The quality of relationships you establish with colleagues at your school, local families, your hub support network and external partners is critical to the hub’s success.
To build these relationships, you can:
- Get to know the teachers and educational support staff at your school, including the administrative team and any aides.
- Invite staff into the hub.
- Attend and speak at staff meetings and school assemblies to raise awareness of the hub.
- Utilise your colleagues and students to help you reach parents.
- Support the principal and teachers. You can invite staff to use the hub for breakfast club or homework programs. Encourage hub activities that contribute to the school - for example, sewing library bags.
- Share stories of impact from the hub with school staff.
- Show how you are linking the objectives of the hub to the objectives of the school. For example, transition programs and early learning activities link with strategic priorities of school readiness.
- Connect with other hub leaders through formal or informal networks and collaborate with your team.
- Reach out and ask for help when you need it.
“Schools are very busy so it’s not easy to organise activities. We have a hub committee that includes our speech therapist, the Vice Principal, about four parents and me. We work out what we want to do and prioritise the activities we want to do for the year. We usually have a list of 10 activities.”
Salwa, Meadow Heights Primary School hub, Victoria
Employing an integrated ‘Whole of School’ model
The key to a successful hub is the integrated ‘Whole of School’ model.
This involves building strong connections between the school and the hub, ensuring that both are equally invested in the success of the hub. Hub leader Helen Grdic from Heckenberg Public School Hub shares her tips below on how to build the ‘Whole of School’ model around the hub:
- Through this process, a shared vision and philosophy is created and a genuine partnership develops.
-
An integrated model is a continual cycle and there should be collaboration between the school and hub throughout the cycle of planning, implementing and evaluating.
Coolaroo South Primary hub
Fahriye Yilmaz, coordinator of Coolaroo South Primary hub in Victoria, talks about how her community hub got off the ground.
St Dominic’s Primary hub
Caroline Menassa, coordinator of St Dominic’s Primary hub, talks about how her community hub got off the ground.
Create a welcoming space