School Council

Message from School Council President

Last week in the Newsletter I informed the school community that Andrew Cock has accepted a position as Principal of Blackburn Primary and that we were advertising for another acting Principal for 12 months as Sue Newton is extending her leave.  The Department of Education mistakenly advertised the position for 12 months, when in fact it is only for the first term.  We should know during term one what is going to happen on a more permanent basis.

 

This week Andrew, Stuart Andrews (The Senior Education Improvement Leader for our Network), and I interviewed some candidates for the role of Acting Principal and I am pleased to announce that Natalie Rose has accepted the position. Natalie is currently Acting Principal at Ormond Primary and is very excited to be joining our community.

 

Linda Rippingille has also accepted a position at Springvale Primary School.  We are very excited for Linda with this new opportunity but very sad for our school.  Linda has made an enormous contribution to the school and will be sorely missed.  As a participant of School Council Linda has had a significant impact and I have certainly always appreciated her support and counsel.

 

We will be announcing the acting Assistant Principal role at the final Assembly tomorrow.

 As this is my final update as School Council President I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past 9 years.  I joined the council in 2009 and have been president since 2013.  It has been an honour to serve with such dedicated and passionate parents and staff.  Over the time that I have been on school council, we have either funded or been involved in many projects including:

  • The resurfacing of the top oval
  • Numerous play spaces
  • The green stage
  • The implementation of water tanks
  • Solar panels being installed
  • Acoustic insulation installed
  • Update of the Library
  • The building of the Barbunnin
  • Upgrade of the technical infrastructure
  • Moving the office to where it is today

There are many many more and these are only possible because of all the support from the whole Ripponlea community.

The committees of the school council are involved in many aspects of running the school and these have all worked so hard over the years.  Thank you to every parent and staff member who has either attended a meeting or contributed to these in any way.

On a personal note there are so many parents who have supported me as School Council President but I would like to particularly thank this years’ school councilors.  In a year full of transitions we have had many robust conversations and their dedication and input has been invaluable.  Thank you to:

  • James Middleditch for his strong guidance as treasurer.  James has an excellent understanding of the financial workings of the school and is able to balance our desire to fund projects with fiscal responsibility.  James work on the budget and the financial policies and procedures have ensured that the school is in the best possible position financially.
  • Jeremy Aarons for his work on the governance committee.  Jeremy has a process driven focus that is invaluable to the school. His considered approach to all things policy and procedure has meant that all of the schools policies are well written, easy to understand and help to ensure the successful running of the school.
  • Martyn Rose as vice president and he has led the facilities and environment committee for all of this year.  I appreciate the counsel and encouragement that Martyn has provided and his pragmatic approach and sense of humour has been appreciated at all of our meetings.
  • Susie Condron for her work as fund raising coordinator for this year. The fact that the school community has raised $90 000 this year speaks for the effort that she has put into this.  Susie provides a thoughtful point of view and is passionate about Ripponlea and the whole school community.  Her contribution to our meetings is highly valued and she has been an incredible support to me in my role as president.
  • Kylie Jeffares  for her work as the head of the School Community and Partnership committee.  Kylie has been on the school council for a number of years and the work that she has done in both fundraising and as the head of the this committee is staggering.    Personally I can confidently say I would not have been able to achieve any of the successes that I have or have survived the time pressures of being president without her support and guidance.  She has provided a supportive shoulder and ear on a number of occasions.
  • The staff on council - Tom, Alicia, Linda and Andrew.  Thank you for giving up your time.  Thank you for continuing to always push the best outcomes for our children.  Thank you for your humour, passion, knowledge and commitment.

Finally to every parent who has ever flipped a burger, helped out in the classroom, organized scholastic books, baked a cake, sat on a committee, helped out in snack shack, attended a fund raising event or contributed in anyway – Thank you.  After 9 years at the school it will be incredibly sad on Friday when we say goodbye but I am looking forward to hearing about all the wonderful things that Ripponlea accomplishes over the years.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Kim Thurlow


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