School Council News 

School Council Membership 2026

Membership of the 2026 School Council is detailed below: 

Parent Members:

• Rob Shepherd (2025-2027) - School Council President
• Lonia Mitchell (2025-2027)
• Clare Stewart (2025- 2027)
• Emily Rainey (2026-2028)  
• Damien Capocchi (2026-2028)- School Council Treasurer
• Louise Alphonso (2026-2028)
• Cameron Glover (2026-2028) - School Council Vice President

Staff Members: 

• Llewela Humphries (2025-2027) - School Council Secretary
• Melinda Rowe (2026-2028)
• Rebecca Crawford (2026-2028)

Executive Officer:

• Damien Kitch (ongoing)

Parents/Carers are welcome to make contact with School Council through the following means: 

• via email to School Council President: robert.shepherd@education.vic.gov.au 
• via email to Executive Officer: damien.kitch@education.vic.gov.au 

Seeking Parent/Carer input to help shape our school 

Please refer to the below information which was sent to families via the Compass app on 31st August 2026: 

Your voice counts. We want to hear from you.

Upwey South Primary School is seeking parent and carer input to help inform the future planning of School Council and school leadership.

2026 is an important year for your voice to be heard. In Term Four 2026, our school will begin to develop our next School Strategic Plan (SSP) which will shape the direction of Upwey South Primary School over the coming four years.

In support of developing an SSP with impact, our school is currently part-way through our formal School Review process. Across the state, each Victorian government school undergoes a ‘School Review’ every four years. This review involves assessment and recommendations from the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) and the Department of Education (DE).

Most importantly, this review involves the unique opportunity for you to help shape the future directions of Upwey South Primary School.

You can choose from two options to have your voice heard… or you may even like to undertake both options.

Both survey options are anonymous.

Both surveys remain open until Friday 18th September 2026.

Option One: complete a localised parent/carer survey which has been designed by our School Council

The information gathered through our localised parent/carer survey will help shape the future direction of our school from 2027-2030.

This survey has been tailored by our School Council, and provides both free-text and multiple-choice options. The survey is separated into different modules, allowing you to have your say on one or more modules of your choosing.

To access this survey, visit the Compass post which has been provided to all families. 

Option Two: complete the annual Department of Education (DE) Parent Opinion Survey

This survey is conducted annually across all Victorian Government schools. The survey is a DE templated survey, which contains 72 multiple choice questions. There is no opportunity for free-text responses within this survey.

To action this survey, you require the following details:

School Name: Upwey South Primary School

Campus Name: Upwey South Primary School

School's generic PIN: refer to the Compass post which has been provided to all families. 

Regardless of which option you choose to action, when you select from the above links you will be provided with a detailed overview of the purpose and structure of the survey you have selected.