Yes, we know Term 4 has only just begun, but Christmas decorations are already in the shops and so it really is time to start thinking about the end of year for your P&C! Some Council resources that can help:

A new canteen support resource “Go for Green” is now available on the Fresh Tastes website. It’s a fantastic guide on how to apply the National Healthy School Canteen Guidelines (NHSCG) in practice. It’s a tell-all about the Traffic Light System with lists of popular ingredients, tips about greening your menu, links to recipes and more.

Also, Council has fun and colourful new promotional materials to give your canteen a professional look, available on our website.

There is also a new Facebook Group called Canteen Connect ACT, set up so that school canteen managers, support staff, P&C committee members and volunteers can connect with one another and share ideas.  It's a great place to ask your canteen-related questions!

A major burden for P&Cs running canteens is the administrative workload and financial management. The Fresh Tastes working group on food at school is undertaking a survey to determine the needs within the canteen sector to access accredited training and/or outsourced models of financial management/governance of canteens. These are two areas that the working group is looking at as the next step in supporting school canteens. This short survey should take 3-5 minutes and we would value your input.  If you attended the recent Canteen Connect event and completed a survey at the event then there is no need to complete this survey - we have your input already thank you!

P&Cs running canteens have put in a tremendous amount of work towards shifting their food and drink culture since the introduction of the ACT Public School Food and Drink Policy in February 2015. ACT Health has delightedly informed us of some great statistics about school canteens in the ACT:

• 49% of all canteen menu items across ACT public schools are now GREEN!
• the proportion of unhealthy RED food and drinks has dropped from 23% to only 3% of all food and drink items.

A big congratulation to all those school communities in the ACT for their success in making these changes! Keep up the great work!

Places are still available in a free one-day workshop for school staff, and parents and carers of children on the autism spectrum. It is designed to help foster productive school and family partnerships to provide the best kind of support for our young people. It requires school teams to consist of staff and parents and is a fantastic opportunity for parents and teachers to work together and explore resources and tools.
Where: Hellenic Club Woden, Matilda Street, Woden
When: Wednesday 18 October; Parents/Carers: 9.10am – 2:30pm (Registration from 8.30am); School Staff: 8.30am – 4pm.
To register or for further information contact Renee Christie.

Parents and carers are invited to a free presentation aimed at improving the awareness of Mental Health as it affects our youth. Hear from people with a lived experience of Mental Illness (from Mental Illness Education ACT). There will also be information about some of the support services available in the ACT and the chance to ask questions.
It is on Tuesday October 17, from  7.30 – 9pm at the Canberra College Performance Arts Centre, 2 Launceston St Phillip. Contact for more information.

Are you looking for ways to support your child’s learning? Learning Potential has hundreds of online articles, activities and ideas about how to make the most of learning opportunities in everyday life, whether you’re watching TV together, watering the garden or walking the dog. Learning Potential is designed to support parents of children from birth through to the end of high school, and can be accessed as an app or on the website.