Join Our Committee of Management

Mentone Pre School is a community-run Kinder, which means we simply couldn’t operate without the support of our parent volunteers. The Committee of Management is a group of parent volunteers who are legally responsible for the governance and operations of Mentone Pre School.

The Committee of Management is essential to keeping the Pre School running smoothly - making decisions, planning events, managing enrolments and helping create the wonderful environment our children enjoy each day.

Joining the committee is a rewarding way to contribute to your child’s kinder experience and connect with other families. You don’t need any special skills or experience, just enthusiasm, and a willingness to get involved.

Each new committee receives a full handover, clear guidance for every role, and plenty of support from past and current members who are always happy to share their knowledge.

It’s a true community effort where everyone helps each other out.

If you’d like to learn more about joining the Committee, please reach out:

📧 Noelle (Secretary): secretary@mentonepreschool.com.au
📧 Lucinda (Office Administrator): info@mentonepreschool.com.au

Or chat to any current Committee members who are always happy to answer questions and share what’s involved. Asking doesn’t mean you’re committing to anything!

You can pre-nominate by adding your name to the board in the foyer, or by completing a short nomination form. You’re welcome to nominate for more than one role.
Nomination Form

Role Descriptions

Each role description below includes the current contact if you’d like to ask questions or hear more about what’s involved.
All roles are open each year - even if someone has already expressed interest, the official election takes place at the Annual General Meeting, 7.30PM, Tuesday 18th November.

President

Jamie De Abreu
- Provides leadership and direction for the committee.
- Chairs meetings, works closely with staff and families, and ensures Mentone Pre School meets its legal and governance obligations.
- Acts as spokesperson for the Pre School.
- Responsible for staff recruitment and appointment processes when required.
- Guides the committee’s work and helps ensure plans and decisions are followed through smoothly.
- Leads and recruits within the community for any sub-committees related to capital works.
President@
mentonepreschool.com.au
Vice President (Grant Writer)

Sacha Donschuk
- Supports the President and steps in when needed.
- Leads grant applications to secure funding for improvements at Mentone Pre School, including researching quotes and invoicing, writing, submitting, and tracking outcomes.
- Often involved in any sub-committees related to capital works and chairs where required.
vicepresident@
mentonepreschool.com.au
Secretary

Noelle Cullinan
- Keeps the committee organised and connected.
- Prepares and shares meeting agendas and minutes, tracks action items and helps ensure decisions are followed through.
- Handles correspondence, maintains official records and supports the President to keep meetings running smoothly and on time.
- Coordinates the Annual General Meeting and assists with key governance tasks across the year.
Secretary@
mentonepreschool.com.au
Treasurer

Michelle Vawdrey
- Looks after Mentone Pre School’s finances and keeps records accurate and up to date.
- Prepares monthly financial reports, manages payments and reimbursements, and works with our accountant (KALC Commercial Services) to keep records accurate and compliant.
- Completes any annual funding statements for the Department of Education and Service Agreement Compliance Certification.
  
  Treasurer@
  mentonepreschool.com.au
Quality and Policy Officer

Alex Connor
- Helps maintain Mentone Pre School’s high standards and compliance with Department of Education and ELAA requirements.
- Reviews and updates policies and procedures, ensuring any changes are communicated and available for families on the website and in the Pre School foyer.
- Supports the Quality Improvement Plan (QIP), and works closely with the Nominated Supervisor and teaching staff to ensure policies and quality goals reflect current best practice.
- Coordinates the annual parent survey.
  
  quality@
  mentonepreschool.com.au
4-Year-Old Enrolment Officer

Laura Mackay
- Supports families enrolling in next year’s 4-year-old program.
- Liaises with Kingston Council’s central enrolment system and manages communication with incoming families.
- Assists with Open Day and Orientation, and works with the 3-Year-Old Enrolment Officer and staff to ensure enrolment information is accurate and up to date.
4yoenrolments@
mentonepreschool.com.au
3-Year-Old Enrolment Officer

Nicky Schwagele
- Supports families enrolling in next year’s 3-year-old program.
- Liaises with Kingston Council’s central enrolment system and manages communication with incoming families.
- Assists with Open Day and Orientation, and works with the 4-Year-Old Enrolment Officer and staff to ensure enrolment information is accurate and up to date.
  
  3yoenrolments@
  mentonepreschool.com.au
Fundraising and Events Coordinator

Daniela Mueller and Mona Soliman
- Leads Mentone Pre School’s fundraising and community events in collaboration with the Fundraising and Social Representatives.
- Acts as the main contact for planning and delivery, ensuring events are well organised, purposeful and spread evenly across the year.
- Works closely with the Secretary, Enrolment Officers, Publicity and Social Media Officers, and staff to help coordinate key events such as Open Day and Orientation.
  
  fundraisingandevents@
  mentonepreschool.com.au
Fundraising and Social Representatives

Amy Neave, Daniela Mueller and Mona Soliman
- (Two positions – one for each age group)
- Work together with the Fundraising and Events Coordinator to plan and run fundraising and social activities that bring families together and support Mentone Pre School’s programs.
- Help organise and promote both fundraising and social events.
- Sets up and moderates any external group chats (eg WhatsApp) to ensure they align with best practice for Mentone Pre School policies.
- Takes the lead role communicating information or reminders to other families from the committee or staff as required.
  
  3yo-social@
  mentonepreschool.com.au
  4yo-social@
  mentonepreschool.com.au
Publicity Officer

Hazel Ocskó
- Promotes Mentone Pre School within the local community and keeps families informed about what’s happening.
- Publishes newsletters via Audiri
- Prepares the Annual Report.
- Updates the website, community listings and signage, and coordinates advertising for events such as Open Day and the AGM.
- Works closely with the Social Media Officer, Fundraising and Events Coordinator, and staff to ensure communication is consistent and engaging.
  
  publicity@
  mentonepreschool.com.au
Social Media Officer

Hayley Thompson
- Manages Mentone Pre School’s social media presence across Facebook and Instagram.
- Creates and schedules posts that celebrate life at the Pre School, highlight upcoming events and share community updates.
- Ensures all content aligns with the Pre School’s values and communication guidelines.
- Works closely with the Publicity Officer, Fundraising and Events Coordinator, and staff to keep posts consistent, engaging and appropriate.
  
  socialmedia@
  mentonepreschool.com.au
Working Bee Coordinator

Matt Bodon
- Helps keep Mentone Pre School’s building and outdoor spaces safe, tidy and well maintained.
- Coordinates working bee dates for the year, publicises upcoming sessions, schedules reminders and communicates tasks to families.
- Liaises with tradespeople to obtain quotes and organise repair work when required.
- This is a coordination role, no manual work is required, and attendance at every working bee is not expected.
  
  maintenance@
  mentonepreschool.com.au
General Committee (4 positions)

Suzannah Dontschuk
- This is a great role for families wanting to get involved, learn how the Committee operates and contribute wherever help is needed.
- General Committee members provide flexible, ad-hoc support across Mentone Pre School’s operations and events.
- They work under the guidance of relevant role leads (e.g. Secretary, Fundraising Coordinator or Enrolment Officers) to help projects run smoothly.
- Examples of support include assisting with fundraising, enrolments, publicity, reading policies, grant submissions and general administration throughout the year.
- One General Committee member nominates themselves as the lead, helping to coordinate tasks and share the workload within the group. This lead role can rotate during the year as people’s availability changes.
  
  general-committee@
  mentonepreschool.com.au

Our Parent Led Committee

Mentone Pre School is an independently incorporated association. This means all parents are members who effectively 'own' the Pre School collectively.

Mentone Pre School is run by a parent led committee of management. These parents volunteer their time to create an amazing learning environment for the children.

Positions include President, Secretary, Treasurer, Fundraising, Quality, Publicity, Social Media and Maintenance. If you're a parent at Mentone Pre School and you are interested in joining the team, please get in touch.

Volunteer

Community Led Fundraising

Some of the events our dedicated community have organised include:

Bunnings Sausage Sizzle
Exclusive night at MOPA
End of year Art Show

All proceeds go straight to creating an amazing environment for the children.

Our Supporters

The experience we offer our children would not be possible without the support of our community partners.

Bendigo Bank

Thanks to Rob and his team at Bendigo Bank Parkdale branch for their generosity and continuing support of Mentone Pre School. Their most recent donation allowed us to replace our old/dated play equipment and turf!
Hodges Mentone

Hodges Mentone have been great supporters of Mentone Pre School for several years, and this year is no different! They have provided us with advertising boards to help us promote our open day to the local community.