Community

The Stella Maris School Parents and Friends Association is a friendly, social group of parents and guardians who meet regularly and help the school in a variety of ways.

The P & F aims to:

• arrange practical ways and means of contributing to the material and social development of the Stella Maris School Community.
• organise functions for the children only, children and parents, or for parents alone which will help all members of the school community to get to know one another well and thus facilitate the development of a genuine community.  This shall be done through social, educational or community functions and it should aim to use the talents, skills and expertise of as many members of the school community as possible.
• be a fund-raising body which endeavours to raise monies to provide for those extra school facilities, furnishings and equipment, which cannot be supplied by normal school finances.

Some of the functions include:

• End of term Hot Dog Days
• Easter raffle and Easter bonnet parade
• Themed parent fundraising function each year
• Student disco
• Family movie night
• Mother’s Day and Father’s Day celebrations
• Christmas raffle
• Year level parent dinners

1. Council structure

Members of the School Advisory Council

Serving on the School Advisory Council of a Catholic school is a form of Church lay ministry. It is a response to the call to support the local Catholic Parish and School communities in a particular way. It is also a means for members of our community to share their skills and talents for the common good. A well-functioning Council provides rich sources of wisdom and insight as well as a means of strengthening community links and potential for partnerships.

Stella Maris’ School Advisory Council is to be comprised of a minimum of six (6) Council members who value and share the educational mission and ethos of the Catholic Church comprising of at least:

(a) the parish priest for primary / the president of the ACA for secondary  (ex officio)

(b) the school principal (ex officio)

(c) two (2) parents, guardians, carers of children attending the school

(d) one (1) parishioner

(e) another person from either category or co-opted to serve a particular need on the Council.

Membership under (c) and (d) are not mutually exclusive.

At the Principal’s discretion, members of the school staff may be invited from time to time to attend meetings depending on the content of the agenda.

A single parish representative may be sufficient for a Council fulfilling its function in dealing with education matters relating to the School.

 

2. Role of the School Advisory Council

From 1 January 2021, the Board of Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS) has  responsibility for the strategic direction and oversight of the operation and management of MACS Catholic Schools, including Stella Maris. Clear lines of authority, reporting and delegation have been established which delegate the day to day operational management of Stella Maris Catholic Primary School to the Principal.

In keeping with the objects of the MACS Constitution, which states “The good work of educating the young, undertaken in the light of the Gospel, is a co-responsible task led by every member of the Catholic school community”, the School Advisory Council provides a crucial point of connection between the wider School community and School leaders. While the School Advisory Council does not have a decision-making authority, it informs, advises and supports the Principal and School leadership.

Advisory in nature

The School Advisory Council provides a forum for discussion and discernment, where the parent/guardian voice and perspective are available to inform and support the decisions made by the Principal and Parish Priest for the good of School and Parish where the wellbeing and outcomes for students is paramount.

School Advisory Councils do not have a legal identity and do not become involved in the day-to-day management of the School.

It is important that School Advisory Council members understand that their role is to give consideration to, and advice on, important School matters in order to support the Principal in the context of the MACS governance arrangements. The School Advisory Council must act within the parameters of this Terms of Reference.

MACS provides support to the School Advisory Council, such as policy guidance and templates for the work of the Council, but is not responsible for the activities of the Council, utilising principles of subsidiarity and solidarity.

The following are some ways the School Advisory Council supports the School and the Principal:

• Promoting the school’s Catholic ethos and culture
• Articulating and enacting the School’s vision and mission
• Promoting faith formation and development
• Capital resource planning and maintenance
• Disseminating information about the School in accordance with these Terms of Reference
• Implementing School policies as required
• Supporting and communicating School and parish matters, including the School annual report
• Giving advice on issues such as enrolments, School improvement plans and enrolment trends
• Engaging in discussion about the annual School budget and other financial matters
• Giving advice about the school Master Plan

 

  3. The role of individual Council members

Qualities and skills of a Council member

Each Catholic school is different, but all Schools share the mission of the Church. The Council should be composed of people who appreciate, value and share the educational mission and ethos of the Catholic Church. When seeking Council members it is important to reflect on the qualities and skills of benefit to the Council in carrying out its functions. Their capacity to contribute, their shared understanding and their positivity is essential.

 The following is a list of some of the key qualities and skills for members of the School Advisory Council:

• commitment to the MACS Statement of Mission
• commitment to Catholic education in the Parish and School
• commitment to the vision and mission of the Parish and School
• an understanding of the role of Parish Priest, Principal and Council members
• willingness to ask questions and seek clarification
• ability to think strategically
• willingness to support the contributions of other Council members
• capacity to listen in an active and meaningful way
• willingness to work cooperatively with others
• commitment to maintaining confidentiality at all times.

Expectations of the Council member

Each Council member is required to commit to the following:

• understanding the Council’s role
• having a positive and constructive attitude
• elevating any appropriate issues for consideration by the Council
• preparing for Council meetings
• attending each Council meeting, unless there are extenuating circumstances
• bringing expertise and views to discussions on behalf of the whole community
• participating actively and responsibly
• participating in Council work
• participating in Council formation activities
• attendance at the MACS Annual General Meeting, if possible
• abiding by the applicable MACS School Governance Policies, including MACS Statement of Mission, the Code of Conduct and Conflicts of Interest Policy.

2. Key roles

There are four key roles on a School Advisory Council.  The Chair, the Principal, the Parish Priest and the Secretary each have a significant role on the Council and each of these roles carries specific responsibilities.

The Principal

Key responsibilities of the principal’s role include development of the faith community, particular focus on the safety and wellbeing of students, formulation of a vision for the whole school, attention to contemporary teaching and learning in order to engage all students, and stewardship of the people and resources with particular outreach to the parent community.

The principal works in collaboration with the Church authority, staff and members of the school community to achieve the mission of the school.

As such the Principal’s role on the Council as an ex officio member is to:

• play a key role in developing the overall goals and priorities of the Council
• play a key role in developing the agenda for meetings and the preparation of papers before meetings
• ensure follow-up of actions arising from Council meetings
• act as the chief education advisor to the Council
• make arrangements to maintain an archive of relevant Council documentation in accordance with this Terms of Reference, including minutes from previous meetings
• make arrangements to distribute the papers before meetings, after preparation of the papers by the Secretary
• make arrangements to distribute draft minutes to the Council members, after preparation by the Secretary
• ensure that Council members are kept informed between meetings
• make arrangements to maintain a register and record of Council, committee and working groups and all applicable documentation and records, including minutes, agendas and correspondence.

Appointment

The Principal is an ex offico member of the Council while in his or her role. The Principal has full voting rights and is counted in the usual way for quorum purposes.

The Parish Priest / President of ACA

The Parish Priest/Canonical Administrator’s role on the Council is to:

• be the key evangeliser and educator in faith within the Parish and thus the custodian of mission of Parish and School
• support the Principal and Council in the development and implementation of the sacramental program to ensure the School is faithful to its distinctive Catholic identity and spirituality.
• provide strong pastoral support and effective Catholic leadership of the Parishes which includes the School and College communities.
• be engaged with, and bring to the Council’s attention, those aspects of the School’s operations that have the potential to harm the Parish’s good name
• represent the Parish or College as the beneficial owner of the land occupied by the School
• be involved in planning any transaction that will change the nature of the School property or affect the use of any other areas of the property.
• The parish priest is an ex officio member of the school advisory council for parish primary schools in his parish, and ensures that the school advisory council supports the principal and the mission of the parish. Likewise a representative of the Canonical Administrator for Regional Colleges is an ex officio member of the school advisory council ensuring that the council supports the principal and the mission of the college

Appointment

As an ex officio member of the Council by virtue of his office. The Parish Priest/Canonical Administrator has full voting rights and is counted in the usual way for quorum purposes.

 

4. Committees and working parties

To share and support the work of the Council, the Council may consider establishing a standing committee.

From time to time the Council may also wish to establish a committee or working party for a specific purpose or to undertake a particular task.

The Council may appoint additional members of a Council committee or working group to assist with deliberations in the manner determined by the Council in each instance.

Council committees and working groups may be focused on a specific area such as:

• finance
• policy
• capital improvements
• reputation management
• parent/guardian/carer engagement
• community development
• grants

Each committee or working party should be chaired by a Council member who is responsible for reporting to the Council on the activities of the committee/working party.

Council committees/working parties are directly responsible to the Council.

Each committee/working party of the Council should have clearly articulated expectations or terms of reference stating:

• the name of the committee/working party
• the name of the chair
• the purpose and tasks to be undertaken
• the names of the members
• quorum, meeting and reporting requirements
• the date for reporting back to the Council e.g. actions since last report, what’s happening now, future plans, items for council discussion
• duration of the committee/working party.

It is important that any Council committee or working party understands that it may not speak publicly for the Council, unless it has delegated authority to do so.

The terms of reference of each committee or working party of the Council should be approved by the Principal and appropriate records maintained by or on behalf of the Principal.

A summary of the activities of each committee or working party should be included in the Council’s annual report to acknowledge the specific work undertaken by the committee or working party during the year.