Mr Baker's Message
Hello families, and welcome to our third edition of the school newsletter for Term 1, 2026. So much has been happening around the school over the past fortnight! As we head into the coming weeks, there is plenty to look forward to. Our Grades 3–6 students are gearing up for Sports Day. Our Grade 5/6 students are also eagerly anticipating their camp at Campaspe Downs. We also wish our Grade 3 and Grade 5 students all the very best as they undertake NAPLAN in the coming weeks and to top it all off, we’re excited to be part of the Ballan Autumn Festival parade on March 15.
Inform and Empower
Last Wednesday night, we hosted the Raising Kids in a Digital World 2026 webinar. Marty and Carley provided information to support families as we navigate the opportunities and challenges of raising children in today’s digital world. From social media and gaming to online learning and AI tools, technology plays a powerful role in our children’s daily lives. The webinar provided parents with practical strategies to promote online safety, encourage healthy screen habits, build digital responsibility, and foster open family communication. Together, we can empower our children to use technology in ways that are safe, balanced, and positive.
To access the replay video of the Inform and Empower webinar for our parents and carers in the Ballan community, please visit this link.
https://event.webinarjam.com/t/click/81ng0alzbz0fn0un7lwiv4ooig0vfo
Accompanying Resources to webinar: click here
Also, here are Term 1 incursions with information for parents and carers. https://parents.informandempower.com.au/
Contributions Count!
The ongoing improvements around our school are made possible thanks to the generous support of our families through financial contributions. Last year, our PFG and Canteen Volunteers did an outstanding job fundraising, these funds help to subsidise school excursions and camps. We are also very grateful for the voluntary contributions provided by families.
Information about 2026 contributions was sent out at the end of last year together with Booklist items, and we sincerely thank the many families who have already made their payment. Contributions can still be paid via Xuno or at the school office.
If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to contribute or would like further information, please contact the office, we’re happy to help.
Opportunities for Parent Involvement
For those interested in opportunities to connect further with the school, this year there’s a number of ways families can get involved actively in school life including our Parents Club and School Council.
The Parents Club do so many valuable activities including fundraising, our lunch order days, Mothers and Fathers Day gifts, Breakfast Club. Not only do they provide a great service to the school, it is a terrific way to get to know other families in the school community. There’s absolutely no requirement to attend every activity the parents club run, but if you are interested in helping out at some stage during the year, please register your interest at the office.
The other opportunity to formally participate as a parent is through School Council. School Council meets 8 times across the year and support with School Governance. This includes aspects of policy renewal, entering into relevant contracts and licensing agreements (for example cleaning and Before and After School care) and support the Principal in developing the broad vision and strategic direction of the school. Nominations for the establishment of our next school council have been advertised and see the link below. We have parent vacancies available so if you’re interested and have any questions about being a school councillor don’t hesitate to reach out and speak with me.
https://newsletters.naavi.com/issue/NVvLgaN/edit/Jm6zQ9M
Whole School Evacuation Drill
Please be advised that this month, we practised an on-site evacuation drill at Ballan PS. This is a routine safety exercise to ensure the preparedness of students and staff in emergency situations. In future, we will notify families when upcoming evacuation drills will take place.
Photos for the website
You may have heard from your child that a photographer visited the school this week to capture images in classrooms and in the yard. These photos will be used to refresh and update our school website.
Please be assured that we carefully respected the wishes of families whose children have photo restrictions in place. Those students were not included in any photographs. Once we have received and reviewed the images, we will let you know when the updated website is live.
Stay Connected via socials
Remember to like and follow our school on Facebookfor 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.
Bye for now and have a lovely weekend everyone!
Mr James Baker
Acting Principal
Healthy Eating at BPS
