Greenhills offers a number of specialist programs in Performing Arts (music), Visual Arts, Library, Physical Education & Sport and LOTE (Italian).

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Music 

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Greenhills offers a fabulous program with strong participation from all students. Music lessons cover a range of concepts including learning about pitch, tempo, timbre, dynamics, form, rhythm and notation. The students sing, dance and play a variety of tuned and non-tuned percussion instruments in their music lessons. They explore music from different genres and cultures and create their own music whether in the form of soundscapes or original compositions.  Music lessons are based on Orff and Kodaly teaching methods.

 

Choirs

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Greenhills offers a comprehensive Choral Program. There are three choirs at the school - 

Grade 3 Choir, Grade 4 Choir and Recital Choir (auditioned choir for students from Grades 4-6). The Recital Choir has developed a wonderful reputation in the wider school community. The choir regularly performs at the Choral@Montsalvat Festival and eisteddfods, including South Street and the Boroondara Eisteddfod. 

 

​School Calypso Band & Marimba Group

The Greenhills Marimba and Calypso Groups run as an extra-curricular ​activity after school one afternoon each week.  Students play an array of instruments including ukuleles, jumbie jams and other tuned and non-tuned percussion instruments. Both groups are run by professional percussionists.

 

Private Music Lessons

Greenhills also offers individual or small group instrumental music lessons with private teachers during school hours. The lesson are provided by qualified music teachers in guitar, flute, piano, violin, clarinet, saxophone and singing.

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Visual Arts

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Our Visual Arts program has a broad, rich objective. The students experience a wide range of art genres, styles, cultures and periods in history, providing a rich base for both exploring students’ own art and responding to the art of others.

In Visual Arts classes, students are provided with opportunities to explore and create in all the seven areas of Visual Arts - drawing, painting, printmaking, modelling, construction, threads and textiles, and collage. Students learn a range of skills, techniques and processes in each of these areas.

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Physical Education

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Greenhills provides a high quality Physical Education program that aims to prepare students for a healthy and active lifestyle and develops skills, knowledge and positive attitudes toward fitness. Our Physical Education staff lead weekly skill-based programs and provide students with a wide range of physical and sporting experiences focusing on the sequential development of fundamental motor and locomotion skills, gymnastics, athletics and fitness.

  

Students in Years 5 and 6 participate in summer and winter inter-school sports each week, competing against local primary schools.

 

Greenhills participates in the district swimming, cross country and athletic carnivals, with many of our students going on to represent the school at district, zone and state levels.

 

Greenhills offers a swimming program for students in years Prep to 4. All students are encouraged to participate in the swimming program to improve their stroke efficiency, water safety awareness and general fitness levels.

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Languages Other Than English (LOTE) - Italian

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Learning a language contributes to the development of skills in thinking and reflection, as well as helping our students become culturally aware. At Greenhills, we offer students the opportunity to learn Italian language and culture, including music, art, food, history and geography.

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Students develop a variety of skills, including:

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• participating in the use of the Italian language

• identifying the names of objects

• introducing themselves, and greeting others

• following simple directions

• understanding some of the differences in how people from Italy eat and dress, gesture, write and say things

• identifying Italian icons, geographic features, famous buildings and cultural practices

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Library

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The Greenhills Library is well-stocked with picture books, junior novels, novels, non-fiction and a variety of reference books. It's an environment where students enjoy reading, especially in our breakout vertical garden and quiet zones. 

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All students visit the library each week with their classroom teacher. This session involves the development of skills needed to locate books and resources for both information and pleasure, as well as an exposure to a variety of literature and authors. Students are also able to borrow library books during the session.

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Students are also able to use the library at lunchtime, to read books, play quiet board games and access computer workstations.

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Every year, the students celebrate Book Week by dressing up as their favourite book characters. The Library also holds regular book fairs. 

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