Principal's Update

Angelika Ireland

ANZAC Day Commemoration

On our first day back for Term 2, we held our annual ANZAC Day Commemoration service, marking the 108th anniversary of the landing of the ANZACs at Gallipoli.

Our School Captains laid a school wreath under the flagpole which is next to our Gallipoli Oak planted in the garden bed. This tree is a descendant of acorns sent home by a soldier at Gallipoli in 1915 and provided to us by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria), supported by the RSL and other sponsors. Some classes made a wreath to lay at the flagpole.  Our students participated with the respect, deserved by the occasion. Thank you to our school captains, Sujata Symons and Brett McGinniskin for leading the service. The spirit of this service is about honouring the courage of soldiers who fought for the freedom of their country.

Coming Soon........Student Led Conferences

The staff and students of Greenvale Primary have been working hard to develop Learner Agency. 

Learner agency refers to the feeling of ownership and control that learners have over their own learning. When students believe their actions can make a difference, they become more confident, engaged, and effective learners. When learners have agency, they have the power to make decisions about their learning in areas such as goal setting, sequencing and prioritising. Increased learner agency leads to increased intrinsic motivation for learning, increased creativity, improved higher-order thinking and overall achievement.

To support our Learner Agency journey, we will be moving away from the traditional Parent Teacher Conferences which are held mid-year to a Student Led Conference.

Traditional Parent Teacher Conferences are an opportunity for the parents and the teacher to meet and discuss the Semester 1 report. 

Student Led Conferences are a little different. They are an opportunity for students to reflect on and discuss evidence of their learning and growth by presenting work samples to their parents in a teacher-supported discussion. 

There are many benefits to Student Led Conferences, such as:

• Students learn to be an effective and confident presenter. Student Led Conferences are led by the student from start to finish. The student explains to their parents and teachers what they are achieving, what they are struggling with, and what they need to succeed.
• Students take responsibility for their own learning and learn how to advocate for themselves in a highly supported, risk free environment by setting goals. An essential part of Student Led Conferences is the practical skill of goal development that the student must take part in to start the process. When goals are created by the student, they will likely take a personal interest in achieving and monitoring these goals. 
• Promotes collaboration between home and school. Students will discuss their goals and what they need to do at school and at home to achieve these goals. Students feel supported as everyone is working together to ensure they are successful in achieving their future goals. Everyone present is also celebrating the learning and growth they have already demonstrated. 

Student Led Conferences will look a little different in each year level. Teachers will be working with students to prepare them for an age-appropriate conference. For example, Foundation teachers will highly support and guide their students. Year 5 and 6 teachers may only have to provide their students with a prompt. Older students will have more autonomy and responsibility and younger students may have more teacher structure.

Teachers and students will be working diligently on this new format this term. We are very excited about our new format and hope that you are too. After our Student Led Conference we will be seeking feedback from parents about this new format. We look forward to hearing from you then.

Student Attitude to School Survey

The Attitudes to School Survey Years 4-6 will be open to complete from Thursday 4 May to Friday 9 June. 

We value student voice as a means to improving student engagement, wellbeing and quality instruction and are offering our Year 4 to 6 students an opportunity to participate in the Department of Education and Training survey to find out what your child thinks of their school. 

The AtoSS is an annual student survey developed by the Department to assist us to gain an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school. Students will be asked about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, their learning, peer and family relationships, resilience, bullying, mental health and wellbeing, physical activity, and life in general. 

Food for Thought

Angelika Ireland