Principal News 26/06/2026

Dear Banyan Fields Primary School Community,

As we come to the end of Term 2, I would like to take this opportunity to celebrate what has been a wonderful and successful semester at Banyan Fields Primary School.

Throughout the first half of the year, our students have continued to learn, grow and thrive. We are incredibly proud of the progress they have made, both academically and socially. This semester, we have seen strong improvements in student attendance and outstanding growth in spelling achievement across the school, with further details shared later in this newsletter.

Thank you to our staff, students and families for their ongoing support and partnership throughout the semester. We wish all members of our Banyan Fields community a safe, restful and enjoyable holiday break and look forward to another fantastic semester ahead.

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

Attendance Arrive To Thrive:

At Banyan Fields Primary School, we know that every day at school matters and you need to Arrive to Thrive. Regular attendance helps students build strong relationships, develop confidence, and maximise their learning opportunities.

We are pleased to share that our whole-school attendance rate has increased from 89.3% in 2025 to 90.1% in 2026. While this may seem like a small increase, it equates to approximately four additional students attending school every day compared to the same time last year.

This improvement reflects the strong partnership between our school and families. We would like to thank our parents and carers for the efforts they make each day to support their children to attend school regularly and arrive ready to learn.

Semester One Reports 2026

These reports provide a snapshot of your child's current achievement against the Victorian Curriculum and reflect the learning and growth they have demonstrated throughout the first semester. Teachers have carefully considered a range of assessment evidence to ensure that each report accurately reflects student progress and achievement.

Due to ongoing industrial action across Victoria, this semester's reports do not include written comments or effort and behaviour ratings. Instead, reports focus on achievement levels, progression points and attendance information.

We encourage families to take the time to review their child's report and celebrate the progress they have made so far this year. Learning is a journey, and every student should be proud of the growth they have achieved throughout Semester 1.

If you have any questions about your child's report or would like to discuss their learning in more detail, please contact your child's classroom teacher.

We would like to congratulate all of our students on their hard work, persistence and commitment to learning throughout the semester.

Equity: We include, we respect, we support.

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

PLC

Celebrating Student Growth in Spelling

At Banyan Fields Primary School, one of our Professional Learning Community (PLC) focuses this year has been spelling, and we are delighted to share the strong progress our students have made during Semester 1.

Across the school, students achieved between 5 and 8 months of spelling growth during approximately five months of learning, with every year level meeting or exceeding expected growth. This is a wonderful reflection of our students' hard work, our teachers' dedication, and the support families provide at home.

It is particularly pleasing to see many students performing at very high levels in spelling. In several year levels, a significant number of students are already achieving scores close to the highest measurable level of the assessment, demonstrating strong spelling knowledge and achievement.

Our data also highlights the powerful connection between attendance and learning success. Students who attended school 95–100% of the time achieved significantly higher spelling results than students with lower attendance rates.

Regular attendance gives students the best opportunity to participate in daily learning, practise new skills, and build on their knowledge over time. Every day at school truly makes a difference.

Thank you to our families for your ongoing support in helping students attend school regularly and arrive ready to learn. Together, we are helping every student build the skills they need to thrive.

Culture Building Activities

As you know, we have been working hard to build our positive school culture over the past couple of years and have made significant progress. Outcomes have included the formation of a Parent Association who organise regular school events, improvements in our communication with families, and a more harmonious school environment for the students and families. As a result, our students are much more settled, our attendance rates have improved, and the focus for teachers is on student learning and wellbeing.

Parents and carers are reminded of the importance of respectful interactions on our school grounds, particularly during drop off and pick up times. This includes verbal interactions as well as the use of social media.

Student Safety Reminder

To help keep all students safe during drop-off and pick-up times, we ask families to please refrain from using the staff car park. The staff car park is reserved for staff and authorised visitors only, and additional vehicle movement in this area increases the risk to students and pedestrians.

We also ask parents and carers not to park illegally around the rear of the school, including in no-standing zones, driveways, or areas that obstruct traffic flow and visibility.

Please be aware that parking infringements may be issued, as parking inspectors regularly monitor school zones and surrounding streets, particularly during peak arrival and departure times.

By parking in designated areas and following all road and parking regulations, you help create a safer environment for our students, families, and community members.

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

Holiday Works

During the first week of the school holidays, we will have some building and grounds works taking place onsite at Banyan Fields PS.

If you are using the outdoor spaces during the holiday period, please be mindful that there may be contractors working around the school grounds and accessing our carparks. For everyone’s safety, please keep clear of any work areas and follow any signage or directions in place.

Parents Association

Congratulations to Isabella and the Parents' Association on the wonderful work they have done over the past week. They organised a fantastic Working Bee, where volunteers helped clean up one of our garden beds, making a real difference to our school grounds. They also put together two fantastic student discos, with both our Junior and Senior students enjoying an afternoon full of music, dancing and plenty of neon. Thank you to everyone involved for your time, effort and support in creating these wonderful opportunities for our school community.

If you would like to be involved in the Parents' Association in any capacity, we would love to hear from you. Please speak to our office staff, who can provide you with more information about how you can get involved.

Patrick Halpin - Principal

Jennifer Churcher - Assistant Principal

Sharleen Nason - Assistant Principal

Special Events: What’s happening at Banyan Fields Primary School!

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