On behalf of the School Council, I welcome you to our web site. Within guidelines provided by the Department of Education & Training (DE&T), the School Council of Boronia Heights Primary School has responsibilities for developing such things as:
- The Strategic Plan which sets out the main goals and priorities of the school for four years
- The school's Budget which shares out the available resources to make sure that the goals of the Strategic Plan are carried out
- The general educational policy of the school
- The physical appearance and maintenance of the school's buildings and grounds
- The student Code of Conduct which provides a safe and orderly environment for learning
- An annual report on the school's achievements
All Victorian Government schools have School Councils; they are legally formed bodies that are given powers to set the key directions of their individual school. The School Council of Boronia Heights is therefore able to directly influence the quality of education that the school provides for its students.
School Council members are each elected (or appointed in the case of co-opted members) for a two year term. Half the membership is elected or co-opted each year and this creates vacancies for the annual School Council elections held either in February or March. By only vacating half the membership positions each year, continuity of approach and depth of experience within the School Council is ensured unlike some organisations such as kindergartens which often start management committees totally from scratch each year.
Because parents have such an important part to play in schools, there is an elected parent member category. More than one-third of the elected members must be parents. Parents must also be in the majority of those attending at all School Council meetings.
Similarly, there is an elected member category for employees of the DE&T. Members of this category may make up no more than one-third of the total School Council. The Principal is automatically one of these members.
Boronia Heights Primary School also has a Community Member category. This comprises non-elected members from the school or wider community who are willingly co-opted on to the Council because they have special skills or experience.
Sub-committees of the School Council are responsible for a number of specific areas including:
- Resources
- Curriculum Committee
- Environment
- Parents' Association
- Out of School Hours Child Care Program
Boronia Heights Primary School Council has an enthusiastic approach to it’s responsibilities; we are all involved only because we are interested in our school and in making it a better place for our children and all those who will follow them. Our School Council has one fundamental consideration behind all decision making.
That is:
- Our students are the reason for our existence; whatever we do must be the best possible outcome for them
We also seek to mirror the message of our school through:
- Working by consensus for the good of all
- Operating on the basis that everyone has equal input to and responsibility for decisions
Through these means, we provide a friendly, co operative environment for meetings - which we try to keep short!
Meetings of School Council are normally held in the school staffroom at 7:30p.m. on the 3rd Monday in the month during all four school terms (not during holiday periods), however dates may vary on rare occasions due to various operational considerations. Dates are published in the School Newsletter ahead of all meetings and can be confirmed via the school office.
Members of the community of Boronia Heights Primary have been contributing their skills, knowledge, common sense and ideals to our school since it first opened.
Anyone interested is warmly invited to attend meetings of School Council and provide their input to the future well being and success of our school.
Charlie Spendlove
President
School Council
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