The Lakes South Morang College - Issue 5

The Lakes South Morang College Newsletter SCHOOL COUNCIL REPORT

Hello all,

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; parent/carer teacher interviews; Year 7 camp; and excursions for many year levels. Canteen online ordering is now up and running and perhaps the most significant news for the term was that the College Principal Selection Process was held and completed and we announced that Bill Panas has been appointed to the role. Our most recent meeting in March was jam - packed beginning with our AGM. I am pleased to announce that the four vacant parent/ carer roles were filled by Anna - Lisa Tewma (returning), Jenny Archibald, Katrina Hartley and myself (returning); the two DET vacancies were filled by Marcus Abney - Hastings and Michelle Berry (both returning) and the student vacancy was filled by Nash C. We welcome Jenny, Katrina and Nash 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. Also at the AGM, the three Executive Roles were declared vacant and nominations held and accepted for the School Council President, School Council Vice President and Treasurer roles. Membership of the two sub - committees, Education and Finance, was also decided. We discussed re - establishing a formal Fundraising sub - committee but agreed that it may be a little to premature to do so at this time, however should we need parent/carer support for fundraising activities we will approach our community on an as - required basis. Lastly, and most importantly, we acknowledged and thanked our retiring parent/carer member, Todd Sprague, for his long contribution to School Council. Todd has been on School Council for nine years, seven of those as President. His commitment to our school and his enthusiasm for new ideas and learning opportunities has been outstanding.

Parent/carer members:

DET members:

Observers:

Jenny Archibald Josie Benfari Katrina Hartley

Bill Panas (College Principal)

Bonnie Lee (Assistant Principal)

Marcus Abney - Hastings (Assistant Principal)

Belinda Pattison

George Sarlos Michelle Berry

Dale Saliba (Secretariat)

Amanda Farrelly (President) Helen Skendaris Anna - Lisa Tewma (Treasurer)

Student members:

Briohny Voss

Adele S Nash C

Grant Voss (Vice President)

Therefore, our Council members for the 2023/24 term are:

Following the AGM, our regular March meeting commenced. At this meeting we:

Endorsed the 2022 Annual Report to the School Community;

• Acknowledged student concerns to School Council regarding the cleanliness of the toilets on both campuses and received an update on a proposal to address these concerns.

• Received an update on the placement and need of the school bus stopping at the Primary Campus;

Received an update on the Collingwood English Language School build;

• Updated School Council members on proposed correspondence to the City of Whittlesea re advocating for improved safety outside the Primary Campus on Gordons Road and the removal of the 5 minute parking limit signs along The Lakes Boulevard slip lane; • Discussed the need/rationale for an on - site parent/carer principal forum and Q&A session. We have been very clear this year that building on our parent/carer/school relationships continues to be a focus, combined with recognising where our communication gaps lie. An on - site event can address both of these;

Discussed ideas for newsletter content;

Heard about Incident Reports – the where/what/why and how; and

Discussed further issues regarding the school uniform;

Remember 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.

Enjoy the break,

Amanda Farrelly

School Council President

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