College Council Report

About College Council

The Glen Eira College Council is made up of parent and staff representatives and community members.  We currently have 15 members from across these groups with a broad range of interests, background and skills.  A full list of Council members is available on the GEC website.  The Council meets once a month during school terms and has responsibilities for governance of the College.  The Council approves budgets, camps and excursions and establishes and reviews school policies as well as discussing significant issues affecting the governance of the College.

Council is proud to extend the opportunities for students to have a voice with two new student representatives – Year 12 School Captains Charlotte Skinner and Ben Hobbs-Gordon.  Students are greatly affected by Council’s decisions so it makes sense to include students in the decision making processes.  This provides another avenue for students to raise their views and have their opinions included.

Council Subcommittees

Council currently has four subcommittees, allowing time for more discussion on these important topics and also allowing for the inclusion of a broader membership group to contribute to making recommendations to Council on these issues. The sub-committees are:

• Uniform subcommittee
• Building Our Community and Identity (BOCI) subcommittee
• Finance and Facilities subcommittee
• Canteen subcommittee

At our last meeting a new Canteen subcommittee was established to continue working on improving the menu in line with the Healthy Eating Guidelines. This subcommittee will include staff, parents and students as well as the canteen managers.

Building Our Identity and Community (BOCI) subcommittee

GEC is a proudly multicultural Government school and this diversity enriches our entire school community. In BOCI, we aim to preserve and promote mutual respect, harmony and equity. The next BOCI meeting will be held on 11th May and new members from the school community are welcome to join. Please contact me at resolvecc@optusnet.com.au if you are interested in attending this meeting.

Revised Uniform Policy

I would like to take some time to highlight the work of the uniform subcommittee in reviewing the uniform policy over the past year, which was recently pointed out by one of our parents in a recent letter to the Age (see below).

The Age letters, 1 April, 2017.

Cathy’s letter was in response to an article complaining that girls in Australia still have to wear dresses and skirts to school.  Cathy’s letter sums up the revised uniform policy brilliantly. 

After consulting the school community last year, GEC now has an approved uniform list that any student can choose from regardless of gender or season.  For example, girls can wear shorts if they prefer or long pants in winter; boys can wear shorts in winter or long pants in summer; and transgender students can choose their preferred uniform.  This allows students some choice and eliminates discriminatory elements of the past uniform policy which reinforced gender stereotypes that may have negatively affected both boys and girls. 

At our last Council meeting, Jenny Sanchez, Student Wellbeing Leader, commended Council for the positive impact that the revised uniform policy has had on students and their wellbeing providing a practical approach to uniform for all students.   

Thanks to the uniform sub-committee for their hard work and to everyone who contributed their views through the survey and discussions.  Glen Eira College educates students about respectful relationships and promotes an inclusive culture.  I am proud to be part of a school that values inclusiveness and diversity and now has a school uniform policy reflecting these values. 

I am happy to be contacted on issues relating to Council by email at resolvecc@optusnet.com.au

Ruth Gordon

President

Glen Eira College Council