INTERSCHOOL SPORT - WINTER SEASON

Round 12: Friday 18th August 2023

Greenhills A VS Laurimar B – HOME

Time:	Sport:	Venue:
9.30am-10.45am approx.	Aussie Rules Football	Whatmough Park
	Netball	Greenhills PS
	Soccer	Greensborough Park
	Softball Boys	Greenhills PS
	Softball Girls	Greensborough Park

Greenhills B VS Sacred Heart – AWAY

Time:	Sport:	Venue:
9.30am-10.45am approx.	Aussie Rules Football	Marngrook Oval
	Netball	Sacred Heart PS
	Soccer	Coventry Oval
	Softball Boys	NA
	Softball Girls	NA

YEAR 3/4 HOOP TIME

A great time was had by all Year 3/4 students who participated in this week’s Mill Park Junior Hoop Time. Whether it was a win, loss or draw, all students represented Greenhills in the best possible way, showcasing the GREAT values at all times.

Quick shout out to all the parents, and our Year 6 Sport Captains, who came along to encourage the students, score, coach, and even referee. The day wouldn’t have been able to go ahead without this support – so THANK YOU!

COMMUNITY SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTS

Congratulations to Tenace H (PSM) who had a big few weeks recently. Not only did he get to meet some of his Essendon heroes at a clinic, but he also played in the halftime Auskick game during the Essendon Bombers and Port Adelaide Power match.

Well done, Tenace!

Congratulations to Fletcher M (3MH) who over the weekend tested and obtained his Orange Belt! Awesome to see all that hard work pay off.

Well done, Fletcher!

If your child achieves something special (grand final win, most valuable player award, best and fairest etc.), please email me (jordan.daley@education.vic.gov.au) through photos and an overview of the achievement to post in Contact. It is important to celebrate and recognise such successes with the school community.

Thank you,

Jordan Daley

JSC NEWS

A few weeks ago we had a visit from Rachel, who works at Challenge. She came to present the school with a certificate for our efforts in fundraising for Challenge, during our Day In May. Three of our JSC representatives (Archie, Chelsea and Sophie) were there to accept the certificate on the school’s behalf. Rachel explained to these students how music can make such a world of difference to children living with cancer- it brightens their day and can help lift their mood on challenging days. The money raised by our wonderful Greenhill’s community will go to programs such as these, in order to make life a little better for those children. A BIG thank you to everyone who supported this very special cause and to our JSC for the wonderful job they continue to do!

Suzie Hussein

(Year 1-5 JSC Coordinator)

FATHER'S AND SPECIAL PERSON'S BREAKFAST

The Greenhills PA invite all our Fathers, Grandfathers, Special People, and Students to breakfast on the basketball courts on Thursday 31/08 from 7.45am.

Breakfast food and drinks are now available to order via Qkr!

Orders close on Friday 25/08 at Midday

Come brave the cold for a hot toastie, a cuppa, and a chat!

CONNECTED SCHOOLS

Our words matter

For close to 200 years, children have sung in the schoolyard:

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words shall never hurt me.”

We all know that’s not true.

However, it’s not just cruel words that have the capacity to hurt. Sometimes as parents, we surprisingly hurt our children in the way we offer praise or correction. Here’s what I mean:

A few months ago, I read The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori. While I didn’t agree with all of it, and there were some ideas that wouldn’t fly today, there were plenty of enlightening moments. One thing that stood out was the idea of not correcting children. Yes, you read that right: not correcting children.

Montessori recognises that this makes no sense.

“How can we improve the children’s work if we do not correct the errors?” she imagines us asking.

She goes on to explain that when teachers remove themselves from the role of hovering over children to point out their errors, the child is empowered to grow by correcting their own errors. For example, when a child is learning to walk, they don’t need us to point out every time that they fall. They are already inclined to move towards progressive improvement, without us pointing out everything they are doing wrong.

It is easy to step back and ignore errors at an early age. It is much harder to hold back from offering correction as our children grow. However, our corrections, no matter how gentle, can have unintended consequences.

We might think that we need to correct our kids when they write their name all in capital letters, hold up 3 fingers instead of 4 when telling us their age, or when they colour a tree blue.

But what would happen if we didn’t?

Wouldn’t it be possible that they would learn for themselves given time?

Mightn’t they learn to identify errors on their own?

Is it possible that they would also be able to retain their creativity, and find joy in pushing boundaries and experimenting with new things?

I am certain that we can answer yes to all of the above. And decades of psychological research tells us that the answer is yes. My new book, The Parenting Revolution, explores all of that research and helps us understand why this matters.

Nevertheless, it is not only words of correction that can hamper a child’s creative process. Words of praise can have a similar effect.

When we praise our children’s accomplishments, we may stifle their desires to work towards improvement. After all, if we’re already happy with the tree they drew, why would they keep trying?

They may become less likely to take risks and extend themselves, for fear of losing our approbation.

Similarly, if the praise we offer is superficial, such as by simply saying “good job”, or “well done”, or even “what a clever kid you are!”, our children don’t feel seen. Their efforts go unnoticed, and we lose out on helping them appreciate the growth that happened in the learning and creating process.

We sometimes create praise junkies, unwilling to try anything without our approval. In some cases, they infer that they must not be good at something. If they were, we wouldn’t feel a ‘need’ to praise them!

So what are we to do? No correction, no praise? What on earth are we meant to say next time our children show us their drawings?

Try this:

• Narration. Talk through what you see, without judgement, noticing the little details. “I see that you drew a big happy face on the sun in this picture.”

• Ask for their opinion. Intrinsic motivation is far more powerful than extrinsic motivation, and we help them get to their intrinsic motivation by prioritising their opinion over ours. “There’s a lot of different colours in this painting, can you tell me why you chose all those colours?”

• Express gratitude. A sincere thank you never fails. “You drew this for me? Thank you!”

• Say what you see. Describe the emotions you see in your child as a result of what they have done. "You look really happy with the drawing you did".

Much like sticks and stones, words can be powerful. Through them, we can help our children develop a love of learning, a willingness to experiment, and foster their creativity.

Our words matter.

AUTHOR

Dr Justin Coulson

Dr Justin Coulson is a dad to 6 daughters. He is the parenting expert and co-host of Channel Nine’s Parental Guidance, and he and his wife host Australia’s #1 podcast for parents and family: The Happy Families Podcast. He has written 7 books about families and parenting. For further details visit happyfamilies.com.au

Parents Partnerships Leader - Roslyn Mackie

CANTEEN

Helpers Needed

If you have a spare hour on a Wed, Thurs or Fri between 1pm and 2pm, come along and help in the canteen. There is no food preparation involved, it's very simple and the kids love seeing parents there!

You need to have completed the Volunteer Induction, and sign up through CareBookings - www.carebookings.com.au - access code is JGU9L.

Helpers get a canteen voucher for their kids to use for their next lunch order!

Thanks,

Miriam.

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

Term 3 Week 6 - Presented at Assembly 1st of September 2023

Lucas N	Prep BH	Lucas, I am so proud of how hard you strive to work on your writing goal! Keep up the amazing effort!
Sia K	Prep BZ	Sia, I love how enthusiastic you are each morning when practicing to read and write your high frequency words! You are an absolute superstar. Keep up the amazing work!
Otto P	Prep SM	For working so hard on your writing goal. You are showing so much improvement and continuing to work on extending your writing pieces each time. Keep working hard!
Noah L	1GC	For being such a helpful class member of 1GC. Noah you are an excellent role model to your peers, you are always looking out and caring for others. It is lovely to see, keep it up!
Leila C	1JC	You are an amazing reader! We were all so proud of you when you shared and read the book 'Anger is like Armour' to the class. You read so fluently. You are a superstar!
Marley F	1KO	For working so hard to write like an author. Marley, we are blown away how you are using the tricks of authors to begin your stories. Keep up the amazing writing!
Jack O'H	2AD	For applying himself in each area of his learning. You have worked so hard to achieve all your goals, especially your handwriting and researching for your information report. I am so proud of you, Jack!
Tilly F	2JM	Tilly has been an amazing student this year. She is proud of her learning and always enthusiastic in the classroom. Love your amazing attitude to school Tilly, well done!
Patrick H	2LO	For your enthusiasm and hard work during our Maths sessions. Pat, you have worked so hard this term on your addition and subtraction strategies, and I have loved watching you grow. Keep up the awesome work!
Sarah B	2SH	For being an all-round superstar! Sarah, you could absolutely be Student of the Week every single week! You are such a kind, thoughtful and inclusive friend to everyone in our class. Your witty sense of humour and carefree ways brighten our day, every day! Your effort and initiative towards your learning is outstanding. You are amazing! Salute!!!
Holly B	3AK	Holly, you are to be commended for your enthusiasm and willingness to give things a go. Your warm and caring nature along with your ability to interact with your classmates, is first rate. Your attitude and behaviour make you are a GREAT role model for 3AK.
Eliza K	3RM	For the enthusiasm and passion that you show when reading non-fiction information texts about animals. Your excitement in this area and wiliness to share facts you know with your peers makes them excited about learning too, and inspired to discover more.
Bella Z	4DS	Bella, I'm so impressed with the effort you put into your writing. It was absolutely fantastic to see you using onomatopoeia so effectively in your poetry. Your creativity shines brightly.
Liam K	4IH	For the effort you put in to answering the BTN questions on Plastic Waste. I loved how you answered all the questions in full sentences and made sure you took your time to write with neat handwriting.
Maddie L	4JR	I love how you are always willing to extend and challenge your learning in everything you do. Keep up the amazing Effort and Grit.
Chelsea L	5BC	You've shown great enthusiasm during our maths lessons, Chelsea. I love your hard-work and positive mindset!
Stella	5SM	For being so inclusive and caring to those around you. Thank you for your being such a kind soul in 5SM!
Hanbi K	6BS	Hanbi, you have been working so hard to find your voice and challenge your confidence! We love seeing that wonderful personality of yours and hearing your insightful ideas. Keep believing in yourself!
Joshua D	6LR	For being respectful, reliable, engaged, hard working and funny! You are an amazing addition to our class and school.
Ella N	6TS	For being such an enthusiastic and curious learner and leader. I love how focussed and dedicated you are. Always sharing your learning, ideas and progress with us. You are a role model for everyone around you. Keep up the awesome work Ella!
Lenny O (2JM)	ITALIAN	For always coming to Italian with enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. Well done Lenny on your determination to stay focused and complete your tasks.
Xavier S 2AD	MUSIC	Xavier is always super enthusiastic during music sessions. This week, he was able to keep the beat and help his group play a rhythm in time to the music.
Chelsea E 2LO	STEAM	For her incredible question - " Is air microscopic or is it translucent?" I can't wait for you to discover the answer in our next topic Chelsea!

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