1 August 2024

Dates to Remember

August

September

A Message from Our Principal

I hope our families had a restful and enjoyable winter school holiday break. As we embark on Term 3, I am excited to welcome everyone back to school. We also welcome some new students and their families to HPS. This term is again filled with engaging learning experiences, new challenges, and opportunities for growth.

Winter is in full swing, and with it comes the need to stay warm and healthy. Please ensure your children are dressed appropriately for the colder weather and remind them to practice good hygiene to help keep those winter viruses away.
This includes washing hands regularly, using tissues to wipe runny noses and drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Our value focus for this term is Growth – aspiring to learn, and improving, even when it’s hard.

We believe that growth is not just about learning achievements, but also about personal development, resilience, and embracing new challenges.
We encourage all students to set personal goals, try new things, and reflect on their progress throughout the term.

Our first Hilly Kids are Friendly Kids focus is ‘Growth Mindset’ 

Growth Mindset: This means you believe you can get better at things by trying hard and learning. It’s like saying, “I can’t do this… yet!” but knowing that with practise, you will get better. For example, if you find writing hard, a growth mindset means you keep practising because you know you can improve.

Fixed Mindset: This is when you think you can’t get better at something no matter how hard you try. It’s like saying, “I’m just not good at this,” and giving up.

Students with a growth mindset see challenges as fun puzzles to solve. They know that making mistakes is just part of learning and getting smarter. So, remember, every time you try and practise, your brain gets a little bit stronger! 💪🧠

We have a busy term ahead with various activities and events planned, including Science Week, Book Week and Student Led Conferences.
These experiences are designed to enrich our students’ learning and foster a strong sense of home/school partnership within our school. Please keep an eye on Seesaw, Facebook and our Newsletter for upcoming dates.

Attendance continues to be monitored closely throughout this term. Many students have enjoyed sharing with me that they have set a personal goal to attend every day this term, which is fantastic!

This term’s attendance challenge will see the class with the highest overall attendance rate win a reward. It will require team effort from all members of each class – I wonder which class will win?!

As always, our dedicated and committed staff are here to support your children in their education. We encourage open communication, so please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Let’s make Term 3 another fantastic and productive term!

In partnership,

Georgia

REMINDER – School Levy Payments

School Levy payments are now overdue.  Thank you to those parents/guardian who have already paid these levies.  We would appreciate any outstanding levies to be finalised as soon as possible.  If you require support, please do not hesitate to contact Kathy Birchall, our School Business Manager, through the school office.

Hilly Kids Are Friendly Kids

Our Hilly Kid winner for Teamwork in week 9 & 10 of Term 2

Growth Mindset is our current fortnightly focus

This term our Hilly Kids are Friendly Kids fortnightly focus links to Growth.

What’s Been Happening in 5-6 Hortle & 5-6 Peace?

Hillcrest’s 5/6 cohort is entering its first ever Science Fair, and preparations are full steam ahead!

Have you ever wondered which coloured hair is stronger?
What about which insulated water bottle did the best job?
Or what is the best insulator?

Well, by the end of September we will have the answers to these and more. Watch this space!

Has your child taken on the challenge? If so, be sure to be asking them lots of questions, to prompt lots of discussion about their plans so far.

Term 3 LiL & Pre-Kinder

We have had a great start to our Launching into Learning and Pre-Kinder programs in Term 3.

This term we are excited to be offering the following programs:

Monday 8:40 - 9:00am: Rhyme and Story Time in the school library

In this session, families rotate around a range of nursery rhymes and stories that are set-up in the library space. At the conclusion of the session, we have a shared rhyme and story. Each week children receive a rhyme and game pack and are also able to borrow books from our LiL library.

Monday 9:00 – 9:45am: Mini Movers and Play Gym

Mini Movers is a gross motor program providing the opportunity for children who are three and four years old to engage in a range of gross motor skills. The activities provided help to develop the fundamental skills for future gross motor development and coordination. When children attend 10 sessions, they will receive a mini soccer ball. Congratulations to Lucius, Zaria, Kenzy and Hayley who all received a ball this week.

Alongside Mini Movers, we offer a play gym area for children aged from birth to two years. This area provides ‘tummy time’ activities, equipment and games aimed at developing early gross motor coordination and strength. 

Friday 9:00 – 10:30am: Stay, Play & Explore in the Kindergarten complex

These sessions encourage learning through play and provide children with a rich variety of play experiences which will help them to discover, create, improvise and imagine.  Each week there is a range of sensory experiences, climbing equipment and other games to develop fine and gross motor skills. Each session is concluded with group-time songs and a story.

All of our LiL sessions are open to children from birth to five years and gives you a chance to get to know our school community and develop connections with other families.

This term we are also offering TWO pre-kinder sessions. These sessions will be held on Monday and Friday afternoons from 2:00 – 2:50pm. These sessions are for children who were born in 2020 and will be commencing kindergarten in 2025. These sessions help children to become familiar and feel comfortable in their kindergarten environment and with our kindergarten staff. It also provides them with opportunities to meet other pre-kinder children and engage in learning through play.

For any further information about our sessions, please contact the school office.

Hilly Staff

All about me

Georgia Perry
My Role – Principal
Worked at Hillcrest – Since the start of 2023
What do you like most about our school – supportive, friendly and engaged school community
Pets – a labradoodle, Frankie
Sporting team I follow – Essendon, Tasmanian Jack Jumpers
Hobby in my spare time – Playing netball, running and spending time with family & friends
Fun fact about me – I have snow skied since I was 5 years old, and try to do it at every opportunity
Favourite meal or type of food – Middle Eastern Cuisine
Hidden skill/talent – I can sew
Favourite place I’ve visited – Prague
Would you rather…………….
Beach OR Pool - Beach
Tea OR Coffee – Coffee
Books OR Movies – Movies
Summer OR Winter – Winter
Morning Person OR Night Owl – Night Owl
Cats OR Dogs – Dogs
Theme Park OR Museum – Theme Park

Kathy Birchall
My Role – School Business Manager
Worked at Hillcrest – 3 weeks
What do you like most about our school – the caring and friendly environment
Sporting team I follow – used to be Collingwood, then Hawthorn, then Brisbane. Now I just enjoy a good game of footy.
Hobby in my spare time – walking
Fun fact about me – I can say the alphabet backwards
Favourite meal or type of food – golden syrup dumplings
Hidden skill/talent – I used to swim competitively
Favourite place I’ve visited – Wineglass Bay
Would you rather…………….
Beach OR Pool – Pool
Tea OR Coffee – Coffee
Books OR Movies – Movies
Summer OR Winter – Winter
Morning Person OR Night Owl – Morning Person
Cats OR Dogs – Dogs
Theme Park OR Museum – Museum

Move Well, Eat Well

Playhouse Thursdays

Silly Socks and Beanie Day

Auskick & Superkick

Tuning in to Teens

Hook In 2 Hockey