And just like that, it's a big WELCOME to our final newsletter for the year. And what a year it has proven to be! While the clear Highlight of the Year award goes to the moment we received the keys to our beautiful brand new building, 2024 has been one of many things to celebrate.

And what a way it was to send off a great year on Wednesday evening at our Carols Night. After a very dubious looking SAMta Claus roamed the picnickers looking for snacks and people to have sELFies with, the kids stole the festive show with outstanding caroling. As the cool kids say...they SLEIGHED it! A huge thank you to our talent performing arts teachers Stephanie Daniel and Kirsty Black for their work putting together the event as well as their a Community Engagement Committee for their work

While you've already seen some of the things below celebrated throughout the year, here is a jumbo edition of WHAT WENT WELL for 2024, an exhausting-looking list, but definitely not a definitive one as there are hundreds of little things that go-well inside and outside of classrooms throughout the year.

We thank the teaching and support staff for their efforts in providing so many of these wonderful experiences for the students throughout the year. With much of the work surrounding these opportunities often done outside their normal hours or squeezed into their limited allocated planning time, we are so grateful that our staff are so willing to go above and beyond for this school community.

We are also grateful that our parent community are so supportive of these wonderful opportunities, be it handing out fish and chips, sharing sleepless nights as helpers on camp or providing the finishing touches to children's special dress up efforts, we certainly couldn't do it without you! The photos of our recent thank you morning tea only show a fraction of those that we know helped us provide these opportunities for children and the wider school community. We thank each and every one of you!

Finally, we would like to express our gratitude for the students in our school community, giving things a go, trying new things, chasing personal best achievements and helping in their own way to make these experiences so successful. Their efforts both inside and outside the classroom prove, as our motto says, that HAPPY KIDS LEARN!

Banyule Best

Comings and Goings:

Coming...#1

We're excited to share the plans for our new playground space that is coming soon! The landscape architects have worked hard to design an exciting and engaging playground space for us featuring a variety of play equipment, a lovely new sandpit and lots of natural places to climb, dig, explore and chill out in, on and around. We look forward to this really taking shape in the new year!

Coming...#2

We recently received news that our application for funding through the North East Link Community grant was successful! As such, we are pleased to announce that a resurfaced basketball court will be coming next year! The dilapidated bitumen basketball court will be revamped with Tiger-Turf, featuring basketball, netball and 4-square courts.

Goings...

Going...#1

Next week we farewell our Class of 2024 Grade 6s. While sad to see them go, we send them off to their new adventures of secondary school confident they have worked tremendously hard to prepare themselves with the skills, knowledge and values needed to succeed in the next chapter. We also thank them for the contributions made during their time at BPS.

Going...#2

We also say farewell to classroom teacher Santhy Olowoniyi. Sadly, Santhy leaves Banyule to pursue other professional challenges. While we're sure the burpies, sit-ups and sprints that Santhy made staff do while leading her after-school teacher boot-camp sessions won't be missed, her contributions as a classroom teacher and team leader at BPS certainly will be. We thank Santhy for everything and wish her all the best on her new adventures!

Going...#3

The end of this year brings the end of an era, with two of BPS's longest serving staff members going off to enjoy the spoils of retirement. Sadly, we bid a fond farewell to our Business Manager Betty Horan and long serving teacher, Mara Stevenson. Betty leaves after more than 20 years of helping balance the Banyule books, while Mara's impact on multiple generations through her teaching, leadership and support across over 40 years certainly epitomises the term legacy. Both will be sorely missed, but both have certainly earned their right to relax their way through retirement. Our gratitude towards them both for their contributions to Banyule Primary School is immeasurable.

Coming and Going...

We have several staff members expecting new arrivals to their families in the not to distant future. Jane Place, Courtney Hicks and Matthew Tanswell will all be soon welcoming babies into the world and will have some well-earned time off to look after their little ones.

Tying the knot:

We also have two staff using the holiday period to get married. We hope both Ashleigh Mefflin and Brooke Scrivano, along with their respective future-husbands have amazing wedding days during the break.

We wish you all a safe and restful Christmas break and look forward to an exciting 2025, beginning with Years 1-6 on January 29th and our new Preps on January 30th.

All the BanYULETIDE Best!

-Natalie, Samta and Claire.

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