This month’s Council meeting started with an informative update from the Junior School Council, presented by Maya in grade 3. We were very interested to hear about the teachers vs students T-ball fundraiser planned for the last day of term. Red Nose Day is a great cause, and we think it will be a great event.
We took a focussed look at the way the school’s finances are planned and managed. All schools receive funds from the Department of Education and Training on the basis of staff and student profiles, plus some allocation for basic building maintenance and cleaning. However, capital works for significant upgrades need to be funded by the school. Examples for TPS include replacement or refurbishment of heating/cooling systems, repairs to the roof of the old building, painting works and maintenance of the outdoor facilities like the basketball courts.
Our school is fortunate to have strong forward planning and management for such capital works, supported by fundraising activities. Council noted that many of the facilities that we enjoy would not have been possible without the community’s support via fundraising in the past. The kitchen, the outdoor furniture between the basketball courts and the bike shed are examples that would not have been possible without locally raised funds. In the next 12-18 months we must undertake the roof repairs, and are looking at updating the staff facilities to reflect the changed gender balance since they were installed, so careful management of our budget is needed to achieve these larger works.
Council approved a number of updated policies related to student engagement, bullying and homework. Homework is a topic of much discussion in the news and in the playground, so it was interesting to discuss our various expectations and experiences. A further detailed look at the homework policy will be undertaken in the second half of the year.
Our meeting finished on a light note, with a funny video prepared by the Green Team. We enjoyed it very much, and it provided another example of the wonderful experiences and engagement our children enjoy.
Finally, Council would like to thank Ann Cox for her support of our activities in her role as Business Manager, and wish her a happy, safe and relaxing retirement. Thank you Ann!
Michelle Osborne
Council President