Message from the Principal
James Penson
We are very excited to announce that our Greenhills family has just got a bit bigger with two recent arrivals. Congratulations to Joshua Hick and his partner Jess on the arrival of Ella (top photo) and Brooke Connane and her partner Sam with the birth of Florence (bottom photo).
By our calculations these are our first enrolments for 2030!
LUNCHTIME CLUBS – HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE
One of the strengths of our school, is the initiative, leadership and drive of our students. A G.R.E.A.T. example of this is the variety of lunchtime clubs that are organised each term. This year, Tegan Smith is co-ordinating our club’s program as part of her Student Wellbeing leadership role. Our clubs program is also part of the Tiered Approach to Wellbeing that we are developing as part of our 2024 Annual Implementation Plan.
Here are the details of our current clubs program and if your child would like to attend, it is as simple as lining up at the Library at the start of lunchtime. (*Note Chess Club is limited to those students that signed up at the beginning of this term).
Day / time | Club | Run by | Information |
Monday 1st half of lunch | Art Club | Ebony Art captains Maia and Mia | Art Club runs in the library each Monday, first half of lunch. The Art club is led by our 2024 Art Captains, Mia and Maia, under the supervision of Ebony. There will be a variety of artistic and creative activities each week. The art club is open to all ages initially, with a cap of 30 students per week. |
Monday 1st half of lunch | Book Club | Students in Year 1 | Book Club runs outside 1JR classroom each Monday lunchtime. Students are able to share the different books they like to read and chat about why they like them. The club is open to students in Prep- Year 2. |
Tuesday 1st half of lunch | Reading Club | Jen Library Captains - Keira, Claire and Zoe | The Reading Club runs each Tuesday for the first half of lunch in the library. During the Reading Club, our library captains work to create a calm space in our library to relax and have some time to not think about anything outside the library. They will show other students how to use the library in a safe and respectful way, while also running fun activities such as reading with small groups, mindfulness colouring in, and quiet arts and crafts. This club is open for all students. |
| Wednesday | Chess Club | Kids Unlimited and supported by a member of the Principal Team | Interested students were provided an opportunity to sign up earlier this term. These students work alongside a Kids Unlimited instructor learning all things Chess. This program is fully sponsored by TeamKids for Term 3. The session runs for the entire lunch play and starts with an analysis of rules, moves and strategies before moving into students playing against each other. |
Thursday 1st half of lunch | Kids Fun Club | Sharon Year 2 Students | This term, a group of students are running a Kids Fun Club. They organise a variety of fun things to do including show and tell, singing and drawing. This club is open for students in Prep -Year 2. |
Friday 1st half of lunch | Craft Club | Tegan Year 1 students | Craft Club is all about students making crafty things like paper chains, paper slinkies and fans. It is open to students in Prep - Year 2. |
Of course, we also have our Monday Madness, which is a before school club every Monday morning. Our students assist with ideas and organisation.
Over the next few weeks, we have a group of Year 2 students helping to run a Netball & Basketball Club session between 8.45am and 9am.
TEACHING & LEARNING UPDATE – MATHS 2.0
Another one of key improvements strategies in our 2024 AIP is developing whole school consistent Scope & Sequence documents in Mathematics. The maths curriculum has been updated this year and all DET schools will be required to implement this (Maths 2.0) by 2025. In preparation for this, we have been working in a Community of Practice with a group of other local school including Apollo Parkways, Glen Katherine and Banyule Primary Schools. At our school, this work has been led by Becc Stephens. The focus for our work is for our staff teams to develop a deeper knowledge of the changes across each year level and grow staff capacity to provide greater challenge in the classroom through differentiation.
Last week, our School Improvement Team Leaders spent a day unpacking the detail and elaborations at each level in the Maths 2.0 Curriculum. This content was then mapped out in a systematic way that will enable our students to make links and develop deeper understandings. Underpinning this was ensuring that we sequence the learning to ensure our students can demonstrate:
- Attention, Focus & Regulation: which refers to learning requiring students’ attention and involving active engagement in a supportive and responsive learning focused environment.
- Knowledge & Memory: refers to students processing new information in their working memory, where they connect it with existing knowledge in long-term memory, building mental models that integrate and organise knowledge.
- Retention & Recall: refers to working memory being able to hold a small amount of information at once (cognitive load). If overloaded, new knowledge won’t be effectively stored in long-term memory.
- Mastery & Application: refers to consistent practice and retrieval, allowing students to develop and demonstrate mastery by retaining knowledge and understanding how to apply it effectively.
This sequence is evidence based and supported and aligned with the Victorian Teaching & Learning Model 2.0 – Elements of Learning.
FATHERS & SPECIAL PERSONS DAY BREAKFAST – WEDNESDAY 28th AUGUST 7.45am – 9am
This community connecting event is run by our Parent Association and will be held on the outdoor basketball court from 7.45am – 9am. The Cheers Cheese Toastie Truck and coffee carts are ALL ready to go so all you need to do is make sure you pre-order via QKR (orders close 12pm Friday 23rd August) and then come along to enjoy a tasty breaky with your kids.
James Penson
Principal
