Recognising academic achievement and accomplishment
Our Junior School Awards and Presentation Assembly was a wonderful celebration of the Junior School’s achievements in 2024. I congratulate all our Academic and Accomplishment Award winners and thank our musicians who entertained us with their performances.
Our Middle School Celebration of Excellence was a glorious event on the banks of the Yarra. As the sun set over the city skyline, we were uplifted by our many musical performances, our young people’s successes and the finale of every student singing the song, ‘Absolutely Everybody.’ Our campus is a special place for us all and as the sun sets on 2024, we think with gratitude of all the great things that we have achieved this year. We have all worked hard and achieved much.
Holiday wishes
I express my gratitude to our City Executive Team for their wonderful leadership and contribution. I sincerely thank our Head of Senior School, Robert Johnson, for his significant contribution to Haileybury for 22 years and City campus for five of those years. Rob moves on to his tree change; he will be missed, and we wish him well.
Finally, I wish you a happy and safe holiday break and I will be out the front of our City campus in 2025 to welcome ‘absolutely everybody.’
Early Learning Centre
Entomologists at Melbourne Museum
ELC children engaged in an educational and memorable excursion to the Melbourne Museum focusing on our interest in insects. The children excitedly boarded the bus observing key landmarks along the way. This was a highlight of our day embedding our knowledge of road safety including how to wear a seatbelt correctly.
At the museum, the children engaged in educational sessions that extended the children’s understanding of life cycles, pollination and seasons. The children experienced hands-on learning and developed observational skills as they walked through the exhibits, understanding key features of insects and exploring their habitats.
This was a wonderful adventure as children continued to develop a lifelong love of learning within the ELC and the wider community.
Sharing our learning
As we draw closer to the end of the year, we thank you for joining us at our End of Year Celebration of Learning to showcase our learning journals and a musical performance.
It was wonderful to celebrate the children’s growth and learning and we thank our families for working in partnership with Haileybury City throughout the year.
Junior School
City Future Leaders Morning
In the final week of this term, our current Year 3 students will take part in our City Future Leaders Morning; an event full of opportunities to learn and grow. Guest speakers will share their own leadership journeys, offering insights and advice. For all involved, it is a chance to start thinking about the leadership roles that might suit them best in 2025. It is set to be a thoughtful and inspiring way to wrap up the year.
Goodbye, Year 4 Graduates
As this year draws to a close, it is time to say goodbye to our current Year 4 students as they conclude their Junior School learning journey. Over the past year, they have led our Junior School with pride, showing kindness, respect, honesty, empathy and trust throughout their leadership roles. From tackling challenges in the classroom to excelling in all areas of their learning, they have worked hard to get here. Now, they are ready to take on the exciting journey of Middle School, and we could not be prouder. The upcoming Year 4 Graduation Assembly in Week 10 promises to be a special occasion for all, with many words of wisdom shared by their Year 4 teacher, Ms Bickford, and Heads of School, Ms McNamara and Mr Ritchie.
Peace prevails at Haileybury City
The 2024 Peace Pole Ceremony at City Campus was a remarkable event, bringing together the Rotary Club of North Melbourne and our school community in a shared commitment to promoting global peace. Held at Haileybury City’s Inside Out courts on Batman Street, the ceremony showcased our iconic Peace Pole, a symbol of unity and hope. Year 3 students took centre stage, each delivering a moving statement about the significance of peace. Their dedication was evident — they had spent weeks rehearsing and refining their words to make this moment unforgettable.
Middle School
Middle School Leaders 2025
We congratulate the significant number of Year 8 students who applied for 2025 leadership positions. The speeches delivered were of high quality and displayed how passionate this cohort is about our School. Regardless of who was successful at obtaining the positions, we expect all our Year 8 students to be leaders. We have great confidence that 2025 will be an awesome year under their guidance and leadership. It is an exciting time ahead.
| Boys Middle School | Girls Middle School | |
|---|---|---|
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Middle School
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Oscar L
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Mavis V
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Sport
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Christian R
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Anabelle F
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Music
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Eamon M
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Nevindie R
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Drama
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Harrison T
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Candela B
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Art
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Hamish S
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Adele Y
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LEAP
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Maverick L
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Ishana V
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STEM
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Nam T
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Milan W
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Social Justice
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Leo G
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Olivia L
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Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
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Darcy C
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Victoria G
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Sustainability and Environment
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Sandaru S
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Rosemary N
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Publications
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William L
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Macey W
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Elliot House
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Levi B
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Meabh M
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Main House
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Edward S
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Gemma T
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Na House
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Jaden T
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Georgina G
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Newton House
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Albert L
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Jemima C
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Startup success
Each year, Haileybury’s Year 8 students work on a business idea they have created from scratch as part of the School’s much loved Startup program. At the end of the year, the best business idea from each campus, chosen by students, competes in the Startup Pitch Showcase.
There were many creative ideas and impressive pitches at City this year — the students should be proud of their dedication and blue sky thinking. After careful consideration, the City Startup Best Pitch Winners for 2024 were Nate, Alex and Leo with Foodie! The proposed Foodie! app looks to address food wastage through people being able to use their phone to either detail or photograph the items they have in their cupboards and fridges and then the app will provide them with recipes so they can use what they have to make meals. The students were lauded for their innovation and forward thinking.
This team went on to represent City at Aikman Hall at the Startup Pitch Showcase where they presented their idea to a panel of judges, and they won. The students’ prize was $1,000 in seed funding and the right to represent Haileybury at the Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship Interschool Pitch event. As expected, the level of competition was extremely high, but the students were able to claim victory.
The School is immensely proud that this is the third time in four years we have been successful when pitching at the Wade Institute. We congratulate Leo, Alex and Nate on their superb efforts.
City Art Show 2024
Haileybury City recently showcased the artistic talent of its students during the 2024 Art Show, featuring works from students across the ELC, Junior, Middle and Senior Schools. This annual event celebrated the diverse creative expressions of City’s students, with each display reflecting the unique perspective and skill of its creator.
Haileybury City’s Ground Floor Assembly area was transformed into a dedicated exhibition space, displaying works that spanned multiple mediums including painting, sculpture, digital art and mixed media. From the imaginative and playful pieces of the ELC children, to the more refined, conceptual artworks of Senior School students, the event demonstrated the breadth of artistic exploration that Haileybury City nurtures across all year groups.
The Junior School’s contribution was marked by colourful, dynamic artworks that reflected students’ growing technical skills and creative curiosity, while works from the Middle School took on a more sophisticated form, with many students exploring deeper themes such as identity, the environment and emotional expression. Senior School students pushed boundaries with more conceptual and personal pieces, challenging viewers to reflect on contemporary issues through art.
The event was not only a celebration of artistic talent, but also a reflection of Haileybury City’s commitment to developing the whole student. The event featured the musical talents of the Prep and Year 1 choir and various vocal performances from the Junior and Middle Schools, and the crowd was transported to another world during the Narnia flash-mob experience.
With an encouraging and supportive environment, students at Haileybury City were given the opportunity to explore their creative potential and share their work with the wider school community. The Art Show also provided a platform for families, friends and staff to come together in celebration of the students’ hard work and dedication throughout the year. It was an exciting end to a year of artistic growth and achievement, and a reminder of the power of creativity in bringing people together.
Caroline Merrick
Head of City
Haileybury Parents & Friends City (HPF City)
Annual General Meeting
We had a great turn out of members for our AGM held on 19 November via Zoom. The AGM is a time to celebrate the wonderful year that we have had and welcome new members to HPF City. We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the outgoing HPF City Executive and social representatives for their dedication and efforts, and warmly welcome the incoming team.
As your newly elected co-presidents at the recent HPF City AGM we want to thank you for your support and our appointments. We have both been active contributors to HPF City, holding various positions over the years as social representatives and in executive roles.
Second-hand Uniform Shop (SHUS)
Up Day continues to be our biggest day of the year for uniform donations and purchases. We thank all the families who have contributed items to the shop for sale in such a timely manner. This initiative promotes sustainability, generates funds to support HPF City fundraising efforts and families benefit by receiving funds for their contributed uniforms if elected, creating a win-win for the community.
With the end of the year approaching, this is a perfect time to sort out those outgrown and no longer needed uniform items. You can deliver them to the collection bins for sale at the second-hand uniform shop. To assist families, the bins can be found at City Reception at King Street until Wednesday, 18 December 2024.
Reception re-opens Monday, 6 January 2025 and we will gladly accept items until Monday, 20 January 2025. More information can be found on the myHaileybury app. Please email us here should you have any difficulties locating the form.
2024 year round up
As the year comes to an end, it is the perfect moment to reflect on our achievements, the spirit of giving, and the many opportunities that HPF City has provided to connect us as a community while supporting the students at the City campus. We can proudly say that we have had four sell-out events this year, which reflects the amazing team of volunteers and the community we have at HPF City. A sincere thank you to the parents and friends who have generously contributed, donated and supported HPF City throughout the year. Without the volunteers, donations and attendance at the events that we create, none of these initiatives would be possible.
Our appreciation extends to Caroline Merrick, Rob Johnson and the entire Haileybury staff, whose tireless support has been instrumental in making HPF City events and activities a success. A big thank you to Gabe Di Martino and his team who are behind the set up for each event and do all the heavy lifting. Your help and assistance are very much appreciated.
A huge thank you to the extremely dedicated teaching staff who inspire our children to learn every day. We are truly grateful for the work you do with our children.
We bid farewell to the families leaving us and wish our Year 12 students every success in their future endeavours.
Please keep an eye out and save the date for all our 2025 HPF City events that are now in the 2025 calendar. These are wonderful opportunities for you and our community. Plus, they are now officially considered ‘Tay Tay’ sell out events so don’t miss out and get involved.
For your 2025 calendar:
- Welcome Morning Tea – Term 1
- Rooftop Party – Term 1
- Middle School Trivia Night – Term 2
- Springtime Party – Term 4
On behalf of HPF City, we wish all families, students and staff a wonderful festive season. We hope everyone gets to have a bit of a break, takes some time to focus on family and enjoys our fabulous Australian summer ready for a superb start to 2025.
Melissa Fisher and Michelle White
Co-Presidents, Haileybury Parents & Friends City
