All parents are invited to attend Council's next meeting where we will hear from Kristen Laurent from the NDIS on how ACT students are finding the new system. There will be time for parents to ask questions and present problems. We will also begin collecting input from parents on special education practices to feed into the review of special education recently announced by the ACT Government. Join us on Tuesday May 26 at the Centre for Teaching and Learning, 51 Fremantle Drive, Stirling from 7pm.
  
We ask that P&C secretaries and/or presidents pass this invitation on to all school parents so that those with an interest in this topic can come.

We have recently finished updating our extensive collection of online information sheets designed to help P&Cs with all aspects of running their organisation and activities. If you have questions about the canteen, insurance, gathering more volunteers or improving your meetings, they are probably answered in these sheets. We are also happy to provide the collection, and associated templates and pro-formas, on either CD or USB drive to your P&C. Printed sets of the Information Sheets are also available. Contact our office to request one of these formats.

We have new resources for migrant and refugee parents and need your help to make sure they get to families who need them. This week, we mailed a copy of the sheets to all school Principals. We ask parents to encourage schools to copy the brochures and pass them on to the intended families.  
 
The information sheets are designed to help migrant families feel more comfortable in approaching schools, offering assistance and getting involved. They were provided to schools in Arabic, Tamil and Burmese as well as the Burmese dialects of Karen and Mon and can also be found on the Companion House website.

Each year Council holds a policy conference to discuss additions and/or changes to Council policy. We need your input so that we can communicate as accurately as possible the collective views of public school parents in a range of different forums. The 2015 Policy Conference will be held at 6:45pm on Tuesday August 25 (Centre for Teaching and Learning, Stirling).

P&Cs are encouraged to propose any amendments or new policies to be considered at the conference. These must be submitted to Council by Monday July 3. An email with more information and submission templates will be sent out this week. Please contact Maclaren Wall (Council’s Policy Officer) with questions.

Primary schools are urged to register for the Federal Government’s new Sporting Schools program which helps schools set up before, during and after school sports activities, link with sporting bodies and find approved coaches. There is $100 million in funding available from July 1 which registered schools can apply for. 

Does your school have a program, practice or initiative for getting parents involved which really works? If so, we would love to hear about it. The Family-School & Community Partnerships Bureau are currently gathering examples of effective family-school interactions to share nationally. Contact Council with your examples which we will submit to the Bureau.

Parents and students are invited to join discussion groups or share their stories as part of the Federal Government's review of the Disability Standards for Education.

Our office is also preparing a written submission and would welcome your input by May 20. You can find out more about the Standards and see the Review's questions for students and families (see page 7) to help you formulate your response.  

This Friday, May 22, is National Walk Safely to School Day - a great excuse to leave the car at home or park some distance from school and enjoy the journey on foot. The day is a community initiative to raise awareness of the health, road safety, transport and environmental benefits that regular walking can provide. The website has resources to help get your school involved.

Next week is Public Education Week (May 22 - 29), a chance to celebrate public education and our fabulous schools. We encourage P&Cs to support special school events and activities run as part of the week.

On Monday May 18, ACTION timetable adjustments and service changes will take effect. ACTION encourages students and parents to check timetables as many normal weekday services and dedicated school buses will be affected. All school bus changes are listed by school online.

 For more information visit action.act.gov.au or call 13 17 10.