sponsors
small adds
Report AGM from the Chair of PACT
First, I' d dlike to thank all parents who have volunteered at Parents’ Association activities this year. We all make a difference in the lives of our children when we work together and it is great to have so many parents getting involved.
A common request from parents to PACT is for improved communication. There are still many parents who come to us and ask us to explain what we do. Because of this, I thought I’d begin by providing a brief description of the structure of the Parents’ Association. There are those of you who are very familiar with this but there are still quite a few people who want to better understand. The Committee is made up of the Chairperson, coordinators from Primary, Secondary and Portuguese sections, the Treasurer and the Secretary. We meet with Mr. Smith monthly to discuss items of interest or ask questions. These questions are often raised by parents or come up from discussion at other meetings. There are times when these items are discussed once and are then resolved and other times when items carry over from one agenda to the next. The section coordinators also have monthly meetings with the representatives and head of school from their section. Year representatives hold coffee mornings, organize a social event and are in touch with parents about events. Minutes of the meetings are available in the Parents’ Office and the Parents’ Association newsletter, Impact, provides information to parents about the kinds of things the Association is involved in and working on.
As mentioned earlier, some topics are fairly constant and are addressed on a regular basis. These include the car park, catering, safety and security, transportation and fee increases. The Parents’ Association representative to the St. Julian's Catering Committee, Lisa Bernstorff, participated this year in the School Nutrition Action Group (SNAG). This group was formed by Business Manager Ormond Fannon as a response to the Whole School Food Policy to provide feedback. SNAG developed a 22 page report that was submitted to the school. This report contained recommendations, guidelines and survey results. Parents have just completed a survey on transportation. This information will be used by the school to further investigate options that may be available to parents in the future.
This year there have been quite a few new items PACT has been working on. These include:
• The first edition of a handbook for new parents. Jane White, New Family Liaison, was responsible for putting that document together and we feel it will be a valuable asset for new families. The 2nd edition is being finalized now.
• New uniform transition.
• The updated school website which includes sections for Parents and PACT.
• The online edition and delivery of Impact, the Parents’ Association newsletter.
• Regular communication between the Parents’ Association and the Board of Governors.
• The 10 year accreditation by the Council of International Schools and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
• The introduction of Spanish as an official IB offering.
• PACT representatives were invited to participate in the school Inset Day that addressed the development and implementation of a Gifted and Talented program at St. Julian's.
• The Meet the Chairman of the Board and Headmaster forum.
The Parents’ Association was also happy to support the school by either sponsoring or participating in traditional events such as:
• Meet at the Beach (for new students prior to the start of term)
• Coffee with the Headmaster for new parents on the first day of term
• Cheese & Wine reception
• Bonfire Night
• Carols in the Patio
• Sports Festival
• ISTA hosting
• Summer Luncheon (to be held on June 17th)
There will always be ways to improve any organization. In response to input from parents, plans are underway for an evening social event for parents. It is still in the development stages, but be on the lookout for more information soon. Improved communication is definitely a goal. There were changes this year to try to reach more parents and be more accessible through the online edition of the newsletter. However, this is still in need of fine tuning and there will be further changes and improvements next year. We are very happy to announce a new editor for Impact, Helen Sterling. We are confident that her expertise will help take Impact to another level. A third goal for next year is to standardize class lists and ensure consistency in communication to parents.
Working as a volunteer is always rewarding. I encourage you all to get involved in some way. For me this has been a very positive experience and I have enjoyed getting to know so many of you. I offer my sincere thanks to the Senior Management Team, Clive Brooks & Sue Munnion from the Board of Governors, the PACT coordinators - Cristina, Bobby and Ana, and all the representatives and other volunteers. Next year it will be a pleasure to co-chair the Association with Jessica Hubert (if you so elect us!).
Allison Bradfield