St Monica’s is a school which operates with the consent of the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne and is operated and governed by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS).
MACS governs and operates 292 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese to continue the mission of Catholic education to proclaim the Good News and equip our young people with the knowledge, skills and hope to live meaningful lives and enrich the world around them. Because the good work of educating the young is a co-responsible task led by every member of the Catholic school community, School Advisory Councils have been established to provide a crucial point of connection between the wider school community and school leaders. This governance model was designed to ease the administrative burden on our schools and parishes, allow parish priests to focus on the mission of education in the parish, enable greater collaboration between schools and ensure greater consistency in school policies and procedures.
The School Advisory Council consists of parents representatives, members of school leadership and the Parish Priest. The School Advisory Council meets at least six times a year and act as an advisory forum on matters pertaining to the life of the school. It is expected that school Advisory Council members promote the Catholic Ethos of the school and support the development and promotion of the school community.
Purpose
The board of MACS has responsibility for the strategic direction and oversight of the operation and management of MACS schools, including St Monica’sSchool. Clear lines of authority, reporting and delegation from the MACS board through the Executive Director delegate the day-to-day operational management of St Mary’s School to its principal.
In keeping with the objects of the MACS Constitution, which states ‘The good work of educating the young, undertaken in light of the Gospel, is a co-responsible task led by every member of the Catholic school community’, the School Advisory Council provides a crucial point of connection between the wider school community and school leaders. While the School Advisory Council does not have governance responsibility or decision-making authority, it supports the principal and school leadership and provides an important connection to the parish.
The School Advisory Council is not a governing body, but is part of the broader governance framework of MACS. Its role, as determined by the MACS board through the Terms of Reference, supports the overall governance of the MACS system as it ‘is to give consideration to, and advice on, important school matters in order to support the principal and the strategic interest of the school’.