School Council Report
The school council met for the second time on Tuesday. I don’t want to bury the lead so I’m going to start this recap at the end.
Ross closed out the meeting by informing the school council that he will not be renewing his contract at the end of term two and is retiring. Ross has led Newlands Primary School for the last 14 years. I have been part of the Newlands community for 12 of those years and it is hard to overstate how transformative his tenure at the school has been. Under his leadership, the school has grown from fewer than 90 students to nearly 400 students. His influence on the curriculum is evident in not just the bilingual Spanish program, but the school’s strong focus and commitment to the arts and STEAM. He has consistently hired great teachers and supported them in their professional development. He has helped foster a great community spirit among the wider community and was instrumental in securing the funding needed for the new classrooms and gym that will stand as a lasting legacy of his time at Newlands. I would like to congratulate Ross on a great career and wish him the very best of luck in retirement.
On behalf of the school council, thank you, Ross.
We kicked off the meeting by working through the Principal’s Report and the various subcommittee reports. The Principal’s Report included news that the school has successfully appointed a new behaviour therapist to join the well-being team. Finding a suitable person to replace Raquel has been challenging, but the school’s leadership team is confident that Megan, who starts next Friday, will be that person. Megan brings a range of skills and experience that will help students and staff with wellbeing related issues, however I don’t believe this includes a dog.
Buildings and Grounds report that the mulch being used at Newlands does not contain asbestos, so we can all breathe easy. The subcommittee also noted several new members had attended meetings, which was great to hear.
During the Education, Wellbeing and Policy report, Luke provided the school council with a brief overview of the new wellbeing document the school is producing. This is a document that will articulate the Newlands approach to wellbeing. It is still a work in progress and will be presented more formally to the school council at the next meeting, but at over sixty pages a lot of work has already been done. It is great to see the school putting some much time and thought into wellbeing. Once completed, the full document and a shorter ‘cheat sheet version’ will be made available to the broader community.
Approving camps and excursions was next on the agenda. The grade 5/6 camp is set to go ahead at The Rach on the Mornington Peninsula in October. We also approved several excursions and incursions that will see students learning about indigenous and native insects and birds, the grade 1/2’s visiting the Museum of Play and Art, and another season of interschool sport for the older students. The school council would like to remind families that they may be eligible for the Camps, Sports and Excursion Fund available through the state government to help cover costs associated with these types of events. Families should also remember that if payment plans or hardship arrangements are needed, they can contact the Principal.
Next, we tabled the Annual Report covering 2023 and the Annual Implementation Plan for 2024. These will be made available on the school website once they have been approved by the department.
We then discussed options for a new playground that will be installed after the gym work is completed. We looked at three different designs, agreeing that one stood out. A final decision has not been made, however, and the school council has agreed to explore how affordable other options might be, including timber-based designs.
Adam Palmer – School Council President