Around the classrooms

3/4s with Ms. A & Mr. M 

It has been a busy start to the year, and a lot is happening in the coming weeks. This week, most importantly, we had our Parent/Teacher 3 Way Interviews, and we loved the chance to meet with our families, to get to know you and your children more, to celebrate our learning so far, to set goals and make plans for a great year! If you were not able to make it that day, please get in touch via XUNO or email and we will try and work out an alternative. 

Our big focus for the start of the year is always School Wide Positive Behaviours. Taking the time to explicitly teach and reinforce the behaviour expectations we need for school to be a safe, welcoming and enjoyable place for everyone to learn. You will have received the 1st progress report for your child; a settling in comment, talking about our values and what we have seen our students demonstrate, as well as areas for future development. We are immensely proud of how well our students have settled in so far and are looking forward to a fabulous year together.

Being a learner is what our classroom expectations are all about. Students have been learning classroom routines for being ready to learn and behaviours that optimise focus and content retention. 

Sports Day at Mason's Lane is coming up on Monday the 2nd of March. We look forward to seeing our students in their house colours, demonstrating their best sportsmanship and supporting each other to do their best and enjoy the day. Parent volunteers are very welcome and really help the day to run smoothly and be lots of fun. Please let your child's teacher know if you are able to come and help.  Make sure you are bright and early to school as the bus will be leaving very soon after 9:00 a.m.

Prep, One, Two

Mr Ross, Miss Harney & Miss Leehane

Preps are now attending school full time. While we know many of the Preps loved their Wednesdays off, starting next week, students will come to school each day. 

Some things to keep in mind for the remainder of the term. 

Your child might be extremely tired – this is normal. It is best not to plan too many afternoon activities in Term 1.

●Don’t keep your child home unnecessarily, as this can impact on your child’s learning and settling in process. However, if your child is sick, please keep them home to avoid other students becoming sick.

●Speak to your child’s teachers about any concerns you may have – but also give your child a chance to settle and adapt to their new environment. This is a huge change!

●Regularly check communication from the school and classroom teacher to ensure that you are well informed about school events and anything you may need to know about assisting your child at home.

Term 1 can be a very emotional term for the Preps, it is a huge change that they are experiencing. New faces, surroundings, routines and expectations. It can all become a bit overwhelming and there may come a point, usually after their first full five-day week in March, where they decide that they no longer like going to school. The novelty of school has worn off, and they are just a bit done. Please know that this is completely normal and to be expected. Just be ready for tired and emotional little people on that Friday afternoon.

We had Michaela Settle, our local MP, come for a visit to meet our newest school students and handing out Prep bags. There is something really special about seeing children at the very start of their learning journey.

Michaela said "It was such a joy to spend time with the preps, share stories, and help send them off with a bag full of books and school essentials as they begin this exciting new chapter. Wishing all our Ballan preps a happy year of learning, friendships and discovery.

Reading opens doors to imagination, confidence and curiosity, and it is one of the most powerful ways we can support a lifelong love of learning."

Finally, Over the past few weeks, we have been working hard on learning about our emotions and developing our classroom agreements. Students have explored how different feelings look and feel, and discussed positive ways to respond to them in a school setting.

Together, the class collaborated to create a shared set of expectations that will help foster a positive, safe and supportive learning environment for everyone. It has been wonderful to see students contributing thoughtful ideas and taking ownership of the kind of classroom community they would like to be part of.

Our classroom contract is proudly displayed as a bright sun in our room. Each student’s name forms a ray of light around the sun, symbolising their commitment to our shared agreements. This was their special way of “signing” the contract and showing that every individual plays an important role in helping our classroom shine.