School Council Report - Inside ivanhoe

Our final School Council meeting for the year was held last night and we were all incredibly grateful that it could take place on-site and in person – a privilege we haven’t had much of this year!

The Principal updated us on class structures and staffing for 2021 and also took us through the draft Annual Implementation Plan (AIP), which was unanimously endorsed by all School Council members present.  We thank and acknowledge the considerable amount of work put in to developing the AIP by the IPS Leadership team in Mark, Pam, Steven O’Callaghan, Sue Kelly, Chrissy Temple and Lucy Garzarella.

Our Stage 2 build is drawing to an end and the construction team will finish up for the year on December 23.  They will return early in the New Year and intend to be finished for Practical Completion on February 19 (at the latest).

Tender documents for the upgrades to the Waterdale Road building are well underway with a number of tender options identified.  Once the tender is awarded, these works should take place over the 2021 Easter break. 

This has been one of those surprise ‘add-ons’ we have been able to include with our grant funding, which in turn has resulted in an operating surplus for 2020.  Monies we had allocated to projects such as additional landscaping and play equipment have now been included in our grant expenditure, allowing School Council to reassess our minor works and spending priorities for 2021.

We also took some time to reflect on some of the successes and accomplishments which have been achieved across the year.  These include:

• School Council meetings going virtual

As a School Council, we’ve only had two meetings this year where we have been able to meet in person, but through the advancement of technology (and not really having an alternative), we ‘pivoted’ and adjusted our planning and meeting structures to allow for virtual interactions.

• Principal’s contract renewal

Following a thorough review, the schools Regional Director and Senior Education Improvement Leader oversaw the contract renewal process for the role of Principal.  The existing contract is due to expire in January 2021 and we were all very pleased that Mark was offered a further five years with IPS, which he has accepted.

• Capital Works

Stage 2 of our Masterplan entered its construction phase throughout 2020 and global pandemics aside, it has gone from strength to strength.  We achieved all we wanted (and more!) from the $4.5 million dollar grant and the new grade 5 & 6 building will be open and operational in Term 1 of the new school year.

• Policy development

Our Education Sub-Committee reviewed 31 policies this year, with seven of those requiring specific endorsement from School Council. This is a fantastic effort and our thanks and recognition to Rhonda Harvey and the members of the Education Sub-Committee for all the work they have undertaken to achieve this.

• School Strategic Plan (SSP)

We completed the final year of our current SSP and started taking steps toward drafting and building our 2020-2023 plan.  Regular updates have been provided to School Council throughout the year on our performance, which has seen IPS reach its targets and achieve our goals as prescribed in the 2017-2020 Plan.  Our thanks to Mark, Pam, Lucy, Stephen, Chrissy and Sue on the development and implementation of the 2016-2019 SSP and we look forward to finalising the review of our next four-year plan in early 2021.

It’s been a year like no other and while it isn’t one I’m keen to repeat, I’d like to recognise the incredible undertakings made by parents and families during remote learning and of course, our amazing staff, who continually went above and beyond throughout the year. 

While we had intended to hold a recognition event to thank all IPS families for the additional workload you took on during the remote learning period, Covid restrictions have prevented us from having everyone on-site to do this.  Despite social distancing requirements and our inability to hold this event, we hope all parents and carers are aware of just how appreciative the school are of the way you have supported your children’s learning this year and in the additional time and responsibilities that remote learning presented to us all.

I’d also like to pass on my sincere thanks to each and every member of our School Council for your support and contributions this year.  While some sub-committees and Working Groups were unable to meet regularly, your readiness to be active participants in our governance and strategic planning at IPS is exceptional.

I also want to say a huge thank you to our Treasurer, Glenn Anderson and our Vice President, Sonia Denisenko.  You both do a remarkable job and I really appreciate the support and additional workload you take on in your Executive roles.

To our outgoing School Council members, Prue Vermiglio, Andrew Read, Sonia Denisenko, Erwin Susantos, Leanne Anstee and Leigh Morrison - I thank you also for the time and effort you have put in over the last two years. 

Thanks also to our amazing staff!  You do a fantastic job day in and day out, but this year has seen you putting in a considerably larger effort than normal.  To Mark and Pam – thank you for all your work this year and to Pam in particular who not only had to step into the Acting Principal role, she did it during two separate lockdown periods.

Have a safe and happy festive season, enjoy the summer break and we’ll see you all in 2021!

Kelly Toghill

School Council President