Dear Parents and Caregivers,
The start of the new school year at Balga Primary School has been fantastic! So many positive things are happening in and around the school that make it such a great place to be and a perfect place for the students to grow and learn.
We have just recently conducted our student census which shows that we have 182 students enrolled at the school. This shows that Balga PS is growing. This time two years ago, the school had 142 students. This growth is great for the school and is an awesome reflection of the hard work and efforts of the staff and community paying off with more and more people wanting to come to the school.
There have been a few changes at the school since the end of last year with new and returning staff members joining the Balga team. Each of them have been awesome and are super excited about their time here at the school.
- Kate Burke is our school’s new Deputy Principal and brings with her outstanding knowledge and experience in teaching and learning. She has already made such a positive difference to the school and I am very much looking forward to working with her in our time here at Balga PS.
- Robyn Wilson joins the team after relocating from Broome with her family. She is an exceptionally driven and effective teacher that works very hard in making sure the kids in her class achieve the best they can.
- Charlotte Connolly returns to the school in 2021 and will be teaching Indonesian to the students as well as working in one of our Pre-Primary classes. Her energy is a welcome addition to the team.
- Jess Anthony is super excited about being back at the school and to be teaching our Year Ones, two days a week. Our Year One’s are a very lucky group to have an outstanding teacher like Jess working with them.
- Amanda Cahill brings her energy to the Kindy and Pre-Primary classes for two days a week as their teacher. She has some fantastic ideas for our school and our community and is an important member of our team.
- Nova Foote is now at Balga on a more permanent basis and will be working in the ECE as an Education Assistant and also in our Intervention Program. Her efforts in this space are an important part of what makes our school great.
- Maria Natale has just recently become part of the team and will be working in the ECE as an Education Assistant.
The start of the new year also means that Balga has a new principal as well. I am super excited about being a part of this school and learning as much as I can from the staff, students and community. I want to thank the Balga community for the very warm welcome I have experienced throughout the first three weeks.
Prior to arriving at Balga, I was the principal of Nollamara Primary School and before that, had been working in schools in the Kimberley. I am very lucky to have Balga as my school and hope that I can continue to help grow it over the next few years. I understand that the school has had a number of principals over the past few years but I hope that I can provide sustainable and consistent leadership to the school to keep it moving in the very positive direction it is currently on.
It would be remiss of me not to recognise and thank the amazing work of Mike Wills as the principal of Balga in 2020. He did an amazing job whilst here and I hope that I can continue on with his good work through 2021 and beyond. Mike is currently acting as Principal of Boyare PS and I wish him all the very best in his journey at that school.
I come to this school with one main objective in mind. I am very keen to learn as much as I can about this school and community. Having the chance to be a part of it over the past three weeks has only strengthened the already positive perceptions I had of Balga before I arrived. I want to grow community involvement and welcome parents and carers into the school to get involved.
My door is always open. So if you want to come on in and have a chat, I value and welcome that.
Here’s to a great 2021!
Much Love,
Brad Trpchev
P&C Annual General Meeting – 11:30am Wed 3 March
We are still needing more members so if you have some time to spare, no matter how little, please come along to our Annual General Meeting and help make a difference.
Research has shown that students whose parents are actively involved in their education, both at home and in the school, perform better academically and socially. With your help, the P&C association can do so much more by making a difference to how your child is educated and help them enjoy their time at school, resulting in better performance in and out of the class room.
The P&C will be cooking up a storm with a sausage sizzle and drinks stall at the upcoming State Election on Saturday 13 March and we’re in need of some lovely volunteers to help make the day run smoothly. Please join us at the P&C meeting to register your interest and for more info 🙂
Term 1 Assemblies
Please join us for the following assemblies:
Week 5 – 4 March – Room 6 (Year 2 & 3)
Week 9 – 1 April – Room 10 (Year 5 &6)
Containers for Change
Balga Primary School are a collection point for eligible containers for school fundraising purposes. If you wish to be involved, please drop your eligible containers to our bin outside the admin building or at any Collection Centre quoting Scheme ID C10424192. These extra funds are invaluable and help contribute towards our children’s education.
Please click here to be redirected to the Containers For Change website for more information on eligible containers.
HEAD LICE
There have been some reported cases of head lice in our community. Please check your child’s hair and refer to the below fact sheets for more information.
Head Lice Fact Sheet for Parents
Head Lice Information Brochure
Triple P – Positive Parenting Program
Click here to download the Triple P flyer for Term 1 2021.
Balga Junior Football Club
Balga Junior Football Club are now open for new player registrations. Please visit https://play.afl/ to register online. You can also check them out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/614088509338961
Eligible children in Western Australia can receive up to $150 per calendar year to cover the costs of joining any approved KidSport club. Please click here to complete an online KidSport Application.
Chess Club
Chess Club is held every Wednesday from 3-4pm in the Balga PS Art Room. If your child would like to join us, please click here to download the Consent Form or come in to the Balga PS office to collect a note.
Uniting WA Socks Donation
A MASSIVE Thank You! to Uniting WA who kindly donated some very funky socks to some of our students. Miss Fox’s 2/3’s surely loved them and I’m sure they will all have very toasty warm (and super stylish) feet this Winter!
Useful Links: