Campus News
Celebrating Strength and Optimism
We have been so fortunate to be able to celebrate together with some wonderful events. Significant occasions such as Up Day, Speech Night, Middle School Graduation, Junior School Graduation and end-of-year celebrations for ELC and Junior School are an integral and memorable part of the lives of our students and families.
There is a great deal to celebrate this year and I wish to thank all staff, students and families for showing such resilience, strength and optimism as we have worked together to successfully navigate this challenging year.
I am incredibly proud of the staff for their work and of the way in which students stayed engaged with their learning even when they would have liked nothing better than to be at school. I am grateful for the tremendous support of the parents—we could not have done it without you.
I wish you all a very happy and peaceful holiday period and look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Thursday, 27 January 2022.
Early Learning Centre
ELC Orientation Day
On Saturday, 20 November, children in the ELC had their Orientation Day. It was wonderful to welcome our new families to the Centre and to welcome children who are moving to a new group. This year, children entered the ELC in small groups and met their teachers for 2022 and some of the children in their class as well as exploring their new learning environment.
End-of-Year Concert Excitement
The ELC children are excited about their End-of-Year Concert which is being held on Wednesday, 8 December in the John Twist Hall. For many of the children, this is their first time performing in front of an audience—although you would not know this from our rehearsals!
It is wonderful to have the ELC come together to celebrate how far the children have come and to give them an opportunity to perform in front of our families.
Learning Journals to Share
On the last day of term, the children will be taking home their Learning Journals to share with you. These are a special keepsake which celebrate your child’s progress throughout the year and provide an overview of their learning journey during 2021.
Thank you all for your support this year. I hope you all have a wonderful break and we look forward to seeing you in the new year.
Junior School
Congratulations Amy McGrath
Ms Amy McGrath has been appointed our Deputy Head of Junior School (Pastoral Care & Administration). Amy is a Year 1 teacher who brings experience and expertise to this role. We are excited to have her as part of our Junior School leadership team and congratulate her on her appointment.
Congratulations Lisa Reynolds
Ms Lisa Reynolds has been appointed Head of Mathematics (Junior School). The important curriculum role will see Lisa working across all Haileybury campuses while remaining at Edrington Junior School and continuing as a class teacher.
Lisa brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to her new position and we congratulate her on her appointment.
Working with Children Check for Parents
Due to current restrictions, parents have had to fill in a variety of pre-site requirements to be admitted on campus. These requirements may continue next year, so we encourage parents to sign up for their Working With Children Check (WWCC).
This is free of charge for volunteers and is required for any parent helper opportunities, such as listening to reading or cooking a BBQ and it is also required for excursions. It can take six weeks to be approved so we suggest parents apply for this over the school holidays at https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/.
Once you have your WWCC, please submit a copy to the Edrington Reception via reception.edrington@haileybury.vic.edu.au or bring in a copy for us to scan. They do expire so please check your expiry dates. We look forward to welcoming you on campus in 2022.
While it has been another year of ups and downs with COVID-19, we could not be prouder of our Junior School students and their learning this year!
Thank you to our families for the support you have given our teachers while your children were online. It is not an easy environment for anyone to teach or learn in, but our community came together to ensure we got through. Thank you to every Junior School staff member at Edrington—yet again you have proven what amazing people you are.
Middle School
It has been wonderful to be able to run some events to conclude the school year.
Congratulations to all Middle School students who were acknowledged at Speech Night for their diligence and effort during 2021. It was a celebration of the resilience, persistence and achievements of many students during a busy and challenging academic year at Edrington.
There was a buzz of excitement during our Orientation Day (Up Day). It was wonderful to have all new and existing Middle School students experience a taste of what is to come next year. It was great to see students having fun and getting to know their new classes.
The Year 8 students have participated in our annual Leadership Day. They were treated to guest speakers and activities that focused on identifying and developing each student’s leadership attributes.
Students then had to write an application and present to their peers and a vote was held by staff and students. The number and calibre of applicants and their speeches were most impressive. Congratulations to all involved. The leadership positions will be announced this Thursday.
Our Year 6 students will be attending two excursions this week in lieu of camp. They are very much looking forward to Gumbuya World on Tuesday and Treetops on Wednesday.
Jeanette Rawlings
Head of Edrington (Berwick)
Haileybury Parents & Friends Edrington (HPFE)
Farewell 2021
It has been a busy couple of weeks. The Junior School had a sausage sizzle and the students were so cute with their perfect manners and excited little faces! Some students even had their first ever sausage in bread and loved it!
The table tennis tables have been installed in the Boys and Girls Middle Schools and we cannot wait to hold the inaugural HPFE Cup next year!
Thank you to everybody for your kind, generous donations for the Berwick Rotary Benevolent Society. Nothing beats sharing Christmas joy with our community and I am sure our abundant collection will bring smiles to many faces.
Thank you, once again, for your support and for welcoming your new committee into the HPFE. Thanks to our Head of Campus, Jeanette Rawlings; to Dale and the Grounds Team and to Rebecca and the Admin Team for helping us behind the scenes, supporting our committee and making the magic happen.
Finally, a massive shout out to Tracy, Kush and Di for your unwavering support. 2021 has been fun and we cannot wait to do everything even better in 2022! It is going to be a busy year—we have lost time to make up for!
Merry Christmas to you all. Have a safe and happy break. See you in 2022!
Kerry, Tracy, Kushal and Di
Kerry Ilic
HPFE President
