School Council
Henderson Park Upgrade
We are excited to share that following our community consultation and feedback throughout 2025, Henderson Park has been selected for a much-needed upgrade through Pick my Park.
This outcome is a direct result of your feedback, advocacy and contributions. Thank you to our school community, teachers and students who took the time to share ideas and highlight the importance of this well used space.
A special thank you to our School Council President, Darby, who attended a meeting of the City of Darebin Council to ensure Thornbury Primary School and Henderson Park were firmly on the radar.
This is a great example of what we can achieve when we work together as a community. We look forward to sharing updates as the project progresses.
Potential Industrial Action: Tuesday 24th March
Australian Education Union (AEU) members have been negotiating, alongside teachers, education support staff, assistant principals, and principals from public schools around Victoria, with the state government and Department of Education for improvements to pay and employment conditions. Negotiations have been occurring over the last seven months, and the state government has not made any offer at this point in time.
Currently, Victorian public schools are the lowest funded in Australia and there are significant staffing shortages across Victoria. Victorian public-school teachers are also the lowest paid teachers in Australia, with many education support employees and school leaders paid less than their colleagues in other state and territories who do the same role.
AEU members are seeking pay increases and reductions to excessive workloads, with the aim of ensuring the retention of existing employees and the attraction of the next generation to enable the ongoing provision of high-quality education to students. Because there has not been any offer, AEU members are undertaking a vote to endorse industrial action, with the union calling a statewide 24-hour stopwork for Tuesday 24th of March, should the government not respond properly to key claims.
The AEU has written to our school council outlining some of the issues that school staff need resolved, including school funding and staffing shortages, in addition to pay and conditions improvement. The union acknowledges that a decision to stop work is not one to be taken lightly and regrets the impact it has on students and their families, with the state government able to avoid such action if a fair and decent offer is made to employees.
If the industrial action goes ahead, information needed to manage the situation will be provided to the school community.
Please reach out if you have any questions - darby.fullerton@education.vic.gov.au
Sincerely,
Darby Fullerton
School Council President
Working Bee
This working bee will focus on refreshing our new OSHC (Out of School Hours Care) space as we prepare for the exciting move. There are plenty of jobs to tackle, including:
- Cleaning and preparing surfaces
- Painting
- Prep work for cabinetry installation
Everyone is welcome and no special skills are required; it would be great to have a few volunteers with carpentry and painting experience to help guide some of the key tasks.
To help keep everyone fuelled, we will be providing a BBQ lunch.
Working bees are a fantastic way to meet other families, contribute to the school environment, and make a real difference for our children.
Bring along:
A hat and sunscreen
Gloves (if you have them)
A water bottle
Your community spirit!
