Have you ever considered supporting your school by being on the Governing Body? It can be a rewarding and enriching experience. The GB meets 3 times a term. Contact the office if you would like to consider a position 97577515.
Lydell Huntly has been on the GB for 6 years. Read her story below.
I have enjoyed my GB experience and the opportunity to contribute back to the MRIS community. It took the 1st year to really understand the ethos of the school. Initially I resented the requirement for my time in the class and giving back to the school. I remember thinking, “I am paying reasonable money for school fees, and they want my time too!!”. At some point in Pre-primary the penny dropped as to what a privilege it is to be invited into my child’s learning, to witness the educational approach, the behaviour management approach, the instilling of virtues and the deep connection with the natural world. Being on the GB enabled me to participate in oversight of the governance of the school. As part of the GB team, you are exposed to what informs the curriculum, what makes a good teacher and what they need to be happy and supported. You understand how schools are funded and the many, many systems, processes and policies that are applied at a National, State, and local level. The MRIS is not a school that is happy to ‘set and forget’, they pride themselves on being responsive to the needs of students, staff, and families. It has been a pleasure to be part of a team that are so invested in the continued growth and consolidation of all it has achieved in the last 40+ years. I will miss being part of it.
Whilst I came on to the GB with varied professional skills and personal strengths, I have certainly honed my skills and knowledge of governance and gained insights into human resource and business management. It required me to pause and listen, to seek information about the history of MRIS and its unique approach to education, parenting, and behaviour management.
I like to think that as a Social Worker, I had a reasonable grasp of the benefit of developing and reflecting on virtues, of logical consequences and restorative justice, but I must admit, there is nothing like having to apply that knowledge to parenting and then partnering my child’s teachers in these skills. Undertaking the STEP course and watching the teachers and staff at MRIS educate and assist my child with life’s challenges has resulted in a calmer approach to dealing with difficult people in my professional work.
Being on the MRIS board has been a positive experience. People with differing life experiences, backgrounds and approaches to problem solving must work together for the common good of the school. Negotiating varied perspectives and experiences has seen robust conversations and debates and has been a great lesson in valuing difference and understanding.
I have become a better decision maker as part of a team. In fact, I was possibly a little too forthright with my opinions in the first year or so on the GB. I like to think I have got better at listening and the longer our family was connected to the school, the more palpable the ethos and approach to education and the STEP and virtues approach became.
