School Community Council

Our parent representative body is the School Community Council (SCC) and is your chance to have parent input to support the school to be the best it can be. This year meetings are held twice a term on a Monday night at 6.00pm. 

Mission and Objectives

The Council, in accordance with the authority entrusted to it by the Archbishop, is to assist the school to fulfil its mission in accordance with the Code of Canon Law, Archdiocesan directives and guidelines and policies of the Catholic Education Commission (CEC) and the Catholic Education Office (CEO).(Community Council Constitution)

Role of the SCC

The Council provides the opportunity for members of the school community to support the mission of Catholic education in the school. Working with the Principal, Parish Priest and staff, the members of the Council and its committees provide leadership to the wider school community.

The Council has both decision making and advisory roles in the following areas;

• Catholic Identity and Character
• Academic Programs
• Physical Resources
• Leadership
• Finances
• Enrolment and Growth

The policies of the school are always set within the mission of Catholic education. In the areas where it has responsibility for the development and monitoring of school policy, the Council operates within the policies and procedures determined by the CEC and the CEO.

Membership of the SCC

• Ex officio members
  - School Principal
  - Parish Priest
• Up to two (2) staff members elected by the staff
• At least one (1) and up to (4) parent members
• As many as three (3) other people appointed by the Council for their expertise.

Term of Membership

• The term of membership on the Council is for two years.
• A member of the Council may be elected for a maximum of three (3) consecutive
  terms (ie a maximum of six (6) years on the Council).

Contact

An important part of the structure is the work done by various committees in the school. Most of these will be familiar to you. We invite engagement and participation by parents in any of the committees that interest you:

Parish representative: This role is an important link for our school / parish community. TBD is a representative on both the SCC and the Parish Pastoral Council ensuring that together we provide the best for our children's Catholic education.

Class Parent Network: Class parents are a point of contact between the teacher and parents in the class by keeping parents informed about upcoming activities such as class Masses, Mother/Father's Day activities and welcoming new families. It offers an opportunity for parents to be involved in school life. It also coordinates support at times of need. Class parents meet regularly.

Curriculum and Lobbying: The council maintains a membership of Catholic School Parents Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn (CSPACG) which lobbies on our behalf to improve catholic school funding and curriculum.  Please see the link to the CSPACG website below.

Marketing and Communication Committee: This committee is responsible for positioning the school in the community and for devising new ways for communicating within the school. There is potential to use the internet better to provide information to parents.  We are always interested in hearing from others who can contribute.

School Environment and Building Committee: With the recent refurbishment of the school the emphasis in this committee is shifting to the grounds and furnishings.

Fete Committee: Barb Miels-Barrett is chairing the Fete Committee. The fete and the SCC Levy are the only fundraising opportunities in use by the SCC.

Canteen and Uniform Shop Committee: This a very important committee maintaining the canteen for the use of the children and staff. Kylie Ordanic is the SCC representative on this Committee.

Finance Committee: The Finance Committee is responsible for developing the school budget and other financial issues including management of SCC funds. Given the sensitivity of the issues, the Finance Committee is comprised of the SCC Chair and Treasurer, the School Principal and the School Finance Secretary.

Keeping in Touch

Every SCC meeting is open to the whole school community so the opportunity is there for parents to be heard on any issue.  Meetings occur in school terms on Monday night, generally in Week 4 and 9 of each term, at 6:00pm.

This structure provides opportunities for parents to be involved in the school in areas of particular interest to them, without having to attend on all issues. Parents can then target their time to areas of school life that best suit their expertise or interest. The SCC is evolving as we go and there has never been a better chance to influence the way the parents in the school community work with the school to make it better. We hope you will consider which of the committees you are most interested in and keep an eye on the newsletter for opportunities to participate.

CSPACG

Catholic School Parents Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn (CSPACG) was formally launched on the 21 February 2014. CSPACG is the peak body representing the interests of all Catholic school parents in the Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn and is the largest non-government school parent body in the ACT.

CSPACG is the body officially recognised by the Archbishop and the Catholic Education Commission to represent the interests of families of children in all Catholic schools across the Archdiocese.

CSPACG is represented on the Archdiocesan Catholic Education Commission and through it has significant access to and involvement in mainstream education issues as well as input into policy and financial decisions. The Catholic school parent voice is now being sought by government and has been invited to participate as a member of the steering committee leading a project exploring parental engagement.