Teaching and Learning

Education Week

Hi Families,

This week marked Education Week from Monday 13th May to Friday 17th May. The theme, Spotlight on STEM, celebrates the importance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in our everyday lives, in the classroom and beyond. At Ballan Primary School, we celebrated Education Week with our excellent Science and Maths programs running throughout the week. Also, on even weeks, our Grade Prep-2 rotations and 5/6 electives run STEM activities which consists of rich learning tasks involving coding in a fun and engaging way.

Learn more about Education Week at www.vic.gov.au/education-week. You'll find some great STEM resources to try at home.

National Simultaneous Storytime

Next Wednesday is National Simultaneous Storytime. National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, family day cares, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country. This year's book is Bowerbird Blues.

Bowerbird Blues, created by Aura Parker, is a beautifully illustrated book that tells the story of a lonely bowerbird in search of something special. They search high and low for it but their search is made all the more difficult because they're not exactly sure what it is that they're searching for - until they find it! For more information about NSS, please visit https://www.alia.org.au/nss.

Ballan PS will be having a special reading of Bowerbird Blues at next week's assembly on Friday 24th May starting at 2.30pm.

Victorian Premiers' Reading Challenge

The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge (PRC) is now open and Ballan Primary School is excited to be participating. Students and teachers have made an excellent start with reading books in class to work towards meeting and exceeding the challenge targets. If you’d like to participate in the challenge at home and log books via the website, please request your child’s login from your classroom teacher.

The Challenge is open to all Victorian children from birth to Year 10 in recognition of the importance of reading for literacy development. It is not a competition; but a personal challenge for children to read a set number of books by Friday 6th September, 2024.

Children from Prep to Year 2 are encouraged to read or ‘experience’ 30 books with their parents and teachers. Children from Year 3 to Year 10 are challenged to read 15 books.

All children who meet the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the Victorian Premier and former Premiers.

To read the Premier’s letter to parents, view the booklist and for more information about the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge, visit: https://www.vic.gov.au/premiers-reading-challenge

Happy reading!

Literacy challenge of the week

The 9 Letter Word Puzzle

Can you work out the 9-letter word that is pictured? Each letter is used exactly once.

How many of the other three or more letter words can you find?

If you can work out the 9 letter word, please come and show Mr Baker.

Book Club

Scholastic Book Club is a service offered to students, parents and teachers. Brochures advertising a variety of books and computer software are sent home with each student, approximately twice a term.

Purchase of the books is not compulsory and there is no obligation. If you do wish to purchase any goods simply log into the Book Club site www.scholastic.com.au/LOOP and follow the prompts. All Book Club orders must be ordered and paid for via LOOP. Do not send order forms and cash to school. When the order arrives at school, books are sent home with students.

The School earns “Bonus Points” for each order which can be used to purchase new resources for classroom libraries and the school library.

Click here for the Scholastic Book Club Parent Log in page or to register for new users.

How to order 

Click on ORDER in the top menu or REGISTER first to save your details for the first time.  Select Ballan PS and your child’s class.  Add your child’s name and last initial. Enter the item number from the brochure.

You can order for multiple children at once. All orders are linked directly to the school.  

Our school receives bonus points, which are redeemed for a variety of books for the children therefore we thank you for your continued support.

If parents wish to collect orders personally from the office, please let the school know.

Please go to www.scholastic.com.au/LOOP and find Ballan Primary School to order or alternatively you can download the LOOP app via the App Store or Google Play.

Happy learning!

Mr Baker