Attendance:
Katherine Lye - Deputy Principal (Acting Principal)
Natalie Meszaros - (Acting Deputy Principal)
Cat Rodie - P&C President
Kara Gabbett – P&C Vice-President 1
Bryony Mike - P&C Vice-President 2
Isaac Kuruvilla - P&C Treasurer
Marnie M Noor – P&C Secretary
Attendees per sign-on register:
Linda Omar
Jae Hwang
Jackie Speak
Meeting Chair: Cat Rodie
Meeting recorded by: Marnie M Noor - P&C Secretary
Apologies:
Mia Kumar – Principal
Chiara Cenati - P&C Assistant Treasurer
KT Wlodarczyk – General Member
Format: In Person
Start: 7:31pm
Welcome to new and returning committee members
Principal’s Report - Katherine Lye (Acting Principal)
This was covered at the AGM.
To reiterate, quite a few events have happened at BGHS including:
Planning for International Day has started
Visual Arts Workshop with Burwood Council
Band Ensemble Camp in February
Year 10 Visual Arts Workshop
Big Siblings workshops - ongoing wellbeing program
Breakfast Club back up and running
Year 11 STARR Day
True Colours - flag raising ceremony
Forum for International Students
Iftar Dinner in March
NSW Government Iftar Dinner - students met the Premier
Year 7 Camp - supported by Big Siblings - almost all of Y7 attended camp
Zone Swimming Carnival
International Women’s Day - staff morning tea
Creative Club Mural
International Students Awards evening
VORS and knockouts sports
Athletics Carnival - beautiful sunny day, well attended
BGHS Annual Report ending 2024 has been completed
Presidents Report
This was covered at the AGM.
Adoption of minutes from previous general meeting
1. Marnie M Noor
2. Issac Kuruvilla
Treasurer’s Report - Issac Kuruvilla
This was covered at the AGM.
BGHS P&C Association will appoint a new auditor for the financial year 2025/2026.
General Business:
Grants update
No updates.
Music Committee update - Bryony Mika
BEP Autumn Evening Concert
Concert will be held on 27 March 2025 from 6.00pm
It was agreed during discussion between Mia Kumar and Andy del Riccio that there will be no intermission at the concert = no selling of food items.
Bryony Mika will assist at the front of house with Marnie M Noor
Marnie will ready the iPads and Square devices for the Concert.
Inner West Music Festival
Mia and Andy are in discussion to shorten the Inner West Music Festival to 1 day (instead of 2 days)
Bryony reiterated her feedback that the Inner West Music Festival in 2024 ran out of food and had no volunteers for one of the days when BGHS ensembles are not performing.
Uniforms - Marnie M Noor
Marnie advised that uniform stock levels in Burwood shop and warehouse are healthy.
Rebates from Lowe’s for year ended 30 June 2025 have been paid via EdConnect as follows:
Q1/2025 $1,381.15
Q2/2025 $2,542.76
Department of Education (DoE) has sent BGHS a draft contract requesting a 2 year interim agreement with Lowe’s.
Question was raised about trying to negotiate the rebate rate.
Katherine Lye will go through the contract and negotiate with DoE and Lowe’s on the rebate rate.
BGHS students have requested for a Polo T as part of the uniform but this was not approved.
Rosemary Patony will set up a working group with students to discuss new PE shorts.
Bryony has asked about the current jacket - very thin -> is there an option to make it better and warmer.
Katherine has said that the school is ok with navy blue jackets, as long as there is no hoodie attached to the jackets.
P&C funded parent webinars update - Cat Rodie
“Overcoming anxiety, perfectionism & self loathing in teenage girls” Webinar
Justin Colson webinar held on 13 March 2025
BGHS P&C reached out to 3 other schools’ P&Cs to collaborate and share the cost:
- Concord High School - Agreed and and contributed $1K
- Canterbury Girls High School - Declined but wants to keep in touch for possible future collaborations.
- Strathfield Girls High School - No reply
290 parents/carers registered for the webinar before the day, of which 86 were from Concord High School
86% of the registrants have children in Y7
107 people watched the webinar LIVE.
Up to 19 March 2025, the recorded webinar has been watched 242 times
Link is now on P&C website and will stay for 30 days from date of telecast.
Another webinar with Justin Coulson will be arranged for later in the year.
Topic : Miss-Connection - Why My Teenagers Hate Me
Availability - late October or 3 November
A motion for P&C to pay approximately $4K for parent webinar will be put forward closer to the date once details have been ironed out.
Actions arising from previous meeting
Lighting in the school hall for music concerts
Push to next meeting
In the meantime, Kathy to speak to Mario on options for electrical works.
Action : Kara to investigate costs of hiring vs portable lights.
Action : Mia to discuss options/costs with electrician
Action : Kath to speak to Mia and/or Mario on options/possibility for electrical works.
2025 Fundraiser - Kara Gabbett and Cat Rodie
10/17th May for Fundraiser
Jennifer Moore is willing to run Musical Bingo.
Jen is only available for 10th May, and all of June.
Agreed that:
Plan A - 10th May
Plan B - 31st May (to speak to Mia about cleaning the hall for Monday morning for parent/teacher meeting)
Action : Cat to speak to Jennifer more about her availability and feasibility of running Musical Bingo.
PR for our lovely P&C - Cat Rodie
Kara has done a write-up for “Events” and sent it off to Natalie Tan.
Cat Rodie requested a regular slot on newsletter for P&C spiels
Cat needs a deadline so she can do a write up.
She will also add same information on P&C website.
Action : Kathy to advise Cat on deadline(s) for newsletter.
Democracy Sausage - Raffle - Bryony Mika
Vietnamese community will collate items to put together a hamper
Briony will have access to letterhead to send letters out to canvas for local business sponsorship/donations for hamper
No local business approached in 2024 but there were in 2023.
Discussions on attracting people in for democracy sausage include:
face painting (done by students) to bring people in.
buying time slots or paying for slots to get students to bask.
To approach the cafes and for coffee carts.
Isaac can do balloon animals.
Action : Bryony will approach cafes for coffee carts
Action : Bryony will send letters out to get donations for hamper for raffle prizes.
Gardening Bee - Bryony Mika
Due to hot weather, gardening bee will restart in Term 2.
Plants died due to unusually hot weather in T1.
Bryony will approach Bunnings as initial request for plant donations has no reply.
She approached Burwood Council to get free plants - no reply.
She will approach Inner West Council for plant donation.
Linda Omar mentioned that she has seen on Gumtree site that people away free plants.
Bryony wants to keep to native australian plants to pollinate and provide habitat and food for the animals/insects.
Action: Bryony will approach Bunnings for plant donations.
Action : Bryony will approach Inner West Council for plant donations.
AOB:
P&C Website - Cat Rodie
Cat revamped the P&C website.
She has set it up so that there is now a more direct way to connect to P&C
She is in the process of putting it up “who’s who” of the new P&C -> to make team more visible and “soft”.
Requested for photos of items P&C has donated ie. volleyball nets, dance uniforms so that she can include on website.
Action : Kathy to provide photos of items donated by P&C
Temperature in classrooms - Bryony Mika
Bryony said that the thermostat in a classroom is more than 30 degrees - sweltering.
What is the plan for cooling classrooms?
Kathy said that substation has not enough power to bring electricity to all classrooms. Substation needs to be upgraded or put in to be able to accommodate the power to bring into BGHS. A letter may be written to support the installation of another substation or to upgrade the current one.
There may be WHS guidelines as to the maximum temperature in classrooms.
Issac asked about portable A/C. Discussion about usage of more power for the equipment.
The cost to install and maintain A/C in classrooms runs in hundreds of thousands.
Solar panels are not able to go on slate roofs, so not able to cool rooms.
Currently, shades are put in to repel heat a little.
Craft supplies for the library - Bryony Mika
Bryony asked if the library requires craft supplies.
Library has run out of crochet books etc.
If the school requires any more knit related supplies, to get in touch with Bryony so she can help source.
NSW Knitted Guild has lots of yarn etc.
Lots of organisations that can donate as they have copious amounts of yarn, hooks etc.
Linda has donated books to front office. She is able to donate more.
Soccer Knockout Team fees - KT
KT is not present at meeting.
Kara and Marnie (on behalf of KT) posed the question about knockout soccer team members requiring to pay $5 for referee fees.
This was never required the last 9 years or so when KT’s daughters were playing.
Kathy said she will check with Janelle Gianotti on what exactly $5 is for. She thought it may be towards securing an accredited referee for the knockout games.
Action : Kathy to check with Janelle Gianotti as to what $5 “referee fee” is for.
Menstrual Hygiene Products
Kathy mentioned that menstrual hygiene products have been sent to school as part of the DoE’s Menstrual Hygiene Program.
Menstrual Hygiene products can be assessed free of charge, via dispensers installed at the following places:
- 1 in Sick Bay;
- 1 in Disabled Toilet.
Languages and Overseas Trips - Bryony Mika
Briony wants to know how the the Italian trip was organised ie. if EOI was set up?
Kathy said that Y9 and Y10 students (approximately 29-30 students) are going to Italy.
Briony’s daughter was in Y7 and is taking Italian language and had really wanted to be part of the cohort that is planning to go to Italy.
What is planned for international trips in the future?
Kathy said that Korea has been proposed for 2026 and again Japan for 2027.
Duke of Edinburgh - Briony Mika
Wants to know to be a parent helper for the events planned as part of the Duke of Edinburgh awards.
Last year, she put her name down as keen to volunteer but have not heard anything since.
Kathy said that the teachers in charge of Duke of Edinburgh would reach out if parent helpers/volunteers are required.
Careers Night - Jackie Speak
Will there be a Careers Night at BGHS, and if so, when?
Kathy Lye advised that Careers night is scheduled for sometime in Term 2.
Careers Night is in preparation for University, early application, future study paths. Diane Sukkar is the teacher in charge.
Kathy Lye thanked P&C for the support.
Next Meeting: 21 May 2025
Meeting closed: 8.43pm