College Board Meeting Minutes

Meeting Highlights:

• Principal Appointment: Travis Vladich was recommended as the new Principal.
• Board Changes: Cavelle Monck stepped down as Chair, and nominations for new board members closed.
• End of Year Activities: Successful graduation ceremony, “Sleeping Beauty” ballet performance, and school farewell.
• Financial Report: No financial concerns reported.
• Future Discussions: New business plan development, data targeting, international tours, and digital textbooks.

Other Items:

• Public art piece to acknowledge past staff.
• Staff updates with retirements balanced by new hires.
• Upcoming professional learning day for new staff.
• Rebranding of student services center and team.
• Building project update planned for a future meeting.
• Parent nominations for the board discussed.
• Ski trip cancellation and discussion of future international tours.
• Booklist and use of digital textbooks reviewed.

Meeting adjourned at 5:52 PM.

New Leadership:

• Michael Smart was appointed the new College Board Secretary.

Academic Performance:

• Outstanding results in the 2023 Year 12 academic year, with a median ATAR exceeding the state average and a high WACE completion rate.

Meeting Highlights:

• Discussion on the use and importance of ATARs, socio-economic background’s impact, and the ICSEA School Ranking system.
• Strategies to improve student attendance.
• Review of current policies and procedures for developing and approving behavior policies.
• Update on the College’s master plan building project for music, media arts, and STEM education (consolidated into a $24 million project).
• Review and revision of College Board terms of reference, including extending board member terms from 2 to 3 years.
• Amended meeting schedule with at least 4 meetings annually and 1 public meeting.
• Initial work on developing the College’s business plan through staff brainstorming.

Other:

• Discussion on board training.
• Confirmation of Treasurer’s Report and budget (awaiting funding).
• Clarification on Councils/Boards’ decision-making authority and advisory role.

Meeting adjourned at 6:30 PM.

Meeting Agenda:

• Discussed upcoming board events, training options, and need for board member badges.

Meeting Highlights:

• Received infographic on ATAR breakdown.
• Discussed upcoming teachers’ strike and plans for student attendance.
• Provided update on GAT interviews and parent-teacher interviews.
• Informed board about ongoing construction project.

Business Plan Development:

• Brainstormed initial ideas for the business plan, considering community and student feedback.
• Reviewed a “Business plan discussion” document on Google Drive.
• Held open discussion on the business plan.
• Judy Hendrickse presented on student identity and reflections on the plan wording.
• Fiona Tholet discussed her learnings on AI in education.

Business Plan Next Steps:

• Board members will digest meeting information.
• A collaborative Google Doc will be created for ongoing business plan development.
• Missing information or irrelevant elements will be identified.

Additional Notes:

• Principal’s report included updates on irregular schedule due to the strike, conference attendance, and business plan discussion.
• Treasurer’s Report was not presented.

Meeting adjourned at 6:10 PM.

Key topics discussed:

• Board training: Governance training attended by board members. Opportunity for additional training in October.
• Principal’s Report:
  • Lockdown procedures under review with potential practice drills.
  • Space limitations for PTO meetings due to union regulations. Board requested suggestions from members.
  • Positive preliminary NAPLAN data.
  • School selected as a lead school for a potential “teacher exchange” program.
  • Timetable review with potential 18-month shift. Plans to explore increasing staff collaboration and programs outside the curriculum.
  • Open Day plans for October 26th.
• Treasurer’s Report:
  • New, easier-to-read financial report format introduced.
  • School finances tracking well. Action item to investigate volunteer fee collection drop.
  • Staff development budget increase under consideration.
  • New bus purchase approved.
• Values and Priorities: Board members participated in an activity to define priorities for the school.
• General Business: Implementation of an Acknowledgement of Country at the start of each meeting was requested and approved.

Key Discussions and Decisions

• SEQTA Usage: Discussed the effectiveness and consistency of SEQTA usage. An audit may be conducted to assess current practices.
• Open Day: Scheduled for Saturday, October 26th.
• Professional Learning: Fiona Tholet presented on current and future professional learning plans, including the “Teaching for Impact” document.
• Business Plan: The board engaged in a productive discussion on the 2025 business plan, focusing on refining the vision, values, and priorities.

Key Discussions and Decisions

• Academic Achievements: Celebrated the school’s success in various awards, including VET, Waste, Science, and P&C awards. Recognized the achievements of students in international competitions and events.
• Infrastructure and Student Support: Discussed infrastructure development and student support strategies, particularly for students with low literacy.
• Board Business: Addressed disclosure of interests and upcoming board training.
• Principal’s Report:
  • Introduced the new strategic planning approach, focusing on culture, curiosity, cognition, courage, kindness, connection, and growth.
  • Reviewed strong NAPLAN results and discussed strategies for low and high-performing students.
  • Presented the financial report and discussed collection rates and spending.
• Other Discussions:
  • Considered changes to the scholarship program.
  • Discussed adjusting ticket prices for performances.
  • Addressed issues with broken lockers.
  • Committed to focusing on the wellbeing and support of teaching staff.

*No meeting minutes were taken due to the meeting being a board training session.