Around The Rooms

Senior Team

3 Way Literacy Group Novel Study

In the Senior Team we have started our 3 way Novel studies, these sessions happen on Monday's and Thursday's with a focus on vocabulary, sentence structures, inferring, evaluating and Author's purpose. Some of the novels we are working with this term are Storm Boy, Rivet Boy & The Iron Giant.

Cross country trials begin next week on Wednesday Lunchtimes with assistance of our House Captains, looking for the top 4 boys & girls in 12+yrs, 11yrs & 9/10yrs age divisions. Selected students will need families to take them to Ballarat High to compete on Friday 9th May.

NAPLAN is coming up in Weeks 7, 8 & 9 for our Grade 5s (and the Grade 3s), and we are preparing students so they should feel confident to give it their best shot. Teachers will be on hand to support students throughout the process. Please organise student headphones before these dates (also needed for ongoing use in the classroom)

Senior Sport

Our brand new house captains enjoyed putting the 5/6 students through their paces last Thursday with a range of fun and challenging games. Activities such as number basketball, tug of war and jailbreak proved to be a fantastic way to end our Thursday afternoon. The great teamwork was also on full show. Well done senior team!

Middle Years Team

We can't wait to meet with families for Parent/Teacher 3 Way Interviews on Friday! If you have not yet made a time, please do so. Alternatively, teachers will fill in any missing days and let you know when we have made the interview. Please do let teachers know if you can't make your interview and stick to allocated times - some families will have multiple consecutive bookings and can't get held up.

Dates for our SWIMMING PROGRAM have been announced for Term 2, occurring on Fridays in May (2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd & 30th May). More information will follow.

NAPLAN is coming up in Weeks 7, 8 & 9 for our Grade 3s (and the Grade 5s), and we are busy revising previously covered content, practising efficient strategies for computation, reading/answering the type of test questions likely to be encountered, and composing narrative and persuasive texts. Students will be well prepared and should feel confident to give it their best shot. Teachers will be on hand to support students throughout the process. Please organise student headphones before these dates (also needed for ongoing use in the classroom)

Reminder that students’ personal belongings and toys should not be coming to school. The school does not have insurance for these items, and they provide an unwelcome distraction to students’ learning. If items must come to school, teachers will need to take care of them in student no go zones (e.g., teachers’ own desk). Reach out if you have questions - there are accommodations we can make for small fidget toys/other sensory tools, but they need to be discreet (small enough to fit in hand/pocket) and approved by teachers.

Middle Years students have enjoyed their 1st S.A.K.G.P. session for the term. Thank you to those parents/family members and others who have already volunteered to help, we are still seeking more volunteers as these sessions will run best with plenty of adult help on hand.

Junior Team

Better Buddy Program Kicks Off with Fun and Friendship!

We are excited to announce the start of our Better Buddy Program at Ballan Primary School! This special initiative pairs our older students with younger buddies, fostering friendships, leadership, and a strong sense of community.

Last week, all students met their buddies for the first time, and the excitement was contagious! Smiles, laughter, and teamwork filled the school as buddies got to know each other through fun activities. It was wonderful to see our older students stepping into their mentoring roles, making their younger buddies feel welcome and supported.

We look forward to many more fantastic buddy sessions throughout the year, filled with learning, teamwork, and plenty of fun!

Specialists

Physical Education

It has been a great start back to the school year in Physical Education. We have begun by establishing class expectations and routines. We have played new warm up games, focusing on listening to instructions and the whistle. Prep have played Robbers Nest, Grade 1/2 Kickball and Grades 3-6 Ultimate Frisbee. We have also worked on fitness and skill rotations, with a focus on hand eye coordination and endurance. Activities have included running, catching, shooting, skipping, obstacle course, boxing, hurdling and balance boards.

Marcus Murrell

Science

Students are excited to begin learning about Earth and Space Science this term. We are trialling a new learning program called 'Inquisitive', where we work between whole class learning and individual online activities.