Hi! I’m Lacey Filipich, and I’m delighted to be writing this blog as the 2021 Chair of the School Board.
We are fortunate to have a good mix of experience, with three Board members having served for at least one year already: Kate Grieve (2021 P&C Representative), Matthew Rose (2021 Vice Chair) and me. We are joined by four new Board members: Jodi Eastman, Niamh Leonard, Sian Rosser and Katie Wadsworth (2021 Secretary). It’s lovely to see nearly all year groups represented. We all attended Board training on 20 May and are looking forward to contributing as a team for the remainder of the year.
On the staff side, the inimitable team of Lisa, Dave, Erika and Elaine continue to join us throughout the year. We’re thrilled to have Kate Bockman as the staff representative, and particularly excited to be learning about the work she is leading in the reconciliation space.
Our remit is specific and set by the Department of Education. We do not intervene in the day-to-day running of the School. There are a handful of items we get to directly influence, such as the uniform policy and voluntary contributions.
The Board is one of the conduits for parent feedback, like the P&C via classroom reps. Lisa, Dave, Erika and Elaine often seek our input as parent representatives. You are welcome to approach members if you have a query you’d like to direct to the Board. For example, in August we will be discussing the uniform policy including long-sleeved polos and cotton shirts. If you have uniform-related queries or suggestions to include in that discussion, please let a Board member know.
Each meeting is themed to one of the five areas of the School Business Plan, so we learn a lot about how the school operates. We dive into the Plan, policies, budget, performance metrics and governance risks which the School Leadership team present to the Board for information periodically.
In 2021, we welcome Lisa’s encouragement to focus on Relationships and Partnerships as we rebuild after the ‘lost year’ of 2020. We’ll be looking for ways to connect with parents and the local community, complementing the work of the School and the P&C.
Sian will be leading a parent partnership/human library idea – stay tuned for more on that! – and Kate G will be liaising between the P&C and Board to keep everyone across what’s happening in both groups.
If you have suggestions for how the Board can help engage parents and the local community to build external relationships with local business and the Town of East Fremantle, or to join community projects to benefit our students, please let us know.
On behalf of the Board, I wish you all a great last few weeks of Term Two and an enjoyable holiday. We will be back with an update following our August meeting.
Lacey Filipich
Chair of the Board 2021