Meeting+13th+August+2009

Meeting 13th August 2009 Prep Common Room Started at 3:30 p.m.

Apologies:
Alex Harrisson, Hamish Oates, Paul Rheinberger. Carmelle Willett has withdrawn from the group 

Attendance:
Sharon Dewar, Peter Brandon, Peter Ayling, Ali Irwin, John Weeks, Greg Blackman, Peter Ayling, Ashley George Robyn Topp, Susie Bottomley.

Today's Meeting was in the form of a general discussion where topics being discussed jumped around a little. This is a description of topics as they occurred.

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 * The Architects came and looked at Ewan House on Monday afternoon.
 * There are no existing plans
 * It will take between 1-2 weeks for them to measure and draw accurate plans
 * These plans will show weight bearing walls, etc
 * Assuming Years Five and Six fit into the Ewan House space what else is possible for the rest of the site
 * Gymnasium
 * Multipurpose with stage
 * TIGS has just built one with 6 classes on top off the gym.
 * Something like this could be possible for us.
 * A space for reflection / reverence / chapel has been suggested
 * The question of whether we would continue to offer the same Specialist subjects was asked.
 * We were told to plan for all existing subjects.
 * The current Year Three / Science area will need redevelopment no matter what we use it for.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The Master Plan is to give us the direction the school will take in regard to facilities.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The current Arts areas (Visual Arts and Music) are very tried and spread out over the entire campus.
 * In our planning we need to include a<span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">reas for:
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Music, Drama and Dance
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Visual Art
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Science and Technology
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Sport / Assembly Area.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Building projects create a domino effect.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">For example the building of the Boarding House frees up Ewan House, Gillespie House and McNeil House.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Mc Neil House can then be developed into a new Library.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The current Library can then be developed into new English classes
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The old English rooms can then be developed into a new Admin Centre
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">If we build a new gymnasium then that may free up the current auditorium for redevelopment. This could include new Music / Drama/ Dance and Production facilities.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Current Y3 rooms could become the Art Rooms.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Greg Blackman is to try and obtain copies of current plans for the Oval and Gillespie Buildings so the group can use them to experiment with different uses of the buildings.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The group should produce Mud Maps.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">It would be good for the group to break into smaller groups to explore uses.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The School has allocated approximately four million dollars for the refurbishment of Ewan House
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Although the School Council has agreed to seven Year Five and Six classes the Prep site has been capped at 600 students.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">We currently have 597 students.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The Senior School is capped at approximately 1500.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">This could mean lower class sizes if we do go to seven classes in Years Five and Six
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Currently the whole School’s Staff to student ratio is 1:15
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The redevelopment of Ewan House provides us with the opportunity to look at the whole site and come up with a completely New Master Plan for the site starting from scratch.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The School is currently in a Growth phase and is one of the only schools presently growing. Many of the schools we compete with and Girls Schools in our area have experienced shrinking numbers.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The School Council relies on the Headmaster to tell them what is needed. The Headmaster relies on us to tell him what is needed.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">We are in the “Big League” of Independent Schools and we need the “Wow Factor”.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The Prep competes against not only other Independent Schools but also against good Public Schools in this area.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">We need to consider having two of each of the Specialist classrooms.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">This could allow us to timetable all specialist lessons after 11:00 a.m.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">This would free up the morning for the core subjects of Numeracy and Literacy,
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">We need to look at current K-6 Boys’ Education research.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Peter Brandon has emailed the web link for the Boys’ Schools Coalition Conference.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">What we decide upon should be backed up by research.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Current legislation in regard to the publishing of NAPLAN results and School facilities and make up will make the importance of these results extremely important.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Groups or individuals are to present ideas for the site using the plans Greg provides to the group next week.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The meeting closed at 4:25 p.m.
 * <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Next Meeting in the Prep Common Room at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday 20th August.