Parent Engagement
At St John the Apostle we know that many parents are very interested in their child's education and that parent engagement has a very positive impact on educational outcomes for children. We want to make parent engagement as easy as possible and support parents and carers in being connected with their child's learning and school.
Our communication and reporting strategies help parents to be engaged in their children's learning. Parents can also engage in the life of the school. Some of these ways include:
Community Council
The Community Council is made up of elected parents, parish and staff members. We have an active Community Council who take a keen interest in
It has a major role to play as a parent forum, in developing the community of parents, students and staff, and in fundraising for resources to support the school in its work with students. The Community Council takes this role seriously and seeks input through the year from the general parent community to help inform its decisions.
Our 2018 Community Council consists of:
| Chairperson | Veronica Sammons |
| Deputy Chair | Natalie Nicholson |
| Treasurer | Glen Gallagher |
| Secretary | Carly Bonny |
| Principal | Matthew Garton |
| Executive Representative | Anthony Ganley |
| Parish Representatives | Marian England, Fr Gerard McCormick |
| Staff Representatives | Jack Gibson, Megan Thomas |
| Fundraising Coordinator | Belinda Duke |
| Parent Representatives |
Debra Slack, Amanda Hogg, Heather Rattenbury, Victoria Scarano, Tegan Campbell, Craig Neiberding, Kerrie Politi, Kath Baird |
The Community Council operates according to the St John the Apostle Community Council Constitution. The Constitution is currently under review.
Parent Volunteers
Parent help and assistance is always welcome!
Regular assistance in the classroom is organised by teachers if required and there are a variety of possible options that include working with small literacy groups to assisting in Art or Physical Education classes. The students particularly enjoy when parents are able to share any very specialised knowledge or skills with students.
Some parents feel more comfortable with volunteering in the school Library or Canteen.
Occasional assistance at events or excursions
All volunteers wishing to assist regularly in the classrooms, canteen, carnivals, must be registered for Working With Vulnerable People. Registration is free through Access Canberra.
School Fete: Multicultural Carnivale
We know that many parents are not able to assist the school on a regular basis.
The School Fete: Multicultural Carnivale is held in Term 1 each year and an opportunity for parents to assist in creating a wonderful community event as well as raise funds to support their children and the school.