School Council
School Council membership 2025/2026
Parent members
- Kieran Barns-Jenkins
- Daniel Bevz
- Rick Bottiglieri
- Ben Gibson
- Margaret Hua
- Catherine Luong
- Nerida Rixon
- Tom Rundle
Employee members
- Kristy Bedford
- Elisha Katsonis
- Jarrod Sutton
School Council Secretary
- Sandra Monaghan
Office Bearers
School Council President
Rick Bottiglieri
School Council Vice President
Ben Gibson
School Council Treasurer
Tom Rundle
School Council Election 2026
Are you interested in becoming a parent or employee member? Nomination forms are now available from the office.
Parent members are required to hold a valid Working with Children Clearance (WWWC) to nominate for a position on school council. The only exception to this requirement is parents who are also teachers and hold a current VIT registration.
Please find attached the notice of the election and a call for nominations.
If you would like to find out more about joining the School Council at Moonee Ponds West, please contact sandra.monaghan@education.vic.gov.au
Sandra Monaghan
School Council Secretary
School Council meeting 23rd February 2026
School Council met on the 23rd of February and discussed new information and reflected on our practice.
To kick things off, we discussed the Junior School Council meeting with the 2025 members. Many students reflected positively on the leadership opportunities given to those selected for JSC and some suggestions for improvements were made to improve student voice and ownership.
Jarrod provided the Principal’s Report by welcoming new staff to MPWPS, Anna Gbikpi-Benissan as Assistant Principal, Felicity Marshall in 3/4 and Jessie Freestone in Foundation. He also congratulated Kristy Bedford on the position of Learning Specialist and thanked Kim Simmons for her dedication in supporting staff and students in the role for the past 6 years.
Jarrod explained the Camping Program for 2026 and School Council reflected on its importance and success. Both the 5/6 Anglesea Camp and 3/4 Cave Hill Camp are in Term 2 this year as the 5/6 camp was shifted in case of any possible disruptions caused by AEU Stop-work Action. More information will be given to families closer to the date as there are still many uncertainties from the AEU and Department.
As there was no Education Committee meeting, Tom presented the Resources Committee minutes, explaining the approval of fundraising the Movie Night and Hot Cross Bun drive. He reflected on the discussions around the audit and thanked Sandra for all her work to make the audit run smoothly and successfully.
The Resources Committee reviewed and approved the various policies including the Cash Handling Policy, Purchasing Card Policy and Electronic Funds and Management Policy. They also discussed signatories and authorisers heading into positions in 2026. The Grounds update was noted with possible improvements to the school grounds and buildings included.
The Community Engagement Parent Group meeting was shared. This included welcoming new parents and providing them with information, guidelines and assistance to fulfill the role of parent representatives. Great feedback was received about the extended sessions for Foundation students Transition and upcoming events dates were shared.
The meeting ended with School Council completing a self-assessment into its effectiveness with governance, finance knowledge, policy review operations and community engagement. We discussed positives, the growth we have made in areas throughout the year and areas for future improvement.
The next School Council meeting will be held on the 23rd March.
Kristy Bedford
School Councillor