BANYAN FIELDS PRIMARY SCHOOL
Principal's Welcome
On behalf of the Banyan Fields Primary School community, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to all of our new families. I am excited about meeting you in person in 2025.
At Banyan Fields Primary School, our vision is to create a bright future for our learners. We are dedicated to providing a well-rounded education – academically, emotionally and socially – within our nurturing community. We strive to develop positive members of society who embody our core values of Belonging, Resilience, Ambition and Integrity. These values not only guide our daily operations but also shape our positive school culture. They are the foundation that empowers our students to be active and meaningful contributors within our school and in the broader community.
The overarching goal, of our work at Banyan Fields, is to ensure that every student feels safe and happy at school so they can maximise their learning. We place a strong emphasis on ensuring that every student experiences a wide and varied range of learning opportunities throughout their seven years of primary school. As you read through this booklet, you will learn about the specialist subjects with which your child will engage, the extensive camps, excursions, and extra-curricular activities and how we celebrate the achievements of individual students, as well as class groups, year levels, cohorts and as a whole school. Alongside this work, we employ a multi-tiered system of supports for all members of our community, depending on their individual point of need. At the core of this is our determination to know our community as a whole and everyone that contributes to our ongoing development and progress.
The teachers at Banyan Fields Primary School operate as Professional Learning Communities and use up-to-date, evidence-based practices to deliver the Victorian Curriculum. Through developing strong relationships with neighbouring kindergartens and local high schools, we create effective and supportive pathways for our students. Our wellbeing officer coordinates non-academic supports for our students, when required, and we have access to a network of allied health professionals, including psychologists, counsellors, speech pathologists and occupational therapists.
All staff have engaged in professional learning aligned with the Berry Street Education Model. This trauma-informed, positive education approach benefits every member of our community. It plays a central role in how staff interact with students to ensure that our classrooms are calm, supportive spaces, where we all thrive. Our staff are attentive to how students are feeling throughout their day at school and respond appropriately. This has led to a culture in which students are eager to learn and grow. Our structured routines and positive behaviour strategies further enhance our harmonious learning environment.
We take great pride in our comprehensive academic program, which includes explicit instruction in both Literacy and Numeracy. Our integrated studies approach ensures that our students understand the purpose of the learning tasks and focus areas and are provided with an opportunity to implement their developing knowledge and skills in meaningful ways. They also gain an understanding of the importance of the essential skills and attitudes they will require in order to navigate the rapidly evolving world.
Collaboration with parents and the wider community is essential to our success. We nurture the crucial role that parents play and believe in shared responsibility for student engagement. Our proactive school council ensures that we take a consultative and collaborate approach to decision making and this ensures our focus remains directed on our goals.
We are immensely proud of our school’s standing within the community. Working together in an educational partnership offers tremendous advantages and potential for everybody. We invite you to be an active participant in our school’s journey through getting involved with school council, fundraising events, policy review, volunteering in the classroom and on excursions, etc.
Attending a school tour is an imperative part of this process as it gives you the chance to experience the Banyan Fields culture first-hand. Please contact the school office 9782 133 to arrange a time.
Kindest regards,
Patrick Halpin
Principal
