Term 4 Newsletter – Board Update
The School’s Annual General Meeting was held on Tuesday 19 November and I would like to thank the staff, parents, Board members and P&F Committee members in attendance. The purpose of the AGM was to present a number of reports to the community and elect new members.
The Board Chairperson’s Report is below for your information, along with the list of elected and non-elected Board members for 2020. The Principal’s AGM Report will be made available on the school’s website in due course.
I wish all members of the OLA community a happy and holy Christmas and a wonderful start to the new year.
Amanda Cipriani
Board Chair 2019
2019 Board Chair Report
As 2019 draws to a close, it is with a great sense of achievement that I look back on the activities of the School Board over the past twelve months. It has been a period of reflection, change, action, and planning for the future, all of which has been undertaken with enthusiasm by my fellow Board members – Principal Greg Martin; Assistant Principals Velma Erskine, Michael Morris and Rebecca Smith; Deputy Chair Dani Wares; Treasurer Natalie Adams; Mark La Cava; Laura Ocello; Peter Sigle; Brooke Tran; Narelle Roberts (P&F Representative); Jeremy Trott (Parish Representative); Fr Ken; and our co-opted Secretary Karen Meleca.
I commenced in the role of Board Chair in Term One with a commitment to increase communication of the Board’s governance and activities with the school community, and have undertaken to provide an update each Term on the outcomes achieved via the newsletter. Of course the realisation of many of these activities and initiatives would not be possible without the support, guidance and dedication of the Leadership team, teaching and non-teaching staff, and parent volunteers. I also acknowledge the financial contribution the P&F Committee has made to the school to supply some of the resources to aid these initiatives.
The Board’s focus throughout the year has been to review the OLA Strategic Plan 2019 -2021 to ensure the School is implementing its priorities and progressing towards achieving its targets. I am pleased to say that OLA has implemented the majority of its activities well ahead of 2021. In doing so, this has allowed the Board and staff members to take the opportunity to reflect on the evolving needs of our school demographic and commence the process of expanding our Strategic Plan in 2020 to incorporate additional activities that will not only continue to strengthen our academic performance but also nurture our students’ wellbeing.
Another focus for the Board this year has been the continued application of the new School crest introduced in 2018. Thanks to the work of the Board’s Marketing Sub-Committee, the year commenced with a new website, school app and the installation of new signage across the campus, which certainly modernised the look of the School as well as fulfilling its aim of increasing awareness of our location to the wider community. Additionally, the Board’s Uniform Sub-Committee worked tirelessly to design a contemporary and gender-neutral uniform. Following a lengthy economic review, the Board endorsed the decision to outsource the design, manufacture, supply and sales of the new uniforms, and consequently, the existing Uniform Shop was closed. We look forward to seeing the new uniforms on students in 2020.
The Board also endorsed the establishment of an on-site OSHC Centre (Before and After School Care, as well as Holiday Care) in 2019 and we thank Karen Meleca in particular for her efforts to implement this service for the benefit of the families and children at OLA. We warmly welcome the OSHC Supervisor Nicole Leach, and look forward to the continual growth of the service at OLA.
The Leadership Team have played a vital role in keeping the Board informed of the academic accomplishments in 2019, this has included developing a consistent school-wide approach to assessment and explicit teaching of literacy and numeracy; a range of intervention programs for learning support as well as the Sensory program; establishing opportunities for learning extension; and upgrading digital technology within each classroom. The addition of extended Leadership opportunities for Year 6 Students including the new roles of Head Boy and Head Girl as well as the opportunity to attend a camp to Canberra, has also provided students with a renewed sense of pride.
Financially, the School Board approved the upgrade to the school’s Wi-Fi (Ruckus Wi-Fi Points) and software earlier in the year, which allowed our Year 3 and Year 5 students to complete the NAPLAN assessments in Term 2 without technical disruptions. The Board is also continuing to review the expenditure on maintenance around the school, and moving forward will be identifying the necessary planning required in 2020 to continue to provide contemporary facilities and resources to meet the needs of students as well as ensuring the school’s initiatives are funded sustainably.
There has been much change in the past 7 years of my own children attending OLA, however none more so than in the past 2 years which has seen a re-energised school culture and the school community re-engaged. OLA has become a hub of “opportunity” for our students. Before school even commences, the popular daily morning fitness program has allowed students to start the day positively and socially. This social interaction continues into lunchtimes with the opportunity for students to participate in a Lego Club, Chess Club or Book Club. Never before have so many after-school activities been offered at the School, from the Sporting Schools Programs to Recorder Club and Italian Choir. Our students are continually offered an opportunity to flourish not only during school time, but out-of hours, and for this to occur we must thank the diligent leadership style of our Principal Greg Martin, along with the entire Leadership Team and teaching staff, who have instilled a sense of growth and stability at OLA.
The Board’s focus moving forward will be the continual review of existing school policies and facilities, as well as providing financial oversight to ensure the school’s resources are managed as we continue to develop a strong culture of learning, innovation and student wellbeing at OLA. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow Board Members for their commitment throughout the year, and in particular Peter Sigle who will conclude his time on the Board after 4 years of service (as well as many years of volunteering around the School). I also thank Jeremy Trott who is stepping down after 6 years from the role of Parish Representative and Narelle Roberts for her year as P&F Representative. I thank Natalie Adams (Treasurer) and Karen Meleca (Secretary) for doing an outstanding job this year. It is a privilege for us as a Board to work for the school community, and we look forward to the challenges and excitement that 2020 will bring.
The 2020 OLA School Board:
Greg Martin – Principal (Ex-Officio)
Fr Ken – Parish Priest (Ex-Officio)
Amanda Cipriani – Board Chair
Dani Wares – Deputy Chair
Laura Ocello – Secretary
Natalie Adams
Mark La Cava
Brooke Tran
Nigel Swavley
Nathan Leber – Parish Representative
Natalee Cunningham – P & F Representative
Michael Morris – Assistant Principal (Non-Elected Member)
Rebecca Smith – Assistant Principal (Non-Elected Member)
Karen Meleca – Executive Assistant (Non-Elected Member)
Judith Hille – Finance Officer (Non-Elected Member)
Amanda Cipriani
Board Chair
