Season's Greetings

Dear Ballarat High School Community,

It has been a pleasure to return to onsite learning this year. We know that learning inside a school is not only about academic learning but also enhances social and emotional learning.

The greatest gift you can give your child is an education. The research tells us Year 9 literacy and numeracy results are the best indication of school completion and life after school. We also know successfully completing Year 12 is another strong indicator of success after school.

It has been pleasing to see the increase in school-based apprenticeships as a flexible pathway of gaining an apprenticeship and staying at school and completing Year 12.

This year we have seen the return of many extra-curricular activities at school. These include sports, school production, music cabarets, debating, public speaking, camps, Art / Technology showcase evenings, science days, maths competitions, ancient civilizations nights, etc the list goes on. Next year we are planning a return of international travel and hopefully improved weather will allow Energy Breakthrough to occur. 

Our community has been challenged by the impact of Covid and the flu season which has resulted in a higher absence rate for students and staff alike.

It has been gratifying seeing students and staff embracing a return to school rituals, routines, values and expectations with less reliance on technology and a realisation of the importance of developing social skills.  The theme all year has centred around kindness.

We are now at the final stages of our recent capital works $8M building project and should see less disruptions in 2023. The amazing efforts of our community this year have placed us in a strong position for the 2023 school year.

May I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.  We look forward to working with you all again in 2023.

Gary Palmer

Principal