School Council wrap up for 2022 - and farewell

While at times 2022 has felt endless suddenly it is mid-December and it is time to review all that has been achieved. It is also a lovely time to thank those that have worked so hard this year to support our kids and the community.

At our final meeting for the 2022, the School Council approved the proposed budget for 2023, acknowledging that as we have all learnt during the past three years, flexibility and an ability to pivot and adjust is always key. On behalf of School Council, I would like to acknowledge the huge amount of work Ange Hopkins does to prepare the budget and the monthly finance reports. The amount of information now available to School Council is fabulous and has really helped us meet our governance requirements. Ange has gone above and beyond to ensure School Council has the ability to have in depth discussions and understand the pressures on the areas of locally raised funds School Council has oversight over.

School Council was also given an opportunity to go through the detail of the Naplan results for our school. The results are a clear indication of the hard work the school teaching teams have put in over the last four years to implement instructional models and consistency of practice. The maths program learnings and leadership from Jessie Meade and Alice Hamilton are clear to see in the strong improvement in maths results. The Spelling and literacy results are also something to really celebrate, and acknowledgement must go to Emma Mallia who has led the school's improvement programs in this space.

At School Council we also celebrated the work Keir Jasper, Catherine Beswick and the Foundation team has done to continue the use of play-based learning in our Foundation program. The School is gaining credit for the success of the program and the Dept has recognised the demonstrated benefits it brings for all students as well as being highly inclusive of children with additional needs. Our school is now being recognised and our advice is being sought on how other schools can benefit from a program which substantially improves the transition into primary school.

The ability for the BNWPS teaching team to follow their passions and implement new models is a testament to Hannah's respectful leadership style. She has consistently demonstrated a strong desire to support her staff team while trying to balance the many and varied needs of the student cohort at BNWPS. Every week there is another mainstream media report outlining the challenges faced by our public school Principals. The considerable pressures on them to do more with less while meeting the increasing expectations of parents should not be underestimated. It has been an honour and privilege to gain some insight into the behind-the-scenes workings of our school. It has also been an immense honour to be there in a governance role supporting Hannah as Principal. Taking on the role of Principal on its own would present a myriad of challenges without the additional personal challenges Hannah has also had to juggle. I am grateful I have had opportunity to try and support Hannah in her first five years as a School Principal and have been astounded at her strength and resilience.

The School Council Sub-committees are a vital part of BNWPS. Their contribution to the everyday life of our students and the overall contribution to the school community deserves acknowledgement and thanks. Since becoming School Council President, I have welcomed the sub-committee chairs to every School Council meeting as their insights have been invaluable and I hold the firm view that school council should operate with as much transparency as possible. The sub-committee chairs put in so much work behind the scenes and deserve to be part of the decision-making processes.

Huge thanks to the wonderful parent volunteer Sub-Committee Chairs:

Liz O'Neil and Emily Myer - Co-Chairs of Community Events Team (CET) have been an inspiration to us all. For the past three years they have worked incredibly hard to foster a sense of community despite the lockdowns and challenges of the pandemic. This year they hit the ground running and have done an amazing job of bringing everyone together for some memorable events. School Council wishes to again express our gratitude and thanks for all of the work Emily and Liz have done to make BNWPS a joyous place for our kids and their families.

After three years they are handing the reins over to Anne Treasure who is looking for a Co-Chair to share with her the excitement of leading the CET. We welcomed Anne to School Council on Thursday knowing the incredible contribution she (and Paul) have already made to the school.

Phillipa Jolliffe is the Chair of Buildings and Grounds. Pip become Chair when Paul Broadhurst who had been a tireless contributor and incredible resource for the school community stepped down as Chair earlier in the year. Pip has already had the team off and running with so many projects on their way or completed. We thank Pip for everything she has done already and wish her all the very best for 2023.

Bianca Carr has chaired the OHSC committee for three years and has worked tirelessly with Bernadetta to successfully navigate the challenges OHSC faced during lockdowns and then the return to full operations. OHSC is such a vital resource for our school community and the program is often recognised as a shining light in out of hours school care. The work to incorporate the reconciliation action plan across the school is also worth celebrating as are the many little changes implemented through OHSC that have spread across the school. We thank Bianca for her amazing leadership and hope that another parent will be able to step up to the role and continue her work.

Sandra Simpson has been the inaugural, and extremely passionate, chair of the Communications Sub-Committee. The committee was formally established, under the school council standing orders, in 2021 to recognise the value parents can bring to improving communications across the school. Sandra has been instrumental in establishing the goals and clear terms of reference for the committee and it is already starting to demonstrate its value. A special thanks to Ann Brennan who has been taking the lead on the development of the term calendars, broadening the inclusion of information and creating an important resource to keep families in the loop.

Helen, Kelly and Stacey are the remaining parent members of the School Council and I'd like to thank and acknowledge the work they have done throughout the years. Quietly supporting, getting stuff done and always there to help every committee and in any way they can. They are simply wonderful humans and deserve sincere thanks for all that they do.

So with some sadness and a lot of hope for the future of BNWPS I sign off for the last time as School Council President, CET and Education Committee member and wish you all a safe holiday and wonderful 2023. Thank you so very much to everyone at BNWPS who has been part of the journey from Prep parent to School Council President. I feel like the School will continue to move from strength to strength and look forward to seeing how the Sports Day continues to evolve, Winter Magic Market warms the chill of an Autumn afternoon and the school keep looking at ways to bring everyone together. Our kids need the BNWPS village and it has been an honour to be part of it.

Warm regards, Tanya

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