Campus News
Welcoming our new Deputy Principal Head of Senior Schools
In Term 2, Dr Nicholas Grigsby will join us as Deputy Principal Head of Senior Schools.
Until the end of last term, he was Senior Deputy Head at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire which is a Catholic, co-education boarding school.
Dr Grigsby has a music teaching background and as well as working in the UK, he has worked at schools in Poland, China and New Zealand for more than 10 years.
He will continue to build on the great work of Senior Vice Principal and Head of Senior Schools, Pam Chamberlain, and we thank Theo Georgakopoulos who has been Acting Head of Senior Schools for Term 1.
Early Bird Reading
In 2019, the Newlands student leadership team and Ms Rhiannon Rowe established the Early Bird reading program that gives Prep and Year 1 students the opportunity to share their love of reading with student volunteers from Middle School.
Helping the students improve their fluency and literacy skills, the program continues to thrive, and Wednesday mornings bring excitement in the Junior School quad as younger students share their weekly readers with the older students.
This year, Year 12 students have also been able to get involved and listen to the students read. This has given the Year 12 students a sense of nostalgia in their final year of school as they connect with students across year levels and are reminded of the amazing memories that were formed in their foundational years of school.
Understanding the brain
Senior School Brighton recently had their first STEM activity for 2023 — a brain dissection to spread awareness of Brain Week. The student-led STEM team put together a morning Kahoot about the brain and facilitated a dissection of a sheep’s brain.
Over 30 students took part in the event during their Friday lunchtime. Students from Pre-Senior all the way through to Year 12 took part, with many others popping in to see what all the fuss was about.
A big thank you to our SS STEM Team and all teaching staff who supported them. We look forward to hosting more STEM-based activities for our STEM-driven students.
Dickinson House Clean Up Australia
Arriving in unison, a sea of yellow swiftly rose on the sunny, majestic early morning of Sunday, 5 March at the Sandringham Rotunda. Gathered mostly in our Dickinson tops, the minds of our fellow Dickinsonians were set on two goals: to give back to the community we benefit so much from and to uphold and pursue our House values of respect, pride and enthusiasm — and so we did.
In small groups of approximately five, the boys trotted towards the foreshore and the trails of beautiful Sandringham.
At the start of our journey, we thought ‘this place looks pretty clean already, doesn’t it?’ However, the deeper in the trails we found ourselves, the more we discovered— bottles, micro plastics, cans, plastic bags, technology and even litter. The rubbish bags filled rapidly. Getting down on all fours and negotiating sharp sticks, the boys continued because at Dickinson, if we do something, we give it 110%.
After an hour-and-a-half, our rubbish bags were filled to the brim, and even the strongest boys struggled to carry them. It was fascinating and yet tragic to see how much rubbish is out there in our community. It was an eye-opening experience for all the lads.
As a reward for our community-minded actions, we treated ourselves to a few sausages (Archer Harrop (Year 10) with an astounding six) and a few cans of soft drink that certainly ended up in the bin.
We had learnt our lesson, and all walked away new men.
Oli Kaiser (Year 12)
House Captain
Winter Sports Preparation
The 2023 summer sport season has now concluded, and we have begun preparations for the winter season. Congratulations to all students who experienced success on the sporting field during the summer. I hope that everyone who participated enjoyed the camaraderie associated with being part of a team and learned some important lessons about working toward collective goals.
One of the most important aims of the sport program at Haileybury is to introduce students to the physical and psychological benefits of regular participation in physical activity. If our students appreciate this and continue to participate in sport beyond their school years, we couldn’t be happier.
Starting Term 2
In Term 2, students wear winter uniform. However, we have two weeks at the beginning of the term when students may continue to wear summer uniform if they choose. Term 2 classes resume on Wednesday, 26 April.
I wish all Haileybury families a relaxing time away from the usual school routine!
Theo Georgakopoulos
Acting Head of Haileybury Senior Schools
