Rockingham Montessori School

Term 1

2009-04-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

As we approach the end of a term which seems to have flown by it is time to update the blog. I am pleased to report that the transition in to the new buildings has gone extremely well and all the classes are now settled in their new learning environment which continues to blossom under the careful guidance of our classroom Directors.

We have welcomed number of new staff;-Karen, Karen, Venus, Natalie, Orla and Lorri who all seem to have fitted in wonderfully and have already secured a place in the heart of the school community.

Penelope has continued in the role of Teacher in Charge which has worked well for both the staff, students, school community and the Council. There is a real buzz of excitement and enthusiasm around the school again which is fantastic to feel and a reflection of the effort put in by so many people.

Another great piece of news is that our student numbers have increased significantly over the past term. This is fantastic and I warmly welcome all our students and their families to our school community.

Playgroup is now back on the school campus and has gone from strength to strength this term. Orla has done an amazing job - and she had some big shoes to fill as she has taken over from Carmen - and has expanded the plagroup sessions from three mornings to four per week. This has effectively doubled the size of our school community in one term. How is that for an outstanding claim to fame?

These are amazing achievements for the first term and I would like to congratulate, and thank, all the staff for make these things happen.

On the downside - there always is one - Suzanne resigned from running Rainbow Club, our after school programme. Whilst sad at her decision this has provided the school with an opportunity to reconsider the aims and objectives of Rainbow Club. A group of parents are currently working together to devise a new, revamped, Rainbow Club for which will start in term 2. Watch this space for more information.

Talking of information our new, electronic newsletter is fantastic. Not only environmentally friendly it has brought the school into the 21st century. If you have not seen it go to the Rockingham Montessori School website and follow the links to the current and all previous newsletters. This is particularly great for families with overseas relatives who are able to see what their children/grandchildrem/ nieces/nephews etc are doing at school. We even have photographs of classroom activities!!! cathryn and her assistants have done a superb job creating the newsletter and updating the website. Thank you all, it is much appreciated.

Unfortunately we have not held any social or fund-raising events so far this year. This will change over the course ofthe next term so keep ypur eyes open for information about all sorts of upcoming events.

Staffing for 2009

2009-01-18T22:30:00.000-08:00

The school council are pleased to inform the school community that we will be commencing 2009 with a full complement of staff. After extensive searching we believe we have engaged people who bring a wealth of skills, experience and knowledge to our school and we look forward to welcoming to our community at the beginning of term 1.
Marianne

Council Meeting 20th January 2009

2009-01-18T22:27:00.000-08:00

An additional Council meeting will be held on Tuesday 20th January 2009 at 6.30pm at RMS. The primary business of the evening will be to finalise and approve the budget for 2009 and to consider fund-raising options.
The Agenda has been posted on the noticeboard adjacent to the basketball courts.

Open Council Meeting

2008-12-07T20:57:00.000-08:00

Due to the clash of date with the end of term Abba disco the Open Council Meeting has been changed to Monday 15th december 2009 at 3pm.

We realise that this is not the best option and will hold an additional meeting early in term 1 to seek feedback and comment from the school community on a number of issues.

December Update

2008-12-07T19:35:00.000-08:00

With apologies for the delay in updating the blog, as the end of term rapidly approaches it is time to let you all know what has been happening over the past few weeks - and hasn't it been a busy time?

Fund-raising Quiz Night

The quiz night was an amazing success despite the absolutely foul weather. Over $2000 was raised through ticket sales, raffles, auctions and donations. That is a phenomenal amount for one event in a small school. Thank you so much for your generosity and those businesses and individuals who donated prizes and gifts for the evening. A special thank you to Simon and Carly Dagnall for organising and compering the event, Dani Whyte for securing the prizes and Jenna nad Kathy Owen for their wonderful child care which enabled so many families to participate knowing that their children were in good hands. This money is going to be used to purchase some resources for the Playgroup and Rainbow Club with the remainder being put towards the refurbishment of the library facilities.

Arrival of the New Classrooms

A momentous occasion in the school history - the arrival ofthe new school classrooms. How exciting it was to arrive at school to find an enormous crane and the first of twelve sections already in place. Children, staff and parents all jostled to secure a prime viewing spot as slowly and very carefully each of the sections was gently lifted into place - no easy task considering the strong wind blowing as the operation was taking place. Many times I closed my eyes scared that a section was waving around and would not reach its destination successfully - a needless worry, the people installing the buildings knew exactly what to do but I could not help but feel nervous at such an important landmark in the schools development. Over the past 4 weeks a team of workmen have completed the building process to create 4 wonderfully appointed classrooms and a staffroom complete with bathrooms, kitchen, air conditioning and a raft of other amenties. These are certainly 'des res' classrooms that will be the envy of students far and wide.

The Grand Opening is scheduled to take place after the end of year graduation concert on 8th December. This will be the first opportunity for the school community to 'walk through' and see first hand the new facilities.

Staff are planning to move into the new classrooms ready for the start of 2009.

This has been a major project for our school and when you remeber that this time last year we thought we had lost our funding it is an amazing achievement largely due to the exhaustive work undertaken by Christine Comer and Helen Cockerill. There is no doubt that without the incredible effort put in by Christine and Helen we would not be in the position we are. Our heartfelt thanks to both of you for all your tireless work.

New Management Structure

Hopefully by now you are all aware of the revised management structure of the school with Mrs Penelope Hollingsworth taking on the role of Teacher in Charge with responsibility for the majority of the day to day running of the educational component ofthe school. Penelope has been at the school for over 6 years and has worked under three different leadership teams so has plenty of role models to disect as she develops her own leadership style.

Mrs Candice Shields [Director of the Dolphins class] has taken on the role of Cycle 1 Educational Leader with specific responsibilities identified.

Christine Comer will be continuing - at the request of Penelope - in her role as a school/council/community link person and the Council liaison person for each cycle will also remain in place for 2009.

The School Council believe that this is a good, workable, management structure, a view supported by DES and the one which, historically, the school has most successfully operated under. This system will be in operation throughout 2009 with a review to take place in term 4 when decisions will be made for 2010.

to be continued....

Change of date for ABBA disco

2008-11-04T04:50:00.000-08:00

Please note the change of date for the end of term ABBA themed disco. Due to a diary clash it has had to be changed to Monday 1st December 2008. More details will be available soon but dust off the white lycra and platform shoes ready to be a "Dancing Queen".

Halloween Family Fun Night

2008-11-04T04:33:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all of you who attended the Halloween Family Fundraising party on Friday 31st October. Wow! I was overwhelmed by the number of you who attended and you all made so much effort. When I was planning the event I anticipated maybe 6 0r 7 families attending and printed just 12 tickets just in case.... We had more than 40 families attend - that is two thirds of our school. It was wonderful to see you all at what was the first social event in a while. All the children looked fantastic dressed up in their scary best - you looked so good it was so difficult to pick winners. The adult witches coven looked pretty impressive too.......

Once we have the necessary permissions I will place some of the photographs on the blog for you to look at.

We raised around $370 which is great - and quite unexpected.

Thank you Carly - DJ extraordinaire - watch out Simon you have a rival - for all your hard work helping to make it the success that it was. Also a number of people donated prizes and other items for the evening which meant that all the money raised can go directly to purchasing resources for the school. On behalf of the staff and students thank you very much.
I hope that you enjoyed it and look forward to seeing you next year!

Fundraising Quiz Night

2008-10-21T06:19:00.000-07:00

STOP PRESS:

Fund Raising Quiz Night

22nd November 2009, 7-10.00pm

Venue; McLarty Hall, Safety Bay

Tables of 8

BYO Drinks and nibbles

More info soon

Hallowe'en Family Fundraiser

2008-10-17T06:56:00.000-07:00

A reminder that the Hallowe'en family fundraising party will be held on Friday 31st October. Tickets cost $10 per family and will be available from Wednesday 22nd October. Fancy dress encouraged with many prizes to be one. Come and join us for an evening of old fashioned family.

STOP PRESS: Carved pumpkin competition. Start planning and creating your magical 'Jack o' lantern'. Special prizes for all entrants.

We look forward to seeing you there.

We Need You.... Volunteers for School Council.

2008-10-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

Due to some recent changes to the School Council there are currently two vacancies which we would like to fill. If there are any parents who would like to join the Council please let Marianne know as soon as possible by either emailing CouncilRMSWA@gmail.com or leaving a note to that effect at school. People willing to help with fundraising and marketing would be much appreciated.

Many thanks and we look forward to working with you.

RMS Council

Edited highlights of RMS Council Meeting 14.10.08

2008-10-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

The first Council meeting of term 4 was held on Tuesday 14th October 2008.

Penelope Hollingsworth represented the staff.

Key points from the meeting are as follows:-

A significant amount of time was spent working through correspondence and discussing appropriate responses and actions to points raised.
Some issues relating to communication and process have been identified. This is being looked at closely and appropriate action taken to work towards addressing the problems.
The financial audit is approaching completion and a comprehensive report is being prepared which should give us a clear foundation for planning the 2009 budget.
There will not be a formal parent education evening in term 4 however some information fact sheets will be created which will focus on specific aspects of Montessori education.
The advertisement for the 6-9 year old [cycle 2] classroom Director will be placed next week. There was some discussion as to the wording and clarification of what is expected.
Term 4 Open Day: Week 6 with the possibility of holding a further open day in January to showcase the new classrooms - and maybe recruit new students.
Graduation/End of year concert; Monday 8th December 2008
Christmas Party; Wednesday 10th December 2008
Suggestion of offering an afternoon programme for 3 and 4 year old students who do not currently stay all day. A proposal for this to be drawn up and circulated for comment.
Two vacancies on school council. Seek volunteers to be co-opted onto Council until next AGM. Expertise in fundraising and marketing would be advantageous.
Term 4 Open Council meeting to be the last one of the year Tuesday 9th December.
Date of next meeting: Tuesday 11th November 2008

Kathy Update

2008-10-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

Good news! I am sure that everyone is much relieved to know that Kathy is much better after her recent bout of pneumonia and was even talking about coming back to work next week. As you can imagine she is not quite fully recovered and has been persuaded to rest at home for a further week - although she will probably still be doing school related things! After that, with her Doctors permission she may return part-time for a couple of weeks just until she regains her full strength. Much as we miss her we do not want her to have another relapse.

Thank you all for coping with the changed office opening hours. I hope that it has not inconvenienced any of you too much. Also a big thank you to Gaynor for covering the additional hours and shouldering much of both Kathy and her own workload. We all appreciate Gaynor's efforts very much.

Marianne

Chair RMS Council

Building Project Update

2008-10-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

I meet with the COR today to finalize our building project.

We have been put on a two week hold, while they have some additional drawings

certified by an Engineer. I am hoping that next week they will give us a

'Conditional Approval" to proceed. This will allow us to bring the buildings on

site and complete the finish work. The additional drawings relate to the ramps

and decking, it must be certified for disabled access.

This come as extremely disappointing news.

On the positive side, our classrooms are now 80% finished off site and look wonderful.

Today I saw a finished kitchen and it looks great.

Christine Comer

Building project coordinator

School Council Meeting 14th October

2008-10-08T16:24:00.000-07:00

The next school council meeting will take place on Tuesday 14th October. Items to be discussed are as follows;-

To accept reports from

The Chair
Treasurer
Building Project
Grounds and Maintenance
Marketing and PR
Grants

2. Policies and procedures update

3. Increasing revenue in 2009

4. Structure and staffing of RMS in 2009

5. Consideration of employing a consultant. Role and responsibilities.

6. Fund raising events 2008-2009

7. Date of opening ceremony for new classroom buildings

Change in Administration Office Hours

2008-10-07T06:35:00.000-07:00

Due to unforeseen circumstances-Kathy is quite unwell and unlikely to return to work for several weeks - there will be a change in the office hours for term 4 until further notice.

Gaynor will be working daily from 9am -3pm Monday to Friday. We will be seeking a relief/part time clerical assistant but this is unlikely to be in place for several weeks.

Where possible could you time your queries/payments during Gaynors working hours. This would be much appreciated however I realise that it is not always practical/possible. There will be a message pad in the office before and after school for you to leave messages which Gaynor will attend/respond to as soon as she reaches the office.

For absence notification and verbal messages the answer machine will be switched on outside of these office hours and again your message will be attended to as soon as possible.

For those of you who are unaware Kathy has contracted Pneumonia. She had a nasty cold/'flu a few weeks ago which she was still recovering from. Unfortunately she has had a relapse which has turned into Pneumonia and has resulted in a stay in hospital. Flowers and good wishes have been sent to Kathy on behalf of the School community. We all wish her a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing her when she has recovered. I will keep you informed of her progress.

Thanking you in advance for your understanding and co-operation.

Marianne

Chair; RMS Council

Hallowe'en Family Fundraiser

2008-10-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

This year Hallowe'en [31st October] falls on a Friday. It has been suggested that this evening be made into a family social event/small scale fundraiser by holding a Hallowe'en themed barbeque/picnic where the children can dress up in their Hallowe'en finery and do their trick or treating in safety. Daylight saving will have started so it will be lighter a little later but we should still be able to spot the ghosts as they come out to play! More details will be posted but could you let us know if you may be interested in attending. Email CouncilRMSWA@gmail.com.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Week 10 Newsletter: From the Council

2008-09-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

From the School Council

It seems amazing that we are at the end of the term already. It seems to have flown by and it has certainly been eventful although, I hope as you reflect over the past 10 weeks, the impact on you personally and your children have not been too much.

No doubt you are aware of the events of the past few days precipitated by a group of parents voicing a number of concerns as outlined in the letter they circulated on Monday. Jenny Griffyn, on behalf on Council, spent many hours crafting a comprehensive response [distributed on Tuesday], which I believe answered the points raised. As requested a parent meeting was held to give parents an opportunity to further discuss the concerns and responses. It was a lively meeting with strong opinions and deep emotion expressed. Whilst receptive to the concerns, Council were deeply hurt and angered to see that parents present thought that we had not considered and planned for the future. No doubt this showed on our faces and in our replies. However, we are professionals and that professionalism was demonstrated as we again outlined our thoughts and ideas for the future. It is too early to state it as being the definitive plan but it is the framework we are working on for now.

For those unable to attend the meeting these can be summarised as: -

1. To continue to provide a Montessori education led by qualified and experienced Montessori classroom Directors.
2. To ensure the financial stability and continued viability of the school.
3. To be able to pay our staff appropriate rates comparable to or above those paid to State teachers of similar experience. Recent wage negotiations indicate that by 2011 a top of the scale will earn in the region of $85,000. This would apply to the majority of our teachers and is far in excess of their current level.
4. To appoint an educational leader[s] to be responsible for specific aspects of the educational direction of the school.
5. To work towards the appointment of a Teaching Principal at the end of 2009.
6. To ensure that all legislature and registration requirements are complied with working towards the re-registration of the school in 2010.

There are many other aspects that we are working on but it is not necessary to detail them all here. Garry and members of Council started work on the Strategic Plan for the next 3-5 years. This had stalled over recent weeks but is now being worked on again. It is hoped to present this to the school community by the end of the year.

Again the need for clear and effective communication was highlighted. In response to this I have: -

Created an email account for members of the school community to be able to communicate directly with the Council. The email address is CouncilRMSWA@gmail.com. This will be treated in the same way as paper correspondence in terms of confidentiality and response. Please feel free to use this address to voice questions, concerns, requests, praise…

If you would like to receive information electronically please let us know. We are trying to move into the21st Century and embrace technology.

Created a Blog. [I said we were moving forward] The blog will be a key source of information for the school. Minutes of meetings, newsletters, notices, term dates, pupil free days and numerous other pieces of information will be ‘posted’ onto the blog. It will take a while to get it running effectively and will certainly need some work to make it more visually attractive but over time it will develop into a user-friendly resource that can be accessed from anywhere in the world. The bonus for this is that parents who are overseas will still be able to see what is happening in their children’s lives. Later, with appropriate permissions, we may even be able to include photographs of classroom activities and events. The address for the blog is RockinghamMSWA@blogspot.com. Please take the time to visit it but be kind in the early stages, I am a novice ‘blogger’ and am learning as I go along. Kathy and Gaynor will also be beginners so please be patient! I hope you find it both interesting and useful. Let me know what you think and what additional information you would like posted.

One of the gravest concerns of the moment, and justifiably so, is the financial viability of the school. Much has previously been said about this so it is not ‘new news’. A finance committee has been established which is looking at all aspects of the school accounts. This has involved an enormous amount of work, often late into the night, reviewing accounts, considering options, preparing budget sheets and the accompanying reports…. The tasks go on. The biggest challenge facing the school at the moment is that of increasing revenue.

We are currently operating a school to accommodate 125 children i.e. 5 classrooms for 25 children each. We currently have around 90 children. This means, in theory we have room for another 35 children which could, potentially, raise around $280,000. That would have a huge, positive, impact on our financial status.

Unfortunately, as always, things are not that simple. A policy decision was made some time ago not to accept non Montessori trained children into Cycle 3. This severely reduces the number of students in that class until the natural progression from Cycle 2 works through to create a full class in 2 years time. It is a similar story in the Penguin class. There are currently 9 students enrolled. This class will expand as these students have birthdays and new three year olds join. Again we are looking at 2 years before the correct balance will be achieved.

Please note here that Dolphins and Seahorses are working at capacity.

Effectively in two years time most of our financial worries should be behind us. We will have purpose built classrooms, housing lots of new exciting Montessori equipment and resources and directed by highly trained, experienced Montessori staff. There is much to look forward to but in the short term we must operate within our means and trade through our problems. Council do not believe it is appropriate to increase fees again following the $50 per student increase in term 4. So my question to you is “How do we raise income?” What is the most effective way to gain additional revenue?

Ideally in 2009 a figure of $100,000 is what is needed. Please forward your ideas and proposals to the email address given above by the 31st October 2008. This is an opportunity for you to be part of the decision making process and Council look forward to your suggestions – and no we are not able to buy Lotto tickets!

We must fund-raise. This is a great problem-solver in principle but there are restrictions regarding the purpose of fundraising. We cannot fund raise to use for our day to day operating costs but we can for specific projects/programmes. It was noted during the parent evening that this year there have been limited fundraising activities. This is about to change. At the end of October we will be holding our popular quiz night, there will be a Christmas Disco and many people have expressed an interest in purchasing wine again. Many parents said that they had ‘contacts’. We will need prizes so please speak to these contacts and people in your social networks to source donations. At the same time sign them up to make a team. “Buy a table” and come and join in the fun. Nearer the time we will announce the specific project we are raising funds for and what our target figure for the evening is. Anyone who can help in any way is urged to contact Simon Dagnall, Vice Chair and Chair of the Fund raising sub-committee as soon as possible either in person [he is on Rainbow Club duty on Thursday afternoon] or via the new email address. Alternatively leave a message with Kathy and he will get back to you.

To return to the meeting where all of the above were discussed, it was a heated occasion. I understand that, by and large, people felt reassured and confident that Council have goals and targets that they are working to. Naturally some concerns remain and no doubt new worries will crop up but rest assured collectively Council are working incredibly hard to address all the issues faced. I write this it is 11.15pm and my task is not yet finished. One fellow Council member accurately described it as like working two full time jobs plus we are all parents with families to care for – and we don’t get paid for it either! We all volunteered and are happy to take on this responsibility but please bear this in mind after all we have a vested interest as we need the school to flourish for the sake of our own children.

So, overall there were a number of positive outcomes, several people offered to help in a range of capacities and Council will be contacting them in the next few days to take them up on their offer before they change their mind. As should be the case at the conclusion of all such events all parties shook hands [literally] and agreed to work together to move forward.

Whilst I do not think it is appropriate to specify individuals, nor was the process in accordance with our constitution, I thank the parents involved for voicing their concerns. Their actions allowed many people a further forum to express their views. I thank all the parents who attended the meeting; the most important aspect of all this is knowing that we have so many parents who care. Notes from the meeting will be available in the office when completed and they will also be posted on the blog.

So moving on….

I am pleased to be able to inform you that Council is currently discussing with Penelope and Candice the role of Educational Leaders. Specific responsibilities have yet to be finalised but Penelope will be the Educational Leader for Cycle 2 and 3 with Candice fulfilling a similar role with Cycle 1. This is a very important part of our school structure for staff, students, parents and Council. Again it will take a little time to get everything just right but please bear with us and be patient.

The Education Leaders also have a role if you have concerns relating to your child’s education. The school grievance procedure states that in the first instance you raise the issue with the classroom Director; if a satisfactory resolution cannot be reached you would go to the Principal with a final option being to raise the matter with Council. The Educational Leader replaces the Principal in this process. There is a further option, recently introduced at RMS but very common in other Montessori schools, to involve the Council representative for each cycle. Their role is to act as a listening/sounding board and to facilitate a resolution between the parties involved. It is very important that this process is followed to maintain the distance and separate the role of Governance and management.

It seems amazing that we are at the end of the term already. It seems to have flown by and it has certainly been eventful although, I hope as you reflect over the past 10 weeks, the impact on you personally and your children have not been too much.

No doubt you are aware of the events of the past few days precipitated by a group of parents voicing a number of concerns as outlined in the letter they circulated on Monday. Jenny Griffyn, on behalf on Council, spent many hours crafting a comprehensive response [distributed on Tuesday], which I believe answered the points raised. As requested a parent meeting was held to give parents an opportunity to further discuss the concerns and responses. It was a lively meeting with strong opinions and deep emotion expressed. Whilst receptive to the concerns, Council were deeply hurt and angered to see that parents present thought that we had not considered and planned for the future. No doubt this showed on our faces and in our replies. However, we are professionals and that professionalism was demonstrated as we again outlined our thoughts and ideas for the future. It is too early to state it as being the definitive plan but it is the framework we are working on for now.

For those unable to attend the meeting these can be summarised as: -

1. To continue to provide a Montessori education led by qualified and experienced Montessori classroom Directors.
2. To ensure the financial stability and continued viability of the school.
3. To be able to pay our staff appropriate rates comparable to or above those paid to State teachers of similar experience. Recent wage negotiations indicate that by 2011 a top of the scale will earn in the region of $85,000. This would apply to the majority of our teachers and is far in excess of their current level.
4. To appoint an educational leader[s] to be responsible for specific aspects of the educational direction of the school.
5. To work towards the appointment of a Teaching Principal at the end of 2009.
6. To ensure that all legislature and registration requirements are complied with working towards the re-registration of the school in 2010.

There are many other aspects that we are working on but it is not necessary to detail them all here. Garry and members of Council started work on the Strategic Plan for the next 3-5 years. This had stalled over recent weeks but is now being worked on again. It is hoped to present this to the school community by the end of the year.

Again the need for clear and effective communication was highlighted. In response to this I have: -

Created an email account for members of the school community to be able to communicate directly with the Council. The email address is CouncilRMSWA@gmail.com. This will be treated in the same way as paper correspondence in terms of confidentiality and response. Please feel free to use this address to voice questions, concerns, requests, praise…

If you would like to receive information electronically please let us know. We are trying to move into the21st Century and embrace technology.

Created a Blog. [I said we were moving forward] The blog will be a key source of information for the school. Minutes of meetings, newsletters, notices, term dates, pupil free days and numerous other pieces of information will be ‘posted’ onto the blog. It will take a while to get it running effectively and will certainly need some work to make it more visually attractive but over time it will develop into a user-friendly resource that can be accessed from anywhere in the world. The bonus for this is that parents who are overseas will still be able to see what is happening in their children’s lives. Later, with appropriate permissions, we may even be able to include photographs of classroom activities and events. The address for the blog is RockinghamMSWA@blogspot.com. Please take the time to visit it but be kind in the early stages, I am a novice ‘blogger’ and am learning as I go along. Kathy and Gaynor will also be beginners so please be patient! I hope you find it both interesting and useful. Let me know what you think and what additional information you would like posted.

One of the gravest concerns of the moment, and justifiably so, is the financial viability of the school. Much has previously been said about this so it is not ‘new news’. A finance committee has been established which is looking at all aspects of the school accounts. This has involved an enormous amount of work, often late into the night, reviewing accounts, considering options, preparing budget sheets and the accompanying reports…. The tasks go on. The biggest challenge facing the school at the moment is that of increasing revenue.

We are currently operating a school to accommodate 125 children i.e. 5 classrooms for 25 children each. We currently have around 90 children. This means, in theory we have room for another 35 children which could, potentially, raise around $280,000. That would have a huge, positive, impact on our financial status.

Unfortunately, as always, things are not that simple. A policy decision was made some time ago not to accept non Montessori trained children into Cycle 3. This severely reduces the number of students in that class until the natural progression from Cycle 2 works through to create a full class in 2 years time. It is a similar story in the Penguin class. There are currently 9 students enrolled. This class will expand as these students have birthdays and new three year olds join. Again we are looking at 2 years before the correct balance will be achieved.

Please note here that Dolphins and Seahorses are working at capacity.

Effectively in two years time most of our financial worries should be behind us. We will have purpose built classrooms, housing lots of new exciting Montessori equipment and resources and directed by highly trained, experienced Montessori staff. There is much to look forward to but in the short term we must operate within our means and trade through our problems. Council do not believe it is appropriate to increase fees again following the $50 per student increase in term 4. So my question to you is “How do we raise income?” What is the most effective way to gain additional revenue?

Ideally in 2009 a figure of $100,000 is what is needed. Please forward your ideas and proposals to the email address given above by the 31st October 2008. This is an opportunity for you to be part of the decision making process and Council look forward to your suggestions – and no we are not able to buy Lotto tickets!

We must fund-raise. This is a great problem-solver in principle but there are restrictions regarding the purpose of fundraising. We cannot fund raise to use for our day to day operating costs but we can for specific projects/programmes. It was noted during the parent evening that this year there have been limited fundraising activities. This is about to change. At the end of October we will be holding our popular quiz night, there will be a Christmas Disco and many people have expressed an interest in purchasing wine again. Many parents said that they had ‘contacts’. We will need prizes so please speak to these contacts and people in your social networks to source donations. At the same time sign them up to make a team. “Buy a table” and come and join in the fun. Nearer the time we will announce the specific project we are raising funds for and what our target figure for the evening is. Anyone who can help in any way is urged to contact Simon Dagnall, Vice Chair and Chair of the Fund raising sub-committee as soon as possible either in person [he is on Rainbow Club duty on Thursday afternoon] or via the new email address. Alternatively leave a message with Kathy and he will get back to you.

To return to the meeting where all of the above were discussed, it was a heated occasion. I understand that, by and large, people felt reassured and confident that Council have goals and targets that they are working to. Naturally some concerns remain and no doubt new worries will crop up but rest assured collectively Council are working incredibly hard to address all the issues faced. I write this it is 11.15pm and my task is not yet finished. One fellow Council member accurately described it as like working two full time jobs plus we are all parents with families to care for – and we don’t get paid for it either! We all volunteered and are happy to take on this responsibility but please bear this in mind after all we have a vested interest as we need the school to flourish for the sake of our own children.

So, overall there were a number of positive outcomes, several people offered to help in a range of capacities and Council will be contacting them in the next few days to take them up on their offer before they change their mind. As should be the case at the conclusion of all such events all parties shook hands [literally] and agreed to work together to move forward.

Whilst I do not think it is appropriate to specify individuals, nor was the process in accordance with our constitution, I thank the parents involved for voicing their concerns. Their actions allowed many people a further forum to express their views. I thank all the parents who attended the meeting; the most important aspect of all this is knowing that we have so many parents who care. Notes from the meeting will be available in the office when completed and they will also be posted on the blog.

So moving on….

I am pleased to be able to inform you that Council is currently discussing with Penelope and Candice the role of Educational Leaders. Specific responsibilities have yet to be finalised but Penelope will be the Educational Leader for Cycle 2 and 3 with Candice fulfilling a similar role with Cycle 1. This is a very important part of our school structure for staff, students, parents and Council. Again it will take a little time to get everything just right but please bear with us and be patient.

The Education Leaders also have a role if you have concerns relating to your child’s education. The school grievance procedure states that in the first instance you raise the issue with the classroom Director; if a satisfactory resolution cannot be reached you would go to the Principal with a final option being to raise the matter with Council. The Educational Leader replaces the Principal in this process. There is a further option, recently introduced at RMS but very common in other Montessori schools, to involve the Council representative for each cycle. Their role is to act as a listening/sounding board and to facilitate a resolution between the parties involved. It is very important that this process is followed to maintain the distance and separate the role of Governance and management.

As you will have heard and read Loret Strachen our Cycle 2/Middle Primary teacher has tendered her resignation effective at the end of the school year. Whilst we are saddened we respect her decision and will miss her dreadfully. We have begun the search for a replacement and will keep you informed as this process progresses. We will formally farewell Loret at a function at the end of term 4 to which you will all be invited.

I have written a great deal this time but I feel it was important to mention and include a
report. I conclude by expressing my thanks to every single member of the staff, Council and wider school community for their input, support and sheer hard work this term. We could not have done it without you.

Have a wonderful break and see you all next term – and keep checking the blog!

Marianne Harrison-Ismay
Chair
Rockingham Montessori School

WANTED!

2008-09-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

As you will read in the Week 10 newsletter the fund-raising quiz will be held late October/early November. Preparations are under way and we hope to raise a significant amount of money. In order to maximise this we are urgently seeking prizes for winners and runners up as well as items that could be raffled. Please consult your personal contacts to see if they would be willing to donate something suitable. If each family could source 1 prize it would give us over 60 prizes for the event. All items large and small will be welcome. Your help in this is much appreciated.

If donations could be left with Kathy she will pass them on to the fundraising committee.

Many thanks

Fundraising committee

Polite Fee Reminder

2008-09-25T20:22:00.000-07:00

Just in preparation for term 4 a polite reminder to let you know that school fees are payable by Friday October 24th unless a fee agreement has been arranged. We also have the option to have payments made direct to the school by Centrelink so if you think this may benefit you please speak with Gaynor as early as possible to ensure all the correct paper work is in place.

Many thanks,
Finance Committee

Rockingham Montessori School

2008-09-23T17:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the official Blog of the Rockingham Montessori School. As part of the move to improve communication and raise the profile of the school we are joining the 21st century and creating a blog as an electronic means of communication. I am sure that it will take a while for us 'to get it right' but this means that we can post information, important news, events and other things parents and the community want to know in a form that is accessible to the majority of our community wherever they are located! Newsletters, meeting agendas, minutes of meetings etc can all be posted for your information however you can be assured that names and other identifying material will not be listed without prior consultation. Initially this will be 'a basic blog' but as skills develop - and expertise offered [is there anyone there??] the blog can be developed into one of the key sources of information for the school community. Who knows we may may be able to 'do our bit' by improving our environmental footprint, reducing the number of pieces of paper we produce annually, our children are already participating and we should follow their example.

I ask your indulgence as we learn the ropes of 'blogging'. Suggestions and constructive criticism/feedback is always welcome but please don't be too critical just yet.

As suggested I have created an email account for you to contact the RMS Council. Please forward any communications to CouncilRMSWA@gmail.com and we will respond to you as soon as possible.

Until the next 'post'...

Marianne

Chair RMS Council