Attendance:
Mia Kumar – Principal
Katherine Lye – Deputy Principal
Doris Lee - Deputy Principal
Alecia Brown - Teacher (HSIE/HGPE)
Cat Rodie – P&C President
Bryony Mika – P&C Vice President
Isaac Kuruvilla – P&C Treasurer
Marnie M Noor – P&C Secretary
Chiara Cenati - P&C Assistant Treasurer
Jae Hwang - Grants Coordinator
Attendees per sign-on register:
Jonny Mackrill
Jackie Speak
Linda Omar
Patricia Manolopoulos
Poh Keng Goon
Wendy
Meeting Chair: Cat Rodie
Meeting recorded by: Marnie M Noor
Apologies: Kara Gabbett - Vice-President, KT Wlodarczyk - General Member
Format: In Person
Start: 7.00
Welcome and Introductions – Cat Rodie
Started at 7.20pm
Guest Speaker - Doris Lee and Alecia Brown (HGPE)
HPGE Implementation Progress 2025
This year, NSW DoE has a focus on HGPE.
BGHS got the ball rolling on this focus last year.
Core Class is English, HSIE, PDHPE
She is driving a specific Year 8 in the same core class, formed based on evidence (picked on range of criteria - Naplan, check in results, Renaissance Reading etc.
HPGE Team 2025 has a whole team approach - teachers are from HSIE, English, PDHPE, HSIE and Mathematics, and are all HPGE trained - different ways and methods to yield results.
Next year, BGHS will try to implement a targeted Y9 HGPE class.
Dr Ruth Phillips, gave a keynote address at the Strathfield network.
She then worked with 8A (HPGE class) and Accelerated Maths class for the rest of the day.
Ms Doris Lee and Ms Alecia Brown will give a progress report in Term 3 on the HPGE Implementation.
Principal’s Report - Mia Kumar
There has been a lot happening at BGHS. Highlights include:
Tristan Carey has been appointed as permanent Head Teacher of English.
Olivia Rothwell has been hiring more SLSOs, including Carl Mandel (who is training to be a Maths teacher and who BGHS is considering to assist at the Homework Centre at BGHS).
BGHS also found a new presiding officer (for HSC) - Jo O’Brien (who used to be a Relieving Principal at North Sydney Boys)
BGHS is also focused on appointing a permanent Careers Advisor.
Summary of trip to Italy (27 students) with Kathy Lye and Ed Kent (Head Teacher of Languages)
BGHS’s School Excellence Plan is on the the school website (Home > About our School > School Planning and Reporting)
BGHS hosted an international student forum.
BGHS had an “opening” in May for 2 of the 4 murals set up.
BGHS’ International Day had to be rescheduled due to the changes to the state’s Selective Tests to be held onsite.
Presidents Report – Cat Rodie
Adoption of minutes from previous general meeting (19 March 2025) - see link.
1. Bryony Mika
2. Issac Kuruvilla
Treasurer’s Report - Issac Kuruvilla
Isaac Kuruvills also presented the Balance Sheet for the Democracy Sausage Sizzle which ran on 3 May 2025 - see attached.
Jonny Mackrill wanted to know if the balance in P&C bank accounts have always been healthy.
Chiara Cenati explained that since 2022 (post covid), the amounts have been healthy as there were no activities/events which required funding.
Since then, the monies have mostly been utilised for school ie. STEM Room, curtains etc.
General Business:
Grants update - KT Wlodarczyk / Jae Hwang
No updates
Music Committee update - Bryony Mika
Inner West Music Festival
P&C has agreed to support the front of the house.
Bryony will set up the Sign Up Volunteer portal to ensure a steady stream of volunteers for the whole day event.
Mary will be in a discussion with Bryony to helm the event.
Chiara Cenati wants to know if the school contributed money for the school event ie. purchase of sausages etc. Mia Kumar advised that the monies for the event (ie purchase of sausages come from fees which schools pay to participate in the Inner West Music Festival).
Bryony said that the issue is due to the sausages running out early previously.
Chiara asked about how the monies raised from the band events are used.
Mia said that the monies go back to the Band Ensemble to pay tutor fees, upkeep of instruments etc.
Uniforms - Marnie
No updates
P&C funded parent webinars update - Cat Rodie
Next webinar - “Miss-Communication - Why your Teenager Daughter Hates You and Needs To Talk” with Dr Justin Coulson will be held on 27 October 2025.
Cat Rodie will get in touch with neighbouring schools if they are interested to co-host the webinar and share the costs.
Cat is of the view that there is a bit of lead up this time and there may be interest to co-host the webinar and share costs
At the next meeting, the P&C will put in a motion to pass for the amount up to $4,500.00 to pay costs for the webinar.
Actions arising from previous meeting
Lighting in the school hall for music concerts
Mia Kumar said that the need for lighting in the school hall for music concerts is more to provide exact lighting to music pieces on the music stands when in complete darkness.
Mia suggested clip-on lights for each music stand - 60 stands.
Action : Mia will check with Andy del Riccio to see if that is a good solution.
2025 Fundraiser (Musical Bingo) - Cat Rodie
P&C has met and had a discussion about fundraisers (Musical Bingo) vs social event.
It was decided that this year, P&C would hold a social event geared towards community gathering and not fundraising.
Temperature in classrooms - Bryony Mika/ Cat Rodie
BGHS has to put in 3 more air-conditioners.
Kathy Lye advised that electricity is attempting to be pulled to 3 other rooms in BGHS site.
Kathy said it is not enough to pull electricity from the current solar panels.
Mia is putting in Phase 2 of the Solar panels which is about $140,000.00. (Phase 1 is $140,000).
Cat asked if this is where Grants can be used if there are any.
Mia wants P&C to support the school for “things” that are visible like murals.
Motions to be voted on
Murals - Mia Kumar
Motion : “That BGHS P&C allocate funds to BGHS Art Department towards the cost of murals, with final figures to be presented at the meeting for confirmation.”
Mia said that amount for the 2nd phase of the mural installation would be upwards of $40,000.
The rendering is what’s costing the money.
$10,000 at least for materials (tiles)
Putting the artwork murals together will take about 1.5 - 2 years.
After which, another trench payment will be required to put up the mural on the external walls of the hall.
P&C has agreed-in-principle but motion to be voted on and passed at a meeting nearer to the date once amount and details are confirmed.
International Day - Cat Rodie
Motion : “That BGHS P&C support and allocate funds towards “thank you vouchers” for students who participated and/or managed aspects of BGHS International Day. The vouchers will be solely for students - $25 vouchers x 50 students = $1,250.00.”
Proposed : Cat Rodie
Second: Chiara Cenati
Result : Passed
Inner West Music Festival - Bryony Mika
Motion : “That BGHS P&C support and allocate funds towards adjudication prize(s) for the Inner West Music Festival, with details and final amounts to be presented and confirmed at the meeting.”
Chiara said that in the past, P&C supported the event by giving cash vouchers as adjudication prizes.
Bryony Mika will check in with Mary as to how much these cash vouchers should be as adjudication prizes.
Motion will be passed at the next meeting.
AOB:
Homework Centre - Mia Kumar
Can BGHS P&C allocate funds towards Maths and Science tutors for the homework centre?
Carl Mandel (new SLSO) has trialed today at Homework Centre to tutor Maths.\]
Mis said Carl Mandel’s working rates are about $185 for 2 hours
She said that she would like P&C to support $200 per week for 5 weeks as a trial first.
P&C has agreed-in-principle but motion to be voted on and passed at the next meeting.
Band Ensemble Program Financials - Chiara Cenati
This was discussed during the Music Committee update (Inner West Music Festival) above.
Self defence classes for students - Jonny Mackrill
Jonny Mackrill asked whether BGHS would consider organising self-defence classes for students in light of recent news.
Jonny said that he has a connection who has worked in 16 different schools which offers self-protection class in line with PDHPE curriculum.
He wants to know if there is a potential if this 10 week program can be part of a PDHPE curriculum.
He reiterated that the psyche and the self-reliance aspects, along with the practical actions help keep the students strong.
Kathyu said that it could possibly run as an afternoon after-school program, and that there are a lot of other ways to educate the students.
Kathy requested for contacts to be passed to her so that she can pass it on to the Wellbeing and PDHPE teams.
New Bus - Chiara Cenati
Chiara wants to know how the new bus is going.
BGHS now owns 2 buses.
The new bus will need to have a vinyl sticker on the side to identify itself as a property of BGHS.
The new bus is wheelchair-friendly.
Democracy Sausage Sizzle - Bryony Mika
There were about 30 volunteers who signed up and turned up to help at the Democracy Sausage Sizzle.
Issac Kuruvilla even volunteered to be the balloon artist.
There were issues at the start of the day ie. operating of gas bottle (safety gas valve) and lighting.
Agreed that Mario would have to write down instructions on how to operate these.
Raffle prizes secured were good - Museum passes (to Archibald), signed West Tigers jersey etc.
Cat Rodie said that in the future, these raffle prizes may be able to go online to reach the wider community.
Bryony advised that for future events, a more comprehension run-sheet needed to be drawn.
Overall, the event was great and well-supported.
Meeting Closed: 8.49pm
Next Meeting: 18 June 2025