Present:
Adele Theile (Chair), Patrick Murphy, Michael Airton, Kathryn McGovern, Veronica Kucharski, Rodger Morgan, Sandy Pearl and Desiree Murray (Secretary)
Apologies:
Tracey Sheehan and Tam Burnes
The Chair welcomed Kath McGovern, the new Staff Member joining the Council.
Minutes of the Previous Meeting:
It was proposed by Adele Theile and seconded by Rodger Morgan that the Minutes of the previous meeting held on 23 November 2004 be accepted as a true and correct record.
Business Arising from the Minutes
Traffic Issue - Waterworks Road:
A letter received from The Department of Transport, responding to the issues raised by the School, was tabled. Patrick Murphy reported that the entrance to the car park would be widened however no Lollipop Person, pedestrian crossings or 40km zone would be introduced. The request for a red light camera could proceed however was unlikely to be approved.
Patrick Murphy also advised that Councillor Knapp would be requesting police to enforce the rules of the road in the car park area. It was noted that the entrance to the top car park area required more sand as it was becoming difficult for some cars to access as it was too low. RM to attend.
Veronica Kucharski suggested that the gate at the far corner of the oval be opened to enable students to be collected from the side road where more street parking was available. It was agreed that this could be tried. RM to arrange.
Noise Issue:
The recommendation from the Department of Education has been refused. Michael Airton and Patrick Murphy have written to the Ministers' office and are awaiting further response. They advised that Jim Fouras was supportive of the application and the School had put forward reasonable arguments and examples of other schools whose noise issues had been addressed. It was noted that media contact would only be followed up as a final resort.
The Gap High School Points Allocation - Staff:
PM to follow up on possible visit by students. Sandy Pearl explained that The Gap High also had a system whereby house points could be won for student's good behaviour, which was based on the same principle.
Progress on Amenities:
Patrick Murphy reported that the upgrading of the Senior Boys, Girls and Ladies Staff toilets was to commence shortly with the completion date of 8 May. The estimated cost of the work was $48,000 and would include new floors/urinals, painting the facades and replacement of damaged toilets.
Canberra for Yr 7:
Parents had been provided with further information and provisional dates booked. Further details such as travel insurance would follow.
Student Council:
The Chair felt that the profile of the Student Council needed to be lifted. Kath McGovern advised that she was planning a number of charity events including "Sunnies Day" with gold coin donation to the Tsunami Appeal, Deafness Society, Leukaemia and Starlight Foundation collections. Veronica Kucharski proposed that the children be required to put more physical effort into their community work, such as visits to hospitals or the aged.
Sandy Pearl suggested that a wider range of students, particularly in the upper levels, needed to be involved in the various positions so as to encompass even a problem child. Patrick Murphy advised that Sports Committees would involve more students and Kath McGovern pointed out that the Outlook Unlimited program would also highlight children's abilities.
Kath McGovern suggested that students become involved in making a wreath for Anzac Day. It was noted that representatives of the School have participated in past communal ceremonies and a special parade was held at school.
The Australian Flag was to be presented to the School at parade and Rodger Morgan enquired whether the School wished to also fly the Queensland flag on alternate days. It was agreed that it would be flown on Qld Day only.
Triennial School Review
The draft was tabled. It was noted that the data from school surveys was included in the key recommendations. Veronica Kucharski highlighted that the aspect of more community involvement needed to be included. The proposed Art Program was being investigated. A request for a grant has been submitted for an artist in residence to work with the students, to include an art show, which would co-incide with the fete. KM to contact Ithaca and enquire about their similar program.
Patrick Murphy pointed out that the recommendations were carried into the 2005 Operational Plan with others noted in the Overview for 2005 - 2007.
The Council was to peruse all these documents and advise of any queries.
Budget
The draft Budget documents for 2005 were tabled for discussion. It was unanimously agreed that the Budget be accepted.
Family Planning
It was noted that the upper staff had reservations about the contents offered for discussion with Yr 4/5. Veronica Kucharski confirmed that she did not feel it should be recommended. Kath McGovern went on to explain the contents of the presentation she had attended. It had been a frank and broad presentation focusing on self preservation and protection, which was well received. Discussion continued as to whether the school should be responsible for making these courses available. It was generally agreed that it enabled parents to make the choice if it was offered. Michael Airton suggested that it be introduced as an option for Year 5 students to attend and that a survey be done to assess the outcome. Agreed. If approved then sessions for Yr 4 could be introduced at a future date.
Future of the Council
The Chair had circulated a survey received from the Department of Education, to all Members. A number of queries were raised and it was noted that some of the survey related more specifically to High School students. SP and AT to complete and submit.
A further survey regarding School Council and P&C Bodies also required completion. Discussion ensued and the following points were noted:
- If the School Council and P&C were combined there would be too many members involved to make decisions.
- The agendas for these bodies varied significantly and one body could not handle all the content which required discussion.
- The presence of staff members on a School Council provided invaluable input.
- Councils consisting of both Staff and parents, have a clear purpose of discussion and represents the entire community well.
- The P&C plays the important role of a "suggestion" group.
- It was agreed that student representation for strategic planning development would not be suitable.
The Department of Education would collate the information received from the surveys and presumably advise of the results at a future date.
It was suggested that the agenda for future Council meetings be printed in the newsletter and that the minutes be made available on the school website when this was running.
Topic for future meetings
The Chair suggested that the Council may wish to consider revising the Mission Statement for the School at the next meeting. This currently appeared in the School Prospectus. Michael Airton enquired whether the Council should also consider their part in ensuring that the goals set out in the Operational Plan were achieved. Sandy Pearl commented that the introduction of the presentation of a school ruler for birthdays was a positive move.
General
Safety of Students:
The Chair advised that she had again been approached regarding the issue of the school assisting with monitoring the safe arrival of students at School if they walked, cycled or used public transport. It was agreed that this was a parents responsibility. If students had a mobile phone to hand in at the office, they could use this method of first notifying parents of their arrival at School.
Seat Belts on Buses:
The issue of having seatbelts on all buses used for excursions was discussed. Patrick Murphy suggested that this matter be discussed by the P&C. It was noted that expenditure increased for hire of these buses and could be an issue for parents already contributing towards sport costs. Furthermore it was noted that seatbelts were compulsory on buses which entered freeways, however travel within a 10km radius of the School was not a requirement.
Michael Airton advised that the item could be placed on a P&C Agenda as this issue had not been raised for some year. Statistics could be made available to parents for consideration. MA to arrange.
Next Meeting
It was agreed that the next Council Meeting be held on Tuesday 17 May at 7.30pm
There being no further business the meeting terminated at 10.30pm