Hale School

The Junior School interhouse athletics competition got underway yesterday, with boys in Years 3 to 6 taking part in the long jump and 800-metre run events.

It was fantastic to see so many students stepping outside their comfort zones, showing determination and giving their best effort. The enthusiasm and house spirit on display made for a great start to the competition.

We are already looking forward to seeing the entire Hale community come together for the Whole School Athletics Carnival in Term 3.

As part of Reconciliation Week, our Year 6 students took part in an art session exploring the six Noongar seasons and the stories they tell about Country.

The boys were grouped according to the Noongar season they were born in and learned about the unique characteristics, colours and significance of each season. They explored traditional Noongar symbols representing land, animals, water, sky and people.

Using these symbols and the colours connected to their season, the boys created an individual artwork to tell their own story. The pieces were then brought together to form one large collaborative artwork.

The finished piece is quite striking and now proudly displayed in the Year 6 area.

Reconciliation Week celebrations continued in the Junior School with some of our older Indigenous students sharing their culture with the younger boys. Activities included art making, face painting, traditional food sampling, and a special assembly and performance by Hale's own Nookenborough dancers. Thank you to these boys for sharing their cultural knowledge.

Bravo Axel and Nick!

RECONCILIATION WEEK
Reconciliation Week kicked off at Hale yesterday with our Year 7 boys learning from some of our senior students and Old Haleian Rhys Bedford, a proud Aboriginal man who helps coordinate the Hale Indigenous Program.

This year’s Reconciliation Week theme, ‘All in’, encourages all Australians to be part of the reconciliation journey, not just this week, but always. Through fireside conversations, students were encouraged to learn more about people’s backgrounds, families and culture. They also explored bush cooking traditions, including kangaroo tail and damper, and learned about traditional face painting and its cultural significance.

We are proud to have boys at Hale with Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal heritage who continue to share their culture and knowledge with confidence and pride.

Hale School teams in Years 5, 6, 7 and 8 had great success at the Da Vinci Decathlon competition held at UWA recently. All teams demonstrated outstanding academic ability, teamwork and time management throughout the competition. A special congratulations to the Year 5 team, who took home the trophy for overall first place in their division!

We were delighted to welcome A.J. Betts, an award-winning Western Australian author, to speak with our Year 9 Reading Enrichment students last week.

During her visit, she spoke about her gripping dystopian duology, 'Hive' and 'Rogue', which has captivated readers with its imaginative and unsettling vision of the future.

The session gave students valuable insight into the writing process, the construction of dystopian worlds, and the power of literature to challenge the way we think. They also had the opportunity to engage with ideas around creativity and consider how stories like 'Hive' and 'Rogue' can encourage us to question, imagine and grow.

FROM THE ARCHIVES
Hale School made history in 1908 with the establishment of the first school Army Cadet Corps in Western Australia. The program later expanded with the introduction of the Air Training Corps in 1947 and the Naval Cadet Corps in 1960.

From 1914 and for many decades that followed, cadets were a compulsory part of school life, supporting boys to develop leadership, self-reliance and social responsibility through activities such as field navigation, bushcraft, first aid, radio training, shooting and annual camps.

Changing circumstances saw the ATC disband in 1963 and the Naval Cadets in 1966. When cadets became voluntary in 1973 and federal funding ceased, the Hale School Army Cadet Unit also disbanded in 1975.

This important history is now on display in the main administration foyer, featuring the 1908 cadet photograph, TS Cygnet logbook and training manual, swagger sticks, shoulder flashes and a 1975 ceremonial parade program. Please take a moment to view the display when you are next on campus.

UNITING FOR DIVERSITY DAY

Another great day of connection yesterday for our Year 8s recognising Diversity Day with their peers from St Mary's Anglican Girls' School. Split over both Hale and St Mary’s campuses, the students took part in hands-on activities and worked on collaborative projects that encouraged them to consider different perspectives. From team-based challenges on the courts to presentations in the Auditorium, the focus remained on respectful dialogue, shared learning and inclusive thinking.

From classrooms to laboratories, our Year 5 students stepped into the Senior School science labs this week for an exciting introduction to lab safety and the correct use of Bunsen burners.

With plenty of curiosity and enthusiasm, the boys embraced the hands-on experience and enjoyed a glimpse into the world of Senior School science and the opportunities that lie ahead.