School Council
School Council Newsletter Report - 16 May 2024
The School Council met onsite again this month for what was a rather long and interesting set of meetings.
The Policy Subcommittee had the opportunity to sit down with our new Out of School Hours provider, Team Kids and ask them all the hard hitting questions that have been raised by our school community. They had an opportunity to present on their year so far, reflecting on challenges and discussing how they intend to deliver on their contractual obligations. Team Kids have restructured their management with an additional leadership position created to ensure activities are run, healthy food is provided and both children and parents are engaged. You should see some changes occurring as they train up staff and settle into their new space in the portable by the gym.
The finance committee reviewed the finance reports for March and April, discussing the cost of paper, CRT’s and the new audio visual screen that has been put into the gym. I can’t wait to see it in use.
Moving onto the main body of the meeting, we learned that Protective Intervention Training (which I touched on last month) will be rolled out to our wonderful Education Support Staff, which should be a great opportunity given they work with our most vulnerable kids. And on that note - a huge (belated) shout out to our ES for the amazing work that they do, it was ES appreciation day a fortnight ago.
We discussed the move to the new Victorian Curriculum with Math currently being rolled out and English to begin in 2025. All class teachers and leadership teams are working together to make sure lessons are consistent across year levels and structured to meet the learning needs of all students.
There were so many excursions and incursions presented to Council this meeting, that it left the committee a little sad they couldn't join these sporting and animal adventures. We did however approve them all - some with subsidised costs to ensure they were accessible to all families.
Although this has been said before, I want to extend a huge thank you from School Council to all the volunteers who gave up their time to make the Mother’s Day Stall a success. It is always so much fun to watch the kids “go shopping” for their loved ones and even more impressive to see the friendships form between those parents and friends who get involved.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge our Principal Sue Seneviratne, who I have had the pleasure of knowing for the last 7 years. Being on School Council has opened my eyes to the complexity of running a school, particularly one the size of WVPS. However, Sue invited me to participate in the recent school review, which allowed me to observe classrooms and professional learning meetings, and participate in focus groups with students, parents, ES’s, teachers and leaders. It was a deep dive that looked at both our success and our struggles as Sue and her team reflected on the last 4 years and began work on a plan for the next 4. Sue should take pride in this wonderful school she helped create, she never once shied away from challenging conversations or acknowledging where we could be doing more.
In just a few weeks Sue will begin 6 months of long service leave as she contemplates a life a little less noisy. So on behalf of the School Council and the school community, I’d like to thank her for her passionate leadership, for the playgrounds and footpaths, the camps, the toilets and the OVAL. For taking the time to know our kids and impart some pretty worthwhile values into their lives while balancing budgets and work around covid and teacher shortages. Thank you for all of those wonderful book week costumes, for that one school production that had the principals in pyjamas and the audience in hysterics and for the joy you brought both kids and teachers as you braved the dunk tank at the Community Picnic! You will be missed.