Principals' News 

Principal News 20/03/2026

Dear Banyan Fields Primary School Community,

With only two weeks remaining in Term 1, it has been wonderful to see our students continuing to thrive in their learning and school experiences. We are incredibly proud of the efforts shown by our Year 3 and Year 5 students during NAPLAN over the past two weeks. They approached the assessments with a positive attitude and demonstrated great resilience and focus.

It has also been a busy and exciting time across the school, with many valuable learning opportunities taking place. Students have participated in the Lightning Premiership, learned about Respectful Pet Ownership, and our Year 6 students enjoyed their recent visit to Carrum Downs Secondary College. In addition, our Year 1, 2 and 3 students have been participating in their swimming program, developing important water safety skills.

Thank you to all the families who have supported our teachers and students in making these events such a success. Your ongoing partnership helps create a positive and engaging learning environment for our students.

Term 1 will finish at 2:30pm on Thursday, April 2nd. That means that our next newsletter will be published at the end of the second week of Term 2 (Friday, May 1st). We hope you have a lovely break after a busy term and look forward to continuing our great work when we return on April 20th. 

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

Attendance Arrive To Thrive:

Some families may have recently received an email congratulating them and their child for achieving 100% attendance so far this term. Regular attendance plays an important role in student learning, wellbeing and connection to school, and we are proud to celebrate students who demonstrate this commitment.

At the end of the term, we will also recognise students who have achieved close to 100% attendance across the term. In addition, we have introduced a Class Attendance Award, which is presented at assembly every two weeks to the class with the highest attendance and the most students arriving on time to school.

Congratulations to Foundation R, who were the most recent winners at our last assembly for their outstanding attendance and punctuality. Thank you to all families for supporting our Arrive to Thrive message and helping students arrive at school every day and on time, ready to learn.

NAPLAN

Our students have thrived during this year’s NAPLAN testing, approaching each assessment with a positive attitude and doing their very best. We are proud of the effort and resilience shown by our Year 3 and Year 5 students throughout the testing period.

Due to the statewide online outage on the first day, we needed to adjust our NAPLAN timetable. Our students responded exceptionally well to these changes and demonstrated flexibility and persistence, ensuring everyone had the opportunity to participate and show their learning.

Well done to all students for the way they approached NAPLAN — we are very proud of their efforts.

Swimming Term 2

During Term 2, our final year groups will be participating in the swimming program at Paul Sadler. This includes students in Foundation and Years 4, 5 and 6.

Permission for this event is due by 30th March. Please ensure all consent forms are completed on time so students can take part in this important program.

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

PLC

Spelling Focus – Split Vowel Digraph (‘Helpful e’)

At Banyan Fields Primary School, we continue to build students’ spelling knowledge by exploring how letters work together to make different sounds. Understanding spelling patterns helps students become more confident readers and writers.

This Week’s Focus: Split Vowel Digraph – ‘Helpful e’ - This week, students are learning about the split vowel digraph, often called “Helpful e” or “Magic e.”

A split vowel digraph happens when a vowel is followed by a consonant and then the letter e at the end of the word. The e is silent, but it helps the vowel say its long sound (the vowel says its name).

For example, when we add e to the end of the word kit it becomes kite, the i changes from a short to a long sound.

How Families Can Support at Home

Ask your child:

• “What does the helpful e do in a word?”
• “How does the word change when we add an e at the end?”
• “Can you think of another word where the vowel says its name?”

Try this together:

• Say a short vowel word such as cap, pin, hop, tub.
• Ask your child to add a helpful e and see how the word changes (cape, pine, hope, tube).
• Spot it while reading
• While reading together, see if your child can find words with a silent e at the end and talk about how it changes the vowel sound.
• By learning spelling patterns like split vowel digraphs, students continue to strengthen their reading and writing skills while building confidence and independence as learners.

Year 4 & Year 6 Concert

Tickets are now on sale, and we are excited to present our Year 4 and Year 6 dance performances on March 31st at Carrum Downs Secondary College.

Families are reminded that students in Years 4 and 6 will begin school at 11:30am on the day. Students will perform three times throughout the day at 12:00pm, 2:00pm, and 5:00pm. All students should be collected at 6:00pm from Carrum Downs Secondary College and must be signed out by a responsible adult. Please note that students will not be permitted to make their own way home after their final performance.

Students are required to bring sufficient food and water for the day to ensure they are well-prepared until returning home after the final show.

Concert Attendance

A Compass event has been sent to families outlining important information regarding the Year 4 and Year 6 concert. We kindly ask that parents/carers review the event and provide approval to ensure all students are able to participate.

We look forward to a fantastic day of performances and celebrating our students as they shine on stage.

Welcome BBQ - 19th March 

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all the students, parents/carers, and staff who attended our Welcome BBQ last Thursday. It was wonderful to see so many members of our community come together in such a welcoming and positive atmosphere.

We hope the afternoon provided a valuable opportunity to connect, build new relationships, and strengthen existing ones. Events like these play an important role in helping our school community not only grow, but truly thrive.

Thank you again for your support and for contributing to such a successful and enjoyable evening.

Equity: We include, we respect, we support.

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

Australian Education Union Stop Work Action

As you are aware, members of the Australian Education Union are participating in a stop work action on Tuesday, March 24th. This will likely impact the delivery of our programs on the day so families are encouraged to consider making alternative arrangements for their children. 

We appreciate your support. 

Patrick Halpin - Principal 

Jennifer Churcher - Assistant Principal 

Sharleen Nason - Assistant Principal