The Board works on behalf of all stakeholders (staff, parents, students, the St Mary’s Parish, Cluny Sisters, Bishop, Diocese and the wider local community) and is accountable for the school’s performance.

Under the Education Act 1989 the Board sets the vision for the school, controls the management of the school and is required to foster student achievement.  As a Catholic Integrated School, the Board of St Mary’s is furthermore committed to maintaining and enhancing the Catholic Character of the school.

Key areas of responsibility of the Board include:

• Strategic Planning
• Curriculum and Student Achievement
• Policy Setting
• Finance and Property
• Employment and Personnel

The Board consists of five elected parents, three proprietor’s representatives, one staff representative and the Principal.

Elected parents

The St Mary’s School Board has five elected parents who represent the interests of parents and caregivers of St Mary’s students.

Boards of trustees must hold elections for parent representatives every three years.

The last election was held in May 2010, with four new elected parents joining the St Mary’s Board.

Proprietor’s Representatives

As a Catholic Integrated School St Mary’s has a special character which lies at the heart of the school. 

St Mary’s students participate in religious education and attend masses and other liturgical celebrations that mark important occasions in the Church’s year.

The Board is committed to maintaining and enhancing the school’s special character and has up to four proprietor’s representatives, appointed by the Bishop, who work across all functions of the Board.

Proprietor’s representatives report regularly to the Bishop on the school’s progress.

Staff Representative

Each Board of Trustees has a staff representative, elected by the staff, to represent staff interests on the Board.

Principal

The school's principal is the Board’s ‘chief executive’ and manages the school operation in line with the Board’s policies.

Back row (left – right): Peter Hennessey, Kevin Aleksich, Steven Vincent, Father Joe Stack, Peter Crombie, Bill Ahern

Front row (left to right): Theresa Dunston, Kelly Quin, Gerardine Robbie, Deb Limmer [Chairperson - PTA], Karen Anderson, Claire Sokimi.

Board focus

The new Trustees elected in May 2010 provide a broad cross section of business experience and life skills which I am sure will promote good governance for St Mary's Catholic School over the next three years.

Our Board of Trustees has a busy year ahead with an ERO (Education Review Office) review scheduled for later in 2010 and a large building project now in the advanced planning stages as part of roll growth which was recently approved by the Ministry of Education.

We are receiving regular updates from our management team on the implementation of National Standards. We propose to include electronic reporting through KnowledgeNet as an option for parents and caregivers to receive information on student achievement.

Ongoing Professional Development for our wonderful teachers is also a key area of focus for our Board over the next 12 months.