Holy Cross Connect is an association made up of parents who wish to support the aspirations and endeavours of the school. Its main functions are to discuss matters pertinent to the life of the school, to raise money to provide resources and to foster a community spirit, through appropriate social activities.
Parents are invited to become active members of the Holy Cross Connect association by attending regular meetings, which are held in the school library on the second Wednesday of each month, commencing at 6:30 pm.
To contact Holy Cross Connect please email:- connect.trinitypk@cnsstu.catholic.edu.au
All P&Fs exist to support their local school but at Holy Cross we particularly want to:
- Add value. We recognise that the quality of our children’s education can be positively enhanced by our actions in raising funds, undertaking improvements and supporting the school.
- Encourage participation. We seek to encourage as many parents and carers as possible to become involved with the school. It not only spreads the volunteer workload, it also enhances the feeling of belonging to the school community. Our children also benefit from seeing their parents involved.
- Support the school. While we reserve the right to have our own collective and individual viewpoints, we respect the school’s decisions and policies, and pledge to work to support the school to the best of our abilities.
- Be positive. There is always enough negativity around and it’s often easy to be critical and judgmental. Instead we prefer to make improvements where they are needed and get the job done.
- Be focused. Rather than be reactive to circumstances we seek to identify what needs to be done and the means to achieve positive outcomes.
- Respect each other. We recognise that all families have different circumstances and a range of capacities, over time, to support the school. There may be work or family pressures or existing commitments to other schools or community and sporting groups. We are thankful for whatever time and commitment parents can make to the school. We see parent involvement as a positive commitment rather than an obligation.
- Contribute to a caring school and parish community. The time our children spend at Holy Cross is relatively brief. For our children and their families we would like to help make it among the best years of our lives. We also acknowledge we are part of a wider parish community and pledge to work with the parish on issues and projects that strengthen our broader community.
Holy Cross Connect is working to an action plan that encompasses the following nine goals:
- Effective and accountable P&F. This includes plans, policies, budgets and reports. We place a high value on letting everyone know what the P&F is doing and we encourage all parents and carers to be involved and have their say.
- Improved communication within the school community. We communicate mainly through newsletters, noticeboards and meetings.
- Greater parent involvement in the life of the school. This includes information for new parents and support for school/P&F volunteer driven programmes.
- Successful fundraising programme. Events include mothers’ and fathers’ day stalls, children’s disco, a school dinner dance, Christmas Fair and raffle, and other opportunities as appropriate.
- Successful tuckshop. The tuckshop operates as a service to the school community and seeks to meet costs and/or make a small operating profit.
- Facilitate quality advice/input from parents into school policy and planning. This usually involves discussion at P&F meetings but may involve special meetings or calls for parent input.
- Contribute to attractive, safe and stimulating school grounds. This includes shade areas and landscaping, play and sports areas, and the general appearance of the school.
- Contribute to safe, workable traffic and parking arrangements. The school is a busy place in the mornings and at pick-up time. We want to make it as safe and hassle free as possible.
Provide support materials identified as priorities by the school for classrooms, reading programmes, library, sports, music and the creative arts. This is largely achieved through annual contributions to ensure these resources are maintained to as high a standard as our funding will allow.
- We support the Federation of Parents and Friends Associations. This provides a framework for our operations via constitutions and policy guidelines etc and is a source of advice and assistance via networking with other schools and their P&Fs.
- We have established an Emergency Relief Fund to assist school families in distress. This fund is administered by the Parish Priest and School Principal. Our commitment, at Holy Cross Connect discretion, is to top up this fund as required.
- We support the tuckshop. Although the tuckshop is self-funding, we underwrite its operations and provide special funding as needed to replace or upgrade equipment. We seek to ensure the tuckshop provides a service to the school community.
- We provide trophies and awards for school sports and other events, as required by the school.
- We have a standing policy, with some discretion, to provide $100 (on request) to Holy Cross students who, as a result of participation in school sports or other school-based activities, are selected to participate in regional or state sporting or other events that require them to travel outside the region.
The P&F develops and approves a fundraising calendar each year. Events include:
Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day stalls
Gifts are purchase by the Holy Cross Connect Committee. These gifts are then gift-wrapped for stalls held at the school generally on the Friday before the mothers’ and fathers’ day weekends. Gifts are priced approximately $5-$10. Proceeds assist Holy Cross Connect and the activity helps children to develop skills in independently shopping for others. Parents are needed to coordinate the stalls, wrap presents and staff the stalls.
Children’s Discos
There are usually two a year. There are separate discos on the same night for Prep, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 students (5.30-7.00) and Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 students (7.30-9.00). Profits from the door and confectionery sales go to Holy Cross Connect. The discos also serve as enjoyable social events for the children. Parents are needed to set up, serve, supervise and clean up afterwards.
Christmas Fair
This is usually held in November on a Saturday from 4pm. This is the school’s major fundraising and social event. A variety of stalls and activities are presented. It is coordinated by the fundraising committee with very strong input from parents, staff and friends who volunteer to be stall and activity convenors. Classes are assigned to most stalls and activities to channel parent input for maximum effectiveness. Parent assistance is needed to assist stall and activity convenors, promotion, setting up and cleaning up.
Christmas Raffle
Each year, in association with the Christmas Fair, Holy Cross Connect conducts a Christmas Raffle. The major prize last year was $2,000 as well as several packages of donated prizes. Each child is given a book of 10 $2-tickets and asked to sell as many as possible. Parents are needed to help source donated prizes and to help sell the tickets.
Gold coin days
From time to time, but no more than once a term, Holy Cross Connect, in association with the school, will have a gold coin free dress day where children bring a gold coin in exchange for not wearing their school uniform. The money is collected by teachers and used to support other fundraising activities such as buying gift wrapping materials for the Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day stalls. The gold coin days are promoted via the newsletter and school assemblies.
Seven Ways Parents Can Help The School/Holy Cross Connect
- Support your children’s teachers. Most teachers from time to time, appreciate some extra assistance. There is a special need for parent assistance in the younger grades to help with literacy/reading programmes. Parents are needed to help with excursions, camps and other school activities. You may have a special skill such as music that can be utilized. Introduce yourself to your children’s teachers and see if there is any way you can assist.
- Volunteer at the tuckshop. The school has a full time tuckshop coordinator but needs volunteers to help out. You can volunteer for a day a week, a month or a term – it all helps. All training is provided. Alternatively you might like to be placed on the cake roster to provide a cake to the tuckshop on a regular basis. Contact Belinda Patmore (coordinator) on 4050 6300 or email: tuckshop.trinitypk@cns.catholic.edu.au
- Volunteer for sports carnivals. The big events are the athletics and swimming carnivals. Parents are needed as marshals, supervisors, recorders etc. These are ‘feel-good days’ on the school calendar with an emphasis on participation. Check the newsletter for details.
- Help with fundraising. Holy Cross Connect fundraising calendar includes mothers’ and fathers’ day stalls, children’s discos, a dinner dance, Christmas Fair and a number of one-off opportunities. The school newsletter includes regular calls for assistance for these events. It may involve wrapping presents for the Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day stalls, helping with the discos, setting up for the dinner dance or working bees for the Christmas Fair.
- Volunteer for committees. The Holy Cross Connect committee, fundraising committee and tuckshop committee are elected at the Holy Cross Connect Annual General Meeting in February. There are also sub-committees and groups that manage projects and events. You can also volunteer to convene a stall or activity for the Christmas Fair.
- Working bees. Each family is asked to attend at least one Saturday morning working bee during the course of the year. These are organized around class/year groups at the school and families with more than one child at the school have a choice of one or more working bees. A wide range of jobs is available, both inside and out. The working bees generally finish with a social drink or morning tea to encourage greater family interaction. Holy Cross Connect also maintains a list of volunteers to call on for special working bees, such as a mowing roster during the wet season or special sessions to repair school equipment.
- Volunteer your special skills. You may have work, community or personal skills that can be used to help Holy Cross Connect and school. For example someone with computer skills could help develop a website or desktop a publication, those with a sporting background could help in sports coaching, keen gardeners could help with landscaping and professional engineers, accountants etc might be able to allocate time to assist with advice etc. If you let us know what you can do we might be able to find a project to suit
For more information and resources for P & F Committees, click here.