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 Welcome back
A massive welcome back to all the wonderful P&C volunteers!
P&C Council is here to help you, so if you have any questions, please contact us any time.
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Help with your AGM
It's time for your Annual General Meeting and we have all the info, tips and templates you'll need to make preparing and running your AGM clear and simple.
Your P&C’s constitution will specify where and when the AGM should be held and also how much notice you are required to give members.
✅ Work through our AGM preparation checklist. The checklist has links to help on each task.
🔍 Check out our AGM Info Sheet to find out what it's all about.
We also have templates for your AGM agenda, minutes, nomination and declaration forms, and AGM reports.
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Leaving? Don't take your wisdom with you!
Are you leaving your role on the P&C?
Don't take all your expertise with you!
Jot down your accumulated wisdom in some hand-over notes!
We have some template notes to get you started - just add your association-specific details and pass on to new office bearers. We have templates for the role of President, Secretary and Treasurer.
If you no longer wish to receive these bulletins, please hit 'unsubscribe' at the end of this email.
Finally, thanks for all you have done for your school and community as part of your P&C!
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Growing your P&C
 Now is a great time to reach out to parents and let them know the opportunities your P&C offers to be involved with the school & community, to make new friends and make an impact at your school.
We have lots of ideas and resources to help you promote your P&C, including great graphics, template brochures, and inspiration from what other P&Cs have been doing.
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Welcoming new families
 How does your school welcome new families? And can the P&C be part of that?
Now is a great time to have a chat to your principal, especially as schools reopen after COVID, about how new families will be welcomed, and how the P&C might enrich that. Your school might hold a welcome picnic or BBQ, perhaps a morning tea or parent info night. The P&C could add some touches:
- A small gift for families - like a little bottle of bubble mixture labelled ‘We’re BUBBLING with excitement that you've joined our school’.
- P&C table with info about what you do and little ways to get involved.
- Add a big bowl of mints and a sign saying ‘Thank you for your commit-‘mint’, involve-‘mint’ or encourage-‘mint’ in your child’s education' or 'Here’s a little something for your enjoy-‘mint’'.
- Provide some brochures about your P&C (see our templates)
- Popcorn idea (as pictured) - find it here, with printable tag!
- A chalk walk is a lovely first-day touch.
We find a small gesture can go a long way!
Check out this article with welcome ideas from our own P&Cs.
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Reducing red tape?
The ACT Government has set up a Better Regulation Taskforce and one of the areas it will be investigating are changes for Incorporated Associations (like P&Cs!) Your P&C may have got a letter about this.
This is a great opportunity to ask for changes to regulations which will make it easier for P&Cs. So, over the next month or two, we'll be consulting with our member P&Cs to see what would help, and brainstorming solutions. Keep and eye out here, and come along to our February General Meeting (see below) to contribute your experience and ideas and have your say (we hope to have a representative from Access Canberra to hear feedback directly).
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If you employ staff
NEW! Paid family and domestic violence leave
Employers are required to provide paid family and domestic violence leave from:
- 1 February 2023 (15 employees or more) or
- 1 August 2023 (less than 15 employees as at 1 February 2023).
All employees (full time, part-time and casual) can access 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave in a 12-month period. This leave will not accumulate from year to year and will not be pro-rated for casual and part-time employees. Following the implementation dates above, family and domestic violence leave will renew on an employee's start date. Employees needing family and domestic violence leave prior to these implementation dates are entitled to 5 days of unpaid leave. Employees can take this paid leave to deal with the impact of family and domestic violence, such as
- making arrangements for their safety, or the safety of a close relative (including relocation)
- attending court hearings
- accessing police services
- attending counselling
- attending appointments with medical, financial or legal professionals.
From 1 February 2023, to reduce risk to an employee's safety, pay slips must not mention family and domestic violence leave taken or balances. However, employers are still required to keep records of employees' leave taken and balances.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has a helpful guide with examples.
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Parent Representatives needed!
Council has a few vacant Parent Representative rolls. If you're interested in having input by being one of these reps, please email us.
ACT Council of Social Services (ACTCOSS)
Council is an organisation member of ACTCOSS. The representative has the opportunity to attend relevant meetings on behalf of Council such at the AGM and conference, and receive regular updates on ACTCOSS’s advocacy work.
ACT Animal Ethics Committee
This Committee:
- provides advice to the Directorate on plans and policies that may affect the welfare of animals used by the Directorate for scientific or teaching purposes
- monitors and maintains records of the care and use of animals in schools in the ACT
- considers requests from schools to care for and keep animals and conducts ongoing monitoring of requests that have been approved.
- undertakes at least four school inspections each year.
- meets at least four times a year (usually online and in week 9 of each school term)
- details here.
To fill this role, you must not be employed by/associated with the ACT Education Directorate. You must never have been involved in the use of animals in scientific or teaching activities.
Community Radio 2XX
Council fills the education representative position on the 2XX Board. 2XX is a not-for-profit community radio station and the Council rep would participate in regular Board meetings, contribute to the governance of the station, and contribute the voice of parents’ views on the ACT education system.
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Buses
We've been talking to Transport Canberra about the new bus timetable due to start on January 30.
We've been able to feedback on some problems the new timetable creates for journeys to public school. We are continuing to collate issues, so please contact us by February 2. At the end of this bulletin, there's an item about this that you can share with families.
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New meeting schedule!
We are changing the scheduling pattern of our General Meetings to make them more predictable in relation to the school term. Hopefully this will make it easier to avoid clashes with your own P&C meetings so that delegates can attend both. 🙂
Our General Meetings will be held on a Tuesday evening in Week 4 and Week 9 of each term (except no Week 9 in Term 4!)
We expect that they will continue to be online.
Our Executive Committee Meetings will be held on Thursdays in Weeks 2 and 7.
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February General Meeting
We'd love to see you at our first General Meeting for 2023!
It's on Tuesday February 21 (Week 4), from 7pm. Register for the Zoom meeting.
We've got a couple of vacancies to fill (see above for representative positions) and some advice for a great year to share.
We are also looking for your P&C experience and ideas to provide key feedback on reducing the regulatory burdens of Incorporated Associations. We hope to have a representative from Access Canberra to hear feedback directly.
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Upcoming events
- Executive Meeting, Thursday February 9 (Week 2) 7pm.
- Council General Meeting, Tuesday 21 February, 7pm (Week 4). Register. All welcome.
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For parents & carers
Please feel free to share with your school community!
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Your bus to school may have changed
 There's a new bus timetable in force from January 30, so timings for your bus to school may have changed.
You can check your timetable here or use the Journey Planner with the date set to after January 30.
There are also some new or improved dedicated school buses.
The P&C Council would like to know of any problems this creates for journeys to public school, so we can pass it on to Transport Canberra. Simply contact us with the details. (Email contact@actparents.org.au)
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Take care in school zones
 The start of the school year is a particularly busy time in our school carparks and surrounding streets. To help keep students safe, always drive and park safely and legally.
Access Canberra has notified us that mobile speed and parking vans will operate in school zones.
In addition to sticking to the speed limit, remember to park safely – including not parking across pedestrian crossings, in no stopping zones, on corners, verges and double parking. Unsafe and illegal parking can make it hard for students and motorists to see each other.
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