College Meetings and Professional Learning  

At Heathmont College, we run a number of staff collaboration structures to ensure effective and efficient running of the school. 

In 2023, a focus on maximising staff time for collaboration is being taken with respect to developing the term calendars for 'meeting' time.  This is supporting our AIP focus on improving colective efficacy of staff through collaboration. Hours of work for teachers are set in line with the VSBA 2022 and for Heathmont College, Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays are our set days for the additional hour beyond the end of the school day (8.30 - 4.30). Wednesday and Friday's hours are 8.30am to 3.20pm.  Scheduled meetings occur on Mondays and Tuesdays with Thursdays being dedicated planning time for teams to meet and collaborate on their own terms.  The Thursday sessions provide opportunity for moderation of assessment, collaborative planning, professional learning and curriculum area based PLCs. 

Staff who occupy a position of responsibility within the college will be required to attend semi regular meetings for the team to which they belong. These meetings will be held in the time slot allocated to collaborative team work on the Thursdays and time allowance is given to allow staff to attend these. 

Each term, a 'Professional Learning and Meetings Calendar' is published so that all staff are aware of which meetings occur and when and can plan accordingly. 

If you are unable to attend a compulsory meeting or professional learning event, you must inform the Principal detailing the reasons for your absence and the convener of the meeting. Absence from meetings during required hours (see  the Long Term Planning Document here) will be treated as an absence from work according to the VGSA and school policy. 

Meetings

Meetings provide key opportunity for communication of important information, ideas and to gain feedback from stakeholders on the organisation and management of the school or its areas of work. According to the VGSA 2017, a full time teacher can expect to be required to attend up to two hours of meetings in any week and part time staff, pro rata.

Please also refer to the college Long Term Planning Document for articulation of this policy which is found in the Organisation of Teacher Work section. 

Whole School Meetings

These include:

Briefing

These occur every Monday Morning at 8.30am and are opt in although all staff are encouraged to attend. 

They are run by the Principal or the Principal's representative in their absence. 

These short briefings largely centre on key announcements regarding the week ahead and all staff are encouraged to make announcements as necessary. 

Staff Meetings

Are usually teaching staff focused but are open to all staff, Occasionally, we will also hold 'Whole Staff Meetings' and these are ones that ES staff are required to attend (if possible).  

They are generally convened by the principal but may involve members of the leadership team or staff with positions of responsibility depending on the topic for discussion. 

Staff meetings will involve a mix of compliance activities (OH&S, HR, Child Safety, First Aid, Emergency Management), whole staff professional learning around school identified priorities (SWPBS, Literacy and Numeracy, Differentiation and Modifications for students in priority cohorts) and will provide opportunities for staff to review and analyse school data and to provide feedback on school operations and achievements. 

Generally, staff are not required to bring anything in particular to these meetings, it may help to bring  your laptop and a pen. Note that laptops should not be open during meetings unless this is part of an activity.  

Note that calendar invites will usually be sent specifying the location and what equipment, if any is needed. 

Curriculum Area Meetings

Curriculum Area Meetings are arranged into two 'clusters' that occur alternately across each term. The clusters are arranged to minimise any overlap staff may have due to their allotments. Despite our very best attempts, however, some overlap will still occur. 

Cluster A CALs

Cluster B CALs

These meetings run from 3.15 - 4.15pm in a location specified by the Curriculum Area Leaders. 

These meetings run in 'cluster' groups (see above) to enable all staff to be involved in two across the year (given than most teachers will teach in two or more areas). 

Note that staff teaching across more than two curriculum areas are not required to 'make up' meetings that they miss and CALs must be sure to record meeting minutes and publish these for staff to access in this instance. 

These meetings are convened by the Curriculum Area Leaders (CALs)

House Meetings 

These meetings are run by House Leaders and will focus on induction to the House system for new staff, case management of students for all House staff, the running of Mentor Group for MG teachers and organisation of House Assemblies. These meetings will be held in a venue specified by the House Leader(s) for each house. 

Staff Collaboration and Planning Time

Specific time for teams to meet and plan, relect, assess, cross mark will be provided within the meeting calendar. Each staff member wil be required to nominate a team to which they will committ for the semester / term.  These wll be identified in the beginning weeks of each semester and will be nominated by staff. There will be no specific agenda set for this time and each team may determine how they use this time but all staff will be requried to attend these sesssions with their colleagues. 

This time will also include the meeting time for staff with positions of responsibility but noting that these specifci team meetings will count as formall meetings and this will be taking into consideration when constructing the professional learning and meeting schedule for each term. 

Planning and Collaboration Teams

All staff to meet in their self nominated teams. These teams will be identified at the beginning of term / semester by staff and may include teams based around a particular subject area / year level or cross curricular program. Staff are encouraged to develop a planning team that supports the work that they currently do the most and will support improved efficiency and effectiveness. 

Curriculum Committee Meetings

These are convened by the Leading Teacher: Whole School Curriculum in conjunction with the Assistant Principal: Coaching, Curriculum and Development. 

Staff who hold positions related to the curriculum of the college will be required to attend including:

 Student Management Meetings

These meetings are to ensure consistent approaches to student management are being implemented across all year levels. 

They are convened by the Leading Teacher: Wellbeing for Student Achievement and the Leading Teacher: Learning Behaviours, Careers and Transitions in conjunction with the Assistant Principal:  Engagement, Inclusion and Equity . 

Staff holding the following positions will be required to attend:

House Leadership Meetings 

These meetings will be convened by the Leading Teacher: Positive Climate for Learning and the Leading Teacher: Community Relationships and Connectedness in conjunction with the Assistant Principal: Engagement, Inclusion and Equity. 

The focus of these meetings is to build and enhance a sense of connectedness through the college, with an emphasis on the House system and principles of inclusion. 

Staff to attend these meetings include:

Whole School Wellbeing Meetings 

These meetings are designed to bring together the various people in the college working on developing and building student wellbeing. 

It is convened by the Principal and runs at a time during the school day as dictated by the timetable. 

Staff required at this meeting include:

Meetings for School Operations

There are some meetings that need to run in order to keep the school operating effectively. These meetings are largely held thoughout the day and are attended by those in relevant postions. Some are also representative based and so ballots determine their composition. 

School Council Meetings 

These occur monthly with a minimum of 8 required across the year and are the school's key governing body. The council is made up of a range of stakeholders including Parents, community members, principal class members, staff members and studnet members. 

Further details regarding the constitution and role of School Councils can be found on the Department's PAL page here. 

For the purposes of this section, it is important to note that there are two Staff Representatives for school council. These positions run for two years and are determined through a nomination / ballot process. Our current Staff Representatives for school council are:

Executive Team Meetings 

These are meetings of the Principal, Assistant Principals and Business Manager and occur weekly. Issues can be raised for discussion by the executive by emailing the principal with the issue to be discussed, the resolution sought and the preferred time line for resolution. 

Leadership Team Meetings / SIT (staff)

These meetings involve all Principal Class, Leading Teachers, Learning Specialists and Wellbeing Leaders. The are scheduled for a time during the week and are listed on the Compass timetable for each participant. 

Consultative Committee Meetings 

Consultative Committee is a forum through which the principal is able to garner advice, guidance and feedback from staff at the college to support good decision making. 

All schools are required, according to the VGSA 2017, to have established consultative arrangements as per the DET advice here. 

Details about the Consultative Arrangements for HC can be found on this site here.  Our long tern planning arrangements can be found here. 

Operations Committee Meeting

These meetings review all applications for events, excursions, camps and incursion at the college as well as all external Professional Learning applications to ensure that all required planning tasks are completed and that events do not conflict. 

Members of the Operations Committee include:

Voluntary or 'opt in' professional learning

These meetings are not compulsory but all staff are invited. This form of meeting is often presented as an opportunity for staff to be invovled in collaborative improvement or change projects that the school undertakes or are related to specific cohorts who may wish to engage in further development or support. 

These meetings include:

VIT / new teachers meetings

These meetings occur on a Wednesday afternoon and appear on the term calendar. 

School Improvement Team meetings - students

The school improvement team comprises the student leadership team, principal and leadership coordinators with members of the staff leadership team invited as requested or needed. 

These meetings are held approximately three times per term during SWEL lessons in 2023. 

The purpose of these meetings is to provide meaningful opportunity for students to discuss and consider strategies from the Annual Implementation Plan and how these are being implemented across the school as well as to identify issues arising with the student cohort. 

The emphasis is not solely on providing feedback but, also, co-creating strategies with the school leadership team (especially the principal) for overall school improvement to support better student learning and wellbeing. 

Principal Advisory Group 

This is a student meeting. All students are invited to be part of the PAG at the beginning of the year and this group provides guidance and feedback directly to the principal team about key school matters and issues. 

They meet semi regularly during school hours and will be recorded as an event in Compass. 

This group has been replaced in 2023 with the student SIT meetings. 

Professional Learning Activities 

Ongoing professional learning for all staff is an important aspect of an effective school. While individual staff members are encouraged to seek out professional learning that is aligned with their own goals and aspirations (in line with the school goals and AIP of course) as a college, we will be running a number of professional learning activities that focus very specifically on the key goals and foci of the school. 

Many of these professional learning activities will be scheduled on the calendar and staff will be required to attend. This Professional learning makes up the third hour of work as specified in the VGSA 2017.  In addition to these activities, further professional learning will be scheduled for Whole School Curriculum Days (4 days per year). 

The key professional learning activities that will run at Heathmont College may include:

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

In 2023, PLCs will be timetabled for each teaching staff member and will count towards the face to face component of teacher workload. 

Each PLC will be led by a teaching member of the school leadership team and the topic for PLCs will be determined by the Teaching and Learning team in consultation with the principal. 

The long term plan for PLCs is to develop staff capacity ro run their own PLC processes within their faculty groups during their faculty collaboration time within the school meeting schedule. In 2023, coaching of the CALs will begin in terms 2 and 3. There is no expectation in 2023 that staff will engage in PLC processes within their collaboration time however, staff interested in this professional learning approach are encouraged to engage with the model as potential support to colleagues as well as to provide feedback and guidance to the leadership team about this, once it is rolled out across the school more broadly. 

Staff professional learning topics 

During the term....

A number of professional learning programs will be offered throughout each term that centre on key areas of focus for the school. Staff will be required to choose their preferred sessions to attend. Each of these sessions will be organised and run by the Assistant Principals and will include:

Curriculum Days 

Curriculum Day - Term 3 2023

On this day, we continued our focus on Belonging and Connectedness. The first session was run by the principal and focused on "How are we together" and getting to know ourselves and each other to get the best from the wider team. The second session was om Studnet Voice and led by Allana Constance and then later in the day, we had a short session to launch our PLC focus for Semester 2 on creating a classroom environment that enhances staff and student sense of Belonging and Connectedness. 

Please see the resources from this day below: 

Curriculum Day Term 3 2023.pptx

Slide deck - session 1

KSA.PD.mp4

Video of session 1 - long version 

Meeting notes and minutes

Staff meetings

As we move across the year, resources, PowerPoints, notes and so forth for all staff meetings will be collated here for all staff to access as needed. 

Consultative Committee

Minutes from these meetings can be found here. 

Staff Professional Learning

Resources from these sessions can be accessed here. 

School Improvement Team (SIT) 

Minutes and resources from these meetings can be accessed here. 

Briefing

Notes from Briefing can be accessed here.