About School Council

Updated: March 29, 2023

A School Council is a policy and decision-making body that assists in governing the school within the Victorian Stage Government Department of Education policies. The Council supports the development of the School Strategic Plan for a four-year period, which allows for efficient planning and curriculum development.

Meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7 pm, at the school. Interested parents are always welcome to attend – Council meetings are open to the community. Parents are also encouraged to join one of the sub-committees: Finance, Education, OSHC, Community Building, Environmental Sustainability, or Buildings/Grounds Environment & Safety. Dates and times of meetings are published in the weekly newsletter.

Council membership is elected at the start of each year (except for the Principal) and is for a term of  2 years. Half the membership is elected each year. Nominations are called in Term 1. If the number of nominations exceeds the number of positions, an election is held according to Departmental guidelines. All parents and teachers are eligible to vote.

All staff members are encouraged to consider nominating for Council and/or to participate in School Council activities via sub-committees.

BEPS School Council

The BEPS School Council comprises 12 members:

  • 8 elected parent category members;
  • 3 elected DEET category (staff) members;
  • The Principal

Current School Councillors

Angela Roberts

Secretary

Dave Slutzkin

Treasurer

Elizabeth Neesham

Parent Member

Janet Di Pilla

Principal

Jessica Kenway

Vice President

Jill Howells

Assistant Principal

Laurence Billiet

Parent Member

Louise Monahan

Parent Member

Marianne Crowe

Staff Member

Michael Lucy

Parent Member

Renee Burns

President

School Council Code of Practice

Parents, teachers, principal, teacher’s aides, office staff, and students at Brunswick East Primary School cooperate to ensure the provision of the best learning opportunities for the students in our care and to work towards the achievement of our vision. All government schools in Victoria have a school council. They are legally formed bodies that are given powers to set the key directions of a school within centrally provided guidelines. In doing so, a school council is able to directly influence the quality of education provided to its students.

School Council operates within government regulations and guidelines and provides direction, accountability, finance and decisions to ensure Brunswick East Primary School is achieving at the very high standard demanded by the community. Government guidelines for School Councils can be accessed from the DEET website.

School Council Policies

An important part of School Council’s role is the discussion, formulation, and approval of Policies that underpin the activities within the school. These Policies are reviewed as part of a regular cycle, or as the need arises. Extensive discussion by the Education Committee, parents, and staff ensures all policies are fully reviewed before they return to Council for final approval. Important and current Policies are available for download under the Our School section of the website.

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