School Council Elections, 2013 - Doncaster Primary School

Monday 11 th February 2013
School Council Elections, 2013
Our School Council composition is 8 parents, 5 Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
(DEECD) employees and 2 co-opted community members. (The Principal is included as one of the 5 DEECD
employees.)
Parent Vacancies:
The following parent School Council members complete their term of office on 31 st March 2013:
• Cheri Rhys-Jones • Sophy Shih • Ina Sonnenmoser • Bradley Tibb • Tania Vodopier
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) Vacancies:
The following DEECD School Council members complete their term of office on 31 st March 2013 and are
eligible for renomination:
• Lachlan Poulton • Alison Raebel
Co-opted Com munity Member:
There are two community members of School Council. The current member is Tania Vodopier, whose term
finish on 31 st March 2013. There is one vacancy for a community member, as the current member, Amirali
Foroodi, completes his term of office on 31 st March 2014.
Co-option takes place at the first meeting of the new School Council on Tuesday, 26 th March at 7.30pm.
Please note that this follows the Annual General Meeting which is held on the same evening at 7pm. If you
wish to be considered for this co-opted position, then please let Heather McCarthy or me know as soon as
possible.
Current Parent Members:
• Amirali Foroodi • Craig Furness • Heather McCarthy • Cathy Tsonis • Larissa Vesdrevanis
Current DEECD Employees:
• Kim Seng
• Teresa Sibio
In summary we have:
• Four vacancies for two year terms for parent members of School Council.
• Two vacancies for two year terms for DEECD members of School Council
• One community co-option position for a two year term of office (see above for explanation)
A Nomination Form is attached to this letter.
There will only be an election should the number of nominations exceed the number of vacancies, as described
in above summary.
A notice of election is included with this information, should an election be required. Each nominee will need
to provide a personal profile to assist voters in the event of an election.
• Nominations close 4pm on Monday, 18 th February 2013
• If the nominations received equal the number of vacancies on council, then no election will be held. In this
case, declaration of the successful nominees will be forwarded to all families in the Bulletin, on Thursday
28 th February 2013
• If an election is required, then a list of candidates, nominators and seconders will be displayed in the Office
and also forwarded via the Bulletin, on Thursday, 28 th February 2013
• If an election is required, ballot papers will be distributed on Monday 4 th March 2013
• Close of ballot by 4pm on Tuesday, 12 th March 2013
• Counting of votes and Declaration of Poll will take place on Wednesday 13 th March 2013
• The Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, 26 th March at 7pm, followed by the new School
Council Meeting at 7.30pm. At this meeting one community member will be appointed to the current
vacancy. We would like new and former School Councillors to attend so that they can be thanked for their
service and contribution.
Dps: Council / School Council Elections, 2013

What is a School Council and What Does it Do?
All government schools in Victoria have a School Council. They are legally formed bodies that are given
powers to set the key directions of a school within centrally provided guidelines. In doing this, School Council
is able to directly influence the quality of education that the school provides to its students.
Who is on the School Council?
There are three possible categories of membership:
• A mandated elected parent category. More than one third of the elected members must be from this category.
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development employees can now be parent members at their
child’s school.
• A mandated elected Department of Education and Early Childhood Development employee category.
Members of this category may make up no more than one third of the total membership of School Council.
The Principal of the school is automatically one of these members.
• An optional community member category. Its members are co-opted by the decision of the council because
of their special skills, interests or experiences. Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
employees are not eligible to be community members. The term of office for co-opted members is one or two
years.
The term of office for members is two years. Normally half the members of council retire each year and this
creates vacancies for the annual School Council elections.
Why is Parent Membership So Important?
Parents on School Councils provide important viewpoints and have valuable skills that can help shape the
direction of the school.
Those parents who become active on School Council find their involvement satisfying in itself and may also
find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging.
How Can You Becom e Involved?
The most obvious way is to vote in the elections, which are held in February. However, ballots are only held if
more people nominate as candidates than there are positions vacant.
In view of this, you might seriously consider:
• Standing for election as a member of the School Council
• Encouraging another person to stand for election.
Do I Need Special Experience to be on School Council?
No. What you need is an interest in your child’s school and the desire to work in partnership with others to
help shape the school’s future.
What Do You Need to do to Stand for Election?
To stand for election, get someone to nominate you or nominate another parent.
If you decide to stand for election, you will need to arrange for someone to nominate and second you as a
candidate in the parent category. Once the nomination form is completed, return it to the Principal within the
time stated on the notice of election.
Contact the School Council President, Mrs Heather McCarthy, via the Office or the Principal, Ms Vicki
Mackrell, on 9848 1122 for further information.
In addition, any of our current School Council can be contacted:
Lachlan Poulton, Alison Raebel, Cheri Rhys-Jones, Sophy Shih, Ina Sonnenmoser, Bradley Tibb, Tania
Vodopier, Amirali Foroodi, Craig Furness, Kim Seng, Teresa Sibio, Cathy Tsonis and Larissa Vesdrevanis.
Dps: Council / School Council Elections, 2013

Notice of election and call for nominations
An election is to be conducted for members of the School Council of Doncaster Primary School.
The ballot will close at 4pm on Tuesday, 12 th March 20123
A Nomination form is attached and must be lodged by 4pm on Monday, 18 th February 2013
Following the closing of nominations, a list of the nominations received will be posted at the school. The terms
of office, membership categories and number of positions in each membership category open for election are as
follows:
Membership
category
Term of office
Number of
positions
Parent member 1 st April 2013 to 31 st March 2015 4
DEECD employee member 1 st April 2013 to 31 st March 2015 2
Co-opted community
member
1 st April 2013 to 31 st March 2015 1
If the number of nominations is less than the number of vacancies, a notice to that effect and calling for further
nominations will be posted in a prominent position at the school.
Vicki Mackrell
Principal
Dps: Council / School Council Elections, 2013

Nomination Form for Parent Member
Category
Dps: Council / School Council Elections, 2013