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P&C 2021 - Advice needed please


Gracie1978

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Hi everyone

Using this forum on a desktop for the first time today, very nice!


Anyways... how are your P&Cs going? I'm worried that ours managed to limp along last year, but if we continue not to have any events, then we will are under threat of going under. The biggest issue is that we haven't been able to recruit new members. This is especially important at our one, as the children at our school only attend for 2-3 years. We really need kindy parents to get on board, in a big school there isn't the expectation that they'll be involved in their kids FYOS.


I'm in a situation where we had six active members, three have left the school and one who still has two years to run wants to step away. That leaves two of us and the other person hasn't responded to my message about how involved they want to be this year.


Has anyone been in a similar position? I took on a lot last year and wanted to step back a little this year, but I feel like I've been left holding the baby.

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Fruitmincepies

I’ve been left in a similar position, in a different community organisation. I’m keeping things ticking over but I really need the other person to contact me so I can pay various bills! No advice, just commiserations.

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2020 was a struggle for our P+C. We went online, barely recruited anyone new and limped along. Luckily we made enough from small fundraising to pay our fees next year. It was exhausting. I haven't thought to 2021 because it makes me tired thinking about it. I'm just hoping we can go back to face to face and find some new kindy parents that want to give back.

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Ours folded 2 years ago.


We now just have the school board (independent school).


And now also a new fundraising committee. Which so far has been more effective than the p&c was (so I hear - before my time).


Perhaps consider a restructure like that? Or a call out for sub committees? Or event specific helpers?


What would happen if you had no p&c?


Has anyone mentioned why they won’t join? Why they’ve left. I’d not have touched our p&c with a barge pole - the personality issues were very apparent.

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Which state are you in? In NSW the federation have been a fabulous support to us. We are fortunate that there's a few people willing to keep plugging along, we need a Treasurer though as ours hasn't had kids at the school for 3 years but no one will put their hand up, so she stays.


We don't have paid employees, so just volunteers. Our hardest bit is getting volunteers to run our weekly pub raffle, we are so lucky to have this as it brings in over $12k/year (last year excluded as it was unable to operate within restrictions for a while)

for our school of 100 students!

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Jersey Caramel

One thing I have seen work quite well is to say that each class needs 1-2 P&C reps or "class parents". At our school the teachers asks for volunteers at the first info night/meet the teacher night and generally people will put up their hand. Then each year group is allocated one activity to run/organise (e.g. raffle, election day bbq, cake stall etc). I don't know how many classes you have per year, but that usually means there are at least 4-8 people to coordinate each event, and they recruit additional volunteers from their classes. The peer pressure seems to work much better, as you feel a bit obliged to help out your friends/acquaintances from your kids' classes, than if it's an unknown parent calling for volunteers!


Good luck!

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Ours will struggle this year. The head of our P&C really buried her head in the sand last year and has outright refused to do anything from when schools closed in March until at least this February - that’s nearly a year without a meeting or any activity/engagement with our school community.


It’s the main reason why I quit. I was on the fundraising committee and to put off meetings and activity that long makes the job much more difficult. Add to it the uncertain economy, my work being crazy busy, and the usual politics of P&C and I knew I’d be setting myself up to just be angry and resentful. No thanks.

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Thank you for the replies.

The committee tried really hard last year. We had regular online meetings and we have a social media presence.

The school only has 32 kids so I need at least five parents.

I'm wondering if I can put it in the deep freeze for a year?

I have so much going on personally I feel exhausted thinking about it.

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how many kindergarten children are you expecting in the 2021 intake?


Any chance of holding a tea/coffee and biscuits event for new parents on day 1? So they do the first day of school drop off and meet other parents and current P&C members. A chance to enthrall the newbies with all the wonderful things P&C membership can offer them and of course their child's education.


Doesn't have to be flash - a trestle table, hot water urn/jug and biscuits and maybe an info flyer about meetings etc.


The last school I worked at did the same for both orientation days and first day of school. Was a great opportunity to catch a few interested parents.

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