The AGM is over and you find yourself on the P&C executive committee. So, now what? Here's a checklist to get you started.

Remember to let us know who your new committee is so that we can help you - our members - throughout the year. Simply complete our online Office Bearer's Form.

And sign up for one of our Free training sessions for information and resources to help you in your new role (see below).

As well as our usual Effective P&C Workshop and Treasurer training, this year we running a new workshop focusing on your constitution and amendments. The sessions are free and refreshments are provided. Contact us to book your place in any session.

• Effective P&C Workshop: Covering ways to improve how your association works, recruiting volunteers, fundraising, improving meetings and the P&C as an employer, this workshop is for new and continuing P&C officers alike. Plenty of time is allowed for your questions. Thursday March 30 at 6:30pm or Saturday April 1 at  2pm. Details here.
• Treasurers' and Insurance Workshop: We will provide information and answer questions on keeping financial records, annual reports, audits, employing staff, handling monies, taxation and insurance. All treasurers are strongly encouraged to attend. Thursday April 6 at 7pm.  Details here.
• P&C Constitution Workshop: This hands-on workshop is designed to help P&Cs review, rewrite or amend their constitutions. We’ll look at the model rules, the Associations Act, a sample P&C constitution and the process of passing an amended constitution through your P&C. Thursday May 4 at 7pm. Details here.

Our next General Meeting will begin with a presentation from Natalie Howson, the Director General of the Education Directorate, on future challenges for ACT education and parent participation. Natalie is warm and approachable and this is a great opportunity to ask questions or make your point of view known. 

The meeting is also a 'Hot Topics' meeting where there is time to discuss in depth any pressing issues in schools and for P&Cs. We'll also be looking at topics to take to the ACT Education Minister in our next meeting with her. Everyone is welcome, 7pm March 28, at 51 Fremantle Drive, Stirling.

To avoid all school BBQs necessarily being a 'red' food event, and comply with ACT School Food and Drink Guidelines, many P&C are keen to source sausages that are healthy enough to qualify as 'amber' according to the traffic light system of categorising foods. Now, an amber sausage has been found! - Peppercorn's Extra Lean Sausages which are available at most Woolworths stores. The ACT Nutrition Support Service has confirmed their 'amber' status to Council. Unfortunately, they are expensive -  $17.70/kg recently.

Is your P&C registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)? (If you are not sure, see this FAQ). A free webinar on March 21 will help P&C’s understand their relationship with the ACNC as a registered charity and is a great opportunity for newly elected committee members to learn about their P&C’s obligations.

ACT Health are holding information sessions for food businesses (including canteens) on food safety and common ways that businesses fail to comply with regulations. Public Health Officers will be present to clarify the requirements. It's on Tuesday March 28 from 7.30am to 9am in Holder. Book your attendance and get details by email or phone - 6205 4368.

If you were not able to make our last General Meeting, you can catch up with what happened in the meeting summary.  The night included a presentation on avoiding RSI in children, which you can now view online.

March 17 is National Ride2School Day - a great excuse to reduce school traffic and encourage kids and parents to walk to school. Registered schools receive updates, ideas, support and free stuff to help make it a day to remember.

This year, for the first time, the National Day is part of a week-long local event to get Canberrans walking. Canberra Walk and Ride Week even has its own App!

 
Like all school-age students, children on the autism spectrum benefit from strong, positive relationships between the home and school. Positive Partnerships uses evidence based materials and practical resources to help support these relationships by facilitating workshops for parents and carers. This workshop is on Tuesday 2 May - register here.

 
SEE-Change invites all ACT schools to register for the 2017 Parliament of Youth on Sustainability. This is the chance for students from kindergarten to year 12 to have their say about how we should reduce Canberra’s ecological footprint and create a more sustainable city. At the one-day student Parliament in May, student teams will present their proposals to Canberra's politicians.

 
Our national counterpart - ACSSO, the Australian Council of State School Organisations - can keep you up to date with education news of a National scale. You can sign up for their regular email newsletter on their website.

 
If your role with the P&C or Council is ending and you no longer wish to receive this fortnightly bulletin, you can unsubscribe, or change your details, using the links at the very end of each bulletin. Please take the time to do this, rather than confining us to "junk" (this gives us a bad 'reputation' and causes us technical headaches).

 
Enjoy a fun family outing while supporting kids with special needs at Woden School's Brick Expo this weekend - March 18 and 19.