Governance Statement
Simonds Catholic College is a school which operates with the consent of the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne and is operated and governed by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS).
MACS governs and operates 292 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese to continue the mission of Catholic education to proclaim the Good News and equip our young people with the knowledge, skills and hope to live meaningful lives and enrich the world around them.
Because the good work of educating the young is a co-responsible task led by every member of the Catholic school community, School Advisory Councils have been established to provide a crucial point of connection between the wider school community and school leaders.
This governance model was designed to ease the administrative burden on our schools and parishes, allow parish priests to focus on the mission of education in the parish, enable greater collaboration between schools and ensure greater consistency in school policies and procedures.
More information on MACS is available at macs.vic.edu.au
School Advisory Council
School Advisory Councils (SAC) act within the Terms of Reference set out by the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) Board.
While the School Advisory Council does not have governance responsibility or decision-making authority, it supports principal, priests and leadership team and provides an important connection to the parish.
Terms of Reference for Simonds Catholic College School Advisory Council
Statement of Democratic Principles
Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS) schools operate with the consent of the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne and are owned, operated and governed by MACS.
MACS schools recognise that the school plays a vital role in advancing democratic ideals and principles. For democracy to continue to thrive, children must be taught democratic ideals and principles and to value its way of life. MACS schools will explicitly and implicitly support and promote the principles of Australian democracy, including a commitment to:
- elected government
- the rule of law
- equal rights for all before the law
- freedom of religion
- freedom of speech and association
- the values of openness and tolerance.
MACS schools will prepare children and students to become citizens who will preserve and shape democracy in the future through their curricular and extracurricular programs. Democratic values will be taught explicitly in the curriculum and implicitly in the child’s experience of the school, in classroom practices, and from what is taught to how it is taught.
Reporting and monitoring
The MACS Board will monitor the publication of this Democratic Principles Statement by MACS schools through the Annual Report to the School Community (ARSC) and regular school review processes (at least once every four years).