Governance
What is the Association?
Glenvale Christian School is governed by Christian parents, through an Association, who share a common vision. Through association membership, our school parents and other members (grandparents or past school families) are given and opportunity to actively commit to and support the vision and mission for Bible based, Christ-centred education.
The Basis of the Association is the infallible Word of God it's useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training our children in righteousness so they may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. We believe that this is the only rule for all faith and conduct and for education of our children at home and at school.
The Association holds the critical responsibility of electing a group of people (The Board) from amongst their members. The Board's role is to represent the association members in the governance process, as well as act as an interface between the staff who make the day to day operational decisions and association members. The Board governs the school, sets policies and determines the future direction of the school using processes that are consistent with and faithful to the vision of the school.
GCS seeks to be a vibrant, healthy, mutually supportive school community working together. By joining, you can have a say and provide direction for the ongoing vision and mission of the school. A strong association membership ensures our school continues to teach from a biblical perspective, and creates a wide base of knowledge and expertise that can be drawn on when electing members to the Board and when making decision regarding the strategic direction and governance of the School.
Being part of the Association gives you the opportunity to give back to your school community. One way is volunteering to be a member of one of the Board or operational committees currently in place.
If you are able to agree to the Constitution & Educational Creed of the Association you are encouraged to become member, and participate fully in the work of God in this special area of education. An active, strong Association means a healthy school, where we as parents, can assist our teachers to "train our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4) and to equip them to live for God's glory.
If you are interested in become an association member or would like more information, please contact the Board secretary at board@gcs.qld.edu.au or feel free to speak to any of our current serving board members.
Members of the Association elect a Board of Directors, who together govern the school. The following association members currently serve on the board:
- Chairperson: Mrs Mareleen Ellen
- Treasurer: Mr Dale Walker
- Members: Mrs Lydia Nugteren, Mr Esa Hukkinen, Mrs Jess van der Kley, Mr Peter Sharp
The board can be contacted via email board@gcs.qld.edu.au.
Our Strategic Plan is the result of a shared vision for the association and the school community. The board and management establish, refine and review the major goals of the association and determine how they will achieve those goals. The board has a duty to ensure that the school has appropriate strategic and business/ operational plans. A plan that is not based on a shared vision is doomed to fail.
The strategic plan is:
- a statement of strategies we intend to adopt to pursue the vision
- a proactive agenda for the board and management staff
- an outline of the action we intend to take to reach where we believe God would have us be in one, three, five years from now
- flexible and able to respond to changing circumstances
- reviewed frequently, probably quarterly, by the board and adjusted as required
- reviewed regularly by members of the association/school community, probably on an annual basis
- able to identify the key people or operational centres responsible for action
With a strategic plan, everyone is working towards the same vision, trying to reach the same goals, and building commitment to the organisation. The point of a strategic plan is to improve the school by outlining its vision and direction, identifying issues impacting on it and deciding on the priorities for action.
A Strategic Plan also makes everyone's work easier. For example:
- it reduces the number of decisions senior management has to make since most decisions are made on the basis of whether or not they fit the school's vision and goals
- it ensures the school staff focus on the essentials as determined by key stakeholders
it provides direction so all stakeholders have a clear vision of what the school is trying to achieve and some understanding of the strategies agreed upon
The other critical element, is that the principal, school Board and school staff must be ‘on the same page' when it comes to strategic planning and thinking. That is, there must be a shared understanding about the key areas strategic thinking is going to concentrate on and both staff and the board must have full confidence and trust in the principal to report accurately about the school, its programs and trends in education. Strategic Planning in practice then becomes a simple process as follows:
- clarify the vision
- collect the data
- identify the critical issues
- choose the strategies
- write the plan