19 October 2016

Newsletter Articles

A Word from the Executive Director

We are almost at the end of year and hasn’t time flown by. Our Yr 12s have only a few weeks to go before they spread their wings and fly from school. We wish them all the best in whatever they decide for their future.

There are many awards nights, Christmas concerts and end of year activities and we always look forward to enjoying these with our children and young people. One of the parent activities is the P & F Annual General Meeting. Make sure that you are prepared for this and have people to fill roles so that your P & F can continue to function as quickly as possible in the New Year. We have information on our website to help you and always remember to view your constitution so that you are acting within the rules set in this document. Also remember to get your audit completed in a timely manner so that you can report to your school community and for those schools registered with the ACNC – remember to submit your annual financial statement at the appropriate time.

Can you also remember, after your AGM, to send us your updated contact/information form so that we have up to date information to contact your P & F.

We will be running webinars early in the New Year for those new to P & F leadership roles so please watch out for these.

We continue with our parent engagement work and we will welcome to our office a new staff member in the coming weeks. Charmaine Stevens is joining us to develop our Parent Engagement resources to make them more accessible for parents, principals and teachers. We look forward to having some of these ready for you early in 2017.

Enjoy Term 4.

GREAT INFORMATION ON P & F WEBSITE

Please Visit:

The Federation website hosts a wealth of information. In this newsletter we wanted to highlight more resources which can be easily found when you visit www.pandf.org.au.

Australian Parent Engagement Conference 6-8 June 2017

The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth will be hosting the first national Australian Parent Engagement Conference 6-8 June 2017 in Pullman Hotel, Albert Park, Melbourne, Victoria in partnership with The Smith Family. The conference is supported by the Department of Education.

Parent engagement will be of interest to you and your school community and staff in supporting students’ learning and wellbeing. The website link is below and will updated periodically and those interested in the conference can subscribe for updates if they would like.

STATE GOVERNMENT

Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance

The State Education Minister, Kate Jones, has announced some decisions about the changes to Senior Assessment and Tertiary Entrance.

These decisions include a delay of one year to the introduction of these changes – this means that these changes will occur for those students currently in Yr 8 i.e. Yr 11 in 2019.

Other key decisions to date

• Year 12 students will receive an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR), replacing the OP and bringing Queensland into line with other states and territories
• Senior subject results will be based on a student’s achievement in four pieces of assessment – three school-based and one external assessment
• For most senior subjects external assessment will contribute 25 percent towards a student’s final result
• Mathematics and science subjects will contribute 50 percent
• 80 senior syllabuses will be reviewed in preparation for external assessment
• An English subject will be compulsory for students to receive their Queensland Certificate of Education
• A QCE will be based on five board subjects or four board subjects and one Vocational Education and Training subject

PARENTING

Free Qld Program building a brighter future for kids and parents

The Triple P – Positive Parenting Program is taking Queensland by storm with thousands of mums and dads taking advantage of free courses and seminars across the state.

Developed in Queensland, the Triple P program focuses on giving parents evidence-based strategies to raise healthy, happy children.

Free group, individual and DIY Triple P parenting support is available to all Queensland parents and carers as part of this Queensland Government initiative.

To promote the availability of free Triple P support to parents, P&Fs can order free brochures and posters and other promotional material in hard copy or electronic form by emailing qld@triplep.net.

You can also display and distribute Triple P’s own parenting magazine for Queensland parents called the Tippaper, now available online at the following link.

We must teach kids to 'just say no to sexting'

Many parents are seeking advice about the issue of young people sexting and how to respond to recent media stories regarding young people sharing images.

Parentingideas expert contributor, Catherine Gerhardt has written an article for your school community. Many parents are unsure how to address this topic with their young people. Catherine explains what sexting is, why young people do it, and tips for parents to educate their children to 'just say no to sexting'.

What is ParentWorks?

ParentWorks is a free online program for Australian parents and caregivers of children 2 to 16. It provides evidence-based parenting strategies to improve parenting skills, confidence and child behaviour. This means that the strategies in the program have been tested and found to work.

ParentWorks has been developed by a team of psychologists and researchers at the University of Sydney.

We know from research that parenting programs are more effective when all parents are involved. We also know that fathers are less likely to participate in parenting programs than mothers, for a whole range of reasons.

One of these reasons is that most parenting programs have not been developed with dads in mind!

Parents and caregivers may find this program helpful for managing challenging child behaviours such as tantrums, aggression, noncompliance, inattentive or hyperactive behaviour, sibling conflict, getting ready for school and/or bed, and behaviours outside the home, such as problems in the supermarket.

28 Ways to Ask Your Teens 'How Was School Today?' Without Asking Them 'How Was School Today?

Liz Evans, Blogger Simple Simon and Company

1. Where in the school do you hang out the most? (Like a particular hall, classroom, parking lot, etc.) Where in the school do you never hang out?
2. What would your school be better with? What would your school be better without?
3. If you were a teacher, what class would you teach? Which class would be the worst to teach? Why?
4. What was the coolest (saddest, funniest, scariest) thing that you saw today?
5. Tell me one thing that you learned today.

Practicing Mindfulness in Family Life

Spring is a time of new life and can also be an ideal opportunity to work on awareness with your children. As a weekend gardener, I am noticing my tulips and daffodils emerging from the soil and the very tips of leaf buds on the trees. I am often amazed by the details that my son notices around him as we go through our day. But I shouldn’t be. Children are hard-wired to notice details. Because their brains are eagerly taking in and making sense of information in order to learn about their environment, they are able to receive many more details than we as adults do. Adults have processed so much over the years about their environment that we necessarily make assumptions and skip over details in order to deal with the sheer volume of information that comes at us daily. However, experiencing greater awareness with your children can enhance your own focus and presence in the moment and it can give your children valuable practice in doing the same. For children, practice in awareness can contribute to their focused attention on any task including school work and allow them the chance to exercise self-control.

Vaccination due dates are important

Babies are vulnerable to serious and life-threatening diseases. This is why we aim to protect babies as early in life as possible.

The best time to immunise against each disease varies. A mother’s antibodies (passed onto baby during pregnancy and via breast milk) are temporary and won’t fully protect a baby against all types of vaccine preventable diseases.

This is why it is important that your baby be fully immunised within the first 6 months of life. In Australia, babies start receiving vaccines at birth and again at 6 weeks, 4 months and 6 months of age.

To be fully protected, your child will require a full course (often more than 1 dose) of vaccines at critical times.

FOR YOUR P & F

QAST membership is now due….

Your school is invited to become a member of the Queensland Association of School Tuckshops, commonly known as QAST. As the support organisation established by the Department of Education and Training (DET) and the Department of Health to assist Queensland's schools, we are here for the sole purpose of helping you and your school community to offer a nutritious, safe and viable tuckshop service.

The Association is housed by DET and funded by the Department of Health to maintain Smart Choices resources online and to offer annual networking meetings across Queensland. However, if your school requires support services such as help implementing the Smart Choices changes by Term 1 2017, then membership with the Association is required. Your membership fee contribution ensures anyone from your school community can always access one on one support for the tuckshop and that the Association, a not for profit organisation and health promotion charity, is able to sustain the delivery of high quality services for when the time comes that you may require a helping hand.

Detailed information about the Association and Member Benefits are available on our website at the following link.

Annual membership with QAST is just $220 and anyone in your school can sign the tuckshop up as a member to start accessing our services.

Lights, Camera... Party!

You’re invited to enjoy a touch of glamour and glitz and take a walk down the red carpet at this year's Tuckshop Day and Tuckshop of the Year Awards Gala Dinner 2016. For the celebrities we think the people working in your tuckshops are, QAST has created the perfect night out. With the support of the Queensland Government as the Awards official sponsor, all QAST members and guests are welcome to join in to celebrate Queensland Tuckshop Day and to be there for the announcing of this year's Queensland Tuckshop of the Year Award winners. Tickets are on sale so it is time to get your group together and book your table now!

When & Where

Friday, 4 November 2016 from 6:00 PM to 11:30 PM (AEST)
Hillstone St Lucia,St Lucia Golf Links
Carawa Street
St Lucia, QLD 4067

Tickets are from $65 per person and include sparkling wine and canapés on arrival, a two course sit down dinner and entertainment.

Fundraising

Everybody Wins

Sometimes it takes more than a good cause.

If I can just finish the article I promised to write, I’ll reward myself with a coffee and a break. When I reach my target weight, I will allow myself hot chips for lunch one day.

Of course these are both worthwhile goals in and of themselves – one is my job for which I am paid, the other will have proven health and other personal benefits. Yet I need tangible short term incentives to help me achieve my long term goals.

This is the same issue faced by fundraisers. Nobody doubts the long-term value of the fundraising goals – new school facilities or an end of season sport trip – but keeping your volunteers motivated with long term aspirations can be tricky. That’s why many fundraisers use incentives.

OPPOURTUNITIES

CULTURE COLLEGE

ABORIGINAL IMMERSION – EAST ARNHEMLAND, AUSTRALIA

Culture College is a Non-Profit Organisation specialising in Aboriginal Immersion programs based in Australia’s East Arnhem Land, for Schools and their students. Culture College was created by the Hooker Family Foundation, which is driven by L. Janusz Hooker and his wife Ana, to continue the good work started in 1928 by the Real Estate pioneer, Sir Leslie Hooker, who was knighted for his service to commerce and the community.

Culture College incorporates real engagement and education with the Traditional Owners of East Arnhemland and their families. Students will have valuable peer to peer learnings with Aboriginal students and share activities to help bridge the gap of understanding. This unique opportunity will create life long memories for the students and shape their understanding of indigenous culture.

Culture College has exclusive access to the Garma Festival site at Gulkula (the site of largest Aboriginal Festival in Australia) with camping and educational facilities. This facility will accommodate smaller group sizes to an entire year group in comfort and safety.

Schoolzine

Schoolzine is proud to be a digital partner and supporter of Parents and Friends Federation.

Schoolzine has been an industry leader in digital school communications for 14 years. They are dedicated to customer service, product development and understanding the school landscape that keeps them at the top of the industry. Schoolzine’s Parent Engagement Platform consists of 3 packages, an eNewsletter, Mobile App and Website offering. Purchased separately or together, they guarantee each package will make engaging with parents easy and even enjoyable for a school of any size. Schoolzine addresses the need for media-rich, interactive content that engages parents.