Each year Council holds a Policy Conference to discuss changes to Council policy. Our policy is important because it represents the collective views of P&C associations throughout the ACT. We use it to guide the activities of Council and our parent representatives so that they can accurately voice the values and concerns of our members.

This year, the policy document has been updated and reorganised. Amendments are largely drawn from the previous edition, with updates to several policies to reflect current practices. You can read the draft updated version or check the table of policy amendments to see what changes are proposed, pending approval at the Policy Conference.

Make sure you are at the Policy Conference at our General Meeting time of 7pm on Tuesday October 25 at the Centre for Teaching and Learning in Stirling. Contact Maclaren Wall, Council's Policy Officer, if you have any questions.

Canteen Operations – have you got it Right? This workshop for P&C presidents, canteen subcommittee members and canteen managers will discuss the regulations for operating a canteen, essential record keeping and essentials for making a profit! It's run by Healthy Kids Association for Council. There will be a Q&A session as well, so come armed with your canteen questions. It's on Wednesday October 19 at Gorman Hall in Ainslie. Time to be confirmed - check the next issue of Communicator and keep an eye on your P&C inbox!

ATODA (the Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT) is running a community information forum Parents, Young People and Alcohol at four different venues next term.
 
•           Tuesday 11th Oct: UC High School Kaleen
•           Wednesday 12th Oct: Caroline Chisholm School
•           Tuesday 15th Nov: Canberra Grammar School
•           Wednesday 16th Nov: Emmaus Christian School
 
Find out more about alcohol use among secondary school students and the risk of harms, as well as what parents, carers and community members can do to in reduce harm. Strategies and useful resources will be provided on the night to assist parents, teachers and schools. The session will involve a 40-minute presentation by expert drug and alcohol trainer, Annie Bleeker, followed by an open forum for questions.
 
The event is free and all parents are welcome, but registration is required. Please feel free to share the event flyer with your school community. For further information contact Asmara Jammali-Blasi.

The Education Directorate has begun a three year program to implement the recommendations of the report on Students with Complex Needs and Challenging Behaviour.  To keep parents up to date with progress, they will hold Parent Forums once a term. The Term 3 forum is on Thursday September 15, repeated at two venues: 9:30-10:30am at UC High School Kaleen's Library, Baldwin Drive, and  5:50-6:30pm at the Centre for Teaching and Learning, Fremantle Drive, Stirling.

 
We strive to provide information of interest to all school parents in the Council Communicator. If you think any of the items above are of interest to parents at your school, please pass them on via your school newsletter or whatever other means you wish. We would be grateful if secondary schools could share the information above on the Act on Alcohol Forum.
 
We have a template page to make it easier for you to cut and paste items to submit to your school newsletter under the P&C Council banner if you wish.