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Restrictions ease
COVID restrictions are easing from Friday this week (13th), as detailed on the Education Directorate's page and including the following.
P&C meetings
Meetings will now be allowed on school sites!
Fundraising events
These events can now involve the community, including parents, to a maximum of 500 people (excluding students and staff), as long as the distancing restrictions of 4m2 per person indoors or 2 m2 per person outside can be met.
End of year events
Up to 500 people (excluding students and staff) can now be involved as long as the space requirements above can be met. However, we believe that further specific advice for these events is coming shortly which may allow even more participation and we continue to advocate strongly on parent/carer attendance at graduations.
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Handing over your role
It can be a relief to hand over your role on the P&C to someone else, but if you are looking forward to this next year, please do take a little time to jot down for the new person the things you wished you knew at the start! To make this as simple as possible, we have template files describing the job of President, Treasurer, and Secretary, ready for you to fill in the blanks and customise for your P&C.
Our research shows that getting a good handover is not so common in our P&Cs and really makes a difference to what kind of year the new person has.
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NAIDOC Week Colouring Competition
 ACT public school students have until next Friday (Nov 20) to join in with Council's NAIDOC Week colouring fun! Our wall of entries is starting to take shape!
There are Great Prizes to be won - including books and family passes to ACT attractions - in four age categories. How to Enter.
Huge thanks to the National Dinosaur Museum, Canberra Walk in Aviary, Canberra Reptile Zoo, National Museum, Woodland & Wetlands Trust and Cockington Green.
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Update: Disability Working Group
In response to feedback from parents and carers about challenges supporting students with disabilities in our schools this year, Council has reinvigorated our Disability Working Group (DWG). Instead of adopting a representative approach to membership, Council has opened membership up to all parents and carers of students with disabilities in ACT public schools and we have recently welcomed 21 new members. The DWG has already met once this year and facilitated three consultations for the Reviews of the Disability Standards for Education and the National Disability Strategy. The Group has highlighted a number of significant issues.
- Recent changes to the enrolment process for disability specific settings - how do we ensure students are allocated to the settings that meet their needs?
- How do parents and carers of students with disabilities want the Education Directorate to communicate with them?
- Parents and carers would like to know more about behaviour support plans and how they work
- School building designs and accessibility for students
- What is the status of the Student Resource Allocation (SRA) for disability funding?
- What does inclusion mean and look like in our schools?
- Potential changes to the special needs transport funding and operations.
The Group also outlined a number of issues to follow-up in future including:
- the Royal Commission into violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability
- mental health /trauma informed care
- school refusal and behaviour management
- violence in schools, occupational violence reviews, Building Strong and Safe Communities for Learning project
- Suspension, Exclusion and Transfer of Students in the ACT policy
- update on the implementation of the Schools for All report recommendations.
Council collates de-identified feedback, information and ideas from this group to inform our policies and advocacy for families of students with disabilities in ACT Schools. Lately, we have heard that suspensions of students with disabilities and/or complex and challenging behaviours have increased. We understand that this has had some devastating impacts on families and are currently advocating on this issue.
All ACT public school parents and carers of students with disabilities who agree to abide by the DWG terms of reference are welcome to join the Group - simply email us.
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Council AGM - meet the Education Minister
We are pleased to welcome Yvette Berry, MLA and ACT Minister for Education and Youth Affairs to speak to us at our Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 24 November (Week 7), from 7pm via Zoom. Everyone is welcome - simply email your intention to attend.
The AGM means elections, and P&C Council invites and welcomes nominations from new delegates/members to join our Executive Committee and also to represent us on a variety of interesting external committees and working groups. While many of the existing Executive will be renominating, we have current and future vacancies for new Executive ordinary members. Joining the Executive will open up a whole new world of experiences and knowledge for you and we can promise you an interesting and worthwhile time next year. Contact Terry for more information and find the nomination forms here.
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Upcoming events
- Executive Meeting, Tonight, 7pm start
- Financial review/audit workshop Tuesday 17 Nov - details and sign up here
- Annual General Meeting including address from the Education Minister (see above), 24 November, 7pm start via Zoom.
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 Can you run a fete online?
Latham P&C did!
Read all about their success in our recent article.
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You might be interested...
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Financial assistance for high schoolers
The ACT Government provides financial assistance of $750 to support low-income families with education expenses through the Secondary Bursary Scheme for students in years 7-10. Applications lodged by 30 November 2020 will be paid in February/March 2021.
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Autism Connect helpline
Autism Connect is Australia’s first national autism helpline. Delivered by Marymead Autism Centre in partnership with Amaze, the helpline provides free, evidence-based, and independent information, advice and referrals to help autistic people, their supporters and professionals. It is open 8am to 7pm, Monday to Friday (AEST) for calls - 1300 308 699 - email or webchat.
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Returning stolen bikes
Crime stoppers and ACT Policing have launched a free service - bikelinc - which helps return bike and scooters to their owners if stolen. We know that theft of bikes is a big issue for some P&Cs and parents.
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Zero Waste Festival
Following the success of last year's inaugural Zero Waste Festival, it is back with an even bigger festival program - and this year online! The Zero Waste Revolution team is thrilled to present a jam-packed festival program over 11 and 12 November. Highlights include free panel discussions, a presentation from gardener, wombat whisperer and waste wizard - Jackie French, and masterclasses on the practicalities of waste reduction.
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