Campus News
Haileybury’s Reconciliation Action Plan & National Close the Gap Day
As part of our Reconciliation Action Plan and continued commitment to promoting reconciliation between the wider Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, on Thursday, 16 March, our campuses supported National Close the Gap Day.
National Close the Gap Day is celebrated annually with an aim to close the gap of health and life expectancy between First Nations people in Australia to those of non-Indigenous Australians.
Students and staff created a ‘Sea of Hands’ installation, an iconic symbol of reconciliation and a way for communities around Australia to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues and events.
In 2022, Haileybury created its first Reconciliation Action Plan that encompasses all its Melbourne campuses. Its aim is to celebrate the diverse identities and cultural heritage of staff and students who have come to our school from different communities across Australia. Through a journey of reconciliation, we will continue to create a culturally safe and respectful world-class school.
The School’s Reconciliation Action Plan can be found on the Haileybury website.
The Biggest Playdate ever!
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported the recent Touch of Yellow Day and the Biggest Playdate charity events. The generosity and support of our Newlands community, and the support of the local community, have helped the Miranda Foundation raise a record $44,000. This will go a long way in supporting the Monash Children’s Cancer Centre.
Good Friday Walkathon
Newlands is excited to support the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal once again and ELC, Junior School and Middle School will take part in a walkathon on Monday, 3 April. We are all excited to step up to raise money and awareness for a wonderful cause.
Our donation page is open, and you can use the button below if you would like to offer your support. Thank you.
Mobile Muster
Term 2 will bring the launch of a new Social Justice and Sustainability initiative. Mobile Muster keeps recyclable, reusable and repairable electronics out of landfills. There will be a collection box at Newlands Resource Centre where you can donate old mobile phones, chargers and modems. For every item you donate, your name will go into a raffle to win one of several prizes!
During the upcoming holidays, please ask family and friends if they have any mobiles or other electronics they no longer need and recycle them, rather than throw them away.
Early Learning Centre
Keeping channels of communication open
Effective communication and collaboration with parents promote positive learning outcomes for children. By keeping parents informed about their child’s progress, strengths and the areas in which they are developing, educators work with families to provide targeted support and to adjust their teaching approach to meet a child’s individual needs.
Through open and frequent communication, parents can provide valuable insights into their child’s interests, learning styles and any challenges they may experience outside the ELC.
The children’s engagement in different activities and evidence of their learning is shared through emails, daily conversations, phone calls, Moments, Learning Journals, Parent–Teacher interviews and through the visual display in the ELC foyer.
Each week a different video is featured which reflects key aspects of the children’s program. Please take time to view and discuss this visual display with your child. We regularly review our practices, and we are asking for your feedback about Learning Journals through the survey sent to parents in Moments.
Child Safe Standards
Child Safe Standards are a set of measures put in place to protect children from harm, and the ELC adheres to strict guidelines to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children. These standards include having appropriate policies and procedures in place, ensuring staff members receive child safe standards training, providing a safe physical environment and promoting positive and respectful relationships between educators, children and families.
At the ELC, we are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for your child so they can learn and grow.
In response to the ELC Child Safe Policy and to uphold Child Safe Standards, we ask that all family members who want to assist in our program obtain a volunteer Working with Children Check. Information on how to apply may be found here.
Junior School
Worawa Aboriginal College incursion
As part of the Worawa Aboriginal College Leadership and Mindfulness program offered by Haileybury and Equestrian Australia, Worawa VCAL students will visit Newlands on Friday, 31 March. They will run an incursion for Year 4 students. The Worawa students will organise a variety of fun activities that explore Indigenous culture and there will be sports activities, too. Click this link to find out more about Worawa Aboriginal College.
Year 4 Portsea Camp
Our Year 4 students are looking forward to travelling to Portsea Camp this Wednesday. Activities that await them include the flying fox, giant swing and fishing and they will be joined by staff and students from the Brighton, Berwick and City campuses.
All Year 4 families should have received an email regarding how to check, update and approve student medical and dietary information via Consent2Go. Please see the Year 4 Homeroom teachers if you have any questions about the Portsea Camp.
We are sure many happy memories will be made, and we wish them well on their last Junior School camp.
Middle School
National Championships
Kirrily Grech (Year 6) will represent Victoria in the upcoming Australian Calisthenics Federation National Championships Competition.
Kirrily started calisthenics at the age of three and she has been performing ever since. She auditioned for the Victorian Junior State Team late last year and, for the next five months, Kirrily will spend every Sunday training and rehearsing with her teammates.
She will compete in six events: March, Clubs, Free, Rods, Aesthetic and Song & Dance.
Kirrily will travel to Brisbane during the July school holidays to compete.
Below are a couple of photos from Kirrily’s calisthenics performances in 2022.
eSports comes to Haileybury
Newlands is excited to host Round 1 of the Fuse Cup eSports Competition for 2023. We look forward to welcoming over 50 competitors from schools across the Melbourne South Division to compete in Just Dance 2023 on Friday, 31 March.
Our Newlands Middle School will field two teams in the Years 5/6 and Years 7/8 divisions of the competition. Trials to select our teams are currently underway.
Additional eSports events in Mario Kart and Rocket League are coming later in the year.
For more information see The Fuse Cup International School Esports Competition.
Good luck to all competitors!
Year 7 Camp
From Monday, 27 to Friday, 31 March, Year 7 students will head to Camp Jungai in North East Victoria. Located in the scenic Rubicon Valley, Camp Jungai has strong ties with local communities and a long-standing relationship with local Indigenous leaders who provide invaluable insights into the land and the lives of First Nations people.
Students will participate in activities including an overnight bushwalk, canoeing, high ropes, camp craft and Aboriginal cultural sessions.
The aim of this program is to develop basic outdoor skills like pitching a tent and packing for an overnight hike and it builds and strengthens relationships.
We look forward to the students embarking on a fascinating outdoor experience and building their independence, teamwork and perseverance.
We wish them all the best!
Commonwealth Gold sisters visit Newlands
Two superstars of Australian Women’s Rugby Sevens, Teagan and Maddison Levi, will visit Newlands on Wednesday, 22 March to promote the sport and the chance for girls to play for their school in the Cattermole Cup.
Rugby Victoria Development Officers will run the session with Maddison and Teagan and there will be an opportunity for selfies and a Q&A with the players.
Teagan and Maddison were listed with the AFLW’s Gold Coast Suns before switching to the Aussie Rugby Sevens squad, which won a Commonwealth Games Gold, the Rugby World Series and the Rugby Sevens World Cup in 2022.
Maddison was also named Rookie of the Year in the 2022 HSBC World Series. Watch Maddison in action here.
- When: Wednesday, 22 March
- Time: 3.45 pm – 4.45 pm
- Location: Newlands Field
Mark Harrop
Acting Head of Newlands (Keysborough)
Haileybury Parents & Friends Keysborough (HPFK)
Haileybury Luna Park family fun night
We look forward to seeing families come along to support this fabulous family fun night.
- When: Wednesday, 29 March
- Time: 5.00 pm – 8.00 pm
- Location: Luna Park, 18 Lower Esplanade, St Kilda
- Cost: $55
Newlands Easter Egg Raffle
We are asking families to donate an Easter egg and place it in one of the containers in the Newlands Resource Centre and ELC Reception for the Easter Raffle prize baskets.
Easter egg donations close on Tuesday, 28 March.
Raffle tickets will be available from your child’s Homeroom Teacher for $1.00 a ticket or $5.00 for 6 tickets. All raffle ticket sales go directly to the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal. Raffle ticket sales close on Tuesday, 4 April.
There will be a prize basket for each year level in ELC, Junior School, Boys Middle School and Girls Middle School. Winners will be announced at the end of term assembly on Thursday, 6 April.
Let’s raise as much as we can for a great cause!
Lenice Norris
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends Keysborough
