P&C Meeting Report For those of you who weren’t in attendance last night at our September meeting, you missed an interesting meeting which was well attended. We were happy to see some new faces in the audience, who came along to hear a presentation from Grant O’Hara, Director of Strategy 1st and the facilitator for the college’s Branding Committee, which is comprised of staff, admin, parents and students of the College. Grant spoke at length about the college’s vision and strategies into the future for positive change, and how revisiting the college branding, logo, uniform and marketing strategies compliments the many exciting initiatives that are being implemented across the College. So that parents can become better informed about some of the discussions and proposals, and to counter some misinformation which has been disseminated, we’ve prepared a list of questions and answers stemming from last night’s meeting, to help you understand where the college is heading and how rebranding is integral to these changes. 1. Why is the College considering changes to how things are done ? Last year’s Quadrennial Review identified both positive and negative aspects of the College and stemming from this, a number of areas have been identified for improvement. A new Vision and Mission Statement have been formulated and supported by a comprehensive plan for continuous and tangible improvement which has been endorsed by the College Leadership Team, Admin and Staff, School Council, P&C and other key stakeholders. CCC is undergoing a transformation to lift standards and outcomes across the board in the coming years. 2. What is the College’s new Vision and Mission ? Our Vision is to develop Creative Global Citizens – This means that we want to help equip students with the skills, knowledge, reasoning and creativity they will need throughout life in a 21st century world full of changes and challenges. Our Mission is summarised by the acronym DARE – Developing Abilities, Reaching Excellence – this means to help students achieve their individual personal best in a world-class educational, social, sporting, artistic and character building environment. 3. Why change our public image ? The College wishes to bring its public image in line with the internal positive changes and improvements that will be occurring over the next few years and beyond. CCC is looking to implement a more sophisticated, world-class curriculum and teaching methodology, delivered by more highly trained Teachers and support staff. This is supported by a revised Strategic Plan and an Explicit Improvement Agenda which outline specific programs, strategies and techniques to improve CCC. CCC has progressed from a Primary School to a P-12 College, and more recently achieved the status of becoming an Independent Public School. Like other organisations and companies which change their fundamental nature and/or public perception, the College wishes to modify its public image as well, as it continues to mature into a significantly different type of educational institute from its more humble beginnings. CCC wants to create a more global brand for local, national and international markets. We have created some significant partnerships with Queensland Academies, Griffith University, and Kaohsiung Senior Girls High School in Taiwan to name a few, but there is great potential to expand CCC’s reach and reputation internationally. The proposed changes to our public image are not merely window dressing, but a drive to enhance our external presence and reputation in line with the changes that are already underway and transforming our college. 4. What has been the process to date ? A review of CCC’s branding and marketing began back in 2013 under Leanne Nixon. Our new Executive Principal, Kath Kayrooz, has continued on from that initial work and commissioned a Brand Leadership Team to work with Grant O’Hara to review our current branding and explore possibilities for the future. Participants in that team have included Principals, Admin Staff, Teachers, Parent Reps and Students. The Brand Leadership Team completed a lengthy and comprehensive questionnaire about CCC’s public image and current branding, and where we could take the college into the future in line with the academic renewal and other changes underway. Subsequently, the team met with Grant 1-on-1 and then as a group at an all day workshop. Further meetings and reviews have been held to review colour palettes and sample logos and to create a CCC Style Guide. The team is now ready to present to the wider college community, which it began at the P&C meeting on Tuesday this week. There are also presentations planned for the School Council and the entire college staff. 5. Don’t we get to have a say or vote on the proposed changes ? We certainly invite people to have a say and provide feedback about the proposed changes. However, a large school community such as CCC cannot be effectively managed by a committee of thousands and so a vote isn’t feasible. The college Leadership Team, with endorsement by the P&C and the School Council, have set a course for academic improvement and a number of other positive changes and with those things come an associated lift in dress standards and our public imagery. The College and the P&C will keep the college community informed of the processes and outcomes as they unfold. 6. If there are to be uniform changes, when are they likely to happen ? A lengthy process of commissioning a Uniform Committee, gathering feedback and technical advice, designing uniforms, creating samples and mock ups, gaining feedback and if approved, selecting a provider and actually making uniforms will occur. A new uniform would not be feasible next year and to propose exactly when a new uniform would be introduced is impossible as a Uniform Committee is yet to be established. The Uniform Committee will take into account the needs of the entire college especially parents financial circumstances and parents will be provided with significant lead in time to prepare for any changes which occur. 7. But changing uniforms is going to be expensive for my family…what if we can’t afford it? The college and the P&C is recognizant of the financial burden on families. We are considering a number of measures to assist in any transition period, such as reducing the markup on new uniforms for an introductory period, offering payment plans to defer costs for families, seeking assistance from Centrelink and other agencies which offer support, and various methods of sponsorship. Parents will be advised well in advance of the date for a new uniform to be introduced and this will provide significant lead in time for parents to prepare for the purchasing of new uniforms. Families need to bear in mind too that with rapidly growing children and/or movement between sub-schools, new uniforms are often required in regular cycles anyhow. It is hoped that for many people, any uniform changes will coincide with the normal pattern of uniform replacement for their children. 8. Can we see the new proposed logo ? Sure ! Here thy are below. The purple, silver and charcoal colour palette is associated with a more sophisticated image. The three C’s are representative of the entwined, seamless growth of our children through the college, as well as projecting a globe type image with lines of longitude like you’d find on a map. The main font is formal and is associated with prestige and gravitas. The less formal font is indicative of a modern, warm, contemporary and innovative feel. 9. What happens with the old Three Trees Logo and the Restaurant ? The original logo will always hold a special place in the college’s history as the foundation logo. There will still be displays that feature this logo in its historical context. The Three Trees Restaurant will not be renamed, but will retain its identity in tribute to our college’s beginnings. 10. Where do we go from here ? The college and P&C will take on board feedback and comments from parents, staff and students following the planned information sessions. A comprehensive marketing program will be created, commensurate with the college’s new Vision and Mission and the underlying support mechanisms. A Uniform Committee will be commissioned to explore/facilitate possible changes to the College uniforms and communicate their progress with the wider community. Parents will be given ample lead time regarding any changes to the uniform and any special arrangements that will be made to facilitate the changeover. In summary, CCC is committed to refreshing and reinvigorating the college in all aspects, whether it be personal growth, academic performance, behaviour management or the social development of our children. Reflective of the significant changes the college has undergone and will continue to make, we feel that it is approaching the time to give the school’s image a makeover, commensurate with its ambitious Vision and Mission Statements. We want our children to have the very best education that they can, and want to reinforce this in how we achieve, how we behave and how we look. Sincerely, Steven Durrington P&C President.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 22:53:44 +0000
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