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P&C training
Our training sessions are designed specifically for, and Free to, our members!
Tonight! Grant writing
 Want to write winning grant applications to fund P&C projects? Come along to this session where we look at how to find suitable grants, develop your project, craft your application and organise your finances once you've won the grant.
It's online tonight, Tuesday October 11, from 7-8:30pm.
Financial Review
This workshop will help treasurers prepare their accounts for a Financial Review, which is a legal requirement for all P&Cs. We'll show you what it's all about and what you'll need to gather together for your review as well as who can do it and managing the timing.
We can also facilitate a 'Book Swap' for small P&Cs (gross receipts less than $400,000 pa) whereby two treasurers review each other's books to avoid paying for expensive auditors.
It's online 7-8:30pm on Thursday 3 November (Term 4, Week 4).
Find out more and register.
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Voluntary contributions - survey
Questions around school voluntary contributions have been raised at our meetings by several P&Cs. Members are interested in the different approaches taken by different public schools. To better understand, Council has developed a survey for each P&C to complete (one per school). We would very much appreciate your time to find answers and complete the survey. It will help Council advocate for parents, carers and P&Cs.
In the last week of last term, we emailed all members about this, including a copy of the survey questions so you can ensure you have all the necessary information before filling in the online survey. You may need to request some of the information from your school principal or business manager. Each school board sets the voluntary contribution amount and this is not confidential. If you have trouble getting the information, please contact us.
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Single use plastics
The ACT Government is proposing banning more single use plastic items including plastic plates, bowls and takeaway containers. Given the impact this might have for your canteen, you may wish to make a quick submission or let us know what you think. Find out more or submit feedback here.
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Canteen day - November 4
Celebrate your staff and volunteers on Canteen Day, Friday 4 November!
Canteens contribute to a healthy food environment for our children at school. They juggle food safety and nutrition guidelines, whilst providing a low-cost service to families. Canteen Day is a day to thank canteen staff and volunteers, to help them feel valued, appreciated and inspired.
The ACT Nutrition Support Service have created a pile of great resources to help you celebrate - images for social media, posters and newsletter template. There's even a colouring-in sheet for the kids to decorate and hand to canteen staff to say thanks.
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Do you have the best recipe?
 As part of Canteen Day, the ACT Nutrition Support Service are looking for Canberra's Best Canteen Recipe! What a great way to celebrate and showcase the wonderful food our children can access at school!
The winner will receive a $500 Sauvage Urbain Gift Voucher!
Find out more and enter here.
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Job opportunities
The Healthy Kids Association - who run many canteens in Canberra - are looking for Canteen Managers. They currently have four positions vacant, three at 35 hours per week and one up to 27 hours a week. If you are interested, contact David Power, their Chief Executive Officer.
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Special lunches
 Whether your P&C runs a canteen or not, special lunch days are a highlight for families and a handy fundraiser.
In this article, we share tips and ideas from the expertise in our Canteen Subcommittee on how to make the day a success – and keep it healthy.
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COVID-disrupting learning
 At the beginning of last term we ran a parent survey about current concerns and COVID-related disruptions to schools. It is clear that here are significant levels of concern about children's learning, wellbeing and the lack of certainty of school arrangements. Almost everyone surveyed experienced some COVID-related disruption. Over 80% of parents surveyed were concerned about learning gaps caused by the effects of COVID disruptions over the past few years.
We have shared these results with the ACT Education Minister and senior staff at the Education Directorate. We have requested a system-wide approach to identifying learning gaps and helping students catch up on what they have missed.
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Student reports
You may have heard or read Council voicing parent views in the media recently on how much parents value teacher comments on student reports and that many parents are disappointed to see these removed as a teacher workload-reduction measure. While Council - and many parents - back the need to support teachers, we're concerned it is a loss of valuable information at a time when parents are particularly concerned about their children's learning, and may not actually reduce teacher workload as the number of enquiries from parents could increase without it.
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October General Meeting & Policy Conference
Come along to our next meeting to discuss the tricky area of mobile phones, and the current state of play of languages education ACT public schools.
The policy conference will consider Council's policy on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories & Cultures Education, and a forward look at other Council policies to be updated.
It's online, Tuesday 25 October (Week 3), 7-9pm. Register here to receive the Zoom link:
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Early Learning Subcommittee Meeting
Our next Early Learning Subcommittee meeting is on Thursday, 27 October (Week 3) from 7:30-8:30pm. Register here.
We will be discussing:
- Children’s Week Grant feedback: did your school win a grant?
- Preschool fairs and partnering with schools: how small events can have big impacts
- Preschool/kinder happenings: what’s working, what's not.
- Early learning and play resources
Council's Early Learning Committee provides a forum for parent associations, parents and stakeholders in ACT public schools, supporting parents and carers to engage with their child's schooling in the early years.
For more information contact earlylearning@actparents.org.au
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Upcoming events
- Free member training: Grant Writing Workshop (see above), TONIGHT, 7pm.
- Council General Meeting, Tuesday 25 October, 7pm (Week 3). Register.
- Early Learning Subcommittee Meeting, Thursday 27 October, 7pm (Week 3). Register
- Free member training: Financial Review Training (see above), Thursday 3 November, 7pm.
- Free member help session: Drop in Q&A. Friday 4 November (Week 4), 1- 2pm.
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Anti-poverty week
As part of the ACT’s Anti-Poverty Week, ACTCOSS are holding a Youth Art Competition. Entries are now open for themed artworks until Sunday 16th October.
Anti-poverty Week is all about supporting the community to understand poverty and take collective action to end it. In 2022, the aim of the week (16-22 October) is calling on Australian Parliamentarians to commit to halving child poverty by 2030.
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Parent Webinar: preparing for work
Today’s world of work is characterised by career uncertainties and increased competition, which requires responsive strategies in preparing young people for study-to-work transition. This myfuture webinar: Preparing to transition into work and lifelong learning highlights the importance of promoting and developing your child's information-seeking capacity, to better prepare them for study-to-work transition and lifelong learning. It's on Tuesday 22 November at 4pm.
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