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School Council Update

Dear Ironside Community, 

 

I am A/Prof Jacq Romero, Chair of Ironside’s School Council. Welcome to the first edition of School Council News where updates from the School Council will be shared, to keep us all informed and connected.

 

To recap, the School Council election for parent representatives was held on the 11th of May, 2026. There were 71 parents that voted, and MD Rabiul Alam and myself were the two successful candidates. The School Council currently consists of:

  • Chair: Jacq Romero
  • Secretary: MD Rabiul Alam
  • Staff (Elected) Members: Catherine Priday and Georgia Perkins
  • Parent (Elected) Members: Jacq Romero, MD Rabiul Alam, April Sui
  • Appointed Member: Vanda Nocon

  • Members ex-officio: Angie Kelly (principal) and P&C president

     

The first school council meeting was held on the 25th of May 2026. Several items were discussed:

 

Constitution

The model constitution (from the QLD Education Department) was formally approved, a copy of the constitution can be found here. Since many parents have asked about the functions of the School Council, I share with you Section 2 of the constitution which outlines the functions of the School Council. These functions are:

  1. monitoring the school's strategic direction;
  2. approving plans and policies of the school of a strategic nature and other documents
  3. affecting strategic matters, including the annual estimate of revenue and expenditure for the school;
  4. monitoring the implementation of the plans, policies and other documents mentioned above; and
  5. advising the school's principal about strategic matters.

 

Student numbers and Staffing

There are 875 students currently enrolled at Ironside. Kellie Bannah from EALD has left and Miranda Sainsbury has commenced as Head of Special Education Services (HOSES).

 

Finance Update

Vanda Nocon (Business Manager) provided key information relating to income, expenditure, budgeting, and broader financial planning matters. Vanda also noted that there are fewer classroom teachers this year to account for the lower student numbers compared with previous years.

 

Teaching and Learning

Ms Kelly reported on the ongoing work for the Collegial Engagement Framework, including teacher observation, professional engagement, staff development, and coaching processes. Ms Kelly suggests that, within this framework, she would undertake the initial observation and coaching of teachers to support consistency across the school.

 

Combined Classes

The educational and social benefits for students in combined classes were discussed. The Council agreed that combined classes need to be approached carefully, particularly in relation to the selection of students and the teachers assigned to those classes. Ms. Kelly highlighted the challenge of rapidly changing student numbers, which makes it difficult to predict which year levels may require combined classes for the following school year.

 

Agenda for Next Meeting

We will look at the school performance data, based on NAPLAN and diagnostic assessments.

 

With thanks for your ongoing engagement and support,

 

A/Prof Jacq Romero