A beginners guide to Ferncourt

(or: Everything I Wanted To Know About Ferncourt But Was Too Afraid To Ask!)

This document is available online at https://www.ferncourt.asn.au/about/start-here

Hello and welcome to the Ferncourt P&C

What is the P&C?

What ISN'T the P&C?

How the Ferncourt P&C Works

Why get involved?

How to get involved

How are the funds raised spent?

Sub-Committees Run by the P&C

P&C Run Events

Staying Up to Date with All Things P&C

Taking Part in Extracurricular Activities

Joining our music groups

Ordering Uniforms

Canteen

Quickcliq - Setting Up & Using Your Account

Hello and welcome to the Ferncourt P&C

We’re very happy to welcome you to Ferncourt Public School. Our Parents & Citizens Association is a friendly group of parents and carers who all want to support our children's educational experience.

We try to help the school in three main areas:

supporting education,
enhancing the school environment
and fostering the Ferncourt community spirit.

Kids love to see their parents involved in their school. Seeing you taking part and interacting with teachers and others can show them how much you value school and education. There is always plenty going on at Ferncourt for you to become involved with if you want to and have the time. ANY contribution is welcomed and gratefully accepted, no matter how big or small. Modern life can be very busy and parents offer what they can.

"I can't cook, bake, craft or plant...but I can attend a meeting or help plan an event! Being a P&C member helped me find my place in the school community and it feels really nice to have that deeper connection with the staff, other parents and my kids education." Yvette, Secretary

"I got involved to meet some of the other community members, and have made life long friends. I also wanted to give back to the school and support the teachers, so they can have the more time and best resources possible to teach my kids. I also think it is important to demonstrate to the kids the importance of volunteering and giving back." Katie, former Treasurer

What is the P&C?

Many schools in Australia have a P&C (Parent & Citizen) Association. This is a group of school families and other members of the school community who come together to run events, raise funds and provide other resources to support the school.

The role of the P&C is to contribute to, support and enhance the experience of the children at school. We provide funds for resources including essential IT equipment and learning materials including funding Mathletics, we run the band and extra-curricular programs, lead several grant applications, and run community events.

Our constitution specifies multiple roles within the P&C - President, Vice Presidents (x 2), Treasurer, Secretary and committee leads. All these positions are filled by volunteers from our community!

What ISN'T the P&C?

It is important to note that the P&C does not have direct influence over school policy or educational decisions. This is the responsibility of the Principal and the School Leadership. If there is anything you want to discuss in relation to your child’s learning, school experience or specific needs, the P&C recommend you make an appointment to discuss it with their class teacher.

The P&C can inform and advocate on general issues, but not individual cases.

How the Ferncourt P&C Works

Everyone is welcome to be part of the Ferncourt P&C, in fact we would love as many parents as possible to be involved in any way you can.

The P&C meets twice a term to share updates on what’s happening and discuss P&C related ideas and issues. This is usually at 7pm on Wednesdays in Weeks 3 and 8. Check the school calendar (sent home at the end of each term), the School Bytes calendar and the P&C website/WhatsApp/Facebook for updates.

Along with regular members who are able to vote at meetings, the P&C is made up of a number of executive members who fulfill some key positions. These positions become vacant annually at the AGM when new people can nominate a candidate or put themselves forward. The AGM is held in Week 8 Term 1 (generally about March).

Our constitution and policies are available at https://www.ferncourt.asn.au/about/policies

You can officially join the P&C at any meeting during the year- just complete the membership form at the meeting and pay the membership fee (currently $2).

"I joined because I think supporting the Ferncourt Community is worthwhile particularly while my kids are a part of it. It supports all the things I love about the school, such as expanded learning through extracurricular activities, a priority on environment and enables the teachers. It also keeps me informed with the schools priorities" Billy, Assistant Treasurer

"When I volunteered in small ways during my son’s first year of kindy, I could see how much more engaged and comfortable he was at school (not to mention oddly proud). That experience, combined with my passion for supporting underfunded public education in any way I can, naturally led me to join the Ferncourt P&C. As an added bonus, it’s an incredible group of people!" Sophie, Vice President

Why get involved?

People join in for many different reasons-

Have your voice heard for important school decisions.
Get a better understanding of the how the school and our education system runs.
Meet other families and build friendships in the local area.
Gain career experience, e.g. marketing, event planning, communications.
At P&C meetings you get direct access to school staff, and can hear first hand about priorities and strategy.
Model to your kids the benefits of contributing to community and activism.
Have fun :)

"I got involved because I wanted to "be the change you want to see". I thought our P&C could do better to communicate with parents, so jumped right in" Pat, President

"I got involved after I had helped out at a couple of events at the school. I enjoy the community vibe and wanted to do more. I had sat on many boards and committees in my professional life and wanted to share that experience and knowledge with the P&C." Dannie, former Treasurer

How to get involved

We have a wonderful community with so many skills to contribute. There are lots of things you can do to support the school and the P&C:

Attend a P&C meetings - in person or online!
Get involved in a sub-committee
Volunteer for an executive role
Plan an upcoming event
Volunteer on a cake stall or BBQ
Help out at the garden working bees
Donate, make or bake where you can
Help coordinate events and instruments for the bands
Make a donation

"I got involved in the P&C because I wanted to know more about how to support the school and teachers. It was also an opportunity to get to know the staff and other families when we were new to the school.

I eventually took on the secretary and then President roles because I could see an opportunity to use my skills to help with building the school’s community post-covid. And many hands make light work among volunteers!" Aleks, former President

How are the funds raised spent?

The P&C funds many school initiatives. These include major items like-

solar panels
interactive white boards (IWBs)
new laptops
increasing learning support teachers
concert and training bands
ongoing support for outdoor learning

We also support smaller inititives, including-

donating to the Year 6 gift
one-off teacher training courses

Additionally, the P&C have won sponsorship and grants, that have helped with-

Upgrade of the teacher's staff room
Improvements to eco-garden
Improvements to playgrounds

"I joined the P&C to so that my kids can see me volunteering, to be closer to the school community and to understand the school that my kids are involved with." Andrew, former Vice President

Sub-Committees Run by the P&C

The P&C has sub-committees dedicated to specific areas. All of these are run by volunteers, so we appreciate your patience and support.

Band Programs - ferncourtbands@gmail.com
Environment - ferncourtenviro@gmail.com
The After-School Activities Program - ferncourtpandcclasses@gmail.com
Grants Committee - ferncourtpncgrants@gmail.com

P&C Run Events

The P&C run a number of annual events which are a great way to bring the community together and importantly to raise funds for the ongoing support of the school.

Welcome Back BBQ
Easter Hat Parade and Raffles
The Ferncourt May Fair – this is the P&C’s largest fundraiser held tri-annually. This event relies heavily on the contributions of the whole community from volunteering to run or support stalls, helping coordinate the event and baking/crafting goods for our stalls
Trivia nights, bingo nights - adults only fundraising events!
Democracy Sausage Sizzles to keep the community fueled on election days
Halloween Dance and Movie Nights for some after hours fun
Christmas Trees
And much more

If you would like to make a suggestion for an event or get involved in any way please email ferncourtpandc@gmail.com

See https://www.ferncourt.asn.au/news and https://www.ferncourt.asn.au/news/2024-in-review for details on previous events.

"I want my children to understand that helping creates community. I've seen them help on BBQs and cake stalls, and become better people for it." Pat, President 2025

"I joined to be part of a community that was positive, and enthusiastic. To feel like I was part of something that could benefit all the kids in our community and so that my children could see that I thought their school was important." Damon, former President

Staying Up to Date with All Things P&C

The best ways to find out information about P&C events and meetings are:

The School Bytes newsletter which is emailed every second Tuesday and has a P&C section - visit the school website
The School Bytes Calendar - sent home as a hard copy at the start of term, but otherwise available online.
The P&C WhatsApp group
The P&C Facebook group - www.facebook.com/groups/ferncourtpublicschool/
Via Email - ferncourtpandc@gmail.com

But the best thing is to come to a meeting and meet the other members. You don’t need to commit to coming to every meeting, or anything at all! We run meetings as in person and virtual (via Teams) so you can join from home if you can’t make it in person.

Taking Part in Extracurricular Activities

The P&C coordinates a program of before and after school actvities run by external providers and some community members. Activities vary depending on what’s available and interest levels but include language programs, art classes, fencing, soccer and music. You will find an up to date schedule of activities in the School Bytes newsletters and at https://www.ferncourt.asn.au/activities

OSHC and other after school care programs are not linked to the P&C and any queries you have should be discussed directly with the relevant service provider.

Joining our music groups

Music education offers many benefits, and the P&C is a strong partner with the school in running and supporting our programs.

We have a wealth of options, including-

Multiple choirs, including our heart-meltingly cute Kindy Choir.
The Concert Band is made up of students who are in their second or subsequent year of band membership.
The Training Band is for students from year 3 and above, with little or no experience of playing an instrument in a band.
The Strings Ensemble is open to all students of any ability from Kindy upwards.
We participate in the Festival of Choral Music (FOCM) and Festival of Instrumental Music (FOIM), which usually involves our kids performing at the Opera House.

For more information, visit https://www.ferncourt.asn.au/music or email ferncourtbands@gmail.com

Ordering Uniforms

The Ferncourt uniforms are managed by Pickles in Marrickville. Please visit their store or their website for more information: www.picklesschoolwear.com

The P&C manages a second hand uniform shop which is held on school grounds on A Playground a few times each term. See School Bytes and the school calendar for information on upcoming second hand uniform open days.

Canteen

Our canteen is run by the wonderful Wil, of "Wil's Canteen". Wil has had experience running many inner west school canteens, and has called Ferncourt home since 2023. Our kids love his sushi, frozen cups and vegan sausages!

Food can be ordered via the app Spriggy Schools (https://www.spriggyschools.com.au/), which can be downloaded via Apple or Google stores.

To get setup-

Download the app and create a parent account
Add a child, including specifying the school and class
Orders can now be placed.

Full details at https://intercom.help/spriggyschools/en/articles/3341818-getting-started-with-spriggy-schools

If you go to recent orders you can see what your kids are eating, including stuff they’ve chosen themselves during the day.

Best way to contact Wil is via Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/people/Wils-Canteen-Ferncourt/100088959532206/

Quickcliq - Setting Up & Using Your Account

The P&C uses an online ordering platform called Quickcliq for many of our school events. You can set up an account and add your child(ren) by visiting www.quickcliq.com.au and following the prompts. Quickcliq is used by the Ferncourt P&C for purchasing tickets for events, sponsorship payments, making donations and more.

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