Last week we met the Principal, now it’s time to Meet the Business Manager!
We are so lucky to work with a range of dynamic and highly-skilled business managers and administrators all over Australia and internationally. Much like school principals, business managers are experts at juggling a slew of competing demands on a daily basis and are typically the first port of call for anyone engaging with the school. When you add to that a gargantuan administrative load, complex compliance and governance, lending an empathetic ear to teachers, students and parents, managing a timetable that would make António Guterres blush, and so much more, the many moving parts of the role seem insurmountable to an outsider. And yet, business managers everywhere get it done with style, grace, a calm sense of efficiency and a smile on their face.
So, in acknowledgment of all the hard work school administrators do, we are delighted to share our interview with Kim Rootes, the Business Manager at Deloraine Primary School in Tasmania. Business Managers and Administrators, this one’s for you.
Our mission is to support schools with world class tech and extraordinary customer service. Book a demo with one of our experts today let’s get started. or keep reading for our interview with Kim Rootes from Deloraine Primary School.
A big thank you to Kim Rootes who took time from her busy days to chat with us.
Deloraine Primary School, at a glance
Number of students: 330
Number of teachers and SSOs are on staff: 25 teachers (44 staff in total)
Number of administrators: 7
Number of notifications sent: 254,008
Estimated paper savings: $38,281.95
Deloraine Primary is a big-hearted school located in the central north of Tasmania, Australia. It is 50 km west of Launceston and 52 km south of Devonport along the Bass Highway. They have placed their school values of growth, respect, courage and aspiration at the centre of how they develop their young learners. The students enjoy fantastic facilities – including a pool – and have a vibrant program in place that covers music, swimming lessons and water safety, as well as enrichment opportunities like coding, chess, maths relay, and more. Crucially, Deloraine Primary School is a LIFT and Together with Families school, and they support and encourage the vital connection between school and home.
Meet the Business Manager
“My main responsibilities are staffing and finance. However, there is also overseeing admin, library and canteen staff, looking after the EFAs, the maintenance of buildings, grounds, and the pool. There’s probably lots of other things too…”
What do you love about your role?
“The school environment is a dynamic and exciting place to work. It’s all about the people you meet – the adults and the children. Enjoying your work and the company of your colleagues is an added bonus. I really do love my job.”
Are there some challenges in your role? Every job has something.
“At the moment, COVID is the biggest challenge. The constant changes make it difficult to keep on top of things.”
You do a great stellar job using School Stream. Was it easy to set up and learn?
“The assistance we received from Brad and the team when we first started was phenomenal. Like anything new, there were teething problems, but these were easily remedied. We have progressed over the years to using forms for all things that require permissions and this has made a big difference with the number that are returned in time.”
How have your parents responded to using an app for school communication?
“Parents know that School Stream is our main form of communication with them now. We are down to only a handful of parents not having the app. As new families come to our school, they are advised to download the app. We are hoping in the next two years to have 100% of parents using the app.”
What features do you use the most?
“We use Notices daily as reminders to parents of events, COVID updates and head lice. Class teachers use it to inform parents of what is happening with learning in their class. Forms are used for bus changes, permissions, student absences. We use the Messenger feature to contact parents for unexplained student absences, uniforms, general questions and by teachers to communicate with their parents.”
Again, a big thank you to Kim Rootes for taking the time to chat with us about her day-to-day and how they use School Stream so effectively.
Are you ready to book a demo with one of our experts today? Let’s get started.
