A free workshop for parents of students with learning difficulties (such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia) is on tonight in Stirling. It will be presented by educational and developmental psychologist Mandy Nayton for the ACT Education Directorate. All are welcome.

Registrations are now open for Nutrition Australia's Food Safety Supervisor course. All school canteens must have a designated food safety supervisor who has completed recognised training such as this. The $220 course is tailored for school canteen staff and prepares them to oversee day to day operations and prevent and recognise food safety hazards. The full day course will run on September 1.

Similar to the recently finalised canteen deeds, all P&Cs who run Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) programs are now required to enter formalised agreements with the school. In some cases, P&Cs running OSHC services have noted increases in hire costs for school facilities associated with these deeds. If your P&C is concerned about this, please contact Council.

Council has been told by the Education Directorate that any increases are only to bring agreements into line with approved 'community use' rates, which it considers low. The Directorate states:
"It is not our intention to cause these programs to come into difficulty or close. ... The rates are able to be negotiated between the school and the provider [P&C]. The rates are ... at the discretion of the Principal of the school. Schools and providers [P&Cs] can work together to come to an agreed rate. If an agreed rate cannot be determined, officers from ETD are available to work with schools and P&C Associations to arrive at a workable agreement."

Parents who need help to prepare for their planning conversation with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) are invited to free workshops:

The Education Directorate recently launched a new parent-focused portal website - Canberra Public Schools - to make it easier for parents to find vital information on their large website. Council is interested in parent feedback on the site. Does it provide the information you need most in an easy to find format?

Today ACARA (The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority) released summary data from this year's NAPLAN tests, showing stable national results. Parents can expect individual student NAPLAN reports soon, as they will be sent to schools during August.

As reports come home, Council is looking for parents willing to talk to the media about what value they see in NAPLAN results - please contact us.
 

Do you know a student who needs additional support to reach their potential? A range of scholarships for public school students for 2016 are now available from the Public Education Foundation. They cover various age groups and study areas.

Children's week is October 24 to November 1 this year and small grants are now available to organisations wishing to run activities to celebrate young people during the week (grant applications close August 14). Nominations are also being sought for a range of awards recognising outstanding young people and organisations assisting them.

Poverty and severe hardship affect more than a million Australians. Students from years 3-8 can help raise awareness of poverty by writing a story or poem on the theme of 'Shelter' and entering it in the Pens Against Poverty writing competition by September 18.

• Council Executive Meeting. August 11, 100 Maitland Street, Hackett.
• Policy Conference & Council General Meeting. All welcome. August 25 7-9:30pm, 51 Fremantle Drive, Stirling.