School Council News
Hi SKiPPS families,
My name is Elisa Webb, and I am the School Council President. My child, Orlo, is in 3/4J, and my son Coen went all the way through SKiPPS and is now in Year 8 at Elwood College. I am also the Publisher at ACER Press, which is a division of the Australian Council for Educational Research, and have a deep interest in the way that research and evidence translates into everyday practice in schools. This is my fourth year on school council.
At our meeting on 19 June, we reflected on our recent school governance training session and came up with ways that as a council we can connect more directly with the school community and represent students and families in the decisions that we make. We will be implementing a number of new initiatives in the coming weeks and months, beginning with recapping our discussions through articles like this in the newsletter.
On Wednesday night, we heard from representatives from the Fundraising, Education and Policy, Buildings and Grounds and SKiPPA subcommittees and discussed upcoming events like the Winter Solstice Lantern Parade and the Trivia Night, as well as the complaints policy, the recent completion of the roof repairs, the May working bee and the many ways that the parent community are supporting inclusion and diversity.
As part of the Finance report from our Treasurer, James Lawson, we endorsed the 2024 budget. The school is in a comfortable financial position, with our fundraising tally looking particularly healthy thanks to the huge success of the Fete.
We looked at some initial NAPLAN data and are awaiting the more detailed report next term to interrogate the results and unpick what some of the trends might mean.
Our contract with Team Kids will be up for renewal at the end of this year, so we held some preliminary conversations around what is working and what could be improved, and we will be in touch with the wider school community soon to gather insights from families who use the service.
Finally, we reviewed quotes from three suppliers for upgrades to our basketball court, and have gone back with a few questions about the durability of the proposed new surface, given the high traffic area it will be placed in.
Our next meeting is on Wednesday 31 July at 6.30 in the staff room and we encourage you to get in touch with any queries or suggestions you might have, to join one of the many subcommittees, and to participate in the governance of our unique and vibrant school.
Elisa Webb