What makes a successful Board of Trustees apart from an absolutely fantastic Principal? Yeah Right!

Maata and Duane are on task and thinking hard.

Bridgit the newby trustee and Dave after one year as a trustee, lead each other up the garden path.

Paul looks a little stunned as he follows Charmaines lead at his first Board Meeting

You can just tell that Dave is at home on the board.

Paul, Charmaine and Dave discuss one of the reports.

Maata, Duane and Rosemary look at data on student achievement and prepare to ask the hard questions. Duane and Rosemary are the co-chairs of our board.

Bridgit and Dave  brought magazines to the board meeting in case it was boring!! Just kidding.

Duane, Rosemary, Bridgit, Paul, Dave, Maata, Marriene and Charmaine.
That's the Board of Trustees Team at West Spreydon School

Okey dokey then what does make an effective Board of Trustees at West Spreydon School?

• co-board chairs who meet with me every week to give pastoral care and support and to push forward with strategic goals. Actually having two board chairs is so far very successful for us; we are a fine balance of rational thinking, impulse, "ready, fire, aim," can-do, detail, motivators and senses of humour
• a board who understands the difference between governance and management and who is highly effective in the governance arena. Big picture thinking and strength based leadership operating at board level make us a very forward thinking board
• a board who values training and professional learning. One week after our first board meeting we met to train together with Al Fone on governance and management and a few weeks later on how to conduct effective audits. Thanks to MoE for its funding support
• making time to think and plan together. In August we have a two day retreat in Hanmer. In between we plan and meet
• well planned board meetings with an agenda that is set in advance and has no general business
• ability and willingness to laugh and have fun
• a board that asks the hard questions about student achievement and then takes responsibility to make a difference.The words,"So what can we do as a board?" are the ones guaranteed to melt even the toughest Principal's heart
• high levels of challenge and support for each other and our staff. Our board has a high regard for our staff and lets them know it
• belief and talk about our staff and school being the future of our community
• loyalty and belief in each other to be the best that we can be
• a sense of  a team on an adventure that has risks and challenges but will bring incredible rewards for our children and teachers
• high levels of trust in me to raise the profile of the school, develop our staff as a formidable teaching team and to have the freedom to try new things
• Perfection? I think not. But we have a culture where we are allowed to make mistakes and to keep moving on