In the community | Currambena

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In the community

The management of the school is through a Council of elected teachers and parents. The Council in turn responds to demands arising from meetings held by other groups within the school.

For example, weekly Class Meetings and School Meetings are a forum for students and staff. Staff in addition attend weekly staff meetings and at other times join with parents and students on various sub committees that function within the school community.

School meeting

A similar process occurs at School Meetings, also held weekly and chaired in rotation by students from different classes. Topics can be proposed by any member of the school community and every person present at a meeting, visitors, parents, teachers and students, has one vote. Whole school agreements are made at School Meeting and are taken very seriously. “Reminders” are topics brought to the meeting for information only rather than discussion.

Staff meeting

The staff works within a collegial framework. They are professionally accountable to each other for their responsibilities and attend formal staff meetings each Monday after school. The teaching staff is employed by Council to implement the curriculum. They are also expected to share a commitment to the effective management of whole school.

Co-ordinator

Our coordinator provides a communications link between teachers, Council and parents. The coordinator's role is to be responsible for educational administration, public relations, maintenance and staff support, together with the day-to-day administrative functions of the school, such as fee collection, correspondence, enquiries, financial management and publication of our weekly newsletter. Parents are encouraged to bring ideas to the coordinators especially when these are matters likely to affect the whole school. Issues relating to individual children or classroom practice should be directed to the class teacher first and then to one of the coordinators if necessary.

Council meeting

Council is the Board of Directors which administers the non-profit making company that comprises the school. The Council meets every 4-6 weeks, usually on Monday evenings, with occasional extra meetings to discuss single issues. It is composed of a maximum of 8 parents and 3 staff members. The School Council acts as the employer of all staff and so has to have in camera (confidential) discussions from time to time to talk about employment and pay issues.

Currambena Ltd.- current School Council Directors are:

Elaine Gazzini Chairperson

Martin Farmer Deputy Chairperson

Jamie Lister Secretary

Tony Middlemiss Treasurer/IT Coordinator

Sue Goode Preschool Director/CASP

Olivia McCarron Teacher

Wendy Petitt Teacher

Mark Woodward Parent

David King Parent

Julianna McCarthy (the school Coordinator) attends the meetings, but has no vote.

Committees and teams

Community Liaison Committee (CLC) is made up of parent representatives from each class. The role of the committee is to liaise with the class teachers, the class parents and other class representatives to help meet the needs of the community. They support, inform and help facilitate the activities of the school. They also help the flow of communication which is an important function of a democratic school.

The Build Team This oversees long-term building programs. Contact Julianna for more details or email us at enquiries@currambena.nsw.edu.au.

Maintenance Team Another group integral to the running of the school, this team is also in much need of practical help. Email us at enquiries@currambena.nsw.edu.au or see Julianna if you have good organisation or practical skills and want to sign up.

Marketing Team Oversees the marketing planning for the school. See Julianna or email us for more information.

Education Committee This committee keeps abreast of educational initiatives and drives our education policies. It operates in as-per-need basis. See Wendy Petitt for more details or email us at enquiries@currambena.nsw.edu.au.

IT Group The IT steering group oversees all computing initiatives in the school and welcomes help from parents with technical expertise or with experience in IT governance. See Julianna or email us at enquiries@currambena.nsw.edu.au if you are interested in helping out.

Gardening Team This team looks after the planting of trees and tube-stocks from Lane Cove council.

Sub-groups nominated by the Council These are groups formed depending on the needs of the community, such as the recruitment committee and the policy-making team.