Information
Ithaca Creek has a culture and history of strong parental involvement in the School. Each year, hundreds of parents are involved in one way or another. Inside the classroom is one way, be it reading to students, assisting with art class or helping the learning program in some other way. Other forms of involvement relate to events and fund-raising, from helping at tuckshop (a great way to meet people), to providing goods for raffles and events, and running food stalls at our big events. As well, there is considerable scope for parents to use their work-related and professional skills, from such things as using business and management skills to run the sub-committee services; architectural/planning skills to assist with capital and grounds development; or grant-writing skills to access external funds.
Our philosophy is that all parents have something to offer, and something to gain, from being involved in the life of the School. In the great democratic tradition of public education, we also strongly believe that all parents are equally valuable, and that every contribution, whether it's helping at tuckshop or lobbying politicians, is equally important.
All parents at Ithaca Creek can be members of the Parents and Citizens Association. Incorporated by statute under the Education Act, there's a P&C Association in every school. The main role of the P&C is to assist the School, which is done through being the voice of parents on policy issues, and providing advice to the Principal from time to time on operational matters. On a practical level, the P&C is the body which organises events such as movie night, trivia night, and gift stalls for Mother’s and Father’s day. The aim of these events is two-fold. Community engagement is one aim, so that parents and kids can be involved in the life of the school, have a bit of fun, and get to know each other. The second purpose is to raise funds for the School. Such funds are allocated to the School annually and are usually spent on learning-related items which benefit the majority of students eg computer technology support, whole-school enrichment, or extra curriculum materials.
The P&C also runs some services such as the Tuckshop and Uniform shop, Outside school hours care and Swimming club. The mechanism for running these parent-friendly services is via sub-committees made up of interested parents. These services have paid employees, as well as volunteer parents, and the sub-committees are there to manage the operation, and make sure the services remain viable, and useful for parents.
Robert Dunne (P&C President)
Email: pandcpresident@ithacacreekss.eq.edu.au