Message from the Principal 

CONSISTENCY & ROUTINE WINS THE DAY

One thing that we have learnt through this whole Covid and remote learning experience is the importance of routine and consistency in our lives. At school this is a vital component of ensuring our students feel safe, secure and supported. I am really proud of the way in which our school staff have worked as a team to make sure our school environment is calm, orderly and structured. Having set routines and rituals in our classrooms plays a big part in this. 

At Greenhills, our students love the routine of seeing what is happening each day listed on the classroom whiteboards, having set classroom norms, rules and expectations and having lessons delivered through our whole school instructional model. Perhaps one of the strongest routines that we are really consistent with and passionate about are our 3 x 15-minute key priority areas of Reading, Numeracy & Student Agency. Not only do these set times provide a daily focus on what we value as the most important parts of an education as Greenhills, they also act as a road map or signpost that help students know what will be happening at specific times…and as the saying goes with these 15-minute sessions in place Greenhills runs just like clockwork!   

AUTISM AWARENESS DAY

Saturday 2nd April is the United Nations sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day. This year marks the 15th annual World Autism Awareness Day. This provides a wonderful opportunity for our school staff to partner with our families and increase the understanding and acceptance of people with autism. 

In our classrooms, our staff will share picture story books such as All My Stripes and short online videos that are aimed at encouraging acceptance, understanding and inclusion. Our aim is not to focus on the particular label of “autism” or identifying individuals but rather build a deeper appreciation across our school that we are all different, we all have different needs and ways of working and learning and that this is one of the great celebrations of life. 

Over next week our staff will also be completing some professional reading around autism. Across our staff team we have a strong level of understanding and commitment to establishing classrooms and a school environment that caters for students with autism. We always strive to grow this and build our toolkit through our professional learning program, our work with specialist staff and professionals with expertise in this area and most importantly with the support our families. 

In the future we are also planning to connect our families who have a child/ren with learning needs across areas like autism. One idea might be a parent focus group to provide an outlet for information sharing, resource building and networking.

If you have any concerns or feedback around our plans for Autism Awareness Day or our idea about a parent focus group please let me know. We do understand the sensitivities around these things and are always happy to work with families to ensure that what we are doing is in partnership with you.

STUDENT AGENCY CONFERENCES

Don’t forget that our Student Agency Conferences are on next Thursday 31st March. At this stage we have over 350 bookings and these will close on Wednesday 30th March. The focus during these conferences will be an opportunity for students to reflect on how they feel about different parts of school, share some learning they are proud of. There will also be an opportunity for the student in collaboration with their teacher and their parent to set a learning goal/s.

The conferences will be held in our classrooms so it will be important for all parents and carers to check in first at the front office, show your vaccination certificate and to also wear a mask during the conference. 

Our book fair will also be open in the Library from 9am – 6pm. This is always a special thing for families to visit together on the day.

ON YOUR BIKES…..RIDE TO SCHOOL DAY & SAUSAGE SIZZLE  

Tomorrow is National Ride To School Day. I am really looking forward to seeing just how many bikes and scooters are in the yard. The GREAT part about the day is not only will our students get a bit more active, but they will also be having a positive impact on our environment. 

Don't forget to join us for our sausage sizzle after school. For more information see the 'GHPS life' page of the newsletter.  

WELL DONE & THANK YOU CAMPERS

Our Year 6’s had a GREAT Anglesea Camp last week. Camps provide our students with a wonderful opportunity to try new things and challenge themselves. It might be having a go on the zipline and facing a fear of heights, working with a group of peers to complete a range of initiative activities involving leadership and teamwork or even simply being able to meet new friends or broaden a friendship group. Our Year 6 Camp is definitely one of the highlights of the year and I know our students will remember the experience long into the future.

These opportunities are only organised thanks to the dedication and commitment of our staff. Our staff are not paid any extra money for the countless extra hours they work (or lack of sleep!). Instead this relies on their goodwill and commitment towards our school. Many thanks to Lynsey Barrett, Becc Stephens, Lauren Richardson, Sam Marmo, Jordan Daley, Janine Hough, Jess Johnston, Rae Turner, Nathan Di Giuseppe and Isabelle Hall.

See you at the BBQ!