School Advisory Council

School Advisory Council Update

The School Advisory Council met on Wednesday 2nd September to discuss a range of updates and developments across St Bernard’s.

Teaching and Learning: Bridget shared the continued strengthening of daily review, fluency and explicit instruction across the school. Teachers are reviewing approaches to spelling assessment and using tools such as the Maths Online Interview to better identify opportunities for student intervention and enhancement. STEM has been a great success, with students highly engaged in their learning with Lisa Geary. Next term, Lisa will move into Chemical Sciences, while in Inquiry Years 3–6 will focus on Civics and Citizenship and Foundation–Year 2 will undertake a Drama inquiry unit.

Child Safety and Wellbeing: MACS provided a revised induction for School Advisory Council members, reinforcing the role of the Council and its shared commitment to child safety and wellbeing.

School Events: The Council discussed the scheduling of school events. While the school aims to vary the days on which events occur, staffing considerations, including Learning Specialists and Learning Support Officers, can influence scheduling. This will continue to be considered when planning for 2027.

School Review: Julie provided an update on the commencement of the School Review. The leadership team and staff have undertaken significant work reflecting on the school’s progress over recent years. Following an initial visit from reviewer Marita Richardson, an independent and external reviewer, positive feedback was received regarding the thorough documentation and evidence prepared to demonstrate the school’s progress.

PBL: The PBL mascot competition received fantastic participation from students, with many thoughtful and creative designs submitted. The winning mascots will be announced soon!

Looking Ahead: The Council discussed 2027 enrolments and proposed fee structures, with further information to be shared with families shortly. There was also excitement around the school winning a new website, which will be developed over the coming weeks. A photographer will visit shortly to capture new photographs and video showcasing St Bernard’s and its community.

As always, if there is anything you feel should be raised at the School Advisory Council. please speak with any of the members at any time.

Regards, 

School Advisory Council members

Renee Ladner (Frankie and Henry), Tyson Fisher (Heidi and Bronson), Sarah Nesbitt (Maeve), Laura Jericevich (Charlie) and Gab Marr (Isaac).