The music program a offers all children in the school the opportunity to participate in many musical activities.
The school offers several places in the SIM (School of Instrumental Music) program, which includes guitar, brass and flute.
These students get free tuition for 5 years and get many opportunities to perform in ensembles and also the high school concert band.
Our school also has a choir which involves about 50 students from years 6 and 7. The choir performs at many school functions, like the ANZAC Service, NAIDOC, Graduation, the Christmas Concert and several other special occasions. We participate each year in the West Coast Song Fest, which is becoming a very widely known festival with over 30 schools involved.
We have a large number of talented musicians at Hillarys PS so we also have a rock band with about 10 kids. 2 drummers, 2 keyboardists, 1 lead guitar, 1 bass guitar and 5 rhythm guitarists. They are very talented, very dedicated and very loud!
The success of the music program at Hillarys PS is not only because the students work very hard at what they do and they are very dedicated, but in the process, we have a great amount of fun!
Physical education has a high profile in the school with school teams participating in swimming, cross country athletics, triathlon events and winter sporting carnivals. A daily fitness program is encouraged.
Pastoral care is an important part of Hillarys Primary School. It comes under the umbrella of ‘Students at Educational Risk’. We encourage a supportive learning environment both in and out of the classroom and aim to cater for the needs of every student. The Pastoral Care Policy has many components:
Lunch Times: The library has been made available during lunch times four days a week for students to read and play games.
Emotional Support: The classroom teachers are there for all students to talk to when necessary if a problem or personal issue arises. The Administration Staff, in partnership with the School Psychologist, is available for referral of students who need further support and attention.
Mentoring: The School Volunteer Program provides mentors to assist students identified as needing one-on-one assistance, to enable them to effectively access the curriculum. Some students are assisted academically, others are provided with emotional support. The mentor is a ‘special friend’.
Parent Representatives: Every class has an appointed parent representative who liaises between the class teacher and the parent body. They assist with fund raising, parent rosters and befriending new parents to the school.
Peer Mediation: Year 7 students complete the Peer Mediation course and as Year 7 students become Peer Mediators in the Junior School for Terms One to Three.
In Term Four, trained Year 6 students take over from Year 7 students in assisting with playground supervision. The course is an excellent personal development course and valuable to all students.
You Can Do It!/Bounce Back: Sixteen classes have had some exposure to You Can Do It! during 2006 with the Keys to Success being highlighted in the presentation of ‘You Can Do It!’ awards during Term Three. ‘Bounce Back’ is being used in some classrooms to complement You Can Do It!
Restorative Practice: This is being used as part of behaviour management by some staff to resolve conflict situations.
Curriculum Differentiation: Formalising curriculum differentiation documentation has been introduced in 2006 with some
professional development in programming formats.
Rainbows: Three groups have been run in 2006 by trained facilitators. Children who have experienced loss or grief are assisted in a small group situation.
The Parents and Citizens' Association is active in assisting the school meet its plan for the year by providing funds to assist the school budget, in developing the school's grounds and ensuring that uniforms are available for purchase by the students.
Hillarys Primary School has a School Council consisting of seven parents and community members, six staff members and the Principal. Meetings to discuss, monitor and accept the School Plan, the budget and the general functioning of the school are held each term.
Assemblies are held
each Friday at 9.00 am in the undercover area. Each fortnight a
different class is involved in planning and coordinating the running of the
assembly. Certificates of Merit, recognising outstanding achievement
or conduct are presented at the class assemblies.
Parents are are most welcome to attend.
RETURN
Hillarys Primary School Commemoratives
ANZAC Day with a ceremony organized and led by the students. Guest
speakers are invited to recount service experiences and the school choir
performs.
Speak Up is a speaking competition for primary school students. The competition is run by the Penguin Club of Australia and is endorsed by the Department of Education and Training, Western Australia. Hillarys Primary students from Year 1 to Year 7 prepare a formal speech to present to their classmates with the best presenters going on to year level finals. The best speakers from each year level receive a medallion and the senior school finalists move on to district finals. Over the past years, students have been very successful with two students making state finals
Hillarys Peer mediators are valued members of our school community offering assistance in the playground to younger children and assisting them to overcome small dispute situations through the use of resolution strategies. All Year 6 students undergo training and have the opportunity to apply for positions in Term 4 and Terms 1-3 of Year Seven.