Teaching and Learning

Supporting student success together

Families play an important role in supporting learning beyond the classroom. Regular conversations about school and open communication with teachers can help children build confidence, resilience and a positive attitude towards learning.

Celebrate wins

Parents and carers are encouraged to recognise what their child has already achieved this year.

Parents and carers can:

• Ask their child what they are most proud of.
• Celebrate effort as well as achievement.
• Highlight strengths such as resilience, curiosity and kindness.
• Remind their child how much they have learned since the beginning of the year.

Focusing on progress helps children recognise their strengths and builds the confidence to keep learning.

Make the most of teacher feedback

Reports are a valuable opportunity for families to reflect on learning and plan for the term ahead.

Parents and carers can:

• Ask their child what they think about their report before sharing their own thoughts.
• Focus on both strengths and areas for growth.
• Revisit teacher feedback throughout the term to celebrate progress.
• Identify areas where additional support may be helpful.

Regular conversations between families and teachers help ensure children receive consistent support at home and at school.

Set goals together

Small, achievable goals can help students stay motivated and focused.

Parents and carers can:

• Ask their child what they would like to achieve this term.
• Break larger goals into smaller, manageable steps.
• Set aside time to reflect on progress through conversation or journalling.
• Celebrate milestones along the way.

Taking time to reflect helps children recognise how far they have come and identify what they want to work towards next.

Literacy Intervention Program

This term, we are pleased to again offer a targeted Literacy Intervention Program for selected students who would benefit from additional support with reading, spelling and writing.

The program will run throughout Terms 3 and 4 and will be delivered by our qualified intervention teacher, Allyson Kelly. Students will participate in two 30-40 minute sessions each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, either individually or in small groups of up to five students.

Our reading and spelling intervention uses the Multi-Sensory Structured Language (MSL) approach. MSL is an evidence-based method that explicitly teaches reading and spelling together, helping students develop strong literacy foundations through structured, sequential and multi-sensory learning experiences.

Students may also participate in a Talk for Writing intervention. This approach develops writing by first building students' oral language skills. Through the sequence of Imitation, Innovation and Invention, students learn the language patterns and structure of quality model texts before applying these skills to create their own writing. As their confidence grows, students progress towards writing independently on topics of their own.

We look forward to supporting our students as they build confidence and develop the literacy skills they need for success.

Literacy and Maths Challenge

Get your brain buzzing every day with our Wordle and Numble Challenge of the Day - fun, quick puzzles to sharpen your vocabulary and number skills at home!

Wordle - https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html

Numble - https://numble.wtf/

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. 

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

You can have a look at the online catalogue here: https://scholastic.com.au/book-club/book-club-parents/issue-preview/. 

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, 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!

James Baker

Assistant Principal - Teaching and Learning

james.baker@education.vic.gov.au 

Ph: 5368 1072