SPPS P&C Activity Report 2021:
Well, in spite of COVID19 ambushing many of our grand plans last year, I’m pleased that we still managed to move forward this year and get plenty done.
I hope that you find the following report of interest.
Sincerely, Kate Hafey, President, St Peters Public School P&C Association.
P&C facilitates change, progress and community engagement where we see the need. We help to shape the school to cater to the needs of its community, and to make a real difference for students and their future.
Your P&C team for 2021:
• Office bearers: Kate Hafey (President), Julie Thomas (Vice President), Belinda Doley and Deena Ramadan, (shared Secretary role), Emily Davis (Treasurer).
• Additional executive members: Alli Crawford, Alana Freeburn, Vanessa Freiinger, Nathalie Garcia, Kelly Howson.
Subcommittees:
• Canteen: Belinda Doley, Ben O’Donnell
• Fundraising: Belinda Doley, Vanessa Freiinger, Nathalie Garcia, Kate Hafey, Kelly Johansen Howson, Belinda McLean, Deena Ramadan, Trish Rowling
• Grants: Yolanda Beatson, Alana Freeburn, Kate Hafey
• Music: Belinda Doley, Ben O’Donnell
Working parties:
• Reconciliation: Alana Freeburn, Kate Hafey, Deena Ramadan, Belinda Rickerby.
• School uniform: Alana Freeburn, Sarina Kilham , Noa Peer
Click here for President's Annual Report Summary
Grants won during 2021:
• CBP2021 Grant: $52,673 to fund a learning circle with presentation space and break-out circles.
• Volunteers Grant: $5,000 to fund equipment and resources that support the work of volunteers
• National Tree Day Grant: $150 to fund tree stock for school campus
Some examples of funds granted to school during 2021:
• Student bursary
• Smart Board replacement
• 20 Chromebooks
• Art equipment
• Year 6 farewell cupcakes and decorations
• P&C Gold award prize
Events complete during2021:
• Sun 28th March: Working Bee
• Fri 7th May: Mother's Day stall and raffle
• Wed 12th May: Cross Country BBQ
• Fri 14th May: Welcome BBQ breakfast
• Wed 23rd June: 2nd-hand uniform sale
• Sat 9th Nov: Virtual Trivia Night
• Wed 24th Nov: 2nd-hand uniform sale
• Sun 5th Dec: Xmas tree sale, St Peters Street carpark
• Mon 10th Dec: Official opening of new carpark fencing
• Thu 16th Dec: Festive Raffle
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SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
CANTEEN
Lunch orders:
During 2021, Botany Bites increased it's provision of lunch service to five days per week. This has been well-received and is expected to continue.
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Icy poles:
Friday icy poles remain popular and continued until COVID-19 put yet another stop to service. Whenever it cranks up again, remember your dollar coins* on Fridays to avoid disappointment...
*Australian coins only please – we can't accept overseas currency, bank will not honour foreign coins, which means less money goes into P&C account, waaah! (There's even a timezone token in the rejects bag).
Next year, pending advice on when we can begin sales again, you'll also be able pre-pay per term for icy poles via our Square on-line shop...
Thank you to all the volunteers who took turns each week to dispense icy poles – you turned their Friday into Friyay!
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FUNDRAISING
Second-hand uniform sales:
We held a few sales during the year and it was great to be able to pass on pre-loved items to new families at reasonable prices.
On-line shop: Second-hand items are also available on-line now!
Keep checking the shop to catch some bargains.
Donations welcome: If you have items to donate, please leave at the School Office, remember to mark your bag or box clearly (eg. "uniforms for P&C") to avoid confusion. All proceeds go back into supporting the school.
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1881-2021 – 140th Year Anniversary of St Peters Public School:
Sadly, we were unable to proceed with anniversary celebrations due to COVID-19.
• Seeking school memorabilia: do you have relevant photo's, documents, records of oral history, a story to tell about the school or local area, etc. that you believe might be of interest for the anniversary?
If you are happy for items to be copied, shared and displayed at the school, please email stpeterspandc@gmail.com or contact Kate on 0421 33 7170.
• Seeking alumni: if you (or know someone is) are a past student or staff member, or have a history with the school, please email stpeterspandc@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list, so that you can receive updates about potential reunion activities.
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Hillview Farms Fundraiser:
Hillview Farms is an Australian owned family business dedicated to sustainable farming. Located in Leichhardt providing home delivery of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, charcuterie and many more fine foods free of synthetic chemicals direct from their farms to your table.
They have now set us up as a donation option in their on-line checkout, You simply place your grocery order online at hillviewfarms.com.au, then select 'St Peters Public School' from the drop-down list at check-out.
5% of the sale will be allocated as a donation for our school. Each time those donations from sales reach a balance of $250, the funds will be transferred to our account.
Please share with your family and friends and ask them to support St Peters Public School too!
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Cross Country carnival:
We enjoyed fine weather on the day, and P&C provided a BBQ lunch for students, staff and volunteers, in the central courtyard.
Our on-line pre-ordering system worked well, reducing cash-handling and paperwork, and kept queues moving fast.
Thank you to the volunteers who helped out with cooking, setting up, packing down and washing up – you helped the day run smoothly.
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Mother’s Day Gift Stall:
Lots of great donations were received, which meant that the kids had lots to choose from for their special big people. Thank you so much to all the families who contributed items.
Thank you to Leticia Lasala and Meri Aleksovski for your wonderful wrapping and assistance with the gift stall Friday.
Gifts FOR SALE:
Some gift items are still available for purchase on-line at www.sppspandc.org.au/store
We have a range of beautiful earrings, necklaces and bracelets available. There are some sets with earrings + necklace, and earrings + bracelet.
Plus, some cute coin purses, scarves and more...
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Our new Raffelink account enabled families to purchase tickets online and saved P&C a whole lot of work.
Thank you to all who supported us by buying tickets.
A massive THANK YOU! to the wonderful prize donors:
• Priceline Marrickville Metro
Our SPPS community is invited to please support our generous donors, who have kindly supported the school, by patronising their businesses and organisations where possible
– please drop in for a visit and check out their products and services.
Kitchen Queen stock a great range of homewares and gifts for every occasion. We can help you find the perfect gifts for loved ones, or products you can love yourself. We stock products that make kitchen chores a pleasure and entertaining a breeze.
Eco-conscious personalised gifts and decorations – ready-made or customisable, handmade items and more. Plus, unique function planning to make your special day outstanding and memorable. https://www.facebook.com/LoveforDetailCreations Shop 1 / 60 Earlwood Avenue, Earlwood"
Stocking a great range of magazines, greeting cards and gift ideas too. Stationery, paper products and packaging for all of your office needs. Large range of toys, games and souvenirs. Come on in and be surprised by our range.
For the woman who values beauty, individuality and fine workmanship. Each creation is a bespoke, unique and timeless piece that reflects the spirit of the wearer and their personal style – Nicole Winkler can create your future family heirloom.
Priceline is dedicated to helping women look good, live well and feel great. We have a vision to be Australia's leading health, beauty and wellbeing retailer, and we're on the right track. Why is Priceline a cut above the rest? Because in our 400+ stores nationwide, we're dedicated to being first with beauty trends, specialist advice and the best prices
Ladies' clothing, shoes, handbags, scarves and ponchos
One of the nicest ways to express a personal message is to "SAY IT WITH FLOWERS". So whether you are looking for a birthday, anniversary, congratulations, sympathy or romance gift, give the gift of fresh flowers from Sunset Flowers – your specialised accredited florist.
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Greeting card fundraiser:
In collaboration with the students and the school, P&C commissioned gorgeous art cards featuring student artwork.
These works were then printed and collated into packs of beautiful greeting cards for families to purchase.
Thank you to Belinda Rickerby for organising and to Dianne Thompson for co-ordinating the student artworks!
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Trivia Night:
A great solution in the face of a COVID-19, our online Trivia Night was full of fun and laughs.
Hosted via Zoom by The Trivia Mafia, this event let the school community have a virtual catch-up, with teams working together in Zoom breakout rooms to refine answers to the trivia questions.
Thank you to the General Gordon Hotel, Liquor Emporium, and the Marrickville Metro for donating some prizes.
Thank you to Deena Ramadan for organising!
Our SPPS community is invited to please support our generous donors, who have kindly supported the school, by patronising their businesses and organisations where possible
– please drop in for a visit and check out their products and services.
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Xmas tree sale:
Once again, we held our annual Christmas tree fundraiser. Trees, tree stands, and festive puddings and cakes were purchased on-line and collected from the school on the day of delivery.
We also had some gift items, hand-made planters, and a selection of potted plants for sale.
A big thank you to Glenn Stevens for bringing us a gazebo when the storm hit.
We still have some PREMIUM tree stands for sale on-line @ $35 each.
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Festive Raffle:
We had some great prizes for our on-line Festive Raffle, with the draw taking place on the last day of the school year.
Thank you to all who supported us by buying tickets.
A massive THANK YOU! to the wonderful prize donors:
• First Education, Mascot
• Hunter Candles, St Peters
• World Of Wheelcraft, St Peters
• Nextra News @ Marrickville Metro
Our SPPS community is invited to please support our generous donors, who have kindly supported the school, by patronising their businesses and organisations where possible
– please drop in for a visit and check out their products and services.
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OTHER EVENTS:
‘Walk to School Day’ / Welcome BBQ:
P&C provided a free BBQ during combined ‘Walk to School Day’ / Welcome for families / meet Helping Hands OSHC event on Friday 14th May (our previously scheduled Welcome BBQ had been postponed in Term 1, due to stormy weather).
Thank you to our great volunteers for cooking, setting up, packing down, and washing up. A big thanks to Kelly Howson for helping with both this event and the Cross Country BBQ in the same week.
The lovely Helping Hands OSHC team provided healthy fruit, cereal & milk options and were on hand to talk to families interested in the Helping Hands OSHC service.
While the morning was a bit chilly, we enjoyed clear weather and it was so great to see families back at school again.
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Working bee:
P&C held a Working Bee on Sunday 28th March. We had pleasant conditions for getting stuff done outdoors.
Thank you to all who gave their time to improve our beautiful school campus.
Our next Working Bee is on Sat 22nd & Sun 23rd Jan 2022.
– please click here to RSVP and get involved.
You can choose from the list of jobs or opt to be assigned a task when you arrive. Attend briefly or stay for the duration, according to your available time, skill or interest – any input is welcome.
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GRANTS
Volunteers Grant:
We have won a $5,000 DSS Volunteers Grant, to be used to fund resources that support the work of volunteers.
We have won this grant twice previously, and the funds have been very useful for replacing obsolete and unsafe equipment and acquiring many great resources such as pop-up gazebos for our fundraising events.
Thank you to our Federal Member (Grayndler) Anthony Albanese for supporting our application.
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National Tree Day Grant:
$150 from Planet Ark to fund tree stock for school campus.
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Community Building Partnership Grant:
SPPS P&C has been successful in several NSW Government ‘Community Building Partnership’ grant rounds to fund campus upgrades.
Our sincere thanks go to our State Member for Heffron Mr Ron Hoenig for his most kind support for our CBP grant applications; and to the NSW Government for funding these projects.
Proudly funded by the NSW Government
Total Works Value: $53,673 – project co-funded with contribution from SPPS P&C.
Works pending, completion anticipated for 2022
CBP2021 GRANT:
$52,673 to fund a learning circle with presentation space and break-out circles.
• Learning Circle – sandstone block seating, creating an outdoor classroom, utilising existing grade to create an amphitheatre
• Break-out circles – sandstone block seating clusters
• Presentation space – timber deck/stage presentation space
• New trees for shade
The informal learning space is based on an indigenous yarning circle. The Learning Circle will be part of our wider Reconciliation project, which also includes the planned addition of bush tucker edible plantings to our existing kitchen garden and ornamental beds with indigenous plantings.
This outdoor classroom, adjacent to our existing kitchen garden and native bee hive, will be a welcoming space to learn about aboriginal traditions, bush foods and sustainability.
Proudly funded by the NSW Government
Total Works Value: $213,000 – project co-funded with contributions from SPPS P&C; St Peters Public School; and the NSW Department of Education – School Infrastructure NSW '2020 Co-funded Metro Renewal Program'.
Works pending, completion March 2022
CBP2020 GRANT:
$80,000 for a multipurpose sports court with reversible basketball / netball towers; spectator seating; and supply of advanced trees to provide natural shade to site.
A multipurpose sports court integrates markings for many different sports onto the one playing surface. This allows for a number of different sports to be played on the one court, keeping it in use year-round.
The reversible basketball/netball towers have a basketball goal on one face, and a netball goal on the other, allowing for easy switching between game type.
Multi-purpose facilities are cost-effective, reducing infrastructure required to meet similar needs and increase sustainability. Enhanced, flexible facilities will expand the types of activities that can be offered on the site.
The space will improve access and participation for users with a disability and has been designed to be inclusive for those of our students with mobility challenges – allowing for smooth wheelchair access from the adjacent path onto the court.
Proudly funded by the NSW Government
Total Works Value: $71,180 – project co-funded with contributions from SPPS P&C; St Peters Public School; and the NSW Department of Education.
Works completed 2021
CBP2019 GRANT:
$34,700 for installation of fence to separate playing field from car park, including
lockable vehicle gates and lockable pedestrian gate, to improve user safety.
Our playing field is an attractive, green and spacious area used by a variety of different groups year round. The provision of barrier fencing between the playing field and the adjacent car park greatly enhances its’ safety for all users.
Key benefits:
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Reduces risk and danger to pedestrian users from intentional or accidental vehicle impact
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Prevents users from wandering and chasing sports balls from the playing field into car park and between vehicles
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Reduces damage to playing field, trees, paths and structures by vehicles
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Reduces general vandalism
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Reduces uninvited and unauthorised ingress to school grounds
Official opening of new fencing: State Member for Heffron Mr Ron Hoenig, SPPS P&C President Mrs Kate Hafey, SPPS Principal Mrs Rebecca Salter
Proudly funded by the NSW Government
Total Works Value: $25,670 – project co-funded with contribution from SPPS P&C.
Works completed 2019
CBP2018 GRANT:
$23,670 for installation of shade structure over playground area.
The shade structure provides a sheltered outdoor area for events and activities, with practical coverage from ultraviolet radiation without making it, or the adjacent school hall, too dark.
Our central quadrangle playground area was very hot and exposed for most of the day, especially during lunch and recess. The cement surface generated intense reflected light and radiant heat. Converting it to a sheltered outdoor space adjacent to the school hall greatly enhanced practicality and usability.
The space has been especially useful since the advent of COVID-19 and a marked increase in student enrolments. Many school activities such as assemblies and presentation day are now easily accommodated outdoors under the shade structure.
Official opening of new shade structure: State Member for Heffron Mr Ron Hoenig and SPPS P&C President Mrs Kate Hafey
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MUSIC
Our music student numbers are growing and they're sounding great.
Instrument pool:
P&C has recently purchased a number of instruments for hire to students. Greg Shapley will manage the hire process, details to be provided soon.
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COMMUNITY SAFETY:
40km/hr zone:
St Peters Public School P&C have requested a 40km/hr zone on Campbell St, to allow safe crossing to and from school for our students.
Transport for NSW have advised that this crossing doesn't meet criteria for approval of a 40km/hr zone, due to Campbell Street not being directly next to a school entrance. To support our case for TfNSW to reconsider our request, we need to gather information about how our school families travel to and from school
– WE INVITE YOU TO COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SURVEY:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdneY9fJQOfKRnm2y_tY5WwQzhK3quZlblmpYzhUT6fpAXyaA/viewform
For NSW Govt information on school zones, please see:
• roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/stayingsafe/schools/
• roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/stayingsafe/schools/flashinglights/faqs
• roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/stayingsafe/schools/authorities
Questions?: Contact 0421 33 7170 or stpeterspandc@gmail.com
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OTHER P&C INITIATIVES
Did you know that the P&C was the driver of the following initiatives at SPPS?
Ethics classes (since 2016):
Thank you so much to our volunteer ethics teachers, recruited and co-ordinated by Julie Thomas.
New volunteers are always welcome – no experience is necessary, and training and lesson plans are provided.
Training is a mixture of online modules and a 2-day course – all previous volunteers have found this training to be beneficial in many other life areas.
Ethics classes are on Tuesday mornings for 30 minutes per class, between 9–11am.
For more information about the programme, visit https://primaryethics.com.au/volunteer/
Please email stpeterspandc@gmail.com if you’re interested in joining the SPPS Ethics team.
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OSHC (since 2014):
Capacity increase: Helping Hands successfully applied to increase their daily student capacity from 45 to 60.
This is great news and gives HH greater flexibility to accommodate the out of school hours care needs of our growing SPPS community.
Gate security: To improve security and safety, Helping Hands are currently investigating modifications for the gate that opens from St Peters Street to the school hall entrance.
Questions?: Contact Clara Alzate, Helping Hands, 0409915708, stpeters@helpinghandsnetwork.com.au
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Native bee hive (installed 2016):
Our native bee hive is adjacent to the kitchen garden. We host a hive because bees are key to the success of any garden, especially one focused on food production.
There are over 1,500 species of Australian native bees, some are solitary and some are social (meaning that they live co-operatively in hives). The particular species of our hive is Tetragonula carbonaria (or ‘TC’) – a small, sting-less, social bee.
The hive is periodically "split". Splitting involves separating an established hive into two parts, so that a new hive can be established independently from the first. During the split, the health of the hive can be checked and some of the honey can be harvested.
Our next hive split is anticipated to be in November 2022 and we’ll be inviting the community once again to join in.
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SAKG Curriculum resources:
P&C donated Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation curriculum books to the school in 2017. These great resource books contain Department-approved curriculum plans and more.
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Kitchen Garden (installed 2017):
The long-term goal of the kitchen garden was originally a paddock-to-plate programme – with kids harvesting, cooking and sharing the produce.
Luckily, Kate Hafey won a $7,500 Toyota/National Tree Day prize in 2016 which paid for the installation of the kitchen garden (completed early 2017), with funds left over for ongoing maintenance, consumables, resources, etc.
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SAKG Membership:
P&C has funded annual 'Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation' membership for the school since 2017.
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Garden shed (installed 2018):
This shed and the shelving inside it was funded by the DSS Volunteers Grant 2016. We also gathered garden tools and other resources for class use and maintenance, all stored in the shed.
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Worm composting (installed 2020):
Kate also won a Subpod worm composting unit, which was installed in one of the kitchen garden beds in late 2020.
Each class has a container for collecting daily scraps, and food scraps from the student lunches and Helping Hands are being composted weekly.
The beautiful compost produced by the worms in the subpod can be used to help improve the soil in the garden beds.
A big THANK YOU! to Subpod for offering this great prize.
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Sustainable School Network Membership (since 2016):
We are a member of the Inner West Sustainable School Network (facilitated by Inner West Council Environment Office).
The IWSSN is a forum for school sustainability leaders to connect, share skills and learning resources, find opportunities, and inspire ideas for growing individual and collective action.
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Student bursary (since 2017):
This annual bursary is $1,500 to assist disadvantaged or in-crisis families to support their schooling needs; consisting of a $500 bursary for one student in need and $1,000 pool for ad-hoc support of students in need.
The bursary is not tied to any conditions/requirements of academic performance, aptitude or achievement. It is to be allocated quietly and discretely by the Principal, and the P&C does not need visibility of who is funded.
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Student Injury Insurance (since 2019):
P&C funds Student Injury Insurance for all students enrolled at SPPS
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Benefits and cover include: dental expenses, emergency transport, ambulance cover, bed care cover, clothing allowance, broken bones, non-medicare medical expenses, death benefit.
Please see https://www.sppspandc.org.au/studentinjuryinsurance for the policy PDS (Product Disclosure Statement), general information, FAQs, etc.
The policy is brokered through the P&C Federation's insurer Andrews Insurance Services.
Claims are to be lodged with the insurer, not to the school or SPPS P&C.
Please read the PDS carefully to understand what is and isn't covered. The policy does have limitations and there are different conditions and coverage regarding where the injury took place. Questions should be referred to the insurer.
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Second-hand uniform pool (since 2015):
P&C operates a second-hand uniform pool. Prices start from just $3 each and are almost all below half the cost of new items.
On-line shop: All second-hand stock is available to purchase on-line now!
Note that quality will not always match the fantasy of the photo's, they're indicative only to show the format of the items, not the state.
We do get new / newish items in good condition, but most items are in second-hand condition and you're welcome to inspect on appointment before you purchase.
Our stock of each item naturally goes up and down according to donations received – so keep checking the shop to catch some bargains, or send requests for any items and specific sizes you're seeking to stpeterspandc@gmail.com and we'll let you know if any turn up...
We also hold ad-hoc second-hand uniform sales at school throughout the year and during relevant school events.
Parents are also still welcome to post offers and negotiate sales on our original second-hand uniform exchange:
facebook.com/groups/StPetersPublicSchoolUniformExchange/
Donations welcome:
What to do with uniforms that no longer fit?
– please consider donating to our P&C second-hand uniform pool.
If you have items to donate, please leave at the School Office, remember to mark your bag or box clearly (eg. "uniforms for P&C") to avoid confusion. All donations welcome and any proceeds go back into supporting the school.
Thank you very much to Julie Thomas for all your hard work in the past to co-ordinate the sale of second-hand uniforms.
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WORKING PARTIES
• School uniform:
The P&C was invited by the school to consider the buy-out and running of the school’s uniform shop.
A working party was formed to review uniform sales. After careful review by our Uniform working party, it was decided that P&C did not want to take on this commitment. The P&C advised the school that it supported the school going to tender for a third-party to run the uniform shop.
Thank you to our working party members Alana Freeburn, Sarina Kilham and Noa Peer for your time on this review.
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Reconciliation:
Our aim is to create a Reconciliation space and bush foods garden. A designer has been commissioned to create a bush foods garden plan.
The recently awarded Learning Circle funding from the NSW Govt CBP Community Building Partnership grant will be adjacent to the garden.
Thank you to our working party members Alana Freeburn, Kate Hafey, Deena Ramadan, Belinda Rickerby
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MEMBERSHIP: Want to participate in decision-making that affects the quality of your child’s school experience?
Annual membership is $1 and you are recognised as a financial member after paying membership and attending one meeting.
Members agree to follow the P&C Constitution, by-laws, Code of Conduct and sub-committee rules.
You must be a member to vote at meetings, including the AGM, or to nominate yourself and others for Office Bearer positions.
Please click here to complete the membership form.
Your participation and contribution will be greatly appreciated, we look forward to welcoming you as a new member!
