Newsletter November 12th, 2024

St Brigid's Primary School Ballan wishes to acknowledge respectfully the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live, work, learn, play and gather. We pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.

Yesterday, our senior students attended the Remembrance Day Service at the Ballan Cenotaph. Our School Captains Kiara, Flynn and Esther presented a speech at the service and took part in the laying of a wreath on behalf of our St Brigid’s Community.

Dear Parents and Families,

World Kindness Day, observed on November 13th each year, is a global celebration dedicated to the transformative power of kindness. This day is a wonderful reminder that small acts of kindness can create a ripple effect, positively impacting our community and beyond.

This Friday 15th November at 2:30pm, we will celebrate World Kindness Day. Part of this day will be the facilitation of a colour run. On this day, children are invited to wear casual clothes including a white or black tshirt that can be coated in colour. This year we are hoping to raise money to purchase outside play equipment and  furniture for our recently paved area.

Why is kindness so powerful? Research shows that being kind not only improves the well-being of those around us. Kindness can reduce stress, improve mood, and help build stronger connections with others. At our school, we believe that kindness is the foundation of a healthy, supportive learning environment.

As we celebrate this day, we encourage everyone in our school community to reflect on how a simple act of kindness can brighten someone’s day and make our world a better place. Let’s take this opportunity to spread kindness, today and every day!

Have a wonderful week,

Jayne

Each year, teachers undertake the work of creating class lists for the following year and many hours are spent on this task. Please be assured that teachers use their professional knowledge of students and their professional knowledge of what is best for each individual child when considering groupings.

I can confirm that our 2025 class structure will be as follows:

1. Foundation
2. Foundation
3. Year 1
4. Year 2/3
5. Year 2/3
6. Year 4/5
7. Year 5/6

2025 class placement parent/carer requests have now closed and due to the intricacies in planning class groupings for 2025, further requests will not be considered. Classroom teacher placements will be shared via our newsletter within the coming weeks.

On Friday 15th November, we will celebrate World Kindness Day. Part of this day will be the facilitation of a colour run. On this day, children are invited to wear casual clothes including a white or black tshirt that can be coated in colour. This year we are hoping to raise money to purchase outside play equipment and furniture for our recently paved area.

Grandparents day will take place on Friday 22nd November and will consist of a Liturgy at 9:00am followed by activities in classrooms. 

On Sunday 24th November, we have the opportunity to host a Bunnings BBQ (Creswick Road). For this to proceed, we will require a number of volunteers.

Please contact the office if you are able to assist on the day during the following times:

10:00am - 1:00pm

12:00pm - 3:00pm or

2:00pm - 4:00pm

Bunnings BBQ Roster

All children are expected to be at school ready to begin by 8:55am. Arriving on time for school is important for a number of reasons.  The first 10 minutes of school is a vital time of the day when the day's routine and structure is established.  It is a time for ‘tuning in’ and focusing on the learning intentions for the day.

If your child is unwell or absent, you are required to notify the school as soon as possible on the day of absence, via a phone call through to the office or through our school Parent Access Module (PAM). If there has been no contact from the family in the morning of the absence, a sms from the office regarding your child’s absence from school will be sent. Upon receiving a sms, families are expected to phone through to the office to inform the school of their child’s absence.

Students who arrive late or leave early are expected to be signed in/out at the office by a responsible adult. 

Please ensure that your child is wearing the correct summer uniform to school each day including bringing the St Brigid’s school bag to and from school daily. A navy wide brim hat is also required. If your child does not have a hat to wear they will need to play in the sheltered area only during breaks.

Children are able to wear sports uniform each Wednesday and on classroom nominated sports day as directed by your child’s classroom teacher.

Our school is holding a St Brigid’s Christmas Raffle. We are currently seeking donations for this raffle and would greatly appreciate it if you could make a donation to contribute to our raffle. We will be promoting the raffle prizes, donations and businesses on our St Brigid’s Facebook page. All money raised from this raffle will go back to our school. 

We are pleased to announce that our 2025 Student Free Days are as follows:

Our P&F are in the process of creating a St Brigid's School Cookbook. Please click on the following link to submit your recipe or collect a hard copy from the office: 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DCDNJBT

All of the timetabled events (to date) for the school year can be found on our school calendar which can be accessed through PAM and via this newsletter.

SZappp Mobile Application is a fantastic way for communicating and making information or resources available to our St Brigid's school community. 

Please follow the instructions in the below guide on how to install the SZappp and register an email account for communication.