School Board Report 

23 Oct

The annual open School Board meeting was held on Thursday 23 October at 5:30 pm, in the staff room. Open board meetings are inclusive and welcoming spaces for the community to attend.

The Board Chair presented the annual report, outlining the roles and responsibilities of board members, and reaffirmed that the students and their welfare remain the Board’s highest priority. As a former student, I have gained deeper insight into the effort and time that go into making Applecross an outstanding school. The presentation also highlighted the many changes that have been implemented this year and the positive progress towards the school’s long-term plans.

A comprehensive financial report indicated that the school remains in a strong financial position, with little change from the last board meeting. With the end of the year approaching, there will be no more major expenditures as we move into the budgeting period.

The Year 12 Captains reported on recent school activities, noting that ATAR students have completed their mock exams and will soon begin their WACE exams in late October. The official graduation for the 2025 cohort is scheduled for 29 November, and the board extends its best wishes to the graduating cohort. Additionally, the 2026 School Captains have been allocated. 

The Board had the pleasure of viewing a summary video of the whole-school house athletics carnival, which captured the energy, smiles, and enthusiasm of students from Year 7 to 12. The Sports Carnival focused on building school culture, increasing interconnectivity across year groups, and including novelty events so all students could give them a go. House spirit is one of the main focuses of the new business plan, and the team hopes to increase student participation and get more staff involved, including the CORE teachers.

The draft of the school's 2026 Business Plan was presented to the Board for further feedback. The new Business Plan focuses on transparency, providing clear information to staff and the leadership team, setting measurable outcomes and goals, and, most importantly, ensuring it can be effectively applied in classroom practice.

Sienna Pettman, School Board