Message from the Principal 

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

THANK YOU WORKING BEE LEGENDS

A strength of our school is our amazing parent and family partnership. This was again demonstrated by the terrific turn out to our Clean Up Greenhills Term 1 working bee last Sunday. The yard and grounds looked about as good as they can by the time we finished and we need everyone’s help to make sure things stay this way.

We are now looking forward to our Term 2 Working Bee. Our plan is to commence a larger style project redeveloping the garden bed at the front of the school into a connection to country meeting place. This will involve clearing the overgrown vegetation and non-native tree species, laying crushed rock or granitic sand and installing natural seating options. Stay tuned for the date and more details to come. 

CURRICULUM DAY – MONDAY 24TH APRIL

The first day back next term, Monday 24th April will be a Curriculum Day for our staff. Students do not attend on this day. Given the ANZAC Day public holiday is on Tuesday 25th April, we think that this is a very practical day to hold one of the professional learning days that schools have each year.

Janine, Brad and Abby will be organizing a full day of learning for our staff focused on wellbeing and in particular developing our whole school approach to the Zones of Regulation. Wellbeing approaches and strategies like this have high impact on student learning and wellbeing and we look forward to sharing more about this with you.

The first day for students in Term 2 is Wednesday 26th April. 

CONSISTENCY & ROUTINE WINS THE DAY

We know about the importance of routine and consistency in our lives. At school this is a vital component of ensuring our students feel safe, secure and supported. I am really proud of the way in which our school staff have worked as a team to make sure our school environment is calm, orderly and structured. Having set routines and rituals in our classrooms plays a big part in this. 

At Greenhills, our students love the routine of seeing what is happening each day listed on the classroom whiteboards, having set classroom norms, rules and expectations and having lessons delivered through our whole school instructional model. Perhaps one of the strongest routines that we are really consistent with and passionate about are our 3 x 15-minute key priority areas of Reading, Numeracy & Student Agency. Not only do these set times provide a daily focus on what we value as the most important parts of an education as Greenhills, they also act as a road map or signpost that help students know what will be happening at specific times…and as the saying goes with these 15-minute sessions in place Greenhills runs just like clockwork!   

STUDENT AGENCY CONFERENCES

Don’t forget that our Student Agency Conferences are on next Tuesday 28th March and this is a day where students only attend school for the duration of their conference. At this stage we have over 320 bookings and these will close at midday on Monday 27th March. The focus during these conferences will be an opportunity for students to reflect on how they feel about different part of school, share some learning they are proud of. There will also be an opportunity for the student in collaboration with their teacher and their parent to set a learning goal/s.

Our book fair will also be open in the Library from 9am – 6pm. This is always a special thing for families to visit together on the day.

ON YOUR BIKES...RIDE 2 SCHOOL DAY…..    THIS FRIDAY

Don’t forget that this Friday is National Ride 2 School Day. I am really looking forward to seeing just how many bikes and scooters are in the yard. The GREAT part about the day is not only will our students get a bit more active, but they will also be having a positive impact on our environment. 

WELL DONE & THANK YOU CAMPERS

Our Year 6’s had a GREAT Anglesea Camp last week. Camps provide our students with a wonderful opportunity to try new things and challenge themselves. It might be having a go on the zipline and facing a fear of heights, working with a group of peers to complete a range of initiative activities involving leadership and teamwork or even simply being able to meet new friends or broaden a friendship group. Our Year 6 Camp is definitely one of the highlights of the year and I know our students will remember the experience long into the future.

These opportunities are only organised thanks to the dedication and commitment of our staff and of course the parents that attended as well. Many thanks to Becc Stephens, Lauren Richardson, Tegan Smith, Brad Ryan, Jordan Daley, Jess Johnston, Sheryl Munks-Callahan, Nathan Di Giuseppe, Sharon Hanson and Mark Couche.

See you on the Tigerturf at the Welcome Picnic this Friday.

James Penson

Principal