Cat Tales

Dear Bobcat Families,

This is a big week at Banyan! First of all, we have picture day on Wednesday. There is no need to send money-- just dress how you want to be photographed. Cornerstone photography, our vendor, will send you an email with picture proofs that you can order if you want and they will be shipped directly to you. Every student must be photographed for school id, emergency cards, and other school business. Photos will be used in the school yearbook (you can opt out). We will have a make up photo day if your child is absent or their picture isn't satisfactory.

Thursday evening will be back to school night for Kindergarten- 5th grade. I will be speaking in the MPR at 5:40. There will be two sessions in classrooms so that you are able to attend two sessions if you have multiple children at Banyan. The first session is at 6:00. The second session is at 6:30. 5th grade will only present during the 2nd session at 6:30 in the MPR (together). Their classrooms will be open during the first session if you want to tour the room- but they will not present at that time.

Finally, we are looking for some volunteers to represent our school on district committees. Thank you to Kinsie Flame, our DAC rep, Jennifer Sugden, our GATE rep, and Rachel Christensen, our SEDAC rep. We are currently looking for parents to represent us for African American District Advisory Council, a parent to represent us on the LGBTQ+ district advisory council, and some to represent us on our English Learner Advisory Committee. IF you are interested in representing us on on one of these committees, please reach out directly to me at akennedy@conejousd.org.

Finally, please make sure you that you have joined the PTA to show your support for our amazing school!

Remember, in a world where you can be anything, please be kind:).

Allison Kennedy

Proud Principal
Banyan Elementary

September 2- School Picture Day

September 3- Back to School Night Kindergarten through 5th grade plus all SDC classes- MPR 5:40 2 classroom presentations to follow

September 4- Bobcat Assembly.

September 4- Special Lunch- Pick Up Sticks will be available in the cafeteria for all students who want it (free of charge).

September 7- No School Labor Day

September 11- Room Parent Meeting 9:00 MPR

September 14- Apex Kick off Assembly

September 17- Constitution Day- the constitution was adopted on this date in 1787.

September 18- Sports Jersey Day- Wear your favorite Jersey to School!

September 21- Board Holiday- Yom Kippur- No School

September 25- APEX FUN RUN

September 28- School Site Council

September 28- October 16- Candy Collection (Front of school) for Trunk or Treat

September 29- Wear Gold (yellow) to Show Support for our Pediatric Cancer Warriors!

October 2 (Friday) - No School

Our PTA Membership Drive starts now and ends September 4! Membership is just $20 per person, and anyone can join: students, parents, grandparents, older siblings, aunts, uncles, and friends!

Your $20 directly supports Banyan PTA and helps fund the events and programs we provide throughout the year. There is no requirement to volunteer or serve on the PTA Board.

BONUS: The class with the highest percentage of PTA members will win a PIZZA PARTY! 🍕🎉
UPDATE- as of Friday:

1st place- Mrs. Fisher's Class

2nd Place- Mrs. Fullerton's Class

3rd Place- Mrs. O'Neill's Class

There is still time to get your class on board!
How to Join:
Click this link - PTA MEMBERSHIP
Click “Join Now”
Log in with your information (or create an account if you’re new to Banyan)
Click the green “Make Donation” button
Complete your $20 membership

Member perks: Voting rights at PTA General Association meetings + NEW this year, discounts on food sold by the PTA at PTA events!

Thank you for supporting our Bobcats! 🐾

Hi my name is Brent Ramirez and I am already a huge part of the Banyan family, with my wife being Mrs. Ramirez (5th grade teacher) and both of our daughters attending Banyan (Millie in TK and Ryder in first grade). I am so excited to be your new chorus director! I am a local theatre educator and director and the owner of Born to Perform Studio, where I've spent a decade helping young performers build confidence, develop their skills, and discover the joy of performing.

This fall, we are jumping right into an exciting semester of movement, story telling, and performance all culminating in a school-wide production of Disney's Alice in Wonderland Jr.! I cannot wait to meet our Banyan performers, make some great music together, and create a really special experience for our students and families.

See you in Chorus!

Brent Ramirez

It is very important that you do your annual updates on Q! PLEASE make sure these are complete. We need to make sure we have all of the correct information to keep your children safe at school and provide services to your families preference. This is your opportunity to opt in and out of some programs, update emergency contacts, and provide the school/district with information.

We look forward to welcoming your students back for the 2026-2027 school year in just a few weeks. As with each new school year, parents/guardians must complete required Annual Updates before the first day of instruction. We are pleased to provide all Annual Updates information, including required acknowledgments and permissions, within the Q Parent Connection Portal again this year.

Parents/Guardians are asked to please complete the required Annual Updates process for all CVUSD students by Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

Annual Updates must be completed for every student, every year, even if the student has recently enrolled in CVUSD for the first time. We want to ensure that we have the most up-to-date information about your student(s) and that you are well-informed about laws and policies pertaining to your child’s education.

Parents/Guardians are asked to complete the process in Q Parent Connection.

For those who do not have access to Q Parent Connection, paper copies of the required Annual Updates forms may be obtained from Student Support Services at the CVUSD District Educational Center, 1400 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. or from your child’s school upon their office reopening.

If you have questions regarding your unique login information, after following the Need Your Login Information? steps, please contact your elementary school’s Office Manager or your middle or high school’s Registrar for further assistance.

Additionally, CVUSD respectfully requests assistance in maximizing funding for the district by completing the Free/Reduced Eligibility Application. The application link HERE is also located in the Acknowledgments and Permissions section of the Annual Updates process. The information provided by families remains confidential. We ask every family to submit the application, even if your student does not plan to eat lunch at school, because the information may help determine eligibility for additional student benefits and support and may affect funding available to our schools. If you have any questions or need assistance completing your application, please call Child Nutrition Services at (805) 498-4557, extension 7530.

Thank you for taking the time to complete these important updates. We appreciate your partnership and look forward to a wonderful school year for your student and family.

Welcome back! We’re so excited for another great year at Banyan. Below you will find a link to download our PTA calendar for the entire school year! Keep it handy all year so you are always in the loop of our next event. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE CALENDAR

As we get ready to kick things off, there are a few easy ways you can support our school and help us make this an amazing year for our Bobcats (All of the information below can be found on our website www.banyanpta.com

🐾 Join the Banyan PTA

Joining the PTA as a general member does not mean you’re signing up to volunteer or take on another commitment! Your $20 membership means three things:

1. You’re financially supporting your child’s school. Your $20 membership helps the PTA fund programs, events, activities, and resources for our students and staff.
2. You have a voice. PTA members have voting rights at our General Association meetings.
3. NEW this year: Member discounts! PTA members will receive a discount on food sold by the PTA at PTA-sponsored events throughout the year.

Memberships are per person, which means everyone in your household can join. And PTA membership isn’t just for parents! Grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, neighbors, and other members of our Banyan community are welcome to become members and support our school.

👕📚 NEW! PTA Membership Bundle

Want to knock out a few Back-to-School purchases at once?

For $70, our new bundle includes:

1 PTA Membership + 1 Banyan Yearbook + 1 Banyan Spirit Wear Shirt (Savings of $10!)

CLICK HERE to purchase the bundle OR a PTA membership on its own (if you are choosing the bundle, be sure to select 'Bundle' as the level)

🐾 Become a PAW-some Sponsor!

Do you own a business, or do you have a connection to a local business that would love to reach Banyan families?

We’re looking for PAW-some Sponsors for the 2026–2027 school year! Sponsorship is a great opportunity to market your business within our community while directly supporting Banyan students, teachers, staff, programs, and events.

CLICK HERE to learn more and become a PAW-some Sponsor!

🍎 Help Us Stock the Teacher & Staff Lounge!

We want our teachers and staff to start the year feeling appreciated and supported, so we’re stocking their lounge with snacks, drinks, and other goodies to help keep them fueled during those busy first weeks of school.

CLICK HERE to see the list of items needed and sign up.

Thank you for being part of our Banyan community. We’re looking forward to a PAW-some year together!

We are looking for a new campus safety supervisor for Banyan. We are looking for someone who loves kids and can help supervise our playgrounds during recess times throughout the day. If you are interested, please contact the front office!