School Council Update

Trivia, Toilets and Trenches – School Council Update

The School Council has had a busy year. We have discussed and acted on a wide range of matters, including funding works at the Mirimbah Campus, improving the school toilets, and engaging with our new Federal member of parliament, Peter Khalil.

We would like to thank the school community for supporting the many school events that have taken place, including school concerts, information nights, and the fun(d)raising trivia night, which raised over $10,000 for school camps. Many thanks to all the volunteers (teachers, students, and parents) who made these events possible, and a special shout-out to No Hat No Play, the student band that entertained everyone at the trivia night; they are incredible, and in case you missed them, you can check out their single Tomorrow Nights.

We also wish to thank our awesome student representatives on the School Council: Eliza Haslem, Zadie Bekessy, and Celeste Rose, as well as the Princes Hill Secondary Staff and all school councillors.  In accordance with School COucnil governance requirements, the composition of the School Council was renewed in March, with parents Susan Bradbeer, Paul Broadhurst, Seamus McCartney and Greg Banova joining Council while the terms of Paul von Chrismar Marion Singer and Emily Booth expired.

Big thanks to both of our outgoing members for their support and meaningful contributions to this school as councillors.

Paul von Chrismar, who continues to serve the school as a member of the Building & Grounds Committee, reflected on his time on the School Council as follows:

Having spent 4 years on the PHSC School Council and on the Buildings & Grounds Committee, I can say it is a great way to be involved with your child’s school and to have insight into how the school operates. The school council is such an important part of the success of a school, and the way it is shaped, and being a part of that is both rewarding and a privilege.  As an architect, my focus was on buildings and grounds, helping to identify projects, develop them and bring them to fruition – small and large. From a time perspective, it is really not at all onerous with a meeting per month during school periods. The community connection is wonderful, and the team is so much fun. Unfortunately, the president does tend to nod off during meetings every now and again. 

Wonderful outgoing school council member Emily Booth had this to add:  

Being on School Council for the past two years has given me a much better understanding of how the school functions - it's been a really useful part of our high school journey. Public schools need all the help they can get, and it feels like engaged parents are the lifeblood of school communities beyond the staff. If you're curious about how things work and are interested in meeting other parents, Council is a great option. We've also been lucky enough to join the working bees up at Mirimbah, which have been real highlights for us as a family. I'm grateful for the Council experience and would highly recommend it. And if the prospect of Council itself doesn't appeal, you can always participate in one of the subcommittees Fun(d)raising, Buildings & Grounds, Finance or Education, to meet other parents. 

The school encourages members of the school community to be involved in school activities such as working bees or music nights, and we are keen to welcome additional individuals to be actively involved (it takes a village to organise an event…). If you want to help organise events that help bring our school community together, we recommend joining the Fun(d)raising Committee. If you’re interested in the state of the school grounds or Mirimbah, join the Buildings & Grounds Committee. To become a member of any Committee, just contact the front office. Membership of these committees is open to all parents and guardians (you don’t have to be member of the School Council) and it’s a great way to be involved in the PHSC community. If you have any questions about the above, you can also contact School Council president Francisca on 0403 800 747.

The school also needs your financial assistance if you are able to give this, in particular we ask families to consider the following:

1. Have your family made the voluntary contribution the school asks of all families? If you go on compass and look for the tab ‘contributions’;
2. Donate to our tax deductable library fund or buildings fund; or
3. Contribute to our ‘Groundbreaking Fundraiser’ to support the extensive expenditure the school is making on this project and other built environment maintenance and improvement projects in the pipeline (our target is $150,000 by the end of 2025) by making a tax-deductible donation or organise a weekend away and rent one (or all) of the Mirimbah houses; for more details, please go here or contact Isabel JohnsonI@phsc.vic.edu.au  

Every contribution is deeply appreciated. No matter how you choose to contribute and get involved, please remember that active participation is the lifeblood of the school. 

We welcome parents and carers to the presentation of our 2024 Annual Report to the School Community - August 25 at 6pm in the Library.

Sincerely,

 Francisa Axthelm-Hoffman (School Council President)