In the Broken Bay Diocese these are parent groups of pastoral governance. The School Advisory Group listens to the wisdom of members of their community and their own group membership in order to know how to best lead and serve them.
The purpose of the School Advisory Group is to build, strengthen and nourish the school as part of the parish. It facilitates members of the school and faith community to share responsibility for the wellbeing of the whole school within the beliefs and values, teachings and traditions of the Church, lived out and witnessed within the community of disciples.
The role of the School Advisory Group is one of stewardship – developing the school in all its facets ‘in trust’ for the faith community. As steward, the School Advisory Group is called through the Holy Spirit to serve the faith community by caring for and developing its school community. In this role, members of the group are called to servant leadership, collectively accepting accountability for the school’s wellbeing.
The School Advisory Group is accountable to the Bishop through the Director of Schools. Membership of the School Advisory Group is discerned by the local faith community and commissioned by the Bishop. The authority of the group is not so much dependent upon a legal definition but rather on its understanding and practice of leadership and ministry in the context of Shared Wisdom. However, all involved with the school group need to develop an understanding of their scope of responsibilities within Diocesan and Parish structures, functions and aspirations.
Accepting membership of the School Advisory Group is acceptance of a call to the ministry of service within and for the educational enterprise of the Diocese and the school. This ministry calls and requires the Advisory Group to fulfil key responsibilities, focussing on the following:
- Mission and Vision
- Policy Development
- Strategic Planning
- Support of the School’s Educational Leadership
- Collaboration and Communication
- Building of Relationships
- Sustainability
School Advisory Group
Philippa Gibson (Chair), Emily Kaveney, Josephine Gradwell, Marianne Aberline, Paul McGuire, Elise Havenstein, Cathy Gualtieri, Gavin Cliffe, Gero Farruggio, Tamzyn Botha and Francee Drew.