Principal News 15/08/2025

Dear Banyan Fields Primary School Community,

We’re now nearly halfway through Term 3, and it’s hard to believe how quickly the weeks are flying by. While we’ve already enjoyed many highlights, there’s still so much to look forward to in the coming weeks. From special events and excursions to learning celebrations and community activities, the remainder of the term promises to be both exciting and rewarding.

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

A cause for celebration:

Over the past two and a half years, we have worked hard to improve the quality of teaching and learning at Banyan Fields Primary School, an area previously identified for improvement in our Parent Opinion Surveys. The recent Attitudes to School Survey completed by students in years 3-6 shows positive growth in this area. Since 2023, Stimulated Learning has increased by 8%, Effective Teaching Time by 11%, and Differentiated Learning Challenge by 11%.

To learn more about our work, please take some time to watch our video presentation of the annual report.

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

Parent–Teacher Interviews

Please note: parent-teacher interviews for 4S and for FH will be scheduled for later in the year to allow time for the teachers to build a relationship with the students.

Thank you to all parents who have already booked a Parent–Teacher Interview for Tuesday, 19th August. These interviews are a valuable opportunity to discuss your child’s progress, celebrate achievements, and work together on future learning goals.

If you haven’t yet booked, please log onto Compass and select a time that suits you before Friday 15th August, when bookings will close. Each interview will run for 10 minutes, and teachers will be available from 11am to 7pm. Students will not be expected to be at school that day, but are welcome to attend the interviews.

We value the strong partnership between home and school and look forward to meeting with you to support your child’s learning journey

Book Week is Coming!

We are excited to celebrate Book Week at Banyan Fields Primary School from Monday 18th to Friday 22nd August.

As part of the celebrations, our Book Fair will run from Monday 18th to Thursday 21st August, giving students and families the opportunity to explore and purchase a range of wonderful books.

A highlight of the week will be our Book Parade on Wednesday 20th August at 9:am in the school hall. Students are encouraged to come dressed as their favourite book character, we can’t wait to see the creativity on display!

We are also very lucky that Carrum Downs Library has invited our Year 1 students to participate in a free excursion to the library, where they will enjoy a special Book Week production.

Book Week is a fantastic way to foster a love of reading and celebrate the joy books bring to our lives. We look forward to sharing this wonderful week with our school community!

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

Title: Inside Our School – A Peek Into PLC Work

This Fortnight’s Focus:

Our teachers have been working together in our PLC to focus on positive classroom management strategies. This fortnight, our spotlight has been on opportunities to respond through the use of choral responses, and non-verbal cues to boost student engagement and participation. As part of this work, teachers have undertaken professional reading and engaged in collaborative discussions to develop a shared understanding and a consistent implementation model across classrooms.

Why this matters:

Research shows that increasing opportunities for students to respond; whether verbally, together as a class, or through quick non-verbal signals, improves focus, supports all learners, and builds a positive classroom culture. Choral responses keep energy high and ensure every voice is heard, while non-verbal cues provide an inclusive way for all students to participate, especially those who may be hesitant to speak out loud.

Our next steps:

We will engage with professional readings and discussions on how activity choice and sequence can improve student engagement.

Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey

Our school is conducting the annual Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey offered by the Department of Education and is seeking your feedback. The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage and appreciate your participation.

Our school will use the survey results to assist in identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies.

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open online from Monday 18 August to Friday 19 September 2025. More information on how to access the survey will be shared next week. Every household within our school community is invited and encouraged to participate.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones.

The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Resources are also available in additional languages to assist parents / caregivers / guardians who speak a language other than English at home. Please reach out to the school office if you would like to access a guide in your language.

Survey results will be communicated to parents / caregivers / guardians later in the year. Last year we used the survey results to plan to inform our goals and targets as part of our review process. In 2025, we will use the information gathered to plan our improvement plan for 2026 and beyond.

Please contact the office if you would like more information or have any questions.

Patrick Halpin - Principal

Jennifer Churcher - Assistant Principal

Sharleen Nason - Assistant Principal

Celebrating our learning

Foundation

Grade 1

Grade 2

Physical Education

Art

STEM