From Carol's desk....

The Resilience Project Parent Forum, Monday 7pm

Next Monday evening, March 4th we present The Resilience Project Parent Forum, a must-attend opportunity for parents to participate in and support their child/ren's primary learning journey.

The Resilience Project has been one of the cornerstones of Student Wellbeing in our school since 2016.

It focuses on gratitude, empathy (compassion) and mindfulness to build and promote resilience, which in turn leads to a happier and more fulfilling tilt at life.

On Monday evening we are privileged to welcome the Project's founder and keynote speaker, Hugh van Cuylenburg to talk to parents about The Resilience Project, its foundations and the profound effect it can have on the lives it touches. Hugh is a highly entertaining speaker, with a fascinating story to tell, both personally and professionally. The Resilience Project is now embedded in over 500 schools throughout Australia and has also been embraced by elite sporting codes, as well as large corporate entities.

Fully- supervised babysitting will be available. Please email me at: wyatt.carol.e@edumail.vic.gov.au if you require babysitting.

The Parent Forum is a fun, entertaining and potentially life-changing event. We strongly encourage at least one parent from every family to attend. We promise you'll be glad you made the effort!

Student Leadership

At Croydon Hills Primary School, the development of leadership skills for students in a supportive environment is one of the learning opportunities offered to students. Having effective Student Leaders supports the development of responsible behaviours and allows Student Leaders to be positive role models. There are a range of student leadership opportunities available each year.

We expect our Student Leaders to model responsible behaviours and support the development of a positive school tone. Student leadership includes listening to and being able to clarify the issues of the students they represent and advocating on their behalf. Student Leaders have an increased sense of responsibility to help others and to model leadership principles and values. Trust, autonomy and relationships are enhanced through the development of leadership qualities.

This year we have changed the way we run our Junior School Council (JSC) and all classes except Preps have nominated a student to represent their class at JSC meetings. We aim to improve student voice and encourage the JSC representatives to bring the views of students to the meetings.

It was with great pleasure that we presented our Student Leaders with their badges last week at Assembly and we thank our local MLA, David Hodgett for presenting the badges to the students. David is pictured below with 2019 School Captains Will, Kane, Jasmyn and Isabella.

Maths Active School

Last week at our Presentation Assembly, our school formally received our Maths Active Schools Accreditation from the Maths Association of Victoria (MAV), which was achieved at the end of 2018. MAV CEO, Peter Saffin attended to pass on our plaque, which is displayed at the front of the school. Congratulations to Liam Sommers, our Maths Coordinator, whose passion for maths has ensured that our students develop a love for maths and a whole school approach to teaching maths has been developed.

The key focus areas of our Maths Program includes fostering high student engagement levels, developing problem solving skills, using a wide range of strategies, and ensuring students make real-life connections. Only about 30 schools across the entire state have achieved this recognition from the MAV, and it was outstanding feedback for our school to hear Peter say it was clearly the best application they have ever received. We are very proud of the ongoing opportunities we offer our students in their learning in maths, and becoming a Maths Active School will provide us with more resources and professional learning from MAV to ensure our Maths Program continues to evolve to best meet our students’ needs.

School Council Election Result

Thank you to the parents who have nominated for positions on Council this year. Congratulations to Paul Brophy and Prue Armour on their re-election and to our new parent representatives, Roseda Campbell and Brock Lynch.

From the staff side, congratulations to Leigh Dixon on his re-election and we welcome Dale McInerney. Thanks to Katherine Tapscott for her contributions to Council over the past two years.

Sincere thanks go to Narelle Collins, who has been an outstanding member of Council for many years. Narelle has made such wonderful contributions to our school. She has served on various subcommittees and also as School Council President. She has been a staunch advocate for our students, was always striving to improve facilities and ensure resources were effectively used to support student learning. Narelle was also part of the panel for our School Review and made significant contributions to our School Strategic Plan, representing the parents' point of view but always advocating for the students.

Thanks also to Vanessa Lyndon, who has been on Council for many years and made excellent contributions to the Education Subcommittee and to Ruth Donaldson for her contributions to Council and the After School Care Program.

School Calendars

Our school calendars have been sent home today with the youngest member of each family. Extra copies of the calendar can be purchased at the Office for $5. Thank you to Shane Holloway for organising the calendars.

Carol Wyatt - Acting Principal

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