Welcome to the start of the 2025 academic year to all our new and returning families.

It is so good to have our students back on-site after a summer that has seen plenty of growth spurts, a plethora of hairstyle changes and a fair bit of growing up, especially for our senior students.

At the time of writing, I have just attended my final of six year-level assemblies; I’ve got around to two thirds of the classrooms; and seen over 1400 students interact as a whole school on the yards and playing fields for their first recess of the year.

There is an excited buzz around the place that is natural at the start of any school year, but this year feels slightly different…

Maybe it’s due to the instant connection and cohesion that has occurred in the ALC/Year 7 Centre. On Monday morning, without a raised hand or the need for shushing, close to 280 students waited attentively and respectfully, crossed-legged, in an assembly to start the week off together. A lot of thought, planning and time has been put into preparing the space and agreeing on common routines to help ease the transition from primary to secondary school for our students. The sharing of information between primary schools and BHS has been essential. However, nothing beats the forging of strong relationships from day one as that sense of belonging and connection is vital and we recognise that the better we can know our students the more support we can give them.

The building of relationships for old and new students at the start of the year matters in so many ways: in some instances, it may be a new school or sub-school; a new set of classmates or teachers; or the chance to move forward with a fresh start and a new beginning. A critical component in providing the best educational experiences for our students is how we work with families to support them. I was exceptionally pleased to see over 80% attendance at the Learning and Wellbeing Interviews, especially when considering the competing demands placed on families, as well as work commitments. As a newly appointed member of the Year 9 Team (Go 9D!), I appreciated the opportunity to talk to parents and students about what each individual student will need to ensure that they have a successful year. High school, at whatever stage, has its challenges that students may not find easy sharing. I have stated this sentiment so many times, but our school exists solely for our students and we must mobilise all our time, our resources and our effort to help them on their journey. For our families to commit to this from Day 1 is a strong statement regarding our intent for the year: to work as a partnership. For those families who were unable to make appointments, please feel free to reach out to our pastoral care team to make that all important connection.

In different ways, to different groups of students, I have spoken about the importance of ambition and aspiration so many times in these first few days: about our students having a belief in the power of their own dreams to help influence their direction. We want all our students to appreciate that they have the tools and opportunities to shape their future and that, ultimately, it is them alone who chooses their pathway. All our students have the potential to achieve the success that matters to them, but we want them to see that things can truly happen for them when they access the support on offer and take on board the encouragement that we, the partnership of school and families, can provide for them. Our students should hold their head up with pride and see themselves as equals or betters of any of their peers across Ballarat, our state, or our country. BHS students have a legacy of being the difference within their community and this is a tradition that our current students are more than capable of honouring.

But as well as reminding our students of their potential, I also made a commitment to each of them to honour their right to learn and grow and pursue their dreams within a safe and encouraging learning environment. If their dreams truly matter - and they do - then they cannot be obstructed by disruptive behaviour; bullying or unkindness; language designed to hurt; exclusion from social groups; or through a lack of support. In life, mistakes are meant to be made as part of the learning process but once learned they should not be repeated.

I am so excited about the year ahead: of updating you on the many successes and achievements of our students; of sharing our teachers’ application in the classroom of the science of learning; the tournaments, performances and competitions; the student leadership and impact throughout our community; and the way in which our students thrive as respectful, responsible and proud members of Ballarat High School.

Stephan Fields

Principal

Privacy at BHS