P&C Voice Term 4 2022, Edition 2

P&C VOICE

That's a wrap!

2022 has been another hugely successful year for our P&Cs. We thank you for your tireless efforts in building your school community.

Included in this edition of P&C Voice are several Good News Stories from P&Cs around our State These stories capture some of the innovative and exciting initiatives happening around WA and we hope you enjoy reading them If your P&C has a Good News Story you would like to share for publication in 2023, please get in touch with us via communications@wacssowaeduau

For WACSSO, the end of the year has provided the opportunity to submit feedback to two important government initiatives: addressing the national teacher shortage and investigating school refusal Getting involved in advocacy initiatives and taking every opportunity to put forward the voice of parents is so important to the WACSSO purpose We were really pleased to see an extension of the funding to the Waterwise programs in schools a great example of how collective voices can champion outcomes If your school community has an issue they need help with, or a topic on which you would like WACSSO to advocate, we encourage you to get in touch to find out the different options available.

To the right, you can see the friendly faces of the WACSSO Executive, appointed at State Council 4. These State Councillors look forward to leading our committed team of Councillors and staff in 2023.

As we wrap up the year and reflect on the events and initiatives of 2022, we are proud of the contributions of P&Cs and of the work of WACSSO The results from our contribution survey will be available in the New Year; this survey always provides rich data that shows the collective impact of our committed P&Cs

We hope that all our wonderful P&C volunteers get a well deserved break over the summer It is the perfect time to switch off, reconnect with family and discover all the amazing things our State has to offer

The WACSSO offices will be closed from December 19 to January 20 inclusive We look forward to reconnecting with you in 2023

What's Inside

President's Pen Message from the Minister for Education and Training Good news stories from Onslow Primary, Albany Primary, Bremer Bay Primary, SELDC and John Curtin College P&Cs

Empties Day Fundraiser Gifts, Benefits and Hospitality Policy Information

The Western Australian Council of State School Organisations pays respect to First Nations people and Traditional Custodians throughout Australia, recognising their connection to land, waters and sky We acknowledge parents, families, Elders and communities as first educators, sharers of culture and knowledge; and recognise the value this learning holds for children and young people

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S PEN

Here we are at the close of 2022, looking forward to the holiday break, and I hope, looking back on a year that, although challenging, is one school communities can be proud of.

I wanted to give a special mention to the graduating students of 2022. What an extraordinary senior school experience you have had While we do not know each other personally, it is fair to say that every time a young person completes their schooling, the whole school community shares a sense of pride and hope for each now young adult. WACSSO State Council wish all school leavers exciting and successful life pathways We hope each challenge you face will be met with a sense of adventure and resilience To those families whose children are graduates, we know that a new layer of learning is about to begin Parents, your young adults will need support, love, and cheers from the sideline; to have dreams and to achieve them This is why parents and community members volunteer in schools because we know that education can have a critical influence and open a range of opportunities for children and young people to realise their potential

Well done to 'graduating' first time P&C Presidents and officer bearers. You made it! I hope your experience was rewarding, and as you reflect, you do so with a sense of accomplishment In any leadership role, you must invest in your own care; being busy does not always equate to being effective. P&C Presidents must be mindful of pacing how their teams and themselves operate Acknowledging the work contributions your P&C has made to the school community is very important and highlights the wonderful work you do. The P&C Contributions Survey is an essential tool used by WACSSO to collect data to showcase the invaluable work, and significant collective investment WA's P&Cs contribute to public education Secretaries and Treasurers, please check you have submitted your P&C's data. The collection time has been extended to December 31 Please contact the WACSSO office on 9264 4000 or your WACSSO State Councillor if you require assistance with this

State Council 4 held in September saw a new WACSSO Vice President Rob Fairholme Councillor for Joondalup East, and new Executive member Tony Osbourne, Councillor for Joondalup East, elected to the Executive Team. It is no small task to take on additional duties Volunteering at this level requires skills, time, passion and leadership You can meet the new Executive Team on the preceding page

I want to acknowledge the efforts of those who have stepped down Anne Fairbanks, Councillor for Perth South served as Vice President from 2015 2022 Serving on a volunteer organisation at this level is a significant achievement and, yes, at times, sacrifice. Anne's commitment and knowledge have been invaluable to WACSSO and affiliates Intelligent, measured, and compassionate are characteristics that I have respected, learned from, and leant upon. Anne is fearless in her advocacy for equity in education, especially for families of students living with disability Vivien Cantem, Councillor for Peel South supported WACSSO as an Executive member Viv is a connector Her skills across the different P&C social media platforms and her passion for supporting education support services see her respected by many affiliates Also stepping down before this year was a strong advocate for equity in rural and remote education, Vice President Tanya Gibson, Councillor for Wheatbelt North. And finally, at State Council 5, long serving councillor Leanne Ruston Councillor for North West, has retired from WACSSO Leanne was dedicated to pursuing fairness and justice in education She brought compassion and understanding to her roles, evidenced in her recognition as the EdConnect Pilbara Mentor of the Year, and was always ready to support her electorate State Council and staff wish Leanne all the best in her future endeavours

State Council was pleased to have Lisa Rodgers, Director General of Education, meet with Councillors at the recent Council meeting The DG shared the focus of the current Education Conversations across Western Australia Quality Teaching and the steps the Department is taking to support excellence in teaching practice were discussed. Pleasingly strong partnerships between families and schools continue to be of importance; genuine parent engagement is an area I speak to at every opportunity

Keep an eye out for the WACSSO spot survey about in term swimming lessons We are very keen to hear the voice of parents on this subject both the positive and negative aspects of experiences

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, thank you to all our P&C members Your efforts and work are meaningful and inspiring On behalf of WACSSO State Councillors and staff, we wish you all a safe and happy holiday season and look forward to seeing you in 2023!

Pania Turner, WACSSO President

Pania Turner

As we come to the end of the 2022 school year, I would like to acknowledge the support parents and carers have provided your schools this year

The last three years have brought significant challenges, none more so than the first half of this year Together, with your schools, you have navigated the challenges of the pandemic so that every child in Western Australia could continue to have the best chance to realise their potential. Thank you for all you have done

Making a real difference in the lives of students, and ensuring the best possible education outcomes for them, continues to be one of the McGowan Government’s top priorities.

Looking back over the last year, I am proud that we have put in place a range of initiatives to ensure that Western Australian students can continue to achieve their best, in the best possible learning environments This included additional funding to support the development of students' phonics skills from an early age, new school infrastructure and building improvements, and significant additional support for students with disability.

The Schools Clean Energy Technology Fund, which aims to boost the installation of clean energy solutions in WA public schools, and reduce energy costs and carbon emissions, delivered solar panels to 96 more schools. The Fund also provides STEM learning opportunities for students to gain new skills and understand the benefits of renewable energies and technologies

As part of our focus on STEM, it has been great to see the first of 135 primary school classrooms transformed into science labs

This year we also established the inaugural WA Student Council, with 38 students from across the State selected to represent the interest of their peers I am looking forward to working with them and hearing their points of view on important issues in education

I was also very pleased to announce that from Term 1, 2023 all public schools with Year 7 to 12 students will be provided with free period products Western Australia is also one of the first jurisdictions to act on embedding consent education into the curriculum. These changes to the health and physical education curriculum will take effect in schools from 2024, ensuring Western Australian students from Pre primary to Year 10 will be equipped with age appropriate knowledge and skills to understand the concept of consent and what healthy, respectful relationships look like

Thank you for your support and commitment to your local school it is key to making this important work a success

I would also like to congratulate all Year 12 students and their families for their achievements over the last 13 years in school No matter what our graduating students choose to do post school, I hope they enjoy this significant life milestone, and look forward to the exciting things that lie ahead.

They say the heart of every community is the local school, and that sense of shared purpose and connection is evident when I visit WA schools. I have travelled all over the State this year visiting schools and holding community forums, and it is great to see so many school communities go from strength to strength I especially love being able to celebrate milestones with school communities such as the recent 140th anniversary of Kelmscott Primary School the second oldest public school in the metropolitan area And on the other end of the spectrum, I look forward to opening four new primary schools in 2023 and seeing their school communities thrive.

Thank you for your continued support and I wish you all the very best for the remainder of Term 4 I hope you and your families all have a lovely break over the holidays, and a safe festive season.

The Hon Sue Ellery MLC Minister for Education

E D U C A T I O N A N D T R A I N I N G

T H E M I N I S T E R F O R

E S S A G E F R O M

The Hon Sue Ellery MLC

ONSLOW PRIMARY P&C 'BEST COMMUNITY GROUP'

On 17 September 2022, Onslow P&C were delighted and honoured to be recognised for their volunteering contributions and achievements at the annual Onslow Chamber of Commerce & Industry awards evening.

Previously awarded to organisations such as St John Ambulance, Waalitj Foundation and VSwans (Swan Districts Football Club), it was a thrill for their first application to be successful!

Although they are a small school in the Pilbara (approx 150 students / 100 families), their platform for submission was the achievements in partnership with Onslow School over the past 12 months, namely:

More than $57,000 of funds invested in school infrastructure or resources Collaborations with 11 corporate and government funding bodies

5 major projects completed 11 events / activities delivered to the school community

15% membership of school families

The local CCI provides valuable training, networking and support opportunities to not for profit / community group members which would otherwise be unavailable to our volunteer members

Onslow P&C encourages other P&Cs to explore this avenue for opportunities This award was also generously sponsored by Chevron Australia and will provide an end of year gratitude dinner for their volunteers, in addition to the recognition of the certificate and plaque.

Onslow Primary School is congratulated on its recognition by the Onslow Chamber of Commerce for contribution to community.

Members of the Executive committee receive the ‘Best local Community Group’ award in Onslow

Montage of Onslow School P&C activities

ALBANY PRIMARY SCHOOL 'YOUR MOVE' AWARDS

APS was a major winner in the biennial Your Move Awards, which recognize schools, workplaces and individuals across the state for their efforts to promote walking, bike riding and public transport use in the community.

They took out the Innovate Award, which recognized the way the school community came together to create our mountain bike track and the way it has encouraged more students to ride to school more often.

They were also winners of the School Team Award, which was a fantastic reward for the efforts of the Your Move Student Teams over the last two years, and the important active transport leadership role that they take on in the school Their Your Move teams conduct surveys, present at school assemblies, help out at special event days, and come up with ideas to keep encouraging students to walk, cycle or catch the bus to school

They were visited by the Minister for Transport, Rita Saffioti MLA last Thursday, who presented the award certificates and enjoyed seeing the bike track in action

The school's sustained efforts over the last 5 years has resulted in significant increases in students walking, riding or catching the bus to school In their most recent survey, 50% of students got to school by active transport which is their best result ever! In the last year alone, they have recorded 100 less students arriving at school by car

As well as the physical and mental health benefits for students, this also means decreased vehicle emissions and less traffic congestion around the school

The school’s active transport activities are largely driven by the P&C’s Sustainability Committee, which works closely with staff and students P&C members run the special event days such as National Ride to School Day, and coordinate WA Bike Month events They also work in partnership with school staff to run active transport challenges each term, and source additional funding opportunities

Albany Primary School was recently awarded not one, but two Your Move Awards, in recognition of the incredible work they have done encouraging walking, bike-riding and use of public transport.

Minister Saffioti MLA with representatives from the Your Move teams at Albany Primary School

REVISED GIFTS, BENEFITS AND HOSPITALITY POLICY

Earlier this Term, the Department of Education updated its Gifts, Benefits and Hospitality Policy. It is important that all parents understand the new regulations, especially as we make plans for 'thank you' events and gifts as the year closes.

The main points to bear in mind are the individual and group gift limit amounts

Where the total estimated value of a Gift of Appreciation is equal to or exceeds $500, the Gift of Appreciation should either be declined or approved to be retained by the school

Gifts of Appreciation valued above $100 can only be accepted if provided by a group of students, parents and/or carers and must be declared

In terms of alcohol, nothing over $50 may be given. In terms of gift cards, these must be for specific shops or services and cannot be debit or MasterCards, which are essentially equivalent to giving cash

We understand that all parents want to show appreciation for the amazing job done by teachers, so please ensure you familiarise yourself with the new regulations so teachers are able to accept and enjoy their gifts

For more information, visit here.

In WA, this time of year sees an increase in the buying and consumption of drinks that use 10¢ containers. Empties Day is a day where people are encouraged to visit their local Containers for Change refund point (there are over 260 across WA), return their "empties", and opt to donate their refund to one of the thousands of local charities and community groups registered with Containers for Change, or their local school or sporting club doing good for the environment, and their community

This year, Empties Day falls on Saturday 28 January

You can get involved in Empties Day by asking your school community to collect their empties and donate their funds to your member number giving you the chance to raise funds for your school even when school is out for the summer!

Containers for Change has provided a poster, email tile, flyer and social asset to help you spread the word before school breaks for the year.

Empties Day is a community celebration that falls at the end of the busy summer and festive period.

BREMER BAY CONTAINERS FOR CHANGE WINNERS

Bremer Bay Primary is located in a remote town, 200km one way from Albany, 500km one way from Perth. The school has 24 children, and the P&C has 7 members - all hard-working local parents, who are timepoor but passionate about the school, community, and their local kids.

The birth of their Containers for Change journey began with the vision of entrepreneurial Albany man, Paul Leonetti. When Paul heard about the scheme, he was inspired by the potential it had for small remote schools to raise their own funds Paul’s vision was to give the 6 Fitzgerald area schools the opportunity to be viable participants of the Containers for Change scheme

Due to the size of the Bremer Bay P&C, it is important to find low labour fundraising opportunities. Paul’s service of providing a free collection service, IBCs, bulka bags, and the necessary infrastructure meant the community group to begin its Containers for Change journey Additionally, the Leonettis were prepared to drive the 400km round trip to the Bremer Bay location to collect their containers as part of the service, meaning the fundraiser would be economically viable for the tiny school P&C.

The first pods were installed in Sept Oct 2020, and the donations began to trickle in. The P&C gained support from school parents and conscientious locals who wanted to help, but the results were limited. After the 2020 crowd swell over Christmas and New Year, the P&C watched as visitors flooded the beautiful town and beaches They wondered how they could capture the containers used by tourists before they ended up, quite often, in the ‘full to bursting’ shire green bins, destined for landfill Bremer Bay has a tiny permanent population of 350 people During the summer period, it swells to over 10,000. The P&C identified that it was time to get tactical.

Over the quiet season, the P&C began planning. The questions to address included:

How do they harness the huge number of containers consumed over the busy season?

How do they reduce the landfill this level of visitors creates?

How do they protect Bremer’s beautiful beaches and coastline?

How do they show their local kids how to be guardians of this beautiful town, whilst preserving and respecting the revenue this influx of people provides for our local businesses?

BREMER BAY CONTAINERS FOR CHANGE WINNERS

The P&C looked at the ‘pool ‘of potential container donators and began their campaign, starting with targetting local hospitality businesses where containers were purchased and consumed onsite The wonderful Bremer Bay Resort came on board collecting and donating through Leonetti’s refund point As more local businesses joined up, the Leonettis, set up each business collection point and added more picks ups to their growing ‘Bremer Run’.

The critical next step was the AMAZING GREEN BAGS! The P&C managed to procure around 50 purpose made Containers for Change bags These bags facilitated the next signature move, looking at the heavily used communal areas where containers are consumed (boat ramp, jetty, fish cleaning station, skate park, river mouth etc) and key areas they are disposed of (service stations, info bay, and, general store). The P&C began installing these bags, with signage, next to Shire provided landfill bins Boom! Overnight the scheme was the talking point of the town! December 2021 Jan 2022 was literally the P&Cs Summer of Cans! Not only did this increase collection totals overnight, but awareness for the scheme, reduction of landfill, visitor involvement and preservation of local beauty spots all followed

Finally came the birth of the “Drew Bag Stand”, designed and hand produced by one of Bremer Bay Primary’s passionate parents. It made the bin side collection service a ‘classy looking operation’. Local kids hand delivered green bags to camping tourists, early on New Year’s Day 2022, asking them, very politely, to pick their containers up, and put them into our bags. Amazingly, most obliged without complaint!

Bremer Bay P&C have now secured a supply of bags, which the kids have hand labelled with their Scheme ID They have also provided well signed, easy to access drop off points (open all hours) and have made it easy and convenient for tourists and locals to donate They even have their bags on the local Orca whale watching boats heading 50 kms out to the shelf With their refund point provider, Leonettis, offering free pick up on demand, and the amazing local community and business support, they have been able to raise a staggering amount ($20,000 in 2022) for such a tiny community group They are humbled by the support of the community and acknowledge they could not have achieved these results without them.

CELEBRATING DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE DISORDER AWARENESS DAY

In Perth, this year families, teachers, and speech pathologists came together for a picnic with the DLD Day organisers and the SELDC P&C to celebrate together at Burswood Park, which proved the perfect venue from which to enjoy activities as the sun went down and the Matagarup Bridge lit up

DLD is diagnosed when children fail to develop their own language for no obvious reason Diagnosis and access to funding is a complex process because DLD has no known biological cause DLD can affect both what children can understand and how they express themselves. A strong like between DLD and difficulties with literacy skills has also been established

DLD is a hidden disorder but very common. It is reported that approximately 2 children in every typical Australian classroom of 30 have been diagnosed with DLD Children with this disorder have difficulty understanding what people are saying to them, subsequently leading to problems following instructions and communicating. These challenges equate to daily struggles; from articulating their feelings and ideas, to writing, reading and basic social behaviour, along with establishing relationships with other peers.

Generally, DLD is an ongoing condition, affecting children into their adulthood

International DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) Awareness Day is celebrated around the world on 14 October. Around WA, iconic buildings and bridges were lit up in purple in recognition of the day.

JOHN CURTIN COLLEGE BUSH TUCKER GARDEN

John Curtin College of the Arts celebrated the opening of its Meearn Boodjah, or bush tucker garden, and the Dual Namings in Noongar for buildings and spaces on campus. earlier this term.

Representatives from the John Curtin College of the Arts P&C, along with other special guests, were invited to attend the official opening of Meearn Boodjah, the College’s bush tucker garden in the Year 9 quadrangle The event included a Welcome To Country, Smoking Ceremony, speeches and a dance performance

The P&C sourced funding of $5,000 to support this special Bush Tucker Garden Project through the Healthway Healthy Schools Grant Program

Planning for the project has been underway for four years, with much of the inspiration coming from a partnership between Jessica Sherrell, Senior Food Technologies teacher at the College, and Marissa Verma, from Bindi Bindi Dreaming Working together, the goal was to incorporate bush tucker ingredients and recipes into the curriculum for Food Technology students

The Bush Tucker Garden Project involved:

Food Technologies students, who were responsible for planting local bush tucker species Design Technologies students who designed and created the garden signage Workshops with Noongar Elders who informed students about the Noongar names for plants and the traditional usage of local plants

The BushTucker Garden Project has already had a hugely positive impact on the school community, an impact which is anticipated to continue. Outcomes include:

Building community connections and understanding of Noongar culture

Creation of a welcoming space for students Improved wellbeing of students Supporting learning in technologies classrooms

This long term, community driven project will continue to grow and develop over the coming years Ongoing collaboration is planned, including working with local community members to source grants, bringing in local knowledge and exposing the College community to some of the rich food cultures of the Whadjuk people of Walyalup

Also announced at the Bush Tucker event was the Dual Naming of school buildings and spaces, in recognition of Walyalup as a place of significance for Whadjuk Noongar people for 60,000 years