Principal News 04/09/2026

Dear Banyan Fields Primary School Community,

As Term 3 comes to a close, we would like to thank our students, families and staff for another fantastic term at Banyan Fields Primary School. It has been wonderful to see our students continue to learn, grow and thrive throughout the term. Thank you to our families for your continued support and partnership.

We hope everyone has a safe, relaxing and enjoyable holiday break and enjoys some well-deserved time with family and friends. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for an exciting Term 4 as we continue to thrive together!

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

Attendance: Arrive to Thrive:

We are excited to share some fantastic progress in student punctuality at Banyan Fields Primary School!

Comparing our data at the same point in the year, in 2025 we had recorded 4,961 late arrivals, compared with 3,426 in 2026.

That’s 1,535 fewer late arrivals – an impressive 30.9% reduction!

We have also seen a significant improvement in unapproved late arrivals, decreasing from 2,713 at the same point in 2025 to 1,744 in 2026 – a 35.7% reduction.

Thank you to our students and families for supporting our Arrive to Thrive message. Arriving on time helps students settle into their morning routines, connect with their class and be ready to learn from the very beginning of the day.

A fantastic whole-school effort – let’s keep it going!

Every day matters. Every minute matters. Arrive to Thrive!

Year 3 and Year 5 Concert

Thanks again to Carrum Downs Secondary College for hosting our Year 3 and Year 5 concert during Week 9. The students were delighted with themselves and celebrated their hard work, commitment and persistence.

Equity: We include, we respect, we support.

Congratulations to the students in Year 6 who participated in the My Best Self Gala this week. Over the term, the students have participated in weekly ballroom dancing lessons, designed to build confidence and resilience. We were joined by students from Seaford Park Primary School and had the opportunity to perform for families and friends. The audience was treated to the samba, tango and jive.

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

PLC

At Banyan Fields Primary School, students continue to build their spelling knowledge by learning how letters work together to represent sounds in words.

The oa Spelling Pattern

This week, students are learning that the letters oa can work together to make the long /ō/ sound. We often see oa in the middle of a word.

For example:

boat

coat

goat

road

float

toast

A Helpful Way to Remember

oa → /ō/

When you hear the long /ō/ sound in the middle of a word, oa may be the spelling you need.

How Families Can Support at Home

Ask your child:

“Can you hear the /ō/ sound?”

“Where can you hear it in the word?”

“What two letters can work together to make /ō/?”

Try spelling some oa words together:

boat, goat, road, coat, float, toast

Spot It While Reading

While reading together, look for words containing oa. Ask your child to find the oa, say the sound it represents and read the whole word. Learning spelling patterns such as oa helps students make connections between sounds and letters, supporting greater confidence and accuracy in reading and writing.

Parent/Carer Opinion Survey

Thank you to the 49 households who completed this year’s Parent/Carer Opinion Survey. Several parents also provided written feedback via email. If you have anything to add, please email Patrick.Halpin@education.vic.gov.au. We will share the quantitative data with you next term along with information on our plans for 2027

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

Building Works

Over the holiday break, we will have builders onsite beginning a significant maintenance project around the school. Every building of our school will be worked on across Term 4 that will include roof repairs, painting, replacement of the eaves, soffits and fascias, and corrosion repair. Most of the work will be on the outside of the buildings but we may be required to temporarily relocate classes as we go. Access to the school should not be impacted but we will keep you posted on the progress.

Koorie Art Show

Over the past few weeks, some of our students have been busy creating special pieces of artwork to enter in the Koorie Art Show – Young Mob 9, presented by the Koorie Heritage Trust, with the help of our Art teacher Mrs Beckwith.

Young Mob celebrates the creativity, imagination and cultural pride of young Victorian First Peoples artists aged 5–16, providing an opportunity for young people to share their stories, showcase their talents and have their artwork exhibited as part of one of Victoria’s leading celebrations of First Peoples art.

We are incredibly proud of the creativity and thought our students have put into their pieces and look forward to submitting their work for this wonderful opportunity.

The Young Mob 9 exhibition will be held at the Koorie Heritage Trust at Federation Square from 5 December 2026 to 11 July 2027.

Patrick Halpin - Principal

Jennifer Churcher - Assistant Principal

Sharleen Nason - Assistant Principal

Celebrating our Learning

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

AUSLAN

Preforming Arts

House Leaders