All the World's a Stage
(with apologies to William Shakespeare)
At first, the infant,
Scribbling and listening to the parent read
Then the nervous school child, with new backpack
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
The first day to School
And then the Learner
Lapping up Knowledge, with a cheerful song
Made to his teacher’s mantra
Then a tall child
Full of strange thoughts and wonders like the bard
Sharp in Maths, sudden and quick in debate
Unafraid of other’s reputations
Even of the teacher’s mouth
And then the scholar
In fair summer with Tablet PC primed
With eyes wider to new curriculum
And so she plays her part
Now Year 9 shifts
Into the lean and sometimes troubled teen
With trousers loose and shirt undone;
With things to learn but world view not yet wide
Yet still the seeds of learning are sewn
Turning again toward the parent, listens
And sings again sweet song
Last scene of all
That ends this strange eventful history
Is second childishness post-examinations
Sans books, sans pens, sans school, sans everything
Students become Hills Grammarians at different ages and, of course, they can because our students range from three to eighteen years old, boys and girls on one safe and beautiful campus. Whether they enter the Early Childhood Education Centre, Kindergarten, Year 7 or at any other point they are immediately welcome, inspired and engaged in their learning, characterised by a rich and diverse curriculum, a wide array of co-curricular activities and vast opportunities to grow through our focus on wellbeing.
Our student population is diverse in age, in abilities, in backgrounds, in interests and in aspirations. It is our very great privilege to work with each student and it is the responsibility of all members of our community to assist each young person to discover and nurture their talents, passions and skills, ensuring they graduate from our school with a wide range of interests, abilities and increased capacity to take their place and contribute in a rapidly changing world. This School aspiration for each student is captured in the words of our Graduate Aim which allows for both shared and individual outcomes.
In these ways each of our students becomes a Hills Grammar Original whose profile and capacities will be similarly diverse and varied. If a child or young person leaves the School exactly the same as they entered then an opportunity has been missed, wasted or ignored. Our staff and parents have a responsibility to ensure that this is not the case and instead expect, facilitate, encourage and place before the students as many learning opportunities as possible. Similarly, our students have a growing personal responsibility for being alert to the possibilities of a Hills Grammar education, to embrace and create the opportunities, to celebrate their growth, to learn from their failures, to uncover their strengths and discover their passion(s). As a results graduates are equipped, and have a responsibility to use their abilities to serve and positively contribute to the communities of which they are a part, in some cases local, in others national and international.
Our mutual pursuit of the desired outcomes will ensure that a Hills Grammar is truly a place of Extraordinary Education.
Our students are central to our existence. We aim to create the best possible environment to foster their love of learning, their talents and their innate curiosity. Their social and emotional development is essential to all programs at Hills Grammar.