Message from the Principal
James Penson
WELCOME TO COUNTRY & SMOKING CEREMONY
Last Friday we held an incredibly special event for our school. This was a Welcome to Country ceremony with Uncle Colin Jnr Jnr Wurundjeri elder and Ganga Giri a famous didgeridoo player.
Thank you to everyone who attended including MP Vicki Ward and our families and friends. We would also like to give a special shout out to our Year 6 leadersBella, Lois, Vivian & Layla who hosted the assembly. They did a wonderful job.
A "Welcome to Country" ceremony is important for us at Greenhills because it acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land. It helps us create an inclusive environment, fosters understanding, and gives our students a deeper appreciation for the history and heritage of the land on which our school stands. Most importantly it is also one way of modelling Respect which is one of our core values. By encouraging students to understand and value cultural differences we can all help to create a more harmonious and respectful school community.
MEET WITH THE PRINCIPAL TEAM
Keep the date free: Wednesday 5th March at 7.30pm. This will be our Term 1 Mid-Term Meet with the Principal Team. The session will be held via Webex with the link sent out shortly. Some of the topics that we will cover include:
- How we are communicating with you about your child’s progress
- How we teach students to be organised learners
- The wellbeing support across the school
- Suggestions and feedback
Hope to see you there!
STUDENT SAFETY – MINE STREET KISS & DROP & GREENHILLS RD CORNER
We have noticed that some parents are parking in the drop off zone in Mine Street between 8am and 9.30am and walking their children up to school. This means that our “Kiss & Drop” zone cannot work as it should. The six carparks in this area have been set up to allow a flow of traffic and when everyone follows these rules, our students can get to school on time and more importantly, get there safely!
Alarmingly, I have also received news from parents that we have families parking on the other side of Greenhills Road across from the laneway (back entrance or “Pumpkin Patch”). Some are even parking in the “No Standing” area right at the bend. It has also been reported that some of our students are running across this section of the road to get to and from school. This is an extremely busy time on this road and as such this presents an extremely dangerous situation. We do not want and cannot wait for there to be an accident until this message needs to be listened to and followed. The crossing is only a short distance up the road! Please follow all the road rules and in doing so, set an example to your own children and our school community about how to get to and from school safely!
And on this note, we have heard that our local council officers will be regularly patrolling the area around our school and issuing ticket and fines to those who are not following the rules.
PARENT ASSOCIATION 2025
Thank you to everyone who attended our first PA meeting for the year last Tuesday night. It is GREAT to be part of a school that has such terrific parent involvement. At the meeting, the following office bearers were elected:
Convenor: Melanie Lucas
Treasurer / Secretary: Emma Oliver
This term we can look forward to our end of term BBQ on Friday 28th March. Other plans this term include an Easter Raffle and Hot Cross Buns drive. The team also discussed options around our plans to hold a Spring Fair in the form of a twilight event by building on the format of the mini fair that we ran two years ago. Other events in the pipeline include Mothers Day/Special Person's stall, a potential Mother’s Day/Special Person's special night out, Father’s Day/Special Person's Breakfast, Hoyts movie ticket fundraiser and a disco.
I will outline the full calendar of PA events for this year once they have been approved by our 2025 School Council and the next PA meeting is on Tuesday 18th March at 7pm in the staffroom.
WORKING BEE SATURDAY 1ST MARCH
Each term we host a school community working bee. Our focus for Term 1 is on a big garden bed tidy up.
Looking after our school grounds is always a challenge and our working bee’s help to ensure that our school looks as great as the community it serves.
Please let us know you can assist by logging into CareBooking by Thursday 27th February. This will help us to plan out what we can achieve on the day.
Booking Code: JGU9L
If you have any garden tools, wheelbarrows etc. please bring them along. All students that attend with their families will receive a $5 canteen lunch voucher.
James Penson,
Principal.
