School Community Council
All parents of St Gregory’s Primary School form part of the school's Community Council and are invited to two attend open Community Council meetings each year. The Community Council is led by an elected Community Council Executive who meet regularly to provide input and guidance to the school. As necessary working groups will be formed to help the Community Council Executive with council tasks such as the Fundraising Working Group. All parents are welcome and encouraged to join working groups as they arise and share their talents and skills. The aim is to encourage a welcoming culture of open collaboration and inclusiveness. The School Community Council works in close consultation with the school principal to achieve agreed objectives for the school.
Introducing your School Community Council Executive.
Chair
 Carina RobinsonAbout me... My name is Carina and I’m really pleased to be on the St Gregory’s Community School Council as Chair. My husband Craig and I run a local small business and have lived in the Queanbeyan-Palerang region for many generations. We feel a strong sense of connection to the parish, school and broader community. Our eldest child James started at St Greg’s six years ago and is living his best life this year with the crew in Year 5. Our younger son William started Kindergarten in 2022 and is currently in Year 2 I am inspired by the innovative thinking and dedication of our teachers who bring joy to our children on their learning journeys. One of the things I value most about St Greg’s is the inclusive and holistic focus that helps children to grow as people, as well as academic students. So many members of the teaching and support staff guide my children every day to act with kindness, to make good choices and to show integrity, including those moments when it’s really hard. I was motivated to join the Council to make a greater contribution to our school and support students, their families, teachers and staff. I am keen to generate engagement on important issues in our school community and ensure the Council provides a balanced representative view in exercising its functions. Leveraging the diverse perspectives in our school community will enable us to respond effectively to our shared challenges and make the best of new opportunities as we continually grow and improve. My professional background is in the health, education and social care sectors. I’ve worked as a Human Services Practitioner for more than 20 years supporting older people, people with a disability and those experiencing disadvantage. I’ve recently left NSW Government, where I held senior roles in educational strategy, industry engagement and training design. I’m now enjoying work back in the not for profit sector leading strategic initiatives in aged care reform. In my spare time you’ll find me cooking, gardening, playing the piano (fairly badly) and enjoying life with family and friends. My greatest hope is for my children to develop a love of learning to carry with them throughout their lives. I am passionate about the difference high-quality education can make in a person’s life and welcome the opportunity to support the school community through the work of the Council. Please say hello if you see me at school pick up or get in touch with the Council, we would love to hear from you. |
Secretary
Stuart McCreanorAbout me... |
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Treasurer
 Ben MillsAbout me... My name is Ben Mills and I'm the Treasurer on the St Gregory’s Community School Council. I am the proud Dad of Evie and Lachlan. Evie is currently in Year 4 and Lachlan is in Year 1. I joined the school council because it is important to me to be an active part of our school and our community. I want to help build our school to be the best it can be for the future of my kids and all the kids that are part of our family here at St Gregory's. I contribute to the Queanbeyan area through my work in real estate and am extremely passionate about our community and its continued improvement and advancement. I am an avid sports lover and love spending my spare time outdoors, enjoying activities such as camping and fishing. I look forward to getting to know all the parents, carers, and members of our community and offering help and support wherever I can. |
Parish Priest
Fr Tony PercyAbout me... |
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Community Member
 Meredith HawkeAbout me... My name is Meredith and this is our first year at St Gregory's. I have two boys in kinder this year (one in Kinder Red and the other in Kinder White), following in the steps of their Dad who went to St Greg's many many years ago now! We are really excited to be joining the school community and I hope by being a member of the Parent Council I can help contribute to this wonderful little school. In my short time having been on the Council, I am already so impressed by the dedication and creativity of the teaching staff and parents and look forward to meeting more of you as the year progresses. I work in government and after several years of moving around, love that I have chosen a wonderful spot like Queanbeyan to settle in! Please don't hesitate to approach me if there is anything you would like to bring to the Council's attention. |
Community Member
 Mick CroninAbout me... I'm a new parent to the St. Greg's community. Together with my wife, Lianne Brink, our two daughters started year 3B (Iris) and KB (Naomi) this year. We've lived in Bungendore for over 10 years, loving the lifestyle and community built around school and social activities. We made the difficult decision to move the girls to St Greg's this year and we've not looked back. So far, we've found it welcoming with very dedicated staff. I'm a retired Army officer, PhD in chemistry and business owner (Base Soaps). Our social enterprise works to build community through environmental awareness and the support of local health initiatives. I'm enthusiastic to become involved in the School's culture and assist the council on behalf of all families. I'm often at Lowe St morning drop-off. Come and say hello, and if there's any way I can represent your interests at the council, please let me know. |
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Community Member
 Cristina de JonghAbout me... My name is Cristina de Jongh and I am a new member of the St Gregory’s School Community Council. My husband Anthony and I have two children; Grace; 5, (Kinder White) and Louis; 1, who is a St Gregory’s student to come! I grew up mostly in Canberra, but moved across the border after I married my husband, who has lived in Queanbeyan all his life and went to St Gregory’s, so his family has a long-standing association with the school and the Parish. I have fallen in love with Queanbeyan and the strong sense of community we have in this town. I think St Gregory’s provides a really kind, inclusive and welcoming culture for all students. All of the teachers and school leaders do a fantastic job and I thank them for their hard work and dedication to our children. I have worked in community services and the Government sector for the last 14 years and feel inspired to use my skills and abilities in grant writing and community development to support the school, particularly in gaining funding for future infrastructure projects and to act as a conduit between families and the school leadership to ensure suggestions and feedback can be provided easily and constructively. If you see me at pick up or drop off, please feel free to come and have a chat and I will do what I can to help. |
Community Member
 Jiell JansenAbout me... Hi, I'm the new member of the St Gregory's Community Council and very excited to be in it. I joined the School Community Council because I believe that school is our children's second home, where they learn and grow in every aspect of life. Being part of the community that supports and enhances this environment is incredibly important to me. My goal is to help create a positive and nurturing environment for our kids. With a background in Marketing Management and Governance and Policy, I am hoping that I can help and contribute my knowledge to the Council. I'm often at Lowe Street during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up, so please feel free to stop and chat with me if you have any ideas or concerns that you would like to bring to the Council's attention. |
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Staff Member
Brooke HitchmanAbout me... |
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Principal
 About me... I am the proud principal of St Gregory's Primary School and thoroughly enjoy working with the children, families and staff of this wonderful school. I strive to make the school the very best it can be and to me this is a place where the students are happy and enjoy learning, are achieving academic success and the wellbeing of all is important. I value working with the Community Council to help achieve this goal for our school. |
Assistant Principal
 Kate McManus-GreenAbout me... |
We look forward to working together with the whole school community to make our school the best it can be for the students, families and staff.
Specific Roles of the St Gregory’s Community Council
The St Gregory’s Community Council has the responsibility to support the school and community in the following ways:
- Assisting the school to fulfill the school’s educational and evangelising mission.
- Supporting the community of parents, students and staff.
- Supporting the development and promotion of the Catholic identity, ethos and mission of the school.
- Providing input to the consultative process for developing school annual improvement plans, strategic plan and master plan.
- Promoting the school in the local community.
- Supporting and monitoring school enterprises including the canteen and second hand clothing pool.
- Supporting the school fundraising through community-led fundraising activities.
- Assist in determining the school expenditure priorities for the disbursement of funds raised through Community Council-led fundraising activities.
- Consulting on proposed changes to school policies, school uniform, OSHC (Out of school hours care) service, school commencement and finish times.
- Supporting processes that foster relationship and connections within the school community by developing and delivering opportunities for social interactions to build community and assist parents to form supportive networks.
- Providing support for school programs such as working bees.
The School Community Council Charter and School Community Council Guidelines provide full details of the role of the St Gregory's School Community Council.
Contact the School Community Council: stgregorys.schoolcouncil@cg.catholic.edu.au