27 Jun 2023
Principal's Message
NAIDOC Week 2023
At The Hills School we acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which we teach and learn each day, the Dharug people. We pay our deepest respects to elders past, present and emerging and we thank you for sharing your lands with us.
National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. You can support and get to know your local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities through activities and events held across the country. In Week 10 we are joining with members of our local Aboriginal community to bring NAIDOC week to life at The Hills through storytelling, art and connecting with country.
Connecting with our Community
For some time now, The Hills School has partnered with educators across a number of schools under the Schools Plus - Fair Education initiative. Fair Education is a program which helps teachers in diverse environments to engage families and communities in student learning. It comprises of coaching, funding, and ongoing evaluation. The program launched in NSW in 2016 with the support of the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation. We work closely with Clarke Road School and the Far West Network in far western NSW to consider the practice of our various schools and learn from each other in an effort to create education solutions that have impact for our learners. The programs we consider seek to innovate and discover, test and trial. To date the work has focussed on assessment with 2 key pieces of work, the Passport for Learning assessment tool and In The Zone for Learning sensory profiling assessment suite. These tools are embedded in our work as educators. In 2022 we began an extension of this partnership with a consideration of parents as partners in learning and how, as schools, we can enhance parent connection. As a part of this effort, we have engaged part-time Community Support Officer Brigette Baird who is tasked with connecting with families and to improve wholistic supports in the very unique circumstance our community holds. In recent weeks we have held a number of significant events that have been driven out of this project including our post-school options bus trip for parents and carers, NDIS Connection Desk and Community Day this past week - with a guest presentation from the senior Paediatric Dietitian from Growing Early Minds. I would encourage families to keep an eye out for future events and to connect with Brigette through your child's Communication Book if you have any questions about these events or supports such as NDIS, respite and holiday programs etc.
We would like to wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday break and look forward to students returning for Term 3 on Tuesday 18 July. Stay warm!
Mark Gosbell
Principal