Message from the Principal 

Hi Greenhills and welcome back to school for the start of Term 3!

Along with our focus and commitment to high levels of academic achievement, student agency and wellbeing, we have a jam-packed calendar of events and activities this term. During busy terms like this, it is vital to stay informed by reading the newsletter, watching Two Minute Tuesdays and logging into Compass regularly. It is also a great idea to keep a family calendar with all the important things listed on it. Why not encourage your child to do this as well? They could even use the calendar function on an iPad or another form of technology. Of course, our Year 5 & 6 students are supported to develop organisational skills like this through the use of their school diaries. 

SPOTLIGHT ON VISUAL ARTS

When you walk through our Admin building and other areas of the school, it really feels like an art gallery. There is always an amazing, colourful and captivating selection of student artwork on display. 

At the moment, we have Year 4 and Year 6 “Arcimboldo Collages” to view and enjoy. Giuseppe Arcimboldo was an Italian Renaissance artist best known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of objects such as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish and books.  

To produce these works, students learnt about the proportions of portrait drawing, including how to map out the positions of key features such as eyes, nose tip, mouth, ears, chin and hairline. They then collaged images of fruits, vegetables and flowers to create their Arcimboldo inspired portrait. Finally, the students filled in the negative space with watercolour paint to produce master pieces of their own.

SCHOOL UNIFORM UPDATE

We love that we have a G.R.E.A.T. school uniform and our community understands the importance of wearing this with pride and in line with our school policy. At our last School Council meeting, this policy was updated to include students being able to wear plain black leggings. This is in response to feedback from parents and we hope that this decision assists families to manage the financial costs whilst also adding a popular and practical option for our students. 

Please note that the black leggings must be plain and free from branding, logo’s and other coloured lines or marking. 

I also take this opportunity to highlight that our uniform policy also includes the following:

• Hair accessories such as headbands, hair clips and ribbons are to be bottle green, gold/yellow, black or white where possible. Hair accessories should be for practical purposes so that hair does not get in the way of a child's eyes during class or sports times to maximise learning. 
• Make-up is not to be worn at school (students found to be wearing make-up will be required to remove it while at school).
• Earrings are to be either studs or small sleepers while at school. Students wearing large, long, dangly or earrings which may be a safety issue will be required to remove them at school and place them in their school bag. 

LOTS OF EXCURSIONS & EVENTS – COMPASS PERMISSIONS

This is a reminder that we need your support in finalising permissions and payments to any events, excursions or activities by not later than 48 hours prior to the event.

Excursions and incursions certainly offer our students rich and engaging learning opportunities, but they are also a significant load for our staff to organise and run. 

Making sure you have completed the permissions via COMPASS at least 48 hours ahead of the event allows time for staff to make final checks on numbers and print out all the required paperwork and handbooks. These include the emergency contact details of those that attend so that in the case of an emergency we can ensure we have everything we need. These handbooks are printed and distributed to all staff attending and a copy is also left at the school office. Our staff need to complete this on the day before the event to minimise all the other requirements needed to do on the day itself.

This process will be strictly enforced. We will be unable to make telephone calls home on the morning of an event to follow up any missing permissions. If you are having trouble accessing Compass, need a hard copy of a permission form or require support to make a payment please let the office team know. We do not want any students to miss these opportunities and will do everything to support you prior to the day to ensure that everything is organized as it should be. 

DATES TO REMEMBER

6th August – 100 days of Prep and also our Class of 2024 Re-union (4pm – 5pm).

20th August (Wednesday) – Book Week Dress Up Parade

3rd September – Father & Special Persons Breakfast

18th September (Thursday) – Student Agency Conferences – on this day students just attend for the duration of their 15-minute conference. 

GETTING TO SCHOOL ON TIME!

This is a reminder that we need our students at school by 8.55am each day. 

As our Prin Team walk around our school each morning, we continue to notice the very settled and structured processes we have implemented to ensure our students are “set up for success” each day. This includes our 8.55am bell time which is designed to provide students the opportunity to enter their classroom, say hello to their teachers and get organised for the day of learning which starts at 9am sharp.

However, we also still see some students arriving after 8.55am. You would be amazed at the effect even a few minutes late each day can have over a longer time frame. So, with this in mind we are encouraging everyone to be at school by 8.55am ready to go! 

Looking forward to a G.R.E.A.T. term ahead.

James Penson,

Principal.