From the Principal

Buenos dias!

It is so great to be back on deck after 4 weeks travelling with my family in Italy and Spain. We had a wonderful time indulging in all of the sights and bites on offer and I may have come back with a couple of extra kilos that weren't in my luggage!

We are currently hard at work planning for a busy end to 2023 but also well underway with our 2024 planning. Part of this work has been on restructuring our leadership composition and I am very pleased to announce that Claire Johnston has been appointed to an Assistant Principal position at Banyule PS commencing in 2024. Claire's passion and dedication for education and love for Banyule Primary is evident in all that she does for our students and our school.  Claire will take on the Teaching and Learning portfolio and Sam will continue to lead Student Welfare.

After lots of number crunching and looking at budgets with Betty our Business Manager, we have determined that we will be able to run straight grades (rather than composites) across the school next year. 

The teachers will begin the meticulous process of class building in the coming weeks. This is an enormous body of work and our teachers really take time to ensure all students will be placed in a supportive learning environment where they can all thrive academically, emotionally and socially. Additional student needs are always carefully considered in this process. 

All of our teaching and support staff are well-skilled in understanding and catering for learning and wellbeing needs and take great pride in knowing their students really well. We also hope that the home/school partnership has been effective throughout the year, ensuring teachers have all of the information required to determine a suitable class placement for each and every child. This is the main reason we don't take requests from parents. We believe we should already have all of the information needed to combine with the many other factors needing consideration in order to undertake the class formation process.  That being said, if something has popped up recently that you believe the teachers should know about please email your child's teacher asap.

Our Professional Learning meeting this week focused on learning about new tools that will assist our staff in supporting the students through the transition process. These will form part of the comprehensive teacher 'hand-over' opportunities that are being prepared for and will be facilitated over the coming weeks, well before they meet their 2024 class for the first time. The aim is to ensure as seamless a transition for students as possible. 

Transitions of all natures can prove challenging for people all ages. Future newsletter pages will provide parents and carers with some tips to support children through this process, however please reach out to your child's classroom teacher if you believe your child is experiencing something greater than the typical nerves we may all face with change. 

To also assist with our 2024 planning, please let the office know if your family won't be attending Banyule PS next year as soon as you can. Early information will ensure class formation process will be as accurately informed as possible. 

Natalie

Reminders: 

Children should not be in the yard before 8.45am or after 3.45pm without an adult.

We continue to remind students about the importance of having and wearing their sun-smart hat at school each day, regardless of the temperature. 

Pupil free day - Monday the 6th of November

Cup day holiday - Tuesday 7th of November