Principal's Report
276 eager, expectant and slightly anxious year 6 students sat on the stepped area of our main gym on Tuesday of this week, many of whom were strangers to each other. With a consistent message to be kind and respectful, to be open to opportunities, prepared to say hello and make friends, they started their six-year journey at Ballarat High School.
Sorted into form groups from A-L, they spent the day creating the first of so many core memories that they will share with each other; creating memories that will help define them as people. Teachers had prepared activities aimed at bringing down any barriers that may still have existed and, along with getting straight into learning and familiarising themselves with a school much bigger than any of them will have experienced so far, they spent time with our amazing 2026 Year 10 Peer Mentors who will be there for them to provide guidance and advice in the coming year.
They got to know the space that will be their base for next year and the staff that will be there to support them.
We got to know their names.
We got to see them open up and connect.
We got to see those first tentative steps of what an exciting six years with us will be.
So much goes by so quickly on days like this, but they are incredibly important in making our newest students feel connected and feel that they truly belong.
Our orientation process is not about just this one day- this year has seen an increase in visits to our feeder schools and more opportunities for students who will benefit from more frequent visits to our school to attend in small groups and take part in sessions designed to build their confidence and openness to making new friends.
As we want our students to feel that they have an advocate at school, so too do we want our families to know that we value their role in a partnership with the BHS staff to secure the best futures for our students. It has been so valuable for me, personally, to meet and discuss student needs and parent aspirations in the many tours we have run- amidst all of the hustle and bustle of the day it was great to meet parents at the end of the day to say hello.
At BHS, we don’t want to lose that important connection that occurs naturally at the primary school gates at drop-off and pick-up times. Our belief that all students can experience success and good academic, social and emotional growth in their time at Ballarat High School depends so much upon the partnership between home and school and we know that the stronger this relationship, the better we can guide our students down the road ahead.
WE do not underestimate the privilege it is to have families choose our school as their secondary school destination.
In sending their child to Ballarat High School, families are making a choice that they want their child to become a young adult who is kind and considerate, who has dreams and aspirations, and who will be proud of their achievements, respectful of others and have the responsibility of owning their own behaviour by doing good for others. For our part, we will do all we can to repay that debt of trust and nurture our students into individuals who can chart their own course through life and make a difference in the global and local community.
And in a week that saw us say ‘hello’ to our future students, we also close the last chapter of the Class of 2025’s time with us. Though our VM students will have known for some time the outcome of their studies, for our VCE students today was results day.
Congratulations to Nuaym Haque who is our Dux for 2025!
It was a real privilege to phone him this morning to share the news and congratulate him.
Like every one of our graduating students, we are incredibly proud of him and know he will go onto great things. This cohort had the most challenging start to high school contending with the disconnection and isolation of Covid.
But they came through and made such a positive difference to our school.
We wish them all success in the future and hope they know the mark that they have left on Ballarat High School.
And so, another year ends and a new one waits in the wings with a fresh group of Year 7s, with school bags bigger than their entire bodies, and Year 12s itching to secure the dreams that lie beyond graduation.
I wish the whole of the Ballarat High School community a safe and relaxing holiday period and look forward to seeing all 1500+ students back on site and ready to make 2026 our best year yet!
Stephan Fields
Principal