School Council Reflection
AMANDA FARRELLY
As we look back on 2025, our very active School Council have remained deeply committed to playing a strategic role within our school community. Our body of dedicated parents/carers and staff have continued to provide steady and thoughtful leadership this year that keeps our school moving forward. This year hasn’t been about dramatic change, rather it’s been about consistency, staying focused, and making meaningful progress. Every step we’ve taken has been aligned to the 2022–2026 Strategic Plan, whether it’s supporting student wellbeing, enhancing learning outcomes, or deepening our connection with families and the wider community, School Council has stayed true to its purpose. Entering a new School Council term, the urgent ‘must do’ items regarding buildings and grounds were completed after a three-year program of improvements and upgrades. Therefore, our focus for 2025 was to support our Leadership team on improving our learning environments and reinforcing parents/carers as learning
partners. This shift was energised by the outstanding performance of our 2024 VCE students, whose median study score rose from 24 to 30—an achievement that placed The Lakes as the top-performing government school in the Whittlesea network. One of the most exciting developments this year was the rollout of digital screens across the Primary Campus. Initially introduced in Prep to Year 3 classrooms during Term 1, their success led to expansion into Years 4–6 by Term 4. The feedback from both students and teachers has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the screens’ ability to transform classrooms into engaging, interactive and effective learning spaces with multiple uses. Building on this success, Council endorsed the early introduction of the BYOD laptop program for Year 5 and 6 students—previously implemented at Year 7— to ensure students are well-prepared for the digital demands of secondary education. The introduction of the Resilience Project initiative this year has also been fantastic to help our students build mental strength, embrace challenges and develop a growth mindset that will carry them through life, both inside and outside the classroom.
Advocacy work has also been in the mix in our meeting agendas. School Council supported efforts to address important issues, including: • The operation of student bus services by schools outside our region; • Inconsistencies within the Department’s ‘Find My School’ platform; • The delay in increased funding contributions to Victorian Government schools, now postponed until 2031. Across the College, 2025 was rich (and busy!) with vibrant events and celebrations, including the Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony, Harmony Day, Athletics Day (thankfully rain-free!), Cross Country and Interschool Sport Gala Days, Crazy Hair Day, Easter Raffle, International Women’s Day Lunch at Parliament House, Open Days for Education and Science Weeks, Book Week, two Performing Arts Showcase nights, the Freaky Friday production, Primary Art Show, and a wide array of excursions and camps across all year levels. Whilst the urgent ‘must-do’ items regarding buildings and grounds were completed in 2024, facilities were not completely overlooked – on Secondary, a new exam centre, First Aid room upgrade and the creation of a computer lab have all been achieved. On Primary, the reconfiguration of office and meeting spaces for families has been the priority.
Our parent/carer-led Fundraising Subcommittee team continue to kick goals with events designed to connect and bring community engagement, successfully organising another Welcome BBQ, Mother’s & Father’s Day Breakfasts, Mother’s Day & Father’s Day Stalls and a fundraising pie drive. Their efforts have led to the development of strong strategic partnerships with:
I would also like to thank our Leadership team and our administration staff for their wonderful support of Council’s ideas and initiatives, and we appreciate everything they have done for us this year. As we head into our final year of our current Strategic Plan, the College is still in a process of positive change. School Council welcomes your ideas, your thoughts, and your feedback on ways we can make our College the best it can be. We look forward to working with all of you as we continue on this journey in 2026.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS •
Coles Supermarkets (Mill Park Lakes, Epping, Mernda & Plenty Valley)
• Woolworths Supermarkets (South Morang Central, Plenty Valley & Rivergum) • Bakers Delight (Mernda, Plenty Valley & Epping) • Whittlesea Bowls Club • Camp Australia • Frankie’s Cafe • Tony’s Pies • Proactivity • Porta Putts • Suzi Starface • Harringtons Coffee Love • Diamond Valley Egg Farm I would like to thank our much-valued School Council members, plus the Fundraising Subcommittee team, for their time and efforts, their dedication and their commitment to continue to engage with the school community in 2025 and acknowledge the hours they put in voluntarily to make positive changes to our school.
Amanda Farrelly School Council President
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