Principal's Report

Dear Families,

I have been so impressed over the past week or so with how our Year 3 and Year 5 students managed the expectations around NAPLAN testing. They were calm and focussed, always trying their best and showed great poise under pressure when the technical systems and network didn't quite behave as it should! I need to also single out the Year 4 and Year 6 students who enabled the classroom environments to remain calm and quiet to allow the Year 3 & 5 students this opportunity. We do not generally receive these results until early Term Three, however they may arrive some time in Term Two. An individual report will be sent home to parents/carers and I cannot stress enough that these need to be taken with a grain of salt and an understanding that they are just one test for one area done on one day very early in the school year.

5/6 D.A.S.H Program

It was a great pleasure to see the culmination of a term's work on Tuesday afternoon when our Year 5 and 6 students presented their D.A.S.H Projects to their parents and other students. Over the course of Term One, we have been fortunate to have staff from the Blue Light Victoria organisation (established by, and associated with, Victoria Police) work with our Year 5/6 students to develop a proposal for a community-based project. Those who attended on Tuesday were able to vote for their "pick" of the proposals and the winning entry/ies will receive funding through Blue Light Victoria to try and bring their project to life - very exciting! We had proposals that ranged from raising fire safety awareness, to mental health kits through to recycling water bottles. It would be amazing to see some of these come to fruition - student voice at its finest!

D-A-S-H (DYNAMIC, ACTIVE, SAFE, HEALTHY)

"DASH is an 9-week program for Years 5 and 6, in which students develop and practise critical competencies through a range of modalities and experiences. The program encourages awareness of local community and builds relationships with community experts. DASH is facilitated in the classroom by Blue Light Victoria and supported by Victoria Police. Blue Light’s long-term relationship with the police provides a unique opportunity for students to engage beyond the school and to interact directly with their community."

2024 Concert

This year Ballarat North Primary School’s 2024 Concert will be held at Ballarat Civic Hall, with performances on both Wednesday 4th and Thursday 5th of September. Further information will be released closer to the date.

End of Term

Lastly, I would like to invite parents and carers, one-and-all to our annual Easter Parade which is being held (weather permitting!) on the basketball court next Thursday, 28th March. It will start at around 9:15am and is one of the highlights of the year - with Mr Firth at his MC-ing best to host the event!

A reminder that this day, Thursday 28th March, is the final day of Term One and the day concludes at 2:30PM. The first day of Term Two is Tuesday 16th April.

I'd like to wish you all a wonderfully restful and happy holiday break. A big second term awaits - with the whole school swimming program starting in the third week of term.

Until I see you in person,

David Garner

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

                                                            -Nelson Mandela