Parramatta Public School Parent & Community organisation (PCo)
Who We Are
Parents and Community Organisation, or the PCo for short, is an organisation that comprises parents, carers, community members and staff. We are a bunch of people who share a willingness to support the school and the broader community and we do so by organising and executing various events throughout the school year. PCo also serves as the voice of the community offering the school feedback and feed forward on various initiatives, structures and programs.
What we do
PCo meets regularly and works with the school in several ways, for example:
· Fundraising (e.g., twilight movie event and the school disco)
· Decision Making (e.g., parent representation on recruitment panels for new staff, out of area enrolment panels and setting new school plans)
· Parent engagement (e.g., requesting feedback from community, volunteer programs and working bees)
· School events (e.g., events through Harmony week)
The Team
PCo is run by highly motivated individuals who take pride in their commitment to the school and the community. In addition, there are many volunteers who support the PCo on a regular basis.
· President: coordinates the team and liaises with the school
· Treasurer: responsible for financial records
· Secretary: maintains records of meetings
· Volunteer coordinator: maintains a register of parent/carer volunteers
· General members: all other members
PCo Meetings
The PCo meet every second Thursday of the term to discuss school initiatives and plans for the upcoming term or semester. The agenda driven meeting gives all participants a platform to come together and share ideas. The PCo also runs a very active online group and discusses the execution of plans as and when required.
EVENTS
PCo organises multiple events each year. Here is a glimpse of some of our past events.
- Development Hub Set Up (Feb 2021)
PCo got together to set up the Development Hub for our lovely students to cook and learn. Our volunteers helped unpack, clean, dry and set up the desks and drawers, so the students come to an organised kitchen.
- Gifts for Students (Dec 2020)
PCo surprised students with a gift of individually wrapped pencils/pen and erasers!
- World Teacher’s Day (Oct 2020)
PCo thanked teachers with individual pot plants as a token of appreciation for all their hard work and dedication.
- School Activity Booklets (End of Term 3 2020)
PCo organised activity booklets for all students to take home during the school break. Activities in the booklet included crosswords, word searches, spot the difference and many more fun activities!
- Thank You Wall (July 2020)
PCo arranged for the whole school community to contribute their heartfelt thanks on cards that covered many many walls of the school following the end of Home Learning.
- Kindergarten Morning Tea (Feb 2020)
PCo organised a Kindergarten Morning Tea to welcome the new parents to the PPS community. The event gave parents a chance to meet, ask questions, share ideas and enjoy some yummy snacks together.
Community Information
As part of our commitment to serving the larger community at Parramatta Public School, we have listed some information that might be useful for all of you.
Healthy Lunch Ideas
Wholemeal Vegetable Sandwiches – Wholemeal bread with lettuce, cucumber, tomato fillings. Spice it up with a mayo spread.
Vegetable Fried Rice/Noodles – Rice/Noodles sautéed with Capsicum, Onion, Broccoli, Carrots, Cabbage etc (Add any veggies) and tomato, soy, chilli sauce.
Vegetable savoury pancakes - Finely chop vegetables like Onions, Capsicum, Tomatoes, Cabbage, grate Carrots, Mix all of them together. Take wholewheat flour/gram flour/semolina in a bowl. Add water to it to get pancake batter consistency. Add all the veggies to the batter, add salt, oregano, herbs, spices. Mix it all together. Spread it on a pan, use bit of oil for greasing and roast on both sides. Savoury pancakes are ready with the goodness of vegetables!
Tip: Don’t pack too much food in the lunch boxes. The quantity should be able to be finished in 10 minutes. Too much overwhelms the child, causing them to not finish the food.
Parent Resources
https://www.discoverparramatta.com/
This is the official website by Parramatta City Council. Here one can find local events, things to see and do (not just for kids, but for adults too), learn about Parramatta’s history and discover restaurants and cafes in the Parramatta region.
http://libcat.parracity.nsw.gov.au/
Parramatta library is a great place to indulge in reading, borrow books or just spend time reading there. They run competitions in school holidays for kids. Great place to engage your voracious readers and even yourself.
https://www.parraparents.com.au/
This is an excellent source of information for nearby parks, playgrounds, events happening around Parramatta, fruit picking, school holiday events etc.
https://www.pcycnsw.org.au/parramatta
PCYC is a charity organisation which conducts a variety of activities for kids of all ages throughout the year as well as special programs in school holidays. Some of the activities include Kickboxing, Art & Crafts, Dancing etc. They even accept the “Creative Kids Voucher”!
Apply for a Creative Kids voucher | Service NSW
Apply for an Active Kids voucher | Service NSW
The NSW government provides 2 x Active Kids vouchers and 1 x Creative Kids vouchers for every primary school aged child each year. These give you $100 to use at eligible providers for sports, dancing, music lessons, etc.
Volunteering
We love to have additional helpers at many of the events the PCo runs each year. Volunteering to help is a very rewarding way to be involved in the school community. Even a small amount of time donated is greatly appreciated and can be extremely helpful. It is a great way to learn a little bit more about what happens at school to make everything run smoothly. You can also meet other parents and carers, and form support networks. If you are keen to be involved, we would love to hear from you.
Contact Us
Feel free to share your ideas, feedback, or your interest in joining PCo or our group of volunteers, by sending an email to ParramattaPS.PCo@gmail.com or using the contact form below: