The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter SCHOOL COUNCIL REPORT
Hello Lakes families,
A huge congratulations to our Year 12 students who have now completed their final week of formal classes! This is a significant milestone, and we are incredibly proud of all they’ve achieved throughout their schooling journey. We also extend our thanks to the parents and carers who have supported them every step of the way. Your encouragement and guidance have played a vital role in helping them reach this point. As our students prepare for the next chapter—whether that’s sitting exams for an ATAR, pursuing further education or training, or stepping into the workforce—we wish them every success. No matter the path they choose, we know they’ll carry the skills and resilience they’ve developed into the future.
Best of luck as well to our Year 11 students who are beginning their exams!
In fundraising news, The Lakes Fundraising team are excited to announce that preparations for our 2027 Welcome BBQ are underway —and we would love to feature the incredible businesses within our school community. If you're a parent/carer or family member who runs a business—whether it's delicious food or engaging activities—we want to support you and share your work with our wider community.
We’re particularly interested in partnering with businesses that offer: 🌮 Food services and tasty treats 🎨 Fun, interactive activities for all ages 🎶 Entertainment that brings people together
This is a fantastic opportunity to connect, promote your business, and be part of a day that celebrates the spirit of our school community. If your business aligns, we would love to hear from you!
A massive thank you too to all the families and staff who purchased a chocolate box in the recent Cadbury Chocolate Fundraiser!
In other news, at School Council’s most recent meeting on 20 October, we:
Discussed the new Department of Education wording around parent/carer curriculum contributions, introduced in September 2026 as part of the revised Parent Contributions Policy, and what it may mean for The Lakes. You may have seen in the media recently there has been growing concern from Victorian Principals around this new wording and the impacts to school budgets. Discussed the take-home reader resources available for Primary students and whether the level and variety of readers are appropriately supporting students as they develop their literacy skills. Discussed if the school’s annual publication, Inspire, remains the most effective and sustainable way to celebrate and share student learning. While the publication has long been a valued showcase of student achievement, it requires significant staff time and printing costs, and many learning successes are now shared through newsletters, social media and other digital platforms. Brainstormed a wishlist of infrastructure, facility and grounds improvements to help shape 2027 School Council- funded projects.
Reviewed the results of the recent Parent Opinion Survey. This year’s results showed overall positive results similar to 2025. A key finding though was a growing gap between parent confidence in student wellbeing and confidence in teaching and learning. While parents continue to rate safety, care and connectedness highly, areas identified for improvement was what information parents need to better understand their child's learning, how school communication can be improved, and how the College can better support students to develop organisation, study skills and independent learning habits. Endorsed 2027 Curriculum Days. There will be additional pupil-free days available under the new Victorian Government Schools Agreement, and these have been incorporated into the school calendar to support staff professional learning and development. Agreed to follow up with our canteen service provider to provide water as an option on special lunch order days, and not just fruit juice.
As always, if you have any issues, ideas or questions that you would like raised at our next Council meeting, or any other support, please feel free to send me an email to amanda.farrelly@education.vic.gov.au. Our last meeting for 2026 will be Tuesday 1 December.
Amanda Farrelly School Council President
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