School Council

Running a school is hard enough at the best of times. Running a school in 2020 is turning out to be a rollercoaster ride that nobody expected. Yes, it’s a bit scary, there are a few highs and lows and the occasional bit of screaming. But we get through it, stay on the rails, and have a great story to tell about how we survived.

All of us – teachers, the school leadership team, support staff, parents and carers, and of course, our kids. We survived. 

It is into this environment that we now take our School Council for 2020. I was honoured to be elected President in April, and am delighted to lead our passionate, diverse and hard-working Council members through this year.

The role of School Council is to support and enable our School through good governance and informed discussion, as well as to be a conduit and representative body for the greater school community – you, our parents and carers.  This complements the role of the School Leadership team who manage day to day operations and help ensure alignment and compliance with Department and Government policy. 

The challenges and opportunities facing the School are well known, and extraordinary. During the next few months we will be considering what impact COVID-19 will have on BNPS from a financial perspective, how we ensure the safety and well-being of staff, students and families, and how we become more adaptable with communication and engagement.

Community is a large part of any school. At BNPS we are fortunate to have interested and active parents and carers who provide the gift of time through participating in Committees, enjoying the events hosted by the Fathers Activity Club, helping out in the canteen, and working on massive undertakings such as the Fete and other fundraising causes.  We do it for our kids, and we do it to show them what being part of a real community looks like. 

As our children return to on-site classes, I want to pass on my thanks and acknowledgement of the exceptional effort that has been undertaken by our teachers and support staff over the past few months. 

For many of us at home, we’ve seen only the tip of the iceberg as we’ve come to terms with how to manage our own children being thrust into remote learning due to circumstances beyond our control. Each school has handled this differently; there is no perfect model, and certainly no ‘playbook’ provided by the Department for how it should be. 

The stresses on many families have been great; for some it has become highly frustrating. Some of these emotions have been aimed towards school staff – either directly or through social media channels, where they have spread more widely and caused emotional harm. This is not acceptable behaviour and is not representative of our wider school community. It is certainly not the way to encourage and support engagement and communication with any party, let alone our children’s school. 

For teaching staff, there has been no rest since restrictions were announced in March, forgoing holidays to prepare lesson plans, coming to grips with technology and striving to connect and engage with each of their students. It has meant 12-hour-plus days, handling multiple queries from students and parents, and – in many cases – needing to be there for their own children who have also been at home learning remotely. 

As we approach mid-year, the rollercoaster is sliding to a halt, but the adrenaline rush remains. So, for you at home – a call to action from your School Council: Get involved, reach out to us with your ideas and views, contact Council members to seek to understand the role of Council and to share views and insights. We look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Alistair Lloyd

President, BNPS School Council

alistair.lloyd@education.vic.gov.au