Principal's Message
School Council News
Casual Vacancy- Parent Position Available on School Council
Firstly, we would like to acknowledge and thank members of our school community who have thus far nominated for the casual vacancy which exists.
Nominations are still open for parents who are interested.
The names of interested parents will be presented to School Council at the March 23rd meeting, with interested parents being contacted following this date.
Please see below information which was contained in the previous edition of our newsletter:
Due to a change in circumstances, our School Council currently has one parent position which is open to a casual vacancy.
Please note that DET employees are unable to nominate for a casula vacancy in this current round (due our School's Schedule 7 membership table).
A casual vacancy arises when a Council member is unable to complete their elected tenure, therefore, the position becomes available as follows:
- Casual vacancies are to be filled by co-opting persons to the relevant membership category.
- Persons are eligible for co-option to the categories provided they are eligible to be elected to the relevant membership category.
- Any person who fills a casual vacancy serves the unexpired portion of the vacating member’s term of office.
Source: Department of Education and Training (DET) Principals Guide to School Council Elections- 2020
There is no election process required for the fulfillment of a casual vacancy. Instead, School Council shall look to fill the position with a skill-set which balances and improves the overall effectiveness of Council. The selected parent member will serve their term until March 2021.
Should you be interested in being co-opted for the above casual vacancy please send an email by Monday 16th March to:
Damien Kitch- Principal/ Executive Officer of School Council
kitch.damien.p@edumail.vic.gov.au
Upwey Mens Shed (UMS) Proposal- 56 Griffiths Road, Upwey
You may have heard murmurs across our community regarding the establishment of an Upwey Mens Shed at 56 Griffiths Road, Upwey.
Some members of our community may already know of this proposal, whereas for others this may be the first time you have heard of it?
In short, Yarra Ranges Council is considering a submission from UMS to establish a facility on the above mentioned block.
The process regarding the UMS proposal is being overseen by Yarra Ranges Council, with the public submission process having recently closed, culminating at a Public Submission Meeting on the evening of Tuesday 25th February.
At the meeting on 25th February, there was ambiguity as to the position and input from the School.
Please be aware that the school has not stated a formal position, and has sought an extension from Council to garner the input of our School Community.
Once the Principal has been contacted by Yarra Ranges Council, information will be shared with our school community.
Keeping Aware of Information Relating to School
As a school we work hard to keep our families informed of happenings across the school. We acknowledge that receiving information in a timely and consistent manner can help to alleviate the pressures which come from managing a busy family calendar.
Communicating via Compass
All of our school notifications are sent via the Newsfeed within the Compass app. There is also a calendar of events within the app, which sends push notifications to users to remind them of school events.
In 2020, we are also utilising Compass for families to consent and pay in order for their children to take part in school events. The uptake and comments from families thus far is that it is so easy to do, and helpful to be able to consent at the push of a button.
In order to filter notifications which are received, you will notice that we send out notifications which are year level specific. This means that sometimes not all notifications are sent to all year levels.
Communicating with the School Administration Team
We look forward to partnering with you in 2020, and welcome your input:
Damien Kitch (Principal) kitch.damien.p@edumail.vic.gov.au
Janet Young (Business Manager)
upwey.south.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au
Janette Clarke (Office Manager)