Feedback from last meeting
There were no outstanding items from the last meeting, not otherwise covered in the agenda.
Events
· International Week – Carrie Hodgson was chairing the musical/dance troupes for the morning sessions. 4 out of 5 had already confirmed and Carrie would let the PA know if any more were needed. Sophia Panagos was chairing the International Fair, which is being held on Friday 7 November in the Dining Hall. A number of tables had already been confirmed from Algeria, Iran, Australia, Japan, Estonia, UK, Brazil, Poland, USA, Canada, Qatar, Zimbabwe, the Philippines and the Canary Islands. A few volunteers would be needed during the fair to assist in the movement of children around as it would be crowded. Mr Phelps asked that the amount of chocolate be limited and that we are a nut conscious school.
· International Games Night – this would also be on 7 November and would be run along the lines of the Maths Night, with mainly French and Spanish games
· Fun Run – Amy Taylor had been to the initial meeting and obtained the application forms which would be left by the front desk. Parents whose children who came in on the buses could email a request to the PA for a form to be sent home with their children. Forms must be returned by 29 October and we then send them to the organizers of the event.
· Mum’s Night – date might need to be moved again, but would be in early November, probably in a home.
· Dad’s night – Andrew Topen had agreed to organize this event and would book a place in November around a sporting event.
· Used Halloween Costumes – costumes may be donated in order to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House. The school would provide a rail so that it looked neater and the cost was $5 per costume.
· Halloween Decorating – either on the Friday or Monday before Halloween. We have decorations for the dining hall.
· Operation Gratitude/UNICEF – Lesley and Katrina would be organizing this in conjunction with Halloween. Boxes would be sent home with the children for money to be collected for UNICEF when they trick or treat and left over candy could be donated at school and sent to servicemen.
Communications re Meetings
There had been some comments that a meeting organized for Monday 29 September concerning MAP testing and Words their Way had been at very short notice. Mr Phelps said that the meeting would be run again, possibly in an evening. Ideally 2 weeks notice should be given for meetings that are additional to the published calendar.
School Photos and Uniform
Mr Phelps thanked the parents who came in to help tidy children up ready for their class photos. The photos would be available from Stomping Ground in 2 weeks. There was a request that sibling photos be done as soon as possible as they make ideal Christmas presents. Carrie would contact Sita to try and organize it.
The sale of second hand uniform seemed to be working satisfactorily.
Mr Phelps
Mr Phelps gave a brief overview of the MAP testing that all the children had undertaken. It had been introduced following the school’s recent inspection. Results would be made available to parents shortly. It is a system that is benchmarked across the globe and is useful for both individual children and the class as a whole, enabling it to be used as a diagnostic tool. As the MAP testing is still an emerging system for BISNY it is not yet totally clear how much information will be made available to parents.
Words their Way was enjoyed by the children and was an interesting tool to encourage spellings.
Security was continuing to be an issue, especially with the City being concerned about threat levels. The school operated a traffic light system and there was an arrangement with Waterside Security and the local police precinct in the event of an emergency. The Consulate would also alert us if there was a specific threat and so security could be increased. The school was still considering whether to introduce an ID system. It was felt that whilst this might be reassuring for some parents, it would not necessary add to the already high levels of security for our children, and may even affect the atmosphere in the school in a negative way. Security is assessed on an ongoing basis with outside consultants. There was a suggestion that the PA survey parents to see how many have serious concerns about security, without starting a panic. The PA Board would look into how this might be done.
PA Website Update
· The questionnaire about social media had been sent out via the class reps and hard copies were available to be completed at the meeting. Further copies would be placed by the front desk.
· Mr Phelps advised that the school had a photo library that could be used.
· Links would be included to the class websites
· The PA site would be separate from the school site, so that alumni could continue to keep up with events and information.
· There was enthusiasm for an information section, such as doctors and dentists, events that parent are involved in that would have a wider appeal.
· There would be a link back to the school site.
PA Fees
Currently nearly 50% of the fees had been received which is typical for the period. The invoices would be going live on TADs shortly. This was the big expenditure term, with the International Fair and Holiday gifts for the teachers, so it is always good for cash flow if fees are paid on time.
Open Floor
· Stacy thanked the class reps and mentioned that if anyone else wished to volunteer it is always good to have more than 1 rep per class.
· The importance of hand washing and sanitizing was emphasized especially in this season of illness. The sanitizer pumps had been moved to make access easier.
· Security on the private buses was raised and Mr Phelps outlined the procedures to ensure that the right child got on the right bus. The importance of wearing seatbelts was noted, but the driver is under no obligation to ensure that the child puts it on.
· After School Clubs. Some of the younger children were interested in a swimming club and it was suggested that parents ask their year group via the class reps. 5 children would be necessary to put a club together.
There were no outstanding items from the last meeting, not otherwise covered in the agenda.
Events
· International Week – Carrie Hodgson was chairing the musical/dance troupes for the morning sessions. 4 out of 5 had already confirmed and Carrie would let the PA know if any more were needed. Sophia Panagos was chairing the International Fair, which is being held on Friday 7 November in the Dining Hall. A number of tables had already been confirmed from Algeria, Iran, Australia, Japan, Estonia, UK, Brazil, Poland, USA, Canada, Qatar, Zimbabwe, the Philippines and the Canary Islands. A few volunteers would be needed during the fair to assist in the movement of children around as it would be crowded. Mr Phelps asked that the amount of chocolate be limited and that we are a nut conscious school.
· International Games Night – this would also be on 7 November and would be run along the lines of the Maths Night, with mainly French and Spanish games
· Fun Run – Amy Taylor had been to the initial meeting and obtained the application forms which would be left by the front desk. Parents whose children who came in on the buses could email a request to the PA for a form to be sent home with their children. Forms must be returned by 29 October and we then send them to the organizers of the event.
· Mum’s Night – date might need to be moved again, but would be in early November, probably in a home.
· Dad’s night – Andrew Topen had agreed to organize this event and would book a place in November around a sporting event.
· Used Halloween Costumes – costumes may be donated in order to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House. The school would provide a rail so that it looked neater and the cost was $5 per costume.
· Halloween Decorating – either on the Friday or Monday before Halloween. We have decorations for the dining hall.
· Operation Gratitude/UNICEF – Lesley and Katrina would be organizing this in conjunction with Halloween. Boxes would be sent home with the children for money to be collected for UNICEF when they trick or treat and left over candy could be donated at school and sent to servicemen.
Communications re Meetings
There had been some comments that a meeting organized for Monday 29 September concerning MAP testing and Words their Way had been at very short notice. Mr Phelps said that the meeting would be run again, possibly in an evening. Ideally 2 weeks notice should be given for meetings that are additional to the published calendar.
School Photos and Uniform
Mr Phelps thanked the parents who came in to help tidy children up ready for their class photos. The photos would be available from Stomping Ground in 2 weeks. There was a request that sibling photos be done as soon as possible as they make ideal Christmas presents. Carrie would contact Sita to try and organize it.
The sale of second hand uniform seemed to be working satisfactorily.
Mr Phelps
Mr Phelps gave a brief overview of the MAP testing that all the children had undertaken. It had been introduced following the school’s recent inspection. Results would be made available to parents shortly. It is a system that is benchmarked across the globe and is useful for both individual children and the class as a whole, enabling it to be used as a diagnostic tool. As the MAP testing is still an emerging system for BISNY it is not yet totally clear how much information will be made available to parents.
Words their Way was enjoyed by the children and was an interesting tool to encourage spellings.
Security was continuing to be an issue, especially with the City being concerned about threat levels. The school operated a traffic light system and there was an arrangement with Waterside Security and the local police precinct in the event of an emergency. The Consulate would also alert us if there was a specific threat and so security could be increased. The school was still considering whether to introduce an ID system. It was felt that whilst this might be reassuring for some parents, it would not necessary add to the already high levels of security for our children, and may even affect the atmosphere in the school in a negative way. Security is assessed on an ongoing basis with outside consultants. There was a suggestion that the PA survey parents to see how many have serious concerns about security, without starting a panic. The PA Board would look into how this might be done.
PA Website Update
· The questionnaire about social media had been sent out via the class reps and hard copies were available to be completed at the meeting. Further copies would be placed by the front desk.
· Mr Phelps advised that the school had a photo library that could be used.
· Links would be included to the class websites
· The PA site would be separate from the school site, so that alumni could continue to keep up with events and information.
· There was enthusiasm for an information section, such as doctors and dentists, events that parent are involved in that would have a wider appeal.
· There would be a link back to the school site.
PA Fees
Currently nearly 50% of the fees had been received which is typical for the period. The invoices would be going live on TADs shortly. This was the big expenditure term, with the International Fair and Holiday gifts for the teachers, so it is always good for cash flow if fees are paid on time.
Open Floor
· Stacy thanked the class reps and mentioned that if anyone else wished to volunteer it is always good to have more than 1 rep per class.
· The importance of hand washing and sanitizing was emphasized especially in this season of illness. The sanitizer pumps had been moved to make access easier.
· Security on the private buses was raised and Mr Phelps outlined the procedures to ensure that the right child got on the right bus. The importance of wearing seatbelts was noted, but the driver is under no obligation to ensure that the child puts it on.
· After School Clubs. Some of the younger children were interested in a swimming club and it was suggested that parents ask their year group via the class reps. 5 children would be necessary to put a club together.