Newlands

Year 8 France and Mauritius Tour

Year 8 students travelled to France, visiting Chateau De Versailles, Sacre Coeur, Champs Elysees, Louvre Museum, Arc De Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. They also saw the famous Bayeux Tapestry which depicts the battle of Hastings, had a guided visit to the D-Day Landing beaches and saw Mont St Michel in the Normandy region. They stayed in the old town of St Malo in Brittany and visited historic towns like Rouen, Dinard, Dinan and Chartres, each unique with cultural and historical perspective.

Year 8 students visited Mauritius. Students attended classes at our partner school, College Labourdonnais and explored Port Louis, Champ De Mars, Grand Bassin, Port Louis and Flacq Markets, and visited the state house. They spent a day with Mauritian families exploring their local traditions and learning to prepare typical Mauritian dishes. They saw first-hand how Mauritian cuisine has been influenced by French and Indian cuisine. Lastly, with a visit to the famous Pamplemousses Botanical Garden and L’Aventure Du Sucre, students learnt about the history of sugarcane in Mauritius.

Early Learning Centre

Literacy in the Early Years

This term has seen the start of our ‘take home reader’ program with children in Pre-prep building their knowledge of phonics as they begin to blend and decode with engaging texts at home. Children in Reception are steadily building their letter-sound knowledge as the letters ‘I', ‘p’ and ‘n’ are introduced through song, rhyme and engaging activities.

This year’s Book Week, we look forward to welcoming Vice Principal Scott Doran to the ELC as our special guest reader. For many years now, Mr Doran has captivated children in the ELC, bringing his guitar and a favourite book, and engaging children in an experience that proves that reading really is magic.

On Friday, 23 August children will have the opportunity to come dressed as their favourite book characters and engage in imaginative play experiences with their peers.

The emergent curriculum provides opportunities for children to engage with literacy in rich and authentic learning experiences. Pre-prep C has been learning about the water cycle. This has seen children questioning, investigating and most recently engaging with the creation of texts to demonstrate their learning. One example was a book titled The Water Cycle written by Jayden Lai (Pre-prep C):

“The Water Cycle. Written and illustrated by Jayden Lai.

Do you know how the water comes in the clouds?
Evaporation makes the water into gas.
Condensation then makes the clouds heavy.
Precipitation makes the clouds rain; the rain feeds the plants and the trees.
The water cycle comes again and again.”

Fathers and Special Friends Day Activities

We are excited to invite fathers and special friends to join us on Friday, 30 August for an unforgettable Fathers and Special Friends Day celebration at Junior School. This event will commence at 2.05 pm with refreshments served in Berthon Hall. Following this, fathers and special friends will move around the Junior School with their children on a fun-filled exploration of the school, engaging in a variety of games and activities.

The day will include a series of interactive sessions where participants can join in on classroom activities, take part in sports and recreational games, and enjoy creative arts and crafts together.

Please mark your calendars and prepare for an afternoon of joy, laughter and fun. This is a day you will not want to miss, and we look forward to seeing you there.

Year 3 Camp

Forest Edge is ready and waiting for our Year 3 students. Nestled in this 120-acre property surrounded by farmland, quiet rivers, fern gullies, old growth forests and mountain ranges. Students will get the opportunity to learn new skills on environmental walks and challenge themselves on the flying fox and ropes course.

This is one of the most memorable and exciting times on the 2024 calendar for the Year 3s.

Jazz Nights

We have two exciting nights celebrating jazz on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 September in an iconic performance venue in the heart of St Kilda; MEMO Music Hall. The Jazz Nights are an exciting opportunity to see our young musicians perform in a non-formal performance setting.

See more and get tickets here.

Opera Australia

Written by Zoey 6BN

Recently, I was chosen to be part of the children’s chorus in the Melbourne production of TOSCA. I am very grateful that my voice teacher, Mrs McDowell believed in me and asked me to audition for this role.

The rehearsal schedules were hectic and went on for several weeks. I had to miss some school for the rehearsals but thanks to all my teachers, I was able to catch up on my work.

Being part of this production was an amazing experience for me. We were split into two casts (called Vatican and Colosseum) and each one performed on alternate nights. I made several new friends during this whole journey. I was privileged to listen to and perform alongside world renowned opera singers. We also got to perform alongside the incredible musicians of Orchestra Victoria.

This was my first experience outside of school in the field of performing arts and I am grateful to Haileybury for being so supportive of my endeavours.

Hugo Engele
Head of Newlands (Keysborough)

Save the date

HPFK Term 3 meeting

Please join Mr Hugo Engele, Head of Newlands and Dr Nicholas Grigsby, Deputy Principal and Head of Haileybury Senior Schools for the HPFK meeting at 7.00 pm on Thursday 5 September at the Newlands Resource Centre.

This is a great opportunity to meet other parents in our community and all parents are welcome to join. Light refreshments will be provided.

Lenice Norris
President, Haileybury Parents & Friends Keysborough