 11.00 am on Friday, 11 November our school paused to remember the 41 fallen Haileyburians during a special assembly on North Oval. Our Prep and Year 8 students played a significant role in placing a cross for each fallen Haileyburian. Parents, staff and students, starting with our ELC children, also each laid a flower to create a floral cross.
Term 1A has commenced with our Years 7 and 8 students moving into Years 8 and 9 respectively. The Year 8 Graduation Breakfast and Assembly was a lovely occasion for students and their families to celebrate the completion of Middle School and the start of the journey through Senior School.
Cooper Curley (Year 8) and Spiros Dassios (Year 8) addressed their schools and shared fond memories of special events and friendships. They also gave heartfelt thanks to their parents and teachers. What an incredible leadership team we had in 2022, led so impressively by Cooper and Spiros. We wish all our Year 8 students much success over the next few weeks.
Our Senior School building is now complete and we have seen a significant reduction in the number of trade vehicles on Villeroy Street. As our traffic movement and parking adjusts, I ask that each member of our community continue to respect the rules, regulations and behaviour required of vehicles moving and parking in and around our School. Please be respectful of residents and their property, avoid parking across their driveways and obey signposted areas. The safety and well-being of everyone, especially our students is paramount and I thank our community for their ongoing support.
The Pre-Preps enjoyed a thrilling science experience put on by our own Senior School science department. Myles Nelson and his team demonstrated many amazing experiments that left our Pre-Preps on the edge of their seats.
Crazy water that kept changing colour, exploding cans, coloured water that moved up and down, dry ice and bubble blowing test tubes were some of the highlights. How lucky we are to be part of the remarkable Haileybury community!
Reception and Pre-Prep classes recently completed a gymnastics program in the school gymnasium. The children’s confidence in their physical skills developed noticeably after they experimented with basic gymnastics movements like rotation, locomotion, swing, hang, balance, spring and landing.
The children thoroughly enjoyed the program and approached each week with a sense of fun, anticipation and determination. It was an enriching and challenging experience for everyone involved.
It was also wonderful to have so many family volunteers who helped the program run smoothly and successfully. Our sincere thanks go to the ELC parents and grandparents who were an invaluable help each week.
When the local fire department visited, Prep students were able to get a close look at a fire truck and all its equipment. They were thrilled to have a turn at using the hose too!
Firefighters spoke to the children about how they help in the community and how to stay safe if a fire happens at home. In the event of a fire at or near school, we also practice an evacuation or lockdown drill so the Preps know what to do in an emergency.
In Year 2, all children participate in our Strings Program. They select the violin, viola, cello or double bass and have two lessons a week. This program culminates with all Year 2 students from across Haileybury’s campuses joining each other on stage at Aikman Hall for an amazing recital.
Led by the Head of Strings, Kim Ho, 198 students played together to The Best Sound in the World by author and illustrator, Cindy Wume. It’s always a favourite event on the calendar!
Week 5 has been a busy time in the Middle School. Huge congratulations to our Years 7 and 8 students who sat their end of year exams and who approached their assessments, revision and the examination process with grit and determination.
We are immensely proud of their efforts and how they received feedback that they can take into Term 1A and beyond.
On Thursday, 10 November, our Years 5, 6 and 7 students were treated to a fun-filled and colourful House festival. In the name of charity, they tested their skills in rock climbing, human foosball and dunking their teachers in an icy tank. All money raised is being donated to Greenpeace.
As part of our Culture of Connectedness we continually provide opportunities for students to come together inside and outside the classroom. This term’s events have given Middle School students the chance to connect to their school community and feel a sense of place.
Katrina Manson
Head of Castlefield (Brighton)
The past few weeks have seen our Middle School boys and girls enjoy bowling and arcade nights at Zone Moorabbin. A huge thank you to those who helped set up, supervise and pack up at the Junior School Halloween Disco. Thank you also to the teachers for their time. The event went very well.
We are on the lookout for class reps for next year. If you are interested, please contact me at monchapman@yahoo.com.au.
Just a reminder that the SHUS is open twice a week on Wednesdays from 8.15 am to 10.15 am and on Thursdays from 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm. If you wish to donate any unwanted uniform, please remember:
Monique Chapman
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends Castlefield
During the week, the annual Music Festival was held on the sports field to celebrate and showcase our students’ amazing music talent. The performances were rich and colourful and included a variety of song, dance and instrumental performances.
Senior School held its annual Fright Night recently and a great deal of fun was had by staff and students. The event was coordinated by our student leadership body and many student clubs organised booths with games and food.
The main attraction was the spectacular student theatre performances and it was fantastic to see staff and students dressed in their scary costumes.
Recently, Primary and Middle School students held their annual autumn excursions at the nearby agricultural farming centre. They learned the fundamentals of farming and agricultural science and experienced life on an urban farm. Students learned firsthand about soil health, fruit orchards, vegetable gardens and how to grow produce like wheat, apples, sweet potato, corn flour and pumpkin.
As part of our boarding program, a fire safety workshop was held for our weekend boarders to raise their awareness of fire prevention and how to safely escape a fire and use fire extinguishers. Students tried on fire safety suits and practised using the dry powder fire extinguishers.
Yanni Galanis
International Principal, Haileybury International School, Tianjin
At City, it’s easy to see nature, our history and our future all around us when we have Flagstaff Gardens across the road, the Melbourne skyline visible from our rooftop, and our ELC children run around the Terrace with their friends, enjoying the fresh air.
As a nation, our young people are our future.
We have developed a close connection with a Wurundjeri artist, Simone Thomson, who was commissioned to paint our ELC Terrace. It has been a privilege to engage with Simone over the past few months and she has been inspired by our campus.
Her vision was that children would continue to gather, listen and learn, just as the First Nations peoples did for tens of thousands of years. Simone completed her artwork the week we unveiled our peace pole. It is a symbolic gesture as we seek to uphold our promise: ‘May Peace Prevail on Earth’.
Simone wrote the following contribution that she wanted to share with our campus.
‘The Gathering Circle is a symbol of community and respect in the Aboriginal world. For thousands of years, my people have held ceremonies and important talks by sitting facing one another and listening to each other. This is where trade would take place, this is where marriage agreements would take place. Elders and Senior Leaders would sit and make decisions that the Clans would then abide by. Resolutions of disagreements would be reached. This was our classroom; our Elders were our teachers—they would speak of the lessons of country and our ancient traditional song-lines.
The form of the circle is unbroken, we are always connected from birth to the Dreaming.
In the bird’s eye view, the U symbol represents a person sitting on the ground, cross-legged. Each U shape represents the children sitting around the Gathering Circle listening to their Elders, their teachers. They face one another with respect and listen to the stories of country.
They learn of the lands and waterways they live and learn on—Wurundjeri Country. They learn of the kangaroo and the wombat that leave their marks in the red earth; they learn of the mountains that hug the place we know as Melbourne—Naarm. They learn of the vibrant green gum leaves of the manna gum, the white barked tree the Wurundjeri are named from. ‘Wurrun’, meaning manna gum, and ‘djeri’ meaning the witchetty grub.’ Simone Thomson Woi-Wurrung Wurundjeri/Yorta-Yorta.
With our City campus located at the heart of the arts capital, it is no wonder children in the ELC love to express themselves creatively. Music and dance are a feature of our outdoor space as children move and play outside and our terrace, with our beautiful gathering circle, is a vibrant example of history and story told through art.
Within each room in ELC, the arts and the skills these experiences help develop are nurtured and fostered. Reception children are focusing on collage through a love of Eric Carle texts, while Pre-Prep are expressing what is important to them and what makes them individual and unique through portraits.
As we draw closer to the end of the year, we look forward to our ‘end of year celebration of learning’ and the opportunity to showcase our learning journals and a musical performance.
Families are welcome to attend our celebrations.
Reception will be held on Thursday, 1 December, and Pre-Prep on Friday, 2 December. Both events will be held from 8.45 – 9.30 am where we will also unveil our gathering circle. Invitations will be sent out shortly. We hope you can join us.
Our Year 2 Strings delivered a superb performance on Tuesday, 8 November at Aikman Hall. Around 200 excited students, including our City students, took to the stage and the magnificent sound of cellos, violas, double basses and violins filled the hall.
Our very focused young musicians told a wonderful story through words and music and were expertly directed by our strings teachers. The performance was indicative of how far the students have come this year, with most of them starting their strings journey at the beginning of 2022. This growth is credit to their teachers, parents and themselves.
Our Years 3 and 4 Scrolls students took to the stage the following week. The amazing performance highlighted the progression that can be made from Year 2 to Scrolls due to hard work and practice. The audience was entranced as they listened to the moving music.
Aikman Hall was again abuzz with excitement as our dance students performed in the Dance Gala— a moment they been waiting for all year. Their hard work during their weekly after-school dance club paid off and their enthusiastic moves had the audience grinning from ear to ear. For many, it was their first time at Aikman Hall.
I’m sure our students and the audiences will remember this night for a long time. We are so proud of our students’ effort and their fantastic performances.
Our Year 3 students immersed themselves in a collaborative leadership workshop with other Haileybury campuses during week 6. Students were excited as they boarded the bus to travel to the Edrington campus to develop their understanding of leadership.
During the workshop, students explored what it takes to be a respectful, courageous and positive leader in the community. Throughout the day, students unpacked the acronym ‘HEART’—helpful, energetic, active and aware, resilient and team player—through an array of learning experiences.
Our students are now well placed to be outward looking and future focused and to develop their capacity and skillset as Year 4 leaders in 2023.
We congratulate our Years 7 and 8 students in completing another successful examination period. All students put their best foot forward in preparation and ensured they were well organised.
Exam handback happened on Friday, 11 November, and we were delighted with the level of improvement across all Year 7 and 8 students. It was wonderful to hear our students demonstrate self-reflection about their study habits and revision skills and to show pride in their progress.
As a celebration of Year 7, and in preparation for our Middle School leadership application process, our Year 7 students participated in a ‘Lead It’ incursion run by Tripod. The students spent the day exploring everyday leadership and figuring out what makes a good leader. It was a highly engaging program and ensured students were well equipped in the leadup to 2023.
Year 7 students began the leadership process in Term 1A and will deliver their speeches and then vote in the first two weeks of the new term. A new cohort takes over from our exceptional 2022 Middle School leaders and we look forward to their contribution to the life of our campus in 2023.
After completing exams and to celebrate the end of Middle School, our Year 8 students completed a walking tour of Melbourne. Students learnt about the history of Melbourne’s street art and enjoyed spending the day together as Year 8s for the final time.
I was delighted to hear so much positive praise from the staff who accompanied them around Melbourne. Our students are excellent ambassadors for our City campus.
City campus gathered under dark skies at the flagpole at Flagstaff Gardens to lay a wreath and remember those who went before us and what they sacrificed in order for us to enjoy peace today.
Our student leaders lowered the flag and spoke about Remembrance Day, the pipers played, the Brass Ensemble performed the national anthem, our bugler played the Last Post and Rouse and our Prep students laid the wreath.
We were delighted to be joined by members of two Rotary clubs, our Main House Patron, Fraser Main, and our CEO|Principal, Derek Scott.
It is important we continue to remind our young people of our wish to see ‘Peace prevail on Earth’. We also unveiled our new Peace Pole in a ceremony beautifully led by the Year 3 students who will lead our Junior School in 2023.
It was a privilege to see our Prep to Year 8 students represent Haileybury City so well and observe this important occasion in such a respectful way.
Caroline Merrick
Head of City
The HPF City met for its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday, 3 November. Both Nina and Nadine have stepped down as Co-Presidents and are handing over the reins to the safe hands of Melissa Fisher. We wish Melissa well in her role as President and know she will continue to bring enthusiasm and passion to the Haileybury City community and her role.
A huge thank you to all members of the HPF City Executive Committee and Social Representatives of 2022. We’ve been very successful in bringing our community together and in our fundraising efforts.
Our new HPF Executive Committee for 2023 is:
As outgoing Co-Presidents, it has been an absolute honour and pleasure to be involved with the HPF City, especially during the ‘Lockdown Years’. The Haileybury City community helped anchor our families throughout 2020 and 2021 via online events that engaged young and old and broke the monotony of that time.
From a coffee masterclass, a Lego challenge and wellness mornings to Dolly Disco Trivia night, Haileybury jigsaw puzzles, a mid-winter Cocktail Party and more, we’ll remember many of these events with fondness.
2022 brought all our students back onto campus and there were opportunities for the HPF City to hold a number of face-to-face events throughout the year. Our community is strong and vibrant and we thank all the parents and carers for their ongoing support.
In partnership with the Haileybury Foundation, the HPF City also launched the inaugural City Scholarship to sponsor a disadvantaged student to receive an exceptional Haileybury education.
The Junior and Middle School students are excited about Up Day and we hope they have a wonderful time. The HPF City will host our Pop Up Second-hand Uniform Shop on the morning between 8.00 am and 9.00 am. Come along and grab the next size up as you can guarantee by the time January rolls around your children will have grown again. Plus, it’s always handy to have spares!
Recently, Haileybury City celebrated its first cohort of students to have their entire high school experience at the City campus, with many students beginning their journey in Year 7 in 2017 when the campus opened.
To mark the occasion, House pennants listing the graduating students from Flagstaff and King House were distributed after their VCE English exam.
The Perry (Oliver) and Webb/Woolard (Harriet) families made this happen and were pleased to give the students a special keepsake from their time at City.
Congratulations to our students and families alike for achieving this wonderful milestone. Its lovely to see our students complete their secondary schooling at Haileybury City and we wish them a bright and successful future.
Nina Brooks & Nadine Bissland
Co-Presidents, Haileybury Parents & Friends City
Congratulations to Luthara Attanayake, Mihini Wickramarachchi, Tahani Karunajeewa and Aiyana Rajakaruna in Year 8 who represented Edrington at the cross-campus Start-up Pitch Event. They have worked hard to produce ‘Social and Safe’, a card game teaching young people about safety online and in public.
Their pitch engaged the judges so much that they won first place and received $1,000 seed funding! Congratulations also to Damien Meunier, Head of Entrepreneurship, for organising such a successful event.
Our parents recently enjoyed a beautiful dinner at The Orchard at Montague to celebrate a very happy year at Edrington. Many thanks to Tracy Day and Kerry Illic (HPFE Presidents) for organising this event and for their tireless efforts throughout the year.
There were also some wonderful raffle prizes donated by members of our community.
Diversity and culture are fostered in many ways in the ELC children’s learning program. Recently, the festival of Diwali was celebrated, which was an opportunity for children to learn about Indian culture. The Junior School and ELC students took part in a Bollywood Dance Workshop and learnt a few popular Bollywood dance moves, such as the peacock, changing of a light bulb and the chicken step.
Children also learnt about the significance of lighting diyas (clay lamps with oil) during the festival of Diwali. The warm, bright glow emitted from a diya is considered auspicious—it represents enlightenment, prosperity, knowledge and wisdom. Children painted their own diyas with metallic paints to take home and light with their families.
Children were also introduced to the artwork of Rangoli, which is a traditional Indian art form dating back approximately 5,000 years that is still practiced in India. Coloured powders are used to decorate the floor outside homes and symbolise joy and prosperity. Parent volunteers helped children use different coloured powders or coloured sand drizzled on a stencil to create a pattern on the floor.
Children also developed their knowledge about Rangoli beyond decoration. They learnt that traditionally, calcite and limestone powders were used for the basic design as limestone deters insects from entering a household.
We are delighted to invite parents, grandparents, guardians and special friends to our Junior School Christmas Concert on Tuesday, 6 December, in the John Twist Hall. There will be a matinee performance at 2.00 pm and an evening performance at 6.00 pm.
Students will wear their PE uniform during the concert and we ask all students to bring a touch of Christmas to add to their uniform. This might be a hat, antlers, tinsel or baubles. It is entirely up to the children what touch of Christmas they would like to wear.
All students from Prep to Year 4 will be required to wear their P.E uniform on the day of the concert and return for the evening performance at 5.15 pm in their sports uniform. Please send their touch of Christmas to school by Friday, 2 December, so we can use them during our rehearsal.
Students are to be picked up from their classrooms after both performances to ensure all students are safely collected.
The past few weeks have certainly been busy in our Middle School.
Congratulations to all Years 7 and 8 students who sat exams in weeks 5 and 6. After many weeks of study and revision, the hard work paid off with students doing extremely well!
After exams, our Year 7 students headed into the City for an Amazing Race-style excursion. This saw eight teams solving clues and completing challenges that took them from Degraves Street to Her Majesty’s Theatre, Bourke Street and the State Library. Congratulations to Reynolds 1 who were victorious!
On Friday, 11 November, we farewelled our Year 8 students at the Middle School Graduation ceremony. Isabelle Tomah and Vedant Gupta spoke fondly of their Middle School memories, recalling the challenges of COVID-19, but reflecting on the positive memories that dominated their journey. The Colour Run that afternoon was a big success; no student or teacher was spared!
Last week, our Year 5 students had their Bike Ed program and our internal roads were packed with excited bike-riders. The weather was marvellous and the students had a great time learning valuable cycling and road safety skills.
We look forward to Speech Night next Wednesday evening on 30 November, which will be a fantastic opportunity to recognise the achievements of so many students throughout 2022.
Hello Edrington! We could use some help on Thursday, 1 and Friday, 2 December for the Gingerbread collection stand. If you are available to give us a hand from 3.15 pm – 4.00 pm, please let us know here. Make sure you take pictures of your creations and share them with us on Facebook and be sure to ‘follow’ us. We can’t wait to see your pictures!
Below are a couple of important dates to pop in your calendars:
The festive season is well and truly bearing down on us. Take care out there!
Kerry Ilic
HPFE President
Hpfe@haileybury.vic.edu.au
On Tuesday, 22 November, all students from ELC to Year 7 will spend time in their 2023 classes as part of Up Day. Regular start and finish times will apply for current students, but they will be able to wear their sport uniform for the day.
New students joining Newlands will also attend the campus on this day. This is an excellent opportunity to meet teachers and peers and to sample some of the subjects and activities on offer at Newlands. We are confident your child will enjoy this exciting day.
Our Newlands Speech Night will be held on Monday, 28 November, in Aikman Hall, Keysborough beginning at 7.00 pm. The night celebrates Middle School student achievement and is a chance to reflect on the success of 2022.
Communication about the evening has been sent to all Middle School families via the myHaileybury app.
Jaeden Williams, director of Biik Bundjil education organisation, recently visited Newlands ELC to present an engaging and interactive session that explored the language, culture and shared history of the Boon Wurrung people. He specifically focused on the six native seasons of Boon Wurrung country.
Jaeden told the children about how the flora and fauna correlate to each of the seasons so that children can explore their environment and find the subtle changes that happen each season. Newlands ELC children also learned which season their birthday falls in.
The ELC children followed Jaeden’s visit with a biodiversity session with Black Snake Productions. The session explored the diversity of wildlife found in the Australian bush and explained how vulnerable the bushland ecosystems are to the impact of humans and introduced animal species.
The session introduced the children to different reptiles, frogs, marsupials and birds. The children observed how the animals have adapted to their environment and were shown how to handle the animals safely. The children were thrilled to see pythons, wallabies, possums, gliders and owls.
The Year 2 students were fortunate enough to be part of a Science Discovery Dome Incursion. A huge inflatable dome greeted the students as they walked into Berthon Hall and standing beside the dome was Nick, a scientist, who was dressed in an astronaut’s outfit!
During the 60-minute session our Year 2 students deepened their understanding of what causes night and day and the seasons. The orbit of the earth and moon and the casting of shadows were discussed and images of the solar system were projected on the roof of the dome.
The children asked many interesting and thoughtful questions and there are now many new topics to explore for the remainder of our Science Unit this term.
Our 2023 Prep classes had their first transition session in the Junior School. The teachers were so excited to welcome the students into their classroom and to begin the Junior School journey with them. They spoke about the differences between the ELC and the Junior School and drew a self-portrait to finish off the session.
Year 3 students from all campuses travelled to Edrington as part of a special leadership program run by YLead, an organisation that is focused on empowering young people.
Newlands, Castlefield, City and Edrington came together to understand what makes a good leader and the importance of leading from the heart. Students joined in activities that represented the HEART acronym and that demonstrated leadership qualities.
The campuses had a sausage sizzle lunch together and enjoyed playing soccer, basketball and rolling down grassy embankments during the lunch break. The students look forward to applying their new skills next year.
With a rainbow of colour, Newlands Middle School students celebrated nearing the end of their 2022 academic year with the annual Colour Run. Laughter erupted around the Fisher and Hazlitt Ovals on Tuesday afternoon as students from Years 5 to 8 were splattered in red, blue, pink, orange and green powder.
The event raised a total of $1,739.25 which will be donated to the Nepal Nagarjuna School. Thank you for your enthusiasm and participation!
Details of the school can be found here.
As part of the post-exam program our Year 7 students enjoyed a morning at Bounce where they jumped on trampolines and climbed the walls. So much fun was had by all.
Following a busy final examination period, our Year 8 students were rewarded with an excursion to Victoria’s biggest theme park, Funfields. Students spent the day on incredible rides and enjoyed some sunshine with their friends.
All of us at Newlands wish all Year 8 students the best as they move into their Pre-Senior year at Haileybury.
During Term 1A an intensive Startup bootcamp tested the entrepreneurial waters at Newlands. Our Year 8 students rolled up their sleeves and learned the fundamental steps of building a startup business.
In this fast-paced subject, students followed a step-by-step process to develop a prototype backpack that had to be designed for a specific customer. The last stage involved students pitching their business proposal in only 60 seconds.
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
VCE Units 3 and 4 examinations ended on Wednesday, 16 November, and all examinations for Years 9 to 11 subjects have been completed and returned to students. I would like to thank all students for the way they conducted themselves throughout the examination period and my thanks also to the teachers who marked examinations and provided feedback in a timely manner.
It is, of course, important that all students reflect on their examination performance and begin to set some strong academic goals for next year. If you feel your son or daughter needs any help with goal setting, contact their relevant Head of Pre-Senior or Head of House in the first instance.
Haileybury’s 2023 academic year got under way on Monday, 14 November, with all students beginning their 2023 classes. In most cases students began the day with the teacher that will take them throughout the year, although some teachers may change at the beginning of the new calendar year in January 2023.
Haileybury does its best to limit these changes, but it is rare for teachers new to the school to be able to start in November, so some changes are unavoidable. Haileybury has been running the Term 1A program for 16 years as we believe it gives our students a competitive advantage, particularly in their Units 3 and 4 studies.
Ending their experience as Year 11s, our 2023 Year 12 cohort took part in transition sessions to prepare them for the start of Term 1A. This group of students has endured an incredibly challenging few years, so the week was an opportunity for the year level to come together and get excited about their final year of schooling.
We were pleased to see Lachlan Roberts (OH 2021) and Molly McNabney-Stevens (OH 2020) return to Haileybury to give the benefit of their experience to our 2023 Year 12 cohort. Other sessions included a visit to popular tertiary institutions. Thank you to our Head of Careers, Catherine Johnson, for setting up these visits.
We look forward to our new Year 12s embarking on their new roles as leaders and mentors to the Senior School student body.
During the week of Monday, 7 November, our Year 10 students completed five days of work experience. This was a wonderful chance for them to get a first-hand look at some of the industries they may eventually like to work within. One of our students, Charlie Bell, even managed to get himself a part-time job following his week out.
For those students moving into Year 10 in 2023, a quick reminder that some of the best and most stimulating work experience places fill up very early in the year. If you have a dream placement that you would like to complete in 2023, talk to your new Head of House early and obtain the necessary forms to send to your preferred employer.
Keysborough Senior School marked Remembrance Day with a minute of silence in the Frank Elmore Chapel Forecourt.
A large number of our students took part in the Australian Mathematics Competition on Monday, 7 November, and they achieved some outstanding results.
Maths Challenge for Young Australians
High Distinction (top 15%)
Year 9
Year 10
Distinction (top 30%)
Year 9
Year 10
Australian Mathematics Competition
Congratulations to Sisi Wang (Year 9), Jaeden Vaithianathan (Year 10) and Deelaka Suraweera (Year 12) who received Victorian State Awards at the AMC awards ceremony which honoured the best performers in the state.
Best in School
Year 9
Prize (top 0.3%)
Year 9
Year 10
Year 12
Chirandith Deelaka Suraweera
High Distinction (top 3%)
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Distinction (top 20%)
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Year 12
Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad (AIMO)
Prize (top 1%)
Year 10
High Distinction (top 10%)
Year 10
Australian Mathematical Olympiad Committee (AMOC) Senior Contest
Bronze
Year 10
University of Melbourne Mathematics and Statistics
School Mathematics Competition
Outstanding
Year 10
Year 12
Research Competition
Finalists
Year 12
Distinction
Year 9
Pam Chamberlain
Senior Vice Principal and Head of Haileybury Senior Schools
Our Years 5 and 6 Berwick students have worked tirelessly with their director, Candice Naude, to bring to life the wonderful Fairy-Tale Misfits. The actors, backstage crew and creative team honed their skills over many weeks to ensure the show was a rich learning experience and a blast for the audience.
Year 1 students are using everyday materials to bring tactile experiences into the drama room while exploring the four seasons. In one session, the students were given newspaper and invited to create whatever they liked so they could play in a certain season. Some of the children created autumn leaves.
The drama classroom is an imaginative and explorative space where our students deepen their learning through collaborative play.
Nick Waxman
Head of Drama and Theatre Studies
The past fortnight has been yet another busy time for Haileybury’s Music Department. At the Senior School level, Music Performance students completed their final VCE Unit 4 Music Theory exam.
Following on from performance recital assessments completed at the beginning of term, the Music Performance written examination is a comprehensive test that covers three key aspects of music theory: analysis of recorded music, aural perception and music notation.
I wish the Unit 4 students the very best as they await their results on Monday, 12 December.
At the other end of the music education journey, Junior School students enthusiastically performed at two whole school string concerts in Aikman Hall on Tuesday, 8 November, and Tuesday, 15 November.
Exciting and highly energised events, these concerts see students performing in large-scale concerts, often after only 10 months of instrumental instruction. The facial expressions on the young performers are something to witness as they walk onto the stage under concert lighting for the first time. Over 600 students performed across the series.
In the Middle School, concert bands, choirs and string orchestras have been preparing for upcoming Speech Night performances that begin at the end of next week. Speech Nights are an exciting opportunity for our Middle School musicians to perform proudly to the Chairman of the School Council, Tom Poulton, our CEO|Principal, Derek Scott and, of course, to parents and peers.
The Speech Night series concludes on Friday, 2 December, when Haileybury’s most academically recognised students attend their final awards ceremony as graduating Year 12 students. A selection of VCE music performances will entertain the audience.
The Music Department’s final performance for the year, Haileybury Carols, will take place on Thursday, 8 December, in St Paul’s Cathedral in the city. It would be wonderful to see as many families as possible celebrate the season of Christmas in a non-religious and culturally diverse end to the school year.
Rod Marshall
Director of Performing Arts & Head of Haileybury Music
After a quick and busy Term 4, the Units 3 and 4 Visual Arts students sat their final examinations and concluded their VCE studies for the year. We are incredibly proud of the hard work and persistence demonstrated by this year’s cohort and wish them a well-earned break.
The benefits of studying a creative subject at Senior School will stand them in great stead as they tackle the next steps in their journey—beyond school for our Year 12s and at the beginning of new subjects for our Year 11s. We look forward to hearing all about their pathways and welcoming them back to mentor our new Senior School students in 2023.
Term 1A is bustling with creative energy as students begin their new courses in Media, Product Design and Technology, Visual Communication Design and in Art Making and Exhibiting, which is our newest subject and replaces Studio Arts.
Classes are filled with exciting projects that are designed to get students into the swing of visual arts thinking. Students will develop a range of technical skills, be introduced to the history and context of art, design and media, and take part in practical exercises that set the scene for 2023’s projects.
Haileybury Visual Arts warmly invites you to join our 2022 artists, designers and media producers to celebrate the opening night of their Units 3 and 4 End of Year Exhibition. Called Inspired, the exhibition will be held on Tuesday, 22 November, in the Sholto Black Building and Gallery at our Keysborough campus.
Students, parents, friends, staff and the community are welcome to view the work of Media, Product Design and Technology, Studio Arts and Visual Communication Design graduates from Berwick, Brighton, City and Keysborough.
Drinks and nibbles will be served from 5.30 pm and the Visual Arts Captains will formally open the exhibition at 6.00 pm.
Rachelle Rae
Head of Visual Arts Senior School
As 2022 wraps up, we start planning the next phase of the Pipes & Drums program. Uniform is resized, awards are given, new student leaders are nominated, and performers can move up and graduate from their current skill level group.
These kinds of events are typical towards the end of the Pipes & Drums year. However, what seldom happens is that a whole new group is created.
The Tuesday rehearsals of Term 4 have been attended by our senior A and B band pipers and drummers and our younger contingent from Middle and Junior School, many of whom have never played with their intercampus peers.
During rehearsals, new friendships have been forged and new material has been chosen for this younger Middle and Junior School group. They will learn a set of marches including popular tunes such as Muir of Ord, Mhari's Wedding, Silver Threads, Blue Bells and Scotland the Brave.
It’s an exciting development for the program and we see big things ahead for our new band additions as they begin their musical journey and create memories to last a lifetime.
Please click here if you’re interested in enrolling your child into the Pipes & Drums program.
Lincoln Hilton
Director, Pipes & Drums
The Class of 1972 celebrated their milestone 50-year reunion on Friday, 28 October, at the Castlefield campus. It was delightful to see more than 30 gentlemen reconnecting and reminiscing about their time at School!
The 12th annual Clark Club luncheon was held on Friday, 28 October, at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club. The event celebrates our alumni who graduated 50+ years ago and recognises the contribution of Brian ‘Weary’ Clark, a stalwart member of the Haileybury staff for 43 years.
Each year a different Clark Club member delivers an entertaining oration to Brian Clark and this year was no exception with Roger Holding (OH 1966) delivering a wonderful oration. Anna Sever, Deputy Principal (Teaching & Learning), also gave an insightful presentation on Haileybury Pangea.
With over 160 people attending, including members of the Class of 1972, the luncheon was a huge success with many members staying well past the official finishing time.
We greatly appreciated those who travelled from interstate to attend and everyone for navigating the challenging weather conditions.
Kylie Phillips
Development Office Operations Lead
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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