School Council Update

Dear Princes Hill Community!

As we wrap up 2025, I would like to take a moment to reflect on what has been a productive year for our school:

• Fun(d)raising - Thank you to everyone who supported our school through voluntary contributions and by attending or assisting with fun(d)raising events, such as Trivia Night and the Pretzel Fundraiser. Together, we raised over $10,000.00. These funds will be used to support the operation of school camps and other activities of the school council. Your generosity and enthusiasm make all the difference.
• School Campus Improvements - At the start of the year, we celebrated the completion of the basketball court renovation, a fantastic upgrade that students are enjoying. Throughout the year, parts of the school (both inside and outside) were repainted, creating a fresh look. Soon, new signage will be installed to help with navigating the school grounds.
• Mirimbah – For those new to the school, Mirimbah is the campus that our school maintains in the Victorian high country near Mount Stirling. Efforts were made this year to upgrade and renovate the houses up there. We would like to remind you that the school community can rent parts of, or the entire, Mirimbah campus (subject to availability). For more information, please contact the front office.
• Class of 2025 - A heartfelt congratulations to the graduating class of 2025! We are so proud of your achievements and wish you every success in your future endeavours. 
• Inaugural Night Market - Our first-ever Night Market was a wonderful way to finish the year. Huge thanks to the Student Council, teachers, staff, volunteers, attendees and the talented musicians who brought the event to life. It was a great celebration of the Princes Hill Secondary College community spirit and creativity.
• Outlook into 2026 – If you wish to be involved in the School Council, please keep an eye out for communication on School Council elections in Term 1 of 2026. To be involved in the School Council Committees (Fun(d)raising, Finance, Buildings & Grounds, or Education), you don’t need to be elected, just let the front office know. If you can make the time, I encourage you to get involved; it is a great way to be part of your children’s educational journey. We are also thinking about organising another Trivia Night. Please let me know if you would like to be involved (text 0403 800 747). 

If you have yet to contribute in 2025 to your parent voluntary contribution on Compass, School Council actively encourages you to - if you have the capacity to do so. 

As we head into the break, I wish everyone a relaxing and enjoyable summer. 

Best wishes

Francisca Hoffmann-Axthelm

on behalf of the PHSC School Council 

Student Leadership Update

The Student Council has had another fantastic year of leadership and community engagement. Members attended a range of leadership forums, building valuable connections with student leaders from other schools. They were also successful in securing a Junior Landcare grant, which will support the planting of native species in the front garden beds at the beginning of next year.

The council played a key role in establishing the Tomorrow-Man and Tomorrow-Woman workshops, with next year’s Year 12 cohort already participating in their first session.

To conclude the year, the Student Council organised the inaugural PHSC Night Market, held alongside the Twilight Concert. The event was a huge success and a wonderful opportunity to bring the school community together. More than $5,000 was raised, with funds supporting future Student Council initiatives and the SisterWorks charity.

School Council Membership – Updated Requirements

The Department of Education has updated Ministerial Order 1280 (Constitution of Government School Councils) 2020, which sets out how government school councils are formed and who is eligible to serve. These changes strengthen our commitment to child safety and wellbeing.

Key updates to eligibility for school council members include:

• Working with Children Check (WWCC) or VIT registration
  • All school council members who are not VIT-registered teachers will now be required to hold a valid Working With Children (WWC) Check (either volunteer or employee), or Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) registration (for school employees).

  • This aligns with the Child Safe Standards, ensuring that people involved in school governance are suitable to work with children and young people.

     

• No court orders preventing attendance
  • School council members must not be subject to any court order (for example, a personal safety intervention order) that would prevent them from attending the school in person.

  • This applies regardless of whether meetings are held in person or online and is designed to help keep our whole school community safe.

     

What this means for interested parents and carers

• If you are considering nominating for school council in 2026, you will need to hold a current WWC Check before you submit your nomination form.
• Parents, carers and community members who already hold an employee WWC Check do not need to apply for a separate volunteer check.

• VIT-registered teachers and school students who wish to join school council are not required to obtain a WWC Check.

   

Serving members of school council are not required to obtain a WWC Check until they nominate for re-election or, in the case of community members, are invited to be co-opted again. However, we encourage anyone who is likely to stand for council in the future to consider applying for a volunteer Working With Children Check ahead of time.

More information and updated resources for school council will be shared with council members and made available as they are released by the Department of Education.