From the Principal 

 

School Governance

I wish to bring to your attention to the matter of Governance arrangements for schools owned by the Archdiocese.  From 1 January 2021, the Governance arrangements and its parishes will change.  A new company called ‘Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS) will take responsibility for governing and operating the schools.  Similar Governance arrangements have been in place in other dioceses in Australia for some time, but now the Melbourne Archdiocese will take on board these new arrangements.  The civil governance will be undertaken by a Company with a Board where the directors are appointed by the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne as the members of the Company.  While the change in governance will not disrupt the work of schools, it is important to keep teachers, parents and staff informed about this new situation. The change in governance arrangements will see all 293 schools owned by the Archdiocese in the Archdiocese of Melbourne in 2021 transferred to MACS, which will be responsible for the governance and operation of the schools. 

With legislative and compliance requirements rapidly becoming more complex for our schools, a governance model based on one person (namely Parish Priest) in which the school is unincorporated, as currently found in our parish schools and regional colleges is no longer viable.  Consequently, the new governance model seeks both to ease the administrative burden on our schools and parishes, and to allow the parish priest more time to focus on not only being an important supporter of the local Catholic school but to have some more time for numerous other priorities as well. 

The Parish Priest's responsibilities will still be to liaise with the Principal, Leadership Team and Religious Education Coordinator and will still be a member of the School Advisory Team but not technically Chair anymore. The school will remain a part of the missionary outreach of our Catholic Parish but it is also important that parents of children of other faith traditions will continue to be welcomed as we try to support the formation of the whole person.  As far as most parents are concerned there will be little foreseeable change and the new governance reforms should enable schools to continue delivering an outstanding faith and values-based education, without being burdened by the increasingly complex legislative and regulatory requirements. 

This new model will also continue to help us receive the necessary funding from both the Victorian and Federal Governments as we pursue a more professional course. 

SCHOOL LEVIES 2020

Families have already received a levy rebate for the cancelled swimming and camp programs for 2020. The excursion and sport levies will also be rebated for Years P-5. The amount will be transferred to your account for 2021. The levies for Year 6 will be used for their graduation activities.

Any families in Years P-5 who are leaving the school and have paid their fees and levies in full should email the school office with their bank account details (bank name, account name, BSB and account number) so that the refund can be paid to them.

Traffic Safety

Drop off and Pick up times are always busy times on the road, however, the safety of children, parents and the public are of utmost importance.

We have had complaints about the need to be courteous and careful on the road around our school area.  It is always safer to be five minutes  late rather than causing an accident leading to an injury.

Please use the crossing when parking on the west side of Grange Road and coming to collect your children and always adhere to the speed limit.

Sincere regards

Margaret Carlei

Principal