Principals' News

Principal News 01/05/2026

Dear Banyan Fields Primary School Community,

It has been a wonderful start to Term 2, with classes settling in smoothly and students quickly re-engaging in their learning. We are already seeing our students thriving across the school. There is a great sense of excitement as students look ahead to the many opportunities this term, including swimming for our Foundation, Year 4,5 and 6 students, the Year 1 and Year 2 school concert, and our ThriveX programs continuing to extend and challenge students.

We encourage families to regularly check Compass for updates about upcoming events and their child’s learning. We look forward to a busy and engaging term ahead for all learners.

Tenacity: We try, we learn, we never give up.

NAPLAN Year 6 NAP-SL

This term, a sample of Year 6 students across Australia will take part in the National Assessment Program (NAP) – Science Literacy assessment. This is an online assessment designed to measure how students apply their science understanding in real-world contexts.

Our school has been selected to participate, and a small group of Year 6 students will be randomly chosen to take part between Wednesday, 6 May and Tuesday, 26 May 2026.

The purpose of this national assessment is to provide information about science learning across Australia and to support ongoing improvement in teaching and learning. Individual students and schools are not identified in public reports, and students do not receive individual results.

If your child is selected, it is a great opportunity for them to participate in a high-quality national assessment experience.

Equity: We include, we respect, we support.

Semester 2 Reports

Our Semester 2 reports will provide an overview of your child’s learning progress during the first part of the 2026 school year. Our reports have been updated to align with the Department of Education’s direction and to place a strong focus on clearly communicating student achievement. Teachers will use a range of evidence to make informed and balanced judgements, including formal assessments, classroom tasks, observations and ongoing learning experiences.

Reports will be available on Compass for families to access from Monday, June 22nd, at 9:00 am.

We are aware of the AEU industrial action relating to report comments and will keep families updated as we approach the reporting period.

Synergy: We listen, we learn, we grow together.

PLC

Spelling Focus – FLOSS Rule

At Banyan Fields Primary School, we continue to build students’ spelling knowledge by exploring how letters work together in words. Understanding spelling patterns helps students become more confident readers and writers.

This Week’s Focus: FLOSS Rule

This week, students are learning about the FLOSS rule.

The FLOSS rule helps students know when to double the letters f, l, s and sometimes z at the end of a short word. When a one-syllable word has a short vowel sound followed by f, l, s or z, we usually double the final letter.

For example:

This helps words look right and supports accurate spelling when reading and writing.

How Families Can Support at Home

Ask your child:

“When do we double the final letter?”
“Can you think of a word that follows the FLOSS rule?”

Try this together:

Say some short one-syllable words such as off, hill, miss, buzz.
Ask your child to listen for the short vowel sound and identify the doubled final letter
Learn the floss dance so you can add in a bit of movement and energy to the conversation

Spot it while reading

While reading together, see if your child can find words that end in ff, ll, ss or zz. Talk about the short vowel sound in the word and why the final letter is doubled.

By learning spelling patterns like the FLOSS rule, students continue to strengthen their reading and writing skills while building confidence and independence as learners.

Stewardship: We care for people, places, and possibilities.

Patrick Halpin - Principal

Jennifer Churcher - Assistant Principal

Sharleen Nason - Assistant Principal