Newlands

Campus News

Newlands Art Show

Please join us at the Gadsden Pavilion on Wednesday, 8 November from 4.00 pm – 5.30 pm to view the artwork that students have created during the year. This will be a great time to celebrate all things creative!

On their best bee-haviour

Term 4 has been a busy time in the Newlands apiary. We have hosted incursions for the Middle School students from Newlands and Castlefield and welcomed a new group of students to our Newlands Hive program.

Students wore a bee suit, and we opened the hive, closely observed the frames and felt how heavy they were when they held a lot of honey. We also discussed how we can easily support bees by growing bee friendly plants such as lavender and rosemary.

The students enjoyed the incursions very much.

Solving a throwaway society

Two of our amazing Newlands students attended the National Final of the Future Problem Solving Program Australia at Brisbane Grammar School. Elsha (Year 8) and Anay (Year 8) were supported by their dedicated coach, Kirsten Owens, and the invitation to the National Final is a testament to the students’ dedication, creativity and exceptional problem-solving skills.

The topic for this year’s final was Throwaway Society and students prepared by reading and participating in thought-provoking discussions. Anay and Elsha have shown a remarkable ability to tackle real-world challenges and to envision innovative solutions for a better future. The finals gave them an opportunity to showcase their problem-solving abilities on a national stage.

We are very proud that Anay placed first in Global Issues Problem Solving Middle Division – Individual and was also Scenario Writing Champion Middle Division.

Early Learning Centre

The importance of being outdoors for learning

Our environment continues to play an important role in the children’s learning, with spring providing rich opportunities for all our ELC classes.

Within Reception, changes to the outdoor environment have been met with curiosity as elements of nature make their way inside. The Boobook Owls have enjoyed fine-tuning their observational drawing and fine motor skills as they created flowers for their shared art project. The children are very excited to share their canvas with all our families during the silent Art Auction.

In Little Corellas, indigenous plants have been added to the new garden beds with children learning how to care for these new additions. Harvesting has already begun for the Rainbow Lorikeets who are enjoying the fruits of their labor. They have been gathering beans to send home for families to cook.

Meanwhile, in Pre-Prep, it has been wonderful to see the care and dedication children have shown to their environment and this has created some bountiful spring harvests.

Children in White Ibis have used broccoli from their garden beds to make cheesy broccoli bites in the kitchen. Much to the delight of the Black Swan group, a caterpillar has emerged from its chrysalis in the most beautiful display of the life cycle. In addition to this, broad beans have been harvested and children have made a delicious broad bean dip to enjoy with rice crackers.

The Fairy Wrens have been flitting around the school during a recent nature walk and returned to the classroom to plant seeds and create their own blossom trees from sticks and other interesting things they gathered.

We are looking forward to all the new and exciting learning opportunities that the warmer weather will bring.

Discovering the solar system under the dome

On Wednesday, 15 November, our Year 2 students will have a fantastic opportunity to take part in a Science Discovery Dome Incursion.

During this captivating 60-minute session, they will delve deeper into their understanding of different scientific concepts. They will learn about the factors responsible for night and day, the changing of seasons, the Earth’s orbit around the sun, the moon’s orbit around the Earth, and the intriguing phenomenon of casting shadows.

A highlight of this experience will be the projection of stunning images of the solar system onto the dome’s roof, creating a memorable visual spectacle for all.

This session will generate numerous thought-provoking questions from our students, setting the stage for further exploration of exciting scientific topics throughout the remainder of the Year 2 Science Unit.

Help is at hand

Beginning in Week 4, students can receive extra support from staff as they prepare for their upcoming examinations.

The Years 7 and 8 Help Desk will be available from Monday, 23 October to Wednesday, 1 November in the Newlands Library. Times are available before school, during lunchtime and after school. This timetable has been published via the Canvas Heads of School page, providing students with the chance to ask any subject-related questions within core subjects such as English, Science, Mathematics, Humanities and Languages, as well as their semester-based electives and languages.

Good luck to our Middle School students as they prepare for their Semester 2 examinations!

Middle School Colour Run

On Thursday, 9 November, Newlands Middle School will host a Colour Run to raise funds for the Nepal Nagajun School. This event is for students in Years 5–8 and will take place during Period 5 from 12.25 pm – 1.15 pm.

The Colour Run has become an annual part of the Social Justice Program at Newlands. The students will have fun and will certainly get very colourful while supporting a community in need.

• Students must wear a white t-shirt, old pair of dark pants/shorts and old runners
• Students with light-colour hair may want to oil their hair, or wear a hat or bandana.

If your child would like to participate, please contact the Newlands campus.

Mark Harrop

Acting Head of Newlands (Keysborough)

Lenice Norris
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends Keysborough