School Council Update

What’s in store for 2024!

Welcome to 2024! The year is already in full swing, with the kids getting settled into their new rooms and routines. A very special welcome to all our new families, we are delighted you’ve joined the FNPS community.

The FNPS School Council has started 2024 with a motivated, engaged and skilled team of councillors ready to tackle a new year of challenges. With lots to be excited about, we are looking forward to working with the school’s leadership, teachers, staff and our community to ensure the year is a great one for FNPS.

Aside from our usual council business, in 2024 we will be kickstarting planning for the school’s 150 YEAR anniversary, due to occur in 2025. This huge milestone deserves a big celebration, so it will be great fun to put our heads together along with the community to make some plans.

School Council Elections

Our current school council term ends in March so planning for nominations and elections is underway. Please see the Principal's Report in the Newsletter for an overview of this process and key dates. The first meeting of our new School Council will occur on 20 March.

We have a range of council positions coming up for election, so are issuing a call for members of our community to put themselves forward for nomination.

To nominate yourself, please complete a paper form at the Office.

All are welcome to throw their hat in the ring for a position on council - no specific qualifications are needed and we welcome people from all backgrounds, skills and mindsets. In fact, that is exactly what School Council should be - a reflection of our diverse community!

For those wondering about what’s involved:

All government schools in Victoria have a School Council, which is a legally constituted body with powers to set the broad direction of a school
Our School Council comprises a mix of parent members, staff members (including Tania & Toby) and community members
Our School Council meets on Wednesdays between 6-8pm, with 8 meetings held per year. In addition, Councillors are required to participate in at least 1 committee (8 meetings a year) - see below for further details about our committees
Lots of training and guidance is provided for new (and existing) Councillors
Many of our parent councillors work full time and find the workload manageable
Being on School Council is a fantastic way to feel connected to your child’s school, to support FNPS and to create strong connections with other members of the community

If you are curious but need to know more about what it’s like to be on School Council, feel free to reach out to Tania, Suzy Schmitz (SC president), Joe Norster (SC vice president) or any of the other parent councillors (contact details available from the office).

COMMITTEE VACANCIES

School Council operates through a range of committees, tasked with addressing various aspects of council’s remit. Each of these committees meets 8 times per year (generally 8am - 8:45am before school).

Our committees are:

Buildings, Environment, Sustainability and Infrastructure (BESI) (Convenor - Mel Lim)
Finance (Treasurer - Kelly Barrett)
Policy & Curriculum (Convenor - Toby Russo)
Community Engagement (Convenor - Nicole Marson)

Our council committees are open to non-council members and vacancies on these come up quite regularly. These positions are informally appointed (no election needed), depending on existing vacancies. Joining a committee can be a great option if you are curious about getting involved, but not yet ready to commit to School Council.

If you would like to apply to join one of our committees, or would like further information, please let us know by completing this form:

Alternatively, feel free to reach out to our committee convenors or chat with Tania, Suzy Schmitz (SC president) or Joe Norster (SC vice president).

Thanks for your support and here’s to a fabulous 2024!

Suzy Schmitz - School Council President

Grade 6 Newsletter