School Council Report

As we wrap up another challenging school year, the School Council would like to send our very best wishes to the whole school community for a very happy and safe festive season.

It has been a busy year for School Council and its sub-committees which we will report on in detail as part of our Annual Report to the School Community next year. Thank you to all the members of the School Council for your commitment, engagement and contributions this year.

Thank you to all our amazing teachers and school staff! Your ongoing flexibility and resilience to maintain the continuity of education and wellbeing support for our students, through all the ups and downs of 2021, is just extraordinary. We particularly appreciate the care you have shown for the wellbeing of our children and of the whole school community. As part of our acknowledgments to teachers and staff, Council have prepared a kudoboard. Many thanks to those who have already popped a note on here. The board has been printed and is on display in the staffroom; it’s also being sent to staff as an online link, so if you didn’t get to it before, your thoughts can still be added: https://www.kudoboard.com/boards/cMsFW2xT

Thank you to all our parents and carers for journeying with us again through another COVID impacted year. We really value your engagement with us, your ongoing support for the school, and to be working with you in partnership to support our children’s learning.

And thank you to all our students. You’ve had to navigate another tricky year, but you’ve done so demonstrating all of our school values – respect, responsibility, personal best, and sense of community. Thank you to the student leadership group for sharing your voice with us and we look forward to hearing more student voices next year. Congratulations to our graduating students and welcome to all our incoming year 7’s and others new to the school in 2022. Well done to all!

As challenging as 2021 has been and as keen as we may be to put that behind us, there is also much to be celebrated we’d like to encourage us all to take a moment to reflect on the many achievements and successes of the year. We hope everyone can take some time over the next couple of months to rest and recharge, to spend time with loved ones and enjoy the best the festive season and summer has to offer. Stay safe, and look forward to seeing you in 2022.

About School Council

Every government school has a council. School Council participates in the development and monitoring of the school’s strategic plan and school policy, and plays an important role in overseeing the school’s financial operations and budget. School Council members are drawn from students, parents, the Department of Education and the community. Chelt Sec’s School council includes sub-committees; Student Services, Education Policy, Engagement and Communication, Building and Grounds, Finance.  

To find out more or get involved with School Council, contact Andrew (President) at andrew.hall2@education.vic.gov.au.

Meet your School Council members

Arabella Daniel lives in McKinnon and in her past life was an engineer, now a community advocate for Clean Air. She enjoys cooking and gardening with her two daughters (2021 CheltSec. Year 8 and 10 students).  Arabella joined School Council and the PFA in 2018, is on the Buildings and Grounds sub-committee and is particularly interested in diversity and wellbeing. 

My name is Brooke Matthews and it is a privilege and an honour to be working as Assistant Principal at Cheltenham SC. I am also joined by our school therapy dog Patty and between us, we oversee the student management and wellbeing of all in the College. This year marks my eighteenth year in education. I have varied experience as a teacher and school leader. For the first seven years of my career, I worked at Blackburn High school as a Health and PE teacher, Year Level Coordinator and Director of Sport, before moving over to Cheltenham SC in 2010 as the Leader of Year 7. I’ve spent the last seven years in a variety of roles as Assistant Principal. I love serving as an Assistant Principal. My passion is developing positive relationships with everyone within the community, working with students as they grow, supporting teachers and staff so that they can reach their greatest potential, strengthening a connection between school and home, and fostering a positive school culture. At our core, we know that the school to home partnership is what allows us to provide an extraordinary school experience for all students.