Message from the Principal 

I hope that everyone was able to enjoy some quality time as a family during the break and that our students had the opportunity for some sleep ins, games, movies and all those activities that seem to relax us but also enable us to re-charge as well. I do find it interesting that as the “education state” we have the daylight savings time change scheduled for the day before school starts back! There were a few tired students arriving at school on Monday but hopefully all our internal time clocks are adjusting. 

Congratulations to the Lions and all our Lions fans which of course includes Mr Ryan & Mrs O’Donnell! For some of us the countdown for the 2026 AFL season is on and I wouldn’t put it past the Lions to win it again! 

Fourth terms are always very busy times for schools with end of year activities and lots of planning and organisation for the next year happening as well. Looking at our school calendar over the next few weeks highlights this and demonstrates that we have hit the ground running. 

Keep your eyes out for our start of term newsletter that is sent out by each of our teaching teams next week. This will contain all the individual details and dates for each level across the school.

HOLIDAY WORKS UPDATE

We took the opportunity during the holiday break to get some important work done around the school as we keep working to ensure our facilities and grounds are well maintained. This included cleaning our shade sails which look like brand new again and applying the annual recoat to our new gym floor. We also added some more seed and fertilizer to our grassed oval and it is finally starting to look much greener. Fingers crossed with some more warm weather that we stay on track to open this space before the end of the year.

PARENT / CAREGIVER / GUARDIAN OPINION SURVEY

Our 2025 Parent Opinion Survey was completed by 106 families which is an amazing 30% response rate. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those that completed it.

The survey does inform our decision making. It forms part of the data sets that are analysed every four years as part of a School Review and we also have annual data targets as part of each Annual Implementation Plan.

Our 2023-2027 School Strategic Plan has the following Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey target:

Goal 2: To Strengthen Student Voice & Agency

By 2026, increase positive responses to the Parent Opinion Survey factor group of Student Development from 74% (2022) to 83%.

2025 RESULTS STUDENT DEVELOPMENT SECTION 

Our 2025 goal in this area of the survey was 84% so we were very close at 81%for Student Agency & Voice and we met the target in the area of Confidence and Resiliency Skills.

I believe the biggest impact we can have on our students in both areas of “Student Development” is the work we are doing around our High Impact Learner Agency Traits. These are specific skills and strategies that our students are being supported to develop that will enable them to make effective decisions and solve problems, develop their sense of responsibility, develop organization skills, build their confidence and persist when learning is difficult. 

This work has already started with our focus on Acting with Courage, Being Open to the New, Engaging in Dialogue and in Term 4 we will be spending time developing skills and competency in Being Reflective. 

I will share a broader range of Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Survey Data over the next few weeks. 

MINI FAIR UPDATE  - FRIDAY 24TH OCTOBER 1pm – 3pm

As the name suggests, this is a smaller scale version of a fair and it will run between lunchtime and the end of the day on Friday 24th October. Each class (other than Preps who have swimming) will set up a stall and students will be able to being their money to purchase items, experiences and have fun at the same time. Example stalls might include nails, hair spray, sponge throw at staff members, lucky dips and even food. Our Year 5’s & 6’s will also operate their Earn & Learn Businesses so there will be a massive range of stalls to enjoy. 

It is important to note that much of this food is “sometimes” food e.g. sugary treats etc. We are also aware that some of our students have food intolerances and allergies. Our staff will make sure we talk to our students around how they can manage the choices on offer and we also encourage parents to have this conversation at home as well.

We have altered the normal timetable to run lunchtime slight earlier so that the Mini Fair can run between 1pm and 3pm. All family members are invited to come along and share in the fun. Years 1-4 classes will be running their own stalls and of course our Year 5 & 6 students will be running their Earn & Learn business groups again. This time with real money! Prep students will be able to experience it all once they return from swimming lessons.

More information will be sent home over the next week including ways that you can support this initiative by donating items to stalls and assisting on the day. If you have any questions or ideas please let me know:

james.penson@education.vic.gov.au   

TRANSITION 2026

As we begin the term, I thought that I would outline more details about our Transition Program for 2026. The aim of this program is to ensure that every child feels more confident about next year by removing some of the unknowns before the end of this year!

Our Transition program includes our Year 6 High School Experience Day on Tuesday 2nd December. This is a day of role play where they will experience different subjects and teaching styles, moving to different areas of the school for lessons as they start to get a feel for what next year might have in stall!   

Our 2026 Prep Transition Program also continues following on from our very successful “Experience Greenhills” sessions. These commence on Monday 10th November, continue over 4 weeks and will be run by our Prep 2026 team. 

On 22nd October we have our Prep Information sessions for parents and carers. Overall, this comprehensive and staged approach enables confidence and comfort to be developed whilst ensuring that our future students develop key school readiness skills. 

On 4th and 9th of December between 9.15am and 10.45am we will have our “Meet the Teacher” whole school transition sessions. This is where we turn the whole school into 2026. (*Please note that our Preps for 2026 will only attend the first “Meet the Teacher” session on 4th December between 9.30am and 10.30am).

As you can see, there has been lots of thought and time put into developing a very comprehensive transition program across the whole school. We believe this is important, especially given the rise on anxiety levels that schools are experiencing.  The more students can experience and understand what the future looks like at our school, the more prepared and ready they will be. 

If you have any questions about our transition program, please contact me at the school.

PARENT REQUEST PROCESS FOR TRANSITION INTO 2026

Our team have begun the process of finalising our school structure for 2026. Considerations around the social, emotional, academic and physical needs of each of our students will form part of this process. Parents can make requests for consideration when placing their child into their 2026 class. These requests will only be accepted via email and must be received by Friday 17th October: james.penson@education.vic.gov.au

Please note that requests with respect to specific teachers will not be considered. 

Our staff will use this information as part of all the different considerations taken when building our grades. These factors include the social, emotional, physical and academic needs of all students. It is a complex and time-consuming task as we try to ensure that we set up the best possible structure for a successful 2026. During this entire process our decisions are always guided by one major factor and that is the best interests of our students. Details relating to the school organisation, classes of children and the allocation of teachers will be released to students just prior to our first “Meet the Teacher” whole school transition sessions on the 4th December and to parents and carers that afternoon.  

James Penson,

Principal.

THANKYOU

I would like to thank the whole Greenhills community, from my colleagues past and present, some I haven’t seen for many years to the staff association, and of course our families and in particular the students, for the overwhelming number of messages, cards, phone calls, emails along with hugs and a few tears of thanks. Parents whose children had graduated from Greenhills in years gone by were at my final assembly. This is why I have been helping one and all at GHPS, for 20 years.

Many thanks,

Karen Morrison.

James Penson,

Principal.