School Council

Council members are required to participate in decision making on matters to do with finance, the building program, strategic planning, designing school policy, renewing contracts, hiring of facilities, approving camps and excursions, and other issues.

We have a number of subgroups on Council and they are Finance, Buildings and Grounds, Profile and Communications, Policy, Support Groups, and the SRC. This is the first year (in perhaps a long time) that student representatives are formal Council members. Both the school captains, Meaghan and Ben, represent the SRC at Council meetings, and we thank them for their dedication to leadership at the College. We also thank teacher Stephen Samuel for mentoring the SRC onto Council.

This month, the Department of Education’s National Curriculum Services is training Council members in the Finance Module – fully understanding the finance reports that are brought to us by Finance Committee each month to approve. This kind of training helps Council members make better, and informed decisions on major issues affecting CSC.

Council is also carrying out a review of camps and excursions at the College in order to better understand the educational outcomes for students, as well as the cost to parents and carers.

Council tries to support initiatives by parents and carers. One parent has started a second hand uniform and book venture. Please stay turned for the date of the next second hand uniform and book fare, which will be held at the College in Term 4. Everyone will have the opportunity to come and sell items.

Another terrific initiative is the Sustainability Group, which is in the process of formalising into another CSC Support Group, to sit alongside the Music Support Group, Drama Support Group, and the Steiner Support Group. Support groups are what used to be termed parent groups or “Friends of” groups and can involve an element of fundraising. Support Groups report to Council and a Council member plays a role in each group.

I hope everyone is trying to reduce the food packaging that the students are bringing to school in our lead up to being a Nude Food School in the near future. Please encourage students to take waste home with them.

This is one of the projects included in the Resource Smart Schools Program that CSC is working on. Other parts of the program will include the reduction of energy and water use, after extensive audits are carried out.

More information about the Sustainability Group and their activities will appear here every newsletter, including information about the development of the school’s garden.

Elizabeth Mellick

CSC Council President