St Stephen’s Catholic College Parents and Friends Association was formed in 2006 when the college was first opened. This organisation is an integral part of our school community and provides a formal structure for parents and others interested in the welfare of the students to plan and organise activities for the benefit of the school, and the ongoing development of students. Membership of the Parents and Friends Association is an excellent way to become more involved in the school community and to get to know other parents, something which can often be more difficult at high school.
In particular, the St Stephen’s Catholic College Parents and Friends’ Association:
- provides an avenue of support and information to aid the involvement of parents/carers in their children’s education and the school community
- promotes the development of collaboration between parents/carers and school staff
- promotes the principles of Catholic education and a distinctive Christian community/environment in the school
- provides an opportunity to participate at school community, Archdiocesan, State and National levels.
It recognises and values the role that parents and carers play in the education of their children and aims to strengthen the partnership between family, school, Parish and the wider community.
Membership
Every parent or carer of a child in the school is a paying member of the P&F automatically, by virtue of the P&F levy, which is paid as part of school fees. In addition, membership is open to staff of the school, members of the Parish Community, and other “friends” – grandparents, aunts and uncles, past students, neighbours and other members of the local community.
Meetings
Meetings are advertised in the school calendar and in the newsletter. Meetings are held once every term and occur on a Tuesday, commencing at 5.30 pm at the college administration building. The meetings are attended by the Principal and another member of the leadership team. Parents’ attendance is encouraged and welcomed at these meetings, providing an opportunity for them to have ready access to up to date information about the college, and to allow them to make a contribution to the decisions being considered for:
- allocation of available funds
- requests for financial assistance
- fundraising activities
- how the P&F can best benefit all students.
How are decisions made?
The P&F is a democratic organisation. Most decisions are made by the vote of membership at the meetings. An agenda is published prior to each meeting so that members are aware of the issues to be discussed and decided. The elected Executive Committee Members decide some minor expenditure and urgent issues, where it’s not practical to take these issues to a meeting.
