Past issue · Term 4 · Week 5 · 2026

St. Brigid's

Catholic Primary School

Ballan

United in the courage and warmth of Brigid and with Jesus at our heart, we aspire to be an inclusive learning and faith community who nurtures lifelong learners

17 articles

Prayer

Within the last week, the Catholic community has celebrated two significant feast days - All Saints Day (1st November) and All Souls Day (2nd November). In commemorating these two feast days, the Church celebrates the role of people who have gone before, who are recognised officially by the Church community or not, for their work in bringing about the Reign of God, or by partnering with God in bringing God’s great dream for creation to reality. Another way of expressing this is they have been sharers of the Good News. In these two great celebrations, the Church community acknowledges with joy these bearers of the Good News and remembers them in prayer.

From the Principal

Principal Message

Jayne Bosworth

Principal

Dear Members of our St Brigid’s Community,

Thank you for subscribing to our school newsletter. We hope you are finding the new format user friendly and enjoying this updated way of receiving our school news and information.

We encourage you to make our newsletter your go to source for the latest school news, updates, celebrations and important dates. Over the coming month, we will be sharing key 2027 school dates, information about 2027 classes and more.

While our school Facebook and Instagram pages will remain active, much of the exciting news happening across our school will now be shared through our weekly newsletter. This will include student achievements and celebrations, important school updates, upcoming events and highlights from within and across our school community.

Thank you for your support and understanding during our pupil free days this week. Each year, schools receive an allocation of eight pupil free days, including the first day of the year and last day of the year. Based on feedback from our School Advisory Council, we make every effort to align these days with public holidays wherever possible, allowing families to enjoy an extended break.

Our pupil free day on Monday, focused on assessment, reporting and professional learning for our staff. Today, we participated in a collaborative day together focused on Learning and Teaching, providing valuable opportunities for our staff to work together, share ideas and continue strengthening learning and teaching across our school.

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership. We look forward to seeing you back at school tomorrow.

Kind regards,

Jayne Bosworth

Principal

'Inspire us to act justly and to reverence all God has made.'
Excerpt from St Brigid's Prayer

Deputy Principal Message

Dear Parents, Carers and Families,

This week and in the week prior to the break, many of our classes will participate in their online incursion of Inform & Empower.

Below you will find resources and opportunities for you to connect with your child (in continuous and ongoing conversations) around their safety in the online environments they may visit and engage with. These are recommended to use in conversations with your children, include the following:
• Inform & Empower
• eSafety commissioner resources
• Respectful Relationships

As outlined by the eSafety Commissioner, social media platforms have a minimum age requirement of 16 years of age, these include TikTok, Snapchat, Discord and other social media apps.

We share these in alignment with our child safe organisation obligations, and in support of your child and families. It is important to note that these conversations begin once your child begins engaging and consuming an online environment, healthy digital habits form part of this.

Standard 9: Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed
9.1 Staff and volunteers identify and mitigate risks in the online and physical environments without compromising a child’s right to privacy, access to information, social connections and learning opportunities.
9.2 The online environment is used in accordance with the organisation’s Code of Conduct and Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and practices.
9.3 Risk management plans consider risks posed by organisational setting, activities and the physical environment.
9.4 Organisations that contract facilities and services from third parties have procurement policies that ensure the safety of children and young people.

Next week our Year 1 and 2 students will participate in an incursion Bravehearts, where they will learn more about their safety, yes and no feelings, who are trusted people they can talk to and much more!
- We all have the right to feel safe with people.
- It’s ok to say NO if you feel unsafe or unsure.
- Nothing is so yucky that you can’t tell someone about it.

St Brigid’s is dedicated to supporting every student’s success and fostering a positive, respectful, child-safe learning environment. If you or your family would like further information and/or support, please contact me on the email address listed below. 

Looking forward to continuing working in partnership.
Kind regards, 
Sallee Carter
Deputy Principal – Inclusion & Engagement
scarter@sbballan.catholic.edu.au

Our Diocesan Community

Please find following the link for the August 2026 edition of “Our Diocesan Community” here

Book Fair

Dates:	Morning:	Afternoon:
Wednesday 11th November	8:30am - 9:00am	3:00pm - 3:30pm
Thursday 12th November	8:30am - 9:00am	3:00pm - 3:30pm
Wednesday 18th November	8:30am - 9:00am	3:00pm - 3:30pm
Thursday 19th November	8:30am - 9:00am	Closed

School Fee Payments

Final Statements will be emailed by the end of the week and we would appreciate all accounts being finalised by Friday 4th December with the exception of families on a Direct Debit or Payment arrangements.

Should you have any queries or need to know your balance please do not hesitate to contact Tracey in the office.

2027 Foundation Transition Information

In preparation for 2027 Foundation students transition to St Brigid’s next year, we warmly invite you to attend our Foundation 2027 Parent/Carer Information session on Monday 9th November 4.00pm-5.00pm at St Brigid’s Primary School.

This session is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about life at St Brigid’s, meet members of our school community and hear practical tips to help prepare your child for a positive start to school. Please click on the Parent Information Session link to register.

In addition, we are excited to welcome 2027 Foundation students to a series of transition sessions at St Brigid’s Primary School. These sessions provide children with the opportunity to become familiar with the school environment, meet our staff and other children and begin building confidence ahead of their first day of school in 2027. Attendance at all four sessions is highly recommended.

** Please note: Due to the larger number of Foundation enrolments for 2027, children will attend transition sessions, allocated according to surname:

● A–M: 9:00am – 10:15am

● N–Z: 10:30am – 11:45am

Friday 13th November	9:00am – 10:15am (surnames A - M); 10:30am – 11:45am (surnames N-Z)
Friday 20th November	9:00am – 10:15am (surnames A - M); 10:30am – 11:45am (surnames N-Z)
Friday 27th November	9:00am – 10:15am (surnames A - M); 10:30am – 11:45am (surnames N-Z)
Tuesday 1st December	9:15am – 10:30am (Surnames A - Z) Whole school 'Step-up' day

Christmas Carols Working Party

We are putting the call out for families who would be willing to help with preparations for our upcoming Christmas Carols evening. Assistance is needed with organising the event, seeking raffle prizes and other arrangements to help make the evening a success.

Events such as this simply wouldn't happen without the support of our wonderful families and we are so grateful for your ongoing generosity and involvement.

If you are interested in getting involved and lending a helping hand, please email administration@sbballan.catholic.edu.au at your earliest convenience. All offers of support would be greatly appreciated!

We look forward to working together to make it a wonderful festive celebration!

Christmas Raffle Donations

Our school is again facilitating our annual St Brigid’s Christmas Raffle. We are currently seeking donations for this raffle and would greatly appreciate any donation for this raffle. We will be promoting the raffle prizes, donations and businesses on our St Brigid’s Facebook/Instagram page. All money raised from this raffle will go back to our school as we fundraise for a cover over our basketball courts.

The Week That Was!

Flare!

Today, our staff came together with several schools across our diocese for a valuable and engaging online Professional Learning Day, with a shared focus on strengthening literacy learning and teaching across our school.

Guided by the Flare Primary Literacy Team from Catholic Education, the day provided a wonderful opportunity to deepen our understanding of Structured Literacy, reflect on our current practices and explore evidence-informed approaches to high quality literacy instruction.

Throughout the day, we explored a range of important concepts, including strategies for sustaining student attention and the essential elements of an effective literacy block. We also delved into approaches to learning and teaching through non-fiction text study, literary text study and creative writing.

It was a fantastic opportunity for our staff to build shared knowledge, engage in professional dialogue and consider how we can continue to create purposeful, engaging and impactful literacy learning experiences for every student.

A big thank you to the Flare Primary Literacy Team for their expertise, guidance and practical insight and to all staff for their enthusiasm, collaboration and commitment to continually growing their practice.