Campus News
Exciting times in Darwin
There is a never a dull moment across the big wet season in Darwin. After the build-up of high humidity, genuine heat and little rain, the rains of the wet season are always welcome. This year, the build-up was short, which was pleasing for everyone, and during Term 4 we were delighted to get several storms to cool things down.
Over the Christmas period and into the New Year we had around two weeks of monsoonal activity, largely due to a cyclone that passed about 200km south of Darwin. This means grey skies and lots of rain and strong winds. During this time, the temperature even dropped briefly to 27 degrees! Once the monsoons pass and the rain becomes more isolated, the heat and humidity rise and we look forward to each new storm.
During this break time, we have taken the opportunity to work on some significant renovations and building works at the School. This includes the opening of a new ELC classroom that will allow us to increase our four-year-old area to two classes. We are also renovating offices and updating classrooms.
This year sees enrolments rising to around 950 students — an increase of around 70 students from last year and over 500 students since we opened our doors back in 2018. Haileybury Rendall School has been well accepted in the local community and is recognised as a great place to send children for a quality educational experience.
This year we also expect to see significant growth in our Boarding School with our first international students. It is likely that our boarding numbers will exceed 100 students for the first time. The vast majority of these students are First Nations boys and girls from remote communities who are increasingly attracted to us because we are a Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Education. We also have a growing number of domestic non-Indigenous students joining our School.
We are also very excited to welcome a number of new staff to Haileybury Rendall School. Many of them are joining us from Victoria so they are well aware of the Haileybury ‘brand’ and all that we are doing.
There is never a dull moment in Darwin!
Andrew McGregor
Principal, Haileybury Rendall School
