Curious Minds

The Australian Geography Competition is a contest for Australian school students, assessing their geographical knowledge and skills. The Competition aims to encourage student interest in geography and to reward student excellence.

Students compete in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: engineering, mathematics and chess, code breaking, art and poetry, science, English, ideation, creative producers, cartography and general knowledge. At least one of the disciplines involves a longer analysis task. The aim is to promote higher-order thinking and elicit responses from students that demonstrate an understanding and maturity of thought beyond their years. Development of tasks in recent years has been influenced by the thinking behind ‘Understanding By Design’ curriculum development.

Within the Middle School Debating Program at Haileybury, Year 5 & 6 students are introduced to the basic core skills of debate and will also have the opportunity to participate in Haileybury internal debating competitions as well as the DAV Primary School Public Speaking Competition:

“The competition aims to give young speakers the opportunity to put their ideas forward in front of an audience whilst expanding their knowledge of current affairs. Students will develop the “building blocks” of public presentation—confidence, clarity, and the development of arguments—which are very important skills both in and out of school.” - DAV Primary School Public Speaking Competition.

Year 7 & 8 students will then expand on these skills to further engage with the DAV’s Junior Secondary Program:

“The Junior Secondary Program (JSP) is an introduction to debating for junior secondary students in years 7 and 8 who have not participated in the DAV Schools Competition. The program is designed to provide training in the basic skills and structure of debating whilst also giving students an opportunity to participate in three 'friendly' inter-school debates.” – DAV Junior Secondary Program.

The Environment Club empowers students to become sustainability leaders by exploring real-world environmental issues and taking meaningful action.The club offers hands-on learning experiences that inspire students to think critically about waste, sustainability, and the future of our planet.

ICAS English, Spelling, and Writing are distinct components of the International Assessments for Schools assessment program, with the English test assessing reading comprehension and language skills, Spelling Bee focusing on various spelling skills in different contexts, and Writing testing students' ability to create persuasive and narrative texts while demonstrating skills in grammar, syntax, punctuation, and genre. Each component is designed to challenge students and benchmark their abilities on a national and international scale.

Haileybury Model United Nations is an academic extension program that aims to connect and support Year 8 Middle School students throughout their exploration of world issues such as; conflict, consumerism, disaster, and climate change and more.

The National History Challenge is a competition that encourages students to explore, research and make deep connections to the past. Students will have the opportunity to research world history, analyse Australia’s past, and investigate their community. The NHC emphasises and rewards quality research, the use of community resources and effective presentation.

Brough to you by KidsNews, the 2020 Prime Minister's Spelling Bee is an online spelling competition whereby students are required to answer 30 spelling words per competition round from their reading level word lists. The students who are the most accurate spellers in the fastest time will progress to finals.

The Premier’s Reading Challenge first began in 2005 and since then more than 2.8 million students have read nearly 48 million books. The Challenge is available to all students at Haileybury and is run through the library. Once students have registered they need to keep a record of their reading on the challenge website. Each year level are given a list of challenge books and they will need to read a certain number by a particular date.

Students who participate undergo targeted training to refine their speaking skills, build confidence, and learn how to engage an audience effectively. These opportunities are ideal for anyone looking to challenge themselves, grow as a communicator, and represent their school with pride. Students can enter a range of public speaking competitions throughout the year.

Radio club provides the opportunity for students to develop and broadcast a radio program at Southern FM. Students regularly meet to develop their shows.

Haileybury’s Esports Club is a program designed to build more than just gaming skills. It’s a space where students develop communication, collaboration, strategic thinking, and goal execution. Whether you're a seasoned gamer or just starting out, students will have the opportunity to learn new games and explore the strategies behind them.

Throughout the year, students will engage in friendly tournaments—either individually or in teams—across a range of popular titles, including:

• FIFA 20

• Rocket League

• NBA2K 20

• Mario Kart

• Just Dance

F1 in Schools is the World's biggest and most competitive STEM Competition. Over 17,000 students in 51 countries take part. In groups of four, students design, manufacture, test and race a mini Formula One car. In the process, the students develop a knowledge of and skills in 3D computer aided design and manufacturing, materials engineering, fluid dynamics and team work.This program also aims to develop skills in problem solving, project management, communication, innovation and collaboration.

Haileybury Hive Beekeeping Club is an exciting initiative for the community to learn the art of beekeeping, from building hives and frames through to reaping the benefits such as honey and beeswax products

The human powered vehicle (HPV) program is a STEM based opportunity for Year 6 students to ready and competitively race a pedal powered recumbent bike and in the process, develop a range of technical and interpersonal skills. Students at Edrington, Castlefield and Newlands compete in this annual competition.

The ICAS Science competition is designed to assess students’ key STEM skills, with a fun, challenging test that allows them to see how they fare against their peers. The Science assessments are also designed to provide an objective ranking of students’ performance based on the curricula for the relevant year.

The Junior School Science Fair encourages students to think like young scientists. Each year the fair has a theme, and students are invited to work on a project that is of interest to them. Although students are encouraged to complete their project using the theme, a project on any aspect of science is welcome. Students involved in this program will also have the opportunity to submit their project into the Science Talent Search. A competition run by the Victorian Science Teachers Association.

This program provides students with the opportunity to learn about and develop their understanding of robotics through access to a range of different media. This hands-on program gives students the ability to explore and learn at their own pace.

The Maths Talent Quest is a program that is administered through the Mathematical Association of Victoria. The focus of the Maths Talent Quest is on the process of mathematical investigations. The Maths Talent Quest aims to promote interest in mathematics and foster positive attitudes amongst students, teachers and parents.

Mini MasterChefs is a program that promotes a love of cooking and will teach you many practical life long skills. During the program, you will learn how to balance your time while preparing a range of savory and dessert dishes. You will also be taught how to be safe in the kitchen. Organisational skills will be mastered in order for you to produce a well balanced meal for you and your family.

The Science Talent Search (STS) is an annual, science based competition open to all primary and secondary students in Victoria, Australia. The STS theme for 2020 is 'Deep Blue: innovations for the future of our oceans.' This year there are set topics for creative writing and posters/scientific wallcharts sections only. Science Talent Search has a partnership with The BHP Foundation Science and Engineering Awards. Students wishing to enter The BHP Foundation Science and Engineering Awards must register for Science Talent Search in the Experimental Research and/or Inventions Sections. Major bursary winners for the STS Experimental Research and Inventions sections are automatically entered into the The BHP Foundation Science and Engineering Awards.