The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter SCHOOL COUNCIL REPORT
Our school AGM was held on Tuesday 19 th March 2024 on the Primary Campus. We would also like to congratulate Amanda Farrelly who accepted the position of School Council President.
We discussed at length the purpose of the sub - committees and what they try to achieve, outside of regular School Council meetings. Finance is a mandatory subcommittee, as per the Department of Education, but as a school we can decide what other subcommittees we hold. Therefore we decided that Education will run on a more ‘ as needed ’ basis to discuss policies as they need to be renewed.
Education:
Finance:
Fundraising: Jenny Archibald (parent) Veronica Marsh (parent) Amanda Farrelly (parent) Helen Skendaris (parent)
Bonnie Lee (DET - staff) Josie Benfari (parent) Nash (student rep) Keara McIntyre (DET - staff) Rebecca Sutton (DET - Staff) Tijana (student rep)
Bill Panas (DET staff) Marcus Hastings (DET staff) Anna - LisaTewma (parent) Amanda Farrelly (parent) Grant Voss (Parent) Kathryn Lieschke (parent)
Hello Parents/Carers,
Amazingly, we are at the end of Term 1 already, feels like yesterday that we were at the Meet & Greets! Lots of events have already taken place including Harmony Day; Athletics Day (no rain delays this year!); Learner Review Meetings; Year 7 camp; and excursions for many year levels. New carpeting and glass partitions have revitalised our learning spaces and there has definitely been a new feel and vibe to the school this year. Our journey to meet the goals of our four - year strategic plan strongly continues. In February The Lakes was recognised by our regional Department of Education office for our significantly improved School Improvement Data. Mr Panas, Ms Lee and Mr Abney - Hastings were invited to present to their fellow principals from the north - east metro area on how this has been achieved by showcasing our parent/carer/community partnership strategies, including the changes we have made to School Council meetings. We believe this is the first time ever The Lakes has been selected to showcase its strategic activities to other schools, which we can be very proud of.
Lastly, the 2023 Annual Report to the School Community was also presented and endorsed.
March School Council Meeting
Following the AGM, our regular March meeting commenced. At this meeting we:
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Endorsed the 2024 Annual Implementation Plan.
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Reviewed our School Councillor Protocols for 2024 - 25.
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Viewed samples of the proposed new interschool sport uniforms and endorsed expending Fundraising money towards them.
Annual General Meeting
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Endorsed expenditure for our Executive Leadership team to undertake a study tour of New Zealand in June.
Our most recent meeting on March 19 began with our AGM. I am pleased to announce that the five vacant parent roles were filled by Grant Voss, Josie Benfari and Helen Skendaris (all returning), Veronica Marsh and Kathryn Lieschke. The two DE vacancies were filled by Bek Sutton and Keara McIntyre and the student vacancy was filled by Tijana M. We welcome Veronica, Kathryn, Bek, Keara and Tijana and know that their ideas for our school, together with their backgrounds and skills will add to the depth and diversity of our Council membership.
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Discussed Fundraising ’ s upcoming activities (Mother ’ s Day Breakfast on May 10 and Trivia Night on 1 June).
Curriculum Charges
A huge thank you to families who have paid 2024 Curriculum Charges, it is appreciated. Schools provide students with free instruction to fulfil the standard curriculum requirements and we want to assure you that all contributions are voluntary. Nevertheless, the ongoing financial support of our families ensures that our school can offer the best possible education and support for our students. The school ’ s budget is partly reliant on voluntary contributions – voluntary contributions allows program area budgets to increase and goes towards building and ground upgrades, all for the benefit and enjoyment of our students. It is important that we work together to provide the best facilities.
Our Council members for the 2024/25 term are:
Parent members:
DE members:
Jenny Archibald
Bill Panas (Executive Officer, College Principal) Bonnie Lee (Secondary Principal)
Josie Benfari
Amanda Farrelly (President)
Bek Sutton
Kathryn Lieschke
Keara McIntyre
Veronica Marsh Helen Skendaris
Student members:
Anna - Lisa Tewma (Treasurer) Grant Voss (Vice President)
Tijana M Nash C
Thank you again for your support and partnering with us in 2024.
Observers: Marcus Abney - Hastings (Primary Principal) Belinda Pattison Dale Saliba (Secretariat)
Community Issues & Concerns
Finally, Council is here to represent the whole school community, so as always, if you have any issues, ideas, questions that you would like raised at our next Council meeting, or any other support, please feel free to approach any of our members or send an email to amanda.farrelly@education.vic.gov.au. Council meets twice per term on a Tuesday and visitors and observers are always welcome.
The three Executive Roles were declared vacant and nominations held and accepted for the President, Vice President and Treasurer roles. School Council rep membership of the three sub - committees, Education, Finance and Fundraising, was also decided.
Have a wonderful break,
Amanda Farrelly
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