Acting Principal News 

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Term 4! It has been wonderful to see all the students return safely after the holidays, ready for another exciting term of learning. I’m particularly excited to share that we have newly painted classrooms in the Year 1 and 2 areas. These spaces have been carefully designed to minimise distractions and enhance student learning, keeping Cognitive Load Theory in mind—focused on 'How Students Learn Best.'

Our staff recently participated in professional learning, concentrating on how students’ active and sustained focus and attention are crucial for successful learning. We explored evidence-based teaching practices that promote conditions fostering student engagement, self-efficacy, a sense of belonging, and continued learning. You can read more about these approaches in this insightful document: How Students Learn Best.

Some of the key strategies we’re focusing on include:

• Establishing clear rules and routines to help students remain focused on learning.
• Demonstrating respectful interactions to foster positive relationships and a sense of belonging.
• Teaching techniques that build students’ capacity to improve their own learning.
• Developing cultural responsiveness to meet the aspirations of First Nations students.
• Engaging with families to promote communication and collaboration.

This work directly aligns with our ongoing commitment to Berry Street's trauma-informed education practices, and we are continuing to develop learning routines that create safe, structured, and predictable environments for all students.

In addition to our classroom work, we have been focusing on reinforcing safe behaviors in our outdoor spaces. I’m very proud of our Year 6 captains, who have been working diligently to create playground safety videos, which I’m excited to share with you soon. These videos will be regularly shown in classrooms to remind students of safe behaviors on the playground, complementing our new playground rule signs now installed around the school grounds.

At Banyan Fields Primary School, we will be implementing the Respectful Relationships Curriculum in 2025. All students will attend one session per week with our Respectful Relationships and Student Empowerment Leader, Rebecca McCorkindale. 

The Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) teaching and learning resources have been developed to support schools to promote and model respect, positive attitudes and behaviours. It teaches our children how to build healthy relationships, resilience and confidence. In the Personal and Social Capability curriculum, students learn to recognise and regulate emotions, develop empathy for others and establish and build a framework for positive relationships. 

Schools are places where children learn how to interact with others and work together in a respectful way.  Respectful Relationships is a whole-school approach, recognising that schools are a place of learning, a workplace and a key part of local communities. It embeds a culture of respect and equality across our entire school community, from our classrooms to staff rooms, sporting fields and social events. This approach leads to positive impacts on students’ academic outcomes, their mental health, class behaviour, and relationships between teachers and students. 

In the coming weeks, we will be sharing a bit about each of the 8 pillars of Respectful Relationships with you. 

In the meantime, for further information please head to https://www.vic.gov.au/respectful-relationships 

Thank you for your continued support as we work together to create a safe and engaging learning environment for all our students.

Natalie Pinkett