P&C

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Welcome back for 2023!

We hope that you have returned from the summer break refreshed and ready for a big year ahead!

Your WACSSO team of Councillors and staff has been hard at work refreshing resources, providing advice, and gearing up for our two main annual events: P&C Day WA and Conference

By now, you would have received your 2023 P&C Handbook This publication is your go-to resource for all essential information on how to run your P&C, the deadlines, and responsibilities to be aware of, useful contacts that you can reach out to for help, and policies, forms and checklists that will come in handy over the year If you are new to the P&C or have come up against a new challenge this year, check the Handbook to see if it can help you The Handbook should be used in conjunction with the P&C Constitution, as your two essential resources

We have been receiving a higher-than-normal volume of calls and emails into the office, and the theme of the questions has consistently been about recruiting and retaining volunteers

To help P&Cs with this topic, we created a new page on our website that provides advice and suggestions specifically on this topic

What's Inside

President's Pen

We’ve also been asked about the rules relating to whether a P&C can run without all Office Bearer spots filled You can still operate with an office bearer position vacant as long as there is a genuine intent to fill the role eg: advertise in P&C & School Newsletters, Facebook page, School Apps, emails, wherever possible at all opportunities and on the Agenda for all future meetings until the position is filled At every meeting, nominations must be sought for vacant positions

Operating with more than one office bearer position vacant will prove difficult due to signatories approving events and approving funding requests

If, for example, a P&C had the positions of Secretary and Treasurer vacant, it would be incredibly difficult to operate effectively and constitutionally Finally, if the Executive team are the canteen employers, you should notify the canteen staff of any temporary reporting structure as required

Looking at the year ahead, we are VERY excited about both P&C Day WA on May 19 and WACSSO Conference 2023 on August 19-20

Message from the Minister

Good news stories from Mukinbudin District School and Esperance Primary School

2022 Contributions Survey Results

Update on the National Schools Chaplaincy Program

Tips to tackle food waste from OzHarvest

P&C Day WA is the perfect opportunity to reflect on your achievements as a group and we will be working with the Department of Education to encourage all schools to recognise and celebrate their P&Cs on this special day

Conference 2023 has the theme of ‘Yours, Mine, Ours – taking collective care of our children’ and will focus on how we can come together to ensure the children in our care have the best school experience possible

We can’t wait to get stuck into this year with our affiliates Please keep contacting us with your questions, and don’t forget to sign up for training sessions if you need to brush up on your skills in certain areas and communities as first educators, sharers of culture and knowledge; and recognise the value this learning holds for children and young people