This week’s return to school of Year 12 students and of our Year 11s for their Units 3 and 4 subjects is most welcome.
The Year 12s have been outstanding in managing their way through their final two years of school that have obviously been quite different to what they would have anticipated. They have, of course, been assisted by the brilliant teaching staff who have committed to providing every possible support to help Haileybury students achieve.
The focus over the next three weeks is on providing as much classroom time with Units 3 and 4 students in the lead-up to the exams, and doing all we can to provide memorable end-of-school events for the Year 12s. We will be holding a full Graduation after the examinations have been completed in November.
We are looking forward to the rest of our students across all year levels returning from week three to week five. While we are very pleased with student progress due to the strong academic online program delivery, we are well aware that students have missed the social and co-curricular aspects of school. So, within health guidelines, we will be building the widest range of activities that we can provide to all year levels as students return.
During the past few months, we have been investigating a range of additional ways to protect and increase the safety of our school community as we plan for the return to onsite learning and working. The School has sought expert advice and investigated ways to reduce the potential for the indoor air in our buildings to contribute to the development or spread of illness. Key initiatives and changes you will see implemented during Term 4 will be:
We are fully committed to the health and welfare of our students and staff. It is mandatory for all Haileybury staff to be vaccinated and I have been delighted with the staff support for this. Similarly, we have been pleased to see Years 11 and 12 students getting vaccinated in large numbers.
Haileybury is fully supportive of the vaccination program. It is clear that it is the quickest way to open up our society and for us to provide a safe school environment for staff and students. We encourage all families with children eligible for the vaccination to have it done.
Derek Scott
CEO | Principal
While we have been in lockdown, Claire Leung (Year 4) and Sophia Leung (Year 6) have been busy fundraising and preparing to shave their heads for the Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave.
The girls are raising money that will go towards providing families facing blood cancer with emotional and practical support. The girls also donated their hair to the clever people at Sustainable Salons who repurpose it into wigs for those who’ve lost their hair due to cancer.
We look forward to welcoming our students back on campus this term. The roadmap set out by the Victorian Government allows us to welcome our students onsite across staggered dates, commencing with our Preps and Years 1 and 2 from Monday, 18 October. Preparations are in progress to ensure classrooms and learning spaces are ready for our students to return.
For ELC students learning from home, there have been many opportunities to stay connected. They have seen each other on screen through daily Zooms and home learning experiences include Social Thinking, Literacy, Numeracy, Science, Music and Movement. The Specialist Program has also been maintained with Library, Creative Arts, Physical Activity with Mrs Crowe and Music with Mrs Jacob.
For students learning at school, there have been opportunities to spend time getting to know new peers and educators as classes have combined. Students have also discovered new spaces as different learning environments were explored.
During the last week of Term 3, the ELC students and teachers celebrated the end of a crazy term with Wacky Wednesday. For children learning at home and those learning on campus, it was a chance to be silly, crazy, wacky and just have a lot of fun.
Everyone was invited to wear a ‘touch of wacky’ as we enjoyed the Dr Seuss story, found all the wacky things on each page and joined in songs, dancing, experiments and games.
There was lots of fun to be had as our teachers ran a virtual camp for our Year 3 students in the final week of the term. Starting with a camp briefing and a whole group Anzac biscuit cooking lesson, students then moved into mixed groups to participate in astronomy, bush art, fort building, Minute To Win It games and a scavenger hunt.
Everyone was invited to have lunch and dinner together in breakout rooms and it was excellent to see so many camp set-ups in backyards and lounge rooms. I loved being part of the conversation in the rooms I joined!
PE teacher Miss Natalie Lath asked students to record how far and how often they have been exercising! Here are the progressive stats as we went into the holidays. My gosh! They climbed across the month!
We remind students that the challenge continues through the break and they can add their exercise to the form on their PE announcement page.
So far, the Junior School children have completed 1,497,924 steps, they’ve scooted for 101 kilometres, cycled 1,417 km, skated for 55.5 hours and completed 2,317 skips. They swam 18 km, have finished 89 hours of strength workouts and participated in 12,847 hours of sport. What a great result!
As our students and families enjoy a very well-earned rest from Term 3 that was spent predominantly online, the School is preparing for an exciting Term 4 and our staged return to learning. All measures are being considered to ensure that the safest, most seamless transition can occur for our Middle School students.
Our learning community has shown such impressive resilience in the face of online learning. However, the prospect of seeing the faces of our amazing Middle School students in our school grounds, in the classroom and in person, brings great joy and is something we couldn’t welcome quickly enough.
Our students are the core of the School. Their minds, attitudes, drive and their ability to form relationships with each other and with their teachers are the backbone of our Castlefield community. We eagerly look forward to Term 4 and all that lies ahead.
From Speech Night to Graduation, House events to year-level transitions, we aim to ensure our young students are provided with opportunities, a sense of purpose, a safe and encouraging learning environment and, most importantly, a community that embraces them…no matter what is thrown their way.
It is with great excitement that we look forward to welcoming our students back onsite in Term 4.
Katrina Manson
Head of Castlefield (Brighton)
We welcome our families and friends back to Term 4.
Hopefully everyone has had a chance to relax, unwind and prepare for the final term of the year. The end of the year is rapidly approaching and we are hopeful we can resume our in-person events soon.
Ian Green
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends Castlefield
Recently, our Year 12 Studio Art students along with Mr Francis Ge and Ms Sarah Rogerson visited the National Museum of China (NMC) and the 798 Art District as part of their final School-assessed coursework (SAC) task. The NMC is one of China's most renowned establishments that collects, researches and displays the nation’s finest traditional culture.
Students were able to see Stand in the East: An Exhibition of Classic Fine Art Works that focused on oil paintings and sculptures. The 798 Art District consists of large warehouses that have been renovated and converted into modern state-of-the-art, light-filled galleries where painters, sculptors, designers and publishers can showcase their talent.
During their visit, students were able to study American pop artist Andy Warhol as part of the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art’s Becoming Andy Warhol exhibition. It includes around 400 works by the legendary pop artist that span his career, and features drawings, paintings, photographs and films from the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh in the US.
Haileybury Tianjin (HIST) recently welcomed some of our Year 12 June graduates to participate in the Haileybury GAP Program. Gary Gu, Lucas Xu, Cici Yu, Aria Zhou and Ella Pang will spend two weeks at HIST involved in the everyday life of a typical Haileybury staff member. They will work within our Studio Art, Business Management, Japanese, Chinese and Mathematics departments. During October and November, we will welcome more GAP students to our Physics, Chemistry, Accounting and EAL departments.
In recent weeks, the Environment Club has been focusing on recycling and garbage-sorting efforts initiated by the national government in Beijing. First, students practised their English vocabulary related to the subject and they discussed as a group how we can all help to be more environmentally conscious global citizens.
Students were given an opportunity to come up with ideas of things that they and teachers at Haileybury could do to be more environmentally responsible. The students used their English vocabulary and made signs in English and Chinese to help make all staff aware of the School’s efforts.
In weeks to come, students will continue the project and hopefully expand to other areas within the School where there is opportunity to support the Government initiative and global conservation efforts.
Yanni Galanis
International Principal, HIST
As the Haileybury Rendall School (HRS) term came to an end on Friday, 24 September, we look back at a very busy period.
We made the most of the great weather towards the latter part of the dry season and some highlights included our Year 9 experiential adventures to Lake Argyle in Western Australia, the Outdoor Education VCE excursion to Kakadu and the Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award trip to Maguk, near Jabiru.
Other special events were our popular Footy Colours Fundraising Day, the inimitable Book Week Parade, House Cross Country across the School and our Family Movie Night under the stars.
Thank you to all staff, students and parents for helping to make Term 3 another rewarding and successful one at HRS. It was unusual for us in the Northern Territory due to a three-day lockdown that caused some disruption and we thank everyone for their understanding and support as we moved to home online learning for the first time.
We wish the best to our Year 12 and Units 3 and 4 VCE students who will take part in the General Achievement Test (GAT). They enjoyed revision lectures at school during this ‘holiday’ period as they prepared for their final examinations.
Hopefully everyone in our community finds some time to relax and refresh and to get ready for the final stage of the year. Stay safe!
As I hear the daily news of the COVID-19 pandemic spreading through New South Wales and Victoria, I always take a moment to think about my friends, family and colleagues down south.
We know that Victorian schools have now been closed for around 220 days. In the Northern Territory, we have so far been fortunate to avoid these inconveniences and have only experienced two short lockdowns this year. The Howard Springs quarantine facility team has done a brilliant job containing coronavirus cases.
Our first lockdown occurred across the June–July school holidays. Then, our main responsibility was keeping our Early Learning Centre open for the children of essential workers and maintaining a skeleton staff onsite to keep the School running.
In Week 5 of Term 3, Darwin and surrounding regions went into a full three-day lockdown. The Territory locked down ‘hard and fast’ and, incredibly, there was no spread from the one case detected in our community. During this period, Haileybury Rendall School quickly and successfully moved to online learning for all students from Transition (Prep) to Year 12.
Since then, we have continued to enjoy our freedoms with no further community cases. School life has been largely unaffected.
Medical experts across the country are now urging us to do all we can to get vaccinated against the virus. We are advised that the way to achieve COVID-normal will be strongly connected to population vaccination levels.
Northern Territorians are getting vaccinated at similar rates to the rest of the country and the NT Government is now providing the opportunity for children aged 12 and over to receive the Pfizer vaccine. Parents are able to book and organise this privately, but the vaccines are also coming to schools as a convenient alternative.
Haileybury Rendall School will be part of this school-based vaccination program. Middle School and Senior School students can receive two doses of Pfizer vaccine between September and November and we are currently seeking parental permission for this.
Years 11 and 12 students will receive the vaccine first, before the start of the VCE examination period. A team of local health professionals will oversee the vaccine process at the School.
We wish the very best to everyone across our country in these challenging times.
Andrew McGregor
Principal, Haileybury Rendall School
Earlier this year, the ELC and Junior School students participated in a ‘walkathon’ to raise money for the Monash Children’s Hospital School. The event raised over $13,000! These funds will allow the school to purchase STEM resources, books for their library and to accommodate an artist in residence to support the learning of the children at the hospital. A wonderful achievement from the Berwick community!
With new restrictions announced midway through this term, our ELC educators have been actively delivering and implementing our unique and targeted online learning program. Each child learning online has the opportunity to engage with their classroom peers each morning through a live Zoom session with their educator.
The content in these sessions is designed to engage children and to gather their thoughts and ideas while promoting discussions and exploration of different topics. This gives children the opportunity to maintain vital connections and allows educators to create experiences for children as they would in the classroom.
Each day, children are delivered a range of thoughtful material that reflects their learning needs at an individual and classroom level. This material comprises videos and PDFs that children can work through at their own pace.
The team of specialist teachers also create additional material for children to engage with from home. This is uploaded to the Moments platform each day to balance children’s on-screen learning with active play. We have received many photographs, drawings and videos showcasing the learning that is occurring at home and we are proud of the resilience and persistence of each child through this challenging time.
The Edrington Junior School joined Mrs McGill on Thursday, 9 September, to cook sausage rolls for lunch. It was a unanimous decision that these were the yummiest sausage rolls ever!
Thank you to all our families for the support they gave us in Term 3. It has been another challenging lockdown but your children have worked so hard to keep their learning going—we are very proud of them.
We hope that you all enjoyed the different days and events we held last term.
We hope all Middle School families enjoyed some time together during the break. Middle School students will return to online learning for the beginning of Term 4. With a return-to-school date in sight, we know they will complete this period of online learning with the persistence and endeavour that we have seen throughout the year.
On Friday, 22 October, Middle School students will undertake an online session with the Cyber Safety Project. These sessions are designed to educate students about their responsibility as digital citizens. Students will reflect on their digital habits, learn about proactive measures to protect themselves and others online and gain an understanding of respectful relationships and positive reputations online.
Jeanette Rawlings
Head of Edrington (Berwick)
On behalf of all the parents, the HPFE has sent a warm ‘thank you’ poem with a sweet treat to our fantastic teachers and staff. They have worked very hard and deserve all the kudos for imparting excellent online education in Term 3.
As the poem says ‘you’re all SUPERHEROES, we are so grateful, it’s true’. See you on campus in Term 4 as per the staggered timelines!
Kerry Ilic
HPFE President
Hpfe@haileybury.vic.edu.au
Welcome to Term 4. I trust you have all enjoyed a rest from screens and enjoyed some time to relax with your family. Your ongoing support of our Online Learning Program during the lockdown period has been greatly appreciated.
With the release of the Victorian Government’s roadmap out of lockdown we understand we will have a staggered return to school. We are confident that we can work together to continue the Academic and Extra-curricular Program for our students until it is possible for everyone to be on campus once again.
The details of our return-to-school plan from Vice Principal Mr Scott Doran can be found via myHaileybury. The Return to Campus Roadmap includes procedures and protocols and was sent out to our community on Thursday, 30 September.
Term 4 is a busy term with many milestones, such as the Year 4 and Year 8 Graduation, Back to Newlands for our Year 12s and Speech Night. We will continue to plan for these events to take place on campus or in an alternative form.
Due to continued government restrictions, we have now made the very difficult decision to record the Newlands 2021 Musical Mary Poppins Jr. What a journey our young actors have been on this term. The staff have been impressed with the cast and their ability to successfully rehearse online and adapt to the ever-changing landscape.
The production team has worked tirelessly behind the scenes with each new COVID announcement. They have planned and re-planned and brainstormed new ways of delivering a product that the staff and students are proud of.
We are all very disappointed for the students but believe we have made the best decision. Once we receive all the videos, they will be sent to an editing company to compile and create a montage of the show. This will be a wonderful keepsake for students and families.
Each year, Newlands ELC works with the KIDS Foundation to deliver a safety education program that teaches strategies to help the ELC children to 'Think Safe, Play Safe'. The Foundation regularly provides resource materials to the ELC that are used to teach a safety program to children throughout the year. The program aims to prevent childhood injuries and increase safety awareness.
For more information, please go to the website http://kidsfoundation.org.au.
Children are quite knowledgeable when it comes to safety, but reinforcing learning about the importance of safety occurs on a regular basis. The children are reminded about safety within the home and at the ELC and to be aware of hazards in their environment, such as water spills, uneven surfaces, hot surfaces, etc.
Transitions are very important in young children’s lives and a sense of belonging is a key element in the Early Years Learning Framework. As Term 4 commences, we support the prospect of change through providing a carefully scheduled series of transition events to assist children to feel comfortable, confident and safe within their new education environment. These will be communicated to parents in the coming weeks.
Due to the onsite children joining as one Pre-Prep class or one Reception class, the children are developing new friendships and are enjoying exploring each other’s classrooms and playgrounds.
The children have adapted readily to the change in their learning environment and look forward to the change of room each week. Reception will form new classes in the new year and their current experience has supported them in building connections with potential classmates
Pre-Prep transition enjoying mat time
The Junior School welcomed Tim Ellis for a virtual magic show. Tim is a world-renowned magician who has won awards in Japan and New York and has been named Best Stage Magician in Australia. He was the first Australian to twice win at the FISM World Championships of Magic.
The students were entertained by an eye-popping performance and learned a magic trick or two along the way. At the end of Tim’s show, there were many budding magicians in the audience.
Year 1 students were awestruck as they ventured under the sea at SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium. There were plenty of beaming smiles and excited eyes were fixed on the many exhibits. Students explored the coral reef and saw countless rare and tropical fish, luminescent jellyfish, delicate seahorses and a very social octopus who was using his suckers to stick to the glass!
All children were captivated by the Ocean Tunnel Walk as they watched sharks and manta rays glide overhead. Last but not least, the adventure concluded with a visit to the penguins. Some are nesting at the moment and protecting their eggs, while others cheekily dived in and out of the water. What a wonderful day!
On the final day of remote and online learning for Term 3, the Years 5 and 6 students were treated to an amazing game of Minute To Win It organised by Mr Billings. Students had to attempt various challenges with only a minute to complete them.
These included swinging two teabags that are taped to your hat onto the hat brim without using hands, or threading penne pasta onto a stick of raw spaghetti using only your mouth. Needless to say, there was a lot of laughter and joy for everyone involved.
Boys Middle School Captain Timothy Dang, aka Fitness Tiem, has been keeping the Middle School students in a positive frame of mind with a series of clever and very funny videos. With a focus on making ‘Gains’ and counting ‘Macros’, Fitness Tiem has been dedicated to the cause of health and mental wellbeing. In a challenging time, these videos have really lifted spirits, made us laugh and kept the community connected.
Thank you, Fitness Tiem.
The Newlands Girls 1 Debating Team was successful in the Debaters Association of Victoria Finals Playoff 3. The team argued the topic ‘That the Victorian Parliament should sit in regional centres, rather than Melbourne’. They have now made it through to the Octo-finals.
If you are wondering why this finals process is so long it’s because it involves over 250 schools, 1,500 teams, four grades, 20 regions, five rounds and a seven-night Finals series. In fact, the DAV Schools Competition is the largest English-language debating competition in the world.
Kitty Zhang, Alissa Kith and Zahra Ali debated with Zahra being recognised at the best speaker for the evening. What is so special about this team, however, is that they all work together to contribute to each debate and Rachel Sun, Keisha De Silva and Sienna Le have also been an integral part of this win.
The Year 7 study of Agatha Christie’s novel Murder on the Orient Express delves into the important themes of justice, stereotyping and prejudice. As the murder mystery was slowly solved in the Newlands 7.5 class, we were visited by famous detective Hercule Poirot—aka Damon Lau! The novel study continues next term with the important skill of essay writing.
Jane Gibbs
Head of Newlands (Keysborough)
This year, our target is 900 Haileybury HPFK Facebook Group Members. If you would like to connect with our community, please join our Facebook page by clicking on this link.
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
I hope that the time away from classes has provided an opportunity for our students to get some well-earned rest as well as spend some time on examination preparation. Revision sessions have been running online throughout the holidays and were planned so students could cater for their individual revision needs and have some time away from screens.
For our Year 12 students, the last few days are often filled with mixed emotions. Feelings of excitement at beginning life away from school have to be contained by a strong commitment to finishing the year well and preparing for examinations.
All staff have only positive things to say about the way in which our Year 12s have persevered during the past two years—they have earned the lifelong admiration of all who have worked with them.
My best wishes to you all and sincere thanks for your support during these challenging times.
Year 12 students had a choice to have their jumper posted to them and almost 300 jumpers were sorted and posted. We hope to see our students wearing the jumpers at school soon.
Our Prefects recently organised a Year 12 Online Kahoot Night that saw students enjoy some much-needed relief from studying. They battled it out on topical questions such as which teacher once played in a heavy metal band and what are the four pillars of our School? It was wonderful to see Year 12s relaxed and having fun.
The ADF Long Tan Youth Leadership and Teamwork Awards recognise students across Australia who demonstrate leadership and teamwork in school and the broader community, and who display values integral to Australian society, such as doing one’s best, respect for others and ‘mateship’.
This year, Haileybury is very pleased to announce that Angus Niggl (Year 10) and Tilly McCarthy (Year 12) were successful in their nominations.
Angus has been involved in community projects since a young age and volunteers at his local community centre assisting younger students to catch up on their work. He is trusted by his peers who elected him as their SRC. He is a natural leader, a compassionate listener and a great organiser who nudges his peers positively towards participation
Tilly is a strong advocate for the LGBTQI+ community. This is demonstrated by a presentation she made for IDAHOBIT Day that was shared among other cohorts and campuses. Most impressive is Tilly’s ability to make every member of a team feel heard and valued.
Toby Coutts has always had a creative flair and tried a few different avenues before founding his clothing brand, Dawn Wear Co. The Year 12 student wanted to share his passion for clothes, skateboarding, music and art.
It hasn’t been an easy journey and, naturally, there have been a few setbacks along the way. When issues arise, Toby seeks advice from established businesses and has developed his communication skills as a result.
Another challenge for Toby has been juggling school and business but he enjoys the contrast between the two commitments and is learning something new about running a business every day.
His advice to any young Haileyburian wanting to start a business is: "Just stick at it and work really hard because people will support you no matter what. If people don’t like what you’re doing, don’t get disheartened, just keep doing what you love.”
The Australian Science Olympiads are a national enrichment program for secondary science students. This year, 41 Haileybury VCE Science students completed challenging exams across Chemistry, Biology and Physics.
The following students were awarded a High Distinction, which places them in the top 10% of participants in Australia:
Sarah Shing (Year 11, Berwick)—Biology
Kloe Lashkariov-Lee (Year 11, Berwick)—Biology
Andreas Luo (Year 12, Keysborough)—Biology
Brian Yab (Year 10, Keysborough)—Biology
William Gu (Year 10, City)—Biology
Deelaka Suraweera (Year 11, Keysborough)—Chemistry
James Trembath (Year 11, Keysborough)—Chemistry
Carl Lu (Year 11, City)—Chemistry
Lauren Yim (Year 11, Keysborough)—Physics
The following students were awarded a Distinction, which places them in the next 20% of participants in Australia:
Jasnoor Daler (Year 11, Berwick)—Biology
Hivin Silva (Year 11, Berwick)—Biology
Nathan Chew (Year 11, City)—Biology
Anirudh Kathirvel (Year 11, Keysborough)—Biology and Chemistry
Sam Nielsen (Year 10, Berwick)—Biology
H Vishwajith Weerakoon (Year 11, Berwick)—Biology
Yenul Rajapaksha (Year 11, Berwick)—Biology
Aarush Dasyam (Year 11, City)—Biology
Arnav Chauhan (Year 11, City)—Biology
Andreas Luo (Year 12, Keysborough)—Chemistry
Lauren Yim (Year 11, Keysborough)—Chemistry
Tess Schutz (Year 11, Keysborough)—Chemistry
Lila Ni (Year 11, Keysborough)—Chemistry
Deelaka Suraweera (Year 11, Keysborough)—Physics
Olivia Taberner (Year 11, Keysborough)—Physics
Congratulations to all our award recipients on their outstanding achievements.
Congratulations to Chirandith Suraweera (Year 11 Keysborough) who has completed the Bronze level of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award! This is a wonderful achievement.
Pam Chamberlain
Senior Vice-Principal (Student Welfare) and Head of Senior Schools
This year, our target is 900 Haileybury HPFK Facebook Group Members. If you would like to connect with our community, please join our Facebook page by clicking on this link.
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
Join the OHA as we sit down with Christina Hewawissa (OH 2015) as she bravely shares her personal journey with depression, the tough decision to close her clothing brand and the exciting new opportunities that lay ahead.
#stayconnected #oha #alumni #podcast @theplantfamily_official
To keep up-to-date with all OHA News, visit https://oha.org.au/news/ and enjoy recent articles on:
Hayley Denny
Development & Alumni Manager
Cody Weightman (OH ’19) played on the largest AFL stage of the year as he represented the Western Bulldogs against Melbourne in the AFL Grand Final. The former First XVIII Captain has already established a reputation as a dynamic player, although this year, the Premiership flag ended up with the Demons after a hard-fought game.
Students are encouraged to take a break from screens and to strike the balance between rest and activity. To support this, the Sport department is running initiatives to keep families active.
Students have been provided with a variety of wellbeing options including yoga, Pilates, strength training, information on sleep, cardio and mindfulness sessions. We are encouraging families to set goals and participate in these sessions together.
A suggested goal may be to complete at least two sessions per week from the available suite of instructional media. Students can register their attendance or their family’s attendance by scanning a QR code and they will receive a code upon completion.
Data will be collated and the achievements of families celebrated. Stay well!
Sean Allcock
Director of Haileybury Sport
The Year 12s have been outstanding in managing their way through their final two years of school that have obviously been quite different to what they would have anticipated. They have, of course, been assisted by the brilliant teaching staff who have committed to providing every possible support to help Haileybury students achieve.
The focus over the next three weeks is on providing as much classroom time with Units 3 and 4 students in the lead-up to the exams, and doing all we can to provide memorable end-of-school events for the Year 12s. We will be holding a full Graduation after the examinations have been completed in November.
We are looking forward to the rest of our students across all year levels returning from week three to week five. While we are very pleased with student progress due to the strong academic online program delivery, we are well aware that students have missed the social and co-curricular aspects of school. So, within health guidelines, we will be building the widest range of activities that we can provide to all year levels as students return.
During the past few months, we have been investigating a range of additional ways to protect and increase the safety of our school community as we plan for the return to onsite learning and working. The School has sought expert advice and investigated ways to reduce the potential for the indoor air in our buildings to contribute to the development or spread of illness. Key initiatives and changes you will see implemented during Term 4 will be:
We are fully committed to the health and welfare of our students and staff. It is mandatory for all Haileybury staff to be vaccinated and I have been delighted with the staff support for this. Similarly, we have been pleased to see Years 11 and 12 students getting vaccinated in large numbers.
Haileybury is fully supportive of the vaccination program. It is clear that it is the quickest way to open up our society and for us to provide a safe school environment for staff and students. We encourage all families with children eligible for the vaccination to have it done.
Derek Scott
CEO | Principal
While we have been in lockdown, Claire Leung (Year 4) and Sophia Leung (Year 6) have been busy fundraising and preparing to shave their heads for the Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave.
The girls are raising money that will go towards providing families facing blood cancer with emotional and practical support. The girls also donated their hair to the clever people at Sustainable Salons who repurpose it into wigs for those who’ve lost their hair due to cancer.
We look forward to welcoming our students back on campus this term. The roadmap set out by the Victorian Government allows us to welcome our students onsite across staggered dates, commencing with our Preps and Years 1 and 2 from Monday, 18 October. Preparations are in progress to ensure classrooms and learning spaces are ready for our students to return.
For ELC students learning from home, there have been many opportunities to stay connected. They have seen each other on screen through daily Zooms and home learning experiences include Social Thinking, Literacy, Numeracy, Science, Music and Movement. The Specialist Program has also been maintained with Library, Creative Arts, Physical Activity with Mrs Crowe and Music with Mrs Jacob.
For students learning at school, there have been opportunities to spend time getting to know new peers and educators as classes have combined. Students have also discovered new spaces as different learning environments were explored.
During the last week of Term 3, the ELC students and teachers celebrated the end of a crazy term with Wacky Wednesday. For children learning at home and those learning on campus, it was a chance to be silly, crazy, wacky and just have a lot of fun.
Everyone was invited to wear a ‘touch of wacky’ as we enjoyed the Dr Seuss story, found all the wacky things on each page and joined in songs, dancing, experiments and games.
There was lots of fun to be had as our teachers ran a virtual camp for our Year 3 students in the final week of the term. Starting with a camp briefing and a whole group Anzac biscuit cooking lesson, students then moved into mixed groups to participate in astronomy, bush art, fort building, Minute To Win It games and a scavenger hunt.
Everyone was invited to have lunch and dinner together in breakout rooms and it was excellent to see so many camp set-ups in backyards and lounge rooms. I loved being part of the conversation in the rooms I joined!
PE teacher Miss Natalie Lath asked students to record how far and how often they have been exercising! Here are the progressive stats as we went into the holidays. My gosh! They climbed across the month!
We remind students that the challenge continues through the break and they can add their exercise to the form on their PE announcement page.
So far, the Junior School children have completed 1,497,924 steps, they’ve scooted for 101 kilometres, cycled 1,417 km, skated for 55.5 hours and completed 2,317 skips. They swam 18 km, have finished 89 hours of strength workouts and participated in 12,847 hours of sport. What a great result!
As our students and families enjoy a very well-earned rest from Term 3 that was spent predominantly online, the School is preparing for an exciting Term 4 and our staged return to learning. All measures are being considered to ensure that the safest, most seamless transition can occur for our Middle School students.
Our learning community has shown such impressive resilience in the face of online learning. However, the prospect of seeing the faces of our amazing Middle School students in our school grounds, in the classroom and in person, brings great joy and is something we couldn’t welcome quickly enough.
Our students are the core of the School. Their minds, attitudes, drive and their ability to form relationships with each other and with their teachers are the backbone of our Castlefield community. We eagerly look forward to Term 4 and all that lies ahead.
From Speech Night to Graduation, House events to year-level transitions, we aim to ensure our young students are provided with opportunities, a sense of purpose, a safe and encouraging learning environment and, most importantly, a community that embraces them…no matter what is thrown their way.
It is with great excitement that we look forward to welcoming our students back onsite in Term 4.
Katrina Manson
Head of Castlefield (Brighton)
We welcome our families and friends back to Term 4.
Hopefully everyone has had a chance to relax, unwind and prepare for the final term of the year. The end of the year is rapidly approaching and we are hopeful we can resume our in-person events soon.
Ian Green
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends Castlefield
Recently, our Year 12 Studio Art students along with Mr Francis Ge and Ms Sarah Rogerson visited the National Museum of China (NMC) and the 798 Art District as part of their final School-assessed coursework (SAC) task. The NMC is one of China's most renowned establishments that collects, researches and displays the nation’s finest traditional culture.
Students were able to see Stand in the East: An Exhibition of Classic Fine Art Works that focused on oil paintings and sculptures. The 798 Art District consists of large warehouses that have been renovated and converted into modern state-of-the-art, light-filled galleries where painters, sculptors, designers and publishers can showcase their talent.
During their visit, students were able to study American pop artist Andy Warhol as part of the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art’s Becoming Andy Warhol exhibition. It includes around 400 works by the legendary pop artist that span his career, and features drawings, paintings, photographs and films from the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh in the US.
Haileybury Tianjin (HIST) recently welcomed some of our Year 12 June graduates to participate in the Haileybury GAP Program. Gary Gu, Lucas Xu, Cici Yu, Aria Zhou and Ella Pang will spend two weeks at HIST involved in the everyday life of a typical Haileybury staff member. They will work within our Studio Art, Business Management, Japanese, Chinese and Mathematics departments. During October and November, we will welcome more GAP students to our Physics, Chemistry, Accounting and EAL departments.
In recent weeks, the Environment Club has been focusing on recycling and garbage-sorting efforts initiated by the national government in Beijing. First, students practised their English vocabulary related to the subject and they discussed as a group how we can all help to be more environmentally conscious global citizens.
Students were given an opportunity to come up with ideas of things that they and teachers at Haileybury could do to be more environmentally responsible. The students used their English vocabulary and made signs in English and Chinese to help make all staff aware of the School’s efforts.
In weeks to come, students will continue the project and hopefully expand to other areas within the School where there is opportunity to support the Government initiative and global conservation efforts.
Yanni Galanis
International Principal, HIST
As the Haileybury Rendall School (HRS) term came to an end on Friday, 24 September, we look back at a very busy period.
We made the most of the great weather towards the latter part of the dry season and some highlights included our Year 9 experiential adventures to Lake Argyle in Western Australia, the Outdoor Education VCE excursion to Kakadu and the Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award trip to Maguk, near Jabiru.
Other special events were our popular Footy Colours Fundraising Day, the inimitable Book Week Parade, House Cross Country across the School and our Family Movie Night under the stars.
Thank you to all staff, students and parents for helping to make Term 3 another rewarding and successful one at HRS. It was unusual for us in the Northern Territory due to a three-day lockdown that caused some disruption and we thank everyone for their understanding and support as we moved to home online learning for the first time.
We wish the best to our Year 12 and Units 3 and 4 VCE students who will take part in the General Achievement Test (GAT). They enjoyed revision lectures at school during this ‘holiday’ period as they prepared for their final examinations.
Hopefully everyone in our community finds some time to relax and refresh and to get ready for the final stage of the year. Stay safe!
As I hear the daily news of the COVID-19 pandemic spreading through New South Wales and Victoria, I always take a moment to think about my friends, family and colleagues down south.
We know that Victorian schools have now been closed for around 220 days. In the Northern Territory, we have so far been fortunate to avoid these inconveniences and have only experienced two short lockdowns this year. The Howard Springs quarantine facility team has done a brilliant job containing coronavirus cases.
Our first lockdown occurred across the June–July school holidays. Then, our main responsibility was keeping our Early Learning Centre open for the children of essential workers and maintaining a skeleton staff onsite to keep the School running.
In Week 5 of Term 3, Darwin and surrounding regions went into a full three-day lockdown. The Territory locked down ‘hard and fast’ and, incredibly, there was no spread from the one case detected in our community. During this period, Haileybury Rendall School quickly and successfully moved to online learning for all students from Transition (Prep) to Year 12.
Since then, we have continued to enjoy our freedoms with no further community cases. School life has been largely unaffected.
Medical experts across the country are now urging us to do all we can to get vaccinated against the virus. We are advised that the way to achieve COVID-normal will be strongly connected to population vaccination levels.
Northern Territorians are getting vaccinated at similar rates to the rest of the country and the NT Government is now providing the opportunity for children aged 12 and over to receive the Pfizer vaccine. Parents are able to book and organise this privately, but the vaccines are also coming to schools as a convenient alternative.
Haileybury Rendall School will be part of this school-based vaccination program. Middle School and Senior School students can receive two doses of Pfizer vaccine between September and November and we are currently seeking parental permission for this.
Years 11 and 12 students will receive the vaccine first, before the start of the VCE examination period. A team of local health professionals will oversee the vaccine process at the School.
We wish the very best to everyone across our country in these challenging times.
Andrew McGregor
Principal, Haileybury Rendall School
Earlier this year, the ELC and Junior School students participated in a ‘walkathon’ to raise money for the Monash Children’s Hospital School. The event raised over $13,000! These funds will allow the school to purchase STEM resources, books for their library and to accommodate an artist in residence to support the learning of the children at the hospital. A wonderful achievement from the Berwick community!
With new restrictions announced midway through this term, our ELC educators have been actively delivering and implementing our unique and targeted online learning program. Each child learning online has the opportunity to engage with their classroom peers each morning through a live Zoom session with their educator.
The content in these sessions is designed to engage children and to gather their thoughts and ideas while promoting discussions and exploration of different topics. This gives children the opportunity to maintain vital connections and allows educators to create experiences for children as they would in the classroom.
Each day, children are delivered a range of thoughtful material that reflects their learning needs at an individual and classroom level. This material comprises videos and PDFs that children can work through at their own pace.
The team of specialist teachers also create additional material for children to engage with from home. This is uploaded to the Moments platform each day to balance children’s on-screen learning with active play. We have received many photographs, drawings and videos showcasing the learning that is occurring at home and we are proud of the resilience and persistence of each child through this challenging time.
The Edrington Junior School joined Mrs McGill on Thursday, 9 September, to cook sausage rolls for lunch. It was a unanimous decision that these were the yummiest sausage rolls ever!
Thank you to all our families for the support they gave us in Term 3. It has been another challenging lockdown but your children have worked so hard to keep their learning going—we are very proud of them.
We hope that you all enjoyed the different days and events we held last term.
We hope all Middle School families enjoyed some time together during the break. Middle School students will return to online learning for the beginning of Term 4. With a return-to-school date in sight, we know they will complete this period of online learning with the persistence and endeavour that we have seen throughout the year.
On Friday, 22 October, Middle School students will undertake an online session with the Cyber Safety Project. These sessions are designed to educate students about their responsibility as digital citizens. Students will reflect on their digital habits, learn about proactive measures to protect themselves and others online and gain an understanding of respectful relationships and positive reputations online.
Jeanette Rawlings
Head of Edrington (Berwick)
On behalf of all the parents, the HPFE has sent a warm ‘thank you’ poem with a sweet treat to our fantastic teachers and staff. They have worked very hard and deserve all the kudos for imparting excellent online education in Term 3.
As the poem says ‘you’re all SUPERHEROES, we are so grateful, it’s true’. See you on campus in Term 4 as per the staggered timelines!
Kerry Ilic
HPFE President
Hpfe@haileybury.vic.edu.au
Welcome to Term 4. I trust you have all enjoyed a rest from screens and enjoyed some time to relax with your family. Your ongoing support of our Online Learning Program during the lockdown period has been greatly appreciated.
With the release of the Victorian Government’s roadmap out of lockdown we understand we will have a staggered return to school. We are confident that we can work together to continue the Academic and Extra-curricular Program for our students until it is possible for everyone to be on campus once again.
The details of our return-to-school plan from Vice Principal Mr Scott Doran can be found via myHaileybury. The Return to Campus Roadmap includes procedures and protocols and was sent out to our community on Thursday, 30 September.
Term 4 is a busy term with many milestones, such as the Year 4 and Year 8 Graduation, Back to Newlands for our Year 12s and Speech Night. We will continue to plan for these events to take place on campus or in an alternative form.
Due to continued government restrictions, we have now made the very difficult decision to record the Newlands 2021 Musical Mary Poppins Jr. What a journey our young actors have been on this term. The staff have been impressed with the cast and their ability to successfully rehearse online and adapt to the ever-changing landscape.
The production team has worked tirelessly behind the scenes with each new COVID announcement. They have planned and re-planned and brainstormed new ways of delivering a product that the staff and students are proud of.
We are all very disappointed for the students but believe we have made the best decision. Once we receive all the videos, they will be sent to an editing company to compile and create a montage of the show. This will be a wonderful keepsake for students and families.
Each year, Newlands ELC works with the KIDS Foundation to deliver a safety education program that teaches strategies to help the ELC children to 'Think Safe, Play Safe'. The Foundation regularly provides resource materials to the ELC that are used to teach a safety program to children throughout the year. The program aims to prevent childhood injuries and increase safety awareness.
For more information, please go to the website http://kidsfoundation.org.au.
Children are quite knowledgeable when it comes to safety, but reinforcing learning about the importance of safety occurs on a regular basis. The children are reminded about safety within the home and at the ELC and to be aware of hazards in their environment, such as water spills, uneven surfaces, hot surfaces, etc.
Transitions are very important in young children’s lives and a sense of belonging is a key element in the Early Years Learning Framework. As Term 4 commences, we support the prospect of change through providing a carefully scheduled series of transition events to assist children to feel comfortable, confident and safe within their new education environment. These will be communicated to parents in the coming weeks.
Due to the onsite children joining as one Pre-Prep class or one Reception class, the children are developing new friendships and are enjoying exploring each other’s classrooms and playgrounds.
The children have adapted readily to the change in their learning environment and look forward to the change of room each week. Reception will form new classes in the new year and their current experience has supported them in building connections with potential classmates
Pre-Prep transition enjoying mat time
The Junior School welcomed Tim Ellis for a virtual magic show. Tim is a world-renowned magician who has won awards in Japan and New York and has been named Best Stage Magician in Australia. He was the first Australian to twice win at the FISM World Championships of Magic.
The students were entertained by an eye-popping performance and learned a magic trick or two along the way. At the end of Tim’s show, there were many budding magicians in the audience.
Year 1 students were awestruck as they ventured under the sea at SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium. There were plenty of beaming smiles and excited eyes were fixed on the many exhibits. Students explored the coral reef and saw countless rare and tropical fish, luminescent jellyfish, delicate seahorses and a very social octopus who was using his suckers to stick to the glass!
All children were captivated by the Ocean Tunnel Walk as they watched sharks and manta rays glide overhead. Last but not least, the adventure concluded with a visit to the penguins. Some are nesting at the moment and protecting their eggs, while others cheekily dived in and out of the water. What a wonderful day!
On the final day of remote and online learning for Term 3, the Years 5 and 6 students were treated to an amazing game of Minute To Win It organised by Mr Billings. Students had to attempt various challenges with only a minute to complete them.
These included swinging two teabags that are taped to your hat onto the hat brim without using hands, or threading penne pasta onto a stick of raw spaghetti using only your mouth. Needless to say, there was a lot of laughter and joy for everyone involved.
Boys Middle School Captain Timothy Dang, aka Fitness Tiem, has been keeping the Middle School students in a positive frame of mind with a series of clever and very funny videos. With a focus on making ‘Gains’ and counting ‘Macros’, Fitness Tiem has been dedicated to the cause of health and mental wellbeing. In a challenging time, these videos have really lifted spirits, made us laugh and kept the community connected.
Thank you, Fitness Tiem.
The Newlands Girls 1 Debating Team was successful in the Debaters Association of Victoria Finals Playoff 3. The team argued the topic ‘That the Victorian Parliament should sit in regional centres, rather than Melbourne’. They have now made it through to the Octo-finals.
If you are wondering why this finals process is so long it’s because it involves over 250 schools, 1,500 teams, four grades, 20 regions, five rounds and a seven-night Finals series. In fact, the DAV Schools Competition is the largest English-language debating competition in the world.
Kitty Zhang, Alissa Kith and Zahra Ali debated with Zahra being recognised at the best speaker for the evening. What is so special about this team, however, is that they all work together to contribute to each debate and Rachel Sun, Keisha De Silva and Sienna Le have also been an integral part of this win.
The Year 7 study of Agatha Christie’s novel Murder on the Orient Express delves into the important themes of justice, stereotyping and prejudice. As the murder mystery was slowly solved in the Newlands 7.5 class, we were visited by famous detective Hercule Poirot—aka Damon Lau! The novel study continues next term with the important skill of essay writing.
Jane Gibbs
Head of Newlands (Keysborough)
This year, our target is 900 Haileybury HPFK Facebook Group Members. If you would like to connect with our community, please join our Facebook page by clicking on this link.
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
I hope that the time away from classes has provided an opportunity for our students to get some well-earned rest as well as spend some time on examination preparation. Revision sessions have been running online throughout the holidays and were planned so students could cater for their individual revision needs and have some time away from screens.
For our Year 12 students, the last few days are often filled with mixed emotions. Feelings of excitement at beginning life away from school have to be contained by a strong commitment to finishing the year well and preparing for examinations.
All staff have only positive things to say about the way in which our Year 12s have persevered during the past two years—they have earned the lifelong admiration of all who have worked with them.
My best wishes to you all and sincere thanks for your support during these challenging times.
Year 12 students had a choice to have their jumper posted to them and almost 300 jumpers were sorted and posted. We hope to see our students wearing the jumpers at school soon.
Our Prefects recently organised a Year 12 Online Kahoot Night that saw students enjoy some much-needed relief from studying. They battled it out on topical questions such as which teacher once played in a heavy metal band and what are the four pillars of our School? It was wonderful to see Year 12s relaxed and having fun.
The ADF Long Tan Youth Leadership and Teamwork Awards recognise students across Australia who demonstrate leadership and teamwork in school and the broader community, and who display values integral to Australian society, such as doing one’s best, respect for others and ‘mateship’.
This year, Haileybury is very pleased to announce that Angus Niggl (Year 10) and Tilly McCarthy (Year 12) were successful in their nominations.
Angus has been involved in community projects since a young age and volunteers at his local community centre assisting younger students to catch up on their work. He is trusted by his peers who elected him as their SRC. He is a natural leader, a compassionate listener and a great organiser who nudges his peers positively towards participation
Tilly is a strong advocate for the LGBTQI+ community. This is demonstrated by a presentation she made for IDAHOBIT Day that was shared among other cohorts and campuses. Most impressive is Tilly’s ability to make every member of a team feel heard and valued.
Toby Coutts has always had a creative flair and tried a few different avenues before founding his clothing brand, Dawn Wear Co. The Year 12 student wanted to share his passion for clothes, skateboarding, music and art.
It hasn’t been an easy journey and, naturally, there have been a few setbacks along the way. When issues arise, Toby seeks advice from established businesses and has developed his communication skills as a result.
Another challenge for Toby has been juggling school and business but he enjoys the contrast between the two commitments and is learning something new about running a business every day.
His advice to any young Haileyburian wanting to start a business is: "Just stick at it and work really hard because people will support you no matter what. If people don’t like what you’re doing, don’t get disheartened, just keep doing what you love.”
The Australian Science Olympiads are a national enrichment program for secondary science students. This year, 41 Haileybury VCE Science students completed challenging exams across Chemistry, Biology and Physics.
The following students were awarded a High Distinction, which places them in the top 10% of participants in Australia:
Sarah Shing (Year 11, Berwick)—Biology
Kloe Lashkariov-Lee (Year 11, Berwick)—Biology
Andreas Luo (Year 12, Keysborough)—Biology
Brian Yab (Year 10, Keysborough)—Biology
William Gu (Year 10, City)—Biology
Deelaka Suraweera (Year 11, Keysborough)—Chemistry
James Trembath (Year 11, Keysborough)—Chemistry
Carl Lu (Year 11, City)—Chemistry
Lauren Yim (Year 11, Keysborough)—Physics
The following students were awarded a Distinction, which places them in the next 20% of participants in Australia:
Jasnoor Daler (Year 11, Berwick)—Biology
Hivin Silva (Year 11, Berwick)—Biology
Nathan Chew (Year 11, City)—Biology
Anirudh Kathirvel (Year 11, Keysborough)—Biology and Chemistry
Sam Nielsen (Year 10, Berwick)—Biology
H Vishwajith Weerakoon (Year 11, Berwick)—Biology
Yenul Rajapaksha (Year 11, Berwick)—Biology
Aarush Dasyam (Year 11, City)—Biology
Arnav Chauhan (Year 11, City)—Biology
Andreas Luo (Year 12, Keysborough)—Chemistry
Lauren Yim (Year 11, Keysborough)—Chemistry
Tess Schutz (Year 11, Keysborough)—Chemistry
Lila Ni (Year 11, Keysborough)—Chemistry
Deelaka Suraweera (Year 11, Keysborough)—Physics
Olivia Taberner (Year 11, Keysborough)—Physics
Congratulations to all our award recipients on their outstanding achievements.
Congratulations to Chirandith Suraweera (Year 11 Keysborough) who has completed the Bronze level of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award! This is a wonderful achievement.
Pam Chamberlain
Senior Vice-Principal (Student Welfare) and Head of Senior Schools
This year, our target is 900 Haileybury HPFK Facebook Group Members. If you would like to connect with our community, please join our Facebook page by clicking on this link.
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
Join the OHA as we sit down with Christina Hewawissa (OH 2015) as she bravely shares her personal journey with depression, the tough decision to close her clothing brand and the exciting new opportunities that lay ahead.
#stayconnected #oha #alumni #podcast @theplantfamily_official
To keep up-to-date with all OHA News, visit https://oha.org.au/news/ and enjoy recent articles on:
Hayley Denny
Development & Alumni Manager
Cody Weightman (OH ’19) played on the largest AFL stage of the year as he represented the Western Bulldogs against Melbourne in the AFL Grand Final. The former First XVIII Captain has already established a reputation as a dynamic player, although this year, the Premiership flag ended up with the Demons after a hard-fought game.
Students are encouraged to take a break from screens and to strike the balance between rest and activity. To support this, the Sport department is running initiatives to keep families active.
Students have been provided with a variety of wellbeing options including yoga, Pilates, strength training, information on sleep, cardio and mindfulness sessions. We are encouraging families to set goals and participate in these sessions together.
A suggested goal may be to complete at least two sessions per week from the available suite of instructional media. Students can register their attendance or their family’s attendance by scanning a QR code and they will receive a code upon completion.
Data will be collated and the achievements of families celebrated. Stay well!
Sean Allcock
Director of Haileybury Sport
The community of Haileybury Rendall School acknowledges and pays respect to the Traditional Custodians of the Land on which it is based, the Larrakia People, and pays respect to the Elders – past, present and future.
