Echuca Primary School
School Council Minutes
2014
‘A School with Tradition and a Future’
DATE:
WHERE:
TIME:
Wednesday May 21st, 2014
Staffroom
7.00pm
PRESENT: Ange Procter, Rohan Stone, Mary Hawker, Gayle Bedford, Trav Cartwright, Scott Trewhella, Pat Turner,
Mel Mann, Libby Preston, Andrew Thompson, Gavan Hughes, Shaquille Mubariz
APOLOGIES: Paul Hon (Leave), Lynda Reid
Minutes of April School Council Meeting are true and accurate.
Moved: Ange Proctor
Seconded:
Mel Mann
Carried
1.
BUSINESS ARISING FROM MINUTES:
Item
Action
Ford Motor Car Rally
April 15-17 2016 is the date we have decided. Gayle will inform
rally organisers
Mal Whyte Brick Wall
Still waiting to hear back from Neil with a costing. Scott will chase
this up. Thomson Engineer report has found it structurally fine
Co-opted Community Members
Members who can bring additional skills to the table. We have 2
seats available Can we think of any parents who can bring in
expertise? Leo Welch- Andrew will approach him to see if he’s
interested (grounds, maintenance, building, much experience on
committees)
Annual Report to Community
Feedback. Thanks to Robert Hogan for his assistance in modifying
the report to make it more parent friendly
Munch n Crunch
This is now being done in all levels
Student Engagement Policy review
Slight amendments needed Current policy to be resent to be
reviewed by school council by next meeting
2
CORRESPONDENCE:
2.1 Inwards
Date
From
th
12 May
Rydal Cleaning
Services
May
DEECD Bulletin
May 1st
2 May
New Ministerial
Direction
Coliban Water
What
Requesting opportunity to quote for the
cleaning contract.
1. New Occupational Health & Safety
eLearning Modules-Contractor
Management, Hazard and Incident
Reporting, Ergonomics & Manual
Handling.
2. Letter for Education Minister Dixon,
thanking all volunteers.
3. Education Week 18-24 May, theme
‘Scientist Do Amazing Things’
Action
Query when cleaning
contract due.
1 All staff to complete by
July 14th
2 Placed in newsletter
3 School to be open to
class visits by school
community, day & time
to be organised.
Special Religious Education as per document
Implement SRI according
attached.
to the direction in 2015
Sewer Works- Pakenham, Murray &
Can contact Project
Landsborough Streets. Cleaning and inspecting Manager, Graham
sewer mains that service the school property
McDonald if any issues
th
expected in the week of 12 May. Could take
1300 363 200
up to two weeks.
1|P a g e
Echuca Primary School
School Council Minutes
2014
‘A School with Tradition and a Future’
Andrew
Hinchliffe
SWEP usage alert Excessive water usage 500
litres of water per hour Turn off taps leading
to oval to see if this makes a difference.
DEECD
Contract renewal for Paul Hon.
May 12th
Shire of
Campaspe
May 13th
National
Schools
Chaplaincy
Association
Campaspe Youth Camp Funding Applications
Confirm success in receiving $450. This will go
towards supporting student participation in
camps.
National Schools Chaplaincy Program. Federal
Budget supports schools with $20 000 annual
grant to employ a chaplain.
2.2
Date
May
Outwards
To
Shire of Campaspe
Gayle will make a call to
investigate whether the
fault has been properly
fixed
Mary completed some
questions and returned
this to the department
To be administered by
the Wellbeing SFG
208 will be resubmitting
at the end of 2014 to
continue this support.
Details
Request for refund of credit balance for Pro-rata Garbage Change
adjustment. Overcharged $1522.88
Motion
Motion: The Inwards Correspondence is received and the Outwards Correspondence is endorsed.
Moved: Rohan Stone
Seconded:
Scott Trewhella
Carried
2.3
Excursions
No excursions
2.4
Pupil Free days for Approval
Tuesday 10th June
Report Writing
rd
Mon 3 November
Bendigo School Visits- all staff
Motion: Moved approval of camps and Pupil Free Days
Moved: Pat Turner
Seconded: Shaq Mubariz
Carried
3. REPORTS
3.1. Finance Report - Motion: That the Financial Reports for the months of April 2014 be received and that the
accounts paid therein be ratified and further that the tabling of the receipt journals for the month of April
2014 be acknowledged.
Moved: Andrew Thompson
Seconded: - Travis Cartwright
Carried
3.2
Principal’s Report: presented by Gayle Bedford
Reporting
Thank you for your input to simplifier our Annual Report to our school community. The DEECD template has been
submitted.
Currently teachers are busy assessing students in preparation for the formal written reports. This year we are trialing
the interview process after the term break by having two evening sessions scheduled for Monday 21st & Wednesday
23rd July. From past experience these times in today’s busy working day are the most requested. With this approach
also we aim to focus on future learning and discuss plans to reach agreed goals.
Also after much discussion at Leadership level we are requesting a Pupil Free day on the Tuesday after the Queen’s
birthday weekend for teachers to finalize their student reports before they are sent home on Wednesday 25th June.
2|P a g e
Echuca Primary School
School Council Minutes
‘A School with Tradition and a Future’
2014
After School Care- YMCA
Eli Geary has stated that the 208 gym fulfills their requirements except we would need to discuss the issues of
storage of their equipment. He is waiting for the Department to approve a Startup Grant because the YMCA is
extending its services. He gave me no indication of a timeline but if he hears prior to Wednesday’s meeting he will let
me know.
Enrolments
From Friday 16th enrolments will 505. This is still fluctuating with transfers out and in.
Foundation 81, Level 1/2- 153, Level 3/4-151 & Level 5/6- 120
Students supported by Funding through Program for Students with Disabilities. These students attract a specific
amount money for the level of funding they are allocated due to their educational needs. It is our duty to ensure
each child is catered for by employing Integration Aides.
1 X Level 1- $6,365, 6 x Level 2 @ $14,720 each and 2 X Level 3 @ $23,237 each
At this stage we have four Aides who work 15 hours each and the IT technician supports one student for 10 hours.
Student Bus Program
Cheryl Henshall and I attended a briefing last week. The short of it is that any family who chooses to attend a school
that bypasses their designated closest school will be required to pay a term by term fee. As a school it is our
responsibility to inform parents of this. This information is available on this websites
www.education.vic.gov.au/studenttransport
www.education.vic.gov.au/travellingtoschool
This is a major concern for:
Potential New Enrolments
We have potential enrolments that are coming from the Kotta area as well as the Bamawm area these children will
be charged. With these students it is on a basis of availability of seats. So if they need a seat for a non-fee paying
person that seat will then be taken from the fee-paying.
These children that will be catching the bus service will need to pay up front for the travel.
Existing Enrolments
From Warren Street across the highway to Mount Terricks Road. Or turning right - Murray Valley Highway towards
Torrumbarry. This area has always been under the Echuca Primary School catchment. It has only been over the last 2
years for some reason they are now saying our area has changed to just the central area. Our main concerns are –
we have families that have children already here and now have a new prep ready to start, these children in our view
should come under the EXEMPT RULE as their siblings would have been under the old grandfather clause.
Therefore our numbers could dramatically decline if parents cannot afford the bus costs to enrol their children at
208 even though is it their school of choice.
Twitter account for Echuca Primary school
The Consultative Committee would like the School Council to consider setting up a Twitter account to assist with
promoting our school. This is done by many local schools which link straight to the Riv Herald.
The past four weeks has been very productive as the following reports indicate.
3.3
Teaching & Learning Report: Rob Hogan
Classrooms have been busy delivering their curriculum based on their Term 2 planners. The collaborative nature of
our school culture, ensures teachers are not working in isolation and using the support of colleagues to ensure we
are producing high quality Teaching and Learning programs.
3|P a g e
Echuca Primary School
‘A School with Tradition and a Future’
School Council Minutes
2014
All levels have chosen a particular area of need to conduct a whole level approach to collaborative data collection.
For example, year 1 and 2 are focussed on the writing process, whereby all students will complete a writing sample
which will be moderated as a team and formulate an action plan for improving student outcomes.
NAPLAN preparation has continued in years 3 and 5, to ensure the stress is removed and the students are best
prepared for these assessments.
All teachers are starting to gather their data, in preparation for writing student reports. All staff were taken through
a Professional Learning session around writing effective student reports.
3.4
Staff Development: Gavan Hughes
The department has released a documentation outlining the new Performance and Development process. The
2014/15 Performance and Development Cycle will be transitional with 2015 seeing the full implementation of the
new model. The aim of the Performance and Development model is to improve student learning outcomes at Echuca
Primary School through the strategic improvement of teaching practices. Teachers will develop Performance and
Development Plans (PDP) that include goals in the dimensions of:
 Student Outcomes
 Professional Knowledge
 Professional Practice
 Professional Engagement
The goals developed and the relevant professional standards will be used to evaluate the performance of teachers
and principals. Over the coming weeks professional development will be conducted with teachers and principals to
support them in creating their individual PDP that reflects the goals of the school. As an additional support staff will
be working with a ‘Critical Friend’ through the Performance and Development process.
Term 1 and 2 has seen 9 pre-service teachers from La Trobe University undertake placements at Echuca Primary
School. This reflects a strong commitment from staff to improving the training of the next generation of teachers.
3.5
Community Engagement/Parents & Friends: by Scott Trewhella
Libby Preston attended a parent evening at a local school in relation to anxiety and resilience. On behalf of the team
she has made enquiries regarding the guest speaker’s availability and affordability. The speaker conducted sessions
with students, staff and families and the feedback was extremely positive. As a staff we have identified this as a
major area of need for our school community and student wellbeing.
We have also received information on an initiative called the ‘Buddy Bench’, which is designed to support children
who need assistance during lunch times to find playmates. We will look to use our SAT members and Peer Mentors
to assist with this initiative.
We hosted our One and All Inclusion Orange Day on the 9th May. We had a guest speaker in Paralympian, Stuart
Tripp. Stuart was able to share the message of ‘never giving up’ and to ‘keep getting up’ every time we fall. We also
had 5 students from the Echuca Specialist School join the 3/4 team for the morning.
The 9th of May also saw the school host a Mothers’ Day Morning. Many mothers and grandmothers took the
opportunity to visit their children’s classrooms and participate in a range of activities.
Parents & Friends
The Trivia Night is booked for the 20th of June. Trivia With A Twist will be hosting the night. Suzie Shearer has
created a poster that will advertise the night. Mel Mann and a band of parents will be letter dropping local
businesses asking for donations of prizes.
Mel is also looking into the possibility of conducting a weekend BBQ at Bunnings as a fundraiser.
Sustainability Soldiers
Amy Connors and her Sustainability Soldiers have been very active and have a number of projects currently on the
go. They have carried out a rubbish audit and have set a date for Nude Food Day – 27th May. The team will also be
monitoring power usage throughout the school and comparing it to the same time last year. The team have also
invited the students to enter the Campaspe Shire – Wicked School Waste Competition.
Student Action Team
The first semester disco will be held on Friday the 13th of June with a spooky theme. Cost will be $5.00 pre-sold or
$6.00 at the door. Times will be F-2: 5.30pm – 7pm and 3-6: 7.30 – 9pm.
4|P a g e
Echuca Primary School
‘A School with Tradition and a Future’
School Council Minutes
2014
3.6
Facilities Report: – by Gayle Bedford
Need to have heaters checked and guttering cleared of leaf litter. The watering system and plumbing now nearly 20
years old seems to be failing us. Coliban Water have needed to clear the sewerage pits and attend to storm water
drains under the 3/4 portable.
4. STRATEGIC FOCUS
4.1 Student Engagement & Well Being - Scott Trewhella, as above
4.2 Literacy – by Kylie Coutts
Literacy SFG spent the majority of Term 1 formulating Echuca Primary School’s Literacy Plan for 2014. Our whole
school focus for 2014 will be Classrooms show evidence of an effective Writing Workshop that caters for all
students. Levels were then required to develop a Level Focus and an Implementation Plan.
We have also set ourselves a goal of developing a Writing Resource Folder, specifically targeted to Echuca Primary
School. The aim of this is for teachers to be able to access one document (hard copy and digital copy) and know the
writing expectations, assessments and activities of Echuca Primary School. This will be the driving force and main
agenda item for the remaining SFG meetings for Term 2 and 3 and utilising Term 4 to bring it altogether and
presenting to staff.
4.3 Numeracy – by Dylan Cuttriss
Foundation: Working through numbers, graphing and data, some students already understanding addition problems
without explicit teaching. Developing differentiation within younger students.
Levels 1 & 2: Students have been focussing on strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems and introducing
concepts of time.
Levels 3 & 4: NAPLAN focus, practising tests with year 3’s and then creating a menu from these misconceptions
Reading and working through some NAPLAN questions. - What questions might be worded differently, what do
students need to know to work out these problems?
Levels 5 & 6: Applied maths ongoing to touch on numerous topics. Utilising a range of teacher’s as there are many
changes in this level. Multiplication and division, targeting times tables.
4.4 e-Learning – presented by Trav Cartwright
The eLearning team has identified several priorities for the use of Technology throughout the school.
The first has been to produce a once a term eLearning newsletter that will provide all staff with a brief overview of
the Professional Development that has taken place during our SFG meetings. This is done by SFG members who
rotate to share an ICT idea that benefits their own teaching or assists with student learning. The first newsletter is
going to be mailed out to staff this week.
Another priority has been to establish a new way of digital collaboration for staff and students after the demise of
the Ultranet. There are many options available and finding the one that suits staff needs first is the priority. The most
user friendly option appears to be a program called Edmodo. To quote a teacher who uses it, “it’s like a Facebook for
schools.” This program has been used fairly successfully in a year 3/4 classroom. All SFG members have signed up
and have active accounts. Our next goal is to bring other staff members on.
The iPad trial continues to be high on the eLearning agenda. Late in term one, the year 3/4 team invited in Lindy
Burke from Echuca East Primary School to answer questions about the trial from teachers. Her main ideas were to
expose teachers involved in the trial with applications that they have been finding useful. There was also lengthy
discussion around the lease program that Echuca East run, the Application purchasing process and the ongoing
Professional Development that they participate in & out of the school. It was also discussed that a team of teachers
from 208 spend time at the East school to see their iPads in action.
Other priorities:
 Establishing classroom ‘experts’ to help classroom teachers with basic troubleshooting that occur when using
digital technology.
 All infant students being involved with creating a class user agreement.
 The use of the ICT scope and sequence in planning.
5|P a g e
Echuca Primary School
School Council Minutes
2014
‘A School with Tradition and a Future’
4.5 Inquiry – by Kirsten Wright –
The Inquiry SFG have been drafting an INQUIRY Plan as well as a EPS Scope and Sequence Document that directly
follows the AUSVELS standards. The main focus at this point in time is determining the main question for each
unit of Inquiry and giving the students opportunity to question, predict, reflect and present on a component of
that main question. This is a task that will take time as we endeavour to ensure that there is a "SPIRAL" of
growth as a student passes through each respective year level.
On the 24th and 25th of May, Kirsten Wright and Ben Hawthorn are attending the Hawker Brownlow
Conference and the presentation - Understanding by Design by James McTighe. We are looking forward to them
bringing back ideas on how to best incorporate a more student centered approach.
We have undertaken a variety of Professional Development readings to help consolidate our own
understandings and have also been looking into how to make our camps/excursions relate directly to expected
AUSVELS standards. This will take some time as we are beginning to build, using a variety of resources, a
document that the EPS community can have as a Foundation to use for many years to come.
Motion: That the all Reports for the month of April 2014 be received and acknowledged.
Moved:
Mel Mann
Seconded: Gavan Hughes
Carried
5. GENERAL BUSINESS –
ITEM
5.1 Student
Engagement Policy
DETAILS
Feedback
5.2 YMCA After School
Care Program
Gayle has contacted Eli Geary. The gym has been
deemed suitable by the YMCA. They are now waiting
for the DEECD to approve a Start Up grant to cover
the extra services the YMCA will providing in Echuca.
The only issue is the lack of storage in the gym they
have cupboards but where could these be stored for
ease of access? The school’s capacity to offer
ACTION
Slight amendments needed
Current policy to be resent to
be reviewed by school council
by next meeting
Pat to clarify agreement with
Eli and determine a date and
what is required.
after school care was raised at the Info evening.
5.3 Student Leadership
Roles- Tabled by Mel
5.4 Supporting Reading
– tabled by Mel
I know the school has implemented many great
initiatives in terms of student leadership roles, which
is fantastic and it was great to see so many had put
themselves forward for the leadership roles on offer
in SAT and School Captains. It would be good to
discuss how we can support and encourage the
students who missed out. The second thing I would
like to discuss is that I have seen a few students
around with two leadership badges and I believe
they have been given two leadership roles SAT and
Captain – If that is the case I don’t think this is fair
when so many students were keen to have a go
I would like to look at options for how we can
support the students that are falling through the
cracks with literacy. Reading recovery is an amazing
program that has a huge impact, but so many
students miss out due to lack of funding. Can we set
up a volunteer parent system to help students who
miss out? There are lots of mums and dads at school
for reading, can we tap into them (and anyone else
who might like to volunteer) to ensure that some of
the key students that need a bit of extra help are
read with.
Scott explained process for 2014
This process will continue to be
reviewed
Teachers need to support the
child through the process and
provide feedback to those
students who missed out We
need parents to support and
encourage their children
Additional roles for students
being introduced to give more
students opportunity
Reading support program for
at risk students Provide
information for parents
SIFT team to discuss
Newsletter item to call for
volunteers
6|P a g e
Echuca Primary School
School Council Minutes
2014
‘A School with Tradition and a Future’
5.4. Twitter Account
Our goal is promotion. Twitter is an option
Parents and Friends Facebook is working well
5.5 Signage
School promotions. Looking at the construction
of a sign at the front of the school to promote
events
Friday 14th November Date decided
Lack of attendance at meetings Concern that
fundraising events can’t run without more
support
Friday 20th June Promote
5.6 Fete
5.7 Parents & Friends
5.8 Trivia night
5.9
ACTIONS
What
Who
By When
Confirm dates of Ford Meet Ange/Scott
with contacts
Repairs to Mal Whyte Wall
Scott
May SC meeting
Co-opted reps to invite on All
SC- Consider skills of people
we could invite to add to our
effectiveness as a SC
After school care program - Pat
clarify agreement with Eli
and determine a date
June meeting
June meeting
June Meeting
Change Parents & Friends
Facebook page to Echuca PS
Trav & Lisa will support Ange
to manage this
Lisa will investigate costs
Need to engage families
Use the Facebook page to
promote Parents & Friends
committee, fete, trivia night
Facebook page, newsletter
How we’ll know it’s
done
Advised at SC meeting
Quote presented at SC
meeting, or job done &
certified safe
After discussion we have
a short list of people to
contact
Report from Pat or Gayle
in regard to stage of
progress of request to
the department form Eli
MEETING CLOSED: at 9.15 pm
Next meetings: Wednesday 18th June, 7.00 pm, (Finance: Tuesday 3rd June, 2.45pm)
Agenda Items for next meeting, please email to Gayle by the Wednesday before the meeting:
Speedy drop off point
7|P a g e