Hello. My name is John Megarrity. I have two children, Sean and Laura, who have both attended Beechboro Christian School since 2010. My wife Janet and I chose to send out children to BCS because is has pastoral care of students as a high priority. I have had over twenty years experience in education, teaching in the government school system in the North West and in the Perth metropolitan area so I believe I have a pretty good idea of what schools are about. When I saw the way that teachers engaged students at BCS and the care they showed toward their wellbeing, I had to have my children attend there too. So we moved them. It’s the best thing we’ve done. Our family worships at St Alban’s Anglican Church in Highgate. It is an evangelical church with a traditional twist. I have been on the BCS school committee since 2011. It has been an honour to serve the school community in this role. At school committee meetings, we discuss many things that go on in the daily life of the school. I feel that my main role is to be a sounding board for the staff there and to offer my time, support and sometimes advice from the perspective of a parent. Sitting on the ‘other side of the table’ as a parent instead of a teacher has been a good experience for me. I have realized the importance of good communication from the school’s perspective when dealing with issues. Having open and regular communication between parents and the school is one of the main keys to running a successful, harmonious school. As a school committee member, I hope to improve that communication and thus, the performance of the school.