Mr Baker's Message
Hello families, and welcome to our first school newsletter for Term 1, 2026.
It’s a privilege to introduce myself as the Acting Principal of Ballan Primary School for Term 1 in Lachlan Carlyle's absence. I feel incredibly honoured to be rejoining the school after a semester away at another school, and I have greatly enjoyed catching up with staff, students, and families this week.
It has been a wonderful first week back at school. Students have settled in beautifully with their new classroom teachers and have begun our Learning to Learn program with enthusiasm. A very warm welcome to our Prep students, along with all new students and families who are beginning their school journey at Ballan Primary School. We are delighted to have you as part of our community.
Staffing Update
Over the summer holiday break, we have had some staffing changes for Term 1. Mrs Roisin Mauriks has been appointed Acting Assistant Principal and will continue to oversee wellbeing across the school.
Ms Madison Nicholls is stepping up as Acting Learning Specialist and will oversee teaching and learning in Term 1. During this time, Julia Walker will be teaching in 5/6N. However, to ensure a consistent and settled start to the term in the first two weeks, Miss Nicholls and Ms Walker will be team teaching.
Marcus Murrell has acquired another teaching job and has left Ballan Primary School. For the first two weeks we will be ensuring that 5/6M has a consistent start, with Mrs Deb Hunter leading the class for that timeframe. PE classes are being led by casual relief teachers during this time. The school is currently recruiting for the classroom teacher role for 5/6M, and we are very confident in replacing the position quickly.
Bell times
This year, we have made some adjustments to our bell times that we would like to inform you about. Our morning session will now run slightly longer before the first play break. During this session, students will have opportunities to take fruit and healthy snack breaks.
Eating breaks will now consist of lunch being eaten earlier in the day at midday, followed by snacks during the final session. The first and second play breaks (formerly known as recess and lunchtime) will both be 30 minutes in length.
As a school, we recognise that these are significant changes for our students, staff, and families to our daily schedule. We understand that it may take some time to adjust following the holidays; however, we are confident that this timetable will soon become our new norm. As a staff, we will continue to adjust our classroom schedules to ensure we are meeting the needs of our students, particularly in relation to timing with eating breaks and fruit/healthy snack breaks.
Students may arrive from: 8:45 am, gates open
School commences: 9:00 am
Session 1: 9:00 - 10:00am
Session 2: 10:00 - 11:00am
Session 3 (part A): 11:00 - 11:30am, Spelling
First play break: 11:30 - 12:00pm, outside play
Eating break: 12:00 - 12:15pm, lunch in the classroom
Session 3 (part B): 12:15 - 12:45pm
Session 4: 12:45 - 1:45pm
Second play break: 1:45 - 2:15pm, outside play
Eating break: 2:15 - 2:25pm, snacks in the classroom
Session 5: 2:15 - 3:15pm
School Finishes: 3:15 pm
Drop off and Pick Up
The gates for student and parent access will be open 8:45-9:00am by leadership staff and reopened at 3:05pm by our school captains until 3:30pm. Outside of these hours, all gates will be locked.
Accessing the school:
- Gates that will be opened: top gate on Duncan Street (near Grade 2/3 classrooms), bus/bike rack gate on Edols Street and the two footpath gates on Steiglitz Street.
- Main Reception: parents and visitors should enter through the front doors of the main building to speak to Martina and Ellen in the office. The front door is not an entry point for students into the school unless accompanying a parent/guardian to the front office.
Open Afternoon
Save the date:
We warmly invite you to our Welcome Teddy Bear’s Picnic and Open Afternoon on Monday 9th February, from 2:30–4:30pm.
From 2:30pm, classrooms will be open for families to visit, join in activities, and spend time with the students and their classroom teachers.
At 3:15pm, the school bell will ring for end of day dismissal. Families are then encouraged to stay on and enjoy the afternoon. Please feel free to bring along a teddy bear and a picnic blanket while the children play in the school grounds.
This is a wonderful opportunity for families to come together, connect with one another, and meet our teaching staff as we begin the school year. The afternoon will conclude at 4:30pm.
We really hope you can join us for our first whole-school community gathering of the year.
Assembly
Our first Monday afternoon assembly will take place next Monday 2nd February. At this assembly, we will officially welcome our new Prep students and returning staff, and our student leaders will be presented with their badges. We hope you can join us for a 2:45 pm start in the school gym.
Finally, if there are any families who are handy at putting things together (unlike me!), we have a table tennis table that needs assembling. It’s a 2-3 person job. If anyone would be happy to help, please let either myself or the office know.
Stay Connected via socials
Remember to like and follow our school on Facebook for the latest snippets and updates, news and photos from the classroom and school yard in between newsletters. It’s a great way to keep connected with what’s happening at Ballan PS. Remember to always view Xuno notifications as they pop up.
Have a lovely weekend everyone!
Mr James Baker
Acting Principal