Principal News 15/12/2025

Dear Banyan Fields Primary School Community,

As we come to the end of another big year at Banyan Fields Primary School, we want to take a moment to thank you for your ongoing support. It has been a year filled with learning, growth and many memorable moments for our students – from classroom achievements to whole-school events that have brought our community together.

Over the coming weeks, there will be a number of important dates, celebrations and transitions as we prepare for 2026. Please take a moment to read through the information in this newsletter so you and your child are well prepared for the final weeks of term.

On behalf of the Principal Team, thank you for the way you continue to partner with us to support your children to thrive every day.

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

School Performances Returning in 2026

We are excited to share that our school performances will be returning in 2026. They will look a little different next year, with performances spread across the school year to give each year level more time and support to shine.

Our performance schedule for 2026 will be:

Term 1: Years 4 and 6
Term 2: Years 1 and 2
Term 3: Years 3 and 5
Term 4: Foundation students will have a special end of year event planned just for them

In the term of their performance, students will take part in the Footsteps Dance Incursion, which will help them build confidence and prepare for their time on stage. This program is highly engaging and supports students with movement, rhythm and performance skills.

The cost for the Footsteps program is currently being confirmed and will be shared with families as soon as possible.

We look forward to watching our students grow as performers and share their hard work with our school community.

More information about the 2026 school performances, including dates and event details, will be shared early next year.

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

Reports

Semester 2 student reports are now available for families to view on the Compass App.

Our teachers have dedicated a significant amount of time and care to assessing student learning and analysing growth to ensure reports accurately reflect each child’s progress throughout the year. We are incredibly proud of the effort that has gone into these reports.

We encourage you to take some time to read through your child’s progress. If you have any questions, please contact your classroom teacher.

Last Day of Term 4

Our school year will finish at 1:30pm on Friday, December 19th. Family members are invited to join us on the oval from 12pm for our end of year assembly. Each grade will perform a song and we will farewell our Year 6 students. All students will remain with their classes for the assembly unless their parent/carer signs them out with their classroom teacher before the assembly begins. If a student is signed out, they will not return to their class group (except for their individual class performance) for the remainder of the day and will instead be under the duty of care of their parent/carer. To avoid any confusion, no student can be signed out once assembly begins. After the assembly, students who have not been signed out will return to their classroom with their teacher for dismissal. For safety reasons, students cannot be collected from the oval unless they have been signed out with the classroom teacher before assembly begins. Your support with this process is appreciated and will help to ensure everybody finishes the day safely.

Students are invited to come to school in free-dress on the last day of term. We hope to see lots of festive and summer outfits to get us into the holiday spirit.

Colour Run

Our annual Colour Run was a fantastic success! The students had an amazing time getting active, laughing with friends, and enjoying one of the most exciting events of the year.

A huge thank you to the parents who volunteered on the day—your support helped make the event run smoothly and contributed to the fun, vibrant atmosphere.

We would also like to acknowledge the staff who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to plan, organise, and run the event. Your effort and teamwork ensured it was a memorable day for our students.

Thank you to our whole school community for your enthusiasm and support!

2026 Student Dress Code – Holiday Uniform Reminder

As families begin organising uniforms over the holidays, we kindly remind you to review our Student Dress Code Policy, available on the Banyan Fields Primary School website.

Our dress code has been developed in consultation with our school community and aims to promote identity, pride, safety and equity for all students. When purchasing items for 2026, please keep the following key points in mind:

Expectations

Students may wear any approved uniform item regardless of gender or season.
Uniforms must be clean, in good repair, and clearly labelled with your child’s name.
Additional layers may be worn under the uniform but must not be visible.
Jewellery is limited to studs, sleepers and watches.
Makeup and nail polish must be neutral tones only.
Approved Year 6 items and House tops may be worn.
School hats are required outdoors from mid-August to 30 April.

Uniform Purchasing Options

Branded items can be purchased through Uniform Group (formerly PSW).
Plain, non-branded shorts, pants, and socks are permitted and may be purchased from preferred retailers.
Our second-hand uniform store operates outside the Sickbay area for low-cost options.

Footwear

Students must wear runners or black school shoes with no heel.
Canvas shoes, boots, fashion shoes, thongs, open-toe/open-back shoes, or roller shoes are not permitted.

Hair & Headwear

Students with shoulder-length or longer hair are encouraged to tie it back for health and safety.
Headbands, ribbons, and scrunchies must be green, plum or white, unless worn for cultural/religious reasons.

Year 6 (2026) Students

Optional Year 6 polo and bomber jacket information will be shared with families early next year.

We appreciate your support in ensuring all students begin 2026 feeling prepared, confident and proud in their uniform. If you require assistance with uniform costs, please contact the school office.

Farewells

This year, as well as farewelling our students in Year 6 who will transition to secondary college, we have a small number of students across the school who will transfer to new primary schools. We wish them all the very best and look forward to them visiting every now and then and to hearing about their adventures.

In addition, we will farewell some staff members. We are grateful for the dedication and commitment these people have shown in supporting our school improvement journey and are excited to hear about the adventures

Tyler Than (PE)
Suelaf Abuirshaid (Student Empowerment)
Claire Kyle (2S)
Andrew Urbancic (3K)
Victoria Casonato (4C)
Kathryn Woods (4S)
Amber Krause (2K)

We are excited to hear about the adventures that 2026 holds.

Equity: We include, we respect, we support.

Overnight Activities

We would like to share an update about our overnight experiences at Banyan Fields Primary School. These changes will help us better support students as they build confidence, independence and readiness for future camps.

In 2026, we will no longer be holding the Year 2 sleepover. Instead, this experience will move to Year 3 in 2027, where students will be developmentally more ready and better able to enjoy and benefit from the experience.

Our overnight activities for 2026 will be:

Year 3 Camp – Yarra Junction Adventure Camp
Year 4 Camp – Wombat Corner
Year 5 Camp – The Briars
Year 6 Camp – Phillip Island

In 2027, Year 3 students will take part in a sleepover at school, while Years 4, 5 and 6 will attend a two night camp. Details and locations for these camps will be confirmed.

To ensure our Year 2 students feel confident and supported, they will take part in a readiness activity in 2026. This will be an evening event designed to gently build their independence and prepare them for the Year 3 sleepover the following year.

Thank you for your support as we continue to create experiences that are safe, enjoyable and developmentally appropriate for all students.

Swimming Program Booked for Term 1 and 2

We are pleased to share that our swimming program for 2026 has now been booked for Term 1 and Term 2.

In Term 1, students in Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 will take part in a five week swimming program at Paul Sadler Swim School. Lessons will run every Friday, giving students a consistent routine and a valuable opportunity to build water confidence and essential safety skills early in the year.

Next year, the cost for the program will be $28 per family, with the remainder of the cost subsidised by the Department of Education. We are pleased to be able to keep this cost low and accessible for all families.

Swimming is an important part of our health and physical education program, and we are proud to offer high quality lessons that support students to feel safe, capable and confident in the water.

Further information about times, groups and what students need to bring will be shared with families closer to the start of Term 1.

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

We hope you have a very peaceful and safe summer break and look forward to welcoming you all back in 2026.

Patrick Halpin - Principal

Jennifer Churcher - Assistant Principal

Sharleen Nason - Assistant Principal

Celebrating our learning

Foundation

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Grade 6