2026 Newsfeed

Previous Newsfeeds: 2023, 2024, 2025

TERM 2 - 2026

Getjawil wungurrwil Marna

The City Network is proud to launch their collaborative Marrung Plan – Getjawil Wungurrwil Marna.

The on-country launch at Yuille’s Wetlands included a Welcome to Country and water ceremony performed by Wadawarrung woman, Shannen Mennen, and songs by Sebastopol Primary School students. SEIL, Anne Gawith, spoke of the work undertaken to establish the plan, and how this is just the beginning of our collaborative work towards growing connection and culture, and fostering self-determination for our First Nations students.

Endorsed by all schools in the City Network, principals and Koorie Education Empowerment Leaders (KEELs) will be able to assess their progress and plan their actions using tools within the Getjawil Wungurrwil Marna booklet. Understanding that this work is ‘everybody’s business’ the plan will be made available for all staff within the city network.

Artist: Princey Taylor is a young Dja Dja Warrung person completing Year 12 student at Ballarat High School.

Artist’s statement:

Getjawil Wungurrwil Marna, meaning ‘all hands together’, represents the powerful connection shared among Indigenous people. It symbolises the strength found in community and how we are strongest when lifting one another up and empowering people within our culture. The hands encompass each other to create an Earth, drawing on the colours and symbolism of both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags. The centre circle of hands represent country, showing that our land can only be sustained, protected and cherished when we all embrace and celebrate our cultures. The artwork reflects the idea that the Earth is at the centre of who we are, and that we, in turn, are deeply connected and responsible for it.

Athletics Day in the Ararat Region

Students from Ararat North, Lake Bolac, Maroona, and Willaura Primary Schools recently came together to continue the tradition of combining for their annual athletics day. The event brought small schools together in the spirit of community, participation, and sportsmanship.

These joint events provide valuable opportunities for students to connect with peers beyond their own school, strengthening social skills, confidence, and a sense of belonging. By interacting with a wider group of students, children are able to build new friendships, practise teamwork in a larger setting, and develop resilience through healthy competition. For small schools in particular, these shared experiences enrich school life and reinforce the importance of collaboration, community, and inclusive participation.

May | 2026

Beaufort PS- New Basketball Court Roof

enhancing student play and participation

Students at Beaufort Primary School no longer need to worry about a wet-day timetable this year! They are the proud recipients of a state-of-the-art roof covering their large outdoor court area, allowing play and sport in all weather.

Martha Haylett MP joined students to officially open the new structure, celebrating an exciting milestone for the school. The project was made possible through a Local Grants Fund opportunity, bringing a fantastic new space for active play, learning, and community connection.

Maybe your school could be next! See the link below.

Grants Opportunity:

Local Grants Fund - Western Renewables Link

June | 2026

Students have also been enjoying their recent acquisition of a Ninja Playground, which has quickly become a popular addition to the school grounds. The new equipment is providing plenty of opportunities for active play, challenge, and fun, encouraging students to test their balance, strength, and coordination while staying engaged with their peers.

Amphitheatre PS- Continents, Countries and MARC van

MARC Van (Mobile Area Resource Centre) is providing rural schools with valuable opportunities to engage in Geography and STEM learning in new and exciting ways. Through hands-on activities, real-world connections, and interactive resources, students are able to deepen their understanding of the world around them while developing critical thinking, problem-solving, and inquiry skills.

These experiences help bring learning to life, particularly for rural students, by broadening horizons and connecting classroom knowledge to global contexts and future-focused STEM pathways.

May | 2026

Bullarto PS- Shark Tank | Design & Innovation

Students P-6 Shark Tank Invention Challenge
Students from P-6 have been exploring creativity and innovation through a “Shark Tank” invention challenge. They designed products to solve real-world problems, guided by criteria including research, protocol, design, and identifying the benefits of their ideas.

Persuasive Pitch to the Sharks
Students presented their inventions in a persuasive pitch to a panel of “sharks,” showcasing their ideas with confidence and explaining why their product should be supported. The experience highlighted strong communication, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

Bullarto Brother Bucks Reward System
As part of the challenge, students were rewarded with Bullarto Brother Bucks, an initiative linked to school values and School-Wide Positive Behaviour (SWPB) expectations.

June | 2026

There was also a classroom scone bake off. Judges struggled to determine a winner but landed on a traditional recipe with lemonade and yoghurt.

Landsborough PS- New additions add more colour to iconic wall mural reflecting students and staff

It’s been a busy term at Landsborough Primary School. With new student enrolments occurring, it meant it was time for

an update to their wall mural. In 2024 a new tradition was started with every student that walks through the doors, or staff member employed at the school, having their favourite character added to the growing mural. This provides everyone with a lasting memory of fantastic book and movie characters throughout their years at school.

Handprinted on the wall by principal, Ben Gallagher (Mr G) each student and staff member gets to watch their character come to life before their eyes and with more than 30 characters on the wall now it is looking very full! From classic book characters such as Harry the Dirty Dog, Grug, Possum Magic and the Hungry Caterpillar to more modern characters Thelma the Unicorn, Pig the Pug, Mario and Whizz there is something for everyone.

The real beauty of the mural is that it is continually growing, and at all times, it is never truly complete, it’s always sitting at around 97.54% done, knowing that as someone new arrives a new character will once again be added. Before the end of the term Mr G will be adding the student’s names and years, they were painted to each character to complete the memory of the characters they chose to represent them on the Landsborough Primary School Mural.

The mural helps to maintain connection between past students and staff members and the school, whilst strengthening the ongoing connections with the school community. Community members and families are often coming in to admire the mural and talk about the character selections as well as talking to future Foundation students about characters that they might pick when they come to the school.

New Characters added for students and staff in 2026 are:

Spiderman for Billy, Whizz for Shaelah, The Unicorn on the Loo for Bridgette, Cat in the Hat for Cora, Buzz Lightyear for Col, Matilda for Miss Jess, a horse for Edwina, R2D2 for Mr Morgan and Patch for Charlie.

June | 2026

Ararat Secondary College - pre NAIDOC week activities

As part of pre-NAIDOC Week celebrations, Ararat SC welcomed Chef Cat Clarke to lead First Nations students through a hands-on Indigenous cooking experience.

Students prepared a delicious menu featuring:

Kangaroo pizzas with bush greens
Crocodile sausage rolls
Lemon myrtle chicken and rice
Wattle seed chocolate mousse

Throughout the session, Cat guided students through each recipe, sharing the cultural significance of Indigenous ingredients, where they naturally grow, and how they can be sourced today. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate First Nations culture through food, storytelling and shared learning.

The day also included a special presentation recognising Year 12 students, Kiah Arch, who was proudly awarded a Marrung Scholarship. Congratulations, Kiah, on this outstanding achievement!

Case Study: VTLM 2.0 - Evidence to Action

Newsfeed VTLM article VTLM E2A.pdf

Harmony Week- Celebrating Diversity at Lucas Primary School

To conclude Harmony Week celebrations, Lucas Primary School took its community on a memorable “World Tour.” At each stop, students representing different countries introduced themselves in their native language before translating into English. They spoke about their families and shared what it means to belong to both their cultural heritage and their Australian identity. Students proudly shared stories, dances and artefacts from around the world, creating a vibrant celebration of culture and connection.

Harmony Week provided a wonderful opportunity for many of our schools to celebrate the rich diversity within their communities. Across the region, schools marked the occasion in a variety of ways - hosting community events, sharing food, planning cultural learning activities in classrooms, and holding special assemblies that recognised and honoured the many cultures represented in our schools.

There is much to celebrate as cultural diversity continues to grow across the Central Highlands region. While enrolment data cannot fully capture the richness and depth of culture within our communities, data from 2018 to 2025 highlights a significant increase in diversity across our schools. During this time:

The number of First Nations students has increased by 80%.
The number of students who speak English as an Additional Language (EAL) has increased by 140%.

VID-20260323-WA0001.mp4

‘Let’s carry the spirit of Eid. Let’s keep being helpful, keep being kind, and keep being thankful’

- Aleena, Lucas Primary School

Harmony Week is recognised nationally each year and provides valuable opportunities for schools to explore themes of inclusion, belonging and cultural understanding. Schools looking for ideas, events and classroom resources can find them through the Harmony Week - Everyone belongs website.

Did you know?
According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census):

More than half of Australian residents (51.5%) were born overseas or have at least one parent who was.
Since 1945, more than 7.6 million people have migrated to Australia.
People from nearly every country in the world were represented in Australia’s population in 2020.
More than 150 Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander languages are spoken across Australia.
Apart from English, the most commonly spoken languages in Australia include Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, Cantonese and Punjabi.
Australians identify with over 300 ancestries.

Together, these statistics highlight the incredible cultural richness that shapes our communities and reinforces the importance of continuing to build inclusive, respectful and welcoming school environments for all.

Ararat PS- Year 6 students step into their final year of Primary School

As students at Ararat PS put on their Year 6 tops, they step into their final year of primary school with a sense of pride, responsibility and excitement. The tops are more than just a uniform item, they represent leadership, friendship, memories, and the important role our senior students play in setting the tone for the school community in their final year.

February, 2026.

Trentham District PS- Foundation Students' first term of school

Creating her own very hungry animal

Learning with the principal is 'the best'

Super proud of his very hungry creation

Very impressed North Network SEIL - enjoying story time

Foundation students at Trentham District PS have been exploring the literary classic 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar', adapting the story and sharing their own creative versions through drawing, writing and storytelling. It has been wonderful to see their imagination and confidence grow as they shared their work with others.

Students have also been learning to recognise, order and represent numbers from 1–10. They have also been learning the days of the week, developing their understanding of time and daily routines as part of their classroom learning.

February, 2026.

Pomonal PS- Bee Hotel in Partnership with the local Men's Shed

Pomonal PS students accessing the local Men’s Shed program. Students co-constructed a bee-hotel, (drilling & gluing). 1hr fortnightly sessions link to our Personal and Social Capability, Health in the form of roles / valuable community connections and of course, Tech as part of the Victorian Curriculum.

March, 2026.

Beaufort Secondary College- Gone Fishing

Students at Beaufort Secondary College have been working with Stoneware clay to explore working in 3D, as well as understanding texture, patterns, shapes and colour. Simone Conroy, art teacher at Beaufort explains the project.

'The introduction of ceramics at Beaufort has led to a wide range of benefits for the students. Not only do they have the opportunity to learn the basics of art elements and principles using the clay, but they are also able to engage with a task that can give them instant creative success, no matter their level of ability. There are students on high -level support IEP's, through to advanced students in the same class.'

'All ceramic tasks are scaffolded to build confidence. They progress from slab work, to building in 3D, understanding the kiln firing process and glazing their works. This will lead to the more complex Raku firing next term, where students will explore a range of glaze chemical reactions in a reduction burn. One of the main benefits of introducing a ceramic class in a school setting is the level of buy in from the students. They are able to calmly explore the clay, and there are clear mental health benefits. The classroom has very little behaviour issues, and a number of students that may struggle academically, can find a high level of success in this environment.'

Numerous studies have shown that 'Working with clay offers significant mental health benefits by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression through calming, tactile, and repetitive motions. It promotes mindfulness, emotional regulation, and self-expression, while providing a sense of accomplishment and improved self-esteem. It acts as a digital detox, helping to refocus the mind.'

The Beaufort Secondary 'Gone Fishing' ceramic exhibition is currently on display in the Beaufort Secondary College Gallery.

March, 2026.

Pyrenees Cluster Songmakers- School in the Pyrenees Ranges

Watch here School in the Pyrenees Ranges

Pyrenees Students collaborate with songwriter to create original song

Students from across the Pyrenees cluster recently had the exciting opportunity to work with songwriter Josh Arnold as part of their music program, collaborating to write and perform their own original song.

Throughout the workshop, students contributed ideas, lyrics and themes that were important to them and their communities. Josh Arnold then worked with the students to shape their ideas into a song, teaching them about the songwriting process, melody, rhythm and performance along the way. The experience gave students a unique insight into how music is created and allowed them to see their ideas come to life through music.

The collaboration was a fantastic opportunity for students to work creatively together, build confidence and experience the arts in a meaningful and authentic way. The program highlighted the power of music to bring students together and celebrate student voice, creativity and collaboration across the Pyrenees schools.

CHA North Network Educators- Improving Writing Series

The Central Highlands North Network recently participated in the 2026 Writing Series, building on last year’s professional learning in the teaching of writing led by Emina McLean. These sessions supported learning specialists, middle leaders, and classroom teachers, with a clear focus on writing scope and sequence, effective assessment practices, and coherent lesson design. The program aligns with VTLM 2.0 and includes strategies for differentiation and whole-school mapping across year levels and learning areas.

March, 2026

WHIZBANG PUT ON A SHOW AT PRINCIPALS FORUM

Whizbang is a dynamic 17-piece original big band based at Ballarat High School, featuring a full spectrum of brass, woodwind, rhythm section, and vocalists. Since its founding in 2000, the ensemble has flourished, releasing 10 studio albums and lighting up stages at festivals, community events, school concerts, and touring performances.

What sets Whizbang apart is its commitment to student-driven creativity. Every piece in the band’s repertoire is composed by its members, showcasing an impressive range of genres including Latin, pop, jazz, and more. With a passion for musical diversity and originality, Whizbang proudly celebrates the voice of the next generation of composers.

Band Leader- Bryn Hills

Rachael Arnold, Jack Coulter, Miller Ferguson, Alex Fletcher, Alex Hargreaves, Indi Johnson-Shortis, Zillah Linguey, Caleb MacKenzie, Peyton Norman-Kinna, Will O'Connell, Mason Powell, Leah Ross, Sirius Sharples, Isaiah Whitehouse-Gersch.