Ryan’s Rambling 

Dear Families,

Welcome back to Term Three! In true Ballarat fashion, our students were welcomed back to blustering winds and icy cold rain. Luckily, our students are so resilient! They quickly settled back into learning routines and reconnected with friends and teachers. It really was great to see all their smiling faces again. 

Our staff spent Monday deeply embedded in Numeracy learning. Working alongside our educational consultant, Andrea Hillbrick, our staff were able to reflect and plan for improvement in key aspects of our Numeracy instruction. A particular focus was how we are adequately engaging all students at the beginning or ‘Lauch’ phase of our maths lessons, and subsequently, how we are consolidating learning during the ending or ‘Discuss’ phase.  Our staff’s enthusiasm was very evident across the day and I am looking forward to seeing our mathematics come to life this semester. 

NAPLAN results have been sent home to parents this week. Our school is extremely proud of our results again this year, with so many of our students achieving very high standards. We always remind parents and students that NAPLAN results are not a measure of how amazing each and every one of our students are. I would shudder to think that undue pressure is being put on children to perform during these tests. We only ask that our students do ‘their best’ no be ‘the best’. 

Many of our students excitedly returned to school to find that the toilets had been painted in bright, beautiful colours. Over the school holidays, Dee, Louise and Jess Booth have been busy dedicating their personal time to giving our student toilets a much-needed facelift. 

Our School Production rehearsals are now in full swing. It is such an exciting time for our students and our school. Tickets for the production will hopefully be on sale next week, so please keep an eye out for them.  At this early stage, the real help that parents can provide is to keep speaking positively about the production and supporting your child to practise their dance at home. The quicker we can get all students familiar with their moves, the more polished we can make the event, and, ultimately, the more enjoyable it will be for all. 

Finally, we are still well within the depths of Winter, and the weather isn’t looking to give us much of a break anytime soon. Sadly, we still have students who are being diagnosed with influenza along with other respiratory issues. Please continue to encourage your child to practice good hygiene and please let the office know if your child is unwell. 

Have a fantastic weekend and stay warm!

Ryan