Campus News
Learning and connecting
We have started this year with a continued focus on two areas of culture — our Culture of Learning and our Culture of Connectedness.
The first is about students being prepared, ready, engaged and reflective in their learning prior to class, within the classroom, after a lesson and when doing homework.
The second is for every member of our community to be intentionally welcoming and to provide opportunities for students to showcase all aspects of their education, from Curious Minds activities to sport and the Creative Arts.
Our parents are an important part of our community and it was wonderful to see the level of attendance at our Information Evenings, Parent–Teacher Interviews, the Haileybury Parents and Friends of Castlefield first meeting, the Welcome BBQ, and our year level coffee mornings. There have been many opportunities for our families and community to meet and connect.
Student leadership
Over the past three weeks, our Junior and Middle Schools have conducted Leadership Induction Assemblies. The Junior School inducted their House and Community Captains while the Middle School’s leaders were sworn into office.
Julia Zaitseva and Alexander Tzouvelis addressed the Middle School assembly with inspirational speeches and passion for their roles as the Middle School Captains. We look forward to supporting all our student leaders.
Traffic
I thank families for continuing to be considerate of our neighbours and students as you drop-off and pick up your children. Please remember that the two-minute zones on Villeroy Street and South Road are drop off/pick up and go only, and parents are to remain in their car.
Early Learning Centre
Enjoying the start to the day
The children are settling into their daily program beautifully and they are learning the rhythms that each day brings.
Educators are having discussions with the children about the importance of following the group plan on arrival. This encourages children to take care of their belongings, pack away their own school bag, say goodbye, and sit on the mat for their morning meeting.
Children respond well to clear, consistent expectations and when a positive and predictable routine is established, it supports a child’s sense of security, independence, resilience and development.
Play-based learning and intentionality
It is wonderful to see the children engaging, developing relationships and interacting with their peers and educators. They are challenging each other’s thinking, building new understandings and testing out ideas. Play-based learning offers opportunities for children to learn as they discover, create, improvise and imagine.Zones of Regulation
The Zones of Regulation is a conceptual framework to teach self-regulation. Pre-Prep children are discovering and learning about their thoughts and feelings and how these are attached to their emotions. Emotions are classified into colours representing a zone — green, yellow, red and blue. Games and discussions support the children to identify their zone and we listen to the children and use strategies or tools to help them move between the zones.
Junior School
We learn on Boonwurrung land
During the first week of school, we welcomed Jaeden Williams to the Castlefield Junior School. Jaeden is a proud Yalukit Willam man of the Boonwurrung People. As we started the school year we celebrated with Jaeden and his friends who shared stories about our land and performed a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony in East Quad.
Buddies
Starting in Year 3 with regular visits to the ELC, older students build rapport and connect with the younger members of our community. In Year 4, those students then have the opportunity to be a buddy to our Prep children. They visit each other’s classrooms for structured activities, share morning tea and often find each other in the playground at break times.
Middle School
Excellence every day
After a busy week inducting our students into life in the Middle School, they have made a fantastic start to their academic lessons. It is all about routine in the Middle Years and we use our Culture of Learning to ensure students are prepared, ready, engaged and reflective during every lesson.
Our students strive to bring excellence every day, with support from their peers and teachers.
Experiencing firsts
Every year is all about ‘firsts’. Our Year 7 students experienced their first cross-campus sport training, while our Year 5s headed off ‘overseas’ on their first Middle School camp to Phillip Island.
The Year 6s are excited about an interstate trip to Canberra to see Parliament House, Questacon and the Australian Institute of Sport and our Year 8 students are relishing the responsibility of leading their schools and influencing their peers to be the best version of themselves.
We were very excited to induct our leaders and look forward to all they will bring to their roles.
Katrina Manson
Head of Castlefield (Brighton)
Haileybury Parents & Friends Castlefield (HPFC)
Class representatives
Hello everyone. I hope the first two weeks have gone well. We have had some great attendance at Junior and Middle School Information Nights and it was great to see many new faces. Thank you to all the parents who have volunteered to be class representatives and to those parents who came to the first HPFC meeting and offered their help for upcoming events.
The Welcome BBQ gave families time to socialise while the children became Ninja Warriors, had their face painted, devoured sausages and listened to some cool tunes!
Prep, Year 5 and Year 7 Parent Nights at the Marine Hotel are the next events on the calendar and we cannot wait to see parents meeting and socialising.
Finally, remember to keep in mind the Second-hand Uniform Shop (SHUS) for all your uniform needs.
Monique Chapman
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends Castlefield
