Kindness     Courage     Connection

School Council

The Patch School Council for 2026:

President
Kate Hutchings

Vice President
Amanda St Leger

Treasurer
TBA

Secretary
Coby Beatson

Parent representatives
Kiri Seamer and Anna Moss

Staff representatives
Jim Burnside (Principal), Alesha Sangster (Assistant Principal) & Karen Robinson.

Community representatives
TRY Australia – Jo Rouse

Council Subcommittees
Community, Finance, Buildings & Grounds, Policies.

School Council welcomes contact from parents. Feel free to email the school at the.patch.ps@education.vic.gov.au.

Currently, School Council meet monthly on a Tuesday night at 6.00pm. All parents from the school community are welcome to attend meetings – just contact Jim or Kim prior to the meeting on 9756 7463.

What is the function of school council?

  • Establish the broad direction and vision of the school within the school’s community
  • Participate in the development and monitoring of the school strategic plan
  • Develop, review and update school policies
  • Develop, review and monitor the Student Engagement Policy and the School Dress Code
  • Raise funds for school-related purposes
  • Approve the annual budget and monitor expenditure
  • Maintain the school’s grounds and facilities
  • Enter into contracts (e.g. cleaning, construction work)
  • Report annually to the school community and to DEECD
  • Generally stimulate interest in the school in the wider community

School Council Standing Orders

School Council does not…

  • Manage the school
  • Employ ongoing teaching staff with no fixed date for termination
  • Represent sectional interests
  • Renew the principal’s contract or hire and fire the school principal
  • Determine class allocations
  • Discuss individual issues between teachers and students and/or parents
  • Purchase land or buildings
  • Enter into hire purchase agreements or obtain credit or loan facilities, unless authorised by the Minister

If you wish to know more about the operations of School Council, please visit: https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/school-council-overview/overview

Parent payments

Under the Department of Education Parent Payments Policy, Victorian government schools are required to provide transparent information to their school community on voluntary parent/carer contributions.

The following documents outline the voluntary parent/carer contributions at our school:

2024 Parent Payment Contributions Letter