Message from School Council

Hello from the new Heathmont College School Council for 2021! 

As you will have seen in Compass and in the college newsletter, we held the School Council AGM this week, and I’m very happy to report that the new school council is already off to a great start. 

We farewelled and thanked last year’s outgoing members: Daryl Perry, Nicole McDonald, and students Ella Callaghan & Maddison Moorby. Thank you to each and every one of you for your commitment & dedication to the council & college through what was a very challenging 2020. 

And as you’ve seen from Kerryn Sandford’s recent announcements, some familiar faces have returned for a new term on council, but it’s wonderful that we have welcomed some new council members too. 

One of the most important items on the AGM agenda is to fill all the required positions, so we’re very pleased to announce that we have all roles filled for this year: 

President: Henk Westerveld 

Vice President: Amee Morgans 

Treasurer: Stephen Carter 

Voting Parent: Andrea Johnson 

Voting Student: Claire P. (Year 9) 

Voting Student: Efrosyni K. (Year 7) 

DET (Department of Education & Training) Representatives: Kerryn Sandford, Nina Ling, Jessica Elliot 

We also successfully reviewed and fine-tuned the Council standing orders & attendance requirements, and Kerryn made some excellent suggestions regarding our subcommittee format. A very successful AGM overall. 

And the closing of the AGM led us straight into the first sitting of the new School Council for 2021. 

The meeting started off with students Cameron M. & Riley R. presenting an excellent proposal for the purchase of new VR (Virtual Reality) equipment that promises to benefit the college in many ways.  At council we really value & enjoy having students attend the meetings and engage in the council processes, and we would really encourage more students to join us at the meetings and present their ideas, concerns, & successes. Congratulations Riley R., Cameron M., Jarrod A., and Jarrod C., (all from Year 11) on a what was a professional & successful presentation! 

We’ve continued discussions around reinvigorating the PFA (Parent’s and Friend’s Association) and we have now formed a convening subcommittee to continue this work.  Nicole McDonald will continue to head up the PFA (thank you Nicole!) and the subcommittee will comprise of Nicole, Amee Morgans, and myself, but anyone can join. 

The PFA has already been approached to assist with the upcoming Heathmont College Open Night on Wednesday 21st April, so Nicole really needs your help! We’ll be providing more information soon on how you can get involved, but if you’re already keen to help, please don’t hesitate to ask at the office. 

It’s exciting news that the new stadium is now open, and we’re already receiving hire requests at council from outside community groups. Making the Stadium, Sports Centre, and HOPE Centre available for hire is a great way of keeping the facilities active, and therefore safer, outside of school hours, and it’s wonderful to see the community benefiting from our quality facilities. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this update, and we’re looking forward to what this year holds in store. 

Kind regards, 

Henk Westerveld 

School Council President