Council Communicator: DATE 2014

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October 29, 2014

Canteen tips and resources

More useful resources for P&Cs running canteens are now linked from our canteen support page, including:

a pay rate calculator from the Fair Work Ombudsman
amber/red food calculator from Health Kids Association

Remember that your canteen is now a member of the Healthy Kids Association and should receive their magazine which, this term, has great green food ideas, including:

Serve dip with sticks: a scoop of dip in a cup with a selection of vegetable pieces.
Make pink sorbet by blending semi-frozen watermelon and serve it in a cup.

Council Annual Report

Our Annual Report to members is now available for you to peruse ahead of our AGM (annual General Meeting) on November 25.

Council's ideas for the ACT budget

Our submission for the ACT Government's 2015-16 budget is available on the new submissions page of our website. We included many great ideas for funding brought to our regular meetings - from the need for money to employ teacher librarians and maintain 15 hours a week of preschool, to a request for funding for online learning aids such as ‘Mathletics’ and ‘Reading Eggs’ in all public schools. Thank you to all who contributed.

NDIS service providers

The ACT Government has announced the private providers of NDIS services for next year.
Parents can meet the new providers at an Open Day on Monday 17 November (1–6pm) at the Hedley Beare Centre, 51 Fremantle Drive, Stirling

Community Education Forum

Companion House and Council have teamed up to host a forum for migrant and refugee families to share knowledge and support education. All are welcome to participate in this annual information exchange between schools, parent groups, teacher and newly formed communities in the ACT.

The free forum will run from 6 - 8:30pm on Wednesday November 12 at the Cook community hub (41 Templeton Street). Call 6251 4550 for more information.

Parent Engagement sessions

ARACY, the group appointed to research parent engagement in schooling in the ACT would like to talk to parents in focus groups. The sessions are at 7pm on Thursday November 6 at the Centre for Teaching and Learning in Stirling. Contact ARACY for more details.

Education in the news

Did you hear that NAPLAN will become an online test in 2016? Or that research has shown that private schools are not better than public ones?

Drug information resources

The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre has developed a package of resource booklets on illicit drugs for secondary school students, parents and teachers. The booklets enable parents and teachers to provide credible evidence-based information to students, and provide students with accurate information on illicit drugs and ways to prevent harm and make informed choices. The booklets will arrive in schools this term and are also available online.

Scholarships for senior students

Applications are now open for the following scholarships:

Harding Miller Foundation Scholarships for female high school students experiencing hardship
Walter and Eliza Hall Trust Opportunity Scholarship for students with a physical disability who are financially disadvantaged and heading to university next year.

Australian Vocational Student Prize

Year 12 students completing a Vocational Education and Training (VET) program or an Australian School-based Apprenticeship can now be nominated for an Australian Vocational Student Prize, awarded to those displaying outstanding skills. Nominations are due by Friday November 28.

National Recycling Week

Planet Ark's National Recycling Week runs from 10-16 November. There is a suite of learning resources for the week which are aligned with the Australian Curriculum and designed for students to learn by doing and having fun.

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Our mailing address is:
ACT P&C Council
Sports House
100 Maitland Street
HACKETT ACT 2602
Australia

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