School Council Update

Dear families,

Our 2022 School Council had their second meeting for the year last night and I wanted to share with you some of the successes and challenges that we are experiencing at the moment. 

Firstly, the School Colour Run was a huge success and raised a significant amount of money, $39,462, which we will be able to use to improve some facilities at the school including the basketball backboards and rings (which went in this week), replacing the two silver drinking troughs and ground improvements. The children reported having a great (epic!) time being physically active, and it was wonderful to see them back to enjoying themselves with friends after a long disruption. The Council is grateful for all the parent support received throughout this activity, including the implementation of clever ways to fundraise including cake stalls, and selling home made goods. We also acknowledge the fabulous CHPS teacher and leadership contributions to making the day successful, including the disco and tabloid sport activities.  Over 40 children have donated the prizes they selected to Djirri, with many other families choosing to donate to the Daniel Morcombe Foundation rather than selecting prizes.  

Secondly, I would like to share a challenge we are facing at Council: there has been a greatly reduced number of school fee contributions received in 2022. As many parents would be aware, CHPS ask for parents to contribute towards curriculum items each year, which covers essential learning items, including pens, pencils, books, paints, consumables etc. and non-curriculum items such as excursions, nurse fund, building fund, school assistance fund etc.   

We have traditionally received school fee contributions from nearly 100% of families each year, which has allowed us to deliver a rich offering of resources and programs.  However, this year we have only received ~50% of school contributions, equating to a ~$100,000 reduction in our cash budget that we can allocate to the exceptional range of activities that our public school has historically been able to offer and fund. This leaves Council in the difficult position of having to determine how we will manage the budget to ensure the depth and diversity of our educational offerings. In light of the above, could I please ask you to check whether you have paid the school contribution for 2022, and if you are in a position to do so, could you make your contribution as soon as possible. Any contribution, even if not the full amount, will help us to maintain as many of the fantastic offerings as possible.  Details of parent contributions for each year level can be found HERE.

In other news, the Community Connections sub-committee are working toward having a morning coffee cart on-site one day each week to encourage families to catch up with one another. We will endeavor to have at least one member from school council at the coffee cart, with a view to hearing directly from parents about your concerns and aspirations for the school. Please watch this space.

Our first parent fundraising night takes place on Friday 27th May at Howler Bar.  Get you tickets now for a hilarious night of comedy and fun.  Get your tickets now!

You can contact the School Council by emailing Bryony.Nayagam@education.vic.gov.au.

Looking forward to connecting with our families across 2022.

Bryony Nayagam

School Council President